The serpent just looked on.

It stared at Jaemin for a while after Jaemin called it Jeno.

The difference in size was striking. A barely six feet human and a fifty feet obsidian serpent, with a part of his body raised in position to strike as it bore into the human’s eyes, flicking its bloody red tongue.  People would have fainted by now, but Jaemin’s back remained ramrod straight, his eyes gentle.

Something in his mind screamed that it was absurd that he was so comfortable in that domineering presence, but the Gryffindor had always followed their hearts. And his heart felt at peace. Like he finally found something he has lost. Unbeknownst to his mind, his body has already extended an arm towards the creature.

The angle of the sun changed and the afternoon sunlight fell bright and golden down onto the body of the large serpent in a lace-like pattern through the leaves. The crystalline obsidian black scales gleamed with its iridescent purple-turquoise glow and the silver horns sparkled and gleamed as if spun of starlight.

“You’re beautiful.” He murmured softly.

 Blood smeared over Jaemin’s hand as he touched the bloodied jaw of the creature carefully like he is afraid of scaring it away, which is ironic because he should be the one afraid in front of the monstrosity.

The snout of the serpent leaned into his touch like a docile animal. A musical sound like the notes of a harp or piano resounded from it and Jaemin thought it sounded so pretty and yet so familiar. He just can’t pinpoint where he heard it.

The pale blue eyes bore into his bright aqua ones and Jaemin was lost in them for a while. The serpent flicked its tongue and it hit Jaemin’s hand and it tasted the blood there.

And suddenly the moment was broken. The creature shifted its gaze to his outstretched hand and saw the blood smeared on Jaemin’s palm. Then as if afraid it flinched back making another sound like it was hurt. The movement was too fast and it surprised Jaemin and he lost his balance and fell on the forest floor on his . He looked up at the serpent to see him looking at him guilty and hurt. It took its gaze back and made its way towards the darkness of the forest.

“Wait! Don’t go! Wait!”

He tried to get up and run after it but was obstructed by a tall spear stomped a few feet in front of him thrown from a distance.

“This is as far as you can go human.”

Jaemin retracted his gaze from the disappearing form of the serpent to stare at the tall centaur standing beside him. Soon another two centaurs arrived from the forest following him. They carefully avoided the dead bodies to protect their hooves from the dirty blood.

“I just want to talk. Okay…..Just once, huh? Let me see it just once?”
 

The centaurs stared down at him sternly.

“Uktena is a divine creature. A measly half-grown human wizard cannot approach such a deity.”

“Uktena?”

“The one you met. Uktena: the wise. He is a Great Serpent Deity. It has been our greatest fortune to meet him and for him to take up this forest as his residence. He is the protector of the forest that shields and heals the forest.”

The other centaurs agreed in response and blocking Jaemin’s path. The youngest of them spoke out.

“It is your blessing that he decided to save you. Be grateful human!”

Jaemin was a bit speechless about their culture. They regarded the horned serpent as some deity.

Centaurs are creatures that abhor human wizard. Though they have grown tolerant after the second Wizarding War they still prefer to stay away from them. They are creatures that excel in Divination and Astrology. They have their own beliefs and consider Nature to be the supreme. They have their own revered deities. Jaemin has heard about it from his dad but it was his first time experiencing it.

“So you are saying I can’t meet him? I just want to thank him for earlier. I don’t mean any harm.”

I want to see him once again. So that I can figure out why I called him Jeno...

Jaemin tried to look as sincere as possible but the centaurs were immune to his charms. They lead him out of the forest lest he runs off or gets attacked by any other beasts.

The first thing Jaemin did on reaching school was to go to his dorm and write a letter to his father. Then he went straight to the dungeons.

“Is Jeno here?”

Chanyeol was in casual sweat pants and hoodie as he looked at Jaemin with curiosity.

“No. he went out during lunch and hasn’t returned. There aren’t classes after 12 on Fridays anyway.”

