Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 3/23/1992,17:39
Harry was currently walking along the beach holding Bella's hand as they enjoyed a rare evening to themselves. Harry had left school as soon as his last class of the day was over in hopes of spending some quality time with his wife.
Narcissa had agreed to take the twins for the evening and in a rare show of generosity, she hadn't tried to get something out of Harry for her help. Harry knew Cissa still owed him a favour or two through the years but she could usually be counted on to try and get something out of any deal she made with him.
"You never did tell Bella what was so special about today," Bellatrix said as they came to a stop at the water's edge.
"Ten years ago today, I appeared in your cell at Azkaban. This is the anniversary of the day we first met" Harry smiled as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Oh, I remember that! You appeared almost naked on the floor of my cell and slept for two days," Bella giggled.
"Trust me, I remember it too," Harry smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his gift to her.
"I got you something," Harry said as he offered her his present.
"What's this?" Bella asked as she opened her hand and he set the ring on her outstretched palm.
The silver ring sparkled in the light from the sun. The setting looked like a miniature basilisk that's front half was curling around an egg-shaped emerald stone. The tiny snake's head had two tiny yellow gemstones for eyes and the snake's long tail formed a wavy delicate band that formed an incomplete circle with a small gap in the band between the curled tip of the tail and the snake's head.
"Did you know that the Peverell line is very closely connected to Salazar Slytherin's? Salazar's wife was a Peverell and this was her engagement ring if I am not mistaken," Harry said as he gestured to the Peverell crest etched into the rings silver band near the head of the miniature basilisk.
"It's beautiful," Bella whispered as she inspected the ring closely, her eyes lingering on the emerald capstone.
"I found this in the Chamber of Secrets and thought you might like it," Harry said as he watched her inspecting the ring before she slipped it onto her finger.
§Thisss is so beautiful§, Bella muttered to herself as she ran her thumb over the capstone absentmindedly.
"It must be enchanted," Harry said thoughtfully.
§Why do you say that?§ Bella asked curiously
§Because you're speaking in parseltongue§, Harry said, looking at his wife in surprise.
§I am?§ Bella asked before slipping the ring off.
"Yes, you were. I think the ring is enchanted to make whoever wears it a parselmouth," Harry muttered more to himself than to her.
He had checked the ring for curses and the like when he had found it and hadn't found anything that gave him pause. The ring was goblin-made and all goblin-made silver was enchanted during the forging process. He supposed that this was why he hadn't discovered this feature of the ring before he had presented it to her. The ring was priceless just because of its historical connection to a founder of Hogwarts but the value went up exponentially with these enchantments as they truly were one of a kind.
"Wizards have been trying for centuries to create a way to understand parseltongue for non-speakers but no one has ever succeeded," Bella said, pulling him back to the present.
"Salazar was a founder of Hogwarts and the most revered parselmouth there ever was. I think that he wanted to share the ability with his wife," Harry said, giving her a warm smile.
"It will be nice to be able to understand the snakes without having to transform into my animagus form," Bella said as she slipped the ring back on her finger again.
"Not to mention the children when they try and plot in parseltongue," Harry smirked before he leaned his head forward and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.
"They do that a lot," Bella said breathily after the kiss was broken.
"It might be a good idea to keep this ring to ourselves," Harry said after a moment's thought.
"I agree, they won't know how I figure out their pranks," Bella smirked.
"Wait, it's not working now," Harry said, looking at her in confusion.
"Because I am not touching the stone, it must draw in the user's magic. At least that's how I understand the enchantments work," Bella said after a moment's contemplation.
"You're going to be obsessed with that thing, aren't you?" Harry asked as he watched her study the ring.
"Yes," Bella said simply.
"Happy Anniversary, Bella," Harry smiled feeling quite pleased with how the ring was received.
"Happy Anniversary but I didn't get you anything," Bella said worriedly as if just realizing this.
"Don't worry, Auntie Bella will be giving me a present in a little bit," Harry smirked.
"She will?" Bellatrix asked.
"She will" Harry agreed.
"As long as you're sure," Bella said sounding sceptical.
"I am. So how big is Narcissa's ball going to be?" Harry asked as they started strolling along the beach again.
"Bigger than the Yule Ball," Bella admitted.
"What's her angle?" Harry asked with interest.
