Bart had been trying to get to the laundry room, a wicker basket of clothes under one arm. However, the guy about his age, give or take, and the giant cabinet were blocking the way.
"Looks pretty sturdy from here," Bart said, evenly. "Might make a halfway decent armoire."
"Oh, of course. Just what I was looking for," Draco mutter, watching the snake warily and slowly backing away from her, hoping unabashedly that the other man might just be enough of a distraction for the beast.
"Really? Oh dear, I hadn't noticed," he said, just as dryly as before. He looked up and arched a brow, but by this time, he wasn't quite surprised to hear a language completely unlike his own... Which, of course, didn't mean he was pleased with the idea.
Bart couldn't really help falling back to his first language, and some of the curses were just that much more, well, descriptive. It wasn't usually his first choice, because he'd spent so much time in the English-speaking world.
"Um, do you need help?" he asked, figuring it was a safe enough question.
"One gihugic, venomous snake. Can't be anywhere near as bad as herding green kangaroos," Bart said, shaking his head. "If I had my speed, it'd be a piece of cake, but without it, a broom should do."
Bart started to put down the basket of laundry, well out of the way of the impending conflict. "I don't think I can carry that beauty alone, though."
"I don't think she'd let you," he answered loftily. He'd only seen one man carry Nagini, willingly or otherwise.
Honestly, he was hoping she'd slither off soon and let someone else deal with her, he just wasn't in the mood. It was the cabinet that was much more his concern, but at the moment all he could do was stare.
"I'm not sure I care. The back way through the caves is torture on my bad knee," he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "Unless you really want another couple hundred pounds added when getting that thing moved. If you don't find that an issue, you might be able to shut her in."
"I seem to recall giving you my blessing, if you'd like to have a go at her yourself," he drawled, stepping out of the way when she slithered her way completely out of the dark confines of the cabinet, impressive body of scales stretching and recoiling on the cool concrete floor.
So much for shutting her in, but really, he'd seen just how well that little trick turned out last time.
"Snakes were Gar's thing, really. Being the shape-shifter on the team and all," Bart said, as he knelt to rifle through the laundry for a shirt he wouldn't mind losing. "I did get enough experience to know it's not a one-man job."
"Honestly, I was hoping she'd move herself," he admitted with a sigh, nose wrinkling up when he noticed just what sort of horrors were buried inside the clothes box.
"A shape-shifter?" Oh, good lord. As far as Draco was concerned, shape-shifting was a very fine line. While animagus were powerful wizards, werewolves and other shape-shifting beasts weren't human and therefore unworthy of anyone's respect.
Bart pulled out a Star City Stars jersey that he used for working out but nothing else, and shook his head. "What if she bit someone? It'd be better to take her somewhere where there's plenty of sun and things for her to eat that aren't people," he said, as he spread out the shirt, preparing to throw it over the animal's head.
Seeing the guy's expression stopped him, though. "Gar's one of a kind, really. A true changeling, no real limit on what he can turn into. Most people only have a form or two, that I've seen. But any ability is really only as powerful as how you use it."
"If she bites someone, I'd say it was their own fault for being careless," he sighed, though something told him he wasn't going to squirm his way out of this one easily. You didn't anger the Dark Lord without paying a price, and apparently, this was his.
It was rare, even in Draco's world, and distasteful as it might have been, that didn't make him any less curious. "Is he here, now?"
"No," Bart said, with a slight sigh. "I doubt his abilities would work here any more than mine do."
He didn't entirely miss it, strange as most of his friends might think that. Bart had finally learned to define himself as something other than a speedster, and it felt good.
"What abilities?" he asked, wondering if he'd found another wizard. His nose wrinkled, taking in the red hair and realizing he might have accidentally stumbled upon another Weasley. He could never keep track of them all.
"Looks pretty sturdy from here," Bart said, evenly. "Might make a halfway decent armoire."
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"Um, do you need help?" he asked, figuring it was a safe enough question.
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"Well, what are you? If you've got parseltounge hidden in your bag of tricks, by all means."
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Bart started to put down the basket of laundry, well out of the way of the impending conflict. "I don't think I can carry that beauty alone, though."
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Honestly, he was hoping she'd slither off soon and let someone else deal with her, he just wasn't in the mood. It was the cabinet that was much more his concern, but at the moment all he could do was stare.
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So much for shutting her in, but really, he'd seen just how well that little trick turned out last time.
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"A shape-shifter?" Oh, good lord. As far as Draco was concerned, shape-shifting was a very fine line. While animagus were powerful wizards, werewolves and other shape-shifting beasts weren't human and therefore unworthy of anyone's respect.
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Seeing the guy's expression stopped him, though. "Gar's one of a kind, really. A true changeling, no real limit on what he can turn into. Most people only have a form or two, that I've seen. But any ability is really only as powerful as how you use it."
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It was rare, even in Draco's world, and distasteful as it might have been, that didn't make him any less curious. "Is he here, now?"
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He didn't entirely miss it, strange as most of his friends might think that. Bart had finally learned to define himself as something other than a speedster, and it felt good.
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