"Good night, Professor." Snape nodded slightly, preparing to turn and leave.
Just then, he felt a slight stir at his collar. Nagini's slender body emerged from the neck of his robes, her forked tongue flicking gently in the air.
Snape's hand shot to his collar, trying to push her back, but it was too late; Dumbledore had already seen her.
When those green, vertical pupils met the blue eyes behind the half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore seemed to show a surprised expression.
"Severus," Dumbledore's voice remained calm, but Snape keenly caught a subtle fluctuation in it. "Long time no see. Don't be in such a hurry to return; let's have a talk in my office."
Nagini had already retreated back into his clothes.
"Follow me." Without waiting for Snape's answer, Dumbledore had already turned and headed for the stairs.
In the corridor on the eighth floor of the castle, Nagini squirmed restlessly within Snape's sleeve, her scales scraping against his inner wrist.
"It'll be alright, quiet," he whispered in a voice only snakes could understand. "He won't hurt you."
Ahead, Dumbledore's footsteps paused imperceptibly for a moment, then continued upwards.
"I imagine this isn't an ordinary pet relationship, is it?" Dumbledore's voice drifted down from above.
"Cockroach Clusters." Dumbledore spoke the password to the stone gargoyle.
As the gargoyle sprang aside, revealing the spiral staircase, he turned to Snape and asked, "Severus, when did you acquire Parseltongue?"
"I'm not exactly sure when," the staircase began to ascend, and Snape chose his words carefully. "Perhaps it was when I summoned a full Patronus—"
"However, when we entered Bob Ogden's memory, I was surprised to find that I could understand Parseltongue." He paused, deciding to reveal the truth. "Professor, please forgive my caution; you know, Parseltongue is often associated with Dark Wizards, so I chose to keep it hidden then."
"Interesting. Very interesting, Severus." Dumbledore's fingers stroked his long beard. "Parseltongue is usually passed down through bloodlines; it's very difficult to learn later in life, or rather—almost impossible."
"However," he cast a thoughtful glance at Snape, "I have also never seen anyone with a serpent Patronus."
"Hmm—."
He said, "It's not that important. Come in."
Dumbledore gently pushed open the office door. Fawkes opened his eyes on his perch, his golden-red feathers gleaming.
They entered the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore went around his desk and sat down, gesturing for Snape to sit in the high-backed chair opposite him.
No sooner had Snape sat down than Nagini eagerly slipped out of his sleeve, slithering down his arm onto the Headmaster's desk.
"Screeech—" A clear cry cut through the air.
Fawkes swooped down from his perch, his fiery tail feathers trailing a searing path through the air.
Nagini immediately coiled herself, her neck expanding in a threatening posture, letting out a piercing hiss.
"Fawkes!" Dumbledore barked, stopping the phoenix.
At the same time, Snape stood up, turning to shield Nagini.
Dumbledore also waved his hand towards Fawkes, and a silver light guided Fawkes back to his perch.
The phoenix spun sharply in the air, reluctantly flying back to its perch, but its golden eyes remained fixed on the small snake on the desk.
"It seems our friends don't get along, Severus." Dumbledore's voice had returned to calm, but his gaze was sharper than ever. "Where did you meet this snake, Albania? Could it be that you are the Parselmouth Bertha Jorkins mentioned in the Daily Prophet?"
"Yes, in the forests of Albania," Snape said softly. "It's truly surprising; I didn't expect Bertha to be so principled, not directly naming me. Professor, she also has a name, Nagini."
"How did you know her name?" Dumbledore's fingertips tapped lightly on the desk.
"It's quite obvious, Professor," Snape looked directly into the Headmaster's eyes. "She told me herself." He deliberately paused. "You—you know her?"
The room fell into a brief silence, broken only by the faint snores from the portraits of previous Headmasters on the wall, and Fawkes's occasional disgruntled chirps.
