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Shades of Grey	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 103955 -:- 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
- 13
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Chapter 14

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

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Standing down in the basement of the manor in a stone room, Harry was looking at the feather resting on the table. They were going to start going through the basics and seeing if he had issues. If he did, they were going to have to work with some of it for a little while. From what both Severus and Lucius said, they didn't think it would be a big deal. It was going to be more of a case of just practicing the spell until his magic channeled it right from the way it had been doing it.

Looking at the tall stool sitting next to him, he grinned at Kaliya who was curled up there, looking on with curiosity. “You might want to hide somewhere while I do this. Not sure what will happen, really.”

Tongue flicking, the snake looked at him. “I'm not concerned. Never fear, Harry, I have ways of protecting myself if something goes amiss.”

Chuckling, Harry told him, “Alright. On your own head be it. No biting if you grow a fur coat or something.”

Giving a hissy laugh, the snake replied, “I won't. I find this fascinating so I want to witness it.”

Nodding, Harry then looked at Severus, “Ready when you are.”

A serious look on his face, the Potions Master nodded and said, “Whenever you're ready, try the simple levitation spell. When we see the reaction, we can gauge what needs done from there.”

Gripping his wand, Harry gave the standard swish and flick, saying the incantation. Immediately, the feather shot off the table sideways and crashed into the wall that was many meters away. Looking at where the feather was resting on the floor, Harry sighed, “Well, at least it moved. That wasn't the reaction we were looking for though.”

“No, but it didn't catch fire or blow up either. That's counted as a plus,” Lucius told him, amused. “It also gives us some idea of what's going on. Try it again. The more you do it, the more your magic is going to channel itself the proper way.”

“Alright. You better have your shields ready,” Harry told them, doing the same thing once the feather was directed back onto the table by Severus. This time, the feather did seem to lift slightly but it shot off in Severus' direction. Luckily, the Potions Master had good reflexes and ducked the projectile, even if it was just a feather as none of them knew what his magic may do to it so it was prudent not to tempt the fates by letting it hit them. Grinning, Harry said, “Well, we got some lift! That's a step in the right direction.”

“Indeed,” Severus nodded. “It means your magic is trying to adjust and channel correctly, thus doing what it should. Do it again. Another couple times and you should have it working correctly.”

Nodding, now realizing it was going to take some time to get this right, Harry gave it another go. Again, the feather lifted slightly, more than it had before, but it then all but tried to stuff itself down Lucius' throat. Grinning, Harry snickered, “Sorry about that!”

Directing the malicious feather back onto the table, Lucius snorted, “Yes, shields need to be employed I believe.” Putting one up around himself, he said, “And again, Harry.”

Bracing himself, Harry once more cast the spell and sighed when it shot off the other side of the table this time, though gaining more height than before. Oh, it was going to be a long morning!

At noon, the three plus Kaliya were seated at the dining room table, eating. Though Kaliya didn't eat with them, he wanted to be present so a stool was brought in for him and placed by Harry. The snake, it seemed, was quite interested in hearing their conversation, seemingly finding it fascinating. Listening in, he would ask questions of Harry from time to time and the young man would explain.

As Lucius was talking Harry through what kind of wine went best with which foods, going through the most common ones, Kaliya asked, “If you would, please, ask him what goes best with mutton. That's not one he's mentioned yet.”

Nodding, Harry then asked Lucius, adding, “Kaliya wants to know as you've not mentioned that one yet.”

Blinking, looking at the snake, Lucius then glanced at Severus, who also looked bewildered. Clearing his throat, he then looked back at Harry. “Now, I don't want offense taken by Kaliya when I ask this, as I don't know and am curious... just how articulate is he? I mean, we know some animals are smarter than others, but we tend not to know how intelligent because we can't speak to them. However, I’m certain that most wouldn't be interested in which wine goes with which meat.”

With an amused hissy chuckle, Kaliya said, “Tell him none taken.”

