The Tree of Blacks (English version)

Paper Butterflies and Onyx Snakes - pt.2

February, 1977. Hogwarts, Forbidden Forest.

Alya's voice spread through the cold air that hovered in the Forbidden Forest, becoming part of the night itself.

James listened to her, enraptured by the words spoken by the young Black, which took him on an imaginary journey, to distant and mysterious places, lost in time.

Alya told James about Koboro and its origins. The onyx-coloured snake, which had been keeping the girl company for years on her secret outings in the Hogwarts woods, belonged to an ancient species of cobra, whose main characteristic was precisely the black colour which painted its thick scales.

This kind of cobra originated in Ancient Egypt and was the bearer of ancient and ancestral powers, passed down over the centuries from snake to snake. However, the reptiles which belonged to this species were unable to use their spells on their own, due to their animal nature, so they needed a 'channel' which would act as a conduit for their magic.

Cobras like Koboro, in their distant homeland, used to choose carefully the magician or sorcerer they would bind themselves to. These were, of course, people with important magical abilities, capable of wielding very powerful spells. A prerequisite was knowledge of Parseltongue. Without this language, it would have been impossible for the reptiles to pass on their ancient knowledge.

Alya explained to James that, even in recent times, in countries as distant as Egypt, having the opportunity to form such a strong bond with a black cobra was considered an honour, which placed the chosen magician in a position of prestige. The sorcerer in question thus became a powerful healer and a holder of wisdom, as serpents - with whom he shared arcane knowledge - were believed to be the guardians of wisdom and the mysteries of the world, given their habit of living both above and below the earth; they were also seen as symbols of light and darkness, as they were able to distribute healing, through their curative powers, or death, with their venomous and lethal bite. Sometimes they were even worshipped, on a par with deities.

"A completely different view from ours," Alya commented bitterly, at the end of her tale. "In our society, wizards tend to regard wise creatures like Koboro as evil beings. Without understanding them. But they're wrong. Snake magic is not evil. It's pure, untainted. It's the inclination of the sorcerer who uses it that influences it negatively, that makes it evil and devastating."

"Well, Black, it's nothing new that there're wrong and unfair prejudices around us," replied James, in a stern tone.

Alya fell silent, stiffening. Although Potter hadn't expressed it openly, the girl had felt the veiled rebuke towards her family's shared values and the views her noble relatives held towards those who weren't pureblood wizards. And, at the same time, young Black knew how the Gryffindor boy felt about the matter and, however much even she didn't fully share certain elitist ideologies, she wouldn't tolerate criticism towards members of her beloved family, despite their reprehensible behaviour. Not even from James.

Young Black's mind began to work fast, frantically searching for a less thorny and lighter topic. She had no desire to discuss the differences in values with which the Blacks and the Potters had raised their children.

"The Koboro species must be very rare. I don't think I have ever seen a snake of its kind in my entire life. Nor have I ever heard of one." commented James, sporting a relaxed expression. Apparently, he too had sensed the danger of the topic and had glided swiftly on to another subject.

Alya was silently grateful.

"The black cobra race cannot be found here, in Britain. It isn't their natural habitat. But it's still widespread in Egypt," the maiden explained.