1,202I do not own anything from the harry potter universe, unfortunately.
"Normal Talking"
'Thoughts'
"Parseltongue"
Sometimes Harry would just look around and wondered why he even kept coming back to this damned dorm. Currently, he found himself underneath his invisibility cloak, his only keepsake from his father along with the marauder's map. He was idly fingering the worn parchment but wasn't using it. He didn't need to sneak anywhere but thankfully, with his cloak, he was able to be invisible to the world.
If you are curious about the fact that Harry felt such a need for solitude well like every year it seemed that he was destined to be in deadly situations even when not in school. Going with the Weasleys to the quidditch world cup had been exhilarating to be surrounded by so many magical people and even muggle families and to see people race through the air on brooms. It felt like home, but of course as would be fate's decree any sense of safety and joy was ripped from him as a group of death eaters attacked the world cup. He remembered hearing the screams, the sound of thundering stampeding feet as wizards and witches ran off in a panic. He remembered seeing an innocent muggle family levitated off the ground, humiliated and tortured.
Even after the horrific event, he had hoped that maybe that fate may be a gentle and kind mistress as hopefully that would be his yearly obligation of life-or-death situations checked off for the year. To some extent it seemed that it actually might be as, like every year, they got a new DADA professor who, like Remus, seemed to know what he was doing. He was glad, elated as the first week of school passed without incident the only annoyance being Malfoy and his entourage annoying him but he found himself grateful for that as it actually was normal.
Then after that first week, Dumbledore announced how Hogwarts would be hosting students from two other schools. He had not announced who they were, but he was most likely saving it as a surprise for when they did arrive on Halloween. Well, that set the castle abuzz with gossip and the time passed like a snitch through the air, in a flash. The day before Halloween came and the two schools were introduced as Beauxbaton French School of magic. The students were dressed in blue robes he didn't make note of any striking details, but he did remember a silver-haired girl that seemed to lead the group of foreign students.
She was a beautiful girl older than him but to him seemed off in a way. Like she was ready to defend herself at a moment's notice. He also took note of how every single male in attendance seemed to drool over themselves as she arrived which confused him and seemed to really rub the girls the wrong way.
After that a group of much rougher-looking students came through dressed in red and black, they were introduced as Durmstrang Academy and to Harry's surprise and Ron's near orgasmic delight, Victor Krum was amongst the students, though he walked side by side with his headmaster.
After these groups had been introduced Dumbledore had then gone on to introduce not only the goblet of fire but also show off the Tri-Wizard cup which was the prize along with a thousand galleons. Though there was some disappointment that only wizards over the age of seventeen and therefore of legal age could enter the tournaments. Harry was more than happy with this arrangement as it meant that he didn't even have a hope of entering, not that he wanted to in the first place.
If only.
Yes, it seemed Fate wanted to bend him over and spank him for even entertaining the idea of a nice quiet school year with just the normal amount of excitement from the other schools being here. Oh no, that would be too much to ask!
Instead, as the school gathered after the Halloween feast on the day the champions were to be selected by the great Goblet of bloody Fire. Everything had gone normal, From Beauxbaton was Fleur Delacour, the same beautiful silver-haired witch he had noticed the other day. Then from Durmstrang Was Krum, though Harry was pretty sure he was the only one to enter from his school. Then there was Hogwarts he held his breath and hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be him. His prayers seemed to be answered as Cedric Diggory was chosen from the Hufflepuff house. He actually smiled he was glad and as Dumbledore had gone on to his speech about eternal glory or some such the goblet started to blaze again. And with a hammering heart in his chest harry saw another piece of slightly singed parchment exit the goblet and Dumbledore caught it.
As soon as he saw the headmaster mutter confused, he didn't even need to hear him to know whose name was written on that paper. Who else would it have been? Jesus!?
