One Day They'll Know Your Name

She knew his name

One day, between classes, Harry heard the snake speaking again.

Rip, tear, kill, I'M HUNGRY

Harry jumped at the shout. Um, what do you eat usssually? he asked hesitantly.

The voice was quiet for a few minutes. Harry had almost decided to walk away when the voice came again. Ssspeaker? There isss a Ssspeaker here?

Yesss? That sounded like more of a question than he had intended. Oh well. I am a Ssspeaker. My name isss Harry. What isss your name? A sssnake that knowsss their way ssso well mussst have been around for a long time and therefore hasss been given a name.

My name isss Sssalmisssssra. You are not the little fire headed girl who isss actually my Tom.

Harry froze. Little red headed girl? That sounded like Ginny. Since when could anyone in Ron's family talk to snakes? And what was this about she's actually my Tom? Who the heck was Tom?

Who isss Tom? he asked aloud.

My hatchling, came the reply. Before he came in the fire head girl, he wasss here only a couple yearsss ago. He put me to sssleep before he left.

If he put you to sssleep before he left, are you sssure it wasss only a couple of yearsss? Harry asked.

Salmissra was quiet for a few moments. You could be right, hatchling. Time isss ssstrange when you are asssleep for a long time. My Tom told me that it had been a thousssand yearsss sssinccce the lassst time I had been awake, with my Sssalazar.

Harry gaped. Salazar? Like Salazar Slytherin? That was awesome! This snake had known Salazar Slytherin! You knew Sssalazar Ssslytherin? Can you tell me about him? What was he like? What was his favorite color? Isss it true that he and Godric Gryffindor got in a fight about Mugglebornsss?

Salmissra let out a hissy laugh. Patienccce, hatchling. I will anssswer all your quessstionsss. My Sssalazar wasss a good man. He had a ssstrange sssenssse of humor in my opinion, but he made the othersss laugh easssily. I remember when I wasss sssmall and he would carry on hisss ssshouldersss asss he walked around our Chamber. He would tell me about hisss friendsss and how the ssschool wasss doing. He alssso told me the funniessst joke I can remember. "A young apprenticcce magizoologissst saysss to hisss massster, 'isss thisss sssnake poisssonousss?' The massster looksss at the sssnake and repliesss, 'no, the sssnake isss not poisssonousss at all." The boy picksss up the sssnake, and it bitesss him. The boy beginsss to ssshake and foam at the mouth. The massster continuesss, 'it isss venomousss. Remember, poissson isss ssswallowed or absssorbed. Venom isss injected. Remember that next time.'"

Harry couldn't help but giggle a little. He could see why Salmissra would have liked this joke the best. It was violent, and the snake was only doing what it did usually. Harry suddenly heard a noise at the end of the hall and snapped his head up to look at the person walking toward him. It was Draco. My friend isss coming. He isss of Sssalazar'sss Houssse, asss am I. Would you mind if he lissstensss with me? I will have to tell him what you say, sssinccce he can't Ssspeak.

Of courssse, hatchling. My Sssalazar put me in the ssschool to protect the ssstudentsss from the Mugglesss, and if your friend isss of my Sssalazar'sss Houssse, then I am honored to have him lisssten to me.

Harry grinned. "Hi Draco! The snake in the wall is named Salmissra! She knew Salazar Slytherin and is telling me about him! Do you want to join me?"

Draco's jaw dropped. "Harry, what the fuck! What part of 'don't talk to the violent snake in the walls' did you miss?" Then he dropped down on the floor next to Harry. "Of course I want to hear stories about Salazar Slytherin, who do you think I am?"

Harry just laughed. "Apparently he was into snake jokes, at least around Salmissra. I'll tell you her favorite joke later. Also he used to carry her around on his shoulders in their chamber." What elssse, Sssalmissssssra?

Salmissra continued to tell stories until it was time to eat. Harry reluctantly bid her farewell.

"You do realize you can talk to her most any time, right? All you have to do is find where she is and talk to her." Draco reminded him.

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Oh yeah." Sssalmissssssra, do you mind if I come to talk to you again sssometime?

Of courssse, hatchling! I will be happy to talk to you more! Maybe you can tell me about yourssself and your friendsss!

Thank you for telling usss about Sssalazar! Harry called as Draco dragged him away.

Goodbye, hatchling, Salmissra hissed back, seeming amused.

Harry pouted as Draco pulled him away, but brightened a moment later. "We should tell the others about Salmissra!" Now Harry was doing the pulling. "Hermione especially will be excited to hear about Salazar Slytherin!"

Draco sighed, but let his best friend pull him down to dinner. After they finished eating, Harry was still practically bouncing in place, and Draco sighed again before twisting his ring to let the others know they were having a meeting. He grabbed Harry's arm and began pulling him along, fondly listening to his chatter.

When they entered their old classroom, Harry was surprised for a moment to see everyone. "Oh! Did someone call a meeting?"

"Yes, Harry," Hermione said. "Draco did. You were sitting right next to him when he sent the signal. Were you not paying attention?"

Draco sighed again. "Harry here was distracted because he made a new friend today."

"A new friend? Why aren't they here?" Neville asked.

"Please don't tell me it's the murder snake," Ron groaned. He groaned louder when two voices spoke up simultaneously.

"It's the murder snake." Harry's voice was concernedly excited, while Draco's voice was full of exasperation.

"Harry. What did I say about talking to murder snakes?" Ron asked, just as exasperated as Draco.

"You didn't say anything about talking to murder snakes. You just said not to feed her."

Ron turned to Draco. "Did he just say her? As in he had an actual conversation with the murder snake?" Draco just nodded.

"Hey! Salmissra wouldn't hurt anyone! She was put here by Salazar Slytherin to protect the students!" At this Hermione perked up.

"Salazar Slytherin? As in a thousand years ago Founder Salazar Slytherin?" Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"Salmissra?" Ron asked unbelievingly. Harry turned to him.

"Yeah! It's her name!"

"Enough about the actual snake, I want to know about Slytherin! Did she tell you about him? What about the whole time the Founders were here?" Hermione was getting excited. She had pulled out a quill and parchment, ready to take notes.

Harry began to tell her everything, including the joke. "I'm guessing Slytherin's humor was on the punny, dark side."

Neville snorted. "Harry, curfew's coming. Why don't you tell us the rest tomorrow? Besides, I'm sure the other Slytherins would be excited to hear about their Founder straight from the snake's mouth."

Draco looked horrified at the thought of Harry telling the Slytherins about the snake in the wall. "How about we just tell them we found a portrait or something, Harry," he said, steering the still babbling boy out the door. "If they found out about Salmissra they might go looking for her and get eaten or something." Hermione wasn't far behind them, but she was headed towards her own dorms, clearly planning to research more.

Ron laughed. "Nice going, Neville. You got Harry to bed, and now Hermione has a new research project. Now all we have to do is make sure Harry keeps his idiot self alive while talking to a thousand year old snake."

Neville grinned back. "We'll let Draco worry about that for now. I wasn't kidding. Curfew really is coming up, and I still have one more assignment to do. Goodnight, Ron."

"Night, Nev."