"You're a Parselmouth! Why didn't you tell me?"
Ron's shock and excitement were written all over his face—he couldn't hide it. This was yet another layer of aura surrounding Harry Potter.
"What did you say I am?"
Driven away by the stares of classmates and teachers, Harry Potter was feeling agitated. He couldn't understand the looks everyone was giving him.
"You can talk to snakes!"
Ron exclaimed loudly, thoroughly impressed. Having the ability to talk to a certain kind of creature—that was seriously cool.
"I know about that. I once let a python out at the zoo. Scared the life out of my cousin Dudley. But that was just one time. So what? I bet a lot of people here can do it too."
Harry had a feeling something was off, but with none of the teachers stepping in to explain things, he had to rely on his own reasoning. This probably wasn't a big deal in the wizarding world, right? There were way stranger things out there. Was talking to snakes really that unusual?
"No! No one else can do it. This isn't just some random talent, Harry—it carries a darker meaning."
The door to the Gryffindor common room swung open. Regulus Black and Dumbledore entered.
Originally, the headmaster hadn't intended to get involved, but since he'd been there at the time, and happened to be right next to Regulus Black, there was no escaping it. Always staying behind the scenes wasn't an option—sometimes the old man had to step in himself.
"What do you mean, darker meaning? If I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin, then it would've..."
Harry was clearly upset by Regulus Black's comment. He was just trying to save someone, yet people completely misunderstood him.
"Oh! So that's what you were saying to the snake!"
Dumbledore calmly acknowledged this. Even though he didn't speak Parseltongue, he could understand it.
"Ron was there too. You must've heard what I said, right?"
Still lacking Dumbledore's support, Harry turned to Ron, hoping to get some backup.
"Yes! I heard it. I heard you speaking Parseltongue—it was snake language."
With the headmaster present, Ron didn't dare say anything extra. He gave a serious and straightforward answer.
"I really spoke another language? But I don't understand it. How could I speak a language I don't even know?"
With both Dumbledore and Ron confirming it, Harry had to accept that he really had spoken Parseltongue at the time. He was confused—and a little hurt. No wonder Snape and Lockhart had looked at him so strangely.
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but you were definitely telling that snake to do something. Harry, listen to me—Slytherin's house emblem is a snake because Salazar Slytherin himself was a Parselmouth. He could speak to snakes too."
Regulus Black didn't hesitate to suggest a connection between Harry and Slytherin.
Of course, those who've read the original story know that Harry Potter has no blood relation to Slytherin. The only connection is the shard of Voldemort's soul in his forehead. It's Tom Riddle who's the actual heir of Slytherin.
Harry's bloodline, on the other hand, can be traced back to the Three Brothers from the Deathly Hallows legend. The Potter family descends from the third brother—the one who possessed the Invisibility Cloak.
"That's right! Now the whole school thinks you're Slytherin's great-great-great-great-grandson."
Ron couldn't help but tease, stringing together four "greats." Honestly, that wasn't even enough—maybe ten "greats" would be closer to the mark.
"But I'm not. I can't be."
Having never looked into his family history, Harry's protest lacked strength. Truthfully, he didn't understand why being Slytherin's heir was such a bad thing. What did it matter if he was or wasn't?
"He lived a thousand years ago. Based on what we know... anyone could be his descendant."
Regulus Black placed a hand on Harry's head and gently ruffled his hair. The gesture helped Harry relax quite a bit.
"Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class is next, isn't it? If you don't want to go back to the Dueling Club, then get your homework ready here in the common room."
At Regulus Black's words, both Harry and Ron's faces fell again. Right—just because they skipped one class didn't mean they were off the hook. There were still plenty of other lessons waiting for them.
Regulus Black had dragged Dumbledore along with the intention of clearing up Harry Potter's confusion, but throughout the whole thing, Dumbledore just nodded in agreement with a calm demeanor. Oh right! He only said one thing: "Oh! I see…"
It was obvious the old man was treating this meeting as an opportunity to study Parseltongue.
"Chocolate pudding!"
Regulus Black deliberately walked ahead of Dumbledore, as if he were returning to his own room—or as if he were the new headmaster.
Regulus Black was angry. Dumbledore, walking behind him, noticed and smiled, shaking his head.
"Still some time before lunch—hope you don't mind if I have some chocolate pudding here, Headmaster."
Regulus Black picked a seat for himself, knocked on the table, and a large serving of chocolate pudding appeared on the tea table before him.
Dumbledore watched with interest as Regulus Black finished eating, showing no intention of sending him away.
"Headmaster, don't you think you should be the one to explain Parseltongue to Harry Potter?"
Regulus Black set down his cup and turned to wait for Dumbledore's response.
"There's no need for me to explain it. Whenever something happens, someone always steps in to help Harry understand. Even if it's not you, there'll be someone else. You're overthinking this, Regulus."
Dumbledore once again pulled out his candy box. If it had been a box of cockroach clusters, it would have meant he wanted the guest to leave—after all, not many could bear watching an old man gnaw on cockroaches like a zombie. But since it was a box of candy, it meant Dumbledore was ready for a long talk.
"There's a legend that Slytherin built a secret chamber in Hogwarts, right?"
Regulus Black straightened his thoughts slightly and prepared to bait Dumbledore.
"Yes, the legend says that when the four founders of Hogwarts had a disagreement, Slytherin created a secret chamber before leaving."
Dumbledore's gaze was focused on the candy box, hesitating over which piece to choose, since they all looked delicious.
"How about letting Harry Potter find the chamber? That way, his second year won't be so dull."
The ever-unethical Regulus Black tossed out the idea, clearly up to something.
"Regulus! Are you serious? The chamber isn't just a room—it houses a monster. Sending young Harry to find it would be dangerous."
Dumbledore didn't seem all that opposed, though. Clearly, as long as Regulus Black agreed to protect Harry, a few adventures weren't out of the question. After all, each one served to train Harry Potter and add another layer to his heroic glow.
"A monster? You, Headmaster, worried about a monster? If there's a monster in Slytherin's chamber, it would have to be a serpent—and among all serpent-like creatures, the most fitting would be the basilisk."
Regulus Black looked like he was about to laugh at Dumbledore. To make it to the position of Headmaster, how could he not know all of this already? Dumbledore simply wanted Regulus to say it aloud.
"The first recorded basilisk was bred by 'Herpo the Foul,' a Greek dark wizard who could speak Parseltongue. It is said to come from a magical egg laid by a seven-year-old rooster under the Dog Star and hatched by a toad. Legend has it that its gaze is its deadliest weapon: any creature that meets its eyes directly dies instantly; those who see it indirectly (such as through a mirror) are petrified. As long as food is sufficient, a basilisk can live for a very long time."
Regulus Black recited the textbook entry word for word—something Dumbledore undoubtedly knew already.
"You see, Harry Potter speaks Parseltongue. Before this so-called heir of Slytherin appeared, Harry was the only possible heir. And as a magical creature of serpent-kind, a basilisk's only weapons are its deadly gaze and venomous fangs. The only known cure for its venom is phoenix tears. And you just so happen to have a phoenix. So what is there to worry about?"
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09