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A Brother to Basilisks	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 85172 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 15
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am making no money from this story.

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Chapter Three—Confrontation in the Headmaster’s Office
        Harry thought he heard Snape close the office door behind him. He didn’t really care, though. His attention was on Dumbledore, and the hard way he looked at Dash, and then the way he looked up at Harry again.
        He was calm, and he was grave. Harry had seen him like that before, of course, but he thought this was the most serious Dumbledore had ever been with him. “I suppose you know what you have there, Harry?” he asked gently.
        The gentleness made it worse. Harry’s heart was pounding, and he jumped when Dash stuck his tongue out again and glided it slowly over Harry’s earlobe and down the side of his neck. You don’t need to run. I’m here.
        Harry steadied himself with thinking about that, and with the hand he put on the back of Dash’s head, and went on. “I know he’s a basilisk, sir. He told me that himself.” Harry touched Dash’s face, and after an irritated snapping of his tongue, Dash let him. “He even covers his eyes so that he can’t kill someone with his eyes. I suggested that. He does it. He’s safe to be around.”
        “Safe for you to be around, perhaps,” said Dumbledore, with slow and stern emphasis. “But safe for the other students in the school? Safe for people who walk past him in the street?” He shook his head. “I’m afraid you will have to give him up.”
        Harry said nothing, but wrapped himself around Dash in return, grasping Dash’s middle coils with his arms. Dash leaned harder against Harry, and hissed softly. Harry wasn’t sure if he understood every English word that someone else spoke, but he definitely understood the thoughts that were racing through Harry’s head.
        If he tries to take you away from me, I’ll bite him. He deserves an agonizing death.
        That was another time Harry was desperately glad that there was no chance of someone eavesdropping on what Dash said to him. “I’m not just—I can’t control him because I’m the Heir of Slytherin or anything like that, sir,” he told Dumbledore. “Or because I’m a Parselmouth.” Dumbledore had started to speak, but now he waited and eyed Harry meditatively. “He’s bonded to me.”
        “What?” Dumbledore opened one hand as though to cup Dash’s egg in it, but Harry thought that was shock, not important. He was staring at Harry, and glanced back to Snape as though Snape would somehow have the answer.
        Harry looked at Snape, but his face was bland and empty. Well, good. Harry had to be the one to tell this part, anyway. “He hatched from an egg in the Chamber of Secrets. I heard his voice calling to me, and he came out of the egg when I slit the side to help him.” He paused, painfully certain that Snape would pounce on him and yell at him for breaking curfew, but nothing happened except silence. So Harry went on. “And then he looked away with his eyes covered, and he started speaking into my head, and he told me what his name was, and he knew mine. And he doesn’t want to go anywhere, sir.”
        “Slytherin,” Snape murmured.
        Harry wanted to ask him what he meant, but Dumbledore gave Snape a pretty sharp glance, and he shut up. “I’m sorry, Harry, but the matter of safety still remains,” Dumbledore continued, turning back to Harry. “What would happen if your basilisk murdered someone accidentally? You might be very sorry for it afterwards, but it would still have happened.”
        Dash seemed to take a moment to translate Harry’s worry from his thoughts this time, but he gave another agitated hiss. Tell him that it won’t happen unless you tell me to. I want to kill small warm things. Humans are no fun unless they hurt you. I’d have to stretch my jaw too wide to swallow them.
        “He says that he’ll be careful, sir,” said Harry, and his hand trembled on Dash’s scales. He had been upset and afraid at first when he found out he was bonded with a basilisk, but now all he could think of was the way that Dudley got all the presents when he was a kid and Harry got none. He didn’t want someone to take Dash away, too.
        I’ll bite them if they try.
        “You cannot keep him,” said Dumbledore. “Perhaps if you were out of school and not going back to live in the Muggle world every summer…but even then it would be dangerous. You will have to be separated.”
        “Headmaster?” Snape murmured. “Should you or I take a look and estimate the strength of this bond?”
