Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Shades of Grey	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 103926 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 21
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor do I make any money off this dance in the realm of strangeness and smut

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Chapter 13

Beta'd by the amazing Tenchi. You're the best, woman, and thank you!

For notification of update for this, or any of my stories, spend an e-mail to SpeedyTomato_updates@Live.com with the name of the story you want to be notified about. Or, if you wish, just tell her you want updates for all of them. Thanks to Rogue for running that for me!

Once home, within fifteen minutes, the polyjuice had worn off and Harry was back to looking normal, much to his relief. The elves had taken all the packages, except the box the snake was in, and were busy putting things away for them. Lucius had one of them go to Malfoy Manor and retrieve what he called a 'terrarium' for Kaliya then wanted it set up in Harry's room. Severus then had them follow him into the dining room. Once there, he told Harry to put the snake on the table.

Ever so gently, Harry lifted him out of the box then placed him on the table, nervous since he hadn't really handled a snake before. Since there were no objections on how he did it, he assumed it was fine.

Nodding, Lucius told the young man, “Tell him that we are going to cast a couple spells on him to get a reading on the binding. They might not feel the best, but this way we can determine what it is and how to break it.”

Nodding, he was about to launch in and do that when Kaliya's chuckling stopped him. “Young man, tell him I can understand him perfectly well. It's those two that just can't understand me! Of course, I didn't want that known right off, as I'm sure you understand. I'll lay here and not do anything rash.”

Grinning, Harry nodded then translated that to the two older men.

“That will work well, yes,” Severus nodded. As long as the snake could understand them, they could explain things easily and have no fear of being bitten by a creature that felt threatened. Nodding to Lucius, he cast the first spell then had his friend do the same before comparing readings. As he thought, it was an easy spell to break.

“We can easily break this,” Lucius told both Harry and the snake. “Just give us a minute. It won't feel the best, but I’m certain … he will feel better afterwards.” At this point, though assuming he was a male, Lucius wasn't sure.

“He's a he. His name is Kaliya,” Harry told him.

Nodding, Lucius said, “Alright, Kaliya, this should be over in a minute.”

“Ah, yes, freedom from the pain! Tell him all is well with me and I won't budge an inch!” The snake told Harry, holding still.

After Harry relayed the message, Lucius nodded then cast the spell. As the binding wasn't a tight one, within a minute it was broken and the snake was free of it. Then, there, stretched across the table was a ten foot massive snake that resembled a king cobra though had the Hindu marking for protection on the back of its neck where the hood was. Though big, from what Lucius knew of the species, and cobra's in general, it was far from done growing and was probably what was still considered a juvenile or very young adult. Though long, he was very thin, probably from the forced confinement of the spell.

Stepping closer to the table, Severus told Kaliya, “I'm going to run a couple diagnostic spells on you. I think you're so thin because of the confinement of the spell, but I want to ensure it's not another problem. Once that's done, we'll give you some water with the snake tonic in it before Harry takes you upstairs to the tank where we'll have something waiting for you to eat.”

“Tell him that's fine. I understand. It's pleasing to have someone finally looking after my welfare,” Kaliya told Harry.

After Harry relayed the message, Severus nodded then cast a couple things. When finished, he said, “No, nothing amiss other than malnutrition. You are quite healthy, actually. We'll have you better in no time.” Summoning one of the elves, Severus had the creature bring in a bowl of fresh water. After reading the simple directions on it, he then measured out three drops into the bowl. “Drink all of that, if you can. It'll help you. For now, I think it's best that the elves provide you with something from the larder rather than let you hunt. You're probably weak so a dead meal might be better on you until you feel better and have regained your strength.”

Slithering over to the bowl, Kaliya downed the water quickly then curled up, upper body lifted up so that he could look at the three men there. “Much better! Very refreshing. Yes, for now my meals would be better if I didn't have to chase them. I'm feeling a mite weak. Perhaps, if I may, something in the poultry family? It's good for the system.”

Translating that, Harry grinned a little. Though sounding like a snake, with the hissy speech that seemed to come from it, Kaliya had a slight old world English accent. It sounded a little odd to hear them together, but was interesting. Looking back at Kaliya, he said, “I'm Harry, by the way. This is Severus and Lucius.” He gestured to the men as he introduced them.

