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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
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Chapter Seventy-Five—The Snake of Dreams

            Harry? Harry, you need to wake up.

            The sensation of someone dragging at him, pulling at him, made Harry wave a hand irritably over his head. His first thought was that Ron was about to pull a prank on him, and Dash was waking him up before the bucket of cold water could fall or something—

            But then he was sitting up in a meadow that definitely wasn’t his bed in Gryffindor Tower. There was only grey grass around him, swaying in a wind that Harry couldn’t feel even when he held his arm out.

            Where am I? he whispered to Dash, looking around and seeing nothing but the grass stretching on and on for miles. When he looked up, there was a dark sky above him with stars peeking out of it. Their faint light was the only reason he could see the grass, Harry thought.

            There was a sharp sound beside him, and Dash slithered up. Harry sighed in relief and reached down to gather him in. Dash climbed Harry’s body, which he didn’t often do since he’d got so long and heavy, and wrapped around his shoulders and arms like a blanket. He rested his head on top of Harry’s and darted his tongue out sharply, scenting for the danger.

            You’re not awake, Dash said. You’re somewhere in the middle of your head—or your dreams. I can’t tell. It doesn’t affect our bond, but it’s somewhere outside it.

            The slight worried tone in his voice made Harry feel dizzy with fear. He had to close his eyes and breathe a few times, touching Dash’s scales, before he could be calm.

            I’ll be here when you’re ready to listen again, Dash said, and touched Harry’s neck with his tongue.

            Harry said, Do you think we’re in any immediate danger? Do you think Voldemort brought us here?

            That would make the most sense, Dash said, after being quiet for a second. Harry could feel the pulses of thought traveling through the back of the bond, and suspected Dash was analyzing things using those senses that Harry couldn’t feel unless he was deep-bonded with him. You had those dreams about Voldemort for a while, and then nothing. It makes sense that he might have tried to conceal himself from you so you wouldn’t know what he was doing.

            Then why did he open the connection now? And what is this place?

            At least one of those questions got an answer before Dash could give him one.

            Something came slamming at them, moving so fast that Harry only got a glimpse of green before he flew off his feet. Then he was rolling over and over, with his face pressed into the grass, and something snarling threats in his ear. No, hissing them, Harry realized a second later. He could probably only understand them because he spoke Parseltongue.

You will be ripped apart, you will be boiled alive, you will be devoured…

About that point, Dash finally pulled himself away from Harry and attacked the snake on Harry’s back. Harry scrambled to stand up. He wanted to make sure he had his wand ready to fight the snake.

            When he could see again, brushing off some dirt that had got encrusted on his forehead above his eyes, he could see Dash and the other snake crawling in circles around each other. Harry swallowed. It was the huge snake that had been in some of his visions of Voldemort, before those stopped and the link seemed to close.

            This had to be Nagini, who had attacked him in the gardens at the Yule Ball.

            She was smaller than Dash. Harry told himself that was a good thing. And she had to be less magical. Basilisks were the most magical snakes there were, and an unusual basilisk like Dash would have more power still.

            That didn’t mean it was going to be an easy fight.

            Even as Harry thought that, the snakes cracked together like whips. Now they were wrapped around each other, and Nagini was trying to stab her fangs into Dash’s neck while he tried to bite her. Last time, his eyes hadn’t worked on her, Harry thought as he ran towards the battle. That was probably why Dash hadn’t tried his eyes this time.

            No! Harry, stay back! She cares more about killing you than me!

            But Harry couldn’t stand back and watch his basilisk get slaughtered. He pointed his wand at Nagini’s tail, which had come untwined from Dash’s and was flopping around in the grass, and said the first spell that came to mind. “Diffindo!”

            His voice sounded echoing and strange in the mind-space, and the spell came forwards slowly from his wand, like he was casting underwater. But it did what it was supposed to do, even though the snakes were rolling over again and Harry was terrified for a second that he might cut Dash. The last bit of Nagini’s tail dropped to the grass and lay there twitching.

            Nagini swung around and abruptly shook herself free of Dash. Then she coiled towards Harry, her mouth wide open and her hissing so violent that he didn’t understand any of the individual threats.

            Harry knew he probably couldn’t use another spell before she reached him. But he had another option, and if his wand was here in this space and everything around him was part of a dream anyway, then the thing he imagined might as well be here.

            Harry stuck his hand out and snatched at the air. A second later, he was holding his Firebolt. He climbed onto it and zoomed into the sky.

            Stay up there, Harry! Dash had caught up with Nagini, Harry saw when he looked down, and was biting her comprehensively in the side of the neck, coiled so tightly around her now that Harry could barely tell them apart. And good on you for realizing that this is a dream and we can manipulate—

            That was all he got out before Harry felt the bond close as though someone had slammed an iron gate over it. At the same moment, his scar began to burn.

