Chapter 59: Basilisk and Parseltongue
Chapter 59: Basilisk and Parseltongue
"Calm down, Hermione Granger!" Felix asked. "You need to tell me how long it's been since you last saw Harry. Can you determine his location now? And how is he tracking the Basilisk?"
Hermione quickly replied, "No more than five minutes, Professor. We suspect the Chamber's entrance is in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, so we agreed to meet there. Harry is using Parseltongue to locate the Basilisk..."
"Very good", Felix interrupted her, waving his wand. A silver light shot from the tip and coalesced into a small bird with long, scythe-like wings, hovering in mid-air.
Felix spoke clearly, "Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry Potter is tracking the Basilisk alone in the Chamber. Please come to Moaning Myrtle's abandoned bathroom, which is likely the entrance to the Chamber."
With that, the small bird flapped its wings and vanished in a flash of light.
"Professor, what kind of magic is that?" Even in the midst of the urgency, the young witch couldn't help but ask.
"A Patronus Charm. It can help you resist Dementors or send a message in a pinch."
"Is it a swift?"
"Yes, it's very fast."
"Let's head to the bathroom", Felix said to Hermione. "You can fill me in on the way."
By the time they reached Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, Felix had a clear understanding of the situation.
One hour earlier.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in the Great Hall, quickly finishing their dinner. They glanced at each other and slipped out quietly.
"It's 6:20 now", Hermione said before they set off. "We have about forty minutes. As long as we're back by 7:00 to return with the group to the common room, no one will know we were out."
They planned to confront Professor Hup, gain his trust, and then report the Chamber information to Headmaster Dumbledore.
But things went awry on their way—
"Rip you apart... Kill... Thirst for blood..."
As they passed a dimly lit corridor, Harry suddenly heard this voice. He shouted, "It's the Basilisk! It's out!"
"Did you hear that?" Ron asked nervously.
Harry dashed forward, climbing a flight of stairs and straining his ears to locate the source. He heard a faint scraping sound and sprinted down the corridor, with Ron and Hermione close behind.
The voice was intermittent, and Harry often lost track of it, forcing him to climb up and down repeatedly to pinpoint its location.
After running for what felt like hours, they were all out of breath.
"Did it go back?" Ron asked hopefully.
"Absolutely not!" Harry said. "It wants to kill. It said it thirsts for blood!"
"Rip you apart... Target..."
Harry looked up sharply, the voice coming from above.
"It's upstairs!"
Harry bolted up the stairs, leaving Ron and Hermione far behind.
Turning a corner, he saw Justin alone on the other side of the corridor.
"Out... Kill... Rip to shreds..."
Harry's face was filled with terror. There was no time to waste. He shouted to Justin, "Close your eyes, Justin! Close your eyes, the Basilisk from the Chamber is out!"
Justin, who had been avoiding Harry for days, looked startled. "What?"
Harry didn't have time to explain. He clearly heard the "clacking" sound, which could only be the Basilisk. It was about to emerge and kill!
"Protego!" Harry pulled out his wand, casting a Shield Charm that sent Justin flying, his face a mix of surprise and fear.
Harry pounced on Justin, trying to drag him away. It wasn't easy—once Justin shook off the spell's effect, he struggled fiercely, and the two of them became entangled.
"What are you doing? Harry, what are you doing!"
"Shut up! I'm saving your life!" Harry punched him hard to make him quiet. "Listen! The Chambermonster is out, and its eyes can kill. So, close your eyes quickly."
The rustling sound echoed clearly in the corridor.
Justin squeezed his eyes shut, his body trembling uncontrollably. Harry also closed his eyes, feeling around for his wand with one hand. It had fallen to the ground during their brief struggle.
"Are we going to die, Harry? I don't want to die, Harry. I'm sorry I misunderstood you." Justin rambled incoherently.
"Shut up!" Harry roared, the echo reverberating through the corridor.
He felt a small stick—his wand. But there was no way he could fight the Basilisk with his eyes closed!
A door crashed open, and the sound of "clacking" grew closer. Harry judged that the Basilisk was less than two meters away, perhaps its head was right in front of him?
He even caught a whiff of a pungent, foul odor.
"Get out of here!" he shouted.
"What?" Justin stammered.
"Not you, get out of here!"
Justin only understood the first part. The second part that came from Harry's mouth was a bone-chilling sound, like the hiss of a snake, but far more terrifying.
It was Parseltongue, he realized instantly.
Harry continued speaking in Parseltongue, commanding the Basilisk to "get out of here" and "go back." It worked; the sound of the Basilisk's movement stopped.
But it didn't leave. Instead, it responded, "Kill... Master's order... Tear... Eliminate Muggle..."
"Get out of here!" Harry said in Parseltongue. "I order you, get out of here!" Thanks to the magic scroll he had been using for the past two days, his command in Parseltongue was more fluent.
"Master's order..."
"I am the best friend of your master. We are allies. Listen! You are in grave danger now. A powerful wizard is coming! Get out of here quickly!" Harry urged, not knowing if it would work. But Hermione had told him that Parseltongue could control snakes, based on information from Professor Hup.
He didn't know if it was true, but he could only pray it was.
Finally, the Basilisk moved. Harry held his breath, waiting for his fate to be decided. Thankfully, the sliding sound of the Basilisk grew fainter and eventually disappeared.
"Cannot stop killing... Next attack... Soon... Endured too long..." Harry heard these words from above, indicating that the Basilisk had returned to the pipes.
Justin lay trembling on the ground, still in shock.
"It's over", Harry opened his eyes.
A few seconds later, Hermione and Ron caught up, panting heavily. "Harry, what happened?" They had lost track and had to take a longer route.
Harry, still shaken, said, "The Basilisk was about to attack Justin. I stopped it."
"What—oh, my God!" Hermione pointed at the marks on the ground. "This is..."
"Yeah, I faced it head-on."
Harry took a deep breath. The next part of the story ties up various plot threads. The protagonist's direct involvement is minimal (not absent), but every step of the plot is a result of his participation, influence, and changes. It can be seen as the butterfly effect, and it also highlights the different qualities of the Golden Trio, both good and bad. Readers are welcome to discuss this.
(End of Chapter)
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