Basilisk

Harry and Dumbledore began their sentence-building game. Snape stood behind them with his arms folded, eyes narrowed in slight impatience as he watched, occasionally glancing at Cyberlina, who was pacing among the stone pillars, inspecting something.

He understood now. Dumbledore and Cyberlina did indeed have some differences over the Chamber of Secrets, but they also both intended to use it to train Harry. In fact, both of them had already sounded things out—what Snape had said outside the bathroom had not merely been sarcastic; he had truly thought so—Harry would definitely return tonight in one piece.

So why was he here?

Snape instinctively looked at the cloth bag hanging from Cyberlina's wrist.

He did not know in what state Voldemort had come to Hogwarts this year, much less how he had been caught. When he realized that Voldemort was inside that bag just now—he truly had been surprised—he had considered leaving. After all, his position made it difficult for him to openly side with Dumbledore in front of Voldemort.

Yet Dumbledore had not cared in the slightest. To Snape, that action was undoubtedly a signal—there was no need to hide.

Why?

Was it because Voldemort was no longer to be feared?

Was it because they could destroy him completely now?

Snape did not think Dumbledore would dare be so certain—because both he and Dumbledore understood that a cunning rabbit had three burrows. Voldemort always kept contingencies in reserve.

He would never forget the shock and hatred he had felt when Dumbledore told him that Voldemort would return.

Countless thoughts ran through Snape's mind, but his expression did not change. He still wore that blank, gloomy look—he believed that years of experience had brought his ability to conceal his feelings to perfection, and the Occlumency that suppressed his emotions had instinctively activated in time—but he noticed Cyberlina turn to look at him several times.

Snape suppressed his confusion and feigned indifference, raising an eyebrow at her in question.

Cyberlina slowly wandered over to Snape and held out the cloth bag. "Do you want to hold it? You've been staring at it."

"...No need." Snape took a step back, then glanced at the alchemical runes on the bag and realized they were not Ancient Runes.

"All right, then." Cyberlina clasped her hands behind her back, turned around, and looked at the old man and the boy studying the password. "Quite interesting, isn't it? Two Gryffindors studying something left behind by Salazar Slytherin."

Snape glanced at Cyberlina. He did not answer immediately, instead recalling some Gryffindor idiots in his mind before skillfully suppressing his anger and disgust. With a cold sneer, he said, "What a harmonious sight."

"Do you really think so, Severus?" Cyberlina turned back with a smile. "You're the Head of Slytherin. You hate Gryffindor, don't you?"

Snape looked at her for several seconds, then gave a dismissive laugh. "You're a Slytherin too."

"But times have changed..." Cyberlina shook her head and turned away again, saying no more.

Snape fell silent as well. He lowered his head as a chill slowly crept up his spine, then gradually faded—Dumbledore had been wrong. It seemed she did more than merely see through people's hearts.

"Rumble..."

The sound of massive stone shifting echoed out. Snape and Cyberlina both looked toward the two Gryffindors, only to see Salazar Slytherin's statue's mouth suddenly twist open—wider and wider.

Harry backed away with wide eyes, staring up in shock at the mouth, which had become a huge black hole.

Then came the sound of something enormous crawling, along with hissing from within the opening.

Remembering Cyberlina's words, Harry immediately shut his eyes and ran backward. Even as he ran, he did not forget to shout at Dumbledore, "Headmaster Dumbledore! If it falls, it'll crush you!"

"You should be wondering whether your voice will attract it."

Cyberlina's voice came from beside him. Harry startled and immediately opened his eyes, stopping in his tracks—then pitched forward headfirst.

"It hasn't come down yet, little savior." Cyberlina smiled and caught Harry by the shoulders, keeping him from falling.

"Boom!"

—The sound of something enormous hitting the floor.

Harry jolted and grabbed the hand Cyberlina was using to support him. "Sekerei—"

"Shh—" Cyberlina removed his hand. As though she did not care at all about the thing crawling toward him from behind, she smiled calmly and placed a finger on Harry's wand. "Don't let it hear you. Don't let its eyes see your eyes—remember to close them."

The next second—Luminescent Flicker at the tip of Harry's wand went out.

Harry: "!" He immediately shut his eyes!

"Relax. I'm watching over you." Cyberlina's gentle voice came again, but when Harry reached out, he touched nothing. Meanwhile, the sound of something scraping along the floor behind him had nearly reached him.

