Dozens of glass tanks were ceremoniously delivered to the Headmaster's office.
The Heads of the four Houses gathered, staring at the vibrant, writhing scenes within, feeling as though their very spirits had been polluted.
Perhaps they simply hadn't lived long enough to see all the peculiarities the world had to offer.
As the resident Parselmouth and self-proclaimed expert on snakes, Harry and his dormmates were promptly summoned to the Headmaster's office.
Seeing a black-haired Potter standing before him, Snape wasted no time in casting blame:
"The famous Harry Potter must feel quite proud of his Parseltongue abilities, doesn't he?"
"From the Headmaster to the professors, everyone is bending over backwards to protect him from the threat of Sirius Black."
"But this so-called protection is seen by him as surveillance, so he fills the castle with snakes, ensuring the entire school is covered with his ears—"
On any other day, Harry would have coldly countered Snape's accusations with sharp words and actions. But today was different.
He had to take the fall to protect Jane Yu and their club.
"You are absolutely right," he replied stiffly. "I am indeed proud of it."
Snape's face darkened with fury. He had never expected Potter to not only admit to his crimes but to take pride in them!
Through gritted teeth, he spat out each word:
"Very well, proud indeed, not even bothering to put on a facade."
"You are just like your father, Potter. Arrogant, rude, and conceited—"
Harry felt his blood boil, his anger clouding his judgment and making it nearly impossible to control himself:
"He is my father, of course I am like him! And he would be proud of me too!"
Snape's face twisted, his hands trembling, looking as if he might hurl a curse at the defiant young Potter any second.
"SEVERUS!!!"
Before the situation could escalate further, Dumbledore intervened, pulling Snape away. The Headmaster sternly mediated between the two:
"Calm down. This is not the topic we are here to discuss today."
Professor McGonagall frowned and pulled Harry behind her.
She turned to Ron with as gentle a tone as possible and asked:
"Mr. Weasley, can you explain why you are keeping snakes in your dormitory?"
But the poor red-haired boy was already terrified by the argument. His face was pale, and he didn't even notice the snot dripping down to his lips.
He stammered, not even knowing how he managed to speak, nor what he was saying:
"Uh... it's trendy... it's fashionable... Gryffindors have always liked keeping snakes..."
"Snakes are loyal companions to wizards... they help get rid of pests... they eat rats..."
He faltered, unable to come up with more.
All the professors raised their eyebrows, unable to believe their ears.
For a moment, Dumbledore had an absurd thought—
Could Voldemort have already influenced Harry to such an extent?
To the point where even Gryffindors around him were falling in love with keeping snakes?
He pressed his temples, deciding to question someone else.
But Neville, Seamus, and Dean were already too scared to speak.
Whoever Dumbledore's gaze landed on would immediately lower their head, avoiding eye contact.
The three huddled together for warmth, trying to use Ron's body as a shield, as if that could save them from this predicament.
It seemed the conversation was going nowhere.
But just then, Jane Yu's familiar voice rang out from outside the door.
The entire room watched in astonishment as she confidently entered the Headmaster's office, walked up calmly, and said:
"Sorry to interrupt, but those snakes were entrusted to them by me."
Having heard about the professors' snake-catching operation, she had rushed over like lightning.
Taking the blame had already become second nature to her.
And analyzing the deeper meaning behind her actions had become second nature to the professors and Dumbledore.
Thus, a long silence of thirty seconds filled the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore believed he had pieced together the logic.
Given the trend of increased inter-House camaraderie this year...
Jane Yu must be working to break down the barriers between the Houses!
Keeping pets was indeed a good starting point.
And using snakes as pets to dispel the fear of Slytherin House was an excellent form of cultural outreach.
But looking at the snakes coiled together, flicking their tongues, Dumbledore closed his eyes and still felt it was too much.
"I understand, I understand, child," he said with difficulty. "But perhaps we should consider some gentler methods..."
"After all, these... snakes... do pose a certain level of danger."
Jane Yu was utterly baffled.
What had her guardian understood? Gentler methods?
Why wasn't he following the usual script?
Shouldn't he first ask her why she did it—
So she could naturally take the blame and dispel the professors' high expectations of her?
After all, the last pair of twins who constantly pulled pranks had already been blacklisted by many staff members.
Why should she get away with this?
But looking at the growing expressions of "enlightenment" and "we understand" on the professors' faces—
She felt she really might be the exception!
"Sigh—" Professor McGonagall let out a long sigh, her eyes filled with affection. "We all understand the effort you've put in... Perhaps we should do something as well... like changing our teaching methods."
With this realization, her initial anger completely dissipated, and her heart softened.
Professor Sprout nodded repeatedly, already contemplating whether to reorganize her classes into four-House groups to deepen mutual understanding, break down barriers, and eliminate prejudice.
From the thoughtful look on Professor Flitwick's face, he too seemed to be considering a sweeping curriculum reform.
Even Snape fell into deep thought, though his instincts told him this would turn his Potions class into utter chaos.
But at that moment, Ron's scream suddenly broke the silence of the Headmaster's office!
"No! No! Let go of Scabbers!"
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