HP : The Chronicles

Chapter 109: Chapter 109 : Whispers of the Serpent



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"The second time, was right before Mrs. Norris was petrified. Adrian, Ron and Hermione had managed to get stack at Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party without food and I had, kind of, ditched them to go to the Halloween feast; I decided to ask the house elves to prepare something for them and take it to the Common Room when I heard the voice, claiming it wanted to kill, heading towards the Great Hall; I had just read the message on the wall when Adrian showed up; I hid behind the tapestry and mingled with the students when the feast was over."

"And why didn't you tell me then?" Severus asked confused.

"I wanted to, but I thought… I just wanted to have a better explanation than being crazy before I said anything." Harry looked ashamed as he admitted why he was avoiding him; it was silly of course, Harry thinking that he could ever believe him crazy, Severus thought.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" The potions master asked.

"Yeah."

"And I want you to; even if it is about voices you hear that shouldn't be there." He thought of his statement a bit better. "Especially if it is about voices you hear." He corrected.

"Do you…" Harry gulped. "Do you think if I had told you sooner Colin wouldn't…"

"No. Don't shoulder the blame for that too." Severus warned him. "We have no idea what's responsible for these attacks and who this Heir is. Well, Dumbledore seems to know, but even he couldn't do anything to prevent the latest attack." Harry nodded once, not completely convinced.

"Anyway, the third time I heard it was tonight; I followed it all the way to the place where I found Colin. But I was already on the way to tell you. After Dobby popped in last night…"

"Dobby?" Severus asked confused.

"A house elf that visited my brother last night…" Harry explained, narrating what he had heard. The potions master rubbed his eyes tiredly; how could a house elf know what was to happen in Hogwarts before it did? How could an elf know about the attacks? And if the elf, Dobby, did know, why did he warn Adrian and not the Headmaster?

"Let's take one thing at a time here before I lose my mind." Severus suggested.

"Okay."

"First of all, promise you will always come to me when something bothers you; the way I see it, hearing you out and helping every way I can is in my job description." Harry smiled.

"I promise, Dad." Severus smiled back.

"Now, back to that voice; I believe we can say for sure that it's not a product of your imagination." Severus explained. "It has led you to the place of the attacks twice already."

"So you think that the voice and the attacks are connected?" Harry asked.

"Admit you have already thought about it, even fleetingly." Severus stated, cocking an eyebrow. Harry nodded; he had thought about it, but only after the second attack. After all, the first time he heard the voice there had been no petrified victim to account for.

"After tonight I did, yes."

"And if it's not just in your mind, it's real. And if it's real, why are you the only one hearing it?" Severus asked, the question sending both of them into a contemplative silence.

Harry concentrated, gathering his tired mind as better as he could. What made him different than the rest of the present occupants in the castle that could lead him into hearing voices? Well, he was an alchemist,Harry thought, but hearing voices -just like in most magical arts, with perhaps the notable exception of Divination- was generally frowned upon amongst alchemists too. His eyes widened at the next possible solution; on one hand it would make sense, as, in essence, he did possess an ability allowed him to hear voices that others didn't and, on the other hand, it would make no sense at all. For why would a snake be attacking Muggleborn students?

"Sev?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Any ideas?"

"Just one."

"And that would be?" The potions master urged him on.

"Could me being a Parselmouth have had anything to do with that voice I've been hearing?" Severus cocked an eyebrow as he pondered the green eyed boy's suggestion. Because while, yes, it was the most viable explanation -when Salazar Slytherin got involved snakes always followed- it didn't quite foreshadow well.

"It most probably does." The potions master agreed, nodding absentmindedly. "But I'm not sure if that's reassuring."

"You'd rather I'd gone mental?" Harry asked with a soft smirk.

"No. Not really." The potions master agreed, his expression still one of worry. "Still, you do realize that, if it's indeed a snake you're hearing -and what else could it be with the Heir of Slytherin supposedly in Hogwarts?- then it's a snake with homicidal tendencies, strongly prejudiced against Muggleborns and with the ability to petrify them. And it's somehow slithering unseen around the castle, at the beck and call of whoever this supposed heir is." Harry leaned back on his chair.

"I see your point." He admitted. "What I don't understand is," Harry begun after a lengthy pause "what kind of snake could do something like that? What species has the power to petrify?"

"That, Harry, is yet another good question." Severus stated, making a mental list of the abilities of each kind of snake he knew. Many could poison, some had magical properties of various types and many -magical or not- could kill. But petrify? "And one I'm afraid I can't answer." The potions master concluded with a sigh. He could already feel a massive headache coming his way.

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