The Huge Magical Snake Problem

Patronus

No matter what the headmaster said, Remus was not ready to see poor Harry. He had been informed right as the boy had been stabilized.

He had to steel himself before walking into the infirmary, but even that wasn't enough to prepare him for the sight of his cub looking so... injured. He had glanced around, looking for him, but it took Harry's little croak to alert him of his presence. He had hesitated at the sight of the huge snake, Nagini, curled up around Harry, but the boy had beckoned him closer.

Remus had just barely refrained from asking what had happened to Harry's face, but that restraint dissolved a few minutes into the conversation. He wasn't usually like this, but the stress of the past few days had gotten to him.

"... what happened?"

Harry's face seemed to shut down. Remus knew immediately that he had overstepped some invisible line with his question. He started to hyperventilate as he squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. The grotesquely beautiful scarring around his face twisted. Remus felt frozen to the spot until Harry let out a pain-filled groan.

Shocked out of his stupor, he raced to the infirmary's office to fetch Madam Pomfrey.

The mediwitch jumped as the door banged open, and one of the portraits on the wall objected heavily at the sudden sound. "What is it?" she asked, looking concerned. She had already started to rise from her desk.

"Harry's started to have a panic attack of some sort," Remus explained as calmly as he could.

Poppy groaned, and she rushed out of her office. He followed her, and she was already by Harry's bed. She had his arm around his shoulder, and was whispering words in his ear that Remus couldn't quite catch. He had never seen the prickly lady so soft spoken.

As he came closer, he caught some of the things she was saying. "Breath for me, Harry. That's right. There's nothing to be afraid of, this is only temporary. If you'd like, we could go on a walk out on the grounds after your legs get better."

Slowly but surely, Harry's breathing leveled out and his eyes refocused on his bedsheets. He swallowed, then taking a deep breath.

My cub, what did they do to you?

Harry looked at his snake. She had uncoiled from around him, and was seeming worried. Well, as worried as a possibly evil snake could look.

The boy started hissing to it. Remus had no idea of what he was saying, but it seemed to soothe the agitated serpent. He saw as the scales around it relax. It twined around his body with a speed that was almost scary.

Harry took a deep breath and started waving his right hand slightly in the air. Poppy understood immediately and conjured a piece of parchment and a quill onto the bed.

"Self inking," she explained when Harry held up the quill, confused.

He nodded, and put the pen down on the paper.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Ronald Weasley was confused.

Harry's owl had begged to be let free and his mom and dad had been seemingly stressed over the past few days.

Now, they refused to answer him when he asked what was wrong.

A few days ago, they had gone into the fireplace, speaking out something that sounded suspiciously like "Hogwarts."

Now, no matter what everyone thought, Ron wasn't as dumb as people made him out to be. In fact, he was often quite smart. He managed to get the details, but he sometimes couldn't put them together.