"What a strange giant snake..."
That was the only thought that surfaced in everyone's minds before they lost consciousness completely.
Hermione, who had shouted those words, did not look up at all until a low hissing sound reached her ears.
"Hiss—hiss—(I've put on my glasses.)"
The Basilisk's voice rang out.
Only then did Hermione turn around. A massive Basilisk was slowly slithering down from the ceiling toward the wall.
It wore an enormous pair of custom-made glasses. The black crystal lenses had just closed, and earlier, it had only opened the first layer, suppressing its lethal power.
"Hisss—(Check again.)"
If anyone else had been present, they would have been shocked to discover that the second string of hisses had not come from the Basilisk, but from Hermione's mouth!
Though she was still somewhat clumsy, Hermione had clearly mastered at least the ability to communicate simply with the Basilisk. That was something only Parseltongue could accomplish!
The Basilisk obediently slithered onto the floor, where all the students who had just rushed in had turned into dark gray stone statues.
The statues wore varying expressions. Some were shocked, some bewildered, and some utterly terrified. Yet beneath their stiff features, there was even more confusion.
They had clearly followed the student council president's instructions. Why had they still met with such misfortune?
The Basilisk wound its way through the crowd, carefully avoiding contact with every statue lest something went wrong when they were restored later.
Hermione began searching from the other side as well.
"Hiss—(Here.)" The Basilisk stopped.
Hermione walked over with a frown and immediately spotted two unusual figures among the statues.
No, to be precise, they were not statues at all.
Two black ghosts lay sprawled behind two students, their expressions frozen and their faces filled with disbelief.
Judging by their