“And Harry, I must thank you for the rescue. It's very refreshing to be out of the spell and speak to a being that can understand me that isn't serpentine in nature! Yes, I do like this.”

“It's my pleasure. Can I touch you? I've not really been around snakes much, other than in passing so I'm not familiar with how to go about things,” Harry admitted with a shrug.

“Of course, my dear lad! We're going to be close! How about this... Hold out your arm and I'll climb on you and drape over your shoulders. I like having my head stroked. We can start there. And, never fear, I won't bite if you make a misstep. We all make mistakes and I won't hold it against you.”

Though wary as this was a highly venomous huge creature, Harry held out his arm. Immediately, Kaliya slithered up and draped himself over his shoulders, head resting on the upper part of his chest. With a slightly shaking hand, Harry stroked the back of the snakes head and grinned when he heard what could only be described as a contented hiss.

Hand on their wands, Lucius and Severus watched, wary, as the massive snake slithered up Harry's body. No, they didn't expect there was an issue as the two appeared to be communicating well, but it was better safe than sorry. When the snake seemed settled, Lucius stepped closer, then asked, “If I may...”

Lifting his head, Kaliya looked at the man then told Harry, “Oh yes, he can touch. It's best I get to know them, yes?”

“Yeah, we all stay together. They won't hurt you.” Harry told then snake then looked at Lucius, “He says to go ahead and thinks it's best you get to know each other.”

Nodding, Lucius reached out and stroked the snakes head. As he had been around serpents plenty of times, he didn't have the issue Harry did. The only thing that he was concerned with was the breed of the snake and how venomous it was. However, if Harry could keep communicating with Kaliya and let the snake know all was well, they would be fine. Rubbing down where the hood was, Lucius' fingers traced the symbol there. Pleased when the snake made no aggressive movements, he said, “You, Kaliya, are a magnificent creature! I'll ensure the elves have some chicken waiting for you, raw of course. If there is anything you fancy, let Harry know. We can provide, within reason of course. Once you feel better, you can go out to hunt a little on the grounds to find something you like.”

“Ah, he is good at this,” Kaliya told Harry with a contented hiss. “Hunting... I missed doing that. Yes, I will enjoy it. For now, it's best I not. No, too easy to get injured in my weakened state.”

Waiting for Lucius to finish, Severus then came. After getting the go ahead, from Harry, the Potion's Master, too, petted the animal. Since he had observed the other two, he wasn't as wary. Yes, it was best to treat such animals with respect, no doubt there, but this one appeared to be fine with the situation. When he finished, he told Harry, “You might want to take him upstairs so he can eat. He'll feel better after doing that.”

Nodding, Harry replied, “Good idea.” Looking down at the snake, he said, “Come on, I'll show you your new home. Hedwig is up there and she's probably not going to like you, but please don't hurt her.”

“Never fear, Harry! She will be safe around me. I believe she'll understand I'm no threat to her.”

Once upstairs in what was his room, Harry walked over to what looked like a fish tank about the size of the one that Kaliya was kept in at the shop though it did appear to have a small water hole in it, rocks, greenery and other things. Giving Lucius a quizzical look, he waited for an explanation.

Smirking, Lucius said, “It's magically enhanced. It's akin to one of the habitats you see for snakes in zoos on the inside. It may look small, but he has more than enough room in there to be comfortable. Malfoy's have had many a snake before so we have something to keep them comfortable. He'll enjoy it.” Walking over, he showed Harry how to lift the top then said, “He can come in and out at will if you leave it unlatched. Inside, it's temperature controlled and self cleaning. Only things the elves will have to do for him is give food and add water. They can do that safely from the outside though it appears he's good natured enough he won't bother them.”

Understanding, Harry nodded, “Alright, good! Didn't want him to get uncomfortable.” Opening the top, he told Kaliya, “Go on, it's yours. I'll leave it to where you can get in and out if you want. Just... give me some warning when you're around until I get used to you. I think it's the same for Severus and Lucius as well.”

“Of course! It will take all of us some getting used to each other. Never fear, Harry, I'll ensure you know I'm around when out.” With that, the snake slid into the tank.