Jaemin didn’t wait for him to finish answering as he set off. He checked the bathroom, the bridge, and lakeside just to be sure. No sight of Jeno anywhere.

Then he went off to the library.

Monster Book of Monsters, Short book of Magical creatures, etc none of them has it. None of them have the information that Jaemin is searching for. Horned serpents are termed as extinct or almost extinct species, thus only have a paragraph dedicated to them. Nothing in detail. No man lives to tell the tale apparently.

An hour of search yielded no result. It was almost evening.

Jaemin visited the dungeons again. Chanyeol amusedly told him that there was still no sign of Jeno.

He returned back to the library. He went for Madam Pince who was arranging the books at the Muggle Studies section.

Jaemin had a good rapport with her. In simple words she adored him. Well, who doesn’t? He greeted Madam Pince cheerfully and the strict librarian glanced at Jaemin over her stacks of books and acknowledged his greeting with a nod.

“I need to find a book about Horned Serpents. Is there any such books?”

Madam Pince was a bit surprised. Horned serpents are extinct creatures and are not a much-discussed topic. At this point, it is almost like a Myth like a Lethifold. They did exist maybe 500 or 700 years back but they were cleared out in a few centuries.

Madam Pince pushed her glasses over her nose with her fingers with sharp painted long nails.

“What do you need them for?”

“Ummm….actually I was thinking of writing a paper on them for the sake of my Care of Magical Creatures Class. And I would like to have some information on them. Like nature, food, habits or how they became extinct, etc.”

Madam Pince seemed to believe him.

“Wait here.”

She went off through the maze-like shelves of the books with a flourish of her burgundy robes. Crystal beads on the string of her spectacles making a tinkling sound as she went from shelf to shelf to find the book she has in mind.

She returned a few moments later.

“Here, be careful with the pages. It’s an old book.”

Truly it was an old book. The binding has the dust settled over it and the title is barely legible with the yellowed pages. The writing in it is a bit of an old language with loops and curves and accompanied by black and white pictures of the creatures described.

Jaemin sat down at the corner of the library with the book.

Creatures of divination that control the weather at will, the book said.

 Horned Serpents once though in small numbers but existed all over the world but they had rapidly decreased. Some killed while others died out. In Europe, they were killed for their scales, their horns, and the jewel on their head. But it was never easy for a group of well established 20-30 wizards had to do the job. Then also they sometimes would fail. The rate of causality was high.

Horned Serpents had an excellent sight of Divination and strong scaled armor rendering curses useless against them. They are presumed to be able to see the future though that part is not clear for it is something believed by the locals. They were poisonous to boot, a smoke of that poison can render instant death. The only way to kill is to attack them while they are distracted and hit the seventh segment from upwards, just above where their heart lies.

A sleeping serpent also spelled bad news, so it was better not to approach them at all.

Though they are dangerous they have never willingly harmed humans, Muggles, and wizards the same. In fact, if they stayed in an area the forest prospered. A protector species the book called them. They protected the inhabitants of the area they live in, animals and humans. They bring rain; restore the fertility of the soil so the agriculture and flora and fauna flourish there. They exude magic that restores the magic in the soil and water. That is why the native beings and tribes consider them as a deity sometimes.

Characteristics are large horns on the head, shapes depend on the species, some have short ones, some large branched out ones. The number also varies. Adults can grow large in size. As to how much is not known. The length depends on their age. Can live for hundreds of years. Crystalline scales are used to make powerful potions.

They are wise creatures very similar to how a human mind works according to Parselmouth wizards. That’s why they have fierce yet very expressive eyes that can draw beings in both prey and foe, hypnotize them so they approach the serpent willingly and hand over their lives.

A score of XXXXX is well deserved.

When Jaemin finally finished digesting the information it was already time for supper.

He thought he will visit the dungeon again after supper to see if Jeno is back. He borrowed the book not without a word of caution from Madam Pince to keep it carefully.