After that he was met with a barrage of questions from the headmasters, well questions from Dumbledore, the others felt more like accusations. After that he felt like he was back in his second year when everyone was afraid of him, only now instead of fear, it was anger. Hatred even in some cases. Thought the blade of betrayal that stung was Ron, without thought or question he had accused Harry of putting his name in the goblet. No belief not even a hint of doubt Ronald Weasley his best friend had just believed that Harry had somehow cheated his way into eternal glory.
They fought over that Ron had at that point made it his mission to make sure Harry was seen as a real cheater just looking for more attention. That had turned his house against him quicker than he thought it would. In fact, the only people who seemed to believe in him were Neville, Fred, and George as well as Hermione though none of them were very supportive.
He had always felt safe in his common room and dorm now he couldn't go a day without some form of harassment. His schoolwork was ruined, sometimes to the point where he would have to start entire essay's over again, his clothes being bombarded with stink bombs thankfully he was able to clean those. He even found to his horror that someone had broken into his trunk and had poured some foul-smelling liquid into its contents. He didn't care about anything, even though most of his books were ruined, all he cared about was the fact that his one photo of his parents, the map, and the cloak had managed to be saved.
This currently led to where he was now, he found that if he was out of sight he was generally out of mind for his house and that was better than nothing at least. He knew that before the week was up, he was going to attend a wand weighing ceremony. But something that made this easier was that apparently, the champions were exempt from having to take classes and the like.
Letting out a sigh he opened the map and quickly muttered the password. As the ink bled to life on the page he looked at the Gryffindor common room to see it was empty and felt it was safe to head to the kitchens. He had decided against eating with the rest of the populace of the school, thankfully the elves were much more trusting and kinder to him than his peers he laughed bitterly at that, thinking about how he was treated by the Dursleys. Perhaps they all were kindred spirits of sorts.
He kept his cloak on and thankfully the halls were pretty empty since the other students were at breakfast.
Stepping into the kitchen he found the elves busy at work preparing meals and upon seeing him they gave him a polite greeting which he returned. One of the elves, Misty, the sort of head elf in the kitchens met him.
"Hello, kind Harry Potter sir!" she said with a bow "Will you be needed some eatsies before classes?" she asked and he nodded. She smiled brightly her large gold eyes shining as she skipped away to grab some toast with eggs and sausage also taking a side dish and filling it with a few strips of bacon which she then sealed into a simple paper bag. Coming back to Harry she presented the package with a smile.
"Here are some eatsies, will you be coming back for lunch then?" she asked as Harry took the bag and nodded.
"Most likely, and probably dinner too. Most likely for the rest of the year." He said a bit bitterly at the end as Misty shook her head her floppy ears swinging with the motion.
"No Kind sir, Surely your friends will realize they are being cruel to such a kind and amazing wizard and will apologize! I am sure!" Harry gave her a sad smile and nodded.
"We can hope." He said and bid the other elves a fair well which they returned.
After leaving the kitchens Harry quickly navigated his way through the castle, on any other day he wouldn't mind taking his time and admiring the sheer majesty of Hogwarts halls and décor but he didn't want to be caught in a crowd. After a few halls and turns later he found himself climbing the familiar steps of the owlery. Even if everyone else turned their backs on him or held him at arm's length there was one who would always be there. Someone who helped him through his less than pleasant life with the Dursleys and every time he found himself ostracized by his peers.
Arriving at the top he sat at the top step and took his cloak off. Within only a few seconds he felt a slight flush of wind and a weight on his shoulder accompanied by the soft tickle of feathers against his ear. Hedwig had wasted no time in lovingly nibbling away at his hair and cheek. He smiled, Hedwig had always been there for him ever since he got her. He had little doubt that he would have gone mad back at the Dursleys without Hedwig there to keep him grounded.
He quickly unfolded the bag that help the food and took the bacon plate and set it aside. Hedwig seeing her favorite treat quickly hopped down to eat the crispy strips. Harry for himself enjoyed the breakfast provided.
"You know misty says, that the others will come around and see that they're being cruel. What do you think?" he asked as the Snowy owl downed a strip of bacon before letting out a screech, her feathers raising in agitation.
