The first recorded Basilisk in history was bred by the Herpo the Foul.
He was one of the earliest known black wizards and one of the earliest Parseltongue.
He lived in ancient Greece before Christ, more than two thousand years ago.
Sorting Hat and Vincent talked a lot.
This includes the origin of the despicable title, as well as some of the evil curses invented by Herpo the Foul.
Of course, the most important thing right now is information about the Basilisk.
There were two Basilisk that survived past their lifespan limit:
First, it was the first one cultivated by Herpo the Foul;
Secondly, only one Salazar Slytherin can survive, the one currently in the castle's Chamber of Secrets.
The method to reach the lifespan limit is simple: use the Parseltongue to control it and put it into a deep sleep state.
The body can no longer grow, similar to a state of suspended animation, making it easy to live for 900 years.
Besides its gaze being capable of killing instantly, the Basilisk's venom can also kill a person within minutes.
This venom has a long-lasting effect, causing the victim to become drowsy, have blurred vision, and experience hallucinations before death. Fortunately, there is an antidote.
Although there is only one type, obtaining it is practically effortless for Vincent.
"Mr. Hat, does it have any weaknesses?"
The Sorting Hat hung down on his head, as if trying to find memories from a particularly distant era.
"I remember now!"
Whether they are males with red feathers on their heads or females without them, they are all terrified of the rooster's crowing!
Getting a rooster is even easier; Hagrid already keeps several outside his cabin.
Even if you don't have one, it's not difficult to write home and send one.
But time is limited now, and the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets most likely won't wait until tomorrow.
"Let's split up!"
"Ah?"
To the other five people, he had just suddenly stood at the corner of the corridor, talked to himself for a few minutes, and then suddenly turned around and said something.
"There's no time to explain, we need to get everything ready as soon as possible!"
Judging from his tense expression, all five knew that the Sorting Hat must have said something very important.
"Fred, you and George go get the map, then keep an eye on the third floor and see who went into the girls' restroom."
Rolf, go to Hagrid's and get a few roosters—or go with Hermione, I'm afraid he'll kick you out.
"How could that be!" Mrs. Rolf said innocently, "I haven't been to the Forbidden Forest this semester!"
"It's just a precaution." Vincent looked at Cedric. "Cedric, why don't you go ask Professor Sprout for a few Mandrakes?"
"No way, I'd rather die than go!" Cedric shook his head frantically.
"Show off your charm?"
"The key is that it's not ripe yet."
Vincent paused for a moment, then said, "Then let's go upstairs and ask Madam Pomfrey for some potion to alleviate petrification?"
"This--"
"That's settled then!" He turned to the left corner of the corridor and strode towards the Gryffindor dormitory.
"Wait! What are you going back for?"
"To make lenses with extremely low light transmittance."
Time is tight and the task is heavy.
Fred and George had been keeping a close eye on the situation on the third floor ever since they opened the Marauder's Map.
No one entered the girls' restroom; Lockhart was the only person on the entire floor, staying in his office.
The potion to alleviate petrification was available, but Cedric was in a bad mood.
Vincent successfully made six pairs of anti- Basilisk lenses, and made several more as spares.
Although the light transmittance was not tested, with the help of the potion, at least the person wouldn't die instantly.
However, Hermione and Rolf encountered a small problem.
When they arrived at the cabin, Hagrid was crying as he held a funeral for his chickens.
"Let's go to the fourth floor first." Vincent handed out black-rimmed glasses with lenses to them.
Without the most powerful weapon, the Venom problem becomes difficult to solve.
And the timing was very coincidental; Dumbledore happened to be away that night.
"He will definitely show up." Hermione had just put on her glasses when the straight earmuffs extended upwards, turning into two small, pointed corners.
"Miss Catwoman?" Fred and George's glasses had turned into eye masks.
Cedric shook his glasses with disdain. "This disguise works on Tom has no nose?"
Vincent tapped his school robe with his wand. "Even though he's Legilimency master, I'll still try to disgust him if I can."
"Amazing!" Rolf gave a thumbs up. "If I were Tom, I might have been driven crazy by you on the spot."
George pursed his lips and gripped his wand. "He's been crazy for a long time, otherwise he wouldn't have come back to Hogwarts."
"Heh—" Cedric sneered as he put on his glasses. "I'm always the one who suffers the most, you bunch of scoundrels!"
"Oh, not at all." George grinned mischievously as he turned his school uniform into Robin's uniform. "It's all your dad's fault."
Cedric glared at Vincent through gritted teeth, "My ass's pretty perky too, how about—"
"First come, first served!" George quickly pointed his wand at his school uniform.
Compared to the title of "good son," the title of "number one perky butt" feels more comfortable.
Hermione thought about it seriously, and her initial resistance diminished significantly.
When they were ready, the third floor below remained completely still.
"The students have all gone back."
"It's already curfew time."
"It's one in the morning, why don't you go to the kitchen first?"
As soon as Fred made a suggestion, Filch and Mrs. Norris patrolled up to the third floor.
"Could it be this old guy?"
"Don't joke around." Cedric became serious. "He's just a little jealous of us, not to the point of being killed by the Basilisk."
"I'll go down and take a look." Vincent opened the window. "If a third party comes, even Lockhart has a high chance of being that person."
"You're going to protect Filch?" George nodded matter-of-factly after his initial surprise.
"That's true. If more victims appear, Hogwarts might have to close for a while."
"Cedric is right," Vincent said as he tied the ropes. "Those were two lives, and I can't just watch them die."
"We are too." Hermione stepped forward. "If Voldemort- Tom knew that Professor Dumbledore wasn't there, he certainly wouldn't have ended things so easily."
"Agreed." Rolf and Cedric also stepped forward.
Fred and George exchanged a glance:
"Okay, so we're the bad guys now."
Vincent shook his head. "No matter how much Filch is annoying, he's still a part of Hogwarts."
He reached out and grabbed the rope. "I don't care why Voldemort came back. I only know that if he dares to show up once, I dare to drive him away once."
"That's right!" Fred and George put away their usual joking expressions. "No matter how terrible Voldemort was, that's all in the past!"
A soul that has almost lost all its power has nothing to fear.