Hermione, ever the vigilant one, noticed the conversation veering off course yet again. Like a skilled moderator, she gently steered everyone back on topic.
"Professor, is there any connection between You-Know-Who's Parseltongue and Harry's? Or is it that…"
She trailed off, glancing at Harry.
Everyone in the room instantly understood what Hermione was about to say.
Harry's face turned ashen once more. He couldn't bear to think about it.
He'd been in the wizarding world for over a year now. Everyone always said his parents were heroes who fought against Voldemort—that's why they'd been hunted down. He'd survived the Killing Curse only because his mother had shielded him with an ancient magic.
But now… it seemed there might be something more, some hidden truth.
Could it be that he and Voldemort shared the Parseltongue gift, and that's what made him a threat?
Was it his fault his parents had died?
Watching Harry's expression shift and his body tremble, Ron and Hermione immediately stepped forward to comfort him.
Even Fang, who had been gnawing a bone in the corner, sensed the tension and retreated further into the shadows with his prize.
Hagrid looked helpless. "Douglas!"
Douglas waved him off, murmuring, "It's alright."
He stepped forward and gently ruffled Harry's hair.
"Do you want to know the truth?"
Then he turned to Ron and Hermione.
"You two should head back to the castle. Don't mention any of this to anyone—otherwise, it'll only bring trouble for Harry."
Ron and Hermione nodded, each giving Harry a reassuring pat on the shoulder. They said their goodbyes to Hagrid and Douglas, then slipped out of the hut.
No sooner had they left than Ron's voice drifted in through the door:
"Don't worry, Hermione, Harry'll tell us everything later anyway…"
The somber look on Harry's face cracked; embarrassment flickered across his features. He gritted his teeth.
"Professor, I swear I won't tell Ron a thing…"
Hagrid looked over, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Douglas, weren't you not even at Hogwarts back then?"
Harry looked at Douglas expectantly.
Douglas shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Exactly. That's why I'm taking you to see Dumbledore. Let's hope he's in his office."
Hagrid's eyes widened in sudden realization.
"So it was Professor Dumbledore who told you… No wonder you know about that…"
Harry asked, "Hagrid, what exactly did Voldemort do back then?"
Hagrid shuddered, his massive frame trembling. He glanced out the window, feigning interest in the sky.
"Douglas, it's getting late. You'd best take Harry to see the Headmaster…"
Douglas just smiled and waved.
"Alright then. Goodbye, Hagrid. Goodbye, Fang!"
He grabbed Harry, who was still staring at Hagrid, and steered him toward the door.
Harry hurriedly called out his goodbyes.
As Douglas opened the door, he caught sight of two suspicious figures crouching low, sneaking toward the hut. The moment they saw the door swing open and Douglas step out, they spun on their heels and bolted.
As they ran, Ron complained,
"I told you, we should've grabbed the Invisibility Cloak first—"
"Shut up, Ron!" hissed Hermione.
Douglas blinked in surprise—he hadn't expected the two of them to double back and try to eavesdrop.
Harry couldn't help but burst out laughing, his mood suddenly much lighter.
Hagrid, hearing the commotion, poked his head out and guffawed at the sight of the two scrambling away.
Fang bounded out, barked twice for good measure, then wagged his tail and trotted back inside to resume his bone-chewing.
Douglas led Harry through the crowd returning from Hogsmeade, heading straight for the Headmaster's office.
They stopped before the stone gargoyle. Douglas handed Harry a slip of parchment.
Harry glanced at the list of sweets scribbled on it, then looked up, puzzled.
Douglas gave him a knowing look.
"Don't look at me. Just read them out loud until this fellow lets us pass. Or you could try smiling at it—see if that works…"
Harry stared, incredulous.
"Professor, you don't know the password to the Headmaster's office?"
Douglas pointed at the parchment. "Isn't it all right there?"
Harry swallowed, uncertain.
"Aren't we… sort of breaking into the Headmaster's office?"
