Grass Snake Ash Thread

Snape understood perfectly well why James was here. He had no doubt learned somehow that Snape was attending this party, and that Lily would be there too.

"This child..." Slughorn shook his head helplessly. "It's fine, it's getting late. Time to go back, children, or we'll be in trouble too."

The little golden clock on his desk had just passed ten.

The students filed out. Slughorn got up from his chair and walked downstairs with Fabian.

Back in the dormitory, it was just the two of them again. He didn't know where Mulciber had gone; he had been returning very late recently.

Aber gave Snape an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"What did I just see? A Slytherin mocking Gryffindor blood purity discrimination! Tsk tsk, the way you spew that stuff, it's as if it were true, it's terrifying."

"Don't you dare slander me. I am absolutely the biggest supporter of Muggle-born wizards in the entire wizarding world right now."

Snape said irritably, patting his pillow into a more comfortable shape.

"Potter actually wanted to attend the party this time. Old Slughorn has invited him before." Aber changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. "But this party really isn't that interesting. I won't accompany you next time."

"Suit yourself." Snape lifted his leg, got into bed, and lay back comfortably on his pillow, gazing at the shimmering light on the glass window, rippling like water.

"Aber, that poor girl who was murdered over thirty years ago, who do you think she was?"

"How would I know?" Aber said, yawning.

"Then who do you think would know about what happened back then?"

"After all these years, who else would know besides a few old professors? Perhaps you could ask the Headmaster yourself."

"Wait," Aber sat up abruptly, suddenly energized. "Even though the people have changed, the ghosts have always been at Hogwarts."

But he immediately lay back down. "Forget about your little Tom. How could you possibly win today's medal with a story from over thirty years ago?"

"That's hard to say, and don't you think exploring these ancient secrets is interesting?"

Snape pulled the curtains of the four-poster bed closed.

"We have Care of Magical Creatures class tomorrow morning. Good night."

The next morning, Silvanus Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, led a sparse group of students towards a crooked shed at the edge of the grounds.

"Children, follow me."

He sat in a peculiar wooden chair that functioned similarly to a Muggle wheelchair, except this seat had four short legs that could move forward in an alternating fashion.

In his third year, Kettleburn had complained to his students that if Dumbledore hadn't personally made this chair for him, he would have retired long ago.

Beside the crudely built shed, the gamekeeper Hagrid was already waiting for them, with a low mound of earth at his feet.

As they got closer, Snape realized there was a shallow pit next to Hagrid.

An iron shovel, two sizes larger than a trash can lid, lay next to a wooden bucket. It was clear that the small mound was made of the soil Hagrid had dug out.

"Thank you, Hagrid. Could you trouble yourself to pour this bucket of Floo Powder into the pit?" Kettleburn said, pointing to the shallow pit with his only remaining finger.

Hagrid easily lifted the wooden bucket as instructed.

With a swoosh, green magical flames erupted, rising to nearly Hagrid's height.

After the flames had burned quietly for a few minutes, Kettleburn asked, "Does anyone know what magical creature we're going to see today?"

Lily raised her hand.

"You tell us, Miss Evans," Kettleburn said with a smile.

"Ashwinder," Lily said. "When a pile of magical fire burns uncontrollably for too long, Ashwinders are created out of thin air."

"Very correct. Five points to Gryffindor," Kettleburn added. "Ashwinders are serpents with red glowing eyes. They emerge from the ashes of unattended fires and slither into the shadows of dwellings to lay their eggs."

"I need to remind you all," he said sternly, "never to cast the Engorgement Charm on an Ashwinder. The consequences of doing so are absolutely unacceptable."

"What would happen if someone did?" Snape asked.

"Under the effect of the spell, the Ashwinder will swell to be thicker than your thigh. Then, suddenly, it and its enormous fiery egg will explode with a bang, setting everything around it ablaze."

Kettleburn made an exaggerated gesture with one hand.

By this time, the flames from the Floo Powder had died down.

Several pale gray, slender Ashwinders emerged from the ashes and slithered towards the shed, leaving behind winding grey trails.

"Ashwinders only live for a short hour. During this hour, they will find a dark, hidden place to lay their eggs, and then their bodies will shatter into pieces and turn to dust."

The seat beneath Kettleburn shuffled forward with small steps towards the shed, and the students followed him into the small house.

He pointed to where the grey trails had disappeared. "Aber, help me move that pile of hay."

Behind the hay, three brilliantly red serpent eggs lay quietly in the fine ash.

"If you fail to discover and properly deal with these fire eggs in time, they will ignite the dwelling in a very short period."

Kettleburn took out his wand from his robe.

"Glacius."

A stream of cold gas shot from the tip of his wand, and the hot red glow on two of the serpent eggs instantly turned into blue-white ice crystals.

"Go, quickly, let's get out." Kettleburn used magic to collect the frozen serpent eggs and urged the students to leave the shed.

Not long after they reached the clearing, the wooden hut erupted in flames before them with a piercing roar.

"Aqua Eructo," Kettleburn said, dousing the shed until the last spark was extinguished.

"You see, if you find Ashwinders in your residence, you must find them immediately and freeze their eggs with a freezing charm, otherwise I advise you to leave quickly."

Then, he used a Levitation Charm to show the students two frozen serpent eggs.

"Of course, once these serpent eggs are frozen, they become extremely valuable. They can be used to make love potions, or they can be swallowed whole to treat fevers."

After the class, Snape stayed behind to help Hagrid clean up the teaching area.

"Hagrid," he said, after filling in a shallow pit, trying to strike up a conversation with Hagrid, "those Ashwinders are quite cute, aren't they?"

But Hagrid looked at Snape with a mixture of shock and pity, as if he thought Snape was mad and pathetic.

Why are you looking at me like that now? Snape thought, annoyed.

He decided to pretend nothing had happened: "My mother said you were the gamekeeper when she was studying. When did you come to Hogwarts?"

"Oh, I came here in 1940," Hagrid said gruffly. "I met your mother."

"That early? There's something I wanted to ask you about."

Seeing Hagrid didn't object, Snape continued, "I saw a 'Special Award for Services to the School' plaque in the Hogwarts trophy room. Do you know how Tom Riddle obtained it?"