Chapter 600: Parseltongue
Chapter 600: Parseltongue
Albus Dumbledore had just finished hearing Severus Snape's report and was pacing in his office.
The suggestion to allow Gilderoy Lockhart to hold a Duelling Club had yielded far more gains than expected, and even he had not anticipated that Harry Potter was a Parselmouth.
In Dumbledore's memory, none of the generations of the Potter family had ever been Parselmouths, and it was clear that Harry's ability was not inherited from his family.
Years ago, when Dumbledore first saw the young Harry, he had realized that the lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead was unusual.
Over the years, Dumbledore had been speculating about what that scar meant.
Now, he was finally getting somewhere.
Perhaps the lightning scar had created some unusual connection between Harry and Voldemort.
Although it was still just a speculation, Dumbledore believed that on the night Voldemort failed to kill Harry, it was highly possible that he transferred a part of his soul to Harry, granting him the ability to speak to snakes.
Otherwise, the Sorting Hat would not have suggested that Harry belonged in Slytherin House, believing that Slytherin could help him achieve greatness.
It was worth noting that not a single member of the Potter family had ever been sorted into Slytherin.
If they had not discovered that Harry was a Parselmouth, they might never have dared to make such a bold assumption.
Ever since learning that Voldemort had created Horcruxes, Dumbledore had been secretly researching ways to destroy them.
Entrusting one's soul to a living being was undoubtedly a risky move, and given Voldemort's caution, he would certainly not put his own life at risk.
So, it must have been an accident.
However, the fact that Harry was a Parselmouth was actually good news for now.
The Chamber of Secrets could only be opened by a Parselmouth, and if they couldn't find the culprit by the end, they would have to rely on Harry to open the chamber and remove the threat of the Serpent of Hogwarts.
Of course, Dumbledore did not want to do that unless it was absolutely necessary, as it was obviously not a good thing to let an enemy lurk within Hogwarts.
If they didn't find the culprit, no one knew what might happen, and the so-called heir of Slytherin was likely to be Voldemort's Horcrux.
To completely kill Voldemort, one would need to destroy all his Horcruxes, and Dumbledore did not intend to miss this opportunity.
After all, a person's soul was not like a cake that could be cut into pieces; once it was fragmented too much, the soul would become very unstable, and no one could predict what would happen.
Dumbledore believed that the number of Horcruxes Voldemort had created should also be limited, and he intended to destroy as many as possible to reduce Harry's burden.
A sudden scream interrupted Dumbledore's thoughts, and a ball of fire rose from the golden perch just beyond the door of the office.
"It's finally begun!"
Dumbledore walked over to the perch, looked at the little chick that poked its head out of the ashes, and smiled with relief.
"Grow up quickly; I will need your help soon," Dumbledore said as he stretched out his hands to hold the little chick. He sat down behind the desk, took out the food he had prepared in advance, and fed the little chick to help it regain some energy.
He placed the chick in a warm nest and glanced at the hourglass on the table, intending to ask a house-elf to take care of the young Fawkes.
As Dumbledore withdrew his gaze, his eyes landed on a glass ball in the corner.
"This seems to be..."
Dumbledore reached out and picked up the hot glass ball. He examined the slightly rough object and recalled that Hagrid had brought it, saying it was a detection ball made by Albert Anderson, which could detect dark creatures.
"He's indeed an impressive fellow," Dumbledore said, feeling the heat emanating from the detection ball and falling into a brief reverie.
According to Hagrid, Mr. Anderson had already guessed that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was most likely the legendary Serpent of Hogwarts.
Perhaps Mr. Anderson had also found the approximate location of the chamber.
Dumbledore remembered the last time Albert had led him to find the crown, and he couldn't help but be impressed. Maybe this time, he would lead him to the chamber.
Most geniuses were usually ambitious, just like he had been in his younger days. Now, Dumbledore only hoped that his old friends could guide Albert down the right path.
As for whether the Serpent would pose a threat to Albert, Dumbledore was not worried. He knew that Albert was always cautious and would not be unprepared, knowing about the presence of the Serpent.
If Albert knew what Dumbledore was thinking, he would have spluttered in indignation.
At that moment, Albert was testing the detection ball's effective range with Hagrid, but the results were unsatisfactory. The range was too wide, at least 500 feet.
If they were using it outside of school, a wider range would naturally be better. However, using it within the school would encompass the entire castle, which defeated the purpose.
"You don't seem very satisfied?" Hagrid asked as he tossed the almost-frozen Grindylow into the fireplace to warm up. He then took a copper kettle from the hearth and made Albert a cup of hot tea.
"I've discovered that the detection ball has quite a few drawbacks when used within the castle," Albert said, placing the hot detection ball on the table and taking a sip of his tea. He added, sounding a little dejected, "Maybe I should modify it slightly."
"It would be best if it could mark or indicate the location of dark creatures," Hagrid suggested. "If it could be done before the Christmas holidays, that would be even better."
"That might be a bit challenging," Albert said, turning to look at Hagrid. "You don't want to use this to find the hidden monster, do you?"
"Why not?" Hagrid did not hide his thoughts.
"I suggest you give up on that idea," Albert advised, not optimistic about Hagrid's plan.
The detection ball was only meant to be a precautionary measure for Albert to avoid being caught off guard by the Serpent. It was not meant to be a radar for detecting dark creatures, and it would take a significant amount of time to modify it to that extent. He did not think he could accomplish that in a short time.
Seeing Hagrid's disappointed expression, Albert casually changed the subject. "Have you heard the news?"
"What news?" Hagrid asked.
"Harry is a Parselmouth."
"Harry's a Parselmouth?" Hagrid looked shocked. "How is that possible? Tell me what happened."
Albert recounted the events of the last Duelling Club to Hagrid.
"Now the entire school suspects that Harry is the heir of Slytherin," Albert said to Hagrid. "His life hasn't been easy lately."
"How could Harry possibly go around attacking people? These are all slanders!" Hagrid looked agitated, having experienced being wrongfully accused himself. He did not want Harry to go through the same thing.
"Calm down, Hagrid," Albert said soothingly. "I think Slytherin would never want his heir to be a Gryffindor student."
"Is Harry really a Parselmouth?" Hagrid asked suddenly.
"Yes, but Parseltongue is just a rare ability. Historically, there have been great and kind wizards who were Parselmouths as well," Albert explained calmly. "Abilities themselves are neither good nor evil."
"You're absolutely right," Hagrid agreed with Albert's viewpoint.
(End of Chapter)
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