Serena

The Forked Tongue

Serena liked snakes.

For reasons other people couldn't understand, they were like her companions; someone that she could talk to when she didn't want the company of humans. She would often retreat to a quiet place and have some time purely to herself, but whenever she made the choice to relax in the meadows, a snake would be a nice presence to have near her. The area in which she lived was surrounded by meadow, and thus there would always be a grass snake slithering through the long blades, making gentle, swishing noises as it pushed the grass past its scales.

Serena was propped up against the trunk of a tree, her white summery dress reaching to her knees and fluttering in the afternoon breeze. She heard a rustle and glanced to her side. A thin, beige-coloured snake was gliding up to her, its head raised in curiosity. A smile slowly crept to her lips as she regarded the creature. Animals were not something she cared for a great deal; truth be told, there was nothing she felt that way for. But snakes were peaceful…majestic… and possessed an elusive, menacing quality that Serena couldn't help admiring. Whenever they were near her, they would not judge her or disturb her in any way. She felt an acceptance when in their company, and a mutual respect. She would keep herself to her herself, and the serpent would allow that, but give her comfort with its subtle presence at the same time.

This one was more inquisitive and confident than other snakes Serena had seen. She felt a soft stroke against her leg as it travelled delicately past her, not worried about keeping a safe distance. Suddenly forgetting the dandelion that was twisting in between her fingers, Serena let her eyes study the animal, feeling that calm connection between them once more.

As it coiled into a small spiral beside her, she reached a finger out and allowed its forked tongue to cautiously probe her skin, tasting and smelling every detail of her to be sure she wasn't a threat. After a few moments, it visibly relaxed, returning its oval-shaped head to the grass and wrapping itself into a tighter coil.

Breathing out a sigh, Serena surveyed the gentle serpent in wonder, before letting a slow, hissing voice come out of her mouth.

"Sia sum heroth so… helm shaka sedum lias."

The serpent's amber eyes looked up at her with intelligent understanding.

"You are so unperturbed," she had said, "I wish I could live a life like yours."

The snake stuck its tongue out again, its head raised, its full attention on her face. Then Serena could feel a new voice seeping into her head. "Something troubles you," it hissed. "I sense that. But I would not know to help you."

The snake's voice was hollow, as if completely devoid of emotion, but Serena could still feel a strange sort of kindness coming from it. Snakes? Kind? No-one would believe her if she ever said it out loud.

She looked upon the serpent, giving it a nod and a small hint of a smile. "Hesh lo mathas saa," she hissed, translating to "I do not expect you to." "Metho liss plat so sium shack." (My troubles are my own, not yours.")

The grass snake appeared to accept her final words and slowly returned to its coiled position, but still didn't move from the place where it lay, close to Serena's legs.

This time, she did smile. It was very true that snakes were her favourite type of company. Unusual it was to others, but they didn't understand the connection she had with them – the connection she had always had. It had been there ever since she was very small, and she could even recall the very day when she had first felt it…

"Josie, sweetheart!" Mrs. Weasley called. "Please don't leave all your bits lying around. It clutters the house and your objects can… frighten people."

"Sorry, Mum!" Josie called back, the little red-head girl sitting cross-legged in front of a very young and bright-eyed Serena. "But Serena likes them! We were only having a look at them; I'll put them away later!"

The two girls were sitting on the living room carpet together, deciding on a nice, relaxed autumn afternoon without there being anything to do outside in the cold. It was only the third time Serena had been at the Burrow, but she was beginning to enjoy the company of cheerful and down-to-earth Josie Weasley, the only person who was willing to be her friend. Everyone else found her… a little strange to say the least.

This time around, Josie had granted Serena's request of showing her some ancient artefacts that the family owned; specifically, silver serpent heads that were supposedly dug up in Egypt. To many, these pieces of treasure were quite unnerving, but Josie had learned of her new friend's fascination with the reptile, and thus offered to show the precious pieces to her.

Naturally, Serena had been captivated by them, which was unusual in a sense, but unlike the majority of people she knew, Josie Weasley would candidly accept her behaviour, not teasing her about her interests in any way.

Now however, they were sitting comfortably in the main lounge, looking over Josie's large and surprisingly interesting collection of Chocolate Frog cards. The auburn-haired girl was shuffling a set of them between her hands, earning the unmoved attention of Serena's blue eyes.

"I've got 140 of them so far," Josie commented, "but I'm planning to get lots more. You should start collecting too, Serena! Then we could trade characters and play games with all our cards!" Her green eyes sparkled with an excited eagerness as she stared at her blonde friend.

Serena simply nodded, not giving a clear answer except for the content smile that appeared on her face. It was obvious that she enjoyed the company of the Weasley girl, not because they had a great deal in common, but because she had found the only person that treated her as a normal human being, instead of an odd quiet girl that everyone was afraid to talk to.

