The Serpent that Devours Us

Chapter 7

“What the hell, Tom,” Harry said as he looked around his living quarters. The coffee table had disappeared under Tom’s bulk entirely and Harry’s small desk against the opposite wall was lost as well.

“It’s Aisa,” Tom said, his scaly sides heaving with every anxious breath he took. “She keeps trying to...mate with me.” Tom buried his nose inside his coils, eyes peeking over just enough to give Harry a look that dared him to laugh.

Harry couldn’t help himself. He guffawed. He quickly pressed his fist against his mouth to control himself, but it was no use. He fell over on the couch, laughing until his sides hurt.

Tom hissed. “So glad my misery amuses you so.”

“Sorry,” Harry said, not feeling sorry at all. He inhaled a few big gulps of air, trying to calm down enough to have an actual conversation. “I’m surprised you’re turning her down,” Harry said, barely holding back a snigger. “It must be at least 60 years since you got laid.”

“She isn’t exactly my type,” Tom snapped, burying his head even deeper inside his coils.

“Too scaly?” Harry guessed.

“Too female,” Tom replied with an edge to his voice. He raised his head a little and looked at Harry with a challenge in his yellow eyes.

Harry held up a hand immediately. “Mate, I’m gay myself. The wizarding world has become a little more accepting in the past decades. Even the head of the Black family is married to a man. You don’t have to worry about this at all.”

“Truly?” Tom raised his head, coils visibly losing some of their tension. “In my youth it wasn’t talked about in polite pureblood society. If one was inclined to prefer one’s own gender, it was expected one marry the opposite gender anyway and just dally on the side.”

Harry nodded in agreement. “There are still families like that these days, but they are few and far between.”

“That is a welcome development.” Tom stared at Harry for a long moment. “Are you married to a man, then?”

“No,” Harry said with a shake of his head. He reached for his cup of tea, realized it had been lost beneath Tom’s bulk, and just sat back with his hands folded in his lap. “Not for lack of trying. I’ve dated some, but I’m away for work so often that maintaining a relationship is difficult.”

“I can imagine. Magical zoology certainly is an interesting career choice.”

“Are you complimenting me, Tom?” Harry said with a teasing smile. “I’m certain I heard a compliment in there somewhere.”

“Don’t be absurd,” Tom said with a snort. “I’m merely commenting on your privileged background, that you were able to choose such a financially mediocre career.”

Harry wasn’t surprised or insulted by Tom’s assumptions. He knew his last name made people believe they knew him and his family. “Yeah, you couldn’t be more wrong,” Harry said with a sharp smile.

“Oh?”

“My parents weren’t exactly happy with or supportive of my career choice,” Harry explained patiently. Any old feelings of anger or frustration he’d had about his parents’ decisions had long been erased by the success he’d had with his chosen careers. “They made it very clear they would not be paying for my mastery or my upkeep while I pursued magical zoology as a career. So I played professional Quidditch for a few years while I got my mastery in Care of Magical Creatures. I got signed right out of Hogwarts by the Montrose Magpies as their new Seeker and that allowed me to move out of my parent’s house and go my own way.”