Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 29: Escalation of Hostilities

9 November 1992

By the next morning, Harry had substantially recovered from the previous night's Occlumency-induced seizure. He awoke before dawn and spent an hour meditating in the Lair with Theo and Blaise watching over him to make sure he did it, followed by stern lectures from both friends about what he should and should not allow himself to feel for the next few days. After that, he was able to approach the prior night's shocking developments with a clearer head, and he quickly realized that his Parseltongue problems weren't quite as dire as he'd feared. He was still a Parselmouth, and he could still talk to snakes. To prove it, he conjured one with the Serpensortia Charm, and he could carry on a conversation with the snake he'd made, albeit it a boring, mostly one-sided conversation since conjured snakes lacked any real world experience. Harry had never actually gotten round to talking with a snake summoned via Serpensortia before, and he was disappointed to find that they were completely lacking in character compared to the rich and vibrant personalities of the Hogwarts serpents he'd come to know. Basically, all they cared about was doing whatever Harry summoned them to do and then going back to non-existence, which seemed to be their preferred state. He could still give such snakes fairly complex instructions, but on the whole, they were ... dull.

Based on his Serpensortia experiments, Harry assumed that he'd also be able to talk to living snakes, both mundane and magical, though it would be some time before he could confirm that officially, since most living snakes (even magical ones) hibernated during the cold Scottish winters. It was only the snake depictions, whether painted or sculpted, with whom he could no longer communicate, a terrible tragedy as far as Harry was concerned. Esme, Egbert, Arturo (the puff adder in the painting from the Slytherin Common Room), Siobhan (the grass snake that had warned him of the Weasley Terrors' prank the year before), and, of course, the ancient snakes who comprised the Hydra Throne. All of these had become his friends in the last year, even surly Nidhogg and the pompous runespoor triplets. And now, they were all silenced, perhaps forever. At a stroke, Harry had been stripped of his advisors, his spy network, and nearly half the people – and to a Parselmouth, snakes are people – with whom he talked on a regular basis. Even the Sentinel was silent, and while Harry could still command the door to the Prince's Lair to open with Parseltongue, it seemed the official password would continue to be "Moldy Shorts" for some time to come, a prospect that did not amuse Harry nearly as much as it did before.

ARE DEATH EATERS STALKING THE BOY-WHO-LIVED?

by Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent to the Daily Prophet (November 9, 1992)

Faithful readers will no doubt recall the shocking incident from last summer when unidentified Death Eater sympathizers attempted to assassinate Jim Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, with a cursed train similar in nature to the diabolical toys once associated with the now-deceased Erasmus "The Toymaker" Wilkes (See summary of "Bloodbath at Potter Manor" on page 11.) Now comes further evidence of subtle and pernicious assaults against our beloved national icon, for this reporter has learned that persons unknown delivered a dark and possibly cursed book into the possession of an unwitting Jim Potter, one that had the potential of driving our young Jim mad ! Luckily, the eagle eye of his father, Senior Auror James Lord Potter (with the assistance of unnamed Hogwarts staff members) recognized the danger and removed the foul remnant of You-Know-Who's reign of terror before Jim suffered any serious harm.

The Daily Prophet is informed that Jim Potter is receiving treatment to ensure that there are no lasting effects. However, this second attack against the Boy-Who-Lived should be of great concern to all right-thinking wizards and witches. Without casting any aspersions, your humble reporter is troubled by the timing of these incidents, for not only is Jim's older brother Harry a prominent figure within Slytherin House (see "Harry Potter: A Dark Wizard Rising?" The Daily Prophet, September 5, 1991) but he is now joined by the mysterious Amaryllis Wilkes, daughter of the Toymaker himself who was only recently Sorted into Slytherin! While this reporter is loathe to blame a child for the sins of the parent, one must also consider the wise old saying "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." The Daily Prophet will continue to monitor these developments and hopes that the faculty and staff of Hogwarts will be on the lookout for any further deviltry.