Standing there, Harry waited, chuckling. From what the snake was saying, he really enjoyed the tank. After a minute or so, Kaliya's head poked out from the opening. “You're pleased with it, I take it?”

“Oh, it is wonderful! This is most acceptable! It feels like home! Tell Lucius I am most grateful! Now, if you'll excuse me, there is a chicken in here that demands my attention.” With that, the snakes head vanished from the opening.

“He likes it and expresses his gratitude,” Harry told Lucius with a grin.

“I'm glad he's pleased. How about we follow his lead and dine ourselves.” Lucius said, with a nod.

After dinner and attending to some things, Severus decided to check on Potter. After one of the elves told him the young man was in the library, he headed in that direction. Stepping in, he quickly spied where the young man was sitting. It appeared that he was deeply engrossed in reading something. Nodding, pleased he wasn't up to anything mischievous, Severus came closer, then cleared his throat. When Potter looked up, he asked, “For pleasure or are you looking up something?”

“Looking up something, actually. About my wand. I should warn you, though, Kaliya is around here somewhere. He pops up and can give you a start though he doesn't mean to,” Harry told him.

Appreciating the warning, Severus nodded then took a seat himself. “What is it you're looking up, if I might ask?”

“Well, the woods in it. The cores I got. They are a dichotomy that basically cancels each other out. It was the woods that I was wondering about; if they are the same way or if it meant something different.” Harry explained, leaning back in the chair.

“The woods are the same as the cores, I believe. Though I'm no expert on wandlore, I do know elder is a tricky wood to work with. It's temperamental and has a powerful magic but is seen as unlucky. On the other hand, oak, especially the variant you have, is seen as the opposite. Legend has it that Merlin's wand was the same kind of oak as yours. So, I believe, it's meant to be the same thing. The wormwood, I guess, is meant to keep them bound together. It's not used much but when it is, it's more of a binding of sorts. At least that's what I've heard. It may be wrong but it does fit with the grey aspect Rostov was talking about.”

“It does,” Harry nodded.

“Is there any particular reason you were wanting to know or just curiosity?” Snape inquired.

“Oh, just curious was all, nothing more than that. As long as it works right and I don't have an issue with it, I really don't care.” Harry shrugged, closing the book and setting it aside.

Understanding that, Severus nodded. “Actually, I came to check on reactions to that potion. Have you felt the summonings or anything from the scar?”

“Nope, all is quiet on both those fronts. Haven't felt a thing. Of course, I don't know if that means it's because it's working or if he just hasn't... ,” Harry told him with a shrug.

“That is true,” Severus conceded, getting comfortable in his chair. “We probably won't know until one of us is summoned on it. However, it's good that the pain seems to be gone. That probably tells me that it's working, at least to an extent. It'll be a wait and see thing on that, however.”

“No pain is good for me,” Harry shrugged.

“I imagine it is,” Severus told him, nodding as well. Stopping, he thought over what else he wanted to say then launched in. “Lucius told me about the pacts you made with him.” Seeing Harry look at him then give a slight nod, he pushed onwards, “I would like to do the same thing. I know our relationship has been contentious at best, but, perhaps, something like Lucius said to you would work as well. We can try. Starting out by addressing each other by first names would be a good start. Would this be acceptable?”

“That's fine, I can work with it,” Harry told him.

“I will as well. There is much water under the bridge with us, but if you and Lucius can try, we can as well. It would be a good start anyway.” Stopping, he shifted around slightly then said, “Tomorrow, Lucius and I, both, want to try some basic spells with you. They would be something similar to what you learned your first year. It'll be more to judge how you're controlling your power levels with the wand and what we need to do to work with you.”

“You mean so I don't blow things up?” Harry asked, grinning slightly.

“Yes, that would be basically it,” Severus told him, smirking slightly. “The power you're putting behind whatever you're doing right now is doubled so there are bound to be issues. We have to get those under control before we can advance to what you would be working with this coming school year. As I'm sure you can deduce, what's coming is more dangerous, so to speak, than what's been done in the past.”

“That's fine, I can work with it,” Harry told him with a shrug. “I assumed I was going to have to do things differently than before, at least a little, after frying the wand.”

