Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 49: Moving Forward

Gryffindor Tower
10:00 a.m.

"Hey, Jim? Can, uh, you please do something about your snake? He's after Trevor. Again! ... Hey, Jim?!"

Neville stood a few feet away from his bed and watched anxiously as, for the third time that week, Jim Potter's pet snake Steve draped itself across the glass terrarium of Trevor the Toad. Inside the container, the toad sat very still and croaked nervously. Despite Neville's call, Jim did not respond from his nearby bed (from which the Boy-Who-Lived had not stirred all morning). As the worried toad-owner started to call out for help once more, Ron returned to the dorm room after a leisurely breakfast. He took in the scene (including the fact that Jim was still in bed) and sighed in mild exasperation.

"It's okay, Neville," he said. "I'll get him." Then, he walked past Neville to gingerly lift Steve up and transport him away from Trevor's habitat and back to his own.

"Thanks," Neville said with mild irritation. "But when Jim wakes up, tell him to talk to his snake, okay? You know, before I have to get a prefect involved?"

"Will do."

A few seconds later, an annoyed Neville followed Seamus and Dean out of the room. Ron looked around to make sure they were gone before lifting Steve back up and addressing it.

"Hey, Jim hasss already told you, but I'll sssay it too. Ssstay away from the toad! It'sss poisssonsss. Plusss it would get Jim into trouble if you hurt it, and Jim might have to sssend you away for good!"

"Duuude!" exclaimed the California kingsnake with an indignant hiss that nevertheless somehow sounded like an American surfer's accent to Ron's ears. "Like I would be ssstupid enough to lick that ssslimy thing. I can sssmell itsss toxinsss from here. Grosss. But itsss cassse sssits right in the sssunlight, and it feelsss ssso nice!"

Ron rolled his eyes and cast a Warming Charm on the base of Steve's terrarium before lowering the serpent back into it.

"Isss that better?"

"Muchasss graciasss, Big Red! But sssince you're here and the other two-legsss are all gone, you ssshould talk to Jimbo. He'sss got the bluesss real bad!"

"Yesss, I thought ssso."

"I'm right here, you know ... Big Red," Jim muttered from underneath the blankets pulled up over his head.

"I know," Ron said. "I also know you were pretending to be asleep because you didn't want to talk to anyone. And that you skipped dinner last night and breakfast this morning for the same reason. But I'm not just anyone, so come up for air and tell me what's bothering you."

The Boy-Who-Lived threw back his covers and pulled open his curtains. "What's bothering me? Seriously? How about the fact that it's an ironclad law of the universe that everyone I put all my faith in eventually turns on me!"

Ron winced. "Well, in my defense, I kinda had a pretty good excuse last year...."

"Not you!"

Ron closed the lid on Steve's terrarium before turning back to his friend.

"I know you're upset about your godfather, Jim. And you deserve to be. He took advantage of your trust and the trust of your whole family. I reckon I'd feel the same if Percy or one of my other brothers turned against my family. But hiding in bed isn't going to make you feel any better or change what Pettigrew did."

Jim huffed loudly before pulling himself up to sit on the bed facing his best friend. "It's ... not just Pettigrew ... Harry's leaving the family."

Ron was confused. "What do you mean?"