Chapter 22
In Lucien's office, the three young ones sat upright; Ron quietly glanced around the room, while Harry's gaze remained fixed on a certain blonde girl.
This was the first girl he had ever seen who, just by looking at her, made him feel like his breathing might stop.
Not only was her appearance bright and captivating, but for some reason it seemed like she was someone who would slap his ass out if he tried to approach her.
Before Lucien spoke, Harry was almost completely entranced "Barton, prepare some snacks for them."
"Yes, Master." The house-elf Barton appeared out of nowhere at some point, handing over four glasses of iced lemon juice. In the next flash, a delicate plate of pastries appeared in his hands.
"Thank you." Hermione instinctively placed both hands on the iced drink—she only then realized she had run all the way here, and now she was covered in sweat.
"Scourgify."
Hermione saw Professor Lucien suddenly wave his wand.
A cool breeze precisely blew into the sleeves and collars of the three of them, smoothly carrying away all the sweat, even blowing away the beads on their foreheads, leaving only a refreshing feeling.
"Scourgify can be used like this?!" Hermione's eyes widened as she looked at Lucien like a curious pup; however just then, she felt someone poke her waist.
Hermione turned her head in annoyance and saw Ron silently reminding her with his eyes—Don't forget why we're here; seeing which she suddenly came back to her senses and glanced at Harry a little embarrassedly.
Fortunately, Harry's attention was entirely on Camille at that moment, and he hadn't noticed Hermione at all.
"So, what brings you to me? Is it about the basilisk?"
Hearing the word "basilisk," Harry finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly turned his head Only now did he belatedly realize that he was idiotically staring at her and had his face flushed red!
To his relief, it seemed no one in the room had noticed him.
"Yes, Professor!" Hermione responded, then looked at Harry. "Do you mind?" After all, this was something that had happened to Harry.
However, on the other hand because of his poor academic performance, Harry felt somewhat ashamed to face Lucien, so seeing Hermione ask him, he quickly nodded, indicating that Hermione could speak for him.
"Alright." Hermione nodded, then turned back to Lucien.
The satisfied expression on her face immediately shifted to one of seriousness, "Professor, didn't I ask you about the basilisk before? I'm now almost certain that there's a basilisk hidden in the Hogwarts castle! It's alive! Harry heard its voice! What I mean is—Harry is a Parselmouth!"
Hermione didn't bother explaining what Parselmouth meant; she believed it was common knowledge to Professor Lucien. His reaction was exactly as she expected—and it even gave her a fright.
"So, the one who heard the basilisk's voice earlier was Mr. Potter, correct?" Lucien's gaze shifted to the person in question, Harry.
Harry met his eyes and nodded, feeling a bit uneasy—even now, Lucien's expression remained calm, giving Harry an indescribable feeling. A monster that could kill with a single glare was roaming around Hogwarts castle, yet why was Professor Lucien so calm... he even seemed a little indifferent.
This made Harry instinctively wary , 'could this be yet another professor possibly connected to the Dark Lord?'
"Potter, from now on, look directly at me. Do not shift your gaze." Lucien's flat tone carried a commanding edge, causing Harry to subconsciously obey.
Immediately after, a chilling hissing sound suddenly echoed in the office! Hermione and Ron's eyes widened in shock! They both stared at Lucien in horror!
Ron shot to his feet! His knee banged into the round table, producing a harsh noise. Camille glanced at him disdainfully, her face showing mockery. But no one had the attention to spare for that anymore.
Right in front of everyone, Lucien's mouth movements constantly changed as he produced an sound they had never heard before! "Potter, tell me, what did you hear from the basilisk?"
"I will rip you apart—I will kill everything—" Harry stared into Lucien's dark pupils, answering in response to his question.
When he came back to his senses, he found Hermione and Ron looking at him strangely, their eyes still holding lingering fear "W-what's wrong with you two?"
"Harry—you were just speaking Parseltongue—you have no idea how evil that sound is."
"Huh? I was just normally answering the professor's question—" Harry frowned instinctively; Ron's attitude at that moment made him feel very uncomfortable.
"Parseltongue is just a language. What's evil about it?" Lucien suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"Language is merely a tool for communication. To label an unfamiliar language as evil simply because of differences in pronunciation is both ignorant and foolish." His attitude was so matter-of-fact, filled with a convincing confidence in his calm demeanor, that the surprise and discomfort in Harry and Hermione's hearts immediately dissipated.
"Professor, you can speak Parseltongue too? But I heard that's a famous ability exclusive to Slytherins."
"Indeed, certain exceptionally gifted wizards are born with the ability to communicate with snakes. The vile Herpo the Foul, Salazar Slytherin, or You-Know-Who—they all possessed this ability."
Hearing the words "You-Know-Who," Harry felt a sudden sting in his forehead scar.
He frowned at Lucien, feeling somewhat uneasy—why did everyone fear that existence? To the point they didn't even dare mention his name?
"You mean Volde—"
Before Harry could finish saying the name, Lucien directly sealed his mouth with a spell.
The action came without warning, sudden and rough, making the affected Harry somewhat angry—he was already upset about Gryffindor's point deductions over the past two weeks.
"Potter, I know what you're thinking, but this has nothing to do with courage." Lucien shook his head. Toward Harry, who was now glaring at him angrily, he felt no anger but a slight disappointment.
Experiencing the "Savior" as such a reckless person in reality was completely different from merely reading about it in books or memories. "That man's true name carries magic. Anyone who speaks his name can be tracked to their location by him. Do you understand?"
Lucien removed the spell from Harry. As it turned out, he was still quite reasonable—after hearing Lucien's explanation, Harry quickly calmed down, even flashing guilt in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't know—"
"It's fine." Lucien waved his hand, interrupting his apology.
Ron, off to the side, was somewhat skeptical of Lucien's claim—he didn't want to hear The You-Know-Who's true name, and every time he did, it made him tremble in fear.
But the You-Know-Who was already dead. Even if Harry said his true name, what could happen? Did it really warrant using a spell to directly silence someone's mouth? The atmosphere fell into a brief stagnation.
But Hermione quickly spoke up to shift the direction "So, Professor, regarding those exceptionally gifted wizards you mentioned earlier—are you one of them as well?"
Note : Drop Powerstones.
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