"Are you a Parseltongue? Can you talk to snakes?"
After a while, Neville confirmed once again, as if he thought he had misheard.
After revealing the secret, Harry felt a sense of relief and explained in detail:
"Once, at the zoo, I let a python out of its glass enclosure. I didn't know how I did it; at that time, I didn't even know I was a wizard..."
"In short, when it was leaving, I heard it say thank you and bid me farewell."
"A snake... said thank you to you?" Leian was incredulous: "Did you hear it in English, or..."
Harry recalled: "It was English with an accent? Like someone speaking through their teeth."
"Why not give it a try?" Vid said, pointing his wand at the quill on the table.
The teal quill wriggled, and before long, it turned into a small green snake, slithering around the table with its triangular head occasionally raising.
"Say something to it, Harry," Vid said, "Give it a command."
Harry noticed everyone curiously watching him, and Padma and Hermione unconsciously leaned back, wanting to distance themselves from the snake.
He looked at the snake conjured by magic, thought for a moment, and said, "Hello? Uh... can you coil up?"
The snake looked at him, obediently coiled up, and flicked its forked tongue as if waiting for the next command.
Harry relaxed, even finding the snake somewhat endearing. He looked up at everyone, unable to discern their expressions.
A faint sense of panic welled up inside Harry.
Vid spoke up.
"It seems you didn't realize you were making hissing sounds, like a snake talking,"
He said thoughtfully, "It's fascinating... People need persistent memory and practice to learn a language. But a Parseltongue inherently speaks Parseltongue, like their brain comes with a built-in translation system..."
Harry felt more at ease and deliberately asked in a casual tone, "Does Parseltongue sound strange?"
"It has a creepy feeling... Anything incomprehensible always seems high-end." Vid imitated Harry's hissing sound, then asked, "What does it mean?"
Harry responded with a hissing sound.
Vid, helpless: "Harry, please speak English, okay?"
"Oh!" Only then did Harry realize he had reverted to Parseltongue; he thought it over before speaking, "It means 'hello, please coil up.'"
"How do you say 'thank you' then?" Vid continued to learn.
Harry taught him accordingly.
"So... don't move?"
"Open?"
"Attack?"
"Play dead?"
Vid learned while taking notes, and Harry was pleased his knowledge could be useful to others, eagerly providing guidance.
Thus, everyone listened to them taking turns making bizarre hissing noises, and the eerie feeling quickly dissipated.
They exchanged glances, and Hermione, with her studious nature, was the first to pull out a notebook.
"Why are we learning this?" Fred asked.
George shrugged, "Don't you think it's cool?"
Vid tapped the quill snake coiled next to Harry and said:
"The most incredible thing about a Parseltongue is being able to control even snakes created by magic. Supposedly, this snake should follow my will, but it listens to Harry's command instead."
"So being a Parselmouth isn't just about speaking to snakes..."
Vid pondered, "It seems snake-like creatures are naturally inclined to obey Parseltongues, like a relationship between subordinates and superiors..."
"So... Harry, are you a descendant of Slytherin?" Michael asked.
"It's quite possible," Neville hesitated and said, "But I've gone through the Pure-Blood Clan family trees... The Potter family doesn't seem to be intermarried with the Slytherin Clan!"
"Don't be so sure, Neville."
Fred wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"Slytherin was over a thousand years ago. Who knows how many families his descendants have intermarried with since? Remember, those disowned by Pure-Blood families aren't recorded in family trees, let alone their descendants."
"It seems like there hasn't been a Parseltongue in the Potter family." Theo also speculated, "Maybe it's a bloodline from Harry's mother's side..."
"Then why did Harry end up in Gryffindor?" Michael couldn't help but ask, "The Sorting Hat should have placed you in Slytherin."
"Uh... that's also a secret..."
Harry hesitated and said, "Actually, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I refused."
Everyone nodded, believing he made the right choice to refuse.
...
The professors' inspection of the Maze continued for a week, finding nothing but some remnants of Catha Edulis in the stables.
The other animals in the Maze hadn't eaten anything they shouldn't have, continuing their routine of eating and sleeping without any worries.
So, under strong protest from the students, the Maze decided to reopen on Saturday afternoon.
But on this day, there was another major event: the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Speaking of which, this match had already been postponed for two weeks.
Previously, with the retrial of Sirius' case, the Ministry of Magic repeatedly sent people to Hogwarts to investigate, frequently questioning several of the Weasley brothers and Harry in the same dormitory, resulting in the match being postponed to the end of November.
This week was Gryffindor VS Slytherin, and next week was Ravenclaw VS Hufflepuff.
As the first Quidditch match of the term approached, the atmosphere at the school became heated again, with frequent clashes between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
At eleven o'clock, teachers and students began heading to the Quidditch Pitch. Vid reached the eighth-floor Room of Requirement, opened the Disappearing Cabinet, and a sleek, shiny black dog leaped out.
It excitedly ran two laps around the room, then transformed into a tall, slender man with black hair and gray eyes.
He wore a deep gray wizard robe, his hair cut short and styled neatly, with more flesh on his cheeks and bright eyes, giving an unusual kind of handsomeness.
"Are you Vid? Vid Gray?"
Sirius spoke rapidly, not waiting for Vid to answer, he bent down to bow and extended his hand: "Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Gray. You've given me new life."
"Hello, Mr. Black." Vid shook his hand and said, "I greatly admire your loyalty and courage."
They looked into each other's eyes and shared a smile.
Both had black hair and gray eyes. However, Sirius' eye corners drooped slightly, resembling a canine; Vid's eyes were rounder, with the corners slightly upturned.
Lupin also came out of the Disappearing Cabinet.
"Remus, you're really slow." Sirius said urgently, "Isn't the match about to start? I want to go to the field and watch Harry play! Let's head out quickly!"
Before he finished, he pounced on the ground, turning back into a large black dog.
It seemed the dog's body also influenced Sirius' thoughts. He turned in place twice, wagging his tail vigorously, then dashed toward the door.
"Wait, Sirius."
Lupin quickly grabbed him, stretching out a hand to catch the dog's tail. Sirius yelped, nearly jumping three feet high, and glared back at Lupin angrily.
"Sorry," Lupin quickly let go, explaining, "Your Animagus form is too conspicuous; students would immediately notice it's not someone's pet."
Sirius thought... thought... He reluctantly shook his head, ears drooping, but still moved closer to Lupin.
Lupin tapped his wand on his head, using a Disillusionment Charm, and the black dog vanished into thin air.
Then, it eagerly used its paw to open the door and rushed out like the wind.
"Sirius actually hopes Harry sees him in the stands," Lupin explained to Vid, "It's good he didn't insist on his idea."
Vid was silent for a moment and asked, "If you need the Disillusionment Charm... then what's the point of becoming a black dog?"
Lupin suddenly seemed to remember: "Ah... I forgot to remind him..."
Vid: ...Were you actually doing it on purpose?