Parselmouth

The Parselmouth Curse is an inheritable enchantment.

Effects
The Parselmouth Curse grants a wizard or witch an innate knowledge of Parseltongue, although Parselmouths do not start speaking Parseltongue before they have become fluent in their own language. A secondary effect of fthe curse is that Parselmouths may begin to speak Parseltongue without realizing they are no longer speaking their native tongue, an effect Hermione Granger likened to a Confundus Charm. Finally, the gift allows the Parselmouth to pick up Parseltongue words even if they are spoken in a very quiet hush (a feature likely intended to help Parselmouths in conversing with smaller, weak-throated snakes).

History
The Parselmouth Curse appears to have been created in Ancient Times, possibly by sorcerer Herpo the Foul or one of his close ancestors. Although numerous families of Indian wizards retained it, it appears Herpo's family line dried out in the European side, with the last Western Parselmouth of the 11th century being Salazar Slytherin.

Slytherin made no secret of his ability, and, following Slytherin's perception as the darkest of Dark Wizards in the centuries that followed, the Parselmouth Curse (and Parseltongue in general) became associated with evil and the Dark Arts. This fear of Parselmouths was reinstated when the most terrible Dark Wizard of the 20th century, Tom Riddle, descendant of Slytherin, was revealed to be a Parselmouth as well.

However, in the early 1990's, the reveal that Harry Potter (the Boy Who Lived, Vanquisher of Voldemort) and Hermione Granger (excelling student and Gryffindor) were both Parselmouths led to the Hogwarts student body rethinking this age-old stance.

List of Known Parselmouths

 * Herpo the Foul
 * Salazar Slytherin
 * Tom Riddle
 * Harry Potter
 * Hermione Granger