        Take a look? How can they do that?
        I suppose they would look into your mind and see our bond that way. Dash had already calmed down again. He sounded interested instead of angry. And you can stop thinking that I’ll allow them to separate us. I won’t. I know that you’re worried about it, but I just won’t, that’s all. His tail shot out and gave Harry a swift tap on the side of the head opposite from where Dash’s neck was hovering. You need to relax and trust me.
        Harry wasn’t much more comfortable with the notion that somebody could read his mind. Especially if Snape and Dumbledore had been doing it all along. He looked nervously back and forth between the two men, and saw Dumbledore raise a hand as though he was going to press something heavy to the desk.
        “An opportune suggestion, Severus,” he said, and then turned to Harry. “Will you allow me to see into your mind, Harry, and look at your bond with Dash? It may be weak. In that case, I cannot allow you to keep the basilisk. You could lose control of him and he could go on a rampage at any time.”
        I wish people would learn that basilisks have more important things to do than rampage through schools, Dash complained. I can already see that looking after you and punishing all the people who hurt you is going to be a full-time job.
        Harry just gulped and blinked. He wasn’t sure what was going on, only that it was bad, and he waited a long time before he realized that Dumbledore was waiting for permission. Well, it was probably going to happen, and better Dumbledore than Snape.
        “Yes, sir. You can look.” Some instinct of caution, or maybe Dash’s tail thumping into the side of his head again, made Harry add, “As long as you just look at the bond and nothing else.”
        Dumbledore paused in drawing his wand, and gave Harry a look of deep sadness. “Of course, my boy. I would never violate your mental privacy by looking at anything else.”
        Harry thought he heard Snape snort at that, but he couldn’t be sure, and he was already nervous enough. He wondered if having his mind read would hurt. It probably wouldn’t, if they’d been doing it all along and he hadn’t noticed it, but then, there were things in his life that caused him unexpected pain all the time.
        “What do I have to do?” he asked.
        Dumbledore gave him a kinder smile at that, and Harry found himself relaxing. He wanted to trust Dumbledore. He didn’t want to be some paranoid idiot or act like he was doing something Dark and wrong, because he wasn’t. “Just hold still and meet my eyes. I’ll cast the spell aloud, so you can hear it, and you’ll know when it begins. All right?”
        Harry nodded, a little more reassured. Dumbledore whispered something that sounded like, “Legilimens,” and Harry felt a strange sensation, as though his mind was a pool of water someone had dived into. Harry wriggled. It felt uncomfortable, but not painful, and that was better than a lot of things.
*
        Severus watched with emotions and thoughts kept strictly to himself as Dumbledore ransacked Potter’s mind. Or trod through it gently and looked around in hopes that the obvious truth wasn’t the truth, whatever interpretation one preferred.
        He knew the Headmaster, better perhaps when he acted in extreme circumstances than at other times. And he knew what Albus’s keen glances and little sighs and the way he gripped his wand meant. He was hoping desperately that something was not true that he knew was perfectly true.
        In this case, the boy’s bond to his serpent.
        Severus contained his derisive smile without effort. He had smiled more often like that inwardly than outwardly.
        No, this was a bond that had nothing to do with Parseltongue—and Albus had once hinted to Severus that he knew the boy’s Parseltongue came from the Dark Lord and not from some throwback to a Potter who could speak it—or with the snake having possessed Potter. This was a true bond, and while not all the stories of Slytherin spoke of it in those terms, Severus had heard the ones that did. Slytherin had been bonded to snakes, not merely commanded them.
        There were no tales that spoke of his being bonded to a basilisk, true, although Severus was starting to wonder if he should ask some of the chatty portraits about the possible truths there. But that could be attributed to no one having known that Slytherin’s monster was a basilisk. If more information had survived, this might not have come as such a surprise.
