Once again, I am not JKR and don't own anything.

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To the blind the particular sound of a person's footsteps can be used to identify an identity. Young Harry, having no eyes outside of his cupboard relied on such sounds to ascertain not just the whom, but emotional states as well. Were his masters happy? Was he about to be fed? Who was heading towards his door? Was there a cause for excitement? All these he could tell from just the sounds reverberating through the floorboards.

The footsteps that currently echoed into his chamber were heavy, much heavier than the Master's. A stranger who had a habit of shuffling his feet slowly. Why was this person here? Feeling frightened he scrunched himself tighter into the cleft in between the sloping stairs and the floor and pulled his small blanket tighter to himself. The noisy giant had rumbled up and down the stairs above him and now into the back of the house.

Sneaking along with breaking and entering, Hagrid decided absently, we most definitely not among the attributes he could count as strengths. He had confirmed with Headmaster Albus Dumbledore that Harry was indeed still at Number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging. However not only had none of the letters reached him, his attempt to find him within the abode so far had failed. Pulling out the wrinkled invite from one of the many bulging pockets on his person he checked the address again.

He blinked a few times while reading trying to mesh the words into his understanding of muggle living. Who after all would live in a cupboard under the stairs? Was it some muggle code for a basement? He had searched but could find no entry into a lower level that might suffice for someone of even normal size. After much heavy breathing and internal debate over the subject Hagrid threw out any further measures of stealth. Besides he was annoyed by the overpowering scent of lilac perfume and it was giving him a headache.

"Harry? Umm you here Harry?" Hagrid's rather booming voice garnered no response outside of a scratching noise.

"Not supposed to do this really... " Hagrid mumbled to himself as he retrieved his umbrella.

"Accio Harry Potter." Hagrid could feel his wand's broken pieces embedded within the umbrella strain and a muffled thump come from a small hatch near the stairs. He closed the distance and upon closer inspection saw a sturdy lock securing the little hatch. With a bit of trepidation he cast a spell that would change his outlook on life and on muggles forever.

"Alohomora." The soft click of the lock spurned more noise from within the tiny crawlspace that only increased in volume as Hagrid removed the lock from it's hook and slowly opened the hatch.

"Good god." Right in front of Hagrid was a chamber pot full of filth, beside it a bowl of water and another of small dog biscuits. Beyond them, crouched as far back as possible was a tiny boy with unseeing eyes opened as wide as they could go, he was chained to the door with a short leash and a thick leather collar. Hagrid tried coaxing, pleading and finally ended up reaching in and grabbing the boy before snapping the chain and hauling him out of that damn cupboard and getting bit in the process. He was surprised by the amount of fight the kid had put up trying to stay in the bloody cupboard. He ended up closing the ruddy door and plopping the kid down on the floor with a commanding and loud tone.

"Now sit still and let me look at ye."

The painfully small boy was naked and underfed. Even in the low light Hagrid could see the outlines of scars that littered the boy's pale white skin, dirt or something clung to him. While sitting still the boy continued to tremble and the look of his eyes spoke of pure terror. It was hardly surprising that a small puddle had begun to form.

"There is no need to be afraid of me lad." The gentle giant began. "I am going to be taking you out to..." Hagrid abandoned his explanation as the boy once more freaked out and began scrambling to get past him and into the cupboard. After a struggle in which Hagrid was bit twice more he let go and reached for his umbrella in frustration.

"Dang-it Harry, Stupefy!"

After safely locking the kid out of the cupboard and transfiguring the lock to a solid lump of metal Hagrid resumed his inspection of the boy. Harry was covered in filth. It was clear he had not had a bath in who knows how long. A quick scourgify left the boy at least marginally clean. After a minute or two of gawking Hagrid could only cry a few tears as he categorized the child's abuse. His legs appeared shrivelled, ribs clearly showing, scars everywhere, hands appeared misshapen and his face looked like someone had taken a bludger to him, repeatedly. Some of the bones which were clearly visible appeared to have odd angles to them.

