Chapter 272: Let There Be Light
Chapter 272: Let There Be Light
Voldemort emerged as if from thin air, surveying his surroundings. He neither confirmed nor denied Robert's speculation but instead announced, "The Basilisk has been slain, and the challenge is officially over! Regarding the performance and evaluation of each challenger in this activity, we will consider the opinions of all professors and announce the results at the end-of-year banquet!"
"Ved Gre!" exclaimed Deiran from Slytherin, surprised. "When did you get here?"
"I've been here from the start," Ved replied nonchalantly.
Deiran was even more astonished. "Did you blind the Basilisk's eyes? How did you do it?"
Ved glanced at him, "I didn't do it; it was the work of the Phoenix, Fox."
Fox let out a perfectly timed cry, asserting its presence, then transformed into a ball of fire, circling above the Chamber before finally landing on Ved's head.
Ved shook his head, and Fox reluctantly perched on his shoulder, puffing out its chest to accept the students' admiring and astonished gazes.
Indeed, the students were surprised, but what amazed them the most was how close the Headmaster's Phoenix was to Ved.
Reasonable Guess: Dumbledore might also be in this Chamber...
Some students started looking around, and then they noticed Professor McGonagall's stern expression.
"It's already curfew time! What are you all waiting for? It's time to return to your common rooms!" Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"Professor, we defeated the Basilisk! Can't we celebrate for a while?" Fred shouted boldly.
"He's right!"
"Can we go back to the Great Hall for a midnight snack? I'm hungry..."
The students began to clamor.
Looking at the eager faces, Professor McGonagall relented slightly, "You can enjoy a midnight snack in your House common rooms... but don't disturb the students who are already resting."
"Great!"
The students cheered.
Professor McGonagall also showed a hint of a smile.
Although she knew that the Gryffindor lions would wake everyone up when they returned and exaggerate their achievements several times over.
No... perhaps the other students weren't sleeping at all, waiting to hear their story when they returned!
This night at Hogwarts was destined to be a sleepless one.
At the urging of the Heads of Houses, the students gradually left, occasionally pretending to tie their shoelaces as they squatted down and quickly picked up a few fallen scales, tucking them into their robes.
Everyone thought their actions were both natural and discreet, but when most of them did this... it became too noticeable to the professors around.
Professor McGonagall averted her gaze, pretending not to see;
Professors Flitwick and Sprout almost burst out laughing at the students' antics but managed to hold it in to maintain their dignity.
Professor Snape waited until everyone had picked up the scales and left the Chamber before saying in a chilling tone—if anyone was poisoned, they should use the antidote they had brewed themselves.
Two or three students immediately turned green, but even so, they couldn't bring themselves to throw away the snake scales.
The chaotic footsteps and excited conversations of the students echoed in the tunnel, gradually fading away.
It was only then that Dumbledore lifted the Invisibility Spell and stepped out.
By this time, Ved had already pulled out the other venomous fang of the Basilisk.
He used Crystal Spring to wash away the remaining slime on the fang, then turned a nearby stone into a suitably sized stone box and placed the fang inside.
The long stone box was effortlessly tucked into the backpack, which seemed to be a bottomless pit, swallowing the entire container.
As Dumbledore emerged, Vold remarked, "I thought Professor Snape would be the first to collect the basilisk's venom and blood!"
"He did have that idea, but first and foremost, he had to fulfill his duties as the Head of Slytherin House," Dumbledore said helplessly. "So, he entrusted the task to me."
—No wonder!
Vold thought to himself.
—No wonder Professor Snape left so swiftly. Vold had thought he wasn't interested in such a rare potion ingredient as the Millennial Serpent, but it turned out he had asked Dumbledore to be his assistant.
Opportunities to have Dumbledore help with tasks were rare, and Vold suspected that Professor Snape had hurried to ensure he didn't miss this precious chance.
So, Vold stood by and watched as Professor Dumbledore dealt with the seven-to-eight-meter-long basilisk.
The Headmaster rolled up his sleeves and waved his wand—
The massive basilisk's entire body floated into the air.
Vold, standing behind, widened his eyes, and a faint golden glow seemed to flicker in their depths.
It was as if an invisible force, with gentle and meticulous precision, was disassembling the entire giant snake like a child taking apart a set of building blocks.
Scale by scale, fang by fang, blood, ruptured eyeballs, muscles, bones...
Each layer separated with such elegance that it resembled a master pianist playing a musical piece.
Vold felt a sense of awe and wonder, holding his breath involuntarily.
Magic could do this! Magic was like this!
The giant snakes carved on the surrounding stone columns seemed to come to life, slithering along the floor towards the basilisk, then transforming into containers of various sizes.
The disassembled parts flew towards their respective containers like shooting stars, crisscrossing in a perfectly organized manner, creating a crisp and pleasant "ding-ding-dong-dong" sound. Even the once-foul-smelling blood was now enveloped in a mysterious glow.
Not until the last container was filled and sealed did the floating giant snake completely disappear, leaving not a single scale behind.
Dumbledore lowered his wand, feeling a rare sense of fatigue. But when he turned around, he couldn't help but smile.
Vold, usually calm, now looked at him with sparkling eyes, as if they too were enchanted with a Lumos Charm.
Vold had always known that Dumbledore was powerful, but the 'Fire God's Descent' was different from what he had witnessed just now.
Vold believed that one day, he too could achieve the 'Fire God's Descent' fire charm, but his current magical power wasn't strong enough yet.
But what he had just witnessed... it couldn't be explained or replicated by spells, gestures, or even the flow of magic.
"Professor," Vold asked with genuine admiration, "how did you do that?"
"Well, this..."
Vold's question seemed to put Dumbledore in a difficult spot. After a moment's thought, he replied, "This is something I can't directly teach you, Vold. All I can say is—"
"I wanted it to change, and it changed."
"To put it simply, magic is the embodiment of a witch's will."
His words were a bit vague, but Vold understood.
The subjective nature of magic, where one's will could influence the existence and transformation of objective material reality.
In other words—
And God said, Let there be light.
And there was light.
(End of Chapter)
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