Hey sorry its been a while but I've been away on holidays anyway here you go! THe next chapter, enjoy!

Chapter Seven: In which things become clearer

Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room which seemed to be completely full with members of all houses.

Ron pushed his way through the crowd to grab Harry and pull him over to where he had the chess board set up.

"Harry!"

"Over here Harry!"

"Look will you lot just clear out? He doesn't understand a word you're saying, will you just get that through your thick skulls?" Ron bellowed standing on a chair.

"Thank you Mr Weasley," McGonagall said as she walked into the common room, "Don't all of you have things you should be doing?"

Students filtered out of the room sheepishly.

"Mr Weasley, can I rely on you and Ms Granger to keep an eye on Mr Potter until things return to normal?"

"Yes Professor," Ron said.

"Thank you," she left the two boys to their game.

"You know what Ron? You are bloody brilliant, I have been trying to figure out what I could possibly do during detention, perhaps Snape will play me," Harry said thoughtfully.

ooooo

After another creepy meal Harry shrunk his chess set and walked down to the dungeons for another detention. He knocked.

"Come in Potter."

Harry grinned and stood there, he knew what would have been said but just in case he stood there. He heard a sigh and some muttering so he wiped away his grin and stood there politely.

"You're enjoying this aren't you brat?" Snape snapped at him opening the door to let the boy in.

Harry stood there looking at him expectantly.

"Alright Mr Potter, I know we had a deal but I don't know what you are going to do now," Snape told him taking a seat behind his desk.

Harry walked over to the desk directly in front of his and turned his back on the professor pulling out and setting up the chess set before returning to its regular size and revealing it to his professor looking at him innocently.

Why was Harry bloody Potter standing in front of his desk wiggling his Quidditch toned backside? Snape glared at his student who seemed to be going out of his way to arouse his potions master.

He stood aside and revealed the chess set tilting his head at Snape in question. He gestured to the board and shrugged.

Snape looked at the puny miserable excuse for a chess set and sneered, before he knew it he had waved his wand and the set was packed up, shrunk and back in Potter's pocket.

"Come with me Potter, if you are going to inflict your pathetic wizard's chess skills on me it will at least occur on a decent board."

He led the confused boy out of the potions room and down a few hallways twisting and turning with absolute certainty.

As they passed one hallway Harry froze.

"My my, the students seem to get uglier every year. Why did you bother to bring them here Draco? These really are the most hideous bunch yet. My goodness, your ears are enormous young man, can you fly with those?"

Harry turned and ran to where he heard the voice coming from. There stood Draco Malfoy surrounded by first years in front of a portrait of Salazar Slytherin.

"Who was just speaking and why can I understand you?" Harry panted looking around wildly.

The students looked at him confused and the portrait raised an eyebrow, "I was speaking, you must be Harry Potter."

"Yeah whatever, why can I understand you?"

"Young man, use some manners," Slytherin sniffed indignantly, "Or I won't tell you anything."

Harry got his breathing under control, "Please sir, why is it I can understand you if I can't understand anyone else?"

Salazar looked at him raising an eyebrow once more, "Because you're a parseltongue of course, I thought you knew that."

The dark haired boy looked confused, "What does that have to do with anything?"

The portrait looked at him and burst out laughing, he looked at the stunned first years and aroused Malfoy, "He stands here having a conversation in parseltongue and asks what that has to do with anything. Some saviour of the world you've found yourselves."

"What do you mean? I'm not speaking in parseltongue," he shook his head before his eyes widened in realisation, "Am I?"

Salazar Slytherin looked highly amused, "Of course you are, didn't you realise that?"

"That's why no one can understand me!" he started pacing up and down, "That's why I can't read anything. It must have been the explosion!"

"That explosion was you? What happened?" he asked with a certain professional curiosity.

"I don't know, I just woke up and couldn't understand a thing anyone was saying."

"What was it that you were making though?"