"Yes, she's an old acquaintance of mine, you could say." Dumbledore finally spoke, his gaze resting on Nagini, who was coiled by Snape's hand. "Severus, could you please help me communicate with her?"
Dumbledore's request made Snape raise an eyebrow slightly. He blinked. "Don't you know Parseltongue?"
"I've only learned to listen, but I cannot speak to them or control snakes," Dumbledore admitted with a smile. "It's like reading a foreign language but not being able to speak it."
"I see." Snape nodded. "But I can't guarantee a smooth conversation with her."
"Her language abilities seem quite limited. Besides a few simple words, she can't express her thoughts very well. Professor, what do you wish to ask Nagini?"
"Help me ask her," Dumbledore said, "what she has experienced all these years."
Snape leaned down towards Nagini, emitting a soft hiss. "Nagini, this is Professor Dumbledore. He wants to talk to you. He wants to know what you've been through all these years."
The small snake raised her head, her tongue flicking rapidly, and once again made some indecipherable sounds.
"Credence—"
At first, the disjointed words left Snape somewhat bewildered.
He tried a few times before it dawned on him, and he pieced together her meaning, realizing Nagini wasn't answering his question but desperately trying to utter the name "Credence."
Snape straightened up, seeing Dumbledore's fingers tighten slightly on the tabletop.
"Credence?" he feigned confusion. "Who's that?"
Dumbledore's fingers froze in mid-air.
"An—old friend." His gaze passed through Snape, looking into the empty space behind him.
"An old friend? What do you mean?" Snape pressed, curious. "What happened to him?"
The Fantastic Beasts series didn't have a complete ending; after the failure of The Secrets of Dumbledore, Warner Bros. abandoned the后续 stories. Therefore, Snape was just as unaware of the subsequent plot as anyone else.
"He has departed." Dumbledore's long, slender fingertips met.
He and Snape both looked down at Nagini. The small snake's emerald eyes sparkled in the candlelight, filled with a human-like expectation.
"What should I tell her?" Snape looked up at Dumbledore, then at Nagini, asking with a touch of pity, "Should I tell her Credence has passed?"
"To wallow in illusory hope and forget reality is the cruelest torment, Severus," Dumbledore nodded gently.
Snape didn't translate immediately, but pressed further: "What did Credence mean to her?"
"They were—friends," Dumbledore said softly, the word sounding unusually heavy on his tongue. "Two cursed souls seeking warmth from each other in dark days."
Snape turned to Nagini, and after a moment's hesitation, he emitted a magnetic hiss.
Nagini's body suddenly stiffened, then expanded like a spring, her scales emitting a dazzling glow, her body rapidly swelling with magical fluctuations as the shrinking spell's束縛 was torn like thin paper.
A twelve-foot-long python coiled in the center of the Headmaster's office, its eyes filled with pain and fury.
Silver instruments on the oak table, spewing smoke, were knocked to the floor by her enormous body, and the dark blue ink from the overturned ink bottle flowed across the tabletop.
Almost at the same instant, Fawkes spread his wings and soared into the air again, flying in front of Nagini, spewing a jet of golden flame from his mouth.
Dumbledore shot to his feet, while Snape had already shielded Nagini, his black robes singed with several small holes by the phoenix's sparks.
"Fawkes, back—" Dumbledore spread his arms to block the phoenix, a transparent barrier already having materialized in front of the desk.
The phoenix chirped in confusion as it reluctantly flew back to its perch, but its golden eyes remained fixed on the small snake on the table.
"Nagini," Snape didn't turn, but looked directly into Nagini's eyes. "Don't—"
No sooner had his words left his mouth than Nagini had already calmed down.
The wild thrashing ceased, and Snape's reflection was mirrored in the giant snake's pupils.
Her massive head lowered, anger in her eyes replaced by sorrow. In her gaze, Snape seemed to see her apology.
Nagini lowered her head, gently touching Snape's cheek, her cold scales against his skin.
