Chapter 4
Twenty-three days had passed since Harry and Severus came home. In between quiditch practice and studying, Harry was spending as much time as possible with his egg. “Just like an expectant father,” said Hagrid. It was Friday night, Severus was with Dumbledore, and as Harry sat reading, he heard a tiny crack. His head snapped up, and again, a tiny crack. He was at the desk in a moment. Cooing in both English and Parseltongue, he encouraged his new pet to emerge. He brushed away some on the sand, so the egg was exposed, and waited with baited breath.
After a few minutes a snout emerged from the egg, and Harry cheered. {Hello little one. I have waited so long for you to hatch. Can I help you?}
He was greeted with a very indignant reply {I can do it myself! I am glad you’re here though. Is there anything to eat?} As the creature spoke, it was also breaking more and more free of the shell. With a final lunge, it flopped out onto the sand, a sticky mess.
Harry studied the creature closely. Not a snake, more of a lizard, but with what looked like flippers instead of legs. Carefully Harry lifted the little creature and put it on the edge of a large shallow tank of sea water. It slipped into the water and swam happily around, washing off the slime and sand.
{I wasn’t sure what you’d like to eat, so I brought spinach and some small worms.} Laying the shreds of the offerings at the edge of the water, Harry was pleased to see his new friend eating both kinds of food. An omnivore would be easier to keep than a straight carnivore. {I don’t suppose you know how big you are going to be do you?} {Oh, I am going to be HUGE. I am going to be the most powerfulest, biggest creature in the world. Who are you?} {Oh, I’m Harry. I’m your human guardian, and you are my new pet. I’ll need to think of a name for you unless you have any thoughts on that.} {I don’t care what you call me as long as you keep bringing food like a good servant.} {Well, here is a cricket. When you get a little bigger, I’ll bring you some fish. I think I’ll call you … wait, are you a boy or a girl?} {I am female.} {Oh good. The Inca goddess of the sea was Mama Cocha. So, I’ll call you Cocha.} {A goddess. Yes, that is acceptable. I am going to sleep now. I’ll want more food when I wake up.}
Harry chuckled to himself, and did a basic sketch of Cocha to take to the library. He was going to need to do some research to figure out what kind of creature she was. Maybe Hermione would help. He called for Dobby and asked him to take a message to Hermione and Ron.
A bit later, there was a knock on the outer door to the quarters. Ron looked very excited to see Harry’s new pet, and even Hermione seemed interested. Cocha was sleeping peacefully on the sand when Harry brought his friends into his room. “Wow, Harry. What is it?” Ron asked. “It looks a little like a water dragon.”
“I don’t know yet. I’m going to look her up in the library. So far, I know she will eat either plants or meat. I’ve named her Cocha, after the goddess of the sea. She seems to like it. What do you think ‘Mione?”
Hermione looked thoughtful. “I’ve never seen anything quite like her, Harry. She sort of looks like the drawings of the Loch Ness monster. Honestly, Harry, only you could go on a plant gathering trip and come home with something like this! Leave Dobby in charge of feeding if she wakes up, and let’s go to the library.”
Before they left, Harry put a pile of greens and earthworms where Cocha would find them.
His quarters were dark when Severus returned from his meeting, so he assumed Harry had returned to Gryffindor tower. The light in Harry’s room was dim, but the door was open and Severus noted with satisfaction the state of the room. Clothes off the floor, books arranged neatly on the desk, shards of egg shell in a small dish for Severus to take, and a miniature plesiosaur munching on some green leaves. A plesiosaur having a snack…a plesiosaur…a PLESIOSAUR!
Lady Hogwarts smiled to herself as the dungeons shook with the sound of parental frustration.
“HARRY JAMES POTTER-SNAPE!!!!!!!!!!!”