        Such a nasty surprise, Severus was certain, based on the Headmaster’s reaction. And it was one that could not be turned aside, not if it was a true bond. The serpent would not leave Potter, and from the way Potter was holding the basilisk protectively close to him, he would also go to war to protect it.
        Severus owed Albus a good deal. He was the one who had extended his protection over Severus after the war and spared him Azkaban. He was the one who had given Severus a chance to redeem himself. He was the one who had listened and believed when Severus told him that he wanted to repudiate his Death Eater past, and not questioned his motives too deeply.
        On the other hand, Severus had not forgotten Albus’s favoritism of the Marauders when he was a student. He had not forgiven Albus for hiring Remus Lupin, of all werewolves, for the position that should have been Severus’s. And there were other suspicions, not certainties, buried deep, that Severus did not allow himself to think of on a day-to-day basis, but which were there all the same.
        Those things together made it a positive pleasure, on several levels, for Severus to see Albus’s world shaken in a way that had nothing to do with Severus’s own actions.
        And if he could take some small, unnoticed action that would further those ripples, those tremors, he would take it without hesitation.
*
        The Headmaster pulled back at last, with a shake of his head. Harry leaned his head against Dash’s, and sighed. It felt nice to be alone in his mind again.
        You aren’t alone in your mind. I’m here.
        I know, but you’re different, Harry thought to him, and he thought Dash was delighted at that, in the few seconds he had to think about it before Dumbledore softly cleared his throat.
        “You have a true bond to your snake, Harry.” Dumbledore shook his head again, and stepped back behind his desk. He had a small silver, spinning instrument on it which he started to make spin faster with a tap of his finger. Harry watched it cautiously, but since it didn’t appear to be affecting Dash, he looked back at Dumbledore’s face. “It will be very hard to get rid of him or separate you.”
        “That’s what I was saying, sir,” said Harry. Snape was probably rolling his eyes right now at Harry’s disrespect for the Headmaster. Well, all the more reason not to look at Snape. “That I don’t want to separate from him.”
        “You understand my concerns, Harry?” Dumbledore asked it like it was the most important question he’d ever asked.
        Harry looked at him slowly. “I do, sir,” he said. “But I don’t know if you understand that I can ask Dash not to bite people or kill him, and he won’t. That’s a choice, sir,” he added, because he knew that Dumbledore believed that. “And it’s our choices that makes us who we really are. Right?”
        Dumbledore leaned slowly back in his chair. “But I wondered if you were recalling another choice and making it anew, differently this time,” he said.
        Harry didn’t understand what he meant until Dumbledore caught his eye and led his gaze to the Sorting Hat, high on its shelf. Harry immediately shook his head. “No, sir. Just because I have a basilisk doesn’t mean I want to be in Slytherin.”
        There was a little hiss, like a kettle. Harry was about to tell Dash off for scaring Dumbledore with his hissing, but a second later he realized it wasn’t Dash. It was Snape making that noise behind him. Harry turned around and stared.
        “What do you mean by that?” Snape’s eyes were bulging a little, and he looked pale and sick to his stomach. Harry was kind of sorry that he didn’t even know what he had done to make him look that way. At least if he was going to upset Snape, it should be on purpose.
        “The Hat first considered Harry for your House, Severus,” said Dumbledore, and he sounded more cheerful. Harry silently wondered if Dumbledore liked to upset Snape, too.
        I like upsetting everyone, Dash contributed, not that helpfully. Harry rubbed his head to keep him quiet, and looked back and forth again between Snape and Dumbledore, entertained in spite of himself.
        “But Harry chose Gryffindor, and you’re right, Harry, it is our choices…” said Dumbledore, letting the sentence trail off as he looked at the way Harry was petting Dash. He sighed, and he sounded sad and old to Harry. “Perhaps if you spend some time with your snake, you will realize that you need to reconsider? At least before you go back to stay with your relatives again?”