            Harry gritted his teeth and turned his broom back towards the ground. Yes, someone else had figured out that he could manipulate reality in this dream. And that person was Voldemort.

            Well, Harry had had enough taken away from him. His parents and Sirius for twelve years and even Dumbledore, sort of, since he thought Harry was the key to the war. Harry wasn’t going to let Voldemort take Dash, too.

            He held out his hand and thought of a rope stretching down from his wrist to Dash. It would be like their bond, and it would be unbreakable, and it would snatch Dash into the air and away from Nagini, and she couldn’t follow, and—

            His broom abruptly sagged, and Harry realized why. Dash was hanging beneath him on the rope now, and coming closer, but he was bloody heavy. Nagini circled on the grass beneath them, hissing in fury. Harry reeled Dash closer and made him wrap around the broom when he got near enough, and then imagined the bond opening again as hard as he could.

            I told you to fly away, Dash snapped, the last meter or so of his body flapping in the wind as he tried to get a secure grip.

            And you thought I would? Harry turned and envisioned open sky ahead, with a little more light so he could see, and there it was. He thought some of the Legilimency training he’d had from Snape was helping, too. You’re not that stupid, are you?

            I’m here to protect you.

            Then it’s the same way, Harry snapped back, and tapped Dash so hard on the snout that he reared back in surprise and nearly unbalanced them again. We’re each as important as the other one. Human and basilisk. If you say we aren’t, then you’re just like those stupid people who would think that I’m more important only because I’m human.

            Dash opened his mouth to respond, only to hiss loudly and jerk his head down. Harry found himself looking at the ground without planning to. It was like someone had a rope around his neck now, and was jerking on it.

            Or a leash, Harry thought, steadying the broom and trying to lean back far enough that he could look up at the sky.

            Voldemort was standing beneath them.

            He looked like a Dementor. He had a long robe on that moved slowly around him, and huge clawed gloves on his hands, and when he looked up at them, Harry saw that he had a rotting face with his jaw hanging mostly off. But Harry never doubted it was him.

            We have to get away from him, Dash said, and Harry agreed, because at least Dash was talking about “we” now. He envisioned the sky opening up above them and a great force yanking them up, opposite to the one Voldemort was using to pull them down.

            But nothing happened. Instead, they kept falling lower and lower, towards the place where Voldemort stood with his mouth gaping open, and Harry realized that he couldn’t imagine the other force clearly enough. Voldemort was the one in control here.

            And are you going to give in like that? Dash was lashing back and forth, rearing on the broomstick and hissing sometimes at Voldemort and sometimes at Nagini, who Harry saw curled up next to Voldemort’s feet. Are you going to let him get away with controlling you when it’s your own bloody mind that we’re fighting in?

            No. Harry ignored his burning scar and hooked his arms around Dash’s middle, lifting him a little off the broomstick. You’re sure you want to do this?

            I’m sure. Dash arched his neck and tried to look, probably, Harry thought, like a charging horse on parade. Throw me when ready.

            Harry did just that, heaving fourteen feet of basilisk off the broom and straight down towards Voldemort and his snake.

            Voldemort didn’t move for some reason, staring. Maybe his Dementor disguise made him blind. Nagini coiled up, but Dash avoided her and fell right on top of Voldemort, sinking his fangs deep in a single bite.

            For a second, all Harry could feel through their bond was bliss, the flow of the cold poison as Dash pumped it into his fangs, and the fact that Voldemort was swaying back and forth now, his dream-body breaking apart, and Harry could probably get away if he could bring himself to speed up and leave Dash behind—

            But a second later, Harry shrieked. He could feel that blinding cold flowing back into his own body, mingling with the pain from his scar. He swayed on the broom, and it dropped lower and lower.

            Harry! Dash sounded panicked for the first time Harry could remember. What is it? What’s happening?

            Somehow, Harry thought, forcing the clear words through the bond and between bursts of agony, when you bit him, you hurt me, too—

            And then the cold burning wrapped all around him and he screamed, and never knew, when he began to fall, where he landed.

*

            Severus woke with such urgency it was as though someone had wrapped a loop of rope around his sleeping mind and yanked it up. And he glanced automatically at his left arm, because the Dark Mark was the only force he knew that had the power to do that.

            If the Dark Lord was already that much restored to power…

            But a second later, the force lashed at him again, and Severus realized it came from outside the door of his bedroom. He couldn’t define it, even as he staggered to his feet and reached for a robe. It was mental and physical at the same time, like both a pull and a push.

