Harry waved his hand dismissively: "This kind of thing… it's harmless, as long as he's not like Quirrell…"
Ever since he learned about Quirrell, Professor Snape had become much more normal.
"Okay, where are you going next?" Hermione asked.
Harry looked outside; it was only afternoon. After the anticlimactic match ended, the teachers had taken them back to their common rooms until now.
"I'm going to the Forbidden Forest…" Harry said.
In the evening, Norbert's dragon ring was given to Hermione. Hermione repeatedly declined, but finally, at Harry's insistence, she couldn't refuse. The person behind the Chamber of Secrets hadn't been found yet, and he was somewhat worried about Hermione's safety.
Norbert tightened his tail, and the ring rested securely on Hermione's fingertip.
Hermione's face was flushed, red all the way to her ears. Harry earnestly advised her that she could wear two fewer layers of clothes; the temperature hadn't fully dropped yet.
As for the ring…
Uncle Howl had so many rings on his hands, either casting tools or other things, and he himself had one on his finger too…
After dinner, he bid farewell to Hermione, who was going to the library, and found the Weasley brothers.
As soon as they saw Harry, they gave him a big hug, expressing their admiration for his actions on the field. Then they asked if Harry had been bullied after returning to the common room.
"Don't be silly, it's good enough if Harry doesn't bully them," Lee Jordan said with a speechless expression, then gave a thumbs-up: "Honestly, when Madam Hooch gave me the news, I was completely stunned. You're famous now."
After discussing these things, they talked about Parseltongue again.
"Hufflepuff? They have the most people, and they're the easiest to follow the crowd. We laughed our heads off when we heard that news. You used a Basilisk to attack Granger? Who doesn't know you two are friends?" Fred laughed heartily, as if he had heard the biggest joke ever.
"But honestly, the power of rumors is still terrifying," George said seriously, "Harry, you need to be careful in the next few days."
He was giving Harry a heads-up.
"How… how do you know so much?"
The two exchanged an awkward glance: "Because if any pranks happen at this school, they're usually attributed to us two or Peeves."
"But the truth is, we just like to play little jokes," Fred said.
"Exactly, but they're willing to believe we did it. We're the usual scapegoats."
Harry nodded, and Fred and George didn't elaborate further on the matter.
After that, they discussed the content of the survey questionnaires. Fred and George would distribute these questionnaires; they had the widest connections, and Harry couldn't find anyone more suitable than them.
The next day, after a night of fermentation, Harry quickly felt the harshness of the rumors George and Fred had mentioned.
In the corridor, everyone he met would keep their distance from him; no one dared to approach him.
This was the treatment only Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall received, and today it was replicated on him.
However, this was only the beginning.
Slytherin was not completely isolated from the other houses. Although news circulated slower within the common room, it eventually spread throughout the entire school.
The matter of the survey questionnaires was an exception; apart from some first and second-year Little Wizards who couldn't hold back and spoke out, most Slytherins remained silent about it.
After the first class in the morning, Harry and Draco and a few others returned to the Great Hall. It was break time, and people were packed together.
Suddenly, a girl's scream rang out.
The crowd immediately became noisy, creating an empty space. Harry and the others quickly retreated, not wanting to pointlessly squeeze together at that moment.
They leaned against the stone pillars in the outer corridor, waiting for the crowd to thin out.
"Harry! Something's wrong," Draco whispered.
Harry frowned, looked up, and found many eyes focused on him.
The crowd parted, and a large snake slowly crawled out.
Serpent Swarm was just a simple Transfiguration spell; too many people knew it.
He didn't know if he had overestimated his tolerance or underestimated the power of rumors.
In any case, he stood up and surveyed the crowd.
However, just as he was about to speak, a voice appeared before his.
"You guys, don't tell me you think Parseltongue is some kind of circus trick for your entertainment!"
Behind Harry, robes billowed, and several tall, green-trimmed black-robed figures appeared, blocking him.
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