Playing With Fire (Harry Potter x Lord Voldemort)

Know Your Place

Harry's wrist had begun cramping from sitting and petting Nagini for so long. It was strange, but the longer they held contact, the more at ease he felt. It was hard to think of her as the same creature that attacked Mr. Weasley.

She liked to hiss a bit which would freak Harry out but then would move her position before settling into Harry, getting comfortable and silent.

"So warm yes, like a rock."

"I need to pee, so you need to let me get up." Harry hissed to her, and he could have sworn she huffed in annoyance. Did all snakes have an attitude, or was he just lucky?

"You will pet me later." Harry chuckled nervously, and the snake slowly slid off of him. She decided to rest on the right side of the bed, curling into herself. He moved slowly, Voldemort's warning had been repeating itself over and over in his head. He was afraid that if he moved too fast she might see it as threatening and strike.

His feet hit the floor, and he sauntered to the bathroom. He had closed the door and finished his business. While washing his hands he could hear mutual hissing from beyond the bathroom. Either Voldemort was here, or the snake was talking to herself. Either seemed plausible. He opened the door and got the tail end of the conversation before stepping out.

"-ust had a rabbit not too long ago. You'll be fine." The scene was laughable. The Dark Lord was three feet from the bed, and Nagini had herself halfway up his back, trying to climb onto his shoulders. Her huge body hung weirdly between the bed and the Dark Lord's body. He looked very exasperated, yet held a small smile. The smile melted off the man's face when he realized Harry was back in the room. "I'm surprised you're still alive."

"And I'm not surprised that your only friend is a killer snake." He shot back just as quickly. Voldemort wasted no time in whipping his wand out.

"Levicorpus." It wasn't the spell Harry was expecting, so he let out a high-pitched screech when his body was lifted by his ankle. He was suddenly upside down in the air, suspended by an invisible force tied to his right ankle. The big robe began falling and only stayed up after catching Harry's free leg, which was bent awkwardly at the knee. His entire left leg was exposed, and he could feel the breeze on his hip and some of his stomach area.

"You do realize, Harry, that I don't need the torture curse to hurt you?" Nagini ceased her attempts at snakey-back (piggy-back) and slipped off her master quickly, she slithered under the bed. Voldemort took a step toward Harry. This fueled Harry's brain, however, and he felt glad that he was able to think quickly.

"Wait!" He held his hands out. "What I meant was- I'm surprised you have any friends at all." A low blow, apparently Voldemort thought so too. The Dark Lord's nose slits flared and he raised his hand, it wasn't his wand hand. Harry couldn't believe he was going to get slapped by the Dark Lord. Suddenly appearing in the man's hand, however, was- Harry's fork.

"Did you know that there are several areas along the human torso that can withstand puncture wounds while leaving minimal damage?" Harry found it hard to swallow, and he instinctively covered his stomach area with his arms. He hadn't known that. Why would that be something people just know? "I know all of them."

"You're going to stab me?!" He asked, voice getting loud. He wasn't having fun anymore.

"Would be proper justice against your wrongdoings to the poor ceiling. Karma, as they say."

"You're insane!"

"You don't know when to shut your mouth, do you?" The exceptionally tall man flicked his wand, and Harry floated higher. Voldemort stalked forward and gripped Harry's hair painfully, forcing him to bend his neck at a very uncomfortable angle and look into the Dark Lord's eyes. He was using the same hand that held his wand, and Harry could feel the hardwood against his scalp.