Slitherin’s monster would have been a great snake, but most definitely not a bassilisk in HPMOR. If it had been created to transmit knowledge, it would be some other kind of serpent. Otherwise, one look and oops! there goes the heir of slytherin.
In canon you can look at it indirectly (e.g. through a camera lens, or a reflection). You get injured, but not dead. Maybe if you look at it through your Snake Animagus eyes, you’ll be okay.
It seems to be required that the Heir be a Parseltongue. It’s not a stretch to require that the Heir also be a Snake Animagus—after all, there are many more people who can speak snake than become snake. In canon, Harry wasn’t the Heir but could still access the chamber—apparently any Parseltongue could have. In MoR, that would mean any Parseltongue could have accessed all of Slytherin’s secrets. But only the Heir of Slytherin can access the chamber (according to legend?). Therefore Parseltongue is not sufficient to gain access (if the legend is true).
“Sslytherin not sstupid. Ssnake Animaguss not ssame as Parsselmouth. Would be huge flaw in sscheme.”
-- Chapter 49
I venture that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets responds to Snake Animagus Parseltongue but not Common Parseltongue.
I read that quote as saying that snake Animagi were more common than Parselmouths, because snake Animagus could be learned, but Parseltongue has to be transmitted directly or indirectly through Slytherin’s line (directly, by genetics a la V, or indirectly, by bit-of-soul transfer a la HP. Though Rowling never says whether Harry lost his Parseltongue after the bit of V’s soul in his died in DH.)
/shrug if so then there goes that theory. I had thought Parseltongue was just rare. Didn’t realize you needed to be one of Slytherin’s heirs (or get in through a loophole like HP).
Bah. Doubly a cliffhanger. I don’t like waiting!
Shame about the Basilisk. That creature would have been almost as handy as a familiar as Dumbledore’s phoenix!
Slitherin’s monster would have been a great snake, but most definitely not a bassilisk in HPMOR. If it had been created to transmit knowledge, it would be some other kind of serpent. Otherwise, one look and oops! there goes the heir of slytherin.
Survival of the fittest. Sounds like something Slytherin would do to weed out potentially unworthy heirs. ;)
In canon you can look at it indirectly (e.g. through a camera lens, or a reflection). You get injured, but not dead. Maybe if you look at it through your Snake Animagus eyes, you’ll be okay.
It seems to be required that the Heir be a Parseltongue. It’s not a stretch to require that the Heir also be a Snake Animagus—after all, there are many more people who can speak snake than become snake. In canon, Harry wasn’t the Heir but could still access the chamber—apparently any Parseltongue could have. In MoR, that would mean any Parseltongue could have accessed all of Slytherin’s secrets. But only the Heir of Slytherin can access the chamber (according to legend?). Therefore Parseltongue is not sufficient to gain access (if the legend is true).
-- Chapter 49
I venture that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets responds to Snake Animagus Parseltongue but not Common Parseltongue.
I read that quote as saying that snake Animagi were more common than Parselmouths, because snake Animagus could be learned, but Parseltongue has to be transmitted directly or indirectly through Slytherin’s line (directly, by genetics a la V, or indirectly, by bit-of-soul transfer a la HP. Though Rowling never says whether Harry lost his Parseltongue after the bit of V’s soul in his died in DH.)
/shrug if so then there goes that theory. I had thought Parseltongue was just rare. Didn’t realize you needed to be one of Slytherin’s heirs (or get in through a loophole like HP).
It doesn’t say in the books, but I think she’s said that he did.