Precautionary Measures

The weekend, Lin Du's office and private research laboratory.

The air was filled with a burnt scent, the strange magical fluctuations had not yet completely subsided.

In the center of the room, within a specially made obsidian cauldron, the deep crimson Fiendfyre had just been suppressed, still spitting sparks unwillingly.

Lin Du put down his wand and let out a soft sigh of relief.

The experiment just now was quite perilous—

When he uttered the incantation "Ignis Daemonicus," the Fiendfyre erupted from the tip of his wand, but it began to lose control about a foot away from the wand.

The flames, as if possessing a will of their own, greedily devoured the dragon scale fragments he had thrown in, instantly expanding into a churning sea of fire.

Twisted faces continuously appeared in the flames; these were the residual phantoms of beings consumed by the Fiendfyre, silently roaring in the deep crimson inferno.

Lin Du attempted the Freezing Charm, Shield Charm, and even some Dark Magic counter-measures, but these spells not only failed to suppress the flames but instead became its nourishment, making the fire even more ferocious.

"Restringo Igneus!"

He had to cast three Binding Curses in succession while simultaneously waving his wand to draw complex Ancient Runes.

Magic intertwined in the air, forming an invisible cage that forcibly compressed the agitated flames back to the center of the cauldron.

This process consumed a great deal of his energy, and fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

Chao Feng leaped lightly from the top of the bookshelf, its golden pupils glinting in the dim room.

"Finally over? Every time I watch you mess with this thing, I feel like you're playing with fire and getting burned."

It flicked its tail and asked casually, "Speaking of which, that Miss Know-it-all mentioned someone heard strange noises... Who do you think it was?"

Lin Du picked up a velvet cloth and began polishing his wand, not looking up. "Harry Potter."

"Oh? So sure?"

"The Chosen One, he should have some 'special traits' that are out of the ordinary," Lin Du said calmly. "His connection with the Dark Lord is deeper than outsiders imagine. It's not surprising he hears things others can't."

"Then do you think... it's really the Basilisk?" Chao Feng hopped onto the workbench, tilting its head to look at him.

Lin Du put down his wand. "Combined with what Selene mentioned earlier about the 'Dark Lord's Relics' possibly being hidden in Hogwarts, and the secret of 'Transcending Death'... it's most likely that. A Basilisk, plus a Horcrux, fits the Dark Lord's style perfectly."

He paused and looked at Chao Feng. "What about you? As a magical creature yourself, can't you sense the strangeness in the castle?"

Chao Feng snorted in dissatisfaction. "Hogwarts has accumulated a chaotic magical field over a thousand years—Ancient Magic, protective spells, residual thoughts from various ghosts and portraits... all mixed together. It's not easy to accurately distinguish the scent of a specific creature from this chaotic stew."

It scratched its ear with a claw. "However... recently, there has indeed been an unpleasant, cold, and evil force flowing through the castle's pipe system, making me very uncomfortable."

"It seems the legends might not be baseless." Lin Du walked to the bookshelf, seemingly looking for a book.

"Tsk tsk, a living creation that embodies the pinnacle of Dark Magic, a thousand-year-old Basilisk... Aren't you tempted? Don't you want to 'research' it?" Chao Feng's tone was enticing.

"Tempted?"

Lin Du turned around, his expression unreadable. "And then what? I go alone to deal with a fifty-foot-long Basilisk that can kill with a glance? And perhaps a Horcrux of the Dark Lord lurking nearby?"

He shook his head and walked to the bookshelf, his fingertips gliding over a row of ancient, leather-bound books.

"Not to mention, just finding the entrance to that legendary Chamber of Secrets is a huge challenge. Hogwarts has been explored for thousands of years, and how many wizards have tried to find this 'little gift' left by Slytherin? Has anyone succeeded? No."

He pulled out a hefty tome titled "Unsolved Mysteries and Architectural Paradoxes of Hogwarts," flipping it open to a page displaying a complex diagram of the castle's pipe system.

