The griffin statue groaned as it turned, revealing the spiraling staircase beyond.
Its grinding echoed like a growl that hadn't quite forgotten how to be alive.
Lady Draconis glided forward, her form brushing through the air with a regal indifference that made even the torches flicker away from her.
I followed in her wake, boots thudding softly against the moving steps, enjoying the feeling of riding the magical escalator of sorts.
By the time we reached the polished oak door of the Headmaster's office, I could already hear voices within — one soft, one weary, one unmistakably familiar.
"Enter," came Dumbledore's calm murmur before I could even knock.
The door swung open on its own.
The office was warm, filled with the scent of ink and lemon drops.
The familiar whirr of silver instruments filled the silence between breaths.
But my eyes found the trio waiting at the center: Albus Dumbledore in his trademark serenity complete with half moon spectacles, my mother Lily sitting stiff-backed in an armchair almost towards the side of his desk, and Harry — my half-twin brother — looking like he'd rather be anywhere else than here seated to his mothers left, leaving another pair of chairs vacant on the otherside.
The moment I stepped in behind Lady Draconis, the air shifted.
Lily's green eyes widened.
Harry froze, half-rising from his chair.
Dumbledore's gaze flicked from me to the ghost beside me, his expression unreadable.
"Ah," Dumbledore said softly, "I had hoped only for Lady Draconis this evening, but… perhaps fate has offered us a chance as well."
"Headmaster." I inclined my head, tone neutral.
"Cassius," Lily said quickly, rising halfway as though to block me from view — or perhaps to make a move to shield Harry.
Her voice trembled on the edge of reprimand. "You shouldn't—"
"Peace, Lily," Dumbledore interrupted gently. "He is welcome here. In fact, his presence may prove… illuminating."
Lady Draconis drifted forward, folding her hands as though she still possessed bones.
"You summoned me, Headmaster Dumbledore?"
He smiled faintly.
"Indeed, a mystery has appeared within the school, a curiosity shared by many. We wish to ask if you have any insight into the message that was left — 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.' As it is a rather grim proclamation."
His blue eyes flicked meaningfully between Harry and me.
"Many are split on the interpretation, some believing it speaks of your Heir, as in young Cassius here-."
Lady Draconis's gaze was steady.
"It does not refer to my House, Headmaster. Nor to my Heir." She gestured lightly toward me. "Cassius has been under my constant watch and i can assure you he has never opened this chamber of secrets."
Lily exhaled sharply in relief — only for Dumbledore to ask, with deliberate calm, "Then the heir in question?"
"That line no doubt belongs to my son, Salazar," she said simply. "Always a pale imitation of his dear old mum he was."
Harry's fists clenched in his lap.
"So you mean—someone at school is his heir?"
"Or believes themselves to be," Lady Draconis replied coolly. "Fools often mistake echoes for destiny."
Dumbledore's gaze lingered on Harry.
"And yet… there is one among the student body at hogwarts who bears your son's gift."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Lady Draconis did not stir, having only just recently learnt of Cassius's own ability to speak parseltongue but from their earlier discussion he'd kept this a secret so instead there was another with the gift.
Harry's face reddened as the admission was made public, exposing him as a freak or worse still the possible heir.
Lily's hand flew to her son's shoulder.
"He's not this heir you speak of, how could he Harry is a good boy!"
Her voice cracked under the weight of fear.
I leaned back slightly, watching the tremor in Harry's hands, the worry in her eyes.
It wasn't pity I felt — something colder.
Calculation, maybe.
"If I may," I said quietly, drawing their attention. "There's a simple way to settle this."
Dumbledore's brows lifted. "A test, Mr. Snape?"
"Yes. One that requires no speculation, no hysteria."
Harry frowned. "What kind of test?"
"The kind that reveals the truth."
Lily tensed. "Cassius, whatever you're thinking—"
"Will not harm him," I said smoothly. "You have my word, what i propose will not cause any harm to any within this room."
Lady Draconis glanced at me, her expression faintly amused.
As if she knew of my thinking, and what i had intended to do after waiting so very long.
Seeing the headmaster agree, i got up from my chair standing a few meters away from Harry.
Drawing my wand, pointing it towards him, causing Harry to spring from his own chair into the open space.
But before he could draw his own wand the motion and words left my mouth.
"Serpensortia."
A burst of black fog flared at the wand's tip — spreading around like a smokescreen before coalescing into the form of a great snake.
Looking like a great Boa constrictor, the mass of serpentine form slithered around on the floor between us brothers.
Lily's cry tore the quiet apart. "Cassius, stop this madness!"
But I didn't move.
The serpent raised its head, eyes glinting like molten gold, and began to slide toward Harry.
The boy froze — rooted to the spot.
Sweat beaded on his brow as the snake drew closer, slow, deliberate, almost curious.
Lily darted forward to stand before her son, shielding him from teh snake but this did not deter the monster before them.
Lily's voice broke into panic. "ALBUS, DO SOMETHING!"
But Dumbledore merely watched, his eyes shadowed with something like sorrow — or curiosity.
He knew from his stance Cassius indeed did not mean harm, but he had yet to figure out just what it was the young man was trying to accomplish by unleashing a serpent like this within the headmasters office.
But thankfully we were not required to wait much longer, as the cries we heard were silenced and i their place came an almost calm trilling of slurrs and sissps.
A hiss.
Low, drawn out, serpentine — but not Harry's, no instead these came from a more feminine source.
"ssssaytha ssseya ayaeeh aaah…"
Parseltongue had just been spoken and with it the entire room froze, all except for Cassius who with a flick of his wand unsummoned the boa slithering before him.