"There, there," Snape reached out and stroked her neck, feeling a subtle tremor. "I'll shrink you again."
With a light tap of his wand, as the shrinking charm took effect, Nagini reverted to a small snake, coiling on the desk.
Dumbledore waved his wand, and the overturned items returned to their places.
The office looked exactly as it had a few minutes ago, with no discernible difference.
"Professor," Snape placed his hand beside Nagini, letting her rest her head on it. "What happened between Nagini and Credence?"
"Nagini is a Maledictus," Dumbledore began after a silence. "She comes from Indonesia. And Credence was a soul possessed by an Obscurus."
"I know what an Obscurus is," Snape said, "but a Maledictus, does that mean she once—was human?"
"Yes," Dumbledore sighed deeply. "A Maledictus is a special kind of blood curse. It doesn't directly kill the victim but is a hereditary blood curse. Maledictuses are people who carry such a blood curse and will eventually permanently transform into an animal."
"Can she ever change back to human?" Snape leaned forward, asking.
"Not that I know of," Dumbledore's concise answer was somewhat cruel. "Once a Maledictus fully transforms into a beast, the change is irreversible."
"Is that so?" Snape glanced at Nagini. "I thought only the Killing Curse had no counter-curse. Professor, please tell me more about her story."
"They met when they were lost, and separated at a crossroads of choices," Dumbledore's gaze drifted to the bright night sky outside the window. "In 1927, they met in Paris, two outcasts rejected by the mainstream. Later, while fighting a Dark Wizard, they found themselves on opposing sides. Perhaps Nagini still wished to save her friend then."
"She chose her path, he chose his," Snape took a deep breath. "'Choice,' what a beautiful word."
"Our choices are as important as our abilities. I choose to stand with you, Professor, even though I'm a Parselmouth."
Dumbledore smiled again.
"However," Snape continued, "it sounds like there was another important character in that story, a Dark Wizard before Tom. Was it Gellert Grindelwald?"
"How did you defeat him, and what is the story between you and Grindelwald?"
"That's a much longer story, Severus." The smile vanished from Dumbledore's face.
"It's quite late; you should rest." He stood up, making a gesture to dismiss Snape. "Being late on the first day of term is hardly a good example for the Head Boy to set. If you're late for Defence Against the Dark Arts tomorrow, I'll reconsider whether you're suitable to continue as Head Boy."
"Of course, Professor." Snape gritted his teeth, swallowing the word "old fox," and reached out for Nagini to slide back into his robes.
As he turned to leave, his peripheral vision caught Dumbledore standing by the window, moonlight falling upon him, making him appear like a statue.
After leaving the Headmaster's office, Snape didn't immediately return to his dormitory but headed for the Room of Requirement.
"Ugh, I can't keep Nagini like this forever," he murmured to himself, feeling Nagini coiling in his robe sleeve. "I really envy Newt Scamander's case; I wonder how he made it."
He walked three times in front of the white wall, and a wooden door leading to "a place suitable for snakes to live" appeared on the wall.
He gently opened the door. Inside was a place resembling a small thicket, with a few tall dead trees, tangled vines, and a small pond. However, there was no scent of the forest, no sounds of life; it was merely a hollow replica.
"This..." Snape hesitated, then called out to Nagini. "What do you think of this place?"
Nagini only poked her head out to glance, then recoiled. Snape immediately understood what she meant.
It seemed the Room of Requirement wasn't a universal wish-granting room after all; it couldn't create a complete ecosystem.
Left with no choice, Snape had to take Nagini back to the Slytherin dormitory beneath the lake.
As he changed out of his wizarding robes and into his pajamas, Nagini crawled from the floor, slithering up his leg to his shoulder once more.
Thankfully, Abott had already drawn his curtains and was quietly asleep.
"Nagini," amid the gentle lapping of the lake water, Snape stroked her smooth scales. "Go to sleep for now, and remember not to bite anyone. I'll find you a proper place to stay later."