Chapter 611: The Targeted Basilisk
Chapter 611: The Targeted Basilisk
Ever since returning to Hogwarts, Albert had been contemplating how to deal with the Basilisk decisively. He knew that overthinking and overplanning might not guarantee success, but he still wanted to perfect his strategy as much as possible. After all, he wasn't Harry Potter; he didn't have the protagonist's halo to rush headlong into danger and emerge unscathed.
"I heard Granger was attacked."
Lee Jordan shared the unfortunate news, sneaking a glance at Albert, aware of his good relationship with Granger.
"Who told you that?" Albert closed his book, looking up at Lee Jordan and then toward the corner of the common room where Harry and Ron were playing wizard chess.
Following Albert's gaze, Lee Jordan saw Harry and Ron and understood his implication.
No one knew Hermione's situation better than Harry and Ron.
After the Christmas break, the school was abuzz with talk about Hermione's disappearance, and everyone assumed she had been attacked.
Being a Muggle-born wizard and on the Slytherin heir's attack list, her current absence from classes naturally led to speculation of an attack.
Lee Jordan hesitated but eventually sought confirmation from Harry and Ron.
"Hermione?" Harry and Ron, upon learning that everyone assumed Hermione had been attacked, awkwardly explained, "Hermione is sick and being treated by Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing. It might take some time for her to recover and be discharged."
"Did you know about this already?" Lee Jordan was frustrated, but what frustrated him even more was that he was the only one among them who hadn't finished his holiday homework.
"I never thought there'd be a day when you'd need to refer to our essays." Fred and George patted Lee Jordan's shoulders forcefully, their laughter bordering on malicious.
"I found out on the day we returned to school. I visited her at the hospital wing then," Albert added.
However, most students were still unclear about the situation.
Many believed Hermione had been attacked, and some even took pleasure in her misfortune.
Among them was Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter's arch-nemesis.
This guy was still lamenting the fact that it wasn't Hermione who had been killed, and as a result, he had accidentally crossed paths with Albert.
"I thought you'd teach those guys a lesson?" Fred and George were eager to take action, as they had long disliked the Malfoy brat.
The Weasley twins hadn't forgotten how Lucius Malfoy had tried his best to get their father expelled from the Ministry of Magic. Fortunately, those conspiracies had failed; otherwise, their father would have lost his job.
That would have been a disaster for the impoverished Weasley family.
If they hadn't overheard it, they wouldn't have known how venomous Malfoy was, wishing for someone to die within the school walls, no matter how much they disliked someone else.
"They're a family of Dark Wizards, and Dark Wizards are typically ruthless. It's not unusual for them to think that way," Fred said, expressing his dislike for Draco Malfoy. He even suspected that Lucius might be the mastermind behind the attacks.
"I've foreseen his future," Albert said quietly, watching Malfoy's retreating back. "He won't be happy for long."
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were stunned, their expressions turning strange as they suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for Malfoy.
If Albert prophesied your misfortune, could you really escape it?
They wanted to ask more questions, but Albert didn't plan to elaborate.
According to the novel's plot, the Malfoy family would encounter a series of unfortunate events, so Albert didn't bother giving them much thought.
Such people weren't worth his time and energy. He needed to focus on dealing with the Basilisk first and claiming the rewards from the completed mission panel.
"Aren't you coming with us to the library?" Lee Jordan asked with a hint of sarcasm, expecting Albert to offer him some advice, only to be disappointed as the latter...slipped away on his own!
"No, I'm heading to Hagrid's," Albert replied as he parted ways with the group near the library.
As he passed by the second-floor hospital wing, he noticed a crowd of students loitering outside, seemingly trying to confirm if Hermione had indeed been attacked.
What a bunch of busybodies.
Upon arriving at Hagrid's hut, Albert found the gamekeeper stoking the fire in his fireplace to warm the room. The unfortunate Grindylow didn't seem to be doing well, struggling to adapt to life in the tank.
"This little guy tried to escape from the tank and almost got roasted by the fire," Hagrid told Albert as he shared the events of the Christmas break, also thanking him for the thoughtful Christmas gift.
Albert's present had touched Hagrid deeply, reminding him of the warmth of home, which he hadn't felt in a long time.
"So, have you figured out what to do with that thing?" Hagrid asked.
"Yeah, I've made some improvements," Albert replied.
He took out two detection balls from his pocket and explained to Hagrid, "The larger one has a wide detection range, while the smaller one covers only about a hundred to two hundred feet."
However, due to the Grindylow's presence, both detection balls reacted.
"I think you might need to speed things up a bit, before this poor creature kicks the bucket. Otherwise, I'll have to get another one," Hagrid casually reminded Albert as he poured him a cup of tea.
He really wished he could get his hands on the culprit, but that wish seemed unlikely to come true.
"I will," Albert assured him.
Subsequently, Hagrid cooperated with Albert to test the detection balls. While the range had been narrowed down, the results were still not ideal, and further modifications were needed.
In fact, not just the detection balls, but other equipment wasn't ready either.
At times, Albert even contemplated just handing the diary over to Dumbledore.
This time, the mission experience was proving hard to earn! There was no shame in backing down.
Very few wizards dared to face a Basilisk, and without the protagonist's halo that Harry Potter had, it was basically a death sentence to confront the beast. Its eyes were incredibly dangerous, and no one in their right mind would want to risk their life.
"I wish I could have a pet phoenix," Albert sighed.
Phoenixes were particularly effective against Basilisks.
If he had a phoenix companion, he was confident he could handle the Basilisk on his own.
Unfortunately...on his way back to the castle, Albert remembered something else—Fawkes had flown away after Dumbledore's death.
If only...he could have Fawkes by his side.
No, he should invite it to his home as an honored guest, providing the best food and care, and in return, all he needed was some of Fawkes' tears and feathers.
Fantasy was beautiful, but reality could be cruel.
"As expected, it's not that easy to trigger the mission," Albert muttered to himself as he stared at his mission panel, letting out a soft sigh. If only he could harness the power of a phoenix; he was certain he could take care of the Basilisk in no time.
For now, he could only hope that his roosters would prove useful.
"I'll have the house-elves raise a few more," Albert mumbled. According to what he had read, Basilisks feared the crowing of roosters, and he intended to put that to the test.
If quality wasn't sufficient, he would make up for it with quantity.
Should the Basilisk dare to attack him, he would release a flock of roosters to distract it and give the serpent an unexpected surprise.
The mere thought of that scenario was...rather amusing.
Even a Basilisk couldn't withstand the scheming of a determined individual.
The Basilisk's hide and fangs were highly valuable, and its eyes could potentially be used to create another dark artifact similar to the Basilisk Fang.
(End of Chapter)
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