He was walking to the Great Hall when he caught sight of the familiar blonde. He was standing at a bend at the deserted corner surrounded by three elder students. Taeyong looked angry, Donghae looked worried and Chanyeol had a hand splayed over the back of Jeno as if supporting him to keep him standing.

Jaemin hid beside a pillar as he overheard their conversation.

“How can you disappear like that on us? Do you know how worried we were? I almost called Mother.” Taeyong rattled mildly panicked.

Jaemin had heard him scolding Jeno for leaving his sight quite a number of times. He always thought he was overprotective, but now that he thinks about it, indeed it is quite justified.

“I am fine, Hyung. It’s okay to see ……, I am not injured.”

“Jeno, you need to tell us before you go somewhere. You know that right? Your second brother and I worry for you. You have known the dangers since you were a child at least pay it some heed.”

A few more words of scolding and worry followed.

“Hyung, you go along. I already had some food. I am not hungry. How about you go and have your supper and I’ll go to the dorm. I’ll rest a bit and when you come back we’ll have this discussion again. Okay?”

“But….”

“Hyung…go. Have your supper. Stop being a worrywart.”

“Are you-?”

“Let’s go Taeyong. We’ll talk about it again when we come back.”

Jaemin sees Chanyeol and Donghae drag Taeyong away towards Great Hall.

This is the opportunity; Jaemin comes out of his hiding spot to approach Jeno. But what he stops at the sight of him.

As soon as the elders are out of sight, Jeno heaves out a sigh stumbling back to hit the wall behind him. He looks pale and sick. Jaemin was going to walk towards him but Jeno walks away.

Jaemin is worried as he follows the boy climbing up the stairs. He stumbles a bit here and there. As more and more time passes Jaemin is sure of two things. One Jeno is seriously sick as the boy's gait becomes more and more unsteady and two this is definitely not the way to the Dungeons.

They stop in front of the 7th-floor bathroom and Jeno stumbles in tripping on his own foot. He looks like he is drunk. He falls in his knee on the floor and almost crawls towards the stall on his fours too weak to stand up.

Jaemin wants to help but he doesn’t know how Jeno will react. What if he starts to avoid him, he got this far not for it go down the drain. But he couldn’t keep up to his resolution.

Because the boy almost falls face-first onto the floor near the toilet bowl. His hands seemed to have lost their strength and he can barely keep himself up in sitting position.

Jaemin is kneeling beside him in a second holding the other boy up before he crashes down. The Slytherin is heavy and looks like he has lost all strength of his body. He somehow still manages to retch into the toilet bowl. Jaemin holds his waist in a tight hold so as to not let him slump forwards and his other hand holds the fringes of the Slytherin’s blonde hair away from his face.

“Hyung…..w-what are you doing here?”

The words are slurred unlike Jeno’s usual deep cut out manner of speech. Out of suspicion Jaemin bends forward to see him.

Jeno’s eyes are unfocused and hazy. The sharpness of his eyes is lost and it is like a gray fog has settled over them. He belatedly realized that apparently Jeno has lost his sight to a great extent. Not completely but enough to not even get a hold of his surroundings, as he grapples around himself trying to find purchase. He doesn’t recognize Jaemin, rather cannot see him. He mistakes him as Taeyong.

This Jeno is weak and vulnerable and it pulls at Jaemin’s heartstrings. He feels like it is him who is hurting. The strong boy who is always shielding Jaemin is now crawling on the floor on his knees, unable to see as he slumps over dry retching.

“It’s okay…..Hyung, it’s okay. I just took some pain medication. I am just a bit woozy because of it…..” he isn’t able to complete speaking as he retches again. “You know how it gets.”

Jaemin can feel his own vision blurring due to the tears that have gathered. H shouldn’t be this affected but he is. Jaemin clutches onto the other’s frame tighter pulling Jeno closer so the former can drape himself over his slouched form, chest resting on his broad back. Jeno goes lax in his hold when he feels a familiar weight on his back. The Slytherin lolls his head on his shoulder. Jaemin wipes his sweat from his forehead, pushing his blonde bangs sticking to his skin aside with his fingers. Jeno gives in to his touch and chuckles light-headedly.