“The new wand should help. Hopefully, it'll be quite a lot so you don't have to relearn so much. However, we do need to figure out how much of the problems you were having with some things had to do with your magic being bound or if it came from another area, such as in potions. I do think that some of the issues might be the magic, but I’m not certain.”

“I don't understand that part,” Harry said with a shake of his head. “I mean, wouldn't what I was doing still work even though the magic was bound? I was doing it the way I was taught. I can get the power bit, but if the technique was right, shouldn't that still hold true?”

“No, not really,” Severus told him with a shake of his head. Figuring he better explain, he said, “While the technique for things like Transfiguration and Charms is important, things like the incantation and wand movement, most of what comes into play has to do with your magic. While a large chunk of that is how it's channeled through your wand, it also has to do with your magic itself. You were compensating in a certain way to work with yours to get it to function right when it was inhibited by the binding. We need to find out if you had to do it in such a way that it was going against or funneling it strangely to get it to do what you wanted. I don't know if that's the case. If it was, you're going to have to relearn some of the basics to get it to work with your magic rather than struggling to get your magic to work for you.”

Thinking that over, Harry then nodded slowly. He guessed he hadn't thought about it that way. He just went with how things were taught in class and moved on. “I think I get it now. Yeah, better to figure it out and move on if I have to change something.”

“Exactly. It wouldn't do to try to teach you something new if you had to work oddly before. Since that way probably won't work well now, or will cause issues in and of itself, we need to start at the beginning to see what needs to be done. Even potions will be that way.” Seeing the young man rub his eyes and groan, he smirked. “I will attempt to work with you a different way than in class. It won't be anything hard, I just need to see how much was the magic and how much is other things.”

“I can honestly say I think part of it was in class itself. Here I'm not apt to have others trying to toss things into my cauldron, have to worry about getting blown up by Neville, listening to Hermione and Ron bicker, worry you're going to swoop down on me like some kind of avenging angel determined to smite me or something! It was a lot of distractions to deal with!”

“Yes, it is. Longbottom alone is enough to keep most distracted,” Severus sighed. Thinking over the rest of what the young man said, Severus could see how Harry's performance in the class could be explained. However, the part with his magic probably figured in as well. “While those are distractions, something I admit, if your magic wasn't functioning as it should or underpowered, it would have aided in issues. Sometimes, even with all that, your magic will compensate for things, thus making your intent more important so things came out as they should. It might be an issue here. That I do want to find out.”

Again, that wasn't something that Harry had thought of so he nodded. “Alright, I can work with it so long as you keep the snarky stuff to a minimum.”

“I will try,” Severus told him with a nod.

Thinking over what he had talked to Lucius about the day before, Harry was curious about something. “Before everything hit the fan yesterday, there was something I mentioned to Lucius. He said he didn't know and would ask you. With everything basically being chaotic, I don't know if he did and I was curious. That connection between me and the evil git... Lucius told me something about those potions seeming to shut down whatever I was doing to keep it at bay. Do you think my magic could be affected by that? He said he didn't know and would get with you about it.”

Looking at Potter, Severus thought that over, rubbing his chin. It was a good question, one he hadn't thought about. He believed Lucius may have mentioned it but it got lost in the shuffle with so much else going on. “I don't know, I really don't. I do believe you may be correct in that, however. Those potions did seem to shut down something you were unconsciously doing, letting the connection have a freer rein in things. How much of your magic may be being shunted to keep it at bay, as it may be an instinctual thing on your end, knowing there is something wrong with it, I wouldn't hazard to guess. Nor, honestly, would I know how to go about determining the levels it might be using. It is something that we may need to look at if we can even find a starting point to start researching. That's not even something I would be certain how to begin.”

Nodding, looking thoughtful, Harry said nothing.

“I will get with Lucius and see if the two of us can't suss out a place to even start looking for such a thing. I'm also not sure, even if we find out that it is an issue, if anything can be done to stop it. These potions will create a barrier to stop the connection, but I’m not certain if your magic would, if it's doing such a thing, accept that and relinquish what it's attempting. It may be something akin to your body trying to fight off a disease; it'll do it whether you want it to or not.”