"Petrificus Totalus!" (Full Body-Bind Curse)

Harry shouted with all his strength and fired behind him, only to hear a stone pillar shatter.

—He had missed!

Realizing this, Harry immediately kept running, his wand still pointed behind him.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

This time, there was no sound of a stone pillar breaking. The scraping sound paused briefly for a second.

At least it worked!

Harry cheered inwardly.

He had seen Hermione use this spell last school year, but only recently discovered in the library that it was also classified as a "curse"—in the same category as the Unforgivable Curses!

"Bang—"

"Ah!"

—Harry ran into a stone pillar.

No, no, no... I can't keep doing this!

Harry braced himself against the pillar and half-opened his eyes to rub his aching forehead. The next second, however, foul, damp breath reached him from behind. In his half-open vision, the tail of a gigantic soft-bodied creature covered in scales glowing with a greenish light stretched to his feet—he froze, feeling as though his hand had gone numb, utterly unable to lift his wand.

Suddenly, a streak of white light as swift as lightning appeared from the left—"Pfft—"

It was the sound of blood spraying.

A foul-smelling liquid rained down from above Harry's head, brushing past his ears, striking his shoulders, and splattering onto his feet.

"Ah... it hurts... it hurts!!!"

The warm breath behind him grew more pronounced. Harry heard the monster's voice—he could tell it wasn't human speech. It was Parseltongue.

"Do you want to be eaten, Harry?"

Cyberlina's laughter came from the left. Harry abruptly looked up and, as if jolted awake, ran around the stone pillar again. But this time, he wasn't running blindly. From the perspective of his half-closed eyes just now, he suddenly realized another meaning in Cyberlina's words—

"Don't let its eyes see your eyes," and "close your eyes"—those two sentences didn't have to be understood together!

Even without closing his eyes, he could keep it from seeing them!

In the corner of his vision, the thick tail glowing green lashed toward him at tremendous speed. Harry's eyes widened, and he fell to the ground in his panic, instinctively throwing himself backward at once—the enormous tail swept through the air above him, showering his face with dust.

"Cough—" Harry immediately stifled his cough, then rolled away from the monster.

This wouldn't do. No, he had to make it stop—

"Impedimenta!" (Impediment Jinx)

The good news: it worked.

The bad news: only for a few seconds.

"Impedimenta!"

Harry immediately cast it again. This time, he used those few seconds to run behind another stone pillar. Staring at the tips of his shoes, he pursed his lips and forcibly steadied his breathing. He saw the blood dripping onto him, and that blood was still giving off that foul—

Wait—something was wrong!

How could he see his feet and the blood on himself in pitch darkness!?

The sound approaching from behind gave him no time to think.

"Impedimenta!" (Impediment Jinx)

"Flipendo!" (Knockback Jinx)

Harry's magic could no longer support him casting so many spells and then two more in a row. Weakness spread from the soles of his feet throughout his body, but through his lowered lashes and half-open eyes, he really did see the monster retreat several yards. Harry raised his head at that moment and saw—there was actually a small floating ball of light above his head!!!

It was faint, but it was still light!

No wonder he could see things!

"Cyberlina!"

The swift white light Harry had seen earlier appeared again, shooting straight from in front of him—from the left of where it had been before—and striking the monster directly.

"Rescue request received!"

A dazzling light flashed. Harry instinctively closed his eyes, pressed his lips together, and muttered inwardly, Actually, I wanted to curse you out.

When Harry opened his eyes again a few seconds later, he saw Dumbledore smiling with his eyes closed, holding the oil lamp Harry had seen before. Behind him stood Snape, whose gloomy aura could not be concealed even with his eyes shut. As for Cyberlina—

Harry looked toward the center of the open space and couldn't help swallowing.

It was a green serpent, at least thirty feet long by his estimate. Its scales shone with mottled, kaleidoscopic light. Its flat head was raised high, its forked tongue darting out as it continuously twisted its body, as though searching for something.

Harry guessed that it was probably, perhaps, maybe, definitely looking for Cyberlina, who was standing on its head.

Merlin! How did she do that?! She was practically lying flat in midair!