        Harry was extra sure that he would never consider facing the Dursleys without Dash when he could have his protection, but he knew that sometimes you had to lie to adults for their own good. “I’ll consider it, sir.”
        “Excellent!” said Dumbledore, and rubbed his hands together. “Then the only thing that remains is for us to enact a few rudimentary protections for the safety of your fellow schoolmates.” He waved his wand and said something quiet, and a few of the silver instruments flew up from the shelves and orbited Harry’s head.
        I don’t like them, said Dash, turning his head back and forth, and giving Harry a subdued glimpse of the yellow light of his eyes under his eyelids again. Make them go away.
        Harry had his wand in his hand, ready to do that if he had to, but he did ask, “Sir? What are they supposed to do?”
        “I’m glad you asked that, my boy,” Dumbledore said, and beamed as if he really was. “They’ll act as mirrors if your Dash opens his eyes, and allow his gaze to bounce back harmlessly. They’re gifted with enough intelligence to know when they’re needed, and they’ll dart in between your friend and the other students.” He reached into his drawer and drew out a big red vial Harry had never seen before. “And this will dilute his poison enough that it should be painful but harmless to anyone he bites. It wouldn’t work with a bigger basilisk, but fortunately, this is one of the uses of dragon’s blood.”
        Harry looked at Dash, who coiled closer to him and whined, I’m not taking that. What happens if it dilutes my poison forever? What if I can’t kill the rabbits I need to eat? He touched his tongue to Harry’s neck again. What if I can’t bite someone to defend you?
        “He’s worried about not being able to defend me if he takes that, sir,” said Harry, facing Dumbledore again and feeling a brief moment of incredulity that he was translating a basilisk’s words for the Headmaster.
        This is the way life is, said Dash, and his tail moved slowly around Harry’s waist, shifting as if he wanted to learn its shape. Surprises, and food.
        “I am afraid I must insist,” said Dumbledore.
        Harry considered him one more time, and then reached out and took the vial. He held it up to Dash’s mouth. “Can you take this for me?” he asked aloud in Parseltongue, and he thought Snape probably jumped, although Dumbledore just continued to watch him calmly. “Please?”
        Dash finally opened his jaws, ungraciously, and hissed at Dumbledore. Harry carefully poured the potion down his throat. Dash worked his jaw back and forth for a moment, making his fangs flash, and then said, It doesn’t taste too bad. More like blood than I expected.
        Harry faced Dumbledore. “Can I go now, sir?” He wanted to get some sleep, and preferably before everyone else woke up and he would have to explain Dash to them.
        “Just a moment, Harry.” Dumbledore leaned forwards with his hands on the desk and surveyed him gravely once more. “Do you think this is likely to happen again?”
        “Bonding with a basilisk, sir?” Harry shook his head vigorously. “I really hope not.”
        It won’t, said Dash firmly into his head. You’re mine, and I refuse to let another basilisk anywhere near you.
        Harry smiled and reached up to touch the back of Dash’s neck. He noticed Dumbledore observing him gravely, and bristled a little. “You’ve made all the preparations you need to to keep other people safe, sir. Are you going to trust me or not?”
        “That’s not what I meant, Harry,” said Dumbledore, and then said, “I meant, do you think that you’ll make another decision that’s as reckless as this, and disregards other people’s safety to such a persistent extent?”
        Harry paused. He was waiting for something, he thought, but he wasn’t sure what.
        Then, when he thought about it, he knew. He was waiting for his stomach to drop with guilt and the horrible feeling of disappointing Dumbledore to creep over him. Dumbledore was the first adult he’d ever really wanted to impress. It was horrible to think he was doing something that upset him.
        But he didn’t have that feeling. He eyed Dash suspiciously, sideways, and Dash promptly curled his tail up and tapped him in the side of the neck. I can tell you things and pick up on your thoughts. I can’t suppress your emotions.