Relaying that, Harry then explained, “Honestly? It's like talking to both of you. His speech pattern is different, obviously. He's got a more old worldly accent than what we're used to. It's got a hissy touch to it, like most snakes I've heard. Really, though, it's like talking to a person.”

Nodding, taking that in, Severus asked, “Are all snakes like that? Or the one's you've encountered? Or just him?”

“It depends on the snake,” Harry shrugged. “I've not encountered too many of them, honestly. Some on the Hogwarts grounds are very simplistic and others aren't. The basilisk certainly wasn't articulate. It was more maim, kill, destroy. Some in the pet shop were fairly well spoken, others weren't and yet others were snobbish. So, I assume that they are a lot like people in that way.”

“That's most interesting!” Lucius nodded. “Again, just curious. However, I'm assuming that most wouldn't be interested in wine selections either.”

Grinning, Harry said, “I think, from what he's saying, he just finds our talks interesting and wants to know more. I don't think he's interested in tasting wine.”

“No, I have no want of that,” Kaliya told Harry. “I just find it fascinating how humans are about their foods and the different ways they perceive taste. We don't taste what we consume much. There is some, as we can distinguish flavors and know what not to try or eat by that plus what is better for us at certain times. Your taste buds are more refined than ours in this area and food seems to bring you pleasure in a way ours doesn't.”

Relaying that, Harry looked between the two of them.

Nodding thoughtfully, Lucius mused, “That does make sense. I know animals are more instinctual about some things. Some, such as dogs and cats, are known to have favorite foods because of the taste of them, obviously. I can see how our pleasure for such things would be interesting to one such as Kaliya.” Looking at the snake, he said, “Thank you for explaining.”

Looking at the cobra, Severus rubbed his finger over his upper lip thoughtfully. After a few moments, he asked, looking at Harry. “Now, I know you've heard her so I was wondering...” stopping, he wondered how to phrase it.

“How smart Nagini is?” Harry asked softly, looking at the Potions Master.

Nodding, Severus looked at the young man and waited. The Dark Lord's serpent was something they were going to have to be wary of so he wanted all information on her that they could get.

Looking at the table, Harry thought that over for a few moments then said, shaking his head, “You need to understand that though I've heard her, it's not much. However, what I've picked up is that she's nowhere near Kaliya's level, but she's not stupid either. That, though, might be balanced out by the fact that she would do anything for that psychotic git. From what I've gathered, she's rather the snake version of an attack dog for him; loyal and would do anything for him but will go after anyone he says without question, enjoying it when she does.”

Having seen that, Lucius nodded. “Yes, she does seem loyal.”

“From what I've seen of things, that's the only being in the world that the git has some kind of feelings for. He does seem to care about her. And she him. It's just an odd relationship.” Harry told them, shrugging.

“Could it be something like a show of power on his part? I get the feeling that's what it is. She's a powerful creature and one most of us are frightened of for obvious reasons. He knows that,” Severus told him.

“I'm sure that's part of it,” Harry nodded. “I don't think it's all though. He does seem to care about her and is protective. Only strange thing is she's changed.”

“What do you mean by changed?” Lucius asked, curious, looking at Severus.

“She started out this long green snake. Now, well... you've seen her. She's like a monstrosity, much bigger than she used to be. It's almost like she's mutated.” Harry explained the best he could, looking between the two. “I don't know what kind of snake she started out as, though she was always venomous as I picked that up from the visions before the whole Quidditch World Cup, she's just... different now. Honestly, she's really creepy. As I can talk to them, snakes don't bother me much other than being wary of the ones I know are venomous. Her though... it's like she's evil. There is something about her that makes her that way and it isn't how she used to be. She gives me the shivers. Then there is that she seems to be getting smarter. She was never dumb, as I said, but now... she's picking up things that she wouldn't have before. I don't know why or how.”

Taking that in, the two men looked at each other, not sure what to make of what was said or how it related to anything. They didn't think it was good though.

Thinking that over, Severus added, “Can you pinpoint when some of the changes began or do you know?”

“Last year. When last year I don't know, but it happened then. When I first started getting those visions, she was the long green snake. By the end, when he got his body back, she was this mutant thing. I don't know what happened, honestly. It just did. As I only get snippets here and there from him, it's like time jumps where I don't know what happened between them. I do know that as she changed, so did he. It's like he got crazier. I know, he was bats to start with, but it got worse. He grew more unstable as she seemed to mutate.” Harry explained, shrugging. “I don't know how to explain it any better than that. I do know she didn't start out evil. She was a snake, nothing more. Now? Well, you've probably seen more than I have and know what she's like.”

Thinking over the encounters with the snake, Lucius shook his head. “Sorry, I do know she's frightening and does have an aura about her but our first encounter with her was at that graveyard. Before that, I don't know. However, I will take your word for it. I don't know what snake she started out life as but now she's not one I know the species of. She's... if I were to guess what kind by looking at her I would say a python of some sort. Those aren't venomous though. She is; we all know that.”

“Could it be a magical kind? I mean, I don't know where she came from. Did he have her in the last war?” Harry asked, looking between the two.

“He did have a serpent, but it wasn't her. That snake was killed at some point. I think it was by the Dark Lord himself. I also know the breed of it; it was a taipan. That thing was truly frightening. As I know what they look like, I can safely say Nagini isn't one of the same breed. If I knew what she looked like before, I might be able to pinpoint the breed. As Lucius said, she does appear now to be a python of some kind. I would have said a reticulated one because of her sheer size. I've never heard of a venomous one of those though.” Severus told him, shrugging.

Listening to the conversation, Kaliya's head kept swiveling between the beings talking, taking in what was said. When they went quiet, she asked Harry, “Explain to me who this Nagini is and the situation, if you would. Mayhaps I can help in some way.”

Nodding, Harry gave a brief rundown of the whole situation. No, not the whole thing as that would take a great deal of time, but he walked him through the most basic points.

Listening intently, the snake thought it over then asked, “Do you know where this Dark Lord was before he came back? Or manifested a body? Whatever you wish to call it.”

Looking at Severus, he explained what was being asked then said, “Wasn't he in Albania? I think that's where he met up with Wormtail, wasn't it?”

“Yes, the forests of Albania,” Severus confirmed with a nod.

“Hm...” Kaliya considered. “I do know there are several magical snakes indigenous to Europe. One, the magical version of the Aesculapian would have been from that area. The description would fit as they are, unlike their non-magical cousins, a beautiful green color. Their venom can, if prepared right or consumed by a magical being, be used as a restorative. Perhaps that's what she is? However, that wouldn't explain the mutation you talk about. That...my knowledge, you understand, isn't complete on this topic, but it sounds like an evil taint to me. That's the only thing that would explain such a change. As a rule, the Aesculapian isn't an aggressive serpent. They are loyal though, especially to one that rescued them in some way.”

Translating that to the two men, though stumbling over the name, Harry said, “That's what Kaliya explained. Could that be what she was?”

Thinking it over, drumming his fingers on the table, Lucius gave a cautious nod. “It could be. I have heard of those. They are known for their loyalty to those that do them some service. As the Dark Lord can speak to them, it could be seen as such if he aided her in some way. As it is a magical version, he could have used her to help him regain some form of a body. The venom, as Kaliya said, can be restorative. As I'm sure the Dark Lord knows about such things, he would have done so.”

“That does make sense if you saw a big green snake. If we can get a picture of one, could you determine if it was the same kind?” Severus asked.

“I can try,” Harry shrugged. “You have to remember that these visions aren't like seeing things directly.”

Nodding, Lucius excused himself and went to the library. Returning with a book, he opened it to the page with a large green snake in it. “Is that what she resembled? Or can you tell?”

Looking over the picture, Harry nodded slowly, “Yeah, it does look like what she first appeared to be. She might have been a tad bigger but it looks like what I saw.” Leaning back, he looked at the two men, brow furrowed, “Whatever she is now, it doesn't even look like that picture. I mean, she's... it's entirely different. How could that be? Do they change like that?”

Listening intently, Kaliya said, “Whatever happened has to be evil. That species, like my own, isn't known to mutate or go through a change. It will grow bigger, of course, and as it ages the green will change to a darker version, but what you describe doesn't happen.” Stopping, he thought over the information he had on the species while Harry translated what he said to the other two. When the young man finished, Kaliya asked, “Can you ask Lucius and Severus if her venom is deadly? Or do you know? The Aesculapian, though known for stopping clotting, isn't generally fatal in humans or bigger animals. It will cause distress, of course, but generally not death.”

“I don't know,” Harry said with a shake of his head. Looking at the other two, he asked them.

Looking at Lucius, Severus shook his head slowly then said, looking back at Harry, “I don't know either. I've not seen her bite anyone. Generally, the Dark Lord has her eat them, not bite. They tend to be alive when she consumes them or were killed by him. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen her actually bite any of them.”

Nodding, Lucius added, “That's been my experience as well. That is most curious now that I think about it. If you have a highly venomous animal, wouldn't you let them do that? After all, it's a torturous death to some.”

“Yes, I do find that curious,” Kaliya said. “If this being, as you said, is sadistic, the bite of a venomous snake would be something they would do. Most curious...”

Looking around, Harry asked, “Though it's interesting, does knowing her breed help anything? Or is just for curiosity?”

“In this case, I think it will,” Severus nodded. “I've seen her more times than I care to count. She looks nothing like an Aesculapian. That tells me there is something going on with her. As she is always by his side and something that will need to be attended to if someone plans to end him, knowing what one is dealing with will be needed. And, from your information, not to mention how you noticed a change, there is something more to this than just the normal.”

“I agree,” Lucius nodded. “This is information that can only assist.”

Nodding, Harry understood then. “Could, as Kaliya said, the taint be something evil? I mean, she's creepy!”

“An evil taint of some sort would mutate a being. Look at the Dark Lord himself. He doesn't even appear human anymore. He's more serpentine than human though his body is human in structure. Nor, honestly, is his thought process untainted. He has, as you said, gone 'bats'. In the first war, he was bad. No one would dispute that, including myself. This... it's a whole other realm of it.” Lucius told Harry, shaking his head.

“There doesn't appear to be much sanity left,” Severus said quietly. “He still has his intelligence, of that there is no doubt, but sanity? No. He's also far more sadistic than he ever was. Paranoia is also figuring in there at this point at as well. Though he was a touch neurotic in the past about many things, worried about traitors, it was nothing like it is now.”

Lucius was about to say something to add to that when a familiar burning ignited in his arm. Wincing, he hissed and pressed his hand to it. Looking at the two seated at the table he said, tone grim, “I have to go.”

“Be careful,” Harry told him softly.

“Yes, exercise extreme caution,” Severus schooled, looking concerned.

“Never fear, I will,” Lucius nodded. Standing, he hurried out of the room to retrieve his robes and mask.

Looking down at his plate, Harry sighed. He wasn't hungry anymore, really. As he had finished almost everything, it wasn't a big deal. Grabbing his bottle of butterbeer, he took a sip then asked, “So, what else do we have planned for this afternoon?”

No longer hungry himself, Severus pushed his plate away then said, “I would rather wait for Lucius to return to try the rest of what we wanted to work on, such as with other areas. However, we did plan to take a break after lunch to give you time to rest and your magic a break. So, rather than press on, how about we find something else to amuse ourselves? I believe one of the things you picked out was some puzzles to put together?” Seeing Potter nod, he suggested, “Why don't we grab one of those and settle on the back patio and work with it. It's a nice day and getting out would do us some good. Not to mention I'm sure Kaliya would like some fresh air and to enjoy being outside.”

“Indeed, indeed!” Kaliya interjected enthusiastically. “It would be most enjoyable!”

“Alright, let me go find one,” Harry said, standing.

Before he could go, Severus asked, ”Harry?” Seeing the young man turn in his direction, he inquired, “Did you feel the summons?”

Shaking his head, Harry told him, grinning slightly, “Nope, not a thing. No burn in sight! That's great!”

Nodding, Severus was pleased with that. “Good. Let's see how things progress today then we can judge it better. Go find the puzzle you want and I'll meet you on the patio.”

With a nod, Harry headed towards his room.

Sitting in a comfortable chair on the patio under an umbrella, Harry and Severus were working with one of his puzzles, putting it together. Kaliya was sticking close to them on the grass but enjoying it immensely. The only 'off' thing was the cobra was having a running battle with the albino peacocks Lucius had on the grounds as something that was more ornamental. From what Harry was gathering, something that was making him chuckle, the snake hated the creatures. Calling them nasty, vile, disgusting birds, every time one would come close, the snake would rear up, flare open it's hood and hiss at them. Of course, that would send the birds running. Listening to Kaliya mutter about them had Harry chuckling.

After another show to keep the birds away, Severus looked at the snake then said, dryly, “I think Lucius is going to end up losing a few of the birds when Kaliya feels better.”

Chuckling, Harry shook his head, “Not to him eating them. From what he's saying, he wouldn't touch one to dine on it. He seems to hate the things.”

“Peacocks, though beautiful, the reason Lucius has them, are foul birds, both in temperament and other things. Not to mention they are very ill tempered.” Severus told him, sliding a piece of the puzzle into place. “I don't blame Kaliya one bit for that end of things. I don't even want to be around the creatures. The males, especially if the hens are around, are quite aggressive as well. However, we don't have to worry about such things. None of the birds are going to be foolish enough to take on Kaliya.”

“Tell Severus that he forgot to mention they are stupid,” Kaliya grumbled, slithering back and forth in front of the stones that made up the patio, keeping an eye on one of the approaching males.

Translating that, Harry chuckled.

Smirking, Severus nodded, “Indeed, they aren't the most intelligent of the avian family.” Just as he was sliding another piece of the puzzle into place after saying that, a familiar burn lit up his arm. Hissing, he clutched at it. Immediately, his eyes went to Harry.

Looking at the Potions Master, Harry said, softly, “You need to go. I know what happens if people don't show.”

Nodding, Severus said nothing, looking at the young man. The one thing they hadn't anticipated since moving was the first time the two of them would be summoned together. Now it was happening and he didn't know what to do. On one hand, Harry was right; there would be torture in his future if he didn't. The only time there was an exception to that was during the school year. On the other hand; there was the fact that Harry would be left alone. As there was no trust yet between him and Lucius when it came to Harry, he didn't know what to do. He could, of course, get the boy's word and go, hoping like hell that he would be here when he came back. That he wasn't sure about though. As Harry knew where they were located, he could easily slip into town and get help. He didn't know what to do.

Looking at Severus, Harry told him, “Go. I promise to be here when you get back. I won't go anywhere or call for help.”

Wincing as the burning got hotter, something that indicated the Dark Lord was not in a good mood, Severus decided to trust the boy. Nodding, he said, “We'll return as soon as we can.”

“Be careful,” Harry told him softly.

Nodding, Severus stood then went to retrieve his robes. As he Apparated away, he hoped like hell that he hadn't just made one of the biggest errors in judgment in a very long time.

A.N.- Nagini was one of the characters that was handled very differently in the movies than she was in the books. Even her description was different. Most of the information I used, aside from what I made up, came from the Harry Potter wiki entry on her. Nowhere in the books or movies did they tell what breed of snake she was so I made one up. Also, despite the rumor that still seems to flourish, Nagini was not the boa that was released by Harry in the first book.

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Shades of Grey