Summoning the Basilisk

When they finally reached the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets after passing through the last obstacle, it felt as though they had crossed the veil of time and entered an ancient, mysterious world.

Inside, the Chamber was so vast that it felt like a gigantic underground palace. The surrounding walls had been eroded by time, bearing the traces of countless stories.

The walls were built from ancient stone blocks, mottled by the years. Their surfaces were rough and uneven, dotted with moss and exuding a damp, ancient air.

The walls were carved with serpentine patterns and mysterious magical Runes. The Runes emitted an eerie glow, flickering between light and dark as though transmitting some ancient, cryptic signal.

The ground was damp and freezing. With every step, they could feel a thread of chill rising from beneath their feet, as though it could pierce through their shoes and seep into their bones.

Moisture condensed into droplets that occasionally fell from the ceiling with crisp echoes, like the pendulum of time swinging through the hollow Chamber of Secrets.

The place was steeped in a forgotten, mysterious atmosphere, making them feel as though they had left the real world behind and entered a corner abandoned by time.

At the end of the Chamber of Secrets stood the towering statue of Salazar Slytherin, like a silent guardian. Its expression was stern and imposing, every line exquisitely carved.

Numerous stone pillars engraved with coiled, entwined serpents rose high into the air, supporting the ceiling that vanished into the darkness above like watchful guardians.

The pillars looked like enormous tree trunks that had grown from beneath the earth, thick and solid.

The serpent carvings on the pillars were vivid and lifelike. Every scale had been carved with meticulous detail, as though they might slide down from the stone at any moment and become real creatures.

The shadows cast by those pillars added an eerie tint of green to the room, making the entire Chamber of Secrets seem even darker and more terrifying.

Lucius gripped his wand tightly, his fingertips whitening with tension and revealing the anxiety in his heart.

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "Where is the Basilisk?"

His voice echoed through the empty Chamber of Secrets, sounding especially faint.

Dolores Umbridge was in an even worse state. The hand holding her wand shook violently, her face pale as she kept swallowing nervously.

Her eyes darted around in terror, and the slightest movement was enough to make her whole body shudder.

Madam Bones, however, remained remarkably calm.

"No need to rush."

Dumbledore spoke steadily, his voice like an anchor that gave everyone a measure of reassurance.

Then he played the recording. As it echoed through the Chamber of Secrets, the sound of Parseltongue seemed like a summons from ancient times, filled with mysterious and terrifying power.

The ground trembled slightly, and small stones fell from the walls with crisp clatters.

Then the trembling grew stronger, and stones began falling from the walls more frequently, as though the entire Chamber of Secrets was preparing for the creature about to emerge.

The small stones rolled across the ground like sand slipping through the hourglass of time.

The mouth of Salazar Slytherin's enormous statue slowly opened, revealing a deep passageway.

First came a powerful stench of blood and rot from within the passage. Then came the sound of scales scraping against the walls, drawing closer and closer, sharp and grating enough to make their skin crawl.

"Hiss—"

"Hiss—"

"It's here!"

Umbridge squeezed her eyes shut in terror, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Lucius and Madam Bones turned their gazes elsewhere, avoiding eye contact with the Basilisk.

Wes, however, stepped forward several paces and stood before everyone else, his figure especially resolute in the dim light.

"Dumbledore?"

Madam Bones was greatly shocked, her trembling voice revealing her worry over this young Wizard facing the Basilisk alone.

The Basilisk was a creature that even the most elite Auror units would struggle to match. Was Dumbledore truly planning to let this young man face it by himself?

"Don't worry, Amelia. Wes can handle it."

Dumbledore's voice was calm and firm. He reached out and gently patted Madam Bones on the shoulder, trying to soothe her tense nerves.

Madam Bones still wanted to step forward and help. Her hand gripped her wand tightly, ready to act at any moment.

She was deeply conflicted. On one hand, she trusted Dumbledore's judgment. On the other, she worried about Wes's safety.

At that moment, a gigantic monster crawled out from Slytherin's statue. A blood-red feather stood atop its head, while its enormous green body resembled a moving hill.

Its massive body looked to be fifteen meters long, and it radiated a powerful presence that pressed down on everyone like an invisible weight.

Madam Bones stopped in her tracks. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her heart began racing.

She had never seen such a massive creature before. An overwhelming sense of danger swept over her.

Facing such a huge monster, Lucius felt the same threat as Madam Bones. He began to wonder whether following them here had been a wise choice, with no idea what might happen next.

Umbridge turned and fled in terror, her figure in the darkness resembling a panicked toad.

Remaining calm, Wes took off his robe. With an Enlargement Charm, the robe grew enormously large.

His movements were practiced and confident, as though everything was under his control.

Then Wes pointed at the Basilisk. The robe flew toward it, and before the Basilisk could react, it had already wrapped around its eyes.

"Ordinary cloth won't be able to block a Basilisk's vision."

Dumbledore offered a friendly reminder.

"Good thing my robe isn't ordinary," Wes said confidently.

The newly awakened Basilisk had not even had the chance to feed before its eyes were covered.

It rubbed its enormous head against Slytherin's statue, trying to scrape off or tear apart whatever covered its eyes.

But the robe showed no sign of damage whatsoever.

"You see," Wes said proudly, "that seals the Basilisk's eyes."

"Good idea," Dumbledore praised.

"Everyone, you can look at the Basilisk now. Wes has sealed its eyes."

Dumbledore added another reminder. "Next, just be careful not to get caught in the crossfire."

Madam Bones and Lucius cautiously observed it from the corners of their eyes first. Only after confirming that the Basilisk's eyes were truly covered did they dare study the terrifying creature properly.

"Merlin's beard, a monster like this slept in Hogwarts for so long without anyone noticing?"

Madam Bones instinctively covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide as though she wanted to burn the sight before her into her memory. Her voice was brimming with barely contained astonishment.

"That is precisely why we came to deal with this hidden danger, Madam." Wes unfastened his cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves.

"Please step back." Wes extended a hand, signaling for the two of them to retreat.

"Incendio!" With a sweep of Wes's wand, a dazzling blaze burst from its tip, like a crimson fire dragon twisting through the air as it charged straight at the Basilisk.

The fiery dragon was astonishingly lifelike, its scales gleaming in the flames.

The Basilisk sensed an unprecedented threat, and its massive body began to writhe violently, as though trying to break free from the ancient curse that bound it.

Each twist made the Chamber of Secrets tremble, openly displaying the power it had long concealed.

The fire dragon struck the Basilisk. Flames burned across its body with crackling pops, while the Basilisk struggled amid the blaze and let out agonized hisses. Before long, the area around it had turned into a sea of fire.

The temperature inside the Chamber of Secrets rose sharply, as though it had become a gigantic furnace.