"Snape was working on a potion to translate parseltongue, that's why I was helping, I think he wants to be able to read some of your journals or something, research or whatever, anyway, it exploded and that's all I remember," Harry explained.

Slytherin chuckled lightly then burst out laughing, "I think I know the potion you are talking about. When Godric and I first tried it he was stuck speaking Chinese for three months. It wouldn't have been so bad but the only three phrases he knew in Chinese were, 'hello' 'goodbye' and 'who farted?' It was hilarious for me, Ric wasn't so happy. Although I have to say it gets a bit off-putting when the only thing your partner can say during sex is 'Who farted?'"

He burst out into a fresh round of laughter.

Harry choked and stared at the man in the portrait, feared founder of Hogwarts, "You…you were…with…"

Slytherin smirked and raised an eyebrow, "Shagging with Godric Gryffindor? As a matter of fact yes."

"Potter! What on earth do you think you are doing?" A voice hissed down the corridor, "I turn my back for one moment!"

"Ah Severus, come to visit me as well?" Slytherin greeted him, "I have so many visitors tonight, I was just having a very interesting conversation with young Mr Potter myself."

Snape glared at the students, "I think it is time you all went back to the dorms, Mr Malfoy."

"Come on," Draco gulped and led the students away down the corridor, peeking back over his shoulder before he turned the corner.

"Why didn't I think of this before?" Snape groaned, "Of course you can understand the boy."

"Indeed Severus, you really need to be more careful next time, if it explodes at the wrong time that particular potion will temporarily wipe all knowledge and memories of all languages but one. Not much of an issue if you only speak one language but for those of us who are multilingual it can really mess with things." The portrait said very seriously.

Snape groaned, "And it was all my fault too, I was distracted when Harry was running through the incantations and didn't notice he was mispronouncing something."

"Ahh," Slytherin said in understanding, "Always did have a weakness for parseltongue didn't you Severus?" He smirked at the current head of his house.

Snape glared at him, "You better not say anything about it to Potter."

Salazar laughed, "He wouldn't believe me anyway. Is there anything you'd like to say to him?"

"Just make sure he knows what's happened and tell him he can leave now," Snape turned and swept away.

"Wait!" Harry cried out.

"Severus wait, I think Mr Potter has something to say to you," Slytherin smirked again, "What is it Harry?"

The boy blushed and looked at the floor, "I don't know where I am."

Salazar laughed, "Well your professor can lead you out in a minute, remember how to get back here in case you want to talk to me, although I might come visit you in one of the portraits closer to Ric's dormitories if you like. It is probably better not to venture into the snake's lair, particularly if you are going to be speaking their language."

"I'm sorry sir but I don't understand what you mean," Harry said looking in confusion at the portrait.

Salazar Slytherin looked at him, "Maybe you don't at that. Although most people are not overly fond of snakes, it is quite a different thing to hear their language coming from the mouth of a person. Particularly someone attractive such as yourself," Harry blushed, "My Slytherin's in particular are rather sensitive to the sound, I would be careful of how much you speak around them, it is a rather sultry sound that affects them all in one place."

He raised an eyebrow at the furiously blushing boy, "Do you understand Harry?"

"That ah, that clarifies things a bit," Harry blushed even more.

"Severus wanted me to make sure you knew what was happening and ask if there is anything you need to tell him," Slytherin told him, then smirked, "And of course let you know that the reason the potion exploded was because he was so aroused by your parseltongue he didn't notice you were screwing up the incantation."

Harry choked and glared at him, "That's not true and don't say things like that! That's just… no."

Salazar laughed at him, "Alright, anything you needed to say?"

"Umm, just can he lead me out of the dungeons? Oh and apologise for screwing up his potion I know how much he wanted to get it right," Harry ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"I already told you it wasn't your fault," Harry glared, "Oh alright."

"Severus, Harry was wondering if you could lead him out of the dungeons as he is completely lost. He also wants me to apologise to you for messing up your potion, I told him that wasn't necessary but he didn't believe me."

Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought!