Chapter 174: Learning Parseltongue

"You're a Parselmouth? You can talk to snakes?" 

After a long pause, Neville asked again, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

Now that his secret was out, Harry felt a sense of relief. He explained in more detail:

"Once, at the zoo, I somehow let a python out of its glass case. I didn't know how I did it—I didn't even know I was a wizard back then…"

"Anyway, as it was leaving, I heard it say 'thank you' and it even said goodbye to me."

"A snake… said thank you to you?" Ryan couldn't believe it: "Did you hear it in English, or…?"

Harry thought back. "It sounded like English, but with an accent. Sort of like someone speaking through clenched teeth."

"Why not give it a try?" Wade suggested as he pointed his wand at the feathered quill on the table.

The green-feathered quill began to twist and writhe until it transformed into a small green snake. It slithered across the table, lifting its triangular head from time to time.

"Say something to it, Harry," Wade urged. "Give it a command."

Harry saw that everyone was looking at him curiously. He noticed that Padma and Hermione instinctively leaned back, wanting to keep some distance from the snake.

Looking at the conjured snake, Harry thought for a moment and said, "Hello? Uh… please coil up?"

The snake looked at him, then obediently coiled itself up. It raised its head and flicked its tongue, as if waiting for further instructions.

Harry felt more at ease, even finding the little snake oddly endearing. He glanced at the others, uncertain of their expressions.

A faint sense of unease crept up on him.

Wade spoke up. 

"It seems you didn't realize—you were just making a hissing sound, like a snake whispering."

He continued thoughtfully, "It's fascinating… For most people, learning a language takes consistent memory and practice. But Parselmouths seem to just know Parseltongue, as if their brain has a built-in translation system…"

Harry relaxed a little and asked casually, "Does Parseltongue sound strange?"

"It's a bit eerie… anything incomprehensible sounds mysterious," Wade replied, and then imitated Harry's hissing sounds and asked, "What does that mean?"

Harry responded with another hiss.

Wade sighed. "Harry, could you please speak in English?"

"Oh!" Harry realized he'd slipped back into Parseltongue. After thinking about it for a moment, he translated, "It means, 'Hello, please coil up.'"

"How do you say 'thank you'?" Wade continued his Parseltongue lesson.

Harry taught him.

"And… 'don't move'?"

"'Open'?"

"'Attack'?"

"'Play dead'?"

Wade practiced each phrase, and made notes as he went, while Harry, pleased that his skill could be useful to others, eagerly guided him.

The rest of the group listened to the eerie hissing sounds as the two went back and forth, but the initial chill in the air quickly faded.

The others exchanged glances, and soon Hermione, true to her studious nature, pulled out her notebook.

"Why are we learning this?" Fred asked.

George shrugged. "Don't you think it's cool?"

Wade tapped the feathered snake coiled beside Harry with his pen and said, 

"The most fascinating thing about Parselmouths is that they can even control snakes created by magic. Technically, this snake should follow my commands, but it listened to Harry instead."

"So Parseltongue isn't just about talking to snakes…" Wade mused. "It seems like snake creatures instinctively obey Parselmouths, almost like a relationship between lower and higher beings…"

"So, Harry, are you a descendant of Slytherin?" Michael asked.

"It's possible," Neville said hesitantly, "but I've looked at the pure-blood family trees… and the Potter family didn't intermarry with the Slytherin line."

"Don't be so sure, Neville." 

Fred said, and put his arm around him.

"Slytherin lived over a thousand years ago. Who knows how many families his descendants intermarried with? And remember, anyone disowned by a pure-blood family wouldn't appear in those records, and neither would their descendants."

"As far as I know, there's never been a Parselmouth in the Potter family," Theo added, "but maybe it's from Harry's mother's side…"

"Then why is Harry in Gryffindor?" Michael asked. "The Sorting Hat should have put you in Slytherin."

"Uh… that's… also a secret…"

Harry hesitated, then said, "Actually, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I refused."

Everyone nodded, agreeing he made the right choice.

…

The professors' inspection of the maze lasted a week, but aside from some remnants of Scurvy-grass found in the stables, there were no other clues.

None of the other animals in the maze had eaten anything unusual; they continued their daily routine of eating and sleeping without any issues.

After strong protests from the students, the maze was scheduled to reopen on Saturday afternoon.

But another big event was also happening that day: the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match.

This match had already been postponed by two weeks. 

With Sirius Black's case being reviewed, the Ministry of Magic sent people to Hogwarts several times to investigate and frequently interviewed the Weasley siblings and Harry, causing the match to be rescheduled to late November.

This week would be Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, followed by Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff next week.

As the first Quidditch match of the term approached, excitement reignited in the school, with frequent clashes between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Around eleven o'clock, students and teachers began heading to the Quidditch pitch. Wade went to the Room of Requirement on the 7th floor, opened the vanishing cabinet, and a large, sleek black dog darted out.

The dog excitedly ran two laps around the room before transforming into a tall, lean man with black hair and gray eyes.

He wore a dark gray wizard's robe, his hair was neatly cut and groomed. He had a bit more flesh on his cheeks than before, giving his bright eyes a distinct handsomeness.

"So, you're Wade? Wade Grey?" 

Sirius said quickly, and did not wait for a response before bowing slightly and extending his hand. "Thank you so much, Mr. Grey. You've given me a new life."

"Hello, Mr. Black," Wade shook his hand and said, "I admire your loyalty and courage."

They looked at each other and smiled. 

Both had black hair and gray eyes, though Sirius's eyes had a droop at the corners, somewhat doglike, while Wade's were rounder, with slightly upturned edges.

Lupin then emerged from the cabinet.

"You're slow, Remus," Sirius said eagerly. "The match is about to start, right? I want to see Harry play! Let's hurry up!"

Before he finished speaking, he dropped to the floor and transformed back into the big black dog.

The dog's instincts seemed to influence Sirius's thoughts; he spun around in place, his tail wagged furiously, and then he leaped toward the door.

"Hold on, Sirius!"

Lupin quickly grabbed him, catching the dog by the tail. Sirius let out a yelp, nearly leaping three feet in the air as he turned to glare at Lupin.

"Sorry," Lupin quickly released him and explained, "You're registered with the Ministry as an Animagus now, and your form is very recognizable. The students would recognize you right away."

Sirius…thought…and reluctantly let his ears droop, moving closer to Lupin.

Lupin tapped his head with his wand, casting a Disillusionment Charm, making the black dog disappear from sight.

The dog eagerly pawed open the door and raced off like the wind.

"Sirius really wanted Harry to see him in the stands," Lupin explained to Wade. "Luckily, he didn't insist on it."

After a moment, Wade asked, "But if he has to use a Disillusionment Charm…what's the point of turning into a dog?"

Lupin paused, then seemed to remember, "Ah… I forgot to remind him…"

Wade: …Did you do that on purpose? 

--------------------------------

🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! 

Your support is greatly appreciated!

Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!

Early access to the following translations:-

⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +158 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day

⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460

⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters

⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450

p@treon.com/Lightreaper457

--------------------------------