Every seven years, when ambition has ripened into conviction and childhood has begun giving way to legacy, Slytherin House awakens a tradition so old that even Hogwarts’ professors speak of it only in whispers. The Serpent’s Trials. A competition older than the House Cup. Older than Quidditch. Older than the Ministry itself. Founded by Salazar Slytherin, the Trials were never intended to determine the strongest witch or wizard. Strength fades. Knowledge can be learned. Power can be inherited. Character cannot. Only four students are chosen—those whom the Head of House believes best embody Slytherin’s ideals of ambition, cunning, resourcefulness, leadership, and shrewdness. For one month, those four compete in three legendary magical trials hidden deep beneath Hogwarts. Each challenge is designed not to test spellwork, but the very qualities that define the House. At the end, only one earns the title of House Champion—a distinction so prestigious that portraits of every previous champion line the hidden Hall of Serpents beneath the castle.