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Chapter 273: Aftermath
Chapter 273: Aftermath
While Dumbledore had not truly reached the level of creating matter like a god, he could influence the transformation and movement of matter with his will.
Before this, Vold had only known of one person who could do something similar—
A child experiencing a magical outburst.
Take Harry, for example, who in the original story, without holding a wand, had blown up Aunt Marge into a balloon solely due to his anger. This was something he could never have done in his normal state.
However, magical outbursts were merely coincidences, and as the witches and wizards' thoughts matured and their understanding of the world became more comprehensive, they were unable to use their emotions and thoughts to alter the physical world.
Everyone could only rely on fixed spells and gestures, repeatedly practicing to familiarize themselves with the magic and cast spells.
Almost all witches and wizards were like this.
Dumbledore was the only exception Vold had ever encountered.
Even now, with his eyes closed, he could still see the incredibly shocking, magnificent, and beautiful scene from that time.
Dumbledore seemed to radiate light in Vold's vision, with countless golden threads and rings filling the originally vast and dark Chamber of Secrets.
Rubble and stones hovered slightly in the air, the giant serpent separated, and every drop of blood followed the will of that person, forming an intertwined trajectory with the physical world and magic, like a starry bridge weaving through the air.
Vold had always thought that he had already traveled a long way on the path of magic, further than any student at Hogwarts.
But now, he realized that at this moment, he was merely like a baby who had just taken his first steps.
Far ahead of him, there was another tall figure casting a long shadow.
...
The experience of challenging the Millennial Serpent in the Chamber of Secrets naturally became the hottest topic at Hogwarts for some time.
All the students involved tirelessly retold the story to others, repeatedly mentioning it from different angles and in various ways until everyone was sick of it.
Harry and Neville, who ended the battle, were regarded as heroes by most of the students, and the Gryffindors, led by the Weasley twins, composed a song in praise of the two—
"In the dark abyss, the serpent roars,
Venomous fangs gleam, eyes blind.
He—
Brave Lombard, fearless warrior,
Charges bravely with his longsword.
He—
Starstar, fighting for life,
Leaps down, unstoppable..."
They sang this song in the common room all night long, and the next morning, they carried the two around, showing them off. From the Gryffindor Tower to the Great Hall, the brainwashing song echoed along the entire route.
Soon, students from other houses joined in the singing.
Neville, who was being praised by his peers for the first time and not being criticized or ridiculed, was initially at a loss and almost jumped off the tower.
However, after getting used to it in the morning, he joined in the singing with everyone else.
The story of the serpent spread outside the school, and a deluge of letters arrived at Hogwarts via owls, all protesting the school's disregard for student safety.
But soon, the parents learned that the participating children had not suffered any casualties, and Madam Pomfrey could heal their injuries, such as simple fractures, with a mere blink of an eye, as if it were no different from a paper cut.
The protests subsided, and those who loved gossip started discussing how powerful Hogwarts students were, hinting in their words that Dumbledore was planning something big.
However, the Headmaster completely ignored these external speculations.
He didn't ask Harry to close the Chamber of Secrets again but left it open, even allowing younger witches and wizards to visit.
The long corridor retained its original damp and foul-smelling style, but after hundreds of students had slid through, it was cleaner than the floor Crabbe had ever scrubbed.
The broken stone walls and columns, the pitted floor, and even Salazar Slytherin's statue remained as they were, with traces of blood still visible in some places.
However, visitors no longer had the chance to pick up scales here, so after a few days, some of the rubble on the ground quietly disappeared, and even the bones of small animals in the outer corridor were slightly reduced.
Although the basilisk's body had been stuffed into the professors' private storage room, Dumbledore left the shed skin behind temporarily. Every young witch and wizard who entered was startled, and then they would stand by the side, imagining the dangerous and intense battles the challengers had faced that day.
Colin Creevey and Rolf Scamander became the most popular people in the school because everyone wanted to take a photo in front of the basilisk's shed skin, and they had cameras.
Half a day later, Michael borrowed Ved's camera.
As he walked towards the Chamber of Secrets with a group of girls, including the Patil sisters, they unexpectedly ran into Professor Snape.
The group was so scared that they dared not even breathe, but surprisingly, Professor Snape said nothing and simply walked past them.
During this time, Professor Snape was in a particularly good mood because he had obtained most of the millennial serpent's body.
All day long, he thought about how to utilize these materials and what potions he could brew with them, leaving no time to pay attention to the new tricks the school's little monsters had come up with.
Apart from Professor Snape, Myrtle Warren also felt an unprecedented joy.
The ghost who had always stayed in the bathroom, crying all day, had never seen so many students walking around in her territory! She complained that her home had become a tourist attraction while happily chatting with the students as they passed by. When they entered the Chamber of Secrets, she would suddenly pop out from the wall or the shed skin, startling everyone.
She almost felt like she had become a second Peeves.
Before long, photos of the basilisk's shed skin appeared in the Daily Prophet, sparking another wave of discussion.
Machiioni seized the opportunity and launched a batch of serpent-shaped puppet pets, which quickly sold out.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the end-of-term banquet. Before the meal, Dumbledore announced the additional points awarded to students from various houses for the Chamber of Secrets challenge.
As expected, Gryffindor won the House Cup again, while the scores of the other three houses were not far behind.
This time, even Slytherin didn't have much objection to the result. When cheers erupted in the Great Hall, a small portion of the students at the Slytherin table politely clapped along.
"In the dark abyss, the basilisk roars. Venomous fangs gleam, and sight is gone..."
The Gryffindors pounded the tables and sang loudly, with Dumbledore smiling and conducting them, while Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw joined in the chorus.
Goyle: "In the dark abyss, the serpent roars..."
The boy sang unconsciously, and Malfoy, who was nearby, glared at him and shouted, "Shut up!"
Goyle was startled and immediately closed his mouth.
Although Crabbe had escaped danger, he was still in St. Mungo's Hospital and had not yet returned.
Goyle had become a little afraid of Malfoy.
(End of Chapter)
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