"Hermione, you're forgetting one thing," Victor said calmly. "I'm a Malfoy. One of the oldest pure-blood families."
Ron rolled his eyes immediately.
"We all know that," he said. "No need to brag."
Victor's expression didn't change, but his gaze shifted to Ron.
"Ron," he said evenly, "at least listen until I finish. Interrupting in the middle without understanding what's being said doesn't help your point. If you stay quiet, people might not think you're foolish. Interrupting only confirms it."
Ron flushed, clearly annoyed, but this time he didn't cut in again.
Victor turned back to Hermione.
"Old families don't just carry names," Victor continued. "They carry
knowledge. Records, private texts—things that aren't taught at Hogwarts."
He paused briefly, then added,
"And my family is connected to Slytherin's legacy. We have a number of old books about Salazar Slytherin. I came across one that mentioned… his inheritance."
It sounded convincing.
In truth, Victor was feeding them just enough to guide the conversation where he wanted it to go. There was no real risk of them verifying it anyway—this kind of knowledge wasn't exactly sitting on a library shelf.
Hermione leaned in slightly, completely focused.
"What did it say?"
"That Slytherin bred a basilisk," he said. "A foul creature capable of living for centuries. It was created within Hogwarts, raised in secret, and kept hidden in the Chamber."
The wind shifted across the bridge as the weight of that settled in.
Ron looked uneasy.
"So that thing's been here this whole time?" he muttered.
Victor nodded once.
"Yes. And it moves through the castle."
Harry frowned, trying to picture it.
"But how?" he asked. "Something that big… how can it move around Hogwarts without anyone noticing?"
"Hogwarts has an extensive drainage system," Victor said. "Pipes that run through the walls, floors, and beneath the castle. The Chamber of Secrets is connected to that system."
Hermione's eyes widened.
"So it travels through the pipes," she said.
Victor inclined his head.
"That's how it remains unseen," he replied. "It doesn't need corridors. It moves through the structure of the castle itself."
Harry's expression darkened as he thought back to the voice he had heard in the walls.
Ron rubbed his arms slightly.
"That explains the noise," Ron said, rubbing his arms. "That horrible slithering sound…"
Victor turned slightly, his expression shifting into mild curiosity.
"What sound?" he asked, as if hearing this for the first time.
Harry looked at him, still unsettled.
"The night Mrs. Norris was attacked," he said, "I heard something. A voice… from inside the walls. It kept saying things like 'kill…'"
Victor's eyes narrowed just slightly, though his tone remained calm.
"Harry," he said, "that's not a good sign."
Harry frowned. "Why?"
Victor let the silence sit for a second before answering.
"Because one of the known traits of Slytherin's heir… is Parseltongue."
Harry blinked. "What's that?"
Ron answered immediately, a bit grimly.
"It's a language," he said, "used to communicate with snakes."
Harry frowned. "So? That's just magic, right? Can't any wizard learn it?"
Hermione shook her head at once.
"No," she said. "Parseltongue isn't something you just learn. It's extremely rare. It's usually inherited—passed down through bloodlines."
Victor nodded slightly.
"Salazar Slytherin himself was a Parselmouth," he added. "And the ability is strongly tied to his descendants. More importantly, it's how the heir would control the basilisk."
Ron crossed his arms, uneasy.
"Which means," he muttered, "whoever opened the Chamber can talk to that thing."
Harry's expression tightened.
"Then… how could I understand it?" he asked.
For a moment, neither Ron nor Hermione spoke.
They both turned to look at him.
The implication settled heavily between them.
Harry didn't say anything. He was still trying to process it—what it meant, how it was even possible.
Victor broke the silence.
"We don't know yet, Harry," he said evenly. "But until we understand it properly, you should avoid putting yourself in situations that make you look… suspicious."
Harry frowned slightly, but he didn't argue.
Ron, however, was already thinking ahead.
"So if you're not the heir," he said, "then who is it? Someone from Slytherin?"
Victor gave him a flat look.
"How exactly am I supposed to know that?" Victor replied. "Do you think I carry a list of potential heirs in my pocket? Or that whoever it is has kindly announced their intentions to the entire school?"
Hermione stepped in before Ron could ask something stupid again.
"Then what we saw last night…" she said slowly, thinking it through, "if one snake is from the Chamber… then the other one was trying to stop it."
She explained quickly—what they had heard, the movement in the corridor, the moment they had seen two massive shapes colliding before they ran.
Victor listened without interrupting.
Outwardly, his expression remained calm.
Inwardly, he sighed.
That 'other snake' was me.
If they had stayed even a second longer… if one of them had looked directly instead of running…
This conversation wouldn't be happening.
Seriously, he thought, this whole 'chosen one' aura is ridiculous. Anyone else would have died there.
*****
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