"The castle's magical field itself interferes with many detection spells, not to mention founder-level concealment charms. That entrance might be protected by 'Unplottable,' 'Non-traceable,' or even older Bloodline Detection Magic. I'm not a Parselmouth; even if I stood in front of the entrance, I might not discover anything."

He slammed the book shut and looked at Chao Feng irritably. "Besides lounging on top of bookshelves and making snide remarks, what else can you do to help? Are you expecting your nose as an 'Auspicious Beast' to sniff out the Chamber through hundreds of feet of stone and ancient magic? Or are you expecting to wrestle the Basilisk?"

"Hey!" Chao Feng immediately bristled, its tail standing up like a stick. "I am a noble Chao Feng! Strategic observation and early warning are my specialties! Besides, I don't associate with brute force!"

Lin Du ignored its protest and continued, "Moreover, involving a Horcrux of the Dark Lord, this is no longer just a matter of the Basilisk. This is clearly something Dumbledore should be concerned about. Why should I wade into this muddy water and ask for trouble? That Headmaster wouldn't appreciate others interfering with his 'Chosen One cultivation plan'."

Chao Feng, however, was dismissive. "That's true, but what if that giant snake slithers out one day and accidentally kills a few students? You, as the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, might have some explaining to do, right? After all, you have a 'history'."

Lin Du was silent for a moment, then walked to his desk and took out a piece of parchment.

Chao Feng's words had indeed struck a chord with the hidden worry he had been deliberately ignoring.

Dumbledore might believe his explanation, or at least investigate seriously.

Although that old man's thoughts were inscrutable, he had keen judgment on matters of great importance.

But what about the Ministry of Magic? What would those bureaucrats think?

A wizard who studied Dark Magic and had a "record" of being hunted by the Ministry, newly appointed to teach at Hogwarts, and then a deadly Basilisk appears in the castle... This was practically a perfect script delivered to the mouths of certain people.

Cornelius Fudge, that idiot, was looking for any excuse to increase intervention in Hogwarts or distract the public from certain matters.

At that time, Lin Du would be the perfect scapegoat—

"A dangerous dark wizard infiltrated the school and released an ancient monster, endangering student safety." Could there be a more plausible accusation?

Even if he could ultimately prove his innocence, it would inevitably be a protracted, troublesome wrangling session, enough to ruin his current hard-won peaceful research life.

"You're right," his tone became more somber as he dipped his quill in ink. "At least... I should remind the Headmaster to strengthen defenses. We can't wait until something actually happens and give certain people a chance to make a fuss."

He began writing rapidly. "There might be a Basilisk lurking in the castle. I suggest strengthening night patrols, paying attention to any unusual movements, especially in the pipe system... This way, at least the obligation to inform has been fulfilled."

He quickly finished a short letter and sealed it magically.

"Chao Feng, go to the owlery for me and send this letter to Dumbledore."

"Me? No way!" Chao Feng immediately bristled, jumping off the workbench with a look of disgust.

"I'm not going near that place full of bird feathers! And I definitely don't want to see that gaudy, self-important, tone-deaf phoenix, Fawkes! Every time it sees me, it acts like it wants to sweep me away with its tail feathers, as if everyone doesn't know how beautiful it thinks it is! It's just a bird, why so narcissistic?"

Lin Du looked at it helplessly. "You're an ancient Auspicious Beast, why are you picking a fight with a phoenix?"

"Who's picking a fight? It's the one who dislikes me!" Chao Feng stated stubbornly.

"Last time, I merely commented that its singing sounded like a Mandrake crying, and it chased me spewing fire for half the day! If you want to go, go yourself, or send your paper crane, just don't ask me!"

"A can of Junshan Silver Needle," Lin Du interrupted its complaint.

Chao Feng immediately grabbed the letter in its beak and disappeared.

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