"Harry. Harry Jamesss. Harry Jamessss Potter." A hiss crept around a dark room.

Of course to the three occupants of the room it was nothing more than a hiss. An annoying hiss that wouldn't stop. Or at least that was Lucius' point of view.

"Would someone find that thing and kill it!" Lucius shouted having had enough of the blasted hissing.

The snake crept up to where Lucius sat with Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy. Draco was of course was protecting it from his father. He didn't know why but he knew the snake should not get hurt. Snape just sat there amused at Lucius' annoyed expression and Draco's oddly protectiveness of the snake.

"Maybe it's trying to talk to you Luc." Snape joked, but the snake had understood him and thought that he could understand it.

"Are you a ssssspeaker too? Ohhh Masssster would be pleassssed." The snake hissed as it perked up it's head, but Snape didn't respond.

"It is trying to speak." Draco said noticing how the snake had reacted. "Unfortunately none of us can understand what it is saying."

"Well then it should just shut up. Draco move so I can deal with the pest." Lucius frowned.

"No dad. It's not an ordinary snake. Can you not feel it's magical presence?" Draco responded crossing his arms over his chest.

The snake curled itself into Draco's lap pleased that someone besides its master understood that it was important. Draco was shocked at first, but allowed the snake to laze in his lap. Lucius and Snape shared a look of suspicion before looking at Draco again. Something was happening but none of them knew what that was... yet.

*~*~*~*

"DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY! If that thing doesn't stop it's annoying hissing I will Avada it." Lucius had been trying to read some of his notes.

Snape, Draco and Lucius had taken the snake back with them since it was a magical creature. They were taking care of it for the time being, while trying to find its master, but to no avail. Now it was just getting restless. Unusually so, for the past two weeks it hadn't done much except eat and sleep. On occasion it would hiss to get attention from Draco. Now was a different story though.

About three days prior the three of them had lost the snake. Or that's what they had thought. They didn't know it had gone to see its master. Its master didn't know that it had seen the horrible conditions he was living in. So the snake was angry. Angry no one could understand it. Angry it couldn't bond with its master like it was supposed to. Angry that its master was in such an awful situation and that it couldn't do anything. Angry that life had to so cruel as to prevent it from fulfilling its duties.

It had taken a liking to Draco since he was meant to love its master. But Draco could not hope to understand it just yet. They had to bond. That could only be done after the sake bonded with its master.

"Dad you can't!" Draco panicked picking up the snake. "I don't know what's wrong with it. I don't know why it's being like this."

"Lucius Darling, why don't you floo Severus over maybe he can help." Narcissa suggested.

She didn't want to see Draco, her baby boy, upset. She too was getting a little annoyed by the insistent hiss of the snake. Draco wouldn't allow any of them to touch the snake though. It had taken a while for Lucius to convince Draco to put the snake into the container they bought for it.

Moments later Snape glided into the Library where everyone was sitting. "You flooed?"

"Make it stop." Was all Lucius said before pointing at the container with the unhappy snake.

"Just let it out." Snape said.

"So it can slither around here and cause more chaos? NO thank YOU!" Lucius snapped.

Snape stood and thought for a moment. 'Draco had said it was trying to communicate something a while back. Maybe I can...'

"Okay Luc, I'll take it away then." Snape said picking up the container.

Realising just how heavy the snake actually was, he levitated the container instead and walked out. Much to Draco's protest, but Snape ensured that he wouldn't harm it.

"Good Fucking riddance." Lucius sighed.

*~*~*~*

Back at Snape's house he set the container on a counter and looked at the snake. He was trying to decide what his next move was. The snake hissed angrily then charged at Snape but hit the container hard instead. It let out another hiss of frustration. Snape sighed. How was he supposed to talk to a snake? After all he wasn't a paseltongue. He didn't even know anyone who was.

"Okay. I can't understand you so I guess we can try a guessing game. Can you nod or something?" He felt stupid for asking the snake that.

