"Good night, Professor," Snape nodded slightly, ready to turn and leave.
At that moment, he felt a faint movement at his collar. Nagini's slender body slipped out from beneath his robes, her forked tongue flickering softly in the air.
Snape's hand shot up to push her back inside, but it was too late—Dumbledore had already noticed.
When those green slit pupils met the blue eyes behind the half-moon spectacles, a flicker of surprise crossed Dumbledore's face.
"Severus," Dumbledore's voice remained calm, yet Snape caught a subtle shift in tone, "long time no see. Don't rush off just yet—we should talk in my office."
Nagini retreated back into his robes.
"Follow me." Without waiting for a reply, Dumbledore turned toward the stairs.
On the eighth floor corridor, Nagini twisted anxiously inside Snape's sleeve, her scales scraping the inner wrist.
"Don't worry, be still," Snape hissed softly in the language only serpents understand, "he won't harm you."
Ahead, Dumbledore's footsteps hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing upward.
"I suppose this is no ordinary pet relationship, is it?" Dumbledore's voice drifted down.
"Roach string." Dumbledore whispered a command to the gargoyle stone.
The gargoyle leapt aside, revealing the spiral staircase. He turned to Snape. "Severus, when did you first learn Parseltongue?"
"Not sure exactly," Snape mused as they ascended, "perhaps when I summoned my full Patronus... but I was surprised to understand it clearly in Bob Ogden's memory."
He paused, then chose to confess. "Professor, forgive my caution. You know how Parseltongue is often linked to Dark Wizards. I kept it secret."
"Interesting. Very interesting, Severus." Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Parseltongue is usually inherited—acquired skill is nearly impossible. Or rather... unheard of."
"But," his eyes twinkled, "I've never seen anyone with a serpent Patronus before."
"Hm…" Dumbledore said. "That doesn't matter. Come in."
He gently pushed open the office door. Fawkes lifted his shimmering golden-red feathers and blinked awake.
Inside, Dumbledore sat behind his desk, motioning for Snape to take the high-backed chair opposite.
No sooner had Snape settled than Nagini slipped eagerly from his sleeve, sliding along his arm onto the desk.
A sharp chirp split the air.
Fawkes swooped down, his fiery tail tracing glowing arcs.
Nagini coiled defensively, neck flared threateningly, hissing harshly.
"Fawkes!" Dumbledore commanded, halting the phoenix.
Snape rose too, stepping between Nagini and Fawkes.
Dumbledore waved, summoning a silver light that guided the phoenix back to his perch.
The bird reluctantly obeyed but kept golden eyes fixed on the little snake.
"Seems our friends aren't quite compatible, Severus," Dumbledore's voice regained calm yet sharpened. "Where did you meet this snake? Albania? Could you be the Parseltongue mentioned by Bertha Jorkins in the Prophet?"
"Yes, in the forests of Albania," Snape whispered. "Surprisingly, Bertha was principled enough not to name me directly. Professor, she has another name—Nagini."
"How do you know her name?" Dumbledore tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
"Obvious, Professor," Snape met his gaze. "She told me herself." He deliberately paused. "You... know her?"
A brief silence filled the room, broken only by faint snores from portraits and Fawkes's occasional disgruntled chirp.
"Yes, she's an old acquaintance," Dumbledore finally spoke, eyes resting on Nagini coiled beside Snape. "Severus, would you assist me in communicating with her?"
Snape raised an eyebrow, blinking. "Aren't you the Parseltongue?"
"I only learned to understand, not converse or control snakes," Dumbledore admitted with a smile. "Like reading a foreign language without speaking it."
"I see." Snape nodded. "But I can't guarantee smooth communication. Her vocabulary is limited—mostly simple words, little abstract thought. Professor, what would you ask Nagini?"
"Ask her what she's experienced over the years," Dumbledore said.
Snape leaned toward Nagini, emitting soft hisses: "Nagini, this is Professor Dumbledore. He wishes to talk with you, to know what you have been through."
The little snake raised her head, flicked her tongue rapidly, and uttered a string of indecipherable sounds.
"Kre... Krel... dens..."
At first the broken words confused Snape, but after several attempts, he pieced it together—Nagini wasn't answering but struggling to say "Credence."
Straightening, Snape noticed Dumbledore's fingers clenching subtly on the desk.
"Credence?" Snape feigned puzzlement. "Who's that?"
Dumbledore's fingers hovered midair.
"An... old acquaintance." His gaze drifted past Snape, into the empty space behind.
"Old acquaintance? What does that mean?" Snape pressed. "What happened to him?"
The Fantastic Beasts series lacked a complete ending; after The Secrets of Dumbledore faltered, Warner Bros. abandoned continuation. Snape knew no more than the audience.
"He's gone," Dumbledore said simply, fingers steepled.
Together, they looked down at Nagini. Her emerald eyes flickered with a human-like longing.
