A Day at the Zoo Pt 2/2
"Hey, you… kid."
Percy, who was walking alongside his brother and Sirius, suddenly heard a voice that seemed to echo directly inside his head. It wasn't exactly words, but rather a strange sensation—like a vibration that carried meaning without sound. The feeling made the boy frown in confusion.
"Over here, kid," the voice insisted. Percy followed the direction of that sensation until his gaze stopped on a large glass wall. Beyond it, floating calmly in the water, was an enormous sea turtle, moving its flippers slowly and gracefully.
"Yes, here," the voice said again, clearly coming from the turtle.
Percy's eyes widened in surprise. He turned around to call his brother, but Harry was observing another enclosure, where a caiman slept peacefully. Sirius, meanwhile, seemed fascinated by the animal and was tapping lightly on the glass with his knuckles, trying to wake it up—until a zookeeper scolded him sharply.
"Come, kid. Do you want to hear the great story of how I ended up here?" said the turtle, its voice deep and unhurried.
Percy hesitated for a moment, looking at the aquatic creature curiously, then glanced at the sign attached to the side of the glass.
"It says here that you were raised in captivity," Percy replied, pointing at the sign.
The turtle turned its gaze toward where he was pointing and, like a stubborn old man—or someone who simply chose to ignore reality—repeated in the same solemn tone, "Do you want to hear the great story of how I ended up here?"
Percy stared at the turtle. He wanted to say no, but the fact that he could actually understand a turtle was far too fascinating to ignore. Besides, he couldn't deny that he was curious to know how it would tell its story.
"Percy, hurry up! We're going to see the snakes!" Harry called from across the hall. Sirius, still being scolded, scratched the back of his head with a guilty grin, nodding over and over like a mischievous child.
"You go ahead. I'll listen to this guy's story," Percy said, pointing toward the turtle.
Harry gave him a flat look, then glanced at the animal, then back at his brother.
"Riiight… I'll be over there, then," he said dryly, pointing toward the glass enclosures where several snakes could be seen. He gave Percy one last puzzled look, shook his head, and walked away.
Percy shrugged and turned back to the turtle, who already seemed ready to begin its tale.
"It was a cold autumn morning. My brothers and I had just hatched, and we were running for our lives toward the sea. Above us flew deadly winged beasts, their sharp talons swooping down to catch us. Some didn't make it. We lost many that day…"
Percy listened in silence. He had expected a silly story, but it turned out to be surprisingly exciting. The turtle told it with such gravity that it almost sounded like an epic tale of survival.
…
"Talking to a turtle… I wonder if that hit from Cousin Dred was a bit too hard," Harry muttered, glancing back at his brother. Percy was now sitting cross-legged on the floor, his chin resting on his hands, listening with near reverence. Every now and then, he nodded or covered his mouth with excitement, as if the story had taken a dramatic turn.
Harry sighed in resignation and moved toward the enclosure of a massive Brazilian boa constrictor. There was Dudley, pounding on the glass with both hands, trying to wake the animal, which lay coiled and motionless.
Harry watched the snake with quiet curiosity. Every time he saw one, he felt something… different. Not fear, like most children—something deeper. As the snake remained asleep, he studied it closely, trying to understand that strange sensation.
Then, slowly, the serpent lifted its head until its eyes met his. Harry didn't flinch; he simply met its gaze calmly. They stared at each other for several seconds—until, suddenly, the snake winked.
Harry tilted his head slightly, not surprised, just intrigued. He glanced briefly at Percy, who was still completely absorbed in the turtle's story, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Harry turned back to the snake. "You… can you understand me?" he asked quietly, feeling a little foolish.
To his astonishment, the snake nodded slowly. Then he felt it—that same mental vibration, the same strange sensation Percy had described earlier with the turtle. It wasn't speech, but the meaning formed clearly in his mind, as if the snake were speaking directly to him.
Harry wanted to know more about the connection. "Where are you from?" he asked.
The snake moved its head toward the sign beside the glass. The text read Brazilian Boa Constrictor, but the feeling Harry received was different—the creature was telling him it had never been there.
"You've never been there?" Harry asked in surprise, feeling the sadness emanating from the reptile.
"It must be awful… being trapped here, unable to see your own kind," he murmured softly, a hint of sympathy in his voice. Part of him wanted to help, but he knew there was nothing a child could do.
Suddenly, he felt something rush toward him like a cannonball. His body reacted instinctively, stepping back just in time. His reflexes—honed by Dred's training and countless sparring matches with Percy—saved him from being hit.
It was Dudley.
The boy had tried to ram into him with all his weight, and if he had succeeded, even with Harry's training, he might have been sent flying like he'd been hit by a truck. Well, maybe not that bad—but the thought did cross Harry's mind.
Harry looked at him with mild irritation. Dudley, who had nearly fallen after missing, glared back furiously before pretending indifference and turning toward the snake again, as if nothing had happened.
