Chapter 81: Giving Him This Chance
Chapter 81: Giving Him This Chance
In the Wizarding World, there are many types of Magical Creatures.
Counting both discovered and undiscovered, there are over a thousand in total.
The famous Magical Creatures researcher, Newt Scamander, recorded approximately eighty percent of the existing Magical Creatures in the Wizarding World in his book, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
This book is not only a mandatory textbook for first-year students but also an essential reference for almost every wizarding family.
However, even such a professional and comprehensive guidebook does not cover all magical beings.
Hermione was determined to catch the person who had opened the Chamber of Secrets, but she also knew that to uncover the truth, she needed a clear direction.
She was indeed an exceptionally intelligent girl.
The condition of the students who had been attacked provided her with the crucial clue she needed.
The attacks were not carried out by the Heir of Slytherin himself but by the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, a fact that was beyond dispute.
There are very few magical creatures in the entire Wizarding World capable of turning people into a permanently petrified state.
With such a distinctive characteristic, there must be a corresponding Magical Creature recorded in some book.
For the past few days, she had been diligently researching various materials related to Magical Creatures.
She paid particular attention to the more obscure ones, those that had only appeared a few times throughout history.
However, even after nearly two months of exhaustive research, she had almost gone through all the books on Magical Creatures in the library and still had not found any creature with the ability to petrify people permanently.
Hermione returned the "Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures" she had borrowed to the library, then browsed a few more books on the shelves. Feeling somewhat disappointed, she prepared to leave.
Her hand slipped into the pocket of her robe, and she felt a small piece of paper. She pulled it out and unfolded it.
It was a note she had made a few months ago when Sherlock had assigned them the task of researching serpent-related Magical Creatures.
Clear on the paper were the notes Hermione had written about the highly dangerous dark magical creature, the Basilisk.
"Basilisk, a dark magical creature created by humans. Its eyes have a direct killing effect, with immense destructive power and high danger, but the hatching method is simple."
As Hermione read the note, her eyes widened, and she murmured to herself.
"Parselmouth Basilisk. That strange voice..."
She stood at the library entrance, looking up at the ceiling, her pupils narrowing.
"It's the pipes!"
Her tone became increasingly excited!
"It's the pipes! It's been moving through the pipes!"
Hermione jumped up and spun around in excitement, eager to find Harry and Ron to share her discovery.
However, as she ran down a secluded corridor, she sensed something was wrong!
She stopped in her tracks, carefully listening to the faint rustling sound above her, as if some slippery creature was slithering across the ceiling.
Hermione's breathing quickened, and her hands trembled from the intense nervousness.
Without making any sudden movements, she carefully pulled a small round mirror from her pocket and pointed it at the ceiling.
A long, emerald-green body was slowly sliding across the ceiling, and it matched the creature Hermione had suspected exactly!
As Hermione's breathing grew heavier and her anxiety reached its peak, she was just about to scream.
A pair of large brown eyes suddenly appeared in the mirror, locking gazes with Hermione's!
In the next moment, Hermione froze completely.
The small mirror in her hand fell to the ground with a sharp, crisp sound.
At the same time, Hermione's rigid body collapsed to the floor with a dull thud, as if a stone statue had fallen.
The rustling sounds from the ceiling gradually faded away, eventually disappearing down the corridor.
But then, a faint, drifting set of footsteps slowly approached the petrified Hermione.
He bent down, his hand trembling violently, even more so than Hermione's had been.
But he finally managed to retrieve what he wanted.
It was the crumpled note paper detailing the Basilisk's characteristics.
He slipped the paper into his pocket, then pulled out another note and struggled to stuff it into Hermione's clenched hand.
After completing this, he straightened up, swaying as he left the scene.
About ten minutes later, a group of girls, who had just left the library and were heading back to the Ravenclaw common room, walked by, chatting and laughing.
They saw Hermione lying on the ground, and everyone froze in shock.
In the next second, terrified screams echoed throughout the entire Hogwarts castle.
News of another attack spread quickly.
The Quidditch match, which was originally scheduled for today, was canceled, and Professor Mcgonagall, with a serious expression, called Harry aside.
All the other students were ordered back to their common rooms, not allowed to wander outside.
Ron pushed his way through the crowd, following Harry to Professor Mcgonagall's side.
Unusually, the professor did not object this time.
She led them through the students, some grumbling about the canceled match and others visibly nervous, up the marble staircase. However, this time they were not taken to any office.
Professor Mcgonagall ultimately led them to the Hospital Wing.
Harry and Ron saw Hermione, petrified, on a hospital bed.
They stood there, stunned, completely unprepared for the fact that their best friend was the victim of this attack!
Seeing their expressions, Professor Mcgonagall's voice was unusually gentle.
"You may be shocked, but I need to ask: this was found next to Miss Granger. Do you have any idea what it means?"
She held up a small, round mirror, and Harry and Ron both shook their heads, their eyes fixed on Hermione, unable to speak.
Professor Mcgonagall sighed and led them back to the Gryffindor common room.
Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office, Sherlock stood across from Dumbledore, his expression grave.
"He's made his move again! We can't let this continue; we need to find a way!"
Dumbledore stared at a letter on his desk, deep in thought. After a moment, he spoke.
"The news can no longer be contained. If the outside world learns of everything that has happened at Hogwarts this semester, the school will likely be shut down. When that happens, all his plans will be ruined. He is waiting for an opportunity, a chance to act and achieve his ultimate goal."
The headmaster's office fell into complete silence, even the usual soft snores from the portraits on the walls had ceased.
Dumbledore's voice gently broke the silence.
"And we can try to create that opportunity for him."
(End of Chapter)
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