The Call Of The Snakes

1 - Growing Up

Hi, I guess! Thank you for clicking on this story! I've read a lot of dark Harry fanfiction lately, and decided to write my own! I'll try to make this make sense, and won't turn characters completely around, but I don't know if I'll succeed yet. Anyways, enjoy!

It was in the middle of the night when it happened. It was full moon, and in the middle of August, which meant it was one of those warm summer nights.

The glowing moon spread its silver light over the streets of London, and revealed a woman. She was dressed in dark grey, which made her look like merely a shadow. Nobody was able to keep their eyes on her for long. It was like their brains wanted them to ignore the strange woman, and focus on anything else than her instead.

The woman in grey knew exactly where she was headed, and in her arms she was carrying a basket.

She soon came to a stop in front of the recently rebuilt Wool's Orphanage.

She placed the basket on the front step, and knocked three times, before she threw her grey cloak around herself, and disappeared into the shadows.

Not long after, an old looking woman came out. She sighed when she saw the basket, and mumbling something about another one.

In that basket, was a girl. And next to her, were a slip of paper, and a small bag with a ribbon around the top. In the paper, it read,

This is Lillian Gaunt. Her mother was in a terrible accident, and died. Her father lost his life to a sickness a long time ago. I am unable to take care of her, since I travel a lot, so I trust that you take her in. I want you to give her the bag when she is good at reading, and make her swear not to tell anyone what's in it when she gets it. I might come and visit her when I am sure she's old enough to understand my reasoning for not taking her in. Please, do not look in the bag. It is a matter of family business.

I wish the best for my dear niece.

Annabelle Bloom

The woman raised an eyebrow at what the note said, but shrugged, and picked up the basket with the baby Lillian, and carried it inside.

As soon as Lillian was old enough to understand that she would get her aunt's bag once she could read, she began to teach herself how to do so. She would sometimes sit down, and demand that some of the older kids helped her read something. And they would, no problem.

As Lillian turned 4, she got closer to a boy named Jack. Jack was always trouble, you see. Stealing from the others, and pick pocketing the visitors at the orphanage. He could also do stuff. He could move things without touching them, and he could make the other kids do what he wanted them to do.

He was really good at it, and soon, he began teaching Lillian how to do all that, and more, when she was 5.

When Lillian was 2, and Jack was 5, a small boy arrived at the orphanage. The two trouble makers took him in, and practicality raised him. They taught him how to do the stuff too, and how to lie, and how to make alliances.

All of them were always trouble. At least, that was what the adults there said. They would always say, " look at them! They're wasting away, always causing trouble, and they never pay any attention!"

But that was where they were wrong. The three children did in fact pay attention. Just not to the old ladies. No, they paid attention to each other, and how they were.

Lillian and Jack taught little Harry everything. They even helped him learn how to read, and speak, and do maths. Even history!

When Jack was 11, and Lillian was 8, and Harry was 6, Jack got a letter from a boarding school, and he accepted it. Now, whenever he got back, which was in all the holidays, he could teach Lillian and Harry how to do even cooler stuff!

When Lillian was 8 and a half, she finally got her bag. In it was a funny looking stick, clothes that somehow fit her perfectly, a few knives, and many books, that were impossible to fit into a small bag, along with a necklace, that was said to be able to take Lillian where she could use the stick "safely."

The next Christmas, when Jack was back, she got them all to hold onto the necklace, and she poked it. The world felt weird for a moment, and then they were in the ruins of an old castle. The three kids spent the whole day exploring, and it was super fun.

When they had to go back, they all held into the necklace again, and Lillian poked it again. The world was weird again, and they were back at the orphanage.

Lillian began to read the books she had gotten from her aunt, and learned, and learned, and learned.

She learned how to control shadows, even if she was bad at it, and she learned how to levitate stuff, which she was kind of bad at too. She learned how to use the knives, and why the clothes were there. And she learned from Jack too! He taught her how to make potions, and about the "History of magic". And Harry learned too!

He happily listened, in Lillian's arms, hidden away deep in the ruins of the castle, to Jack's tales of the school. And in turn, Lillian taught him new stuff on math, and english, and what was going on in their world. She even taught Jack a bit of French!

It was nice to teach someone something too, and she soon began teaching Harry how to do the magic stuff, with the stick. He was not as good as it as her, but he would learn! She was convinced so.

When Lillian was 11, she got a letter from the school too. She accepted it, and left Harry behind. But every holiday, she can e back, and taught him about what she'd learned. She prepared him, because he was sure to come into the school too!

So, he needed to be prepared.

She taught Harry about the houses, and about the founders of the houses, and about the people she had met in Slytherin, and about her professors, and the ghosts. And just Hogwarts in general.

She could tell he wanted to go too, and therefore, she would read aloud to him from her books, and tell her takes so vividly that it was like Harry was there. But not even that could lessen his longing for Hogwarts.

She could tell the boy she saw as her little brother was lonely when they weren't there. So, she encouraged him to find some allies, friends, if you thought about it that way.

Soon, Harry had allies. He had created a small group of trusted friends. They played, and they gossiped, and they talked, and they got in trouble, and they got out of trouble. Together.

When Lillian was 12, and Harry was 10, a snake found its way into the orphanage, in the Easter holidays. And Harry talked to it.

In that moment, Lillian decided to get Harry a snake. One to make friends with, and a pet, for her dear younger brother.

So, for three sickles a week, Lillian helped Filch clean Hogwarts. She could use her wand, thankfully, and by the time it was summer, she had enough wizarding money to buy a snake for Harry.

So, she did. Two days before Harry's tenth birthday, she ran away from the orphanage, and to Diagon Alley. She made her way to the pet shop, where she bought the prettiest snake she could find, and afford.

She ended up buying an absolutely gorgeous red bellied black snake. It was a female, and Lillian could tell that Harry would love it. And he could keep it for a long time, too! Lillian was sure she had read somewhere that those snakes could get up to 25 years old!

And yes, Harry did get extremely happy for his gift. As a bonus, Jack had gifted Harry snake food, and a dog basket for the snake to sleep in, and some blankets for it to curl up and warm up in.

Harry almost immediately named the snake Ruby, and whenever he was lonely, when Jack and Lillian were at Hogwarts, then he would talk with Ruby.

Now, this story starts one very peculiar day. Which just so happened to be Harry's 11th birthday...