She liked being in the Burrow as well. Her own home was very nice, but her parents never gave her a great deal of freedom, so it was nice to be in a place where she didn't feel tied down to anyone. One thing that she had always taken interest in was the family pet of the Weasleys: a corn snake. It resided in a transparent, glass box that stood in the corner of the very room the children were sitting in.

While most snakes were regarded as terrifying, like the way they were represented in the silver artefacts that Josie kept, corn snakes were calmer and less threatening, and Serena loved the way their eyes held so much tranquillity, and the beautiful orange and peachy colours that were adorned on their scales. Josie's snake was no different.

She was enjoying her friend's company, but Serena always let her eyes glance over to the creature in the corner every now and then. On one occasion, Josie noticed this, and gave her friend a knowing grin.

"You like her a lot, don't you, Serena?"

Flustered at being caught staring, the blonde shook her head and tore her gaze back to Josie. "Y-yeah, she's really pretty."

Josie giggled. "Pretty? No-one's ever called her THAT before! Most people think she's creepy!" This earned a rather annoyed glower from Serena' blue eyes. She personally could not understand why anyone could call an animal of that beauty 'creepy'. They were so much more than that.

"Still," Josie continued, "I get what you mean about her. When I first saw her in Diagon Alley, I thought she looked so cute! I just HAD to buy her."

Serena gave her friend a small smile. 'Cute' was still not the word she would use, but she appreciated the way Josie held as much respect for the snake as she did. The two girls had now turned their heads to stare in admiration as it slithered gracefully across the large branch inside its glass box. As Serena let her eyes glaze over the container itself, a sudden sadness tinged inside her stomach. She had only just noticed that the box was not very large at all. The corn snake would occasionally push its nostrils against the glass, as if desperate to taste the fresh air that she could see outside. It was agonizing for Serena: seeing that it couldn't get to what it wanted.

It was… trapped. No. She was trapped. She was being kept prisoner, not by her own will, and if she is to live somewhere, surely she should be entitled to more room.

"Could she not have a bigger home, Josie?" Serena asked.

Josie gave her a long look, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Well… we don't really have a lot of room for a bigger case… and Mum said that it was the largest size we could afford to buy. She's all right in that one, I'm sure of it."

"No, she's not!" Serena shouted. Josie looked shocked at how shrill her friend's voice had suddenly become, and even Serena wondered where that outburst had come from. She breathed out, trying to keep herself calm. "She doesn't look very happy in there. I think she wants more room… more freedom."

The girl suddenly felt determined to prove her point. She got up from her place on the carpet and made her way to where the corn snake's box stood. She was quite tall, even for her young age, so she had to bow her head down low in order to look at the animal eye-to-eye.

"Little snake!" she said softly. "Look at me, little snake! Are you unhappy in there?"

She was surprised to see that the serpent almost immediately responded to her coaxing. Its tiny head turned to face her eyes directly, and she somehow sensed that it was studying her intently, trying to comprehend what was in front of it. She gave it a kind smile, even though it was unlikely it knew what that gesture meant.

"She's listening to me, Josie!" Serena said excitedly. "Can you believe that?"

She turned around in the hope of seeing her friend return her happy smile. But when she saw Josie's face, her emotions dropped. The red-head's mouth was agape. In shock, confusion… and possibly even fear. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, and Serena swore she could see a tear or two lingering in her eyes.

Josie raised a hand, pointing a finger almost accusingly at her. Her entire arm was trembling with panic. "Y-you…you just… what did you… w-what were just…d-doing?"

Serena raised an eyebrow, baffled. "Nothing. I was just saying hello to the snake."

Josie shook her head elaborately. Serena was now very upset to see how terrified she was. It wasn't like her to be afraid of anything, let alone her best friend.

"You… y-you had this horrible v-voice!" Josie was now sliding herself backwards along the carpet, like she was trying to escape.. "You t-talked… in this w-weird…l-language."

Serena was dumbfounded. What was she talking about? She could accurately recall speaking to the snake in perfect English. What on earth had Josie heard?

Before she could ask any more questions, Josie suddenly got to her feet in an abrupt flurry and ran up the nearby stairs. "Mum!" she heard her crying. "Mum, Serena's scaring me!"

The words stabbed Serena right in the heart. She had scared her? But it was Josie, of all people! She had never been scared of her; she was the one who accepted her as a friend when nobody else would. What had she done that would make her feel that way? She had no idea, but all Serena knew was that she felt hugely crushed, and almost betrayed.

She sobbed, letting a few tears fall from her eyes, and turned back to the corn snake in the glass. She looked at it, wondering what could have been so terrifying about her speaking calmly to a harmless animal. She realised Josie's snake was still staring at her, intently. As she locked its gaze, she glimpsed something in its eyes: was it empathy? Sadness? Understanding? While trying to make some sense out of it, she felt a nervous shudder run through her as a sudden, disembodied voice began to pulse inside her head.

"Yes, Serena Slytherin… I am unhappy here. I am lonely – and imprisoned. But you understand me. You, Serena, are now my friend."

Thank you for reading! I hope you liked the flashback that I put in here. ;)

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