Growing up Pureblooded

What a Christmas Present

     Aries had grown accustomed to good cooking since he left the Dursleys, but Christmas dinner at Malfoy Manor outshone anything he had ever imagined. A hundred different dishes covered the table: goose and pheasant, lamb and suckling pig, simple boiled potatoes and elegant souffles, vegetables prepared in a dozen different moth-watering ways. Aries couldn't pick favorites out of all the splendid dishes, so he piled his plate high with a bit of everything. All through dinner the adults bickered with each other over everything from politics to the best recipe for Christmas pudding, their voices growing louder and their arguments more vehement as the fine wine flowed. One particularly nasty spat erupted just before dessert. 

     "I was stunned, simple stunned the other night at the Ministry ball," Druella drawled. "Hortensia Selwym was wearing robes that were really the most horrid shade of purple- and with a green hat too! She's so plump, she was strutting about the ball looking for all the world like an overgrown eggplant." Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow. "I was at the ball myself dear, and I didn't see anything wrong with Hortensia's taste." She raised her goblet to her lips and sipped. "After all, she wasn't the one wearing a fuchsia gown." Druella narrowed her eyes. "It was a delicate shade of rose, Cassiopeia, as you well know." Cassiopeia smirked, "If that was a delicate shade, I should shudder to imagine what in intense shade might look like. You stood out more than that Umbridge woman." Druella drew her wand and show a Stinging Hex at Cassiopeia, which the latter witch easily deflected. Cassiopeia cackled and twirled her own want. "Serpensortia!" she intoned, and a vicious-looking cobra flew out the end of her wand and landed on the table directly in front of Druella, who panicked. She jumped back from the table, knocking over he chair. The snake ignored her and turned toward Draco, who was sitting right next to his grandmother.

     Aries was sitting across from Draco, and saw the look of terror that appeared on his cousin's face. The cobra raised its head and spread its hood. Without hesitation, Aries grabbed the snake by the tail and yanked it away from Draco. It began to hiss angrily and turned to strike Aries. "Foolish boy," it hissed. "Now you will die instead of the other one." For some odd reason, it did not immediately surprise Aries that eh was able to understand the snake. Perhaps it had something to do with the sheer number of amazing things that had happened in his live over the previous few weeks. In any event, Aries did not stop to wonder, but reacted immediately. "Leave me alone," he hissed back. The snake froze and stared at Aries warily. "You speak the noble language of the serpents," he observed. Aries shrugged, realizing for the first time the strange ability he had discovered. "I suppose so." The snake inclined its head. "Forgive me, my lord, for preparing to strike you. I did not know who you were." "Fine, but promise not to attack anyone else." "My lord is merciful," the cobra replied. "I shall obey your commands with gratitude." Aries let go of the snake's tail, and the cobra slithered over to his elbow and curled up. "I am hungry my lord," it said. "I should be honored if you would be so kind as to provide me with nourishment." Aries took a juicy slice of turkey, set it on his bread plate and placed it on the floor beside his chair. "Thank you my lord," the snake said, and then slithered down the table leg to the floor, where it eagerly commenced devouring the turkey. Aries smiled at the snake despite himself, and then looked back up at the table. Everyone was staring at him, speechless.

     "Did I do something wrong?" he asked nervously. Pollux laughed in glee and wiped a tear from his eye. "Wrong? You're a Parselmouth, Aries. Nothing could make me more delighted." Arcturus sniffed. "I'm hardly surprised," he said smugly, though his broad, almost child-like grin made Aries rather doubt his truthfulness. "You do spring from two pureblood lines more exalted than any in Britain." "that was wicked Aries!" Draco exclaimed. "It was just like in the stories, like Slytherinen himself, or..." he trailed off. "The Dark Lord," Lucius finished, and impenetrable expression on his face. Abraxas chuckled, "Indeed, indeed. How long have you known that you spoke Parseltongue, my boy?" "Is Parseltongue snake language?" Aries asked. His grandfather nodded. "I only just found out, sir." Cassiopeia was incredulous, "Just now, when you were talking to the snake? Why did you grab its tail then, if you didn't know you could control it?" Aries shrugged, "It was going to attack Draco." Narcissa gave him a small smile, "That was very brave Aries." "Ordinarily I would say foolhardy," Abraxas observed, "But I suppose you know what you're up to around snakes far better than I." He sat back in his chair. "Great Merlin, A Parselmouth in the family." He laughed aloud. "What a Christmas Present! I say we celebrate." He called out to the house elf. "Dobby, bring in the dessert."