A Hop Skip And A Jump Away

unexpected holding

"It seems we've all received a surprise," Voldemort said softly, looking at his own parchment. He nodded vaguely in approval or acknowledgement when he noted the Slytherin and Gaunt Lordships, eyebrow rising in surprise at a few of the stipulations which he had unknowingly fulfilled. A sharp intake of breath was the only indication he gave but it was enough to draw the instant attention of the other two wizards.

"What?" Harry demanded, glad of the distraction from his own confusing results.

"My father was apparently a squib. His ancestor was Myrridan Emrys, better known as Merlin," Voldemort practically breathed in shock.

A moment later he convulsed, the shock having triggered a part of the poorly made potion that Wormtail had used to return him to a body which should have been active all along. Severus, moving fast, barely got him out of his chair and onto the floor. A flick of the wrist and his handkerchief became a scarf which was subsequently shoved into Voldemort's mouth to keep him from biting through or choking on his tongue. Harry, moments behind the potions master, restrained his counter part's torso and arms to minimize any damage done. This left Snape free to assess the situation, instructing the younger wizard on what to do even as he held the ruby-eyed man's head still and the goblins called for a healer.

"I'm going to kill that rat when I next see him," Snape seethed, as he pulled a temporary muscle relaxant potion from his emergency supply and poured it down Voldemort's throat, quickly replacing the scarf when he was done. He knew that the relaxant would lessen not only the damage that might be done but also ease the dangerous tension in the man's neck muscles.

A quick medical scan revealed that his supposition about Wormtail's poor brewing ability was correct as the man started to look more human than snake-human hybrid. It took twenty minutes for Voldemort to fully stabilize, burning through the potion, and by that time his features had shifted more towards what Harry remembered of his diary self looking like in the chamber. He had a nose again, had lost some of the pure white paleness bringing his skin tone closer to that of a merely human paleness rather than the skin tone of an albino serpent.

Something else that changed, and would later have Harry laughing, was the slight fuzz of dark brown hair he had gained covering his scalp even as his eyebrows grew in. Somehow the Gryffindor instinctively knew that the only observable features the man would be keeping from his hybrid state were the ruby colored eyes. Harry also thought that he would have an instinctive ability to shift fully or partly into a version of his hybrid form closer to that of a Naga or Lamia, complete with fangs and venom sac. For example the man would probably be able to consciously or instinctively shift the individual attributes to gain and use them individually or in some combination. Harry didn't doubt that Voldemort would gleefully use them for all sorts of things, especially intimidation of his followers.

As Voldemort's form stabilized and he was able to relax limply into an exhausted pile, Harry carefully lifted himself off of the older wizard and backed away. This allowed Snape and the newly arrived Goblin Healer room to work. Harry watched them check Voldemort over and noticed an unconscious tell he knew belonged to his future Severus, caused by an accident after the deal was struck that had reacted with Nagini's venom. This realization had Harry settling back more confidently waiting for instructions should the muttering potions master issue them.

Finally, both Healer and Potions Master sat back and had a rapid fire discussion using a short hand filled with medical terms that Harry couldn't follow. They appeared to be having an argument over who would take charge for any future relapses. Eventually, Snape won, having cited his resources and personal knowledge of the patient along with his ability to brew any needed potions. Grudgingly, the goblin healer agreed with the proviso that he be able to check over both of the other humans before they left. Sourly, Snape agreed and Harry patiently endured a second round of discussions after in depth scans of all three were taken as the two poured over the results.