So I decided I had to just write this plot bunny so it would stop pestering me so much. It was making it hard to focus on my other stories. So here is the product of me attempting to appease a bunny for my own sanity. Or, what I have left of my sanity.

I'm not entirely accustomed to writing for this fandom, doing fanfics against books are not my forte, but I feel I did somewhat better than craptastical. This is pre-slash, and can stand alone. I won't continue anything if I don't think that I succeeded with this based on comments left. The Parseltongue is in italics surrounded by quotes, and I did not add on any extra s's. For some reason that annoys me so, so very much, and so I wrote it normally. Just in case anyone is picky enough to notice.

If this sort of theme has been done before, that's great. I'd love to read it one day, but this is my own that was written while I watched Olympic wrestling.

That about covers that, so I wish you a hopefully happy read. Thanks everyone!

The Potion Master's Snake

Written By: Winds of Water

Harry awoke to the unsettling sensation that he was being watched.

Cracking one eye open to peer about his curtained bed he couldn't see anyone. By all appearances, he was alone. And he'd better be! If Seamus or Dean snuck in here one more time to try and dunk his hand in warm water, he'd do something a bit more drastic than merely transfigure them into guinea fowl. It had taken both boys hours to reach Professor McGonagall, as they'd been chased after by fellow students.

But he still couldn't shake off the suspicion that he was being watched.

Slowly Harry sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes before blinking about. He'd gotten rid of the glasses a year ago, opting to let a newly invented potion correct his eyesight. Honestly he was glad to be rid of the glasses, forever breaking or getting in his way.

"Good morning."

Harry blinked at the hissing noise his brain easily translated, and looked down towards the side of his pillow. There, coiled loosely about itself, was a cobra. The hood was tucked in, and the snake was the very picture of meek submission to the wizard whose bed it had sought out. "Good morning." He replied in polite surprise, "forgive me for seeming rude, but why are you here?"

Despite his abilities, snakes very rarely came to see him. Usually it was not for anything trivial.

"I've come for my owner." The cobra replied and uncoiled herself to slide gracefully up onto the wizard's thighs where she settled onto the bodily warmth.

Owner? Harry frowned down at her, "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Now it is you who must forgive me." The cobra hissed softly, "my name is Sorai, my owner is the one you humans call Severus Snape. But to me he is just my owner."

Now this was news, Snape had a pet cobra? How… fitting to his image. Harry wondered briefly if he was dreaming, but then shrugged the notion off. He'd had too many vision dreams, real dreams, no dreams, and almost dreams to know that he was not dreaming. He was very much awake. "What are you doing here then? If he catches me with you he'll think I stole you away."

"I've come here for him, you can tell him this." Sorai soothed.

"But why have you come, Sorai?" Harry pressed the cobra gently, not really wishing to anger the snake. Even though by all appearances Sorai was completely submissive to him without question.

"My owner is becoming more stressed, I can smell it on him. He talks to me sometimes, tells me what's on his mind. He is worried about you and someone called Ginny."

Harry blinked at the cobra, and then frowned. He was all of a sudden very confused. "He's worried about me? He's never worried about me. And why worry about Ginny and I, of all things?"

"He believes you have chosen her as your mate, this distresses him."

An instant blush covered Harry's face at the snakes words. And he found himself doing a very good imitation of a goldfish. "What?!"

"He believes you to have chosen her as your mate. He is distressed because of it." Sorai rephrased patiently.

It took Harry a few moments to get his thoughts in order, and he cleared his throat delicately so as not to rouse his dorm mates. "Ginny and I are just friends, she's like my little sister. I could never want to seek her as my mate." He told the snake first off, "and secondly why should Snape care who I choose for my mate? He hates me! No offense to your owner, but that man isn't capable of being nice."

"He does not hate you, not anymore. He realized with the old relic's unwanted help that his animosity was merely a cover for love." Sorai then continued as Harry sat there looking dumbstruck, "my owner is distressed because he wishes to be your mate, but you have chosen Ginny."

"I've not chosen Ginny, weren't you listening?" Harry hissed at her, looking rather frazzled.

"Yes."

"And who is this old relic? Dumbledore?" Harry guessed, as it was the only logical answer he could come up with.

"Yes."

Great, so Dumbledore even knew? Now the reasons for him being stuck with Snape on every sort of task that could require two people seemed all too clear. That meddling old.. relic, did Sorai call him? Yes, well, he just may have to give the old relic a piece of his mind. But right now there was this more pressing matter.

"So, your owner…" Harry puzzled this over in his mind, finding he wasn't exactly mortified by the idea. Rather he was intrigued, he'd never exactly considered Snape before in that way. He did prefer men, yes. Yet he'd never given much thought to his Potions professor. This intrigued him. Really, he didn't have anything against the man anymore, it was just that he had always felt that Snape hated him. So he kept his distance. But now he found himself curious about what the man kept hidden behind that mask and scowl. "he wishes to be my mate?"

"Yes."

