A Near Encounter with the Basilisk

School Hospital.

Madam Pomfrey hurried to the bedside and lifted Harry's limp right arm. "I can't believe it."

You should come directly to me; I can put the bone back in place in a second.

"Aaron can do it too." Draco, lying on the next bed, gloated and raised his left arm. "Potter, I really admire your courage to actually let Lockhart treat you."

Perhaps you should feel fortunate; you only lost a few bones, and at least you saved your arm.

"I didn't let him treat me." Harry was also on the verge of tears. Lockhart had such a high opinion of himself that he couldn't stop him.

"This just shows how much Lockhart likes you."

"That's enough, Mr. Malfoy. You can leave now if there's nothing else," Madam Pomfrey said sternly, then tossed Harry a set of pajamas. "You may have to stay here for the night."

"Will his bones grow back?" Hermione asked with some concern.

"Yes, but it will hurt." Madam Pomfrey poured Harry a glass of Skele-Gro. "This night will be tough; growing bones is an uncomfortable thing."

Harry didn't hesitate at all and drank it down in one gulp. He could still tell the difference between a difficult night and a lifetime of suffering.

However, the taste of the Skele-Gro Potion was truly unpalatable to him; it felt like a raging fire in his mouth, and he spat out the Potions before he could even swallow it.

"Do you still think this is Pumpkin Juice?" Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes at him, then helplessly poured him a fresh glass.

As evening fell, the last vestiges of the sunset's glow faded, leaving behind the last crimson hue of the evening sky.

Aaron placed the old book, which recorded the habits of the Basilisk, on Madam Pince's desk. "I've come to return the book. Thank you so much this time, thank you very much."

"You're welcome, Mr. Gaius. It's my pleasure." Madam Pince smiled. "You seem to be in a good mood today. It seems this book has been helpful to you."

"Yes! They were a huge help."

Walking in the hallway, Aaron felt particularly relaxed.

We've already got our hands on the Basilisk's natural enemy. All that's left is to find the Secret Chamber or the Slytherin heir, and everything will be settled.

Just then, a figure appeared at the entrance of the building. Colin walked out, holding a camera in one hand and a bunch of grapes in the other.

"Senior, what a coincidence!" Colin said with a grin.

"That's quite a coincidence. What are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to check out Harry Potter; there probably aren't many people here at this time."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, are you also planning to take a picture of him and get his autograph?"

Colin nodded shyly, then said with admiration, "You saw his performance on the court today, right?"

Although Gryffindor lost, that grab was absolutely awesome, so spectacular!

Aaron's lips twitched slightly. This was his little fanboy!

With so many people on the field, all eyes were on Harry Potter. If Draco hadn't been a bit unlucky, the Golden Snitch might not have been caught by him.

"Go ahead! And please wish him a speedy recovery for me."

"Got it," Colin said, then continued walking towards the School Hospital.

Abei suddenly let out a low growl, and his expression became particularly solemn.

"No way! You're saying that monster is right around here?"

Aaron swallowed hard, remaining vigilant while also pondering when he had slipped up and how he had been spotted by the Slytherin heir so quickly.

Borrowing books from the library? Impossible.

Although the wall of books was exaggerated, few people noticed it, and no one knew what books he had borrowed. Madam Pince would also keep it a secret for him.

Did they secretly catch two roosters? That's even more impossible.

During Quidditch Match, almost the entire school's faculty and students went to the pitch. When he caught chickens, he made sure there was no one around before he did so.

Even when returning to the dormitory, he was quite cautious, taking advantage of Abei's sense of smell to cleverly avoid the very few people in the castle who hadn't gone to watch the game.

"Which direction is the Basilisk?" Aaron asked in Dragon Language.

Abei hesitated for a moment, then pointed behind Aaron with his paw, "Right around that corner, it's quietly waiting for its prey to approach."

Aaron paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something before quickly regaining his composure and continuing to move forward.

It turned out that he hadn't revealed a weakness, but rather that he had coincidentally stood next to the Basilisk's target.

That makes sense, though; he was Pure-blood wizard, and the Basilisk had no reason to kill him.

Colin, being from the Muggle Family, was considered its most likely target.

If he pretends not to know anything and leaves now, there shouldn't be any danger, but it's hard to say about Colin.

