Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 30 Dawn or Dusk

Amid Justin's angry questioning and the whispers of the surrounding classmates, Harry was pulled off the stage by Ron and Hermione and ran all the way back to the Gryffindor common room.

"You speak with a parsnip voice!"

What am I?

"You can talk to snakes!"

"I talked to a snake? You mean just now? But... that's not exactly unusual for a wizard, is it?"

Harry once again suffered the consequences of not paying attention in History of Magic class. Having already mastered advanced spells such as Grubbish and Apparition, he found it hard to imagine how remarkable it was to be able to talk to animals.

"This is more than just unusual Harry..."

Hermione's expression was complicated, as if she were talking about something shameful.

“What you just said wasn’t human language at all, Harry.”

"So what? Anyone with eyes can see I was telling the snake not to attack Justin..."

Hermione interrupted Harry:

“Harry, listen to me first. The talent of being able to talk to snakes is called Parsleyan in the wizarding world. It only appears in a very small number of dark wizards. The most famous one is Salazar Slytherin, the founder of Hogwarts.”

Harry was almost laughing in exasperation.

"So, you mean people will see me as the Slytherin heir who attacked my classmate? Don't they find that ridiculous? The Slytherin heir is a Gryffindor?"

Ron shook his head seriously, pointing to the lion pattern on his school uniform and saying:

"The lion emblem of Gryffindor comes from the word 'Griffin,' which my parents have said symbolizes courage. But Slytherin is different; their house's emblem comes from Salazar Slytherin's famous talent—Parseltongue. This talent is so rare that there hasn't been a record of a new Parseltongue in recent centuries."

"It's also possible that some went undetected."

Hermione knew Harry had a point, but this wasn't the time to discuss who else might be Parseltongue. She said:

"Nobody cares about that anymore, Harry. You just put on a show in front of the whole school. After tonight, the owls will spread the word that you're a Parseltongue all over Britain. If the attacks continue, oh my god, I don't even want to think about what will happen next."

"Oh, Hermione, don't worry, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't allow it..."

Harry, who had been comforting the grieving little witch just a moment ago, suddenly froze. The heir to Slytherin, the petrified classmate, the escaped spider, and the voice from within the walls—these clues suddenly connected because of Parsley's accent. The image of a monster that Professor Scamander had mentioned was gradually becoming clearer in his mind.

"I see!"

"What do you know?"

"The thing in the secret room is a basilisk! A monster that cannot reproduce and can only be cultivated through dark magic..."

With his remarkable memory, Harry quickly recounted the basilisk's breeding methods and habits. However, after listening to Harry's account, Ron still appeared quite puzzled and asked:

"If that's the case, how did Colin and Mrs. Lorris survive?"

Hermione's mind worked quickly, and having already caught up with Harry's pace, she gave the correct answer directly.

"The camera also has... water. There was water on the ground that night, and Mrs. Lorris saw the Basilisk's reflection! We should quickly inform Headmaster Dumbledore and the other professors of these findings!"

Harry agreed with Hermione, but now that he had discovered the monster's true identity, he had no intention of letting his friends go on any more adventures. He first took out his wand and turned two pieces of fruit on a nearby table into roosters, then casually used the Summoning Charm to summon two small mirrors.

“From now on, unless the basilisk in the secret room is dealt with, you must take these two roosters with you wherever you go, and take out the mirror if you hear any strange noises.”

"We can help you..."

Harry interrupted Hermione with a serious expression, saying:

“I know, that’s why I’m entrusting the task of protecting our classmates to you. While I’m going to see Professor Dumbledore, you and Ron should spread the word about the Basilisk to everyone as much as possible. Ideally, everyone should have a rooster and a mirror.”

"You'll come back after you go see Dumbledore, right?"

Ron's question stumped Harry. As their best friend, he didn't need to be particularly intelligent to see Harry's intention to face the danger alone.

After a long silence, Harry finally replied with great difficulty:

“This enemy is no ordinary foe. Even Dumbledore would have a hard time protecting you when facing the Basilisk. I... I really don’t want to lose you, so please stay in a safe place this time, okay? I’m begging you.”

Words spoken with genuine feeling are the most touching. Although Harry wasn't usually arrogant, Hermione and Ron had never actually seen him ask anyone for anything. Hearing their friend say such things, they immediately became embarrassed.

Hermione, whose fingers were constantly tugging at the ends of her hair, spoke first:

“I don’t want to either… I mean, we don’t want to lose you, Harry. You have to be careful too.”

Seeing Hermione speak first, Ron, while touching his nose, also said:

"In that case, let's do it your way."

Harry smiled and gave the two of them a big bear hug. After reminding them twice of the importance of the rooster and the mirror, he took out the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map and left the Gryffindor common room.

