66. Easy.

Apparently, the peerage pieces do indeed offer one the ability to speak and understand Parseltongue.

I didn't know that. I figured they only worked for mundane languages like French or Russian. But as I stood in the Chamber of Secrets, facing down the massive bus-sized Basilisk, I realized I could understand its furious hissing. Not that it mattered.

Even with my eyes closed, my Observation Haki picked up the massive snake lunging toward me. Its speed was impressive, but nothing I couldn't handle. As its enormous head shot forward, I casually stepped to the side, feeling the rush of displaced air as its jaws snapped shut where I had been standing.

My hand reached out and touched its slimy, scale-covered skin just as millions of volts of lightning rocketed through its body.

It didn't matter what creature you were—if you had flesh and blood, an electric attack would light you up or outright kill you with enough power. The Basilisk seized up, muscles locking as the lightning coursed through it. Its massive body convulsed violently, slamming against the damp stone walls, sending dust and debris cascading down. I tightened my grip, ensuring the electricity ran through its system long enough to do the job.

After a minute, its thrashing slowed, and then, with one final spasm, its massive body slumped to the ground. Its heart had given out.

Just to be sure, I stored the Basilisk's corpse inside my Gate of Babylon. It twitched a bit inside the storage, but after a short while, it went completely still.

"Is it over?" Rachel called from across the chamber.

The only way the girls had allowed me to fight the Basilisk was if I brought them along. I didn't make the same mistake of acting alone like I had with the Devil Fruits or my meeting with Dumbledore.

"Yes, it's dead."

The moment I confirmed the kill, Serenity shot past me, her body a blur as she leapt up toward the mouth of Salazar Slytherin's statue. She slipped inside, disappearing into the dark recesses beyond. This was part of our plan—just in case there were hidden traps, a secondary chamber, or even another Basilisk. If anything went wrong, I had the ability to summon her back to my location or revive her after twenty-four hours.

I hated the idea of them risking their lives, even with the safety net of resurrection. But they hated me doing reckless things alone, so I could see their point when they got upset at me for it.

Minutes passed before Serenity reappeared, landing gracefully beside us. "Nothing but a nest—shed skins, old Basilisk teeth. No eggs, no babies."

Rachel frowned in thought. "Pretty sure Basilisks need chicken eggs and toads to be created, along with some kind of ritual. They can't breed naturally. But better safe than sorry."

I nodded, glancing back at the massive stone statue of Salazar Slytherin, its ancient features weathered by time. The Chamber of Secrets was a fascinating place, and I had no doubt that Hogwarts held even more hidden locations like this.

The corpse of the Basilisk remained safely stored in my Gate. I had plans for it—big ones. This thing was worth far more to me intact than harvested. Its blood, venom, and hide were all powerful resources, but its complete form had potential I wasn't ready to waste just yet.

As I took one last look around the Chamber, I knew this was just the beginning. There was still much to uncover, and Hogwarts had plenty of secrets left to give.

~~~~

How had we learned that we had Parseltongue exactly?

Serenity took great pleasure in her Animagus form, even if she didn't use it often. Her black mamba form was sleek and elegant, and she took full advantage of her ability to slither unnoticed through places she had no business being. When she first coiled around me in the middle of class, it had been an amusingly odd experience. The sensation of smooth scales sliding under my clothes was something I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to, but at the same time, it wasn't entirely unwelcome.

The moment she let out a low hiss, purely to tease me, was the moment we realized something strange. I understood her. Not in the way one understands a pet's moods or behavior, but in an actual, verbal way. It was as if she had spoken English, yet her mouth never formed words, only hisses.

At first, I thought I was imagining it, but when Yue and Rachel turned to me with similar expressions of shock, we knew something unusual had happened. Yue, immediately suggested that we had somehow tapped into Parseltongue. Rachel, being more cautious, wondered if it was from our peerage pieces. Regardless of the cause, the result was clear—we could understand and speak the language of snakes.

Serenity, of course, was thrilled. It meant she had another reason to spend even more time wrapped around me, whispering teasing words in a tongue no one else could comprehend. It also meant she could relay information discreetly without anyone knowing. A useful skill, considering her background as an assassin.

While Serenity rarely used her snake form, I had no such reservations about mine. My jaguar form had quickly become a favorite of Yue and Luna, both of whom adored using me as their personal mount. Yue, ever the dignified queen, enjoyed curling up against my fur, lazily reading while I rested beside her. Luna, on the other hand, was far more playful, treating my Animagus form as her personal steed as she rode around laughing. Rachel, meanwhile, simply enjoyed running her fingers through my fur, murmuring about how soft it was. Even Serenity, when she wasn't wrapped around me as a snake, would sometimes join in, lounging against my side in peaceful silence.

We had yet to reveal our Animagus abilities to Harry, Hermione, or Ron. Given Hermione's sharp intellect, I suspected she had already pieced it together. After all, we had been working on mastering our transformations over the summer, and she was too observant not to notice the signs. However, she had yet to confront us about it, likely waiting for the right moment to pry the truth from us. Harry and Ron, on the other hand, seemed blissfully unaware—though that would likely change soon enough.

For now, though, we had other things to focus on. Classes were progressing, and with Serenity now slithering her way into our lessons unnoticed, we had yet another advantage at our disposal. The year was shaping up to be more like the first year with nothing excited seeming to happen thanks to my early interference.