Lost and Better Off Not Found

Chapter 5

The next day Harry went to work as usual and then got home and took a shower before he was to go shopping for school supplies. He was looking forward to it too, a whole other world right here in London, right under his nose. He was surprised he had never run into it before, he knew London pretty well after all. But wizards and witches were not good at hiding for nothing.

Knocking at his front door caught his attention and he quickly put the finishing touches with kohl around his eyes and left the bathroom. "Coming!" he called and opened the door to Sirius and Remus. "Only you two?"

"Yeah, Albus had to get back to his duties," Remus explained.

"You're stuck with us, kiddo!" Sirius said happily, bounding into the room. He turned and stared at Harry, "What is that?"

Harry looked down at his shirtless form, "What?"

"Is that a snake?"

Harry looked down again, specifically at the red and black snake tattoo wrapped around his right forearm, its head resting against his shoulder. "Yes, it is."

"Okay, first. That is so cool that you have a tattoo, and second, why a snake?"

"What's wrong with snakes?" Harry asked.

"They're slimy, sneaky, backstabbing-" Sirius started scowling deeply.

"...intelligent and insightful creatures," Harry finished for him, "You better not let Sylaria hear you say that."

"Who's Sylaria?" Sirius asked leaning against the couch. Feeling something touching his arm he looked down and jumped about a foot in the air, letting out a shout of surprise.

"That is Sylaria," Harry answered. There on the couch ledge was a snake, flicking her tongue out to taste the visitors.

"You have a snake?!" Sirius yelled, jumping off the couch.

"Yes, I do. It's okay though, she's not poisonous," Harry said picking her up, "Though if she does bite you it's going to hurt." The snake rose and rubbed its head against Harry's cheek in affection and Harry smiled.

Remus could only stare in amazement as it seemed Harry and the snake, Sylaria, seemed remarkably in tune with each other. That was rare, even with magical snakes. She appeared to be a Scarlet Snake, like Harry said, nonvenomous, a foot long, dark red with black and yellow bands around its body. It was a replica of the tattoo on Harry's arm. "Where'd you get i-her?" Remus asked conversationally.

"At an exotic reptile house," Harry answered, "She was only a couple inches when I got her; she's grown a lot since then."

"Don't you keep her in a cage?" Sirius asked warily.

"A cage? No that's barbaric. I mean she has a habitat over there," Harry said gesturing to a glass open box with sand and a big rock in it, "but it's open so she can go wherever she wants."

"You're not afraid of her getting out?"

"No, she understands not to leave the apartment," he said placing her down on the table in a patch of sunlight, where she curled up. "I'm going to finish getting ready." He said turning to the bedroom.

Their gazes were met by another sight. "You have another one?" Sirius exclaimed.

Harry looked over his shoulder at the dragon tattoo along the left side of his back. "Yeah. It hurt like a bitch, but it was worth it."

"That's so wicked," Sirius said in awe, "It looks so real."

"Yup," Harry said and left the room.