Unleashed

Little Death

(One month later – August)

"Parseltongue", Thoughts, "Normal speech", "telepathy"

Harry was sat in his office in Peverell Manor when he saw Hedwig soar in through the window from the corner of his eyes. He set down his quill and relaxed back into his chair a she waited for her to land on her perched on his desk. A smile filtered through hi slips as he remembered the wave that threatened to fell him that day when he walked into the Magical Menagerie and saw her there. In his original timeline, she had been his first and only familiar. Then he was too young and consumed by the headmaster's schemes to even realise how important a familiar bond was and both he had his magic had never quite healed after she was so viciously ripped from him.

He did not know what possessed him to walk into the menagerie that day. It was almost a whole year before he was to get her and he did not think that she would be there yet but he had hoped. For some reason, seeing her there, perched in her cage, alive and blinking large intelligent yellow eyes at him had been what helped him to accept his situation. He really was back in time and stuck here because he did not know anytime turner that could take him into the future. Moreover, even if he went back into his time, he had changed way too much on his first day here by killing his uncle to know what kind of future he was going back to. Honestly, he was having too much fun to think of going back.

He had been keep a close eye on the goings and comings of the headmaster from both his vaults and the wizarding world. He had also been useful to himself, investing the little money remaining in his ancient vaults into business he knew for a fact would take off in the future in both the wizarding and muggle world. Ironclaw had been particularly surprised when he was asked to purchase large shares in muggle world, although Harry was beginning to suspect that it was not that he was investing in muggle companies but the confidence with which he was investing that surprised him.

A slight hiss alerted him to presence of his other familiar in his office. He had bought Zilvinas at the menagerie when he went in to buy Hedwig. He dad almost completed his purchase when he had seen the serpent in the back of the cage, mysterious eyes that remained him so much of his own watching him. When he had the shopkeeper about him, the man did not even know he was there. Even stranger, he had watched the snake make its way to him around the counter and wind its way around his, settling his head on Harry's collarbone and the keeper still didn't see a thing. He had pegged it as an ability of the snake and left it. Free familiar that he did not need to pay for. Hedwig had been a bit ruffled that she did not have him to herself but after a staring context between them, they had come to a sort of arrangement that he was privy to.

He had been even more surprised when they got home and the snake had started to grow. He rather reminded harry rather jarringly of the Basilisk in the Chamber of secrets. When he told the serpent this, harry could hid the smile that filtered through him at the excitement the serpent showed in meeting and ancient basilisk. Making a mental note to visit the serpent before diary horcrux got its claws into the poor creature, he promised to introduce them. Zilvinas had later explained that he had the ability to change his size to better fit into his environment and since this was going to be his home, he did not see the need to hide his true form. At first, he had though the snake was an Occamy but his colouring was not right so dropped it. Harry could still sense that the serpent was hiding something but he was not going to force anything from him. Their magic had already bonded so they could not do each other any kind of harm.

Shaking his head, his eyes turned to the letter dangling from Hedwig's claw as the fire automatically flickered on to warm the large serpent. Like most letters he received these days, this one had the Gringotts seal on it. His brow climbed when he opened the envelop and two letters fell out: one with the royal seal and the other Ironclaw's signature.