The snake shedding from the Snake Monster is a treasure; it can be used in both Magic Potion and Alchemy.
Even if he couldn't use it himself, he could sell it for a good price—or perhaps give it to Professor Snape as a Christmas gift, since that proud old bat... well, old professor did help him somewhat.
After putting away the snake shedding, he continued walking while using Revelio, trying to detect any potential enemies.
Upon reaching the tunnel's end, Harry discovered a solid wall in front of him with two intertwined snakes carved on it, their eyes set with large, sparkling emeralds.
This must be the place, he thought.
As he stared at the entangled snakes, Harry couldn't help but silently criticize Slytherin.
Truly a founder of Slytherin House, who not only embedded the Serpent Tongue in his lineage but also liked to make everything into snake mechanisms… He even kept a Snake Monster in the school.
No wonder people say Slytherin was a mad old man, he thought.
Thinking this, he spoke in a low, hoarse voice, a hiss: "Open!"
As his words fell, the two snakes on the wall wriggled for a moment, and then the stone wall cracked open from the middle, slowly slid to the sides, then magically disappeared.
Harry stepped inside and found himself in a spacious, dimly lit room—not a stone-walled tunnel anymore.
In front of him were many stone pillars engraved with coiling snakes, towering and supporting a ceiling that faded into the darkness above. The dim light threw long, eerie shadows across the room filled with a mysterious green glow.
Harry cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, cautiously moving forward while occasionally using Revelio to probe for nearby creatures.
Reaching a point parallel to the last stone pillar, Harry found a Wizard Statue standing at the room's end.
The statue was level with the entire room, and its face was that of an old man with a sparse, long beard hanging down to his feet.
This must be Slytherin, he thought.
Approaching, he looked up and saw a line of crooked, snake-like writing engraved next to the Slytherin statue.
The writing wasn't in English but in Serpent Tongue.
He instinctively read it aloud.
"Speak to me, Slytherin—the greatest of the Hogwarts Four."
Upon finishing his words, Harry suddenly noticed that the statue of Slytherin suddenly opened its mouth wide, revealing a round, thick black hole.
It seemed as if something was stirring inside, making rustling sounds.
It's the Snake Monster!
In a flash, Harry knew what he should do.
Without a word, he waved his Magic Wand and transformed his clothes into the style of Slytherin.
Then, thinking it was not safe enough, he waved his wand again to temporarily change his hair to resemble Omnius's.
He snapped his fingers, and a layer of white film appeared before him through the Transformation Spell.
Sure enough, an incredibly thick, giant Snake Monster slithered out from the open mouth of the Slytherin statue, coiling around the statue.
Harry could feel that the giant snake seemed to be scrutinizing him.
"Who are you?" a hissing voice sounded, "You are not the young master—who are you really?"
"Young master?" Harry hissed back, "Who do you mean by the young master—who is it?"
"Tom Riddle," the Snake Monster hissed again, "It was he who awoke me from my slumber… He bears Slytherin's blood, naturally my young master…"
Because he carries Slytherin's blood, he is your young master?
Harry thought of Slytherin's usual ideology, then linked it to Voldemort's strict pure-blood identification criteria.
Could this Snake Monster determine its master based on blood lineage?
He decided to inquire further, as the Snake Monster hadn't attacked, likely because his Serpent Tongue left it unsure.
Oh, Harry's Serpent Tongue wasn't just natural; he had undergone special training from the Gaunt family, making it arguably as authentic as Marvolo Gaunt's Gaunt's Accent.
He considered testing it.
"Is it just because he freed you that you decided to serve him?" Harry asked.
The Snake Monster hissed in reply: "No, because he is the last of Slytherin's bloodline… But I'm curious why anyone besides him can converse with me, and your words compel me to obey even more than his…"
Case solved, Harry believed his guess was correct.
This Snake Monster didn't care who freed it; it only cared about the purity of blood.
With this realization, Harry decided to enlighten the Snake Monster.
"You bring shame to Slytherin, little snake," he mimicked a villain's exasperated tone, "You were deceived by a mixed-blood mongrel!"
"Mixed-blood mongrel?" the Snake Monster paused in shock.
"Let me tell you! Little snake!" Harry declared angrily, "Do you know? His mother, my niece, fell for a Muggle, used a Love Potion to seduce him, resulting in this Tom Riddle! Let me tell you, he is just a filthy, mixed-blood Mudblood, daring to impersonate a great Slytherin heir! What angers me more is that you actually believed him!"
Upon hearing Harry's words, the Snake Monster was taken aback.
If Harry could look into its eyes, he would see confusion and struggle clearly reflected there.