Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 75 Parseltongue

Instead of heading toward the grand mansion, Mr. Ogden turned right onto the path and slipped through a gap in the fence.

Behind the gap was a bumpy dirt road, with the shrubs and hedges on both sides growing taller and more lush.

A few steps further, the old Gaunt house, hidden among the tangled roots of trees, came into view. Above the front door of the old house, a dead snake was nailed.

The walls of the old house were covered in moss, and many roof tiles had fallen off, exposing the rafters in several places. Dense nettles grew all around the house, towering high and almost level with the windows. Those windows were small and cramped, filled with years of accumulated grime.

A window was pushed open, and a thin wisp of steam or smoke rose from it, as if someone was cooking inside.

Just then, a rustling sound rang out, and a ragged man leaped down from a nearby tree, landing right in front of Ogden.

"You are not welcome." The man waved his wand in one hand and gripped a blood-stained dagger in the other, his two small, dark eyes staring in opposite directions.

Snape gaped in astonishment because he could understand the man's words—wasn't he supposed to be speaking Parsley?
“Uh—I’m sorry—I don’t understand you,” Ogden responded uneasily to the man.

“He said he doesn’t welcome Mr. Ogden.” Dumbledore, seeing Snape’s surprised look, assumed he didn’t understand and explained, “He’s speaking Parsley.”

Snape closed his eyes, shook his head, but said nothing, letting Dumbledore quietly translate what the Gaunt people were saying.

Although he didn't want to tell Dumbledore about this now, it wasn't a bad thing for Snape.

This means that, if necessary, he will be able to enter Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets alone. Of course, he would have better be well-prepared before entering, such as by trying to obtain a goblin-forged weapon.

With a loud bang, Ogden was knocked to the ground by Morfin. He pinched his nose with his left hand, and a disgusting, sticky, yellowish liquid kept oozing from between his fingers.

"Mofen!" came a loud shout.

An elderly man rushed out of the wooden house, looking just like a fierce old monkey.

"From the Ministry of Magic, huh? You should have informed us before coming here, shouldn't you? This is private property..." Marvolo's arrogant voice reached their ears.

"Go inside, and don't talk nonsense," Mavolo said to Mofen in an unquestionable tone, his lips pursed.

Mofen moved slowly and unsteadily toward the wooden house. As soon as he entered, he slammed the door shut with all his might, causing the dead snake to sway against it.

“I’m here to deal with a serious violation of wizarding law that happened early this morning!” Ogden said sharply. “I’ve come to see your son. Perhaps we should go inside and talk?”

“Fine, fine, fine!” Marvolo roared. “You can stay in that haunted house then, that should satisfy you!”

“Let’s go in and take a look,” Snape said, pointing to the doorway, as Ogden stepped over the almost worn-down threshold of the old house.

Inside, Mofen sat in a dirty armchair beside a smoky fireplace, toying with a wriggling little venomous snake between her thick fingers, humming softly in a snake-like voice:

Hiss, hiss, baby snake!
Hurry up and crawl over on the ground.

You should be especially good to Mofen.

Otherwise, we'll lock you outside the gate.

In the corner by the open window stood a young girl in a tattered gray dress. She was slowly arranging the pots and pans on the shelf. Merope had straight, dull hair, a pale face, and plain features, with an expression of endless melancholy. Her eyes, like Mofen's, stared in opposite directions.

When Merope heard Ogden say that Morphin had used magic to teach a Muggle a lesson, causing him to develop excruciating hives all over his body, his hand trembled, and he knocked a jar to the ground with a clatter.

"Pick it up!" Marvolo roared at her. "What, are you going to crawl on the ground like a filthy Muggle looking for it? Is your wand just for show...?"

Melop managed to pick up the jar, but then, seemingly remembering Marvolo's scolding, he dropped it again.

Trembling, she raised her wand, attempting to cast a spell, but instead smashed the jar in two.

"You useless idiot!" Marvolo's harsh rebuke rang out again.

“She’s quite pitiful,” Snape sighed, “living in a family like that. Don’t you think, Professor, it’s better for everyone to get rid of such stubborn families sooner rather than later.”

Ogden fixed the jar for Melop and then said to Marvolo, "As I just said, the reason I came here is—"

"So what? Morfin casually taught a Muggle a lesson—so what?" Marvolo said angrily.

“Morphin has violated the wizarding law,” Ogden said sternly.

“Morphin has violated wizarding laws,” Gunter repeated arrogantly, mimicking Ogden’s tone and deliberately drawing out the words.

“Summon him to the Ministry of Magic for questioning—” Ogden raised his voice.

“Do you know who you’re talking to, you lowly little mudblood?” Marvolo roared, poking Ogden’s chest with his yellowed, filthy fingers.

“I remember I was talking to Mr. Gaunt.” Ogden looked wary, but didn’t back down.

“That’s right!” Marvolo shouted.

He showed Ogden the black gemstone ring he was wearing on his middle finger, waving it around in front of Ogden.

“See this… It’s been passed down in our family for centuries. Our family history is so long, and we’ve always been of pure blood… The gem is engraved with the Peverell’s emblem!”

Snape and Dumbledore stepped forward and examined the ring on Marvolo's hand. The black gemstone was engraved with a peculiar symbol: a vertical line encircled by a circle, and outside the circle was a triangle.

At that moment, Marvolo grabbed the gold chain around Melop's neck and pulled her in front of Ogden. A heavy gold locket hung from the end of the chain. The house-elf, Haggie, remembered seeing this locket before; it had been clutched tightly by Tom's pale knuckles.

“See this? Slytherin’s!” Marvolo shouted. “Salazar Slytherin’s! We are his last line of descendants, what else can you say about that, huh?”

Melop's neck was strangled by a gold chain, causing him to cough violently and barely breathe.

“I saw it, I saw it! Mr. Gaunt, your daughter!” Ogden said hurriedly, looking flustered.

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(End of this chapter)