The spell was mispronounced only slightly, yet it was enough no serpent was actually conjured. Lutain instead unraveled from Draco's arm and sprang out from under his sleeve; only if you had been looking closely would anyone notice the difference.
Lutain landed heavily on the floor and reared his head with a loud hiss.
Nearby students screamed and stumbled back, Snape looked surprised but also positively gleeful with the turnout.
"I'll get rid of it!" Lockhart shouted, waltzing past the horrified Skylar. He pointed his wand, and with a loud bang Lutain flew through the air before landing in exactly the same spot with a smack. Adrian would have been concerned if it was anyone except Lockhart casting the spell.
"You purple coated bird!" Lutain hissed angrily, turning and locking eyes with a terrified Gryffindor second year. "I'd love to bite the lark with my venom!"
The tanned boy whimpered loudly.
"Leave him alone!" Skylar shouted, looking terrified for his year mate.
Lutain performed perfectly, and once again Adrian was relieved he had taught his companion English.
Lutain slunk to the ground and instantly went docile. He was the threat level of a limp garden hose and staring at Skylar blankly.
The Gryffindor second year, if anything, went even paler.
Whispers spread quickly, accusing and skeptic eyes were turned to Skylar who was looking rather horrified himself.
"No- no I-" Skylar stumbled a bit, at a loss for words. "I don't talk to snakes-"
Lutain deserved a prized hamster; he nodded his scaly head.
If this was what people thought Parseltongue was, Adrian was almost disappointed.
Skylar stumbled backwards and the crowd around him took another step back. Even Ron was looking a bit pale.
"Do I get a rat?" Lutain hissed lowly, rising high enough to retain in eye contact with Skylar even having slid off the stage.
"No! I didn't do anything!" Skylar shouted desperately, pointing his wand at Lutain who had (bless his best friend), started to slowly slither after him.
"Stay back!" Skylar howled, looking on the verge of tears. Lutain stopped dead in his tracks and once again nodded obviously. A Hufflepuff nearest Adrian whimpered quietly.
Adrian would get Lutain the best rat he could find.
Skylar ran and the crowd collapsed into a maddening mixture of rushing feet and louder shouts. Words like "Parseltongue!" and "Heir!" were thrown around, already the rumor catching purchase.
Lutain moved and slid off the stage as fast as he could slither, Adrian lifted the edge of his cloak and his familiar quickly circled his calf inching upwards out of sight.
The students were all dismissed, nobody would be able to focus with Skylar having run out so quickly.
Adrian caught up with Draco and with a smile gave a short nod.
"Everyone thinks Potter is the Heir now." Draco seemed dazed. "that snake knows English?"
"Lutain is very smart," Adrian agreed, "and he's fine."
"Give him a rat or whatever he eats for me."
Adrian certainly would.
....
Adrian went looking for the Hogwarts gamekeeper, the giant man Hagrid.
Lutain deserved the best rat he could get and Hagrid seemed his best bet to get something that his familiar would absolutely love. The snow had come in, a wicked blizzard in the night which canceled all of the Herbology and Care classes outside. Likely Hagrid would be outside, trying to tend to the snow.
He found Hagrid, walking into the castle with a thick wooly balaclava and a moleskin coat. He was carrying a mangled mess of feathers in one arm.
"Hagrid?" Adrian asked, seeing the large man jump and stare at Adrian for a perplexing amount of time. "I talked with you before school started. You said you may know where to get some decent rats?"
"Ya!" Hagrid nodded, blinking out of whatever dazed state he was in. "Yer right! I got a few down in mah hut." Hagrid blinked a drop of melted snow out of his eye. The man was twitchy, curled in ever so slightly on himself with the strangest expression of nostalgia.
"What do you have there?" Adrian asked, trying to see the mangled mess. "What bird is that?"
"A rooster, second one killed this term," Hagrid explained, grimacing. "It's either foxes or somethin', an' I need the Headmaster's permission ter put a charm around the hen coop."
"Good luck with that," Adrian said. He smiled thinly. "Could you send me a few mice by owl?"
Hagrid was looking at Adrian's face a moment too long for comfort, almost bewitched by Adrian's thin lipped smile. Hurriedly the man nodded, as if realizing how rude he was being by staring. Hagrid mumbled something hurriedly, along the lines that he really did need to talk to the headmaster.
Adrian hummed to himself and walked up the steps towards the corridor which would take him to the library. A rooster? Surely it had to be a clue; almost nothing ever attacked something that the gamekeeper was protecting.
"Attack!" He heard a loud shriek although it was quite a distance away. "Attack! Another attack!"
Adrian turned and started running towards the noise. "No mortal or ghost is safe! Run for your lives!"
Door after door flew open along the corridor as people filed out to see the sight. It was even better than Adrian could have imagined.
There was a petrified body of the same Gryffindor second year who Lutain had targeted at the dueling club and a ghost.
The ghost was stuck in a silent scream, body position stiff and rigid.
Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class. She pointed her wand and sent a loud bang into the air, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes.
"Caught in the act!" Shouted a Hufflepuff loudly. Adrian recognised the boy as someone he'd gotten into a fight with before, Ernie. Ernie pointed his finger at Skylar, who floundered for something to say.
Adrian caught Skylar's eye, and saw the utter terror and confusion in his eyes.
His plan was working perfectly.
....
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