        “I don’t know, sir,” Harry said, and turned back to Dumbledore. “I don’t want to put people in danger, but I couldn’t leave someone who was calling me for help alone. Don’t you see that?” he added, because he thought if anyone knew why he would have to get out of bed in the middle of the night to save someone, it would be Dumbledore. “If I can do something to save them, then I have to.”
        Dumbledore nodded, and the twinkle was back in his eyes. “I do understand, m’boy. Good night to you.”
        Harry glanced instinctively at Snape, but he was staring at Dumbledore and didn’t seem inclined to escort Harry back to Gryffindor “to make sure he went to bed,” the way Harry had been certain he would do. He shrugged, said, “Good night, sir,” and walked out, adjusting Dash around his waist.
        I’m starting to get sleepy from all the food I ate, said Dash, and his neck writhed around Harry’s and then he rested his chin on Harry’s nape, his heavy satisfaction leaning against Harry’s mind like a purring cat. Can we wait until tomorrow to meet your roommates?
        I think we have to, said Harry, and stroked his scales and the little plume that stood up on the top of his head, and made his way to Gryffindor Tower.
        Each step was heavier than it had ever been, since before he hadn’t been carrying a giant snake. But each step was also more joyful. He knew there would be trouble, and the mirrors orbiting him made that plain, but there was another thing he knew.
        He wasn’t going to be alone, ever again.
*
        “I know what you’re going to say, Severus, and you can save your breath. I knew all about where the Sorting Hat wanted to place Harry, and he and I have already discussed it.”
        Severus shook his head. There was a mixture of thoughts and emotions in his brain and chest that was making it very difficult for him to choose what to say. But at least the one Albus voiced hadn’t been in his top five.
        “That is not the issue,” he finally chose. “I wish to know why you were so intent on depriving the boy of his snake, and then you relented and let him keep it.”
        “Depriving him?” Albus chuckled. “You may become a fan of Harry Potter yet, Severus, if you keep speaking like that.”
        Severus forced himself to ignore the words that made him want to snap. He had more control of himself than that, and this was important. “What made you change your mind?”
        “Because I looked and saw the true bond, as you rightly assumed that I would.” Albus still looked too amused. “And because I saw that Harry did want to protect Dash and himself, and that…certain things are not as I had thought.” Albus’s smile vanished this time. “Harry stands at a crossroads, and he could lose himself, Severus. I must admit that I am concerned about him.”
        Severus nodded and said a few empty platitudes, mixed in with the sneers that Albus would expect. At the very least, when Albus waved farewell to him for the night, Severus thought he suspected nothing.
        But Severus’s mind was racing, and he had come up with a few truths that he thought Albus would find unpalatable, at the very least. Or perhaps he would find it unpalatable that Severus was contemplating them.
        Slytherin in fact had been a Parselmouth. Slytherin, at least in legend, had been bonded to several snakes. And while Severus would never be so rash as to believe in the reincarnation of his House’s founder in the form of a rather foolish Gryffindor, he dhave to wonder about Albus’s contention that Potter had Parseltongue only from the Dark Lord.
        Did he have his Slytherin nature and bond to a basilisk from the Dark Lord, too? Or was it more likely, as Severus was coming to believe, that the Dark Lord had nothing to do with it?
        Because if so, that pointed to his misinterpretation of a few things Potter had done, and a dimension that he had been ignorant of to others.
He did want to think about this, but he intended to betray neither his curiosity nor his conclusions to Albus any time soon.
Based on Albus’s reaction to the mere thought of Harry Potter acting Slytherin, he imagined it as the worst fate that could befall the boy. And Severus did not think so.
*
SP777: This is why it's AU. The basilisk makes the changes.
staar: Thank you!
Meechypoo: Well, you get a bit of that here.
SlythindorMalfoy: Thanks! There's also Ron's reaction, and Hermione's, and Lupin's...
ChaosLady: Thank you!
Marron: Harry is starting to come around to agreeing with Dash, at least a bit.
Jester: Thanks!
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A Brother to Basilisks