Chapter 235: Dealing with the Basilisk
Chapter 235: Dealing with the Basilisk
The next afternoon, at the Gryffindor long table, Harry noticed Ivan seemed somewhat absent-minded and asked curiously.
"Ivan, did you catch Dobby last night?"
"Of course, but Dobby has already lost the thing", Ivan nodded and replied.
Harry was surprised, putting down his knife and fork. He looked around to ensure no one was paying attention before asking in a low voice, "What should we do then?"
"Don't worry, I'll find that person as soon as possible", Ivan reassured him.
Harry felt much more at ease after Ivan's words.
In fact, Ivan was also quite troubled. With so many people in the school and the Horcrux being easy to hide, finding the person who had obtained the Horcrux was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
After dinner, Ivan declined Harry's offer to accompany him and went alone to the abandoned Girls' Bathroom.
Maca, who had been monitoring the area for a long time, quickly flew over upon seeing Ivan arrive.
"Has anyone been here before, Maca?" Ivan asked, and Maca shook her head.
Ivan let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that Tom couldn't easily deceive someone, at least not in just a few days.
As soon as the Horcrux went missing, Ivan had instructed his Owl to closely monitor the corridor outside the Girls' Bathroom. The Owl was to report immediately if anyone came in or if any unusual sounds were heard.
While people could hide using the Disillusionment Charm, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was the only way in.
To enter, one had to open this entrance, and the noise it made would be impossible to conceal from the Owl's keen hearing.
So, as long as he kept a close watch on this place, he would eventually catch the person who took the Horcrux.
Of course, this was predicated on him first dealing with the Basilisk and setting a trap here!
Otherwise, he would be caught between the person and the Basilisk.
After all, Tom Riddle's control over the Basilisk was much stronger than his own, which would be very disadvantageous for him!
"Hiss (Open!)" Ivan spoke in Parseltongue to the entrance mechanism. With a rumble, the passage slowly opened, and he jumped down to enter.
Returning to the Chamber of Secrets, Ivan was already familiar with the way.
However, he did not let his guard down, always on the lookout for any unexpected events. Only after confirming with his Patronus that the Basilisk was still obediently in its lair did he finally feel a bit more at ease.
"Speak to me, Slytherin—greatest of the four Founders of Hogwarts", Ivan's voice echoed as he opened the door to the Basilisk's lair.
The Basilisk quickly responded to the summons, slithering out of the mouth of the Slytherin statue, its massive body winding around, and its fierce snake head looming over Ivan, hissing.
"Hiss (Eat Acromantula)"
Ivan was surprised that the Basilisk still remembered this and said, "Take me to the laboratory one more time. I need to review the data, and then I'll take you to eat Acromantula."
The Basilisk nodded in agreement and lowered its body, preparing to carry Ivan into the lair as it had done before.
"Can I take some of your blood for research when I need it?" Ivan suddenly asked.
The Basilisk did not speak, but opened its large mouth full of sharp teeth, hissing at Ivan, its eyes glowing with a menacing light.
Although the previous two handlers had taken blood from it more than once, that was based on its inability to resist.
The young wizard in front of him, with his Parselmouth, did not have such overwhelming power to force it to obey.
Ivan fell silent. He had harbored a glimmer of hope for the Basilisk, thinking that after fusing with its blood, he would gain a powerful ally.
Unfortunately, the loss of the Horcrux had turned the Basilisk from an asset back into a threat!
The last chance he had given the Basilisk just now was met with clear disinterest.
For this, Ivan could only apologize. His improved Potion would be ready in three days, and today was the perfect time to take the blood!
"I hope those Acromantulas can be a bit more cooperative. After all, they are a type of Magical Creatures, and there are a whole nest of them. Even if it doesn't go well, they should at least make the Basilisk full!" Ivan muttered to himself, then changed his expression and used Parseltongue to soothe the Basilisk, asking it to take him to the laboratory first.
He needed to retrieve some useful information first, so he wouldn't have to climb up himself next time.
Deep into the night, a long shadow quickly glided through the water at the edge of Hogwarts Lake. The fish in the water fled in panic, creating ripples.
After a while, a flat, massive head emerged from the water, and Ivan, who was perched on top, coughed a few times with difficulty.
"Just as I thought, there are always pipes that lead directly here. The smell of the sewers is just too unbearable, though." Ivan jumped off the Basilisk's head, looking at the dense black forest around him, and sighed.
"Hiss (I smell them!)" The Basilisk began to stir, having detected the alluring scent again, and in large numbers.
Ivan didn't stop it, allowing the Basilisk to roam through the Forbidden Forest and begin its hunting plan!
To avoid accidentally harming Hagrid, who often visited the Forbidden Forest, or the Centaurs who lived there, Ivan chose to start at dawn, when most intelligent creatures were asleep.
Furthermore, Ivan had roughly determined the location of Aragog's nest from the route the Spiders had taken when they fled the school. The entry point was nearby.
He had minimized the chances of being seen as much as possible. If someone still managed to stumble upon them, Ivan could only apologize.
It didn't take long for the Basilisk to find the Acromantula nest with its keen sense of smell and excitedly burrow into it.
The Acromantulas clearly hadn't anticipated this sudden attack, or perhaps they sensed it but didn't have time to escape. The nest was soon filled with the sounds of the Basilisk tearing into its prey.
Then, countless small Spiders emerged from the cave, their bodies tiny, ordinary Spiders that had fled to the nest from the castle for safety. They probably didn't expect the Basilisk to come directly to their nest.
However, because of their small size, they couldn't see the Basilisk's eyes, and the Basilisk had no interest in eating them, so they were safe.
Ivan stood guard outside, looking at the five buttons in his hand. The fifth-level Transfiguration Spell had successfully achieved complete transformation, allowing him to easily turn five Roosters into buttons and carry them with him.
"It should be about done now", Ivan waited for a long time, noticing the commotion inside was gradually subsiding. Only then did he slowly enter the cave, with his Patronus circling around him, serving as his eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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