“I didn't think of it that way,” Harry admitted, looking down, brow furrowed. While thinking that whole thing over, something Severus had said about the whole wand/magic thing came back up. “I have another question.”

Nodding, Severus waited. As, so far, there hadn't been anything stupid or intrusive, he was willing to see what it was anyway.

“This goes back to the bit you said about how my magic might have been doing odd things because of the binding... My original wand... I know it was geared for my magic when it was bound. It's also probably a pretty good guess I might have set it on fire as well once it was unbound.”

“I think that's a correct assumption,” Severus nodded. “It picked you because of the levels of magic you were showing when you got it. Ollivander had no idea that your magic was bound and worked with what you were showing, going with that, as he should have. Chances are, what you really have would have produced the same effect that it did with the one you found to replace it.”

“I kinda' figured that,” Harry nodded. “The question is, though, since it was just working because of that power level even though mine were different, could that have made things more difficult for me? I don't know much of anything about wands so I don't know about that. It obviously wasn't really right for me though, since my magic was bound.”

Looking at the young man, Severus was, for the first time, understanding what Lucius had alluded to the day before. Though it might take Potter some time to come up with something, he wasn't a fool or unintelligent in the least. He just wasn't speedy in coming up with something. It might have to do with him needing to think something over first before asking. However, as this was an intelligent question, and one he hadn't thought of, he said, “Again, it's something I don't know. However, it does make sense. If your magic was trying to channel through a wand that wasn't suited to you, though not the same as Longbottom, it would have a detrimental effect, thus making it harder for you to do things. Nor, honestly, will we be able to tell if it was the wand, your magic, how you went about things or anything else if there is a problem. I can say that having a wand that is suited for you will probably make things easier if it was a case that the original wand wasn't. It's something we're going to have to wait and see on. I do think it'll be telling when you do delve into new things and we see how easily you pick up on them. Personally? I think you might be right with it. Though working with your power levels, it might not have been suited to your magic, making it to where it channeled it in a way it shouldn't.”

Nodding, taking that in, Harry said nothing.

“Let me ask this... When picking up on something new, how easily did it come to you? Was it a struggle or did it come effortlessly?”

“Somewhere in between, really.” Harry told him. “I'm not Hermione where I get it quick, but I'm not Neville either. I'm in the middle somewhere. It really depended on what it was. Charms I did pretty decent in, most times better than Ron when it came to picking things up. Transfiguration was harder. Ron and I were neck and neck with that.”

“That might be slightly telling,” Snape said, rubbing a finger over his chin. “Charms and Transfiguration demand that your magic work slightly differently. Charms, because you're not making something change physically, is easier and pulls at your core more gently. Transfiguration makes it do that differently, channeling it in a different manner. Though, traditionally, Charms is seen as something 'easier' than Transfiguration, it has more to do with how your magic works. If you're having problems channeling your magic or it has to go about it differently than the standard, Transfiguration is going to be much harder. Your wand, if it wasn't channeling it how it should, would make that all the more difficult. That might mean that your wand was working against you in that as your magic wanted to do one thing and the wand was forcing it to do something different. We'll need to pay attention to that part tomorrow when we work with it. Though I do think that you'll have an easier time of it now. We'll just have to see if you need to work on it differently is all.”

“Let's see what tomorrow brings with that, then we'll go from there. Lucius and I both, though not up to McGonagall or Flitwick's expertise in such things, can easily work with you on such things. We know the proper techniques and can walk you through them. I don't think, if there is an issue, it will be something hard to overcome. Just a bit of remedial going through it again so your magic adjusts to channeling correctly. In a week or so, we can go back to working at the levels you left off at when it comes to your studies.” Snape told him.

“I was wondering how much of a big 'do it was going to be if I had to relearn.”

“It won't. Mostly, it'll just be going over things again to get your magic used to it is all. Nothing more than that. At the most, it'll be frustrating to struggle with things you could do with ease before.” Learning forward a bit, Snape changed topics. “Now, Lucius said you wanted to work with some different things. I saw some of the books he picked up for you and heard some of what you requested. There are a lot of topics there. What things would you be interested in learning? Let's see what you want then we can go from there as certain things need a foundation in something else to build on.”