……

Most students were still in the Great Hall attending the Duel Club, and in the empty corridors, Harry wouldn't be noticed even without the Invisibility Cloak. The confident and assertive Harry, who had been so assertive in front of his friends, finally revealed the confusion typical of a 12-year-old boy to Moran.

"Do you think I could actually be Salazar Slytherin's great-great-great-great-grandson or something?"

When faced with Harry's question, Mo Ran didn't give a direct answer or offer platitudes; instead, he asked in return:

"If you were that person, do you think you would become a different person because of it?"

Harry answered as he walked briskly through the castle grounds:

"Of course I won't become someone else, but... if we can gain power from Slytherin's legacy to help defeat Voldemort, then even if doing so might not be accepted by the world, it would be justifiable from a moral standpoint, wouldn't it? Just like... the Obscurus within us?"

Mo Ran fell silent. Having once instilled in Harry the idea of ​​'hating magic' for the sake of power, he seemed unqualified to answer the question. In fact, if the Potter family and the Gaunt family were truly related, Harry's suggestion might not be a bad idea. After a moment's thought, Mo Ran decided to leave the answer to Harry himself.

"The allure of power is immense for anyone. If you've already made up your mind, then my opinion is irrelevant. I just want to tell you one thing: there's almost no difference between dawn and dusk. Whether a person chooses to step into darkness or into the light is not determined by their birth or ability, but by their own choices."

Harry: "...Where did you learn that line this time?"

Mo Ran: "Ahem, Rowling."

……

On the Marauder's Map, Dumbledore is moving out of the school, and besides his name, Harry also sees another familiar yet unfamiliar figure—Cornelly Fudge.

Donning the Invisibility Cloak and casting a Lightness Charm on himself, Harry silently followed behind Dumbledore and Fudge. He was curious as to why two people of such high rank in the wizarding world would visit Hagrid so late at night.

Good evening, Hagrid.

As the Half-Giant opened the door, Dumbledore greeted him solemnly. But before he could explain to Hagrid why he was there, Cornelius Fudge had already removed his top hat and gone inside.

Hagrid's face was deathly pale, and he was sweating profusely. After welcoming Dumbledore into the house, he even forgot to close the door. If Cornelius Fudge hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have even noticed the cold wind blowing into his room.

“That’s terrible, Hagrid.”

Harry, taking the opportunity to slip into Hagrid's hut, stared at the short, stout man not far away. Perhaps he had been exposed to the cold wind for too long, because he had been talking nonsense ever since he entered the hut, giving himself more time to fix his pinstripe suit and bright red tie.

"This situation is so bad that I had to come here in person. First a cat, then a Hogwarts student. This is a disgrace to the entire British wizarding community."

Hagrid, who had been clinging to a sliver of hope, suddenly collapsed into a chair, causing the cabin to shake violently.

"No, no, no... I didn't, Professor Dumbledore. You must know this. Please tell them that I definitely didn't do it."

Looking into Hagrid's earnest eyes, Dumbledore frowned and said:

“Connelly, as I’ve already told you, there is no evidence that Hagrid was responsible for the attack. And I personally trust Hagrid completely.”

Fudge, with a strange expression, pulled a letter from his pocket, opened it, and handed it to Dumbledore, saying:

"Look, Albus, one of your students has developed a Parsleyan accent. Who knows where these letters will end up tonight?"

Dumbledore's expression grew even colder. He took the letter from Fudge and read the four lines of text over and over again.

Fudge continued:

"But he is, after all, Harry Potter, the boy who killed Vader. Compared to making trouble for him, don't you think it's more appropriate for me to take Hagrid away?"

Seeing that Dumbledore remained silent, Fudge continued:

"Put yourself in Albus's shoes. I won't touch any of your school's students, and you have to understand the pressure I'm under. If the Ministry of Magic doesn't take any action when someone is attacked, it'll be very difficult for me as Minister. Also, I've heard that the Hogwarts Board of Governors is going to take action soon, so whatever you want to do, you'd better act quickly."

Dumbledore was truly angry this time. Harry had never seen his deep blue eyes blaze with such fury as they did now.

Are you threatening me with my students?

It wouldn't be a wise decision to anger the greatest white wizard of our time. Cornelius Fudge's imposing aura suddenly diminished. He coughed awkwardly twice and then said:

"Ahem! Of course not. Albus, don't get agitated. I also believe that Harry didn't do any of this, but it's hard to silence public opinion. Think about it carefully, if I don't take Hagrid away, all the pressure from public opinion will fall on a 12-year-old child. Besides, if it turns out that it was Hagrid in the end, we will release him. At that time, it won't matter what others say."

After a long pause, Dumbledore sighed and shook his head at the trembling Hagrid, which made the already panicked Hagrid tremble even more.

"Take me away? Take me where? Not to that place, is it!"

With Dumbledore ceasing to exert pressure on him, Fudge felt much more relaxed. He fiddled with his top hat as he spoke to Hagrid: