Harry Potter and the Time Fluke

Parseltongue

Harry got a nervous feeling in his gut and quickened his pace, hoping that he wasn't too late for his meeting with Tom. He opened the back door to the Leaky Cauldron and wandered inside, spotting Tom at a table in the corner.

But he wasn't alone.

A young boy who reminded Harry quite a bit of Lucius Malfoy was seated there, elegantly sipping his drink along with Tom. There was another boy with shoulder length black hair sitting next to the Malfoy-look-alike, his back to Harry. It was obvious from the expressions he saw Tom making that the three were friends, and he assumed that they were the two he'd made in Slytherin that year; Abraxas Malfoy and Orion Black.

Maybe that's why he wanted us to come to the Alley today in particular.

Harry wasn't sure if he should go join the trio or wait at a table of his own for other two to leave. He looked around and observed two older couples chatting with each other at the bar. One pair had to be Abraxas' parents, so Harry guessed that the other two people were the Orion's.

It was at that moment–when he had decided that he should just get a table by himself–that some drunk bastard bumped into him. Ordinarily, this would have been fine, if not for two things. One, he hadn't turned to Harry and, in his drunken state, decided to make a scene, and two, he hadn't bumped, rather brutally, into the messenger bag containing Nagini.

"Oi, watch where yer goin', kid," the man's loud, drunken voice slurred. Harry's nose wrinkled as the putrid smell of alcohol reached his nostrils. Unfortunately, the man seemed to use that as another reason to yell at Harry. "What, are you repulsed by me?" He got closer, and Harry tried to back up but found his path blocked by the door. "I can see it in yer eyes. You think yer better than me! Well, let me tell yeh, brat, jus' 'cause yer too young teh know the wonders of dinkin' doesn' make yeh better than me!"

The pub, normally filled with quiet conversations, had gone silent. Everyone was watching the drunkard berate the small black haired boy. No one came to his defense, each person expecting the boy's parents to pop out from some hidden corner and give the alcoholic a piece of their mind. Only two people knew that wouldn't happen: Harry and Tom.

Harry sighed. Although he was not at fault, he really didn't want to get into it with someone in a public place and cause more of a disturbance. An apology was on the tip of his tongue, when Nagini decided to make an appearance.

"What bumbling fool dares disturb my slumber. I'll leave his body covered in so many bites that he'll die within seconds, screaming for mercy. Or maybe I should only give him a few and watch as my poison spreads slowly throughout his system, completely destroying his organs, forcing him into unimaginable pain."

Harry wasn't sure whether to snort in amusement at Nagini's words or groan at the fact that now everyone's gazes were fixated on the angry snake slowly making its way out of Harry's bag. Harry couldn't tell her to stop, they were the center of attention. It wasn't a good place to debut his talent for Parseltongue. The intoxicated man, of course, was much too far gone to listen to his brain, even though it had identified Nagini as a danger and was trying to inform him.

"Wot's that? You espect me to be afraid of a little snake?" Nagini bared her fangs ready to strike. All Harry wanted to do was smack his palm to his forehead in frustration. The situation was not becoming any better.

"Erm–"

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" Two human heads and a snake's turned to look at the newest intruder. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tom."

Tom gave Harry a pointed look, and Harry immediately snapped his mouth shut, swallowing the words he was about to let loose.