Gone were his plans of taking the boy out to Diagon Alley to get his wand, robes and a pet. Instead there was only one place Hagrid in good conscience could take him, Saint Mungo's Hospital. After taking off his coat and swaddling the boy in it he set him inside of his sidecar before turning back toward the house. His face lit up with fury and anger as he pointed his umbrella again, this time toward the telly and growled his curse.

"Incendio."

As he climbed on Sirius' flying bike and took off with his passenger he looked down at the house in flames below. As he flew onwards to his destination, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, his face maintained its angry scowl, the wind was the only audience for his closing thought on the matter.

"Filthy muggles."

It had been days since Hagrid caused a storm by barreling his flying motorcycle through a condemned muggle department store window. Purge and Dowse, Ltd, read the sign over the building but housed within lay St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Since that time a team of medi-witches and healers had worked around the clock on their newest patient.

Hearts broke nationally as wizards were made aware of the situation via a lucky Daily Prophet reporter lunching with a Wizarding Wireless Network host after they met a bawling and angry half giant in the canteena. News went out over the wireless almost immediately and the Daily Prophet put out a special edition mid-day paper. "Boy-Who-Lived Hospitalized After Rescue by Half Giant!"

Vial after vial of restorative draughts went down his throat, the bones in much of his body were banished and regrown, drink after drink of vitapots (vitamins!) to combat the years of malnutrition, spell after spell cast to diagnose and repair and there was still more to do. Mind healers had been brought in after his waking revealed a uncontrollable paranoia of open spaces, too much light, and too many people. Everyone involved was very disturbed when the mind healers discovered that he was mute and scarring near his larynx indicated it was due to a muggle operation. That particular issue had taken many hours correct, however even after the physical damage was restored the boy still could or would not speak. The scarring on his chest and throat had been minimal and there was no way of knowing how long he had been that way.

Learning to walk had taken what seemed like forever even with the aid of muscle building and memory enhancing draughts. It had been confirmed that he could understand others speaking and would accommodate requests without fuss but he seemed to show no desire or initiative to communicate even about basic needs and was content to merely sit and stare off into space. The last week had been spent training him to respond to his name and attempting to get him to initiate communication.

On August thirty first, after a long month, a quiet and timid young Harry was finally released to the care of Hagrid for a shopping trip.

"Diagon Alley" announced Hagrid grandly as he poked the brick wall with his umbrella in a seemingly random pattern. The bricks peeled away revealing the way ahead and he looked back at his charge expecting to see a look of awe and wonder. Harry was apparently still looking at his shoes and had missed the display of what little magic Hagrid was able to do.

The lad was clearly still feeling oversocialized after the small mobbing that had occurred in the leaky cauldron. After last month's publicity, the public had been focused on young Harry even more than it had been previously in the past decade. There were no questions of where their here had been for the past ten years, everyone knew. Needless to say, being left alone was not something that was going to happen.

"Very well then, lets get to it." Hagrid muttered. "Come along." They made a slow pace through the market and on to Gringotts. Entering the building's marbled main hall gathered no reaction from him, however nearly running into his first non-human was an eye opening experience that left Harry more than a little off balance and caused him to look up and around a bit. It was with very wide eyes that he followed the moves of Hagrid and this short stranger with pointy teeth.

"Key?" Inquired the goblin, his teeth glinting brightly amidst his sneer.

"Ahh yes, now where did I put it..." After a few moments of bumbling the key was provided and Hagrid led Harry through a door to a cart. After the crazy ride came to a stop a shaky Harry complied with Hagrid's orders and gathered a pile of galleons into a provided bag before scurrying out of the vault with hardly a further glance. One additional stop, where only Hagrid got out of the vehicle briefly did not even garner a look from the boy and after completing his additional task for Dumbledore, Hagrid and Harry left Gringotts a fair amount richer.