"It's Cissa so more than likely something political," Bella shrugged.
"As long as I don't have to dance with the minister," Harry sighed.
"I wouldn't want to dance with her either," Bellatrix agreed.
"That would be a disaster," Harry sniggered imagining the fight that would ensue if his wife and Augusta Longbottom tried to dance together.
"The children are gone, care to play a game with Auntie Bella?" His wife asked curiously.
"What kind of game?" Harry asked with interest.
"A fun game," Bellatrix answered cryptically as she took his hand and guided him towards the house.
"I do like games," Harry said as the walked up the stairs to the deck.
As they walked into the house and began to make their way to the master bedroom, Harry couldn't help but be amazed that he'd been in the past for an entire decade.
So much had happened since that day at Nott Manor that he didn't even feel like a time traveller anymore. The past ten years had been better than his life ever was in his original timeline. He may have travelled back through time to be here but this was he belonged and where he was supposed to be all along.
Harry was pulled from those musings as they stepped into the bedroom and Bella shut the door behind them.
"You never did say what game we were going to play," Harry said as he watched Bella bend down to unfasten the buckles on her knee-high dragonhide boots before she stepped out of them, losing a few inches in height.
"It's called make Auntie Bella Scream," Bella said as she began undoing the buttons on her robes.
"Any rules?" Harry asked as he began undressing as quickly as he could feeling justified in his earlier prediction.
"Only one, Bella finishes first," Bella said as she let her robes fall to the floor.
Harry's next quip died in his throat as his wife revealed that she wasn't wearing undergarments underneath.
Harry stopped thinking so much as they began playing Bella's game. He still wasn't sure about the rules of this game though as far as he was concerned, they were both winners tonight.
XXXXX Reserve, 4/12/1992, 08:49
Harry appeared on the now very familiar beach of the Greek XXXXX reserve. The early morning sun was shining brightly and the sound of waves crashing against the shore filled his ears. It was already quite warm here and there was a pleasant breeze blowing in from the sea that whipped his long outer robes around him.
Harry was the first of his team to arrive this morning which would give him time to round up the three smaller adult basilisks before Sanjay and Jennifer arrived around lunchtime.
Harry smiled to himself, he had really come to love this island. There was just something about this reserve that he found almost... peaceful and calming making him feel like he had left all of his problems behind.
As Harry walked across the sandy beach toward the forest that covered most of the island's interior, he heard hundreds of songbirds singing in the trees their many calls blending into the sound of the Mediterranean sea washing against the shore behind him.
The birds seemed to be singing louder the closer he got to the part of the island where the smaller adults liked to congregate almost as if they were warning him of the danger that lurked in this part of the forest.
Just like the hatchlings, there was one large male and two females that inhabited this part of the island. These three basilisks had long outgrown frogs and preferred to eat large rodents, particularly rabbits.
All Harry had to do was approach the snakes and they eagerly agreed to follow him back to the pens that were in a shaded clearing near the beach. Harry chatted with them as he walked, noting that the birds overhead had gone deathly silent now no doubt fearful of drawing the snake's attention to them.
Harry had been surprised to learn from Emerald that the only thing basilisks ever used their stare for was to hunt birds. It was very effective as distance mattered little to a basilisk. As long as a basilisk could make eye contact, they could kill with their gaze.
The walk to the pens took about twenty minutes since he walked at a lazy pace with the three twenty-foot-long serpents slithering on either side of him.
The pens were really just large fenced-in areas that Newt had transfigured years ago to extract their venom. Before Harry and Sanjay had started making trips to the reserve Newt would do venom extractions here and these pens allowed him to separate the snakes and if necessary sedate them without the risk of falling victim to the snake's stare.
Harry used them out of convenience since they were built with the snake's comfort in mind and gave him plenty of room to work.
Getting the three basilisks corralled into the pens didn't take very long. The snakes knew that he would feed them as soon as they were in the pens which made them very cooperative.
Harry rewarded them with a fat juicy rabbit each before leaving them to digest their meals in peace. Harry had learned that a fed snake was usually more docile when it was time to collect its venom making things safer for all involved.
Once Harry was satisfied that he had everything ready for his colleague's arrival, he made his way to his usual campsite not far from the holding pens.
After setting up the tent and then the picnic table, Harry made himself a quick lunch and sat at the table watching the waves crash on the shore as he ate.
