It made sense. Adrian couldn't imagine any store selling an animal as lethal as Nagini; if her lethality came only after she was purchased it would certainly explain why she was so difficult to determine what species she was.
"Can she breed?" Adrian asked curiously, trying to imagine how interesting it would be if such enchantments carried through to her children.
Adrian's father looked baffled, his eyebrows rising ever so slightly and his eyes widening in confusion.
"Nagini has no interest in coupling nor will she ever." His father scoffed, as if the concept was well below him and her alike.
Adrian felt as if he should argue. He didn't want to, most likely because his father sounded so sure of himself. He wondered if the enhancement he was talking about was what he had offered Lutain.
"And Lutain?" His father asked, watching the thin brown snake coil himself and flash his fangs affectionately, "No muggle store would possess such a creature, and yet he seems too exotic to be found in the wild."
Adrian smiled at his familiar, "He wasn't. I didn't buy him. I stole him, really. Accidental magic,"
Adrian heard his tone soften in affection to his serpent. "He wanted freedom."
"You stole him?"
"From a zoo," Adrian offered, almost laughing at the surprised expression on his father's face, "He wanted to leave so I took him. He was much smaller, probably only a few months a muggle species, no magic in him."
His father eyed Lutain considerably, "I have not encountered such a snake before. It is remarkable that he is as formidable as he is, without the aid of magic."
Adrian felt the glow of pride bubble inside him happily. He had to hold himself back from beaming.
Lutain peered back at the two of them, his face and skull shaped into a permanent glare.
"Very," Lutain paused, considering before slowly hissing out, "For-mid-able."
"Formidable," Adrian offered again, Lutain flicking his tongue as he corrected himself and returned to playing with Nagini.
"You're patient with him." His father noted, his tone just shy of something... new. "You haven't enhanced his mental capabilities with magic at all."
It wasn't a question, simply an observation. Adrian didn't know if he was impressed or disappointed.
"No," Adrian admitted, twisting his fingers nervously, "He... I hadn't known any spells or enchantments then. I wanted to teach him English, he's a good friend."
Voldemort nodded slowly, blinking lazily like a content crocodile. "A testament to your patience. It seems ironic that you're capable of teaching a serpent to comprehend English without spellwork, and yet you're unable to master a rudimentary shielding charm."
Adrian paused and swallowed hoarsely. It didn't help move the lump in his throat from wiggling down into his stomach. Oh Merlin, Adrian felt so mediocre...
"Then again," His father started, pausing dramatically as tensions once again rose higher, "You would not believe who cannot perform that spell. Only a fraction of my Death Eaters can cast it adequately." Voldemort huffed, somehow keeping his tone light and only minorly intimidating.
Adrian wasn't sure if he was expected to laugh or balk at the expectations set for him.
"Hatch day!" Nagini suddenly interjected, hissing with an urgency trademarked by spontaneous recollection, "Master! Hatch day!"
Voldemort caught her head as his familiar collapsed in his lap heavily. Nagini tensed and twitched, her scales expanding before contracting in movement of her muscles coiling under her skin.
"Ah yes, thank you, my dear." Voldemort crooned, assuring Nagini of a job well done, "I nearly forgot. Your birth date is approaching rapidly, isn't it?"
Adrian nearly balked, "I- yes," How was this conversation supposed to end?
Voldemort hummed a monotone which conveyed no emotion or desire to continue the conversation.
Adrian wondered morbidly what Bellatrix would have gotten him for his birthday.
Adrian's birthday was a lethargic instance of how doing absolutely nothing was wonderful.
His father lived on the belief that a day where nothing was accomplished was a poor excuse of a day itself. Adrian was held with the expectation of accomplishing something before bed everyday.
It was exhausting, yet rewarding to track his exponential knew that by the quickly approaching school year, Adrian would be miles ahead of his classmates.
The rigorous schedule was broken by the heavy weight of Nagini crushing him to the charmed mattress under a loud mantra of 'Hatch day! Hatch day!'
Adrian didn't understand how a python with a poor grasp on human behaviour was so excited for a birthday, but Nagini's mood was infectious, her loud feminine cries lured Lutain into repeating the mantra with the sparse storytelling of Adrian's prior birthdays.
Adrian padded down the stairs and into the kitchen of the large estate dressed solely in his sleeping clothing. His slightly too long trousers dragged on the floor and collected dust in a way he knew his father would hate. It was comfy, so that was all Adrian had to say.
....
Want to read ahead by more than 60 chapters. Then join my pa*treon now.
Link: pa*treon.com/Amelie796 (Remove the *)
Free members will get 2 chapters for free.