Slytherin's Other Relic

A tremendous roar resounded through the dark chamber. The heavy impact made the vast room tremble, and worse still, as the Basilisk crashed about in panic, one of Salazar Slytherin's legs snapped cleanly at the knee. The enormous stone pillar fell straight toward Amosta and Newt.

The sudden change stunned Newt so completely that he failed to react at all. Amosta had no choice but to grab his arm and drag the legendary magizoologist several steps aside, sparing him from dying in such an undignified manner.

Rumble!!!

The pillar-like stone leg crashed down. The violent tremor bounced Amosta and Newt off the ground, while the entire stone chamber swayed in the aftershocks. Dust drifted down from above like fine rain. Fortunately, Amosta swiftly raised a milky-white barrier, preventing the two of them from looking any worse.

But something even more disastrous happened!

The giant statue, now missing one leg, was shaken by the chain reaction caused by the impact. The statue, dozens of feet tall, lost its balance and tilted to one side. If such a massive chunk of stone struck the floor, it would surely collapse this altered basement.

Even Amosta frowned at that.

He suddenly raised his index finger, and a small golden flame appeared at its tip. Then, with a flick of his finger, the flame left his fingertip and swelled in the air. By the time it reached the stone statue, it had become a vast golden curtain of fire, descending over Slytherin's face—a face visibly warped in his old age by certain magical experiments!

Objects created by magic were easier to melt away.

Like snow beneath the spring sun, the enormous Slytherin statue began rapidly melting from the head down. Before its body had tilted very far, the colossal statue vanished before Newt's eyes as