"Zoe would be happy to help Vid Gray capture the Bad Elf Dobby, as soon as Zoe finds him, Zoe will definitely catch him."
Zoe said in a soft voice, her face full of enthusiasm, as if being needed made her very happy.
"Thank you, Zoe." Vid smiled and said, "If he resists, please tell him that if he wishes to gain freedom, I can help."
Zoe's round eyes examined Vid carefully, and she asked curiously, "Why would a House-Elf want to leave its master? He must be a Bad Elf."
"You can't say that."
Vid shook his head and said, "Hogwarts is a great place for House-Elves, as long as they finish their work, they won't be mistreated."
"But Zoe, some privately owned House-Elves live worse than slaves at home, they get beaten and abused at will... wanting to leave is only natural."
Zoe shook her big head and said, "Zoe can't understand, but Zoe will definitely help. Zoe will never refuse a request from Vid Gray."
Vid laughed.
"Thank you, Zoe, it's great to know you."
...
In the morning, as usual, Vid first looked in the mirror at the Mandrake Leaf in his mouth.
It was still intact.
He poured a cup of tea to rinse his mouth, then put a few pieces of gum in his mouth.
Once he got used to it, the leaf no longer affected Vid's speech or activities; at night, as long as he used the Sticky Spell, he didn't have to worry about biting the leaf or swallowing it in his sleep.
For Vid, the biggest inconvenience now was not being able to brush his teeth. Although he could use a Scouring Charm, or rinse with saltwater or tea, not brushing his teeth made him uncomfortable.
He was even more reluctant to talk to others.
Among his classmates, only Michael knew that Vid was recently studying to become an Animagus; others just thought Vid had become more silent lately.
But since he was already not very talkative, his classmates didn't notice much of a difference.
Hermione had been spending more time reading recently, and during activities at the Umbrella House, she even asked everyone to help her with some books she temporarily couldn't finish.
"Hermione, how can we finish all these?" Neville said despairingly, clutching the tasks assigned to him.
"You don't need to read every word." Hermione handed the last few books to Vid, turned around, and said to everyone, "We just need to find the legends about the Chamber of Secrets in these books."
"Chamber of Secrets?" They all looked at each other.
"That House-Elf said the Chamber of Secrets is about to be opened, I don't think it's just a randomly made-up tale, there must be some meaning to it!"
Hermione said with hands on her hips: "I remember reading something about the Chamber of Secrets before, but I can't recall it clearly!"
"But..." Padma raised her hand as if talking to a teacher, questioning, "Why are we looking up this stuff anyway? There's nothing dangerous happening at school."
"If you talk about danger, there is one thing..."
Fred's words caught everyone's attention, and he pretended to look serious and sinister, saying fiercely:
"I have a bottle of poison here, after class, one of you will drink it, and let's hope the antidote you brew passes the test! Otherwise..."
He didn't finish, but rather gave a crooked, icy smile.
"Oh, Snape..."
Harry groaned, and Neville beside him showed the same pained expression.
"It's Professor Snape!"
Hermione corrected, then pounded the table forcefully:
"Listen, everyone! We can't wait until something happens to panic, right? We should prepare by researching materials in advance, so even if something does happen, we won't be completely unprepared!"
"But... what if nothing happens?" Harry raised his hand and asked.
"Then you gain valuable knowledge!" Hermione said earnestly.
The group who didn't love reading all sighed, but under Hermione's strong, McGonagall-like pressure, they eventually opened the books.
Fortunately, their efforts finally paid off, and a day later, Leian found clues related to the Chamber of Secrets in a yellowed notebook.
"...After a fierce argument with Gryffindor, Slytherin finally left the school."
"Before leaving, he built a secret room, leaving something terrifying inside... only when his true heir comes to the school can the Chamber be opened..."
"The terror will purify the school, removing all those unworthy of learning magic..."
"What's the terrifying thing...?" Theo couldn't help but ask.
Leian flipped to the end of the notebook, shaking his head: "No one knows, but the author speculates it might be some kind of beast only Slytherin can control."
"No, Slytherin's heir can control it too." Michael pointed out sharply, speculating: "Maybe it's some kind of magic contract passed down through blood?"
"It's a snake." Vid said.
"What?" Almost everyone didn't immediately understand.
"Slytherin was a Parselmouth." Vid explained for the confused Harry, "Salazar Slytherin could speak with snakes, that's his talent."
Harry was stunned.
Michael clapped his hands: "Yes! If Parseltongue passes down through bloodlines, Slytherin's descendants would definitely speak to snakes, even control them."
"So the beast in the Chamber might be a snake?" Padma asked, "What kind of snake is that powerful?"
Vid didn't give further hints. The group discussed potential candidates from Rune Pattern Snake, Occamy, Basilisk, to Acalyptophis, Belcher's Snake, The Coastal Taipan, Black Mamba, and other venomous snakes, agreeing to research further.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Michael suddenly noticed Harry's unusual expression and asked.
"I..." Harry looked at everyone, unsure whether to tell the truth.
"Stomachache?" Neville guessed.
"Haven't finished your homework? Want to copy?" Hermione also said, "Or haven't had time to research?"
"The scar hurting again?" Theo asked.
Under the concerned gazes of everyone, Harry finally stammered, "I just wonder... is talking to snakes so unusual? Many wizards must be able to do that, right?"
"No, most people can't." Theo shook his head, "Parseltongue is very, very rare, with the most famous representative being Salazar Slytherin."
"How can you find it ordinary?" Michael couldn't help but laugh, "It's not like you can speak Parseltongue! Unless you've heard someone else..."
Michael's words stopped abruptly, and he looked at Harry in surprise, eyes slightly widening.
Harry didn't speak.
After a while, Hermione asked softly, seeing Harry's pale face: "You're not a Parselmouth, are you, Harry? You're not, are you?"
Harry looked at her and slowly nodded.
"I am."
He said.