Harry was just finishing up his lunch when he saw Jennifer and Sanjay approaching the camp. Harry noticed that they were both dressed similarly in shorts and a tee shirt with light open robes to carry their tools collection tools and a small rucksack on their backs.
Harry quickly rose from his seat and made his way over to meet them. He was pleased to see that both of them looked to be in good spirits and Jennifer engulfed him in a hug as soon as he got within arm's reach of her.
"Glad to see you both," Harry beamed when Jennifer released him and Sanjay pulled him into a manly hug.
"I've been looking forward to this trip all year, the retired life is dreadfully dull," Sanjay exclaimed happily as the three of them started walking toward the picnic table.
"Even after New Year's?" Harry chuckled.
"Yes, I haven't done much of anything since that last trip to Arizona," Sanjay admitted as he and Jennifer fell into step on either side of Harry.
"I heard about that attack on the horned serpent reserve, even in Brazil that was a big story," Jennifer said, giving Harry a curious look
"It was a catastrophe someone mutilated one of the serpents and cursed eleven others," Harry said, grimacing at the memory.
"You should have seen Harry swimming with a great horned serpent," Sanjay beamed.
"My familiar is still unhappy about that actually," Harry chuckled.
"You actually swam with horned serpents?" Jennifer exclaimed, looking alarmed.
"I swam with one horned serpent and she was very badly injured," Harry corrected.
"He practically lived in the tank with her for that whole trip," Sanjay beamed.
"Which is why Athena is so upset with me," Harry chuckled.
"So, are we ready to go here?" Sanjay asked looking almost amused.
"We are. I figured we could start with the smaller adults I already coaxed them into the holding pens. I would like to harvest from them today and then check their health while we're at it. If we're lucky, we may do another extraction from them the day after tomorrow before we set them loose," Harry explained.
"We might as well, there won't be any new skins to collect," Sanjay agreed.
"My thoughts exactly," Harry nodded.
"Then let's hop to it," Sanjay said eagerly as he set his pack on the picnic table.
"Alright, they've been fed already so they should be pretty mellow," Harry said, giving Jennifer a reassuring smile.
"Thank you. The last thing I want is to work with an agitated basilisk," Jennifer said as she set her own rucksack on the picnic table beside Sanjay's.
"You're not alone there, girl," Sanjay said as he pulled his collection tools from a pouch on the side of his bag and slipped them into the pockets of his robes.
Once the other two were ready, Harry led them towards the holding pens, retracing the path he had taken earlier that morning.
"So how are things at the school?" Sanjay asked after a few minutes of walking in silence.
"It's been pretty boring minus having to oversee a hundred-some-odd detentions last term," Harry confided.
"How are my granddaughters getting on?" Sanjay asked with interest.
"They are doing well, Minerva says they're both quite bright though Parvati is a bit of a gossip," Harry smirked.
"She takes after her mother," Sanjay said with a warm smile.
"Padma is one of the top students in her year group, Minerva is always bragging about that one," Harry added.
"And she takes after her old grandfather," Sanjay beamed.
"So Jennifer, how are things on the other side of the pond?" Harry asked as he glanced over at his former apprentice.
"Wonderful, I just finished my spring collections in the Amazon last week," Jennifer said, a note of pride in her voice.
"Oh, I used to love those trips to the Amazon," Sanjay said with a wistful smile.
"I kind of miss them myself," Harry chuckled as they stepped into the clearing where the holding pens were situated.
"I messed up a bit and got a bit too close to Castlebruxo on my coral snake collection," Jennifer admitted.
"Did you know that on my first trip to the Amazon, we tried collecting a bit too close to your school right before the monsoon?" Harry said with a rueful shake of his head.
"I remember that," Sanjay chuckled.
"Did the school guardians try and get you both?" Jennifer asked with interest.
"They did, the little buggers harassed us all night long," Sanjay said as he started pulling his collection equipment out of his pocket.
"Those little beasts chased me for at least a mile through the jungle before I made it to the wards of our campsite," Harry said as he took out his own collection equipment.
"Harry forgot that he had a broomstick in his pocket and took off running through the trees," Sanjay chortled.
"I did, they nearly hit me with a couple of those spear things," Harry said, shooting Sanjay a look of annoyance.
