The trio walked out of the Great Hall and followed a stone path to an open area.
It’s now a little after 9 p.m. and it’s become completely dark.
“What is going on? Why are you guys acting so weird?” Harry asked irritably as he broke free from their grasp.
Ron gave him a long glance, “Harry, you’re exposed.”
“What-” Harry suddenly choked as tremendous fear gripped his guts, “You mean, that Parseltongue thing?”
“We heard you just talking to that big black snake, in another language.”
Ron’s words kept his heart sinking as he desperately tried to justify himself, “But I was trying to save Justine’s life! If I hadn’t told the snake not to attack him-”
“Is that what you were saying?” Ron interrupted him.
“Of course! You were there. …”
“Mate, the look on your face when you were talking, it was a bit scary … like you were giving it some command, goading it to keep attacking or something.”
Hermione said somewhat sadly, “Harry, I think the … possible reason for this is because the Parseltongue just sounded very evil, and your voice at the time was kind of a raspy hiss with a horrible echo that sounded creepy.”
“Professor Hap said that Slytherin was also a dark wizard in the eyes of others because he had no qualms about manipulating snakes with the Parseltongue gift and making them do his bidding.”
On the other end, Felix approached Dumbledore later in the evening and the two talked for a long time.
“Felix … your perceptiveness amazes me, I will inform the portraits and professors of the castle to work hard for a while longer, until the Christmas holidays, when most young wizards will go home, at that time, the castle will be quite empty. We can start a full search …”
“Sir Dumbledore, have you given any thought about the Parseltongue?”
“Yes, perhaps Parseltongue is the key to opening the Chamber of Secrets, but I think that there will be something you can do, Felix?”
“Sure. But, about the dueling club …”
Dumbledore was non-committal, “If Professor Lockhart doesn’t object, I have no problem with that.”
Would Lockhart object? Then the dueling club is already his.
Felix got up with satisfaction and took a few steps out, he suddenly stopped, “With all due respect, Headmaster Dumbledore, haven’t you considered telling Harry Potter directly? He and his friends also have been following the clues to the Chamber of Secrets as well.”
Dumbledore lapsed into silence, “I can’t be certain yet, Felix. Harry’s Parseltongue reminds me of a few things that I have to figure out …”
…
That night, Harry tossed and turned, unable to sleep, he gazed through the gaps in the curtain at the snowflakes drifting across the castle windows, his mind at a loss.
He once again remembered the advice of the Sorting Hat to him.
“I belong to Gryffindor.” He once again emphasizes it to himself.
Originally, Harry thought this day would be his second most difficult day of this school year (the first being the day when Ron received a Howler from Mrs. Weasley), but he found out he is wrong; the next morning the news spread throughout Hogwarts and everyone is looking at him strangely.
As if the next moment, he would suddenly open his mouth which is brimming with fangs, and bite their heads off.
For most of the afternoon, Harry hid in the abandoned classroom in the basement, watching Hermione brewing ployjuice potion with Ron.
Harry watched as Hermione threw bunches of twigs into the crucible, and he suddenly remembered something, “Hermione, what happened yesterday when you said Professor McGonagall was looking for you?”
Ron lifted his head and stopped dozing.
Hermione’s expression came alive for a moment as she happily announced, “My paper is finally going to be published.”
Harry had nearly forgotten about it, he was full of anticipation, but now more than three months had passed, and the thesis had completely cleared from his mind.
“It’s strange that it took so long to get published,” Ron said.
“That’s because it took me over two months just to revise the thesis, not to mention the time I had to add reviewing it. They sent me a manuscript acceptance letter yesterday, a copy of the Daily Prophet, and a sample issue of Who Will Define Ancient Runes – forwarded by Professor McGonagall.”
The little witch is in a good mood as she poked some leeches right into the bottom of the pot and kept stirring.
“Why are there two issues in the newspaper?” Ron asked, puzzled.
“The body of the paper is in the Who Will Define Ancient Runes magazine, but the Daily Prophet also reported about it,” Hermione said, with narrowed eyes, she seems very satisfied with it.
Both the Daily Prophet and Who Will Define Ancient Runes have been carefully stored away for her to bring it back home for the summer.
After Friday, it’s finally time for the weekend.
On Saturday morning, the trio holed up in a corner of the common room, Harry’s mood growing more and more irritable as he felt that everyone who passed by him would give him a deliberate glance, and even the sound of their voices would suddenly lower.
But the attitude of the Gryffindor young wizards really can not be considered worse, now when Harry walked out, he has the effect of clearing out a corridor, the deterrent effect is comparable to the castle keeper Mr. Filch.
Since the cat he kept was petrified, this gentleman recently adopted a different strategy than before – hiding in the shadows, waiting for the violating little wizards to come to his door.
By virtue of his familiarity with the castle, he had caught three couples in a row who were hiding and dating against the ban, scaring the little wizards of Hogwarts.
Near noon, Professor McGonagall came by to collect the list of students who will be staying for Christmas, as she does every year during the second week of December.
The three of them found Malfoy’s name in it, and they coincidentally chose to stay in school.
After Professor McGonagall left, Harry and Ron were bored playing wizard’s chess, and sighing from time to time.
Just when Hermione couldn’t resist saying something, an owl flew in and landed on her shoulder.
Hermione opened the letter on the owl’s leg, which is a sticky note.
“It’s from Professor Hap.” She glanced up at Harry and Ron and said in a slightly odd tone, “He invited Harry to join me to his office tonight, saying it’s important.”
Harry is somewhat stupefied.
————
7:00 PM.
The three of them walked towards the Ancient Runes office, and Ron suddenly asked somewhat uneasily, “Can I come too? I mean, Professor Hap only looking for Harry …”
“You’ve asked this for the third time, Professor Hap has mentioned you and said that you are more than welcome if you are interested,” Hermione said impatiently.
The trio stood in front of the door, and she knocked, then pushed the door open.
Professor Hap is leaning over his desk looking at a book, a rare sarcastic smile on his face.
This expression is quite rare, and Hermione quickly glanced at the title of the book, “Armando Dippet: Master or Moron? , the author is Rita Skeeter.
The young witch found a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table, with Headmaster Dumbledore’s picture on the front page and the headline “Dumbledore’s Big Blunder”.
Her curiosity immediately aroused, but Professor Hap had pressed the book on top of the newspaper.
Hermione: “…”
“Professor Hap, good evening.” Harry greeted formally.
” Here, you are, have a seat.”
Felix sat on a sofa, which is opposite of three young wizards.
“Professor, what can I do for you?” Harry got apprehensive, don’t mention the Parseltongue.
“Harry, you’re a Parseltongue.”
Harry: “…”
“Professor, I swear, it was never me who opened the Chamber of Secrets, there’s another Parseltongue in the castle, and he’s the heir of Slytherin!” Harry yelled excitedly, he even came close to blowing his own cover about the Polyjuice potion and Malfoy.
“Calm down,” Felix summoned three glasses of orange juice with his wand, “No one said you opened the Chamber of Secrets.”
“Then you were looking for me–”
Harry is somewhat puzzled, but from across the room, Professor Hap gestured at the orange juice floating in front of him, so he picked up the glass and took a sip.
Hermione and Ron also took small sips.
“My purpose in seeking you is simple, I want to learn Parseltongue.”
“Pfft!”
“Cough cough cough!”
“Cough!”
“Professor, what did you say?” Harry felt inconceivable, he would have given anything to get rid of his Parseltongue gift. But now, someone is actually taking the initiative to learn this Parseltongue?
———-
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