"Not even a chance?" he asked and she screeched again. He smiled sadly stroking her feathers back down.
"Maybe they don't deserve a chance, I mean this is the second time that something out of my control has turned them all away, even Ron. Do they even care about me? Or has it always just been the Boy who lived?" he asked not really expecting an answer. Looking back on it he tried to think about his experiences.
There had been moments of course where it truly felt like he had a family here but just as quickly as they came they left again. He remembered being so excited about learning magic and being away from Dudley. He had always had to hold himself back in muggle school since getting better grades meant he was cheating which meant he was bad which meant a beating. Coming to this school he thought it could be different but the more he thought about it the more he realized just how much he let Ron run his life in some cases. It wasn't much but, in first year when he was talking about Hermione and hurt her feelings, he hadn't agreed at all but held his tongue.
He found he did a lot of that, when Ron would drone on and on and how he would constantly distract him from his work. Harry wasn't studious by any means, he wasn't married to books, but when he found something that truly interested him and that he wanted to know about he wanted to read about it. And when it came to academics Harry could see that the old Dudley routine would play out in his head whenever they would do assignments. He would catch just a flicker of annoyance in Ron if their grades weren't the same or at least close.
And not to mention that Ron also seemed to guide him away from other people, at least if they weren't dressed in red and gold.
Harry began to worry a bit at these thoughts, 'Had I really been that desperate for a friend?' he thought to himself. In his mind, he began to try to list the friends he had, real friends, not acquaintances or someone he worked with on an assignment or talked to just because they happened to share a common room. Only two names came to mind, Hermione and Ron. Yes, he was on good terms with the Weasley family as a whole but Ron was the only one that he was truly friends with the rest were more friends by proxy rather than effort. Though the twins did seem to care quite a bit but even then, Ron would just scoff at them and change the subject or urge him away.
Harry's eyes narrowed as he thought about this. The more he thought and looked back the more he saw himself as some wide-eyed idiot. Ron had been much more controlling than he had originally thought, possessive even. Even there very first few moments in Hogwarts he did his best to steer his opinion.
The Sorting hat itself, which had sorted hundreds of thousands of young wizards and witches since the inception of Hogwarts, and yet the only reason he asked, no begged, he begged the hat not to put him in Slytherin. Why?
'There's never been a wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin, There dark through and through you don't want to go there.' Harry echoed the words Ron had said to him in his mind.
"I haven't changed at all, have I, Hedwig? Still, just a little boy locked in a cabinet." He said as Hedwig after she finished her last strip of bacon hopped onto his leg and cooed softly at her human nibling his shirt affectionately.
"Maybe I should, I'm supposed to be free here. I'm supposed to be better. Not Freak, or the boy who lived. I'm supposed to be just Harry!" he said his fist clenching and eyes narrowing as he looked out the window.
"I'm going to the library first chance, I'm going to study every spell I need to, and you know what." He said as Hedwig looked at him expectantly. "I'm going to win this damn thing! I don't care that someone probably is trying to get me killed, I'll just knock over everyone and everything in my way!" he said as Hedwig flapped her wings with a cry of approval.
If harry had paid a bit more attention to his surrounding at that moment he would have noticed the sound of retreating footsteps below him, lower on the tower.
Harry had done exactly what he set out to do, after saying goodbye to Hedwig who went on her morning flight. He kept the cloak on and navigated his way to the library, no reason for anyone to know where he was going. It'd make it easier to study in peace if no one knew where he was so they couldn't bother or harass him.
Upon reaching the library he shed his cloak and shrunk it so that it fits nicely in his pocket. Entering he was met with pure quiet as he made his way to the desk where Madam Pince sat going over a book she had opened on her desk. Sensing his presence, she looked up and she could see the flicker of annoyance in her eyes upon recognizing him. Him and Ron had been less than respectful of the rules of quiet while they were here if they were ever here.
"Madam Pince, I was hoping you could help me find some books." He said simply he honestly didn't know what he was looking for but hoped she could give him an idea on where to start searching.