            The light in the room, from the smoky fire, abruptly dimmed. Severus found himself drawing his wand with battle-trained reflexes that being in the Death Eaters and around dangerous simmering cauldrons for the majority of his life had only honed.

            I need you now.

            The voice was alien and intense, striking into his mind like an iron lance. Severus cried out at the force of it, and was dragged several feet towards the door before he could stop his feet from moving. Even then, it was only because he grabbed at the wall and managed to latch his fingers through a crack between the stones.

            I need you now. Harry needs you now. Bring every vial of phoenix’s tears and other powerful antivenin that you have with you.

            And Severus knew who was speaking to him then, although that didn’t explain how he was speaking.

            How can you do this? Severus thought, even as he cast the spell that would Summon the vials of antivenin. He only had one vial of phoenix’s tears, gathered from Fawkes during one evening several years ago when the bird had come into his office and cried on a wound on his arm caused by an exploding cauldron. He hoped it would be enough.

            I can do this to anyone who cares for Harry, if I want to. I just don’t usually want to. But I bit Voldemort in a dream, and now my venom is hurting Harry somehow.

            There were so many things to react to in that statement that Severus found himself largely feeling nothing. He simply grabbed and stacked and gathered, and wedged some vials into a pocket that had an Expansion Charm on it, and then ran for the stairs.

            But as he went, a few thoughts shivered through him. Whatever the connection was between Harry and the Dark Lord, it could hit him with attacks Dash directed at the Dark Lord. When Severus had relaxed partially because he trusted Dash to guard Harry, that was…an uncomfortable revelation.

            And Dash had more power than he had suspected, at a greater depth, with magic that was not part of the normal basilisk array.

            If he ever had to defend against Harry’s basilisk, Severus now knew what the outcome would be.

*

            Harry opened his eyes, choking and coughing. There was a thick liquid in his mouth, a disgusting one, and he didn’t know what it was. He twisted to the side and tried to throw it out, or up.

            No, Harry, keep it down.

            Dash was curled around him, and Harry knew he was lying in a bed. He gagged again as he tried to answer aloud instinctively, and then swallowed what he thought was probably a potion and reached through the bond instead. What happened?

            Somehow my poison affected you when I bit Voldemort. Dash lifted his head. His neck seemed unusually short. A second later, Harry realized Dash was wrapped so firmly around him that most of his body was taken up in the hug. I summoned Snape so he could bring some antivenin. I’m so sorry, Harry.

            Harry projected as much confused love as he could through the bond, given that he had no idea what the hell was going on. I don’t—you didn’t mean to. But I thought nothing except phoenix’s tears could fight basilisk venom.

            He’s already poured that over your scar, since that seems to be the source of the poison for some reason. Even though Voldemort doesn’t have a scar like it, and I didn’t bite Voldemort there… Dash shifted his head restlessly back and forth, and then put it down on Harry’s neck when Snape said something in a sharp voice. In the meantime, I’m holding you like this, and I’m getting ready to push.

            Push? Harry asked. He turned his head and blinked up at Snape, who was bending over him with an empty vial. Snape gave him a grim smile and tipped another vial of potion forwards. Harry opened his mouth to swallow it. I don’t understand what you’re going to do.

            I’m going to push my venom out of you. It’s a thing I can do. Dash hesitated for such a long time that Harry turned his head to look at him as best he could. It isn’t pleasant. You’re going to vomit and…

            I don’t care. I’ll know that you’re doing it to save my life. Harry closed his eyes and resigned himself. It wasn’t worse than lying in the cupboard at Privet Drive with his stomach empty and aching.

            Dash wrapped himself more firmly around Harry. I can call my poison to come back to me. I could kill people and never let anyone know how I did it, if I remove all of it from the body.

            Harry swallowed and said only, You know I don’t like it when you talk about killing people, Dash. No matter what they did.

            This time, I was the one who almost killed you.

            Harry didn’t have a lot of time to absorb the somber tone in Dash’s voice. He squeezed suddenly around Harry, as if he was a boa constrictor, and at the same time he reached out and into Harry’s body in some way, pulling or yanking on their bond. Harry heard it like he would hear discordant music in the distance.

            Then he felt the poison beginning to rush out of him.

            It was horrible. It was thick and worse in his mouth than the potions, and Harry turned his head to the side and began to vomit. Snape started casting spells at once. From the way they removed the vomit and made his mouth taste, Harry thought they were spells that would Vanish it and clean him up.

            But Snape had to keep casting them, because Harry was vomiting again. And again. And listening to Dash whisper in the back of his head how sorry he was.