Robes, Hat, Gloves, cauldron, books and wand all failed to garner any reaction from the sullen and silent boy who tailed shortly behind Hagrid. He was compliant and obeyed orders without question but seemed to have no initiative and he didn't even look up at the racing broom in the window as they past the Nimbus store. At his wits end and desperate to see even a little smile, Hagrid pulled the boy into the pet store.

Magical Menagerie, a place of clamorous sounds and endless chattering filled with cages lining the walls and a bustle of people poking and prodding at the creatures entrapped within.

"Go and find somethin ya like..." was Hagrid's only command before pushing young Harry into the throng. Bereft of any deeper instruction Harry began wandering the shop looking at the unhappy animals who seemed to all be begging with their eyes to get out of here. It was quite an experience seeing the world from the other side of the cage and it left him feeling empty. This new world was just like his old one it seemed. He continued his wandering until he reached the back and an area that was vacant of visitors, indeed most seemed to shy away. An odd quiet seemed to radiate from a dark cold alcove of the shop and once entered Harry felt unnaturally drawn to a soft stuttering voice at the very edges of his hearing.

"No ho-pe.. al-one... caged and free-zing to dea-th... I w-ill nev-er "

The cages here were dark and the forms within were quiet and unmoving. Careful examination revealed why, the animals here were dead. All except for one it seemed, it took a while and Harry had to move aside a few cages but he finally found the source of the sound and brought it into the light. The shiny black form was coiled tightly and still but clearly not dead and most confusingly continuing to talk.

"Fou-nd? I mu-st be dea-d... Iz thi-s the drea-m?" The snake continued to ramble for several moments concerning the reality of the situation before it blinked a few times, looked directly at Harry and began to shiver with hope. "Pl-ease, get me out of here." A single nod was Harry's only response before opening the cage and providing his hand to crawl out into. With great effort the snake slowly moved onto his hand and and cried out in rapture at the warmth provided by the body heat of his newest friend. Soon the snake had traveled up Harry's sleeve and had coiled itself around his arm and shoulder. After a few minutes the snake's head peeked out of the robes neckline before licking Harry's neck. "Your warmth is heavenly! I have been cold for so long. Thank you!" The snake waited patiently for a while content to relax and soak up the provided heat before realizing that they had not moved. "Let's get out of here." A short nod later, he and Harry were off.

Returning to Hagrid spawned an interesting experience, the sales lady at the checkout was adamant that the animal was a part of a mis-shipment that had been mistakenly delivered to the Magical Menagerie and that an Inland Taipan was not appropriate for a first year's pet. Hagrid may well have gone along with forcing Harry to return it until the proprietress let slip that the animal was going to be put down. At that point the icy glare of the two patrons with the added incentive of the hissing snake emerging from within the child's robes managed to give the sales lady a stutter and prompt her to allow them to pass quietly out the door.

As Hagrid and Harry continued to the Leaky Cauldron to leave Diagon Alley Hagrid attempted to prod Harry into conversation again. "So Harry, whatchyer gonna name im? She's a good snake, will need a proper name." It was several awkward seconds but eventually Harry broke his silence for the first time with not a word but a sound.

"Hiss..."*

OMAKE

"Diagon Alley" announced Hagrid grandly as he poked the brick wall with his umbrella in a seemingly random pattern. "You will never find a more busy hive of wizards and witches." He paused a moment to point down to a seedy looking alley off of the main path. "That down there is Knockturn Alley, a wretched hive of scum and villainy. You must be cautious never to confuse the two."

At this young Harry's eyes got wide and he rapidly looked around in all directions.

"Don't worry lad. I've just always wanted to say that ever since that muggle movie came out in 77."

For those curious as to a picture of Harry's new friend see this link, it is the black one at the top. I do know most inland taipan are brown, but I loved the picture of the black one... Forgive my artistic license and bending of reality. Besides... its a MAGICAL Inland Taipan...

http:/vinu154(dot)weebly(dot)com/the-inland-taipan(dot)html

* Re-posted with this note due to confusion: Harry does not say "Hiss", his hisses.