True Love's Heart

Chapter 23: Opposing Opinions

"Wands and cauldrons." Harry spoke the password to The Fat Lady and climbed into the Gryffindor common room once the portrait swung open. As he turned to close the frame behind him, he removed his other hand from the fanny pack, where he had been stroking Nagini's head lovingly.  They were returning from Professor Snape's office where Snape collected samples of Nagini's blood, venom and scales to use for the potion. Watching his mate being poked and prodded at made Harry very uneasy and irritated; though his head knew it was necessary to provide her DNA in order to increase the possibility of a restoring potion's success, his protective bond didn't like any man touching her like that, even if it was in a clinical and professional manner. He couldn't wait to return to their room so that he could pull her to his chest and smother Snape's scent off of her.

His beeline for the boy's dormitory staircase was cut short when he heard a sharp call of his name from a nearby couch.

"Oi Harry! Where have you been mate?" He turn and saw Ron calling to him, Hermione sitting beside him with a book in her lap and her head on Ron's shoulder. "Its felt like decades since we've hung out! Come over and join us!"

"Er...I was really just headed for my dorm..." Harry hesitated. Although he loved to spend time with Nagini and felt like he would die if she wasn't in his company, he did admit that he missed hanging out with his two best friends lately. He really only saw them at lunch and during classes, since he ate breakfast and dinner in the Forbidden Forrest with Nagini and then retreated back to their dorm to do homework and cuddle. Harry could feel in his gut that this was the new normal for him and that he felt more energetic and happy then he had ever felt before, but he could see how his friends could be feeling neglected.

Walking closer to the couch holding his friends, he gestured towards the stairs with a jerk of his head. "Why don't you guys join u-me in my room? We could hang there?" He asked, correcting his usage of 'us' with 'me' since he remembered that the other students in the room, aside from the three of them, would be confused if he refered to himself as 'us'. They didn't know he was carrying somebody in his bag.

"Uh, sure, OK." Ron shrugged as he and Hermione stood up and followed Harry up the stairs to the cobra portrait.

~True Love's Heart.~ He hissed to Mr. Cobra and smiled as the portrait swung open and he lead his friends inside their room.

Harry released a sigh of content as he entered the familiar room, his nose taking in the smell of damp dirt from the garden and his eyes tracing the wavy shadows the evening sun was casting onto the ground as rays passed between the vines of ivy that was practically dripping from the canopy.

Gesturing for his friends to follow him, Harry made his way over to the sitting area in front of the fireplace, sitting in one of the wing-backed chairs as the other couple sat across from him on the couch. After situating himself in the chair, he reached down and unclipped the fanny pack from his waist and bent over and sat the bag on the floor by his feet. Unzipping the bag open, he then helped the still sore Nagini out of the bag and up his legs and into his lap. She coiled her body loosely across his thighs and reached up to nuzzle her head into the hollow of his neck. One of Harry's hand went automatically up to stroke under her chin; one of her favorite places to be caressed.

"Welcome to our room, guys." Harry smiled as he gestured to their surroundings with his free hand. Ron had never visited him here and Hermione had only been there once, when she came searching for him after his panic attack on the first day of class. He assumed she didn't take time to check out his room, though.

"It really is beautiful in here, Harry." Hermione smiled as she looked up to survey the flowers and ivy overhead.

"Yeah, if your into that kind of stuff..." Ron mumbled under his breath, but not as quiet as he thought though, as the other three occupants shot him looks.

"And what do you mean by that?" Harry questioned him; he was unsure if he was supposed to feel insulted or not.

"I just mean, mate, it isnt a...normal dorm room. Since when are you into all this frilly stuff?"

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded him, sounding like she was planning to continue before Harry answered.

"Its not frilly, Ron, its nature. I find it quite comforting actually."

"Since when? You've never been a nature boy before. Is it because your mate is a wild animal?"

"EXCUSE ME?" Harry spat, leaning forward in his chair, his resting mate stopping him from standing up fully. "She is not a wild animal!"

"Well she's not a common housecat." Ron retorted as he regarded Nagini with a calculating eye.

"You know nothing about her, Ron."

"Sure I do. She's a filthy snake stealing all your time and making you live in the dirt and decay with her. She's probably making you eat rats and bugs with her too, isn't she? Since you hardly eat meals with the humans anymore."

"You know nothing Ron! I'll have you know that Nagini has opened a whole new world to me. A simpler life filled with fresh air and open fields and exotic but tasty foods. I love being one with nature, Ron. It gives you a sense of freedom normal life doesn't. And if it makes me and my mate happy, why does it matter?"

"Can't you see!?!" Ron was now leaning forward too, his face about as red as his hair "She's turning you into a tree hugging freak! Plus, for all we know, she's still in cahoots with Voldemort! You're going to end up with dirty, disgusting snake-human hybrids with the Dark Mark embedded in their chests! And that's if she doesn't turn you into Voldemort or bite you to death first!"

"Ronald!!" Hermione gasped in horror as she snapped away from him in disgust. "Are you insane? Apologise this instant!"

"No 'Mione! He deserves to know the truth! Better now then later when he's waist deep in mud and father to freaks of nature!"

"GET OUT!" Harry roared has he launched himself out of his chair. Nagini had already slid off his lap in the middle of Ron's monologue to coil up beside Harry's feet, shooting daggers with her eyes and baring her fangs towards the read head. "Leave my sight this instant before my mate and I do something we both regret!"

"Gladly! I can't stand being surrounded by all this Hippy stuff for one more minute!" And with that, Ron flung open the portrait and stormed out of the room, getting angry hisses from Mr. Cobra as he left.

Hermione, Harry and Nagini stood in the center of the room in complete silence, all thoroughly flabbergasted by Ron's sudden outburst.

"I...I'm so sorry Harry and Nagini." Hermione broke the silence with a stuttering apology. "I have no clue where that came from."

"Its OK, Herm. I guess its my fault, I have been neglecting you both as of late."

"This is totally not your fault!" Hermione stated, a caring look directed towards him. "You have a new bond. Everyone changes with a new bond, its normal. You get to learn about your new partner and begin shifting your life to accommodate what makes you both happy.  Its up to us around you to understand and accept your new life. Not to judge you arrogantly." She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe he acted like that. Please excuse me while I go find my idiot boyfriend and beat him senseless." And with that, she turned on her heals and disappeared into the hallway with a gentle thud of the portrait.

~How dare he insult us like that! He's lucky that I promised the Headmaster that I wouldn't put any of his students in danger.~ Nagini hissed tightly as she climbed his legs to embrace him around the torso.

~Yeah, but Hermione never promised him that. I have a feeling Ron will be begging to be finished off by you after she's finished with him.~

Nagini chuckled in reply as she nudged his cheek lovingly and nipped his earlobe playfully and without venom. ~I did find it quite amusing that he thought we would birth snake-human hybrids. That's not how things work.~

~No, but just wait until we are the same species. I won't waste another moment demonstrating just how things really work.~ Harry's growl was full of meaning.

~Tsk tsk, you naughty boy. What ever will I do with you?~

~As soon as that potion's done, I'll show you.~

~I can't wait.~