It was a cold, and bitter summer night at the Potter Mansion. The waning moon shone steadily across the grounds, while the stars twinkled mysteriously above. The gigantic willow trees' shadows loomed darkly against the structure of the house, while the wind sang and swept through it's long, dangling leaves. Beyond the mansion, lay a beautiful crystal-clear lake whose waves lapped silently against the bank. The fallen lily blossoms lay peacefully against the edge of the bank, embracing the beauty of all that's around it. The grounds were absolutely stunning...and yet, for some reason, the atmosphere of the house was devoid of cheerfulness...

A small boy, around the age of five, was currently staring silently at the sky with a expression of longing and despair. His parents, were the renowned James and Lily Potter - members of the Order of the Phoenix, and idols of the wizarding world. As it so seemed, everyone believed that as the eldest son of the Potters, he would have the world at his fingertips and have everything served to him on a silver platter. Even though that might be true to a certain degree, the thing that Harry wanted the most could not be bought...the only thing his parents denied him of...love.

From what Harry could remember, his mommy and daddy had loved him dearly ever since the day he was born. Although he'd been slightly worried when his parents announced that he was going to have a younger brother, he couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the idea. It would be fun having someone around his age to play with; however, it also meant that that he had to share his parent's affection with his younger sibling. Nevertheless, when he told his mommy about his worries, Lily instantly comforted him and told him that she loved him more then life, and nothing could every change that.

Harry sniffled softly, as he wrapped his thin arms tightly around his knees. Lily had kept her word to a certain degree, for the moment his brother Nate had been born, his parents still cared about him. It was merely ironic, that a so called Order of the Phoenix meeting had torn apart his ties with his parents. A prophecy...his mommy and daddy, mentioned that Nate was destined to do incredible things for the light; therefore, they had to protect him at any cost. And that was how the entire affair began. First of all his parents began to visit him less, and stop tucking him into bed, months later, his parents would barely notice him at all. It hurt...badly...

A few feet from Harry, a rosemary brush rattled softly, before a dark shape slithered out from beneath and tested the air cautiously. Harry turned sharply, and was greeted with the sight of a beautiful snake, whose scales shone like liquid metal beneath the moonlight sky.

"Wow...you're pretty," he said softly, unaware of the fact that a snake that size could easily kill him without a moment's hesitation.

The snake turned sharply towards Harry, as her dark eye glinted strangely. "You speak our tongue..." she said questioningly. "How is that possible? My Master is the only snake-tongued in the world..."

Harry looked puzzled at the snake, carefully examined the snake's tongue, and then checked his own. "My tongue doesn't look like yours..." The boy tilted his head and eyed the snake curiously. "I'm not a snake, silly..."

The snake released an exasperated hiss, "Of course your not a snake, you child." She flicked her tongue in annoyance, "I meant that you are able to speak to me...in the serpent's language."

"Oh..." he exclaimed, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I've never spoken to a snake before," Harry insisted, his face dropping with sadness. After a moment of silence, he asked, "You're not going to leave me, like mommy and daddy are you?"

The snake looking at the boy's expression of longing and pain, before it shook it's head. "No child, you are a very fascinating creature...I wouldn't mind visiting you every once in awhile." Seeing that the boy had perked up at those words, the snake continued, "If you don't mind me asking, but what is your name child? I cannot tell my master about you unless I know your name."

Harry gave the snake a bright smile and exclaimed cheerfully, "My name is Harry. What is yours?"

"My master calls me Nagini," she hissed quietly, "I fear that he'd be quite fascinated by the likes of you, serpent child." Nagini looked towards Harry hesitantly, "It is not often that we encounter one of our own...a Parseltongue...for it is a rare gift that is only bestowed to those of the Great Lord Slytherin's bloodline." The snake slithered closer to Harry, until they were only a few inches apart. "It is strange that such a dark gift has been given to one of the heirs of the Light...especially a Potter at that."

"Who is Slytherin?" asked Harry cautiously, "I've heard Mommy and Daddy say bad things about that house. Something about how they are all evil..."

Nagini tensed, as she bared her fangs with fury. "Your parents...as well as most of the blasted wizarding world is prejudice against Slytherins just because they happen to be ambitious. Not all Death Eaters come from Slytherin; therefore, it is not fair for the entire world to blame everything that goes wrong upon them." The snake trashed her tail furiously against the ground, as if to make her point. "Our Lord Salazar Slytherin was a good man...powerful, sly, and ambitious. He was probably the most talented out of the founders; however, Slytherin himself, was not match for the combined powers of the other three founders."

Harry blinked in confusion, "But...didn't Slytherin die thousands of years ago?" he asked questioningly. "How do you know what he was like?"

"Foolish child," hissed Nagini, shaking her head back and forth. "We, snakes have methods that by far surpass your human ways of preserving the past. As each of us die, our knowledge of our lifetime is passed down to our offspring; therefore, allowing them access to the knowledge and wisdom that can only be obtained through experiences and time. It is due to this, that we manage to survive for so long, regardless of the discrimination the blasted wizarding world shows us. Snakes are not evil...we are sly, and cunning...we are who we are...and nothing could change that."

"Okay," answered Harry truthfully. "So far, you're the only snake I've ever met, and you're too nice to be evil," he stated, as he crossed his arms in conviction.

"I'm not too...nice," hissed Nagini, who shuddered slightly. "I'm cunning, and wise...not at all nice," she insisted forcefully, completely unaware of Harry's confused look.

"Oh..."

Nagini's head suddenly jerked up, and she turned back towards the edge of the forest. "Little one, I have leave now. My master is calling...he requires my presence..." At that, the gigantic snake began slinking back towards the shadows of the forest.

Harry shook his head slightly. "Nagini?" he asked quietly, making Nagini halt in her departure. "Thanks for coming...I'll miss you..."

"You're welcome child...until we meet again..." With those words, Nagini disappeared into the shadows...back to her master.

With a lingering glance towards the shadows, Harry Potter stood up and dusted his robes carefully before walking back towards his home. His eyes fell sadly, as he heard shrieks of laughter and joy coming from within the house. Everyone was so happy without him...so loved... Harry raise his hand to wipe away a few traitorous tears that managed to trickle down his face; however, his hand halted in midair. His parents probably wouldn't even notice him...much less even see the tears.

His life was nothing but a lingering circle of neglect and hurt...