"Well, thankfully the caipora recognized me. I had to look after them in care for magical creatures class during my sixth year," Jennifer admitted.
"The perks of working in your own backyard," Sanjay nodded in understanding as they came to a stop in front of the holding pens.
"I will take the pen on the far right while Sanjay can take the one in the middle. Here, put this on and you can take the one on the far left," Harry said as he offered Jennifer the ring that Bella had been working on for the past few weeks.
"What is this?" Jennifer asked as she looked at the plain-looking silver ring curiously.
"A gift from my wife. She enchanted it to help you understand parseltongue. She still hasn't figured out a way to let someone speak it but this should help you understand what the serpents are saying," Harry explained.
Bellatrix had been fascinated with Lady Slytherin's ring and had been trying to duplicate its effects since he had gifted it to her.
She had little trouble with enchanting the ring so the wearer could understand parseltongue. According to her, that enchantment was fairly simple and was nothing more than a modified translation charm.
The speech enchantment was much more complex and defied the established rules of magic. Parseltongue was a magical language and was thought to be impossible to imitate if you did not possess the ability. Obviously, Salazar Slytherin had figured out how to accomplish this but Bella had not managed to duplicate this feat as of yet.
"You're kidding?" Jennifer exclaimed as she slipped the ring on her index finger.
"That is truly remarkable," Sanjay muttered as he stared at the ring with interest.
§Can you understand me?§ Harry asked.
"Yes, I understand you just fine," Jennifer said looking ecstatic.
"Excellent, now you'll know when a snake is hacked off and when you need to make a hasty retreat," Harry smirked.
"You could make a fortune selling those as is," Sanjay pointed out.
"Bella wants to keep this a secret, she's already working like crazy making those enchanted razors of hers," Harry shrugged as he opened the door to the pen he had chosen.
"Very well, let's get to work," Sanjay beamed as he opened the door to his own pen.
"The basilisks understand our language to some extent. Just talk to her normally, if she doesn't cooperate just back out of the pen slowly," Harry instructed.
"Okay," Jennifer said looking a bit nervous but undoing the latch on the third pen and stepping inside.
"Enough talk, let's get to milking these beauties," Sanjay said before he stepped into his assigned pen and shut the door behind him.
Harry chuckled at Sanjay's enthusiasm before he stepped into his holding pen and began the process of bartering for a sample of venom from the adult male basilisk.
XXXXX Reserve, 4/16/1992, 09:39
Just like their last visit, today was the day the three magizoologists went out in search of the basilisk hatchlings. The collections had gone off without a hitch over the last three days though Emerald had been in a bad mood because she was close to shedding her skin.
The smaller adult basilisks had grown a few feet in length and yielded quite a bit more venom than they had back in September and had been more than willing for a second milking in exchange for another rabbit.
Harry planned on leaving as soon as they took the hatchlings' measurements. The permits only allowed them to be here for four days and their portkeys were set to take them back at noon today.
"So you really expect me to go to a ball?" Jennifer asked from his right pulling Harry back to the present.
"The food will be good and you might get to dance a bit," Harry pointed out.
"But I don't know how to dance, well not ballroom dancing anyway," Jennifer complained.
"You might find yourself a wealthy husband," Sanjay chuckled.
"I'm already seeing someone," Jennifer said, shooting Sanjay an exasperated look.
"You don't have to go to the ball if you don't want to I just thought you might enjoy a bit of British culture," Harry assured her as they entered the swampy area where they had found the hatchlings last time.
"I'll think about it," Jennifer sighed as they made their way through the ankle-deep mud, their feet making 'sloshing' sounds with every step they took.
It didn't take very long before Harry spotted the male slithering out of the thick undergrowth looking like he had just eaten judging by the bulge in his middle.
§Hello, Ruby§, Harry beamed catching Sanjay and Jennifer's attention.
§Speaker who brings frogs§, Ruby hissed excitedly as he looked up at the three humans.
§It looks like you've already got yourself a frog§, Harry chuckled as he took off his long outer robes and laid them on top of a rotten log.
"We'll go look for the other two, we only have two hours before our portkey leaves," Sanjay said as he checked his wristwatch.
"Alright, then I'll meet you at camp," Harry said before he knelt down in the mud beside Ruby and began getting the Snake's measurements while chatting with the excitable little serpent.