"Well," she said closing her book "I am going to need some specifics." She said and he could hear the slight guard in her voice, again warranted and unfortunately earned.
"I, well, you know I'm an unwilling participant in this tournament, so I need spells. Powerful ones, or at least ones that can help me in these tasks whatever they might be." Madam Pince actually cocked an eyebrow at that and thought for a moment.
"Without knowing the nature of the tasks, themselves it would be ill-advised to just search random spells that may or may not aid you. However, I do know that the nature of these tasks can be quite, combative, to say the least." She stated coming out from behind her desk and walking down the aisle Harry following her steps.
"So, I can at least say that your grasps over protective charms and shields should do with some polishing." She stated waving her wand as two different books flew off the shelves and into Harry's arms. "Also, from my knowledge of past tournaments they often find it exciting to include magical creatures of the more dangerous nature so perhaps these will be of aid to you." she said again flicking her wand and two more books flew from another isle into Harry's arms.
"As for the offensive side of things I doubt Dumbledore and the other organizers would expect you to do anything of real combative value most likely your best strategies would be defense. However, since this is a known dangerous tournament I will give you limited access to the restricted section." She said summoning a card and placing it on top of the books he already possessed, and he saw that it had his name on it and below his name was a large R and next to that a 2.
"That will clear you for anything within the first two aisles of the restricted section. That being said should you misuse or handle any books from that section irresponsibly your access will be revoked indefinitely. Do I make myself clear?" she asked her brow furrowed and eye narrowed dangerously at him.
Harry nodded. Madam Pince nodded back and returned to her place behind her desk and opened her book.
Harry quickly found a table out of the way in the library and set his four books down and looked at them. The first two were texts on defensive spells and wards along with how to recognize protective spells and wards. The second two were bestiaries and quickly opening one to the table of context he saw a long list of different magical creatures and what page to find them on.
Looking at the four books he quickly collected some spare parchment which was always available in the library along with a quill and ink. Flipping through the bestiaries first he began to note which were dangerous and which were not as he doubted the organizers would use fairies in a deadly task. Before he could even get past the fourth entry, he was interrupted by a group of figures approaching him. He growled and rolled his eyes a bit, he was sure no one saw him enter the library and this table was well out of view and out of the way. Look up he was prepared to see some sneering Slytherins or snarking Gryffindors or angry Puffs or even haughty Raven claws. What he did not expect was to look up and see a mixture of two of the previously stated options.
Two Slytherin girls and one Hufflepuff.
One of the Slytherin girls was slender with a modest bust but still curvy in terms of her figure. She had bright almost electric blue eyes and cascading honey blonde hair it was naturally straight as well as fair skin with no blemishes that he could discern. She seemed to come off as a bit cold to him, her face a mask of indifference but not cruel.
The other Slytherin was slightly more filled out than the blond though they were around the same height. She had a larger bust than the first girl but seemed to match her in terms of figure despite being a bit less slender than the blonde. She had long dark brown hair that was less straight and wavier than the other girls. She had slightly tanned skin and had just a bare splash of freckles on her face which also played host to a pair of rather slender glasses.
The Hufflepuff girl he recognized, Susan Bones, had the largest bust out of all three of the girls and not by a little either she also had a rather well-kept figure as well which was accompanied by rich strawberry blonde curls which she currently had in a loose ponytail with only two bangs free to frame her face. She had fair skin like the first Slytherin though she had one beauty mark just off to the lower corner of her left eye.
He waited for a moment, expecting a sneer or some other form of slander to come his way before he was allowed back to his research.
"Whatcha working on?" the brunette Slytherin asked and Harry slightly narrowed his eyes as he pulled his books towards him almost protectively.
"Stuff." He said simply hoping they would just insult him already and get it over with.
"Important stuff?" she asked again and now Harry was becoming less defensive and more confused.
"Life and Death." He stated flatly which got a snort of amusement from the honey blonde. Finally, Susan just sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Harry, would you mind if we studied with you."
she asked with a smile and it was setting off warning bells in his head and now his eyes darted around the room seeing if there were any other students hiding behind the shelves waiting to pounce as soon as he let his guard down.