Harry watched as she casually flicked her wand. A white flash shot straight into one of the Basilisk's eyes—the Basilisk stretched out its tongue, bared its fangs, and howled in agony. Blood gushed from its eye, yet not a drop splashed onto Cyberlina, who had cast Protego on herself.

Amid the blood droplets scattering through the air, Cyberlina lightly pushed off with her toes, flipped gracefully backward, and landed on the ground. Her green-lined wizarding robes, embroidered with silver patterns, billowed down a beat behind her body like a fluttering green butterfly—beautiful and lively.

Only then did Harry notice that Cyberlina wasn't wearing school robes today, nor was she wearing a school uniform beneath them. Instead, she wore something like the clothing he had once seen on Muggle television—what nobles had worn while riding horses centuries ago—but—

She was far cooler than the princes on television who wore capes and carried swords!

Harry stared at Cyberlina with sparkling eyes, thinking to himself.

"Harry Potter! What are you staring into space for?!"

Cyberlina suddenly shouted. Harry snapped back to his senses and noticed that the Basilisk had already turned its head—fortunately, the eye facing him was the one that had gone blind!

Harry immediately shut his eyes, then ran and stumbled, rolled and crawled toward where he remembered Dumbledore had been. The moment he bumped into someone, he instinctively hugged their leg, only to hear a familiar sneer from overhead.

"Ha! Is this the magnificent bearing of our Mr. Savior?"

Harry's body stiffened. Like a mechanical toy that had been broken for years, he slowly raised his head in jerky motions—oh no! It was Snape!

Anger was plainly visible in Snape's black eyes. Harry instinctively shrank his neck and let go.

Snape took a deep breath. "Mr. Savior, don't you think you're missing something?"

"I brought my brain." Harry stood properly, lowering his head, but he could hear Cyberlina's laughter mixed in with the sounds of magic behind him.

"You brought your brain... ha! Good, very good!" Snape couldn't hold back any longer and laughed angrily, though not loudly. "Did your brain ever consider whether it belonged to a wizard or a troll? You could throw away your wand so naturally—I'd say you might actually be of some use if you threw away that brain too!"

Harry abruptly looked at his hand—it was empty!

He immediately wanted to turn around and look, but a large hand pressed down on the top of his head.

"Stupid Potter!" Snape rebuked in a low voice. "Do you want to immediately bring your glorious life as a savior to an end?!"

"Don't be angry, Severus. It's his first battle, after all." Behind him, Cyberlina's voice rang out brightly, her laughter light and easy, as though she were dealing with nothing more than a little mouse or fly. The realization made Harry lower his head. "Relax, children. Don't worry—I'll lure the Basilisk to the other side. Harry, go get your wand."

The scraping sounds gradually moved away. The instant the pressure above his head loosened, Harry spun around and ran toward the stone pillar from before. He swiftly picked up the wand from the floor, then immediately pivoted and hid behind the pillar, watching the Basilisk and Cyberlina.

Only then did Harry realize that Cyberlina was not dealing with a little mouse at all—she was practically playing with a tiny ant!

She stood atop the Basilisk. A rapid, powerful silent spell struck its tail, and when it twisted its body to turn and look at her, she flipped onto its head instead. Standing on the side of its blind eye, she kicked the already-blinded eye with her heel. The Basilisk hissed in pain and violently shook its head, trying to throw her off, but Cyberlina had already moved before it could. She leapt down from its head, extending a hand as she fell to place the pointed hat of her wizard's robe atop her head. The moment she landed in a crouch—she pulled her hand downward, and the brim of the pointed hat fell over her eyes, covering most of her face, leaving only her smiling lips exposed.

Cyberlina held her wand horizontally before her, her other hand gripping the brim of her hat. At the edge of the Basilisk's line of sight, she slightly raised her gaze and looked directly at Harry, who was peeking out from behind the stone pillar.

Then her smile deepened, and fine, crystalline glimmers seemed to flicker in her light golden-brown eyes.

Harry: "!" Something felt very wrong!

Cyberlina smiled at Harry, dropping to one knee with the toes of her other foot touching the ground. As the Basilisk's huge mouth, filled with sharp venomous fangs, came crashing down, she rolled forward—the fangs struck empty air.

A flash of blue light streaked across Harry's vision. In an instant, Cyberlina had closed several meters between them, still half-kneeling on the ground, still smiling at him. The only difference was—she winked at him and asked, "Have you rested enough?"