Serpent of Slytherin

The **Serpent of Slytherin** is a Basilisk. Salazar Slytherin put the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Only the Heir of Slytherin is able to control it.

## Biography

### Early years

The Serpent of Slytherin was hatched by Salazar Slytherin in a chicken egg under a toad. He built a Chamber of Secrets under Hogwarts Castle and put it inside. He hoped an Heir would one day open it and unleash the Basilisk to purge the school of Muggle-born students. He abandoned the school, but passed on knowledge of it to his descendants. The serpent could only be controlled by a descendent, so it couldn't be controlled by anyone else who spoke Parseltongue.

The existence of the Chamber of Secrets fell into legend because it could never be found. It was unknown to anyone except Slytherin's descendants what the creature actually was.

### 1942-1943 school year

By June 1943, Tom Riddle unleashed the Basilisk and it began trying to purge Hogwarts. In June, it killed a student near the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets. Due to how dangerous it was and lack of knowledge about what had killed her and how to stop it, the wizarding community wanted to Hogwarts to be closed down. Tom lived in an orphanage and preferred to stay at Hogwarts. Professor Dumblrfore suspected he had opened it, so he decided to close the Chamber of Secrets.

He closed the Chamber of Secrets and locked the Basilisk up. Because it was unknown to everyone else what the creature actually was, he successfully framed Rubeus Hagrid and an Acromantula, Aragog for what happened.

### 1992-1993 school year

In September 1992, Ginevra Weasley was possessed by Tom Riddle's Diary and opened the Chamber of Secrets. The very first Saturday of the school year, Harry Potter heard it whispering for the first time when he was serving detention by helping Professor Lockhart. He heard it speaking about wanting to "tear" and "kill" but Lockhart couldn't hear it. Harry later told Ronald Weasley.

In October, Harry heard the snake for the second time saying "rip... tear... kill..." and "soo hungry ... for so long". Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley were unable to hear it, but Harry thought it was going to kill and chased it. It Petrified Mrs Norris, and Ginny put a warning by her that the "Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware".

A few days later it Petrified a second victim, Colin Creevey who saw it through the lens of a camera. In December, it Petrified a ghost Nearly Headless Nick. Because Nick was dead, he couldn't be killed again so he was Petrified instead. Justin Finch-Fletchley saw it through the transparent body of Nick, and he was Petrified too.

The serpent was inactive until April. Hermione was researching in the Library and worked out it was a Basilisk. En route to tell Harry and Ron, it Petrified her and Penelope Clearwater through a mirror. Hermione was a specific target of Riddle because she was Harry's friend. The school thought it was safe until that happened and it caused a lockdown. Harry and Ron later found a piece of paper in her frozen hand and read her research. Harry and Ron forced Lockhart to go into the Chamber of Secrets and found a shedded skin at least twenty feet long. Lockhart panicked and tried to escape.

### Slaying

Harry eventually found the Chamber of Secrets. The soul in Tom Riddle's Diary was growing stronger and was gaining a physical form, enabling Tom to call for the serpent in Parseltongue for the purpose of killing Harry. The serpent began hunting Harry and he fell to the ground. Fawkes began soaring round and distracted the Basilisk. It snapped furiously at Fawkes who clawed the Basilisk's eyes out.

Tom demanded the Basilisk continue hunting Harry, who had asked for the Sorting Hat to help and was given the Sword of Gryffindor. The serpent twisted round to face Harry and was about to devour him, but Harry dodged it. The same thing happened again and the Basilisk lunged towards Harry, but he plunged the Sword into the Basilisk's head. A fang was lodged in Harry's arm but the Basilisk was killed.

Fawkes healed Harry and he used the fang to destroy Tom Riddle's Diary because Basilisk venom was a rare substance that could eliminate Horcruxes. It's venom was imbued in the Sword, enabling it to be used to eliminate other Horcruxes including Slytherin's Locket and Nagini. In May 1998, it's body was a skeleton. Hermione Granger took a fang to destroy Helga Hufflepuff's Cup.

## Appearance

It had a breath-taking, ice-cold voice of venom that was chilling to those who could hear it.

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 9
2. ↑ In *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 17, Harry spoke in Parseltongue to it but it wouldn't listen. It was put in *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 13 that it was a creature that only Slytherin could control.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 13
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 17
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 7
6. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 8
7. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 11
8. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 14
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 16
10. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 6
11. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 19
12. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 36
13. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 31