Harry expelled a rather large huff of air. Well, this was certainly taking a turn for being the most interesting morning he'd ever witnessed. It wasn't everyday he had a professors pet cobra hunt him out to tell him that said professor secretly wanted to be his mate. Sometimes he found the blunt way of snakes to be so crude. But it left little room for misinterpretations, for which he was very thankful. "Did he put you up to this, Sorai? He knows I can speak your language."

"He did not, Harry Potter. I came on my own, and he will be angry with me when he realizes I am gone." Sorai's posture shifted, till she almost looked distraught. "I am worried about him. I can smell he is stressed, unhappy."

"Sorai, I'm not sure how I can help you." Harry felt his heart go out to the snake, she seemed truly concerned for the well being of her owner. "He would sooner hex me than speak to me."

"You would speak to him?" Sorai asked in hopeful tones, "do you wish my owner to be your mate?"

Harry considered the cobra for a moment. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I need to think about this, can you understand that? I've spent all my life up till now thinking he hates me. Plus he's nearly twice my age. I need some time to think. You came to me with something I am not sure if I can help you with."

"I am not sure I understand this age thing, but thank you for thinking about it. And for listening to me. I apologize for telling you so suddenly."

"No need." He assured her, and reached out to touch her head gently. "You are very brave."

Well, now he certainly had something to think about.

From beyond his bed curtains Harry could hear the others stirring in bed. "It's nearly time everyone will wake up. Wait here, I'll be back once I've showered and dressed. I'll take you down with me to breakfast and give you back to him. He won't be angry with you."

"Thank you." Sorai said as she slithered off his legs and curled up again next to his pillow.

Harry nodded and got out of bed before drawing the curtains closed again, and warding them for good measure. He didn't feel like having anyone accidentally stumble across the cobra and frighten her. Just because she was submissive to him did not mean she'd play nicely with anyone else in the dorm.

He flew through the shower and was dressed and heading to get his book bag when Ron finally emerged.

"What're you doin' up so e-e-early." He yawned widely.

"Couldn't sleep." Harry explained, which was somewhat the truth of it. "I'll see you down at breakfast, okay?"

Ron's answer was another yawn.

Harry waited to be sure the coast was clear before opening the bed curtains again. "Sorai." He spoke in English, and she immediately perked up. "Can you loop around my neck? I'll pass you off as being fake, but you must promise not to move."

"I will remain still, but if any children poke at me, I will be unhappy and might strike." Sorai warned him honestly.

"I will do my best to prevent that." Harry promised and helped settle her around his neck, warning her not to squeeze him too tight.

Somehow, he made it out of the common room with no troubles, and worked his way to the Great Hall. He entered to find that the teachers were all there aside from Flitwick and Sprout. His eyes glanced over Snape momentarily, and he felt Sorai twitch unconsciously as she caught her owners scent. "I will bring you to him now."

He walked over to Gryffindor table, ignoring the stares and whispers as people spotted the snake around his neck. He placed his bag on his customary seat and glanced around at the other students still looking at Sorai. "Oh honestly, like this is the strangest thing you've ever seen me do."

With that, he turned his steps towards the head table.

He passed by all the teachers, ignoring their questioning looks, and in Dumbledore's case, infernal twinkling eyes. He stopped, when he reached where Snape was sitting, eyeing him with the customary scowl and expressionless black eyes.

"Yes, Potter?" He asked coolly.

Harry reached up around his neck, and was rewarded to see the startle of shock that flickered across Snape's face as he suddenly saw what had been about his neck. He took Sorai carefully into his hands and held her out to her owner. "She got lost, and was worried you'd be angry with her. You really shouldn't be, she cares a lot about you." Harry said.

Severus took the cobra back into his possession, settling her down onto his lap away from prying eyes, even those of his curious fellow professors. "Am I supposed to be grateful for your annoying compulsions towards helping those that don't need it? She can take care of herself."

Harry merely smiled. "You should know, Ginny is like a sister to me. I'll see you in class, professor."

The professors who had heard the exchange were looking rather confused by the whole thing. Only a pleased Professor Dumbledore was looking for all the world as if nothing had happened.

Severus was left feeling rather much like he'd been simultaneously hit with an anvil, and had a great weight lifted from his shoulders. There was no denying it, Potter knew about that which he'd only told Sorai and that meddling headmaster. But now he had to face this head on, there was no hiding any longer. "You're getting freeze dried mice for a week." He growled down to the cobra.

Sorai merely drifted off to sleep with the knowledge that she'd succeeded in possibly helping her beloved owner.

Back at the Gryffindor table Harry was quelling the inquiries of his friends, including Ginny. "It was a real snake, yes. She just wanted to visit me. I brought her back to Snape in the hope she wouldn't get into too much trouble for running off." Which really was the truth.

But he'd never been one to tell the full truth very easily. And until he figured out his feelings, the full truth would remain a secret.

Harry smiled subconsciously and his eyes drifted over to where Snape sat, and as if the professor had sensed the eyes resting on him, he turned his head and their eyes met. Harry waited a moment before looking away with a more successful smile.

He was looking forward to Potions class today.