Blaise Zabini and the Four-Winged Snake

Blaise Zabini and the Four-Winged Snake

One evening, Blaise Zabini, Mortie Wimsey, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were returning from Hagrid the gamekeeper´s hut where they have had tea with home-made cakes, to the building of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where they were students. Suddenly they saw in the grass a little white snake with four wings. On its head there was a wound, which was bleeding profusely. The snake writhed in pain. Blaise instantly fell on his knees and hissed. Only Harry understood that Blaise said:

'Oh, little one! Are you in great pain?'

'Very great,' the snake answered, writhing.

'You poor thing! Let me bear you to the castle over there. I will give you a dittany poultice. It will do you all the good,' Blaise said.

'Yes, please,' the little snake said. Blaise took the snake gingerly in his hands and wrapped it in his white and green scarf.

'Let's go to the castle,' Blaise said in ordinary English. 'It is in great pain. I must administer a dittany poultice to it'.

'But how did you know it isn't dangerous?' Ron asked. Blaise answered calmly:

'Because I know what breed it is. It is a Kurong-yi, a kind of Korean snake. They never harm humans, on the contrary, they bring luck to the house they live in. They live up to a thousand years because they have a magical jewel inside their heads. I reckon someone was trying to lay their hands on one. What unscrupulous some people are! To try to kill a baby just for the sake of having a jewel, even if it gives one the longevity! But this one managed to escape them, and they won't get it again. I shall keep it. I will call it Evening Star - a good name for a Kurong-yi'.

He resorted to hissing again:

'Will you live with me, little one? I am a student wizard and can care of magical creatures very well. I will call you Evening Star'.

'I am agree,' the little snake said.

'Very well. I am a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry over there - Blaise Zabini, the Slytherin prefect,' Blaise said.

'I see you are not Dark,' Evening Star said.

'No, I am not. I can't stand the Dark wizards and witches of my House,' Blaise said.

'I thought so. You have compassion,' Evening Star said. 'I think I will be safe with you'.

'I shall do my best that you were,' Blaise said and switched to English again. 'Let's go'.

'I didn't know you were a Parselmouth, Blaise,' Harry said. Ron, Hermione and Mortie nodded.

'You never asked,' Blaise smiled.

'We would never think to ask,' his friends said.

They went to the castle, Blaise with the young snake wrapped in his scarf. They came to the Gryffindor Tower, Blaise put Evening Star on a chair and went to the students' cupboard to get some dittany and some water and gauze, then returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, soaked dittany in the water, wrapped it in the gauze and put in on Evening Star's wound. Blaise hissed:

'Now it will heal your wound. A little patience'.

'I know dittany will,' Evening Star said.

'Of course it will, and you shall live a thousand years,' Blaise smiled. 'The Kurong-yis do'.

Blaise was sitting and stroking Evening Star, when a student came in and said:

'Professor Zabini, Regulus Malfoy and Jim Potter are fighting again!'

Blaise rose promptly and said:

'Lead me to them, Mr. Longbottom'.

The clumsy, plump, round-faced boy of twelve led Blaise down the corridor, where two short thin boys - one ferret-faced, with sleek blonde hair and gray eyes, another spectacled, with unruly black hair and brown eyes - were pounding at each other.

'Potter and Malfoy! Stop this instant!' Blaise said strictly. The two boys froze and turned, recognizing the voice.

'Professor, Malfoy was insulting me!' the black-haired boy said. The blonde said:

'Professor, Potter started it all himself!'

Blaise looked sharply at them both.

'Potter, you shouldn't succumb to Malfoy's teasing,' he said. 'And Malfoy, let me NEVER catch you acting like this again. Twenty points from Slytherin and twenty points from Gryffindor, and go polish the trophies'.

Potter and Malfoy went off sulkily, and Blaise returned to his quarters.

'A lot of time passed, hasn't it, Evening Star?' Blaise Zabini, the thirty-year-old Head of the Slytherin House and the Care of Magical Creatures teacher said, stroking the seven-foot-long white four-winged snake with his crimson-clad hand.