"I'm not sure we're studying the same thing here." He said still not sure what their intentions were.
"Potter we don't bite, honest, we just want to study a bit." The honey blonde stated speaking up for the first time. Harry wanted to tell them to shove off and find somewhere else to study. He wasn't exactly trusting lately, but Madam Pince was very strict and He knew that if she even thought something was amiss she would come around to check up on it.
"Fine, I guess." He muttered out keeping his books close as he went back to flipping through the pages. The girls settled around him Susan had decided to sit next to him but still give him some space and the two Slytherins sat in front of him.
He quickly glanced to his right and saw that if he needed to, he had a straight shot to the door. He would've chuckled to himself if he was alone. The one place he was supposed to feel safe, and he was making sure he had an exit strategy handy now.
Harry had only gotten through three more entries marking only one of them down when the Honey blond Slytherin spoke up.
"So, are you working on something for the tournament?" she asked seeing the tomes he had in front of him.
"Like I said, Life and Death." He answered flipping to the next entry of the bestiary he had in front of him. He began to skim through it but didn't see anything about the beast that was tournament worthy.
"So, who do you think entered you in the tournament?" she continued as Harry looked up surprised by her question. He couldn't decern anything from her gaze, she seemed calculating and cold but there was something else too.
"You don't think it was me?" he asked and was further surprised to see all three girls confirm in the negative. "Really?" he asked again just to be sure, and the blonde rolled her eyes.
"Potter, despite the impression you get from Malfoy and his band of trolls the rest of Slytherin are actually cunning and observant. Barley anyone in our house believes you did it. Despite Malfoy's incessant claims to the contrary, you're not a… how did he put it?" she asked the brunette as she took up a phony thinking pose.
"A stinking, pathetic attention-seeking mudblood loving prat. Or something of that nature." She said shaking her head.
"Yeah harry, while I can't really speak for the rest of my house, I know that you're not the kind of guy who wants eternal glory." Susan said with a smile and a nod.
"Also, you're the boy who lived I don't see how you can get much more eternal glory than that." the brunette said as Harry's eyes narrowed again as a frown marred his features. The blonde rolled her eyes in annoyance as her body suddenly shifted and her friend jumped, probably from being kicked. Her friend who seemed to catch on to what her words might implicate.
"N-not that there's anything glorious about what happened that night. I mean it's great that he was beaten, I guess. But it defiantly shouldn't have cost you your… you know I'm just gonna stop." She said as the blonde shook her head.
"The point is Potter we don't think you put your name in." she said as Harry let a ghost of a smile grow on his face.
"Thanks, I guess, um, what are your names? I know Susan, well not really but I know her name." he said knowing that the only thing he really knew about Susan was her name, how she looked, and her house.
The blonde smiled lightly, a ghost of a smile really "I'm Daphne, Daphne Greengrass. Miss foot in her mouth is Tracey Davis." She said indicating to the brunette at that last part. The now named Tracey smiled sheepishly as she nodded.
"So, what are you actually working on? It's for the tournament but like which part?" Susan asked scooting just a bit closer.
"I don't know what the first task is supposed to be so I'm just trying to, I don't know cast a net I guess." He said spreading the books out in front of him.
"Madam Pince said that past tournaments liked to use magical creatures in their tasks so I planned to weed out possible magical creatures that they could use then research them more thoroughly." Susan examined the second bestiary that he had yet to open.
"Fantastic beasts and where to find them. I know this book, more of a Magizoologist field guide with how to handle and approach creatures." She said idly opening the book and fingering through the pages.
"What about the one you got there?" Tracey asked as Harry kept his hand in the book so as not to lose his spot.
"The Fanged, Clawed and the weird." He read out loud.
"That's probably going to be a better bet since it's more of a list of creatures and the dangers they represent." Susan said closing the book she had.
"And these?" Daphne asked indicating to the other two books.
"Haven't looked yet but there about defensive spells and enchantments." He said as Daphne picked up one of the books and began to finger through it.
"I thought you girls said you had to study?" Harry asked a hint of a smirk on his face. He just received shrugs.
"Well, this isn't bad, at least it doesn't look too bad. I would personally recommend Dueling techniques that could save your life. Not much in the way spells but it does give some decent pointers on movements and strategies."
"Think I'll be dueling someone?" Harry asked and was met with a shrug from Daphne.
"Dodging can be useful for getting out of the way of a spell or a troll's club." She said and Harry had to concede she had a point.
The girls were only able to stay for a few more minutes but they helped him skim through the bestiary and make note of certain creatures that could pop up in the tournament.
"Don't you have to get to class too?" Daphne asked as the girls gathered their things.
"I don't technically have to attend classes since I should be preparing for the tournament or something like that." he said as he notices the girls, mainly Daphne and Susan, seemed to deflate almost at his statement; though Daphne hid it quite well.
"Well, you should maybe talk to the professors, Flitwick was a professional duelist once, maybe he can help you out." Daphne said before turning as the three left. Harry spent the next half an hour combing through the books before he decided to try for the restricted section. Grabbing the card given to him by Pince he made his way over to the chained-off area.
Without having to reach for the chain it actually moved itself, floating off its hook and clearing the way for harry to pass. Looking down the isles he saw that the chains blocking the first and second isles had done the same as the entrance but third and beyond kept their place. Looking around Harry looked for any books that might be helpful and while he saw many interesting books none really looked as if they held any secret combat knowledge.
He was about to just take the books he had and go before he felt something. Like a faint whisper past his ear as he looked back. He then felt a tug like a gentle hand was trying to lead him somewhere. Curious he followed the feeling as it lead him to the second isle of the restricted section and over towards the back end of the shelves. Now the whispers had been replaced with a slight hum that rang throughout his ears and he gently placed his fingers along the spines of the books running down until he felt warmth emanate from one of them.
Looking at the book he saw that the spine was black leather and bound with silver and along the spine was a series of runes. He wasn't quite sure which form of runic language they belonged to but even so he took the book from its place on the shelf.
Looking at it a saw the silver binding wrapped all around the book from the spine to the edge of the book outlining the black leather. On the front face of the book was something like a silver dragon skull with forward-facing horns. There were no runes on the front or the back and the book itself wasn't that large maybe about the size of a large Journal.
As he went to open it and a small note fell out with the reflexes of a seeker, he was able to catch it before it was even an inch from the book. The note was worn much like Harry's map, it was definitely old. Though how old he couldn't really be sure. Opening the note, he saw a rather neat flourishing handwriting as he read the note.
To whom it may concern
If you are reading this then you have found my personal grimoire, a collection of every spell I have concocted or have dreamt up, every ritual and enchantment I have mastered. I leave this in hopes that my works can still lead to great things, for they will lead to great things. My time is limited and my power failing however you should know that the magic contained within these pages is not for the faint of heart. It may very well seem like dark magic to others but to those of us who truly understand magic, we know that there is no dark or light there is only magic.
And magic blooms in only the rarest of souls. I leave this, my works so that my legacy, may live on. Do not fear magic for we are magic. To fear magic is to fear oneself, so when you delve into the depths of these pages and the secrets held within remember that magic blossoms in the spirit of freedom, let it bloom in you.
Harry read the note before folding it and pocketing it and opening the book and was met with the same dragon skull symbol only it took up the entire page and was surrounded by a ring and within the ring was the same runic language that he couldn't understand that was on the spine. Flipping through the pages he was confused when he saw the first entry, he briefly observed it seeing paragraphs filled with details on the spells that the page held but after flipping through the first ten pages he found the rest of the book to be blank.
Shaking his head in confusion he placed the note back into the book and was about to place it back on the shelf before stopping. His face gained a contemplative expression as he took the book back and opened it to the first spell. Apparently, it was some form of conjuration which was derived from the root spell Serpensortia, but unlike that spell, this one conjured magical snakes though it required a great deal more power to achieve and knowledge of the serpent to perform.