“Well, I liked working with the wards when Lucius was running me though those. That I do want to work with. Same with spellcrafting. That was interesting when we talked about it.” Harry told him.

“Those are easy enough with the foundation you already have. They are also something I would encourage. As they are something you can use in everyday life, I would suggest something like that to you. I assume there is more?” Snape asked.

“I thought about Runes and Arithmancy. They do sound interesting. I'm worried about the math involved though. That wasn't my strong suit in school. I saw what Hermione was working on and it's intimidating.” Harry admitted, glancing at the other man.

“Did you have a good foundation in the basics of math or was that a struggle?”

“The basics I was good with. It's when you got into the higher stuff that I ended up lost,” Harry admitted with a shrug.

“Then you should do fine with them. Lucius is far better with both of those than I am so I'll leave them to him to deal with. I think it should be a case of give it a go and see if you can. If you like it and can manage, you can keep going. If you don't, you can drop it and find something else.” Severus told him with a nod. “It's good to even try though. The more rounded you are on topics, the better off you're going to be.”

“Lucius said he was going to cover most stuff. History I was interested in. As long as it doesn't cover the goblin/troll wars. I'm sick to death of those!”

Snorting, Severus smirked, “Yes, I can understand that. I think we can go over real history with you better. You'll find it far more enjoyable than Binns. Was there anything else?”

“No, not really. Though those were the only ones I really knew,” Harry admitted. “I assume that other stuff will come in as I discover it. We aren't going for Divination, thank Merlin. And I'm not chuffed about one of Hagrid's pets not getting a chance to eat me this year.”

“Yes, Care and Divination won't be covered much. Theory for Care probably will be as that will be on OWLs but Divination is a waste of time. We were going to work on dueling a bit as part of DADA. I doubt you'll be upset with that. We thought it might help you defend yourself. However, you're quite good with that end of things so I don't see a problem.”

“I was actually excited to learn it second year but Lockhart was a git and we learned nothing,” Harry told him.

“Oh yes,” Snape said dryly, shaking his head at the memory. “This is a good foundation to start with. Anything else can come in later if you want to start.”

Harry was about to answer when Lucius' voice came from behind, “Ah, here you two are. I brought some wine so we can relax a little. I also brought Kaliya some more water. The elves told me he was in here somewhere.” Walking in, he was hovering a tray with the glasses and bowl on it.

Seeing three glasses of wine, Severus arched a brow, looking at Lucius.

“Don't give me that look, Severus. It's just wine. Harry tried some yesterday. A glass or two a day isn't going to hurt him. Besides, it's not elf wine, just regular.” Lucius told his friend with a huff.

Nodding, Severus said, “That's fine then. No elf wine. He would sleep for days after that and have a hangover for a week!” Seeing Harry's questioning look, he explained, “It's far more powerful than anything humans, be they Muggle or Wizard, can make. Very potent stuff.”

Understanding, Harry nodded, “Right, got it. No thanks.”

Severus was about to say something else when he was startled by the large cobra slithering across him. Stiffening up, he watched the snake, wondering what it was doing.

“A drink! Good! I was getting thirsty,” Kaliya said. Slithering into Harry's chair, he draped himself over it and put his head on the young man's shoulder. Seeing Severus' startled expression, he said, “Tell Severus I said I didn't mean to startle him. I forgot we are still getting used to one another.”

“Yeah, we're not used to having a big, venomous snake around. With what we know of cobra's, it's kinda' unnerving. We'll get used to it though,” Harry told him, chuckling. Looking at the Potions Master, he passed along the snakes apology.

“Yes, I do forget that, sorry. Cobra's, the normal kind, frighten humans, as would be warranted. I've just gotten comfortable and forgot, nothing more. I'll try to warn next time.” Seeing Lucius put the bowl of water on the table, the snake slithered down to get a drink.

Nodding, Severus sipped his wine after Lucius handed it to him. “It'll take some getting used to but understandable. No offense taken.”

Settling into his seat, Lucius took a drink then asked, “So, what are we discussing?”

“Our plans for tomorrow and school subjects,” Severus said then began to fill him in.

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