Chapter 174: Learning Serpent Tongue
“You’re a Serpent Tongue? You can actually talk to snakes?” After a long pause, Neville repeated the words, as if he’d misheard.
Having spoken the Secret, Harry felt a wave of relief. He nodded and explained:
“There was this one time in the Animals Pavilion—I released a python from its glass case. I didn’t even know how I did it. Back then, I didn’t even know I was a wizard…”
“In short, when it left, I heard it say thank you… and bid me farewell.”
“A snake… said thank you?” Liam said, incredulous. “Did you hear it in English… or what?”
Harry thought for a moment. “It was English, but with an accent… like someone speaking through clenched teeth.”
“Why don’t you try it?” Wade said, pointing his wand at the feather quill on the table.
The emerald-green quill writhed, twisting and wriggling until it transformed into a slender green serpent. Its three-horned head lifted occasionally as it slithered across the tabletop.
“Say something to it, Harry,” Wade said. “Give it a command.”
Harry glanced at the others, all watching with wide eyes. Padma and Hermione instinctively leaned back, putting distance between themselves and the creature.
He stared at the magical serpent, then said carefully:
“Hello… um… can you coil up?”
The serpent looked at him, obediently winding itself into a tight spiral, its head raised, tongue flicking out like a tiny dagger, as if waiting for the next order.
Harry relaxed. He even felt a strange warmth from the creature. He looked up at the group, unsure what expressions they wore.
A faint unease stirred in his chest.
Wade spoke.
“It seems you didn’t realize—what you just made was a hiss. A real serpent’s voice.”
He paused, thoughtful. “Remarkable… learning a language normally requires memory and constant practice. But Serpent speakers… they’re born with it. As if their brains come with a built-in translator.”
Harry felt lighter. He shrugged casually and asked, “So, does Serpent Tongue sound… weird?”
“Creepy,” Wade admitted. “Anything you can’t understand just sounds… elevated.”
Wade mimicked Harry’s hiss, then asked, “What does that mean?”
Harry responded with another series of hisses.
Wade sighed. “Harry, please speak English.”
“Oh!” Harry suddenly realized he’d slipped back into Serpent Tongue. He paused, thought it through, then said, “It means ‘Hello, please coil up.’”
“And how do you say ‘thank you’?” Wade continued studying.
Harry taught him.
“Then… ‘don’t move’?”
“‘Open’?”
“‘Attack’?”
“‘Pretend to be dead’?”
Wade scribbled notes as he repeated each phrase. Harry was delighted that his knowledge was helping. He enthusiastically guided the others, eager to share.
Soon, the room filled with their alternating, eerie hisses—strange, slithering sounds that chased away the chill in the air.
The group exchanged glances. Then, as always, Hermione—the academic prodigy—pulled out her notebook.
“Why are we learning this?” Fred asked.
George shrugged. “Isn’t it cool?”
Wade tapped the feather quill-turned-serpent with his pen. “The most astonishing thing about Serpent Tongue is that even a magically conjured serpent obeys its speaker. According to logic, this serpent should follow my will. But it obeyed Harry.”
He paused, thoughtful.
“So Serpent Tongue isn’t just about talking to snakes…”
“It’s as if serpentine creatures instinctively submit to those who speak their tongue—like a natural hierarchy between master and servant.”
“Wait…” Michael said, eyes narrowing. “Does that mean… Harry, you’re a descendant of Slytherin?”
“Possibly,” Neville said slowly. “But I’ve studied the Pure-Blood family trees… the Potters never married into the Slytherin line.”
“Don’t be so sure, Neville,” Fred said, slinging an arm over his shoulder. “Slytherin lived over a thousand years ago. Who knows how many families his descendants have intermarried with? Besides, those expelled from Pure-Blood lines aren’t even recorded. Their bloodlines vanish from the records entirely.”
“The Potters never had a Serpent Tongue,” Theo added. “Maybe it’s on Harry’s mother’s side…”
“But then why was Harry sorted into Gryffindor?” Michael asked, puzzled. “The Sorting Hat should’ve put you in Slytherin.”
“Uh…” Harry hesitated. “That’s… a secret.”
The others nodded. They all agreed—refusing the hat’s choice had been the right decision.
…
The professors’ investigation of the Maze lasted a full week. Aside from discovering some leftover khat grass in the stables, they found no other clues. The other animals in the Maze hadn’t ingested anything unusual. They continued their usual routine—eating, sleeping, and being blissfully unaware.
Under intense student pressure, the Maze was finally reopened on Saturday afternoon.
But that day brought another major event: the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match.
The game had been postponed for two weeks. Sirius Black’s trial had been reopened, and the Ministry of Magic sent investigators to Hogwarts multiple times. The Weasley brothers and Harry—roommates—were frequently summoned for questioning. The match had been delayed until late November.
This week: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin.
Next week: Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff.
As the first Quidditch match of the term approached, the school buzzed with excitement. Tensions between Gryffindor and Slytherin were at a boiling point.
At eleven o’clock, students and staff began heading toward the Quidditch Pitch. Wade arrived at the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor, opened the Vanishing Cabinet, and a large, glossy black dog burst out.
It dashed around the room twice in excitement, then transformed into a tall, lean man with dark hair and gray eyes. Dressed in deep gray wizard robes, his hair was cropped short and neatly styled. His face had filled out slightly, and his eyes sparkled with a quiet intensity—strikingly handsome in a way that felt both familiar and new.
“You’re Wade? Wade Gray?” Sirius Black asked rapidly, not waiting for an answer. He bent forward and bowed deeply, then extended his hand. “Thank you so much, Mr. Gray. You’ve given me a second life.”
“Good to meet you, Mr. Black,” Wade said, shaking his hand. “I deeply admire your loyalty and courage.”
Their eyes met. Both smiled.
Both had dark hair and gray eyes. But Sirius’s eyes were slightly downturned at the corners, giving them a dog-like cast. Wade’s were rounder, with a subtle upward tilt at the outer edges.
Remus Lupin emerged from the Vanishing Cabinet next.
“Remus, you’re so slow,” Sirius said, already pacing. “The match is about to start! I need to be in the stands to watch Harry play! Let’s go!”
Before he finished speaking, he dropped to the ground and transformed back into the black dog. The animal’s body seemed to influence his thoughts—spinning in tight circles, tail whipping wildly—before he charged toward the entrance.
“Wait, Sirius Black!” Remus called, lunging forward and grabbing the dog’s tail.
Sirius yelped, nearly leaping into the air, then glared at Remus with furious eyes.
“Sorry,” Remus said quickly, releasing his grip. “You’re officially registered with the Ministry of Magic as an Animagus. And your form is far too noticeable—any student would spot you instantly.”
Sirius paused. Thought.
He shook his head, ears drooping in defeat—but still, he sidled up to Remus.
Remus tapped the dog’s head with his wand. A Disguise Charm shimmered through the air. The black dog vanished.
Then, with a burst of speed, it clawed open the door and shot out like a gust of wind.
“Sirius really wanted Harry to see him in the stands,” Remus explained to Wade. “Good thing he didn’t insist on his own thoughts.”
Wade fell silent for a moment.
“Then… if we’re using a Disguise Charm… what’s the point of being a dog in the first place?”
Remus blinked. “Oh… right. I forgot to warn him.”
Wade stared at him.
…You did that on purpose, didn’t you?
(End of Chapter)
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