Douglas grinned.
"If Dumbledore wants you in, you'll get in.
If he doesn't, you could recite every sweet in the world and it wouldn't matter!
Relax—if the sky falls, the tall folks will hold it up."
He patted Harry on the shoulder for emphasis.
Harry had the oddest feeling there was more to that last comment than met the eye. But with the Professor's encouragement, he had little choice but to comply. He certainly wasn't about to stand here grinning at a stone gargoyle.
So Harry began reading from the list:
"Wife Cake? Professor, what on earth is that? I've never heard of it. Is it a pie made from wives? Are these wives witches, or some sort of magical creature I don't know about?"
He paused, baffled, and looked at Douglas again.
Douglas noticed the gargoyle remained stubbornly still and sighed. The old Headmaster's tastes must have changed.
He didn't answer Harry's question.
"Keep going!"
Still perplexed, Harry continued:
"Dragon's Beard Candy?"
"Toffee?"
"Say it with confidence—keep going until you get the password right!"
"Ahem… Pink Coconut Ice!"
"Pumpkin Pasties! Professor, maybe we should find Professor McGonagall—she might know the password… Okay, okay, I'll keep going…"
"Fizzing Whizzbees!"
Before Harry could read another, he noticed the stone gargoyle blink—at least, he thought it did—then leap aside, revealing the spiral staircase.
Harry hurried after Douglas up the moving stairs, handed back the slip of paper, and asked, a little nervously,
"Professor, what if the Headmaster isn't in? Honestly, I'm not that curious about all this…"
Douglas gave him a strange look, then said airily,
"But I am!"
Harry was momentarily speechless. He suddenly felt as though he'd boarded a pirate ship and couldn't get off. What if Dumbledore found out he shared Parseltongue with Voldemort? Would he be expelled from Hogwarts? What would he do then?
When they opened the heavy wooden door, they found Dumbledore standing by his desk, gazing into a corner of the office.
Douglas and Harry followed his gaze and spotted a decrepit-looking bird perched on a gilded stand behind the door, looking for all the world like a half-plucked turkey.
Douglas realized that Fawkes looked even more frail than the last time he'd seen him.
The moment Fawkes noticed Douglas and Harry watching, he fixed them with a mournful look and let out a strangled croak.
A thought struck Douglas.
"Fawkes, wait—!"
But his words seemed to act as a trigger. With a hoarse cry, Fawkes burst into flames, vanishing in a flash and leaving behind a pile of smoldering ashes.
Only then did Dumbledore turn around, a puzzled look on his face.
"Douglas, is something the matter?"
Douglas shrugged, a little disappointed.
"Nothing. I'd nearly forgotten that Fawkes was due for his burning day. If I'd remembered, I'd have brought a Beggar's Chicken from Hagrid's to see if phoenix fire could roast a phoenix-flavored chicken…"
Dumbledore was speechless.
The portraits on the wall were equally dumbfounded. Phineas muttered something under his breath, but this time, nobody bothered to scold him.
Harry stared, wide-eyed.
"Professor, did you just say that was a phoenix?"
Dumbledore seemed to notice for the first time that there was another young wizard in the room. He smiled gently.
"Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. When phoenixes are about to die, they burst into flames and are reborn from the ashes. Watch…"
While Dumbledore spoke to Harry, Douglas crouched beside the ashes and spotted a tiny, wrinkled chick poking its head out.
Just as he reached out to pick up the little hatchling, Dumbledore intervened hurriedly.
"Douglas, do leave Fawkes alone. He doesn't like anyone seeing him like this—especially during rebirth. Besides, he's so small…"
Douglas withdrew his hand, grumbling,
"Headmaster, you really should have more faith in me. I don't eat everything, you know!"
The tiny chick, catching sight of Douglas, promptly used its feeble wings to shovel more ash over itself, burying itself from view.
Douglas: ???
Dumbledore burst out laughing.
Harry tried desperately to stifle his own laughter!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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