The Snake and the Dragon

Chapter 2 - And So the Barriers Fall

            Soon August rolled into November, and the season started to fade. But the season wasn’t the only thing that was fading. As Professor Snape and I continued our lessons, we got rare snatches of each other’s lives, and the stiff barriers we had put up long ago to keep people out were fading. He began to treat me as an equal, and praised me often on my fast improvement.

            My barriers between a few others were also fading fast. I was friends with Draco, and also with three people who were often dubbed ‘the golden trio’, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Neither Snape nor Draco was happy about it, but they didn’t pester me about my choice of friends. I also found myself hanging out with Ginny, Ron’s little sister.

            One Saturday morning, on a Hogsmeade weekend, I woke up to find a present by my pillow. It was a small box with no card to indicate the sender. I opened it and found a silver anklet, in the form of a snake with emerald eyes biting onto its tail. I figured it was from Draco, and threw on some clothes. I found a black skull tank top and a ragged hem miniskirt, grabbed a wristband and my pyramid studded belt, and pulled on my combat boots. I decided to leave my hair down and only put on a little bit of eyeliner then finally went to find Draco.

            “What are you talking about? I didn’t give you an anklet.”

            “You didn’t?”

            He shook his head and handed me a small box like the other one. Inside this one were two silver skull and cross bone earrings.

            “Thanks Drake, these are awesome!”

            “Yeah, I know how you like stuff like that. Happy Birthday.”

            I put on the earrings as we sat down to breakfast, noticing how well they went with my outfit. I ate quickly and went to sit with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Before I had even said hi, they all yelled ‘Happy Birthday!’ and gave me their gifts. Harry gave me a long, silvery black cape, made of lightweight, almost nonexistent material. He leaned over and whispered in my ear,

            “It’s an invisibility cloak, like what I’ve got.”

            I nodded, thanked him with a hug, and moved on to open Ron’s. His turned out to be a pair of magic artificial fangs that would form flawlessly to your teeth, as if they were real. I put them in immediately, and gave him a really big hug for those. Hermione and Ginny had both chipped in to give me a full length magic mirror, which they had shrunk to palm size until I could get it back to my dorm.

            “All you have to do is imagine what you want to look like. Imagine your outfit, hair, makeup, everything, and it will show it in the reflection, then if you approve, you’ll look like the reflection.”

            “Awesome! I love it guys.”

            I gave everyone another hug, and we drifted off into conversation.

            “So what are you four doing for today?”

            “They’re all going to Zonko’s, but I’m going to the bookstore. What about you?”

            “I’m gonna head to the bookstore too, but then I’m heading to Zonko’s to stock up on a few pranks.”

            “Viper! What would you want those for?”

            I winked at Hermione and grinned.

            “Let’s just say I’ve got a few Slytherins in need of a bit of payback.”

            Ron and Harry hi-fived me while Ginny burst out laughing, and Hermione rolled her eyes, exasperated with the lot of us.

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            There she is, sitting with those despicable Gryffindors again.

I glared as they all hugged her.

            I honestly don’t know what she sees in those brats.

            Suddenly, I remembered everything that our extra lessons had revealed to me over the past few weeks.

            Then again, it’s not really my place to say anything. At least she’s smart enough to know that most of the Slytherins would stab her in the back for no reason except to spite her.

            I relived her memories in my head.

            She’s been used, abused, lied to...hell, she’s been through everything.

            “Severus?”

            I looked over sharply, to Dumbledore.

            “Are you alright, my friend?”

            I nodded mutely, wiped my mouth, and left the table.

            She’s just like me...

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“Harry, come check this out!”

            Harry came to stand beside me, looking over my shoulder. Ron came from the other side with Ginny, both holding a bag of dung bombs.

            “Whatcha got there Viper?”

            I held out one of the books I had bought.

            “1,000 easy and fool proof wand jokes? They had this in that junk store?”

            I glared at Ron

            “It’s not a junk store Ronald.”

            He twitched when I used his full name, and Ginny hid a giggle behind her hand.

            “Yes, I got this at the book store. Real cheap too, only five sickles.”

            Ron and Harry tore off to the bookstore, and one of the staff witches took off after them to stop the ‘thief’. Ron had forgotten he was holding an unbought bag of dung bombs. Ginny and I just shook our heads and went to the opposite end of the store.

            “Did you have to tell them that while Ron was holding the bag?”

            I laughed and shrugged.

            “Well I didn’t know he would run off like that.”

            She rolled her eyes and I kept laughing as I perused the shop’s wide selection. I stocked up on quite a few dung bombs, firecrackers, spell sand, and an inflatable swamp. On second thought, a grabbed a few boxes of Nosebleed Nougat, and several bottles of itching powder, as well as a few other choice items.

            I left early for Hogwarts, determined to set a few of my traps before my fellow Slytherins returned to the tower.