“Hyung…I told you to go for supper. You are such a worrywart.”

He laughs again like a child. Jaemin can smell the morphine used in pain-relieving potions on him, and he is worried about the possibility that the boy might have overdosed himself on it. He thinks of calling for help to get him to the hospital wing but then Jeno starts talking.

“Hyung, I killed three people today. That makes 19 this year. A grand total of 57.”

Jeno looks blank-faced. His eyes are unfocused. He sounds so nonchalant as if he is talking about the weather.

“I just killed them with a snap of my jaw.” Jeno sighs loudly and continues.

“I didn’t even feel anything. No remorse no regret. They were going to attack Jaemin and…..I-I just snapped.  Jaemin wasn’t hurt. But he saw me. I think he might have figured it out. A monster in human skin….. A cold-blooded monster that kills with a bat of an eyelash with no regrets. He found out exactly what I am.”

Jeno's expressions turned pained.

“I didn’t even know if they had any family. Maybe a son like me waiting for their father at home. And I just made them fatherless, a woman like Mother who probably loved them and she was widowed. Maybe I am no better than them.”

The Slytherin lets out a humorless laugh that turns into a coughing fit as he again slumps over the toilet bowl. But he doesn’t hit his head due to Jaemin’s secure hold. Jaemin can feel the vibrations of his body against his chest as Jeno coughs and breathes like he is deprived of air.

“Hyung….Hyung……. I think that man may have been accurate in his prediction. I am bound to turn into a monster before I reach the age. An offspring that has cursed blood and a useless blessing, a living contradiction that is bound to defect.”

He goes into another coughing fit. He continues rambling like he is drunk, his thoughts pouring out. The strict self-control he always has on himself in a drug-induced haze has become like a broken barrage letting his thoughts out freely like a waterfall. There are small sobs leaking from him shaking through his worn-out frame sending small earthquakes through Jaemin.

“Just promise me something Hyung…… If I…..If I were to disappear someday…d- don’t go looking for me. Live a happy life for me. You and Donghae Hyung both. Take care of mother for me.”

Jaemin realizes that the tears that have gathered in his eyes had spilled over. He couldn’t control himself. He had said about leaving last Halloween too but Jaemin was too sleepy to ask then.

“Where are you going to go?”

Jeno freezes in his hold.

“Y-you are not Hyung….” The Slytherin turns in his hold. His vision gone and he can’t see Jaemin. He extends his hand towards the general direction of the Gryffindor’s face. The latter grasps the hand and brings it to his face. There is a cool touch on Jaemin’s cheek.

“Jaemin?”

Jaemin doesn’t reply but he leans into his touch, his tears gathering in the creases of the palm of the pale hand that was holding his face so gently.

The reaction is immediate. Jeno backs away like he got burned.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“That is not import-”

“Go away. Get out. Right now.”

Jaemin kind of expected this.

“Jeno don’t be like this….you are-”

“NO” his voice echoes in the empty bathroom. “I said, GO AWAY. I don’t want you to see me like this. Go away Jaemin please….please.” in the end his voice weakened to a whisper as he starts coughing.

Jeno curls himself in, knees drawn up to his chest, head buried in his hand. He looks pitiful like a helpless injured beast.

Jaemin is a Gryffindor and if he is anything like that, he is stubborn. He crawls to the boy, gently taking off his hands from his face. Jeno usually strong but he is in a weakened state right now so Jaemin can easily pry his hands away. He pulls him in his embrace nuzzling his nose at the crook of the Slytherin’s neck taking his pine and citrus scent, now mixed with the acetic scent of morphine. His tear tracks creating a wet patch over the elder’s shoulder.

“Jaemin don’t do this….”

He sounds so broken and Jaemin just holds onto him tighter.

“Are you going to leave?” Jaemin