"Dad, look! The snake's moving!" shouted Dudley, pounding on the glass with both hands to get Vernon's attention, who was standing a few meters away.
The man turned, and when he saw Harry standing near the enclosure, his face twisted with disgust. His expression hardened, as if the mere presence of the boy posed some kind of danger to his son. He stepped closer, positioning himself protectively in front of Dudley, as though shielding him from something threatening.
Harry, unfazed, remained still, watching the snake.
Vernon seemed about to speak when Sirius appeared behind Harry, his expression calm and slightly mocking.
That was enough to make Vernon swallow his words.
"Maybe you should keep an eye on your son. It's bad manners to bother the animals and hit the glass in a zoo," Sirius remarked with feigned serenity—an ironic comment, considering he himself had been scolded for the same thing just minutes earlier.
"That's our problem, wizard," Vernon spat, saying the word wizard as if it were an insult.
Sirius took a deep breath and decided not to argue. "Come on, Harry. Let's find Percy and go see the sharks," he said at last, in a calm but firm tone. It wasn't worth ruining the day by dealing with an idiot.
Harry nodded and, before leaving, cast one last glance at Dudley, who continued pounding the glass relentlessly. Each hit echoed sharply, and Harry could feel the serpent's distress—its irritation and pain with every impact. His expression darkened slightly.
Then, in the middle of one of Dudley's blows, the glass vanished. It simply… disappeared.
Dudley let out a startled yelp and fell headfirst into the enclosure, splashing into the water.
Petunia, who had been walking down the corridor, saw the scene and screamed in terror. Vernon, only a few meters away, turned sharply, and when he saw his son inside the snake's tank, his eyes went wide. For a brief moment, his face shifted from shock to fear—and then to pure rage. His glare landed on Harry and Sirius, desperate to find someone to blame.
But before he could move, the massive snake rose from the water. Its body slid forward with slow, majestic grace, and Vernon froze on the spot, trembling.
The serpent looked at him briefly… then turned its head toward Harry.
Sirius frowned and immediately stepped in front of his godson, ready to draw his wand if needed. But the snake stopped a few feet away and simply remained still, its eyes fixed intently on the boy.
Then, to Sirius's astonishment, Harry began to speak. Not in normal words, but in a soft, hissing sound—fluid and hypnotic. Sirius blinked in disbelief, trying to understand what was happening, until it finally dawned on him: his godson was speaking in the language of snakes.
The enormous reptile listened, tilted its head slightly… and then, showing no aggression, turned around and began to slither toward the exit of the enclosure, disappearing down the hallway as people screamed and fled in panic.
Vernon, still frozen in place, suddenly sprang into action and ran to rescue his son. But when he reached the tank, he slammed face-first into something invisible and solid—the glass had reappeared, trapping Dudley inside. The boy shouted and pounded on the walls from the other side, soaked and furious.
Harry watched and couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh. Sirius, on the other hand, didn't even stop to look.
"Let's go," he said calmly, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder. Then he turned toward Percy, who was still completely absorbed in the sea turtle's story—as if nothing had happened at all.
…
Outside the reptile house, Sirius walked in silence, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and disbelief.
"What's wrong?" asked Percy, noticing his face.
Sirius didn't answer right away. He looked at Harry, choosing his words carefully before finally asking,
"Harry… can you speak Parseltongue?"
"Parseltongue?" repeated the boy thoughtfully. "You mean the language of snakes?"
Sirius nodded.
Harry blinked a couple of times. "I think… yes," he admitted slowly. "I could understand the snake, and she understood me. I hadn't realized it before, but… I guess I've been speaking Parseltongue all along."
"Seriously?" Percy said with an amused grin. "Cool! I can talk to turtles… I think."
Sirius stared at him in disbelief. "Turtles? Wait—seriously?" he asked, rubbing his temples as if a headache was coming on. "Well… I suppose talking to any animal is already strange enough. Listen, just in case—don't tell anyone you can talk to snakes and… turtles. Especially the snakes."
"Why not?" Harry asked curiously.
"Well…" Sirius grimaced, struggling to find the right words. "Let's just say… most wizards who could talk to snakes were complete bast—"
He stopped when he noticed Harry's look. "Not all of them, obviously. Just… don't mention it, all right? Ask that woman Mor later—she'll explain it better."
"Okay," both boys said in unison, though neither looked entirely convinced.
Sirius sighed, scratching his head. "Forget it. How about we go to the aquarium and check out the sharks?"
"Sure," Percy replied eagerly. "And on the way, we can see if we can talk to other animals."
Sirius raised an eyebrow, clearly defeated. "That's… exactly what you shouldn't do."
But the two boys were already walking ahead, chatting excitedly about their newfound ability.
Harry smiled, intrigued. Percy laughed, brimming with his usual curiosity.
Sirius followed a few steps behind, sighing in resignation.