Surviving Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Sixteen - Bathilda Bagshot

Word Count: 2,945 words. 

Warnings: None.

I ran. The entire roof of one of the houses in Godric's Hollow had been blown off and I could just make out spells being cast on top of it. It had to be Harry. Which meant that he was getting himself into all kinds of trouble.

Wand in hand, I flicked the door open, making for the stairs quickly. "Potter!" I called out. "Granger!"

"In here!" one of them called. I didn't know which one but it didn't matter.

I turned the corner at the top of the staircase, rushing for the room at the end of the hall. The door was torn open. When I entered, I found the room in tatters, furniture and walls blown to bits.

They were retreating towards me, both Harry and Hermione throwing spells at something in front of them. They only rebounded.

"What's going on?" I asked, pocketing the wand I held. They couldn't see me with the Elder Wand. I was going to have to use my magic if push came to shove.

"Snake!" Harry told me.

My eyes turned, spotting the green snake that was hurrying towards us "Nagini," I breathed, pushing past Harry and Hermione.

"Black!" Potter called, reaching out for me, but I simply shook him off, moving closer.

Nagini slowed as she approached us, eyes red with fury. She wasn't in control, but she was still in there. She had to be.

I brought myself to my hunkers, keeping my eyes on hers. The snake tilted her head, and I watched as the red flickered. She rose in height so that we were now eye to eye.

"It's me," I told her, reaching a had out. It was shaking. I wasn't nervous, not even slightly, but anyone looking at me might not see it like that. "It's me. It's Lyra."

Nagini blinked and I sighed in slight relief as I watched the red fade and her usual yellow return. Almost instantly, the snake curved backwards, morphing from her snake form.

I rose to my feet to meet her. As soon as the snake had turned to a woman, I felt arms wrap around me in a tight hug. My eyes widened in shock as my grandmother hugged me but I was quick to return the gesture.

"I'm sorry," she apologised.

Shaking my head, I pulled away. "No one's dead and so there's nothing to apologise for."

"What the fuck?" I heard Harry curse and turning around to look at him, I found both him and Hermione looking at the two of us incredulously. Their wands were still raised.

"You can put them down," I told them calmly. "Meet Nagini."

"She's a Maledictus," Hermione commented, first to lower her weapon and step towards the two of us. "I've never seen one before."

"Smart," Nagini commented with a small smile. Despite the odd situation, Hermione seemed pleased with the compliment.

Harry shook his head, swallowing. "What..." he trailed off. "How..."

"Nagini is my grandmother," I told the two of them. "She's been trapped as a snake for decades because of my mother."

I watched the woman beside me visibly tense at the mention of her daughter. I didn't blame her. It was a sensitive subject.

"Then how is she here?" Hermione asked. "Maledictus eventually lose everything they are and are stuck as their cursed creature."

"Credence," I told them simply. "He did it."