Hell, he felt stupid for just talking to the snake. The snake lifted its head curiously and then nodded. Snape blinked surprised for a few moments before he composed himself.

"I will let you out only if you calm down." He then said. 'Ha I'm trying to communicate with a snake AND telling it to calm down. I have gone crazy.' He thought after.

The snake nodded again. Snape opened the lid of the container and tipped it over. The snake slithered out. It coiled itself in front of Snape waiting for what to do next.

"Did we loose you a couple days ago?" Snape asked, figuring that's when the annoying hissing had started.

The snake shook its head to say no.

"Did something happen on that day that got you all worked up?" Snape frowned.

The snake nodded. This seemed to be working and Snape was more than just surprised. He expected it to fail miserably. So he was lef thinking about what could have upset it so much instead. His mind was basically blank for a few minutes before he recalled how the snake was with Draco.

"Is it something to do with Draco?"

The snake paused wondering what the man meant. If he meant Draco's life partner then yes it had something to do with him. But if he meant Draco as Draco and not his life partner then no. Choosing to go with the latter since Snape had no way of knowing about Draco's life partner, the snake shook it's head to say no.

Snape pouted. He was rather stumped. It took another good while before he thought of what magical snakes usually do. They are familiars. Which means a master.

"Do you know who your master is?" He finally asked.

The snake nodded then released a low dark hiss as if to say. "That's why I'm pissed off." And Snape understood that perfectly. He nodded.

"Can you show me who?" He asked.

To his surprise the snake nodded. It slid up his arm and around his shoulders. Snape frowned 'What the hell was this snake doing?' Then he realised it probably wanted him to go somewhere. But where was he supposed to go? He thought about it for a while until the snake started to crush him.

"OKAY STOP!" He yelped and the snake loosened. "Where am I supposed to even go?" He mumbled displeased and annoyed.

The snake had not thought of that and now felt bad for crushing the man. It finally came up with an idea. It slithered off of Snape and curled its body into a shape on the floor.

Snape was puzzled to say the least. "6?"

The snake nodded. It curled into another shape as best it could. Snape got the message and summoned a parchment and quill to write down the 'shapes'. This was one smart snake.

"P?"

The snake nodded moving to the next letter but struggled. After all how does a snake show an 'i'?

"I'll leave a space for now. Next letter." Snape said realising the snake was having a lot of trouble.

It nodded in understanding and carried on.

"V?"

Nod from the snake as it morphed into the next letter.

"E?"

Another nod and the snake was perplexed again. How would it go about showing a 't' now?

"Okay I'll leave another space. Continue."

The snake waited for a moment trying to figure out how to tell the man this was another word. When Snape noticed the hesitation he wondered why.

"Another difficult letter?" He asked.

The snake shook it's head saying no.

"Different word?" Those were the only two reasons he could think of. The snake nodded. "Okay then go on."

The snake morphed into a 'D' and an 'R'. It looked up perplexed indicating to Snape that it was another difficult morph and continued on to a 'V' and 'E'. That was all it could do so it slithered back around Snape. Snape looked at his parchment. It read something like this:

6 P_VE_
DR_VE

Snape automatically filled in the 'I' for 'DRIVE' and the snake hissed happily directing him to, or at least trying to, the space after the 'P'. Snape knew the snake was trying to get him to do something but didn't know what.

"This is not going to work. I cannot understand you." Snape grumbled.

The snake headbutted him. Snape growled and after 1 painful hour he managed to get the address worked out. His eyes widened in surprise. He knew that address. It was Potter's address, but why was the snake upset about his master, who was clearly Potter, and how spoilt that brat must be.

Snape frowned and grumbled. "Way to waste my time you useless reptile."

The snake bit him and he yelled. Then the snake headbutted him again. So clearly something must have been very wrong. This forced Snape to go and investigate the house, much to his protest and dislike.

(1655 words)