"Draconic," I echoed, tasting the word like a drop of venom on my tongue.
The air itself seemed to quiver at its utterance.
Lady Draconis floated closer, her faintly luminous form half-solid in the dim morning light.
"Yes. The first language. The language of command, not conversation. Parseltongue was Salazar's attempt to mimic what he could not inherit — a degenerated echo of what once ruled the skies."
Her tone carried no bitterness, only the weight of centuries.
I shifted upright, fatigue forgotten.
"So you're saying that Parseltongue is a mutation of Draconic? That Salazar's talent was… borrowed?"
"Borrowed?" she repeated with faint amusement. "No, child. Diluted. Draconic was never meant for mortal throats. It is the speech of those whose words shape flame and stone, whose cries birth storms. Salazar's blood carried traces of my power, yes — but his body could not bear the full song. What you call Parseltongue is what remained when the divine bled into the human."
She drifted toward the fireplace, her form flickering as though remembering the feel of real heat.
"Do you know what happens when a dragon speaks its name aloud?"
"I'd imagine it scares the world into listening," I murmured.
Her eyes gleamed.
"Precisely. The mountains themselves bow down in reverence."
There was silence for a long moment — not awkward, but expectant.
The kind that stretched between predator and prey just before the strike.
Finally, I said, "Then show me. Speak it."
Her gaze snapped to me. "You do not ask to hear Draconic, Cassius. You endure it."
"Then let me endure."
For a heartbeat, she said nothing.
Then, her lips curved — faintly, dangerously — into what might have once been pride.
"So be it."
She raised her ghostly hand, the air around her shimmering, and when she spoke next, it was not speech.
The sound that tore from her throat was not meant for human comprehension.
It was at once a word, a roar, a song, and a command.
The syllables twisted through the air like molten metal poured into invisible veins.
The room itself reacted.
The stone walls groaned as if some buried giant turned in its sleep.
The torches flared to white flame.
My heart hammered in sync with the resonance of her voice — every beat aligning with some hidden pulse of the world.
And then, as her voice hit a pitch that felt like it might shatter my bones, something impossible happened.
I understood.
Just like it was with Parseltongue, as if the mere utterance had unlocked something in my gene's to allow for comprehension.
The word coming to my ears even as the room around me was being shaken to pieces.
'Ignite'
And instinctively, I tried to answer.
A rumble escaped my throat before I even knew I was speaking.
The syllables came jagged and broken, guttural sounds that were the linguistic equivalent of crawling on all fours before a god.
Her spectral eyes widened in astonishment — not anger, but revelation.
Her regular voice followed full of emotion. "You heard it, and yet...-"
Undeterred by my failure, i tried again, forcing the alien shapes past my lips, the sounds vibrating through my chest.
The air thickened; my wand, lying on the nightstand, vibrated violently, the glass of the mirror spider-cracking.
Then her voice cut through mine like the crack of a whip.
"Enough!"
My throat siezed up and the sounds being created came to an end.
But with it a new wave of exhaustion assaulted my body, and worse still a great pain radiated from deep within me.
Lady Draconis's expression shifted — awe tempered by worry.
"You are not ready, Cassius. Even that fragment could have torn your soul if you had forced it further."
I coughed, voice raw, the taste of blood in my mouth.
"It felt..."
But my words were cut off due to the pain, my throat was raw as if i were suffering from a case of severe strep throat.
"And that is precisely why you must learn caution. Draconic is not a language of humans, the fact i was able to speak it was thanks to the great power i managed to obtain in my day, but in order to truely be a speaker, you must first temper your body. The words alone otherwise would cause irreparable harm to your body, and if you pushed it then your soul as well."
She floated closer, her presence suddenly gentler.
"You are a far distant relative to me but your blood runs deeper than even my own children, i was right to name you as my heir, for within you is the chance to possibly even surpass that which i managed myself."
There was pride there — and something else.
Could it have been fear?
I leaned back against the bedframe, chest still heaving.
"Then teach me."
Her laugh was soft, weary.
"As i just said you must first temper your body young hatchling, you must be capable of withstanding the words awesome might before i can truly begin to give you lessons, for now you must simply increase your physical trainings until such a time as i deem you ready for the next step."
She turned, drifting toward the doorway, but paused before passing through the wall.
"One more thing, my heir."
"Yes?"
Her eyes, now glinting with that old argent light, met mine.
"The Headmaster has requested my presence. It seems Albus wishes to speak with me regarding… recent events."
I frowned.
"Dumbledore summoned you?"
"Yes, and I thought perhaps you might accompany me. You are one of the mortal plane and might understand more about recent events than myself who have been focused solely on yourself."
The corner of my mouth twitched into a smirk.
Her form shimmered brighter, her voice lowering. "So, will you walk with me, Cassius Snape, heir of Draconis, speaker of tongues both forbidden and divine?"
I stood, flexing my sore throat, feeling the hum of power still echoing beneath my skin.
"Lead the way, my Lady."
Her smile — sharp, regal, approving — was answer enough.
Then she passed through the wall, trailing pale light like a comet's tail, and I followed, walking through the door and into the common room.
Leaving behind the Draconis dormitory as the pair of us walked on until reaching the statue of a Griffin whos wings were outstrech in a grand arc.
"Licorice Wand."
The password was stated, but even as she said it, Lady Draconis could not help but shake her head a little at the lack of seriousness about this recent headmaster.