Harry walked back to camp an hour and a half later feeling quite pleased with himself. He had managed to get Ruby's measurements and then Citrine who had been delighted to see him again.
Harry was surprised to learn that neither of the basilisks had grown very much since his last visit, maybe a couple of inches at most.
Then again the basilisk was a long-lived species that developed at a much slower rate than non-magical snakes so he supposed that shouldn't surprise him all that much.
After he had gotten both of their measurements and sent them on their way, Harry had gone to let the other two know that he had gotten Citrine's measurements as well.
Harry's wand had alerted him that the time to leave was drawing closer and he had been halfway back to camp when he realized he had left his robes behind.
Unfortunately, his portkey was in the pocket of those robes and he had been forced to go all the way back to where he had found Ruby.
Harry moved quickly and arrived to find that the camp was already packed up and the other two waiting on him.
"The house elf for the reserve already picked up the venomsames," Sanjay said as he handed Harry the shrunken trunk containing the tent and his picnic table.
"Good, I am sorry the pay won't be as good this time," Harry said as he dug the portkey out of his pocket.
"Thank nothing of it, the trip was worth it to see Esmerelda again," Sanjay waved him off.
"This ring more than makes up for it, they really do sound like little children," Jennifer smiled.
"I know, are you two ready?" Harry asked.
"I am," Sanjay nodded as he shouldered his bag.
"Me too," Jennifer said as she looked at him expectantly.
Harry threw his robes on and offered her an empty Coke bottle which was their portkey.
"Until we meet again, old friends," Sanjay said as he shook both of their hands.
"I'm not old," Jennifer admonished with a teasing smile.
"I think he was talking about me," Harry chuckled as Sanjay's portkey activated a second before their own.
Harry got one last glimpse of the island before his vision was obscured by the blue vortex of an international portkey.
Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 4/16/1992, 12:39
Harry and Jennifer appeared on the beach in front of his home and were instantly hit with harsh winds coming in from the sea.
"Whoa," Jennifer muttered as her hair was whipped around her face.
"It's always a bit of a shock going from somewhere to here, seems like it is always colder here," Harry said as he led her towards the house.
"I bet," Jennifer agreed as they climbed the stairs that led up to his deck.
"It was worse on my honeymoon. Bella and I came back from Nice in November and we were still dressed in our beach clothes," Harry chuckled.
Harry opened the door and gestured for her to step inside which she gladly did.
"Daddy, you're back!" Carina exclaimed from the top of the stairs.
"I am," Harry smiled as he took off his robes and hung them on the coat rack.
"Hello," Carina said curiously when she noticed Jennifer standing in the doorway beside him.
"Hello," Jennifer smiled as Ignotus came downstairs behind Carina.
"Iggy, Carrina, this is Jennifer Martin. She is a magizoologist like me and works primarily out of South America," Harry explained as he gestures to Jennifer.
"Jennifer this is my son Ignotus and my daughter Carina," Harry said as the twins came to stand in front of them.
"Hello Miss Martin," Iggy said politely and gave Jennifer a respectful bow of his head.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Martin," Carina said with a well-practised curtsy.
"It's wonderful to meet you both, Harry has told me so much about you," Jennifer smiled warmly.
"You're very pretty. Are you going to be Daddy's mistress?" Carina asked innocently.
"Carina, why would you ask that?" Harry exclaimed, his face flushing in embarrassment.
"Astoria told me that some old pureblood lords have mistresses, she read it in a book," Carina explained unabashedly.
"What book?" Jennifer asked, her cheeks still flushed from the girl's earlier comment.
"The Lady's Right by Mary Nevermore," Carina answered.
"That book is not appropriate for eight-year-olds," Harry sighed as he kicked off his boots.
"That's what Aunt Cissa said," Iggy smirked.
"I'm almost nine," Carina protested.
"Where is your mother?" Harry asked as he gestured for Jennifer to take a seat on the sofa.
"In her workshop, she has another order to fill for that Veela lady," Carina answered as she plopped down on the couch in a very unladylike manner.
"Your father tells me that you two are always into trouble," Jennifer said with an amused smile.
"It's all Ignotus, I never get into trouble," Carina said in a prim voice.
"Only because nobody ever sees her," Iggy snorted.
"Oh we see her," came Bella"s voice from the hallway a second before she entered the sitting room dressed in a lilac-coloured toga.
