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Chapter 97 – Parseltongue
🕑 Added 2025-04-07 10:20:05 +0000 UTC
"I can hear the monster's voice… and understand what it's saying?"
Harry was stunned. He hadn’t expected everything to come full circle—right back to him.
But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. After all, no one else seemed to hear those strange voices.
"Harry, can you tell me what's going on?" Professor Dumbledore asked, his eyes calm but sharp.
Noah’s earlier words had sparked something in Dumbledore—insightful connections that almost made him forget the original reason for this meeting.
Not that it mattered. In Dumbledore’s view, the other matters were secondary. What truly concerned him was Harry’s ability to hear what others could not.
"I… I don’t know," Harry said, pressing his lips together. He was beginning to feel uneasy himself.
Especially after seeing the expressions on Dumbledore and the others’ faces—it made him nervous.
What was happening to him? Harry searched his memories. He didn’t remember anything this strange ever happening before.
Watching Harry’s confusion, Noah let out a soft sigh.
This guy had absolutely no idea what it meant to understand snake language. Of course, it wasn’t entirely his fault—Harry never read about this sort of thing. He focused more on flying and defense spells than magical theory.
"It seems Harry is completely unaware. That’s fine—I have a theory," Noah said, moving the discussion along.
"What is it? Please, go on," Dumbledore encouraged.
"First, let’s confirm what the creature in the Chamber of Secrets actually is. Don’t worry, Professor McGonagall. I know it's difficult, but it's not impossible to deduce. We just need a bit of verification."
He held up a hand to stop McGonagall’s protest, took a breath, and continued, "Back in the Room of Requirement, we read quite a few books—some of them revealed certain secrets… about Hagrid."
"Hagrid? Are you referring to the spider he released?" Snape frowned. He was, of course, well aware of the incident.
"Yes. The creature accused of killing a Ravenclaw student decades ago. But I don’t believe it was the spider. Its venom is deadly, but the student was killed instantly, and the spider was still small at the time."
"So, you're suggesting… Hagrid was innocent?"
"Exactly. He was charged because he couldn’t defend himself. And when he let the spider escape in a panic, it only made him look more guilty. Honestly, he was just a poor fool."
Hagrid was a bit of a fool. His half-giant blood gave him an enormous frame and incredible strength—but his personality… well, it often reflected the impulsive nature of giants. Loyal and honest, yes—but he rarely thought before acting under pressure.
Professor Dumbledore smiled faintly at Noah’s blunt description. It wasn’t kind, but it wasn’t wrong either.
"That spider was wrongly accused, too," Noah went on. "It likely had an idea of what the true monster was. Why else would its descendants flee Hogwarts once the Chamber was reopened?"
"Wait," Professor Flitwick interjected, "how can you be sure those spiders were its descendants? Just because they had eight eyes?"
"Fair point, Professor," Noah nodded, "but we can investigate. Why not ask Hagrid to take a professor to speak with the spider? Even if it doesn’t know the exact creature, it might help clear Hagrid’s name."
"So what is the monster in the Chamber of Secrets?" McGonagall asked.
"That… is something Harry might help with."
Noah threw the question right at Harry again, making him blink in disbelief.
Seriously? I thought you said you had a theory! Why are you dragging me into this again?
"Noah, I—"
"It’s okay, Harry. Don’t be nervous," Noah said calmly. "I want to ask—do you have any abilities that others don’t? Like… understanding animals, or seeing strange things since you were young?"
"Understanding animals?" Harry repeated, thinking. "Well… there was one time. At the zoo. I talked to a python and accidentally let it out of its cage. I used it to scare my cousin Dudley."
The room fell silent.
Then came the outbursts.
"Merlin’s beard!"
"Bloody hell…"
Everyone’s reaction confused Harry. He looked around. The professors wore expressions of stunned seriousness.
"What’s wrong with you guys? Come on, it’s not that weird! I bet loads of people can do that!"
"No, Harry," Ron whispered, tugging on his sleeve, looking pale. "We can’t. That talent is extremely rare. Do you know why Slytherin's house symbol is a snake?"
"No… why?"
"Because Salazar Slytherin could speak Parseltongue. He could talk to snakes."
"What?! No way—I…"
"It’s true," Hermione added softly. "He lived over a thousand years ago. If you have that ability, it means…"
Harry couldn’t speak. He felt like the ground had disappeared under his feet.
This whole situation was getting out of control. He turned instinctively to Noah—who, surprisingly, looked calm.
Then Noah suddenly snapped his fingers.
"That’s it!" he said, eyes lighting up. "It all makes sense now. Snake! Of course—if the monster guarding Slytherin’s Chamber isn’t a snake… what else could it be? Harry can understand snakes, which means he could hear it when it was slithering through the castle walls."
"You mean… the ventilation shafts?" Dumbledore asked, his expression thoughtful.
"Exactly, Professor! Everything lines up."
"Yes… but…" Dumbledore murmured, trailing off.
Things had just become more complicated.
It was not good that Harry could speak Parseltongue. Most of the students here had no idea what that meant. Aside from Salazar Slytherin, only one other person in recent memory had this gift—
Tom Riddle.
Lord Voldemort.
"Has Tom returned…?" Dumbledore wondered aloud. "Or… has this mystery become even more dangerous than we feared?"
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