Harry considered for a moment before he thought to his own Parseltongue ability. He hardly used it though he did enjoy it. Talking to the python at the zoo before his first year was quite nice. To be able to summon magical snakes would be something incredible and very useful. He doubts he'd be able to summon a Basilisk, but still.
Closing the book, he ran his fingers over the silver symbol on the front of the book before nodding slowly. Adding the black book to his pile he went to Madam Pince who okayed the books for his use. Once he left, he found an out-of-the-way alcove before enlarging his cloak and throwing it over himself then shrinking his books. Though he found he couldn't shrink the black grimoire not thinking much of it since it was from the restricted section as he just tucked it under his arm.
He checked his map and saw that most people were still in morning classes he looked around before finding an abandoned classroom that he could use. Entering he saw that it was just a standard rectangle lecture room nothing too special. It was also bare no desks or chairs which was fine for him.
"Okay let's give this a try." He spoke to himself as he placed the other books on the ground along with his cloak before opening the grimoire to the first spell which was the evolved version of Serpensortia and began reading.
Serpenmaiora: The Greater Serpent summoning spell
For those who speak of conjuration and hold mastery in the subject, they all agree that the conjuring of a magical being is impossible. Though I have found that their excuses are less than savory as a reason for why they fail. Most will simply state that to summon a magical creature of any standing is impossible at the magical strain it places upon the core of the wizard or witch, is too great and risks great harm. I have found that this is easily rectified. For you see in the idea of conjuration it is commonplace to summon an object or creature and simply let it exist however magical creatures function differently than others.
In the case of the Serpensortia snake summoning spell, the casting of this spell summons a snake of choice and it can exist in the world indefinitely until it dies naturally or is vanished by the counter charm. The reason for this is when the serpent is conjured all that it needs to survive is present. The heart, lungs, muscles, bones so on and so forth. However, for a magical snake such as an Ashwinder or a Runespoor, they require more than just blood flow and oxygen to survive. No, they require magic.
Magical creatures draw their magic from the environment and that is where their magic comes from. However, when conjured they do not have that connection since their power is not born naturally but through the power of the caster. So when this spell is in use it is important to realize this, you cannot just cast and forget. You must feel that connection and allow it to flow freely through you. imagine if you would two lakes connected by a river. When you cast this spell, you must allow your magic to flow out of you into the serpent but must also allow it to flow back within you. Failing this will cause your conjured creature to fade rather quickly and can result in a rather nasty backlash for you.
The book then had a diagram describing the wand movements as well as a small list that named different magical snakes with a number next to their names and harry guessed that this was a sort of difficulty ranking for the spell. Looking through the list he saw that the Ashwinder was the easiest rank with a simple number 1 next to its name with a helpful note stating that if you conjure the serpent in a fire it would make the spell far easier to summon.
Grabbing his wand Harry pointed it out to the middle of the room the grimoire held in his other hand laying against his forearm as he gripped his arm so he could see the diagram for the wand movement.
"Incendio!" he cast conjuring a small ring of flames in the middle of the floor as he aimed his wand towards the flames. He remembered the Ashwinder he had seen in DADA last year and the drawing of the one he saw in Bestiary he just had in the library. He imagined the thin body and the grey ash-colored scales and silver eyes. With the image in his head, he opened his eyes, and with a flourish of his wand as the diagram showed he spoke.
"Serpenmaiora!" he chanted and felt the familiar pull, like a warmth flowed from his chest through his arm and out his wand. There was a flash of dark blue light as a tendril flowed from his wand. Though he felt something, like as the tendril traveled it pulled some of his magic with him.
Quickly realizing that it must have been the magical drain the book was talking about he didn't try to cut it off but instead let it flow out of him as the tendril met the flames and it became silver in color before becoming smokey and it started to solidify and Harry saw the viper like, grey serpent as it coiled within the flames he summoned.