Aaron felt no ill will toward this first-class Gryffindor, nor did he want to watch him die, but he dared not gamble on the Basilisk's patience.

What if it couldn't resist and took him, the Pure-blood wizard, with it? After all, the book says it's a cruel creature.

In that instant, two little figures appeared in Aaron's mind.

A figure named Morality, with a white halo above his head and a book in his hand.

A creature named Selfish, with black wings on its back and a dark red trident in its hand.

"Stop him, stop him quickly."

This is a vibrant life; he's only a year younger than you.

"Hurry up, no, run! Don't look back!"

You're not related to him at all; there's no need to take such a big risk.

"Shut up!" Morality shouted. "It's one thing to not know, but if you do know, you can't turn a blind eye. If you can't even hold onto your bottom line, you'll lose yourself sooner or later."

"If a person doesn't look out for himself, he'll be punished by heaven and earth."

Nothing in this world is more precious than one's own life.

Do you want him to live with a guilty conscience forever?

"I don't want to, because I know that when a person dies, everything is gone."

Choosing life over conscience is human nature; this child was just unlucky.

Besides, he doesn't hate Colin, and he'll avenge him soon.

"Ah... I'll fight you to the death."

The morally corrupt man picked up the book and rushed over; on the cover were two large, gleaming gold characters: Kindness.

"I'm afraid you won't agree."

The selfish villain let out a cacophony of laughter and raised his trident to meet the attack.

The two villains fought in a particularly crude manner, with every punch landing hard, showing absolutely no martial ethics.

Gold and dark red flashed intermittently, and finally, the selfish villain pierced through the moral villain with a single halberd, winning the victory.

However, the selfish villain was also seriously injured, lying on the ground barely alive, his wings were tattered, and especially his face was branded with two large golden characters by the Book of Kindness.

"I won. Listen to me, survival is the priority."

Aaron:...

If those two words weren't on your face, I might have actually listened to you.

Coming to his senses, Aaron couldn't help but shake his head, shattering those jumbled thoughts.

The ancestor Flor said that when faced with an indecisive situation, this is how to resolve it, but it feels like flipping a coin is even better!

"Colin, wait a minute," Aaron said with his back to him. He dared not turn around now, lest he be doomed if he met those two big yellow eyes.

"Senior, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Hmm... I think you could take a few more photos for Harry to take with you. As far as I know, he doesn't seem to have any photos of Hogwarts yet. Maybe he'll be so happy that he'll give you a few autographed ones!"

"Really?" Colin asked excitedly.

"It's absolutely true. If you take photos along the way, it will show your sincerity even more."

"Thank you, senior."

Colin immediately picked up his camera, closed one eye, and struck a pose for taking a picture, without changing his speed.

As he turned the corner, a bright light flashed, followed by a sharp cry.

A moment later, Aaron heard a sound like flowing water, which grew farther and farther away.

"Has it arrived yet?"

Abei nodded. "Okay."

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned around to Colin's side.

He was pale, his body stiff, and he stood motionless in place.

Fortunately, his left eye was closed, and although his right eye was squinting, there was a camera in the way.

Although he was stoned, he managed to survive even though he didn't make direct eye contact with the Basilisk. He can be saved once the Mandrake matures.

"Sigh! They're so easy to fool, no, they're ridiculously naive."

I'm sorry, I'm not prepared at all, this is the only way I can save your life.

"Please bear with me for now, I promise I will save you."

"My God!" Professor McGonagall rushed over and looked at Colin, who was in a stuporous state. Her face turned extremely pale. "How could this happen?"

"Mr. Gaius, this has nothing to do with you, does it?"

"Of course it's okay, Colin and I parted ways in the front aisle."

A moment later, I heard his scream and ran over. "Aaron said with a wry smile, vaguely feeling like he had a burden on his back.

"Minerva." Dumbledore's voice came from the stairs. He went to Colin and carefully examined her. "It's a stone. She's not in any immediate danger!"

"Mr. Gaius, you..."

"Headmaster Dumbledore, do you doubt me?"

"No, Mr. Gaius, I said there's no proof of innocence," Dumbledore said calmly. "I just want to ask you for a favor: get Colin to the School Hospital."