The Time for Harvest Had Arrived

Such terrifying power—was this your strength? Not enough. This alone was not enough.

Lucius's gaze remained fixed on Wes, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions.

He silently pondered how the immense power this young man had displayed both delighted him and stirred a faint unease within him.

Madam Bones stood there with her mouth agape in astonishment. In that moment, she seemed to see Dumbledore's shadow in Wes.

She quickly realized her loss of composure and hurriedly shut her mouth, but the shock in her heart refused to subside for a long time.

At some point, Dolores Umbridge, who had fled earlier, had quietly hidden behind Dumbledore. She poked her head out and nervously watched the fierce battle.

There was a trace of fear in the way she looked at Wes. She had never imagined that he was such a powerful Wizard, capable of standing against the legendary Basilisk.

However, Wes had no time to concern himself with what they thought.

The Basilisk slowly crawled out of the sea of fire, its enormous body utterly unharmed, its scales still as smooth as ever.

Wes was not surprised. After all, if the Basilisk could be dealt with so easily, it would not have been listed among the most dangerous creatures.

Though the Basilisk's eyes were covered, it had inherited some of a snake's traits. Even without relying on sight, it could keenly sense its surroundings.

It knew perfectly well that the Wizards before it were its enemies.

It had been so long since its last meal. It was starving—these people would do nicely for food.

Driven by hunger and its cruel nature, the Basilisk let out a low hiss and charged at Wes with startling speed.

It moved incredibly fast, its enormous body like a moving mountain as it whipped up a violent gale.

Wes immediately swung his wand. With his incantation, the serpent carvings coiled around the ancient pillars seemed to be granted life. They broke away one after another, transforming into vividly lifelike snakes.

Wriggling their bodies, the swarm of snakes charged at the Basilisk like a surging tide under Wes's command.

Though these carved snakes were far smaller than the Basilisk, they moved with great agility. Like a real swarm of snakes, they formed wave after wave of attacks under Wes's control, trying to halt the Basilisk's advance.

However, the difference in size was simply too great. The Basilisk barreled forward, effortlessly sending the snake swarm flying.

Every impact made the ground tremble slightly, displaying its unparalleled strength.

The Basilisk pushed forward with overwhelming momentum, about to reach Wes.

Without the slightest panic, Wes flicked his wand, as though he had summoned the water from an entire lake.

A surging, violent torrent appeared instantly and swept the Basilisk away.

The rushing water roared thunderously as it battered the Basilisk like a waterfall.

Even in the rapids, the Basilisk continued moving toward Wes, struggling with all its strength to break free from the current's restraint.

But Wes's control over magic was exceptionally strong. He raised his wand before his lips and gently exhaled.

"Whoosh~~"

With that breath, a freezing chill swept through the entire Chamber of Secrets. The temperature plummeted, and the Basilisk was frozen into an ice sculpture.

All the summoned water froze, forming an enormous pillar of ice that trapped the Basilisk within.

The entire Chamber of Secrets seemed to have become a world of ice and snow, its frigid air making everyone shudder.

The three of them were left dumbfounded by Wes's mastery of magic.

Lucius felt more delight than anything else. He thought to himself, With strength like this, added to Dumbledore, even the Dark Lord at the height of his power would not have been their match.

A trace of admiration flashed through Madam Bones's eyes. She realized that Wes was not merely a young Wizard; his power and wisdom had already surpassed his age.

Umbridge, on the other hand, felt mostly apprehension. She knew full well that a Wizard this powerful would bring enormous trouble if he became her enemy.

Seeing the Basilisk frozen, everyone could not help but breathe a sigh of relief, believing the crisis had passed.

"Whoosh~~" Umbridge breathed into her hands and rubbed them together repeatedly, hoping to warm herself. "It seems the Basilisk isn't all that—"

"Shut up." Wes's voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable authority that cut Umbridge off.

"What?" Umbridge briefly suspected she had misheard. As a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic, when had she ever been treated like this?

"I said, shut up." Wes shot Umbridge a cold look.

Feeling the chill in Wes's tone, Umbridge involuntarily took several steps back.

Just then, the Basilisk's ice sculpture began to shake. Cracking sounds came from the ice as it split apart. The Basilisk was still alive—its tenacious vitality was astonishing.

"Looks like I'll have to be a little rougher."

Wes shifted his gaze to Slytherin's statue and revealed a sly smile. "Let your master deal with you."

His wand traced mysterious paths through the air as magic surged, as if weaving an invisible net.

The ground began to tremble, and chunks of stone fell one after another. Some stone pillars could no longer bear the strain and collapsed with a crash.

Under the astonished gazes of the four, Slytherin's statue began to move.

The massive statue seemed to have been granted life.

"Oh, how did I not think of that?" Dumbledore slapped his forehead in frustration. "Young people really do have ideas."

"This is making too much noise. Could this place collapse?" Madam Bones worriedly watched the stones continuously falling from the ceiling of the Chamber of Secrets.

"Don't worry." Dumbledore raised his right hand and cast a repairing spell.

A gentle glow enveloped the Chamber of Secrets, and the fallen stones seemed to be held up by an invisible force as they slowly returned to their original positions.

Seeing Dumbledore make his move, Wes no longer held back.

The Basilisk had only just broken free from its icy confinement when, before it could react, it was seized tightly by a pair of giant hands formed from magic.

Wes's wand drew command after command through the air. The statue seemed to come alive, lifting the Basilisk and brutally slamming it into the ground.

A deep crater was smashed into the hard floor, sending dust flying everywhere.

The Basilisk shook its dazed head, seemingly not yet recovered from the sudden attack.

Wes could even see a trace of confusion on its face.

"Have a taste of this." Under Wes's control, the statue swung the Basilisk in a full circle and smashed it into the ground again and again.

Front.

Back.

Left.

Right.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

"Too brutal," Dumbledore muttered. "This is simply too brutal."

The other three stood there with their mouths wide open, watching one of the most powerful creatures in the wizarding world being flung around like a tattered sack.

In the end, the Basilisk lay limp on the ground like a noodle, completely motionless.

Wes stopped the spell. The statue released its grip, and the Basilisk fell heavily to the floor.

Wes used a spell to confirm that the Basilisk showed no signs of life. Then he turned to Dumbledore and said, "It's dealt with. I'll leave the rest to you."

His tone was so calm, as though he had merely handled some trivial matter.

Dumbledore gave a slight nod and slowly left the Chamber of Secrets with Lucius and the other two.

Lucius wore a complicated expression, one of excitement mixed with a hint of worry.

Umbridge looked at Wes, her eyes filled with fear.

In her eyes, Wes was an extremely dangerous person. She had keenly sensed that he held no reverence whatsoever for the Ministry of Magic, and she wanted nothing more than to get as far away from him as possible.

After everyone had left, Wes's lips curled slightly. He snapped his fingers softly, the crisp sound echoing through the silent Chamber of Secrets.

Jandi, who had been hiding in the shadows, immediately emerged, dragging a suitcase behind her.

"Now it's time to collect the spoils."

There was a hint of excitement and anticipation in Wes's voice.

Several tools floated out of the suitcase—a saw, a hammer, and even a scalpel.

The tools glinted with a cold light in the faint illumination.

Thank you all for your support. I've read everyone's comments so far. Some of the smaller details are taken from fan-created material, so they may differ somewhat from the original work.