Chapter 39: Rift
Chapter 39: Rift
Nobody cared about the duelling club anymore. Evan, Ron, and Hermione pulled Harry out of the Great Hall they were followed by Colin and Ginny.
People were moving out of the way quickly like they were afraid Harry was going to kill them.
Harry looked slightly puzzled; he didn’t know what was going on. No explained anything to him as they dragged him to the empty Gryffindor common room.
Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, “You’re a parseltongue, why didn’t you tell us?”
“I’m a what?” asked Harry
“parseltongue! It means you can talk to snakes.”
“I know I can, this is the second time I’ve done it,” said Harry. “I did one time in a zoo when I accidentally let a big snake out and my cousin Dudley….. it’s a long story but I bet a lot of people can do it.”
“They can’t,” said Ron while frowning, “It’s not common, Harry.”
“Yes, it is bad!” said Ginny who was sitting by Evan.
“What’s so bad about it?” asked Harry, ���What’s wrong with everybody? Look, if I didn’t tell the snake not to attack Justin then…”
“So that’s what you said to him.”
“Ron, what do you mean, you were there, you to Evan, Hermione, Colin, and Ginny, you were all there, you heard me.”
“I only heard a hissing sound.” stammered Colin, “I don’t know what you said.”
“That’s parseltongue, Colin! It’s the language of snakes,” explained Ron.
“You said I used the language of snakes?” said Harry with his eyes wide open.
“Yes, none of us understood you. You could have said anything. No wonder Justin was so terrified and listening to your voice it was like you were encouraging the snake.”
“Yes!!” nodded Colin and Ginny
Harry stared at them and said, “But I didn’t know I could speak another language,”
Ron shook his head.
Colin and Ginny’s face had a look of horror on it and Hermione sat aside and took out a book from the pile, reading it quickly while Evan sank down in thought, Harry wondered what he was thinking. The atmosphere grew heavier and heavier.
“Well, would you like to tell me that it is wrong to stop a serpent from killing Justin?” shouted Harry suddenly, “Justin didn’t join the ghosts so what does it matter how I did it.”
“Great!” Hermione finally spoke, she turned the book to a certain page and showed Harry, “Look here it says that Slytherin could talk to snakes too, he was the first ever proven to speak parseltongue, so the symbol of Slytherin house is a snake.”
Harry opened his mouth in surprise while looking at the book in front of him.
“Exactly, Harry so now the whole school will think you are the heir especially since the chamber has been opened.”
“But I’m not, I didn’t open the chamber,” said Harry in a panicky tone.
“I believe you, Harry!” said Ginny with shallow voice.
“We all believe you but it will be hard to prove it to others.” said Hermione calmly, “Slytherin lived over a thousand years ago for all we know you could be the heir.”
“That’s absurd, so that’s why everyone else was avoiding me,” said Harry.
Harry stood up and looked at Evan who hadn’t spoken yet and said: “Evan, you don’t think I’m the heir to Slytherin or that I opened the Chamber of Secrets right?”
“Of course not, I don’t feel very surprised that you are a parseltongue.”
“Take it easy Harry!” said Evan “Although being a parseltongue is very rare, it is not unique, there are many wizards who can do it in additions to Slytherins heirs. I can name a few if you wish.”
Evan’s words made Harry feel relieved but he didn’t say that the wizards who were parseltongue were all evil without exception.
“This doesn’t really matter but what I want to know is what spell Ron used,” said Evan as his gaze turned towards Ron who stood beside him.
“What, What!”
Ron’s face turned red, “It was just a disarming spell maybe my wand made it change.”
“Come on, Ron!” said Evan impatiently, “That’s just what I said to Snape so he wouldn’t ask more questions. If a broken wand could make a disarming spell mutate into such a dark magic spell then dark wizards would be walking around with broken wands.”
“What did you say?” exclaimed Hermione, “Dark magic?”
“Yes, the spell was definitely dark magic. That why Snape asked Ron if he had been in the restricted book area.”
“But I haven’t…” said Ron, alarmed.
“Who knows!” said Evan as he stared at Ron, “Maybe it’s not you.”
“I haven’t” repeated Ron. Ron then jumped up in fury and confusion, “Evan what do you mean? Do you think I’m someone else and used Polyjuice Potion to become Ron?”
Ron gave a harsh laugh, Colin and Ginny were a little scared, and Harry and Hermione looked puzzled, they weren’t sure what Evan really meant.
“I believe he is really Ron,” hesitated Hermione, “Evan you probably been too pressured by current events.”
“That’s right, this joke isn’t funny.” said Harry as he shook his head, “Today must be April fool’s day because I saved Justin and now, I’m considered the heir to Slytherin and now Ron is suddenly a dark wizard.”
“However, it is a simple task for dark wizards to control a person’s mind.”
“What the hell do you mean?!” exclaimed Ron loudly.
“Where were you on Halloween and when the first attack happened,” asked Evan coldly.
“I was apologizing to weeping Myrtle in the damn bathroom!”
“That’s one!” said Evan, “Where were you when the second attack happened?”
“In the hospital wing with Percy because of your spell my brother’s arm bones were gone.”
“No, you weren’t there!”
Evan shook his head and said, “Soon after we left the hospital wing you left too and no one knew where you went.”
“What’s the relationship between them and me being gone!” said Ron while looking a little hysterical, “If students are attacked and if no one is with you when it happens then every student is suspicious because they might be the Slytherin heir.”
“Only you can’t use a broken wand to leave a corpse.” said Evan as he narrowed his eyes, “Isn’t that so?”