Harry Potter and the Snake at the Zoo

Question

I watched the Harry Potter movies before I read the books and just realised on my second read of HP and the Philosopher's Stone that Harry has zero reaction to being able to communicate with a snake, unlike in the film where he says "can you hear me?" with slight shock (this under-reaction bugs me too but it's better than nothing).

I understand that he doesn't know he is speaking Parseltongue but at this point he has no idea about magic's existence so why is he not at all shocked, surprised or show any other emotion? I mean I'd be freaking out if I'd had a chit-chat with a snake.

Does anyone know any reasoning for this that I have missed?

Answer 1

The snake doesn't really talk for most of the conversation, It responds through body movements. Most pets and animals will respond to voices, granted this is incredibly sophisticated for a snake. Although this is Harry's first time at the zoo apart from possibly reading about Snakes in a textbook at school he would have no idea about their capabilities.

It winked.
      Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.
      The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:
      “I get that all the time.”
      “I know,” Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn’t sure the snake could hear him. “It must be really annoying.”
      The snake nodded vigorously.
      “Where do you come from, anyway?” Harry asked.
      The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.
      Boa Constrictor, Brazil.
      “Was it nice there?”
      The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on:  This specimen was bred in the zoo. “Oh, I see — so you’ve never been to Brazil?”
      As the snake shook its head

So we see that he has no reason to be really surprised, an animal making physical movements is a lot more believable than an animal speaking. Granted to most of us with knowledge, this snakes responses would be incredibly fascinating. I'm sure Harry is happier to just have someone to talk to for once.

Remember also that he only knows he can speak to snakes he has no idea until CoS that snakes can speak to him so clearly when he hears this:

As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, “Brazil, here I come.… Thanksss, amigo.”

He didn't quite believe what he had heard, the language used is the same that someone who is unsure of what they have seen or heard would use e.g "I could have sworn I just saw..." he clearly has disbelief in what he heard.

Also it's very likely that Harry was distracted with the commotion of Piers and Dudley's howls of horror.

Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor’s tank had vanished.

He seems to be too focused on the whole glass front disappearing than to properly focus on the snake. From this point it's likely his mind had wondered onto other things, like trying not to be punished.

Answer 2

JK Rowling talked about this scene from the book in an radio interview way back in 1999 (jeez, it's been that long already?). She mentioned that, similarly described by @Singular1ty, Harry has been inadvertently making things happen but was also equally aware of them occurring:

You’ve introduced an almost talking Brazilian boa constrictor.

JKR: Yeah, I like him.

I do too. One of the first signs to young Harry that things are not quite what they seem.

JKR: Yeah, that’s right. I’m fond of that scene. That’s the reading I always do. This is the scene, for people who haven’t read the book, where Harry --- until Harry is 11, he is inadvertently making magic happen a lot, but he has no idea what’s going on. This strange stuff keeps happening around him. This culminates in an occasion on his cousin Dudley’s birthday where Harry accidentally sets a boa constrictor on Dudley at the zoo, by releasing it by magic from it‘s tank. That’s my favorite reading to do from Book 1. I could do that one in my sleep.

Answer 3

On top of the other answers I want to add - from a writing perspective, Harry is surprised, but his reaction is shown, not told. The thing is, JK gets it out of the way really quickly.

The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.

It winked.

Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.

It's a small thing, but the separation of "It winked" into its own paragraph indicates very clearly that Harry is aware that this is an extraordinary action. It's meant to create the impression of stunned silence. The stunned beat is reinforced with the next paragraph's short sentence beginning - consider that this could also have written "Harry stared, then he looked around..."

Answer 4

Although it's not canonical, at this point in his life, Harry is already aware that something strange happens around him (he doesn't know it's magic, yet, but definitely not 'normal'). There's the stories of his hair regrowing after being cut; leaping on top of the school building to escape bullies; and various other magic tricks to help defend against Dudley making his life miserable.

So although a talking snake is certainly new, it might not necessarily be surprising to Harry.