Though it did seem different to what he had known the snake to usually to look. For starters, it had bright green eyes and a black stripe going down its back which dipped down its sides at times. Then Harry could feel it, the pull on his magic seemed to intensify for a moment before it calmed and now felt less like a pull and more like he had some form of invisible connection to the snake.
The snake itself observed its surroundings as it observed him and Harry quickly spoke up in the language he hadn't used since second year.
"Can you hear me?" He asked as the snake reared back almost like it was surprised to hear him speak.
"I can Speaker, what is my purpose?" The snake had hissed back.
"I am training, I am studying a new spell."
"I see, but I sense something is bothering you, Speaker." The snake hissed as it began to leave the fire that Harry had summoned and as soon as it did the snake's skin began to flake off like he was shedding at an accelerated rate and his shed skin became ash just as quickly.
"How do you know that?"
"I don't know, perhaps it is the spell, but I am not long for this world even with your magic. Speaker, speak to me, what ails you?" The snake asked as it made its way to Harry who knelt down on one knee and held his hand out for the serpent to slither up as it wrapped itself around his wrist. The snake was warm to the touch and his scales were surprisingly soft.
"I have been placed within a tournament, one that I did not wish to enter. I have been cast out because of it. Betrayed." Harry told the serpent as he brought the snake up to eye level. "Those who I thought were my friends have turned their backs on me. They harass me as well."
"They dare insult one of the noble tongue!" The snake hissed angrily its fangs barred in displeasure.
"They do; however, I have decided that I will not care about them. I decided that I won't just survive, I will win!"
"You will conquer." The snake agreed as harry had noticed that the flecks and flakes became more apparent.
"What's happening to you? Did I not perform the spell properly?" Harry asked worriedly he allowed the magic to flow between them just like the book said and the Ashwinder was supposed to be the easiest to conjure. The Ashwinder shook its head.
"I do not believe so, my kind just do not live long in this world naturally. Speaker if I may be so bold as to offer advice." Harry nodded urging the snake to continue. "This tournament you have been placed in, I would suggest using your abilities to gather information. Serpents can be rather good at this, and knowing what you may face could be instrumental."
"I think you are right; I hadn't considered using my ability much in past years."
"You should it is a noble and ancient magic that doesn't gift itself to just anyone."
"How could you know this? You were created just a few minutes ago."
"My kind may not live long in this world, but we exist beyond it. My knowledge comes from there." The serpent explained as it began to smoke, and Harry noticed that pieces of the snake's skin began to crack and fall off into dusty ash. "I am returning there now, live well Speaker, and conquer."
"I will, thank you." Harry said as the snake began to completely fade away leaving nothing but a palm-full of ash in his hand as well as on the floor from where it fell. As it vanished Harry could feel the connection that he had molded with the snake snap almost and return to him.
Quickly dusting off his hand he picked up the grimoire which he placed on the ground when he picked up the Ashwinder. Thinking about it the Serpent was right, if he knew what to expect then he could have a serious advantage in this tournament. Also if a serpent as big as the Basilisk could sneak around the school in second year undetected then a couple of normal snakes could easily do the same and the organizers of the tournament were all staying in the Castle for the duration of the tournament.
With a plan in mind harry picked up his book and cloak and made his way back to Gryffindor tower, a plan already cooking up in his head on how he was going to get through this.
_Scene_
Welp I'm doing it, I'm throwing my Hogwarts hat into the ring of fanfiction, I will start out by saying that I will be making original spells and now not all of them will be overpowered, a few of them but those will be draining spells. Harry in this story is more of a stunted person, a bird that never got a chance to leave the nest as it were. So he will grow and in this story we will see a bit of the cunning that the hat saw which was worth of Slytherin and helped him free dobby to become a free elf. Now I will not lie that my experience with the Potterverse is largely through the movies and the media, but I will not shy away from some of the ideas or smaller plots seen in the books. Let me know what Ya'll think, and I will be getting back to you. Until next time this has been your average, ordinary, everyday fallen angel.