Snake Boy

2 - Syren

Three years later, age seven.

The light was fading but Harry knew there were several pieces of chicken in this trash can. He'd watched that family all afternoon as they'd had the largest picnic basket out of all the visitors to the nature preserve today. The amount of food they alone had thrown away would feed him for a week.

"No baby mice this week," Harry hissed to himself, relieved, as he finally found his prize. When there was no food for Harry to scrounge for himself, his family would hunt for him and due to his human teeth, mice were the easiest thing to eat. The babies were small enough to swallow whole, but they squirmed a lot. The adults were also swallowed but he had to cut them in half with an old axe head he'd found last summer.

He wasn't adverse to raw mouse but given a choice...

"Oi William, what have we got 'ere?"

"A tasty morsel to be sure, Jink."

Harry looked up in shock and no little fear. He couldn't understand many of the two men's words but their tone made the fine hairs on his bare arms stand up. Nervously he got to his feet, wiping his hands on the denim shorts he'd nicked from an inattentive swimmer.

"We can have a little fun after we clean him up, and then to Knockturn with 'em. A pretty little thing like him will fetch a nice price."

Harry was backing away slowly when the larger man, who had spoken the most, snagged his arm in a crushing grip. The boy couldn't stop the small scream from escaping as the men tugged him away from the trash can and the safety of the forest.

His struggles became fiercer the further away he was pulled until he was screaming full out, kicking and hitting with his free arm.

"Shut him up William!" the smaller man complained.

William slapped the boy with his free hand, knocking his head back and splitting his top lip.

"William," Jink hissed, "look at 'is forehead!"

Harry blinked dazedly as the hulk turned back to him.

"It's Harry Potter!"

"Forget Knockturn, William, do you have any idea what we could get for finding the Boy-Who-Lived? We'll be rich!"

"An' famous." William was smiling when he said this but then he frowned. "But that means we can't have no fun with 'im."

Jink slapped the man's shoulder. "After this you can have all the boys you want! The Knockturn gents will be throwing them at your feet just so's they can say the savior of the savior was there!"

"I guess." He looked disappointed but started pulling Harry again.

Harry, aware once again of what was happening, stretched up and bit the arm holding him, his teeth sliding into the mans flesh until they met with an audible click. It was Williams turn to scream as he jerked away from the child. Balling a fist, he punched Harry in the face, knocking the small boy into some bushes.

He lay there, once again dazed, listening to the men talk. He couldn't seem to make his body work.

"I am here, Hairy."

He could barely make out the shape of his smallest sister, a pygmy Syren, through the black spots in his vision. He felt her wind her way up onto his hip to await his attacker. Seconds later the bushes rattled."

"I'll teach ya, ya little bastard!"

"But Will!"

Harry squeezed his eyes shut feeling the movement of Oma's strike. With a 'crash' and a 'thump', a corpse landed on Harry's legs.