"Bella, I would like you to meet Jennifer Martin. Jennifer, this is my wife, Bellatrix," Harry beamed as he came to stand beside Bella.
"I've heard a lot about you," Bella said as she looked Jennifer over.
"I've heard a lot about you as well, Missus Black," Jennifer said softly.
"You can call me Bella," his Bellatrix said as she took a seat beside Jennifer on the sofa.
"I want to thank you for the ring, it is truly remarkable," Jennifer gushed
"Think nothing of it, Harry was very impressed with you when he was apprenticing you and said you might find it useful," Bella said looking very pleased with herself.
"Harry's a very good teacher," Jennifer said, blushing at the compliment.
"I have been dying to meet you for a while," Bella smiled as she looked over at the younger girl
Harry stood by the fireplace for a moment feeling somewhat relieved that the two of them seemed to be getting on quite well. Bella was very good with social etiquette and despite her reputation was actually quite friendly to most people. Harry had still been concerned that she might not like Jennifer for one reason or another but it seemed he had nothing to worry about.
Harry turned away from his wife and protege's conversation when something Carina said caught his attention.
"Do you hear that?" Carina said softly, looking over at her brother.
"Yeah, it sounds like laughing or giggling," Ignotus said as he hopped up from where he was sitting on the arm of the couch.
"Laughing?" Harry asked as he looked over at the kids.
"Yes, I hear laughing, Daddy," Carina answered.
Everyone in the room went silent and Bella drew her wand, her relaxed expression disappearing at once.
Harry didn't hear anything at first but after a moment he picked up the sound of muffled giggling coming from near the door. It sounded like a child laughing and Harry could have easily mistaken it for one of the twins.
"I don't hear anything," Jennifer said, having risen to her feet.
"Neither do I," Bella admitted.
"I hear it," Harry said as he approached the door leading to the deck.
The laughter stopped for a minute before he heard it again as he was opening the door and a then gust of chilly wind hit him in the face.
§Cold§, A child-like voice complained from very close to where Harry was standing, making him jump.
Harry quickly shut the door and looked all around him for the source of the voice.
"What is it, Harry?" Bella asked sharply.
"I heard a voice, I think it's a snake," Harry said softly as he started looking around the floor for the culprit.
He heard the giggling again coming from near the coat rack and Harry realized even before an emerald green head poked out of his robe pocket where the laughter was coming from.
"Bloody hell, they're going to murder me," Harry muttered as he stepped closer to the coat rack and he saw a pair of yellow eyes peaking at him from the pocket of the robes he had just taken off.
"What is it? Who's going to murder you?" Bella asked looking alarmed now.
Before Harry could answer, Citrine slithered out of the pocket of his robes and landed on the floor with a soft 'thump'.
"Oh no!" Jennifer shrieked as she immediately recognized the baby basilisk.
§Surprise!§ Citrine squealed before she darted across the room and disappeared under the sofa.
"What was that?" Bellatrix asked as she looked at the sofa warily.
"A basilisk," Jennifer said looking just as shocked as Harry felt right now.
"There is a basilisk in my house?" Bellatrix asked in a voice of forced calm.
"It's a baby," Harry said weakly as he knelt down by the sofa only for Citrine to race out from under the couch on the other side.
§You can't catch me hahahaha§, Citrine squealed happily as she raced across the room making the twins giggle at her exclamation.
§Alright, you get back here§, Harry exclaimed as he chased after the fast little serpent who was making a beeline for the dining room.
Harry heard the others following behind him as he stepped into the dining room. He just barely saw the tip of her tail before she disappeared under the sideboard.
"Daddy, is that snake playing hide and seek with you?" Carina asked curiously.
"I think so, Princess," Harry sighed as he crouched down to peer under the sideboard.
"The reserve is going to be furious," Jennifer muttered as she eyed the sideboard warily.
"Trust me, I know," Harry sighed as Citrine shot out of the other side of the sideboard and slithered over to Carina.
Harry watched in amazement as his daughter bent down to pick her up. He saw a flash of light when Carina's fingers touched Citrine's scales before she draped the tiny serpent over her shoulders.
"Oh no," Harry muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Wa-was that a familiar bonding," Jennifer asked as the girl and the basilisk began to talk softly to each other.
"Yes, yes it was," Harry said dumbly as he shakily rose to his feet.