Snake Boy

6 - Family Meeting

It had been six months since Oma had left to find her Wizard and Harry missed her horribly. He had wanted to be that person for her but their magic just hadn't meshed.

He lay in the tree above the nest unabashedly moping. He couldn't help it. He hadn't been alone for more than a few minutes for the last eleven winters. At times he had longed for solitude; how could he not with seven siblings and a very overprotective mother. Six months, however, with only said overprotective mother was a bit much to his way of thinking.

He'd give his right wing to have Scales, or any of them, trying to knock him out of this tree. Granted Scales and his mother were the only ones large enough to do it anymore, and she had indulged in the game a time or five.

He sighed. He should go back to the nest, it was very cold. Since he was not a true serpent he could take the cold a lot longer but he still had limits. There was about two feet of snow on the ground and he had been bemoaning his solitude for over an hour.

Slithering down the tree he prepared himself for the inevitable tongue lashing he was about to receive, and the probable tail lashing; and if Celeste was very annoyed maybe even a wing lashing.

Entering the nest he cringed at his mother's annoyed, "Are you quite done with your little pity party?"

"Yes ma'am."

She chuckled at his sheepish tone.

"I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?"

"Hello Brother!" Oma's delicate head popped up from behind his mother's coiled bulk.

"You're back!"

"I told you I would be, you wretch."

Harry launched himself at the pair, laughing, and entwined himself around them.

"I missed you so much!"

"I can tell."

"And did you find your Wizard?"

"Of course."

"Really? So quickly? Can I meet him?"

"Yes, yes, and...yes."

"Really?" he asked again, turning to his mother for confirmation.

"Yes, my Hairy. I would have us meet this Draco Oma has been telling me about, and this Tom."

"Tom?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Oma tells me he is like you in many ways Hairy. He is a parselmouth; only the second I've heard of in the last two hundred winters."

"Two-hun...What? Just how old are you Mother?" Oma asked.

"Two-hundred winters and two moons, of course."

"Of course." The two hatchlings muttered in unison.

"So why do you want me to meet this Tom, Mother?"

"You need a mate, my Hairy, a human mate and this Wizard already has one important thing in common with you. Perhaps you will find other things you like about him."

"Can Wizards mate with Wizards? Don't they need females?" Harry wondered.

"It is quite common for two Wizards to build a nest together. Sometimes females will nest with other females as well but not often. In the Wizarding world there are many more males than females."

"And they can still have hatchlings? You know I want many hatchlings."

"Yes Hairy," Oma answered this time. "I'm not sure exactly how it works yet but they can have hatchlings. In fact there are a few Wizards with such nests that visit Tom frequently. You will be able to meet them and their hatchlings."

Harry was still nervous about the whole thing.

"Well if you're sure about this I'll go. But I'm not promising to like this Tom, or any other Wizard for that matter, okay?

"Of course Hairy," Celeste hissed, "Of course."