"How do I tell her?" Snape asked, glancing at Dumbledore then back at Nagini with sympathy. "Should I tell her Credence is gone?"
"Clinging to illusions and forgetting reality is the cruelest torment, Severus," Dumbledore nodded gently.
Snape hesitated, then refrained from immediate translation. Instead, he asked, "What did Credence mean to her?"
"They were... friends," Dumbledore's voice softened, weighted with sorrow. "Two cursed souls who warmed each other in dark times."
Snape turned back to Nagini, hesitating before hissing quietly.
Suddenly, Nagini's body tensed, then sprang open like a coiled spring—
Her scales blazed brilliantly as her form expanded rapidly, breaking free from the shrinking charm like fragile paper.
A twelve-foot-long giant serpent loomed in the office center, eyes blazing with pain and fury.
The silverware smoking on the oak desk toppled, the spilled inkwell's deep blue ink staining the surface.
Almost simultaneously, Fawkes spread his wings and soared before Nagini, breathing a torrent of golden flame.
Dumbledore sprang to his feet, while Snape stepped before Nagini, his robes already singed in places by phoenix sparks.
"Fawkes, return—" Dumbledore opened his arms, conjuring a transparent shield over the desk.
The phoenix cried in confusion but flew back reluctantly to his perch.
"Nagini," Snape said, not turning away but locking eyes with her, "don't—"
His words trailed off as Nagini calmed.
The wild thrashing ceased. The giant snake's pupils reflected Snape's silhouette.
Her massive head drooped, fury replaced by sorrow. In her gaze, Snape perceived an apology.
Nagini lowered her head, gently brushing Snape's cheek with cold scales.
"Alright," Snape stroked her neck, feeling a slight tremble, "I will shrink you again."
With a flick of his wand, the shrinking charm took hold. Nagini reverted to a small snake, coiled on the desk.
Dumbledore waved his wand, restoring the overturned items.
The office returned to its former state, indistinguishable from moments before.
"Professor," Snape placed his hand beside Nagini's head, inviting her to rest it there, "what happened between Nagini and Credence?"
"Nagini is a blood curse beast," Dumbledore said after a pause, "from Indonesia. Credence... was a silent host to a restless soul."
"I know about silent hosts," Snape replied. "But blood curse beast—meaning she was once... human?"
"Yes," Dumbledore sighed deeply. "Blood curses are a special type of curse—not killing outright, but hereditary. Blood curse beasts bear these curses and eventually become permanently animal."
"Can she become human again?" Snape leaned forward.
"To my knowledge, no," Dumbledore answered starkly. "Once fully transformed, the curse is irreversible."
"Is that so?" Snape glanced at Nagini. "I thought only the Killing Curse had no counterspell. Professor, please tell me more of her story."
"They met while lost, parted at a crossroads," Dumbledore's gaze drifted to the bright night outside. "In 1927, in Paris, two outcasts rejected by society. Later, opposing sides in fighting a Dark Wizard. Perhaps Nagini once hoped to save her friend."
"She chose her path; he chose his," Snape exhaled deeply. "'Choice'—such a beautiful word."
"Our choices are as important as our abilities. I choose to stand with you, Professor—even if I speak Parseltongue."
Dumbledore smiled again.
"But," Snape continued, "there's another key figure before Tom—Gellert Grindelwald?"
"How I defeated him, my story with Grindelwald—that's a longer tale, Severus." The smile faded.
"It's late. You should rest." Dumbledore rose, motioning politely to see him out. "Tardiness on the first day isn't fitting for a boys' prefect. If you're late for tomorrow's Defence Against the Dark Arts class, I'll reconsider your suitability as boys' prefect."
"Of course, Professor." Snape swallowed the words "old fox" and extended his hand for Nagini to slip back inside his robes.
As he turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of Dumbledore standing by the window, moonlight casting him like a statue.
After leaving the office, Snape didn't head to the dormitory immediately but stopped at the door of the Room of Requirement.
"Well, Nagini can't stay like this forever," he murmured, feeling her coils inside his sleeve. "I envy Newt Scamander's suitcase... wonder how he did that."
He paced thrice before a wooden door appeared, labeled "Suitable Habitat for Serpents."
Inside was a miniature thicket—dead trees, twisted vines, a small pond—but no forest scent, no life sounds, just an empty imitation.
"This..." Snape hesitated, then called softly, "Nagini, what do you think of this place?"
She peered out briefly, then recoiled. Snape understood immediately.
The Room of Requirement was no miracle; it couldn't conjure a full ecosystem.
Reluctantly, Snape took Nagini back to the Slytherin dormitory beneath the lake.
Changing into pajamas, Nagini crawled up to rest on his shoulder.
Fortunately, Aberforth had drawn the curtains and slept quietly.
"Nagini," Snape whispered, fingers tracing her smooth scales amid the gentle lapping of lake water, "go to sleep. Remember, no biting. I'll find you a better place soon."