"Hermione?" Harry whispered hoarsely, eyes fixed on the enormous shape looming before them. "What do you think… that is?"
The hooded figure was gone—thankfully. Whatever it had been, it had fled into the trees.
But the relief barely lasted for a second.
Because now there was a huge snake in front of them.
Big enough to swallow either of them whole.
"I—I don't know, Harry," Hermione whispered, her voice tight.
She didn't dare move.
Attacking it was out of the question—she didn't know any spell powerful enough to deal with something that massive, and the wrong spell could make everything worse. Provoking it now, without a plan, felt like a sure way to get them killed.
Then the snake shifted.
Its massive head turned slowly toward them—yet its eyes remained closed.
That alone was terrifying.
Victor sighed inwardly.
What are you guys doing in the Forbidden Forest at night?
Good thing he had been nearby, testing his Animagus form, when he heard the shouting. At first, he hadn't planned to interfere—but then the sound registered as familiar.
Too familiar.
So he came.
If he hadn't, something far worse would have happened.
Even with his eyes closed, Victor could sense everything around him. The forest, the movement, the lingering presence in the air. And that presence—there was no doubt about it.
That thing was Voldemort.
The same vile, rotten aura he remembered. The same wrongness that clung to Quirrell.
If he had arrived even a minute later, Harry would already be dead.
As for why he hadn't opened his eyes. One accidental glance from a basilisk's gaze would petrify or kill them instantly.
So he kept his eyes shut.
But now a different thought crept into Victor's mind.
What in the world were they doing here?
Slowly, deliberately, he lifted the tip of his massive tail and dragged it across the ground, carving a rough, unmistakable question mark.
What are you doing here?
Harry stared.
Hermione stared harder.
Neither of them moved.
The idea took a second to sink in—and when it did, Hermione's breath hitched.
"Harry…" she whispered, eyes fixed on the enormous snake. "I—I think it's asking us something."
Harry swallowed, never taking his eyes off the dark coils in front of them.
"…Why," Harry muttered, "is a giant snake asking us questions?"
As if answering him, the snake moved.
Not a sudden strike—just a slow, deliberate glide forward that made Harry's heart try to escape through his throat. The enormous head lowered slightly, then the tail lifted and gently—almost casually—tapped Ron's side.
Ron groaned.
"…Harry," he mumbled, eyes still shut. "I just had the worst dream. There was this huge snake—"
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look that screamed do we tell him or let him live in ignorance?
Ron's eyes fluttered open.
The snake chose that exact moment to open its mouth.
Not wide. Just enough.
A low, echoing hissssss rolled out, vibrating through the forest floor.
Ron screamed, "AAAAAHHHH!"
It was impressive. Truly. A sound of pure Gryffindor panic.
Then he fainted again—dead weight—hitting the ground with a soft thud.
For half a second, there was silence.
Then the snake's massive body shuddered.
A deep, rumbling sound followed—something halfway between a growl and a wheeze.
It was laughing.
Harry blinked. Hermione stared.
The snake's head tilted slightly, clearly amused.
"…Harry," Hermione whispered slowly, "I don't think it wants to hurt us."
Harry swallowed, watching the enormous serpent shake again with silent laughter.
"Yeah," he said weakly. "Terrifying. But… oddly polite?"
Then suddenly Fang's barking rang out, sharp and frantic.
Victor stiffened as he heard other footsteps crashing through the undergrowth, heavy and familiar—and when he spotted Hagrid emerging from the trees, he knew that settled it. It was time to retreat.
Without hesitation, Victor began to retreat. His massive body slid backward, coils gliding over leaves and roots with surprising silence. He didn't look at the trio again—didn't need to. The moment Hagrid arrived, staying would raise questions he didn't feel like answering tonight.
By the time branches cracked apart and lantern light spilled into the clearing, the great snake was already gone.
"HARRY?" Hagrid bellowed. "Hermione? Ron?"
He burst through the trees, Fang charging ahead of him, tail wagging wildly.
Hagrid froze when he saw them.
Ron was on the ground.
Harry and Hermione stood rigid, pale-faced.
"What in blazes happened here?" Hagrid demanded.
Hermione swallowed. "Ron fainted."
Hagrid blinked. "…Fainted?"
Harry added weakly, "Twice."
Hagrid stared at Ron, then let out a long sigh. "Figures."
Fang sniffed around, growled once toward the darker part of the woods, then whined softly and trotted back to Hagrid's side.
Hagrid frowned, peering into the trees. "There was somethin' big here," he muttered. "Fang don' get like that fer nothin'…"
"Y-yeah," Hermione said, swallowing. "It was… definitely big."
Harry glanced nervously into the darkness where the trees pressed close together. "Hagrid—are there snakes in the Forest? I mean… really big ones? Big enough to—" he hesitated, then finished, "—swallow a person whole?"
Hagrid snorted, shaking his head. "Forest's got all sorts o' creatures, sure—but snakes like that?" He frowned. "Can't say I ever seen one. Not that size."
Before he could say more, Ron suddenly jerked upright with a strangled yell.
"SNAKE!"
He flailed wildly, scrabbling at the ground as if something were about to grab him. "It was right there—I saw it—huge, massive—LOOKIN' AT ME!"
"Ron!" Hermione grabbed his arm. "Calm down! It's gone—there's nothing here!"
"No, no, no," Ron gasped, eyes darting everywhere. "We gotta go back—back to the castle—now! I'm not stayin' here another second!"
Hagrid bent down, gripping Ron by the shoulders to steady him. "Easy now," he said firmly. "Whatever it was, it's gone. You're safe."
Ron shook his head frantically. "Safe? SAFE? That thing smiled at me!"
Hermione and Harry exchanged a very quick look.
Hagrid straightened, clearly deciding he didn't want details. "Right," he said briskly. "That's enough o' this. We're headin' back."
Ron didn't argue. In fact, he was already on his feet.
"Back," he muttered over and over. "Let's go back. Please."
*****
A/N : 🔥 On Patreon, the story has already been updated up to Chapter 59🔥
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