Chapter 173: Snake Whisperer (Parselmouth)

"Zoe is happy to help Wade Grey find that bad elf, Dobby. If Zoe sees him, Zoe will definitely catch him," Zoe said softly, and her face was full of enthusiasm, as though she was delighted just to be needed.

"Thank you, Zoe," Wade said with a smile. "If he resists, please tell him that if he hopes to gain freedom, I can help."

Zoe's round eyes studied Wade carefully, and she asked curiously, "Why would any house elf want to leave their master? He must be a bad elf."

"You can't say that." 

Wade shook his head and said, "Hogwarts is a good place for house elves. As long as they do their work, they aren't treated harshly."

"But, Zoe, some house elves who serve private families live worse than slaves, suffering beatings and abuse… Wanting to leave is only natural."

Zoe shook her large head. "Zoe doesn't understand, but Zoe will help. Zoe will never refuse a request from Wade Grey."

Wade smiled. "Thank you, Zoe. It's so wonderful to know you."

…

In the morning, Wade, as usual, looked in the mirror to check the mandrake leaf in his mouth.

It was still perfectly intact.

He poured a glass of tea to rinse his mouth, then popped a few pieces of gum in. 

By now, he was so used to it that the leaf no longer affected his speech or activities. At night, as long as he used the sticking charm to keep it secure, he didn't have to worry about biting it in his sleep or accidentally swallowing it.

For Wade, the biggest drawback was not being able to brush his teeth. Though he could use cleaning spells or rinse with salt water or tea, not brushing his teeth made him feel uncomfortable.

It made him even less inclined to talk to others.

Among his classmates, only Michael knew that Wade was learning Animagus transformation; others just thought he had grown more silent lately.

But he was never a big talker, so they didn't notice much difference.

Hermione had recently been spending more time reading, and during the activities in the Umbrella Room, she even asked everyone to help her with the books she couldn't finish for the time being.

"Hermione, how can anyone finish all of this?" Neville asked, holding his assigned reading with a look of despair.

"No need to read every word," Hermione said, handing the last few books to Wade. She turned to the group and added, "We just need to look for any legends about the Chamber of Secrets in these books."

"The Chamber of Secrets?" The group exchanged glances.

"That house-elf mentioned that the Chamber of Secrets is going to be opened. I don't think it's just idle gossip—there must be some meaning behind it!" 

Hermione said with her hands on her hips, "I remember reading something about the Chamber of Secrets before, but I can't recall the details!"

"But…" Padma raised her hand, like she was talking to a teacher, and asked, "Why are we even looking this up? Nothing dangerous has happened at school."

"Well… there is one thing that could be considered dangerous…" 

Fred's words caught everyone's attention as he feigned a serious, ominous look and said darkly:

"I have a bottle of poison here. After class, one of you will have to drink it. I hope the antidote you brew is up to standard! Otherwise…"

He didn't finish, but gave a sinister, crooked smile instead.

"Oh, Snape…" 

Harry groaned, and Neville next to him wore a similarly pained expression.

"Professor Snape!" Hermione corrected, and slapped her hand on the table firmly. 

"Listen up, everyone! We can't just wait around until something happens and then panic, right? By researching in advance, even if something does happen, at least we'll be somewhat prepared!"

"What if nothing happens, though?" Harry asked, raising his hand.

"Then you've gained valuable knowledge!" Hermione replied earnestly.

The group, who weren't too fond of reading, sighed heavily, but under Hermione's determined, and almost McGonagall-like insistence, they finally opened their books.

Thankfully, their efforts eventually paid off. A day later, Ryan found a clue about the Chamber of Secrets in an old, yellowed notebook.

"… After a fierce argument with Gryffindor, Slytherin ultimately left the school."

"Before leaving, he built a hidden room, leaving something terrifying in the Chamber… only his true heir can open it when they arrive at the school…"

"Terror will cleanse the school, purging all who are unworthy of learning magic…"

"A terrifying thing… what could it be?" Theo couldn't help but ask.

Ryan flipped to the end of the notebook and shook his head. "No one knows, but the author speculated it's some kind of beast that only Slytherin could control."

"No, Slytherin's heir could control it too," Michael pointed out sharply, then speculated, "Maybe it's a magical contract that passes down through the bloodline?"

"It's a snake," Wade said.

"What?" The others didn't quite understand at first.

"Slytherin was a Parselmouth," Wade explained, and noticed Harry's confused expression. "Salazar Slytherin could speak to snakes; it was his unique ability."

Harry was stunned.

Michael snapped his fingers. "Of course! If Parseltongue passes down through the bloodline, then Slytherin's descendants would also be able to speak to snakes—even control them."

"Then could the creature in the Chamber be a snake?" Padma asked. "What kind of snake would be that powerful?"

Wade didn't elaborate further. The group tossed around ideas, naming various serpents from Runespoor to Occamy, Basilisk to Sea Serpent, Belcher's Sea Snake, Inland Taipan, and Black Mamba, each resolving to research more.

"Harry, are you all right?" Michael noticed Harry's unsettled expression.

"I…" Harry looked around, unsure if he should reveal the truth.

"Stomach ache?" Neville guessed.

"Didn't finish your homework? Want to copy someone's?" Hermione chimed in. "Or didn't have time to do any research?"

"Is it your scar hurting again?" Theo asked.

Under their concerned gazes, Harry finally stammered, "I just… Is speaking to snakes really so unusual? Aren't there a lot of wizards who can do that?"

"No, most people can't," Theo said, and shook his head. "Parselmouths are extremely rare. The most famous one was Salazar Slytherin."

"Why would you think it's common?" Michael chuckled. "It's not like you can speak Parseltongue yourself! Unless you once heard someone say that they…"

Michael's sentence trailed off as he stared at Harry in surprise, and his eyes widened slightly.

Harry stayed silent.

After a long pause, Hermione, noticing his pale expression, asked softly, "You're not a Parselmouth, are you, Harry? You're not, right?"

Harry looked at her, then slowly nodded.

"I am." 

He said.

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