*

            Severus stepped slowly back from Harry and then collapsed into the chair at the side of the bed. Dash had brought Harry to the hospital wing even before Severus had managed to leave his quarters with the phoenix’s tears and antivenin. Poppy had offered to help, but Dash had looked at her and hissed softly—perhaps scenting her fear, Severus thought—and she had backed away, then locked herself in her office.

            It had been more than unpleasant for the last hour. Harry had expelled so much fluid from his body that Severus had charmed a few potions into his stomach simply to provide liquid. He’d also had to cast more Vanishing Charms and Mouth-Freshening Charms than he ever had in his life, and change the basins that held the overflow several times. Dash hadn’t been able to help him, so occupied with staring into Harry’s eyes and squeezing his body in the special way that seemed to drive the poison forth.

            But now both of them were still, and Dash was swaying with a relaxed curve to his neck that Severus understood better than he did most of the communications he had with the basilisk. Harry must be safe, or Dash wouldn’t look like this.

            Harry was asleep. No one else was in the hospital wing. That made it the perfect chance to address some of the questions Severus had.

            He cleared his throat. Dash turned his head towards him, eyes a brilliant yellow glow under their lids, another sign that Harry was safe. Severus had watched them flicker and dim like fires in the last hour.

            “The link between the Dark Lord and Harry,” he said. “I shudder to think of what it could be. We need to think about that.”

            Dash bobbed his head in a slow nod, and then curled up around Harry in a way that said he didn’t intend to think of it now.

            “We must,” Severus said, leaning forwards. “I know you can speak to me when you want to. Why won’t you do it now?”

            Dash flicked out his tongue. At the same moment, the heavy, dark voice sounded in the back of Severus’s head.

            You want me to command you? Like this?

            Severus stumbled as he was yanked to his feet. He caught himself on the back of the chair and the side of the bed. Harry’s breathing changed for a second, and Severus looked at him in concern. Whatever game Dash was playing, Severus thought Harry should be allowed to rest.

            Or this?

            As though his arm belonged to someone else, Severus watched it extend, until his hand was right in front of Dash’s mouth. Dash opened his jaws, and his fangs glistened with the same poison they had spent so much of the night removing from Harry.

            “You’ve made your point,” said Severus. If his voice shook, well, there was no point in pretending not to be afraid around a creature who could smell his fear.

            Dash flickered his tongue out once, and then gave his head another of those human bobs. The control lifted from Severus. He worked his way back to the chair and took the seat without looking away from Dash.

            I can only speak like that when I’m commanding you to do something, Dash said, and Severus’s arse hit the chair hard. And I would prefer not to do it. It’s hard. Exhausting. I’ll sleep for several days now. I would only do it when Harry was in danger, or both of us were.

            Not even to save himself, then, Severus thought, hearing what wasn’t in those words. He shook his head a little. “Then I’ll speculate aloud, and you can give some indication when you think I’m on the right track.”

            Dash put his head down again, but kept it turned towards Severus, which Severus assumed meant he had no objection.

            “The connection runs through dreams,” Severus said quietly. “The mind. And the body. Otherwise, a bite felt in a dream would never have affected Harry physically.” He hesitated for a moment. Then he asked, “Was the landscape of the dream mostly grey? Seemingly located in between their two minds, affected by both?”

            Dash gave a short, sharp hiss that seemed to indicate surprise, but gave another one of those bobbing nods, too.

            Severus sighed and put his hand over his face, shaking his head. “That is a powerful Legilimency link,” he said. “It’s the kind the Dark Lord might be able to forge with me, because of the Dark Mark, if I were not as well-protected by Occlumency shields as I am. And it eliminates the possibilities for the connection they share down to a few extremely Dark ones.”

            Dash only nodded, and Severus supposed the realization was no surprise to him.

            Nor to Severus either, truly. He looked at the boy lying in the bed, and his heart ached.

            What can I do? How can I protect him?

            More research, he thought. And somehow, he must speak to Black and convince him to reveal the secret that had prevented him from telling Harry the truth and prompted him to research Dark rituals to free him from the connection, whatever it was.

            For now, though, he had a more important charge. Severus remained in silent guardianship over Harry, shared with Dash, until morning came, Poppy emerged from her office, and Dash dropped into utterly exhausted sleep.

            But Severus did have the comfort of seeing Harry open his eyes and smile at him before he took his leave.

*

            moodysavage: Severus is just really weary with all the attacks he can see and foresee coming against Harry.

            SP777: No, “teach your grandmother to suck eggs” is an old insult meaning “Yeah, try to teach me to do what I can do so much better.” Mrs. Zabini just applied it to Dash, since snakes eat eggs.

            No, the mirrors are gone.

            Jester: Thank you!
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A Brother to Basilisks