Basilisk

As Harry moved parallel to the last pair of stone pillars, he finally saw the scene at the end of the room—

Beneath the suffocatingly tall statue of Salazar Slytherin stood a silver-haired figure.

Lin Du had his back to the entrance, his head tilted slightly as he gazed at the statue's ancient, monkey-like face.

Harry instantly melted into the shadow of a thick stone pillar, gripping his wand so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Now.

Professor Lin had his back to him, completely unaware.

All it would take was a binding curse, one that Professor Lin himself had taught them, emphasizing its decisive use… and it could all be over.

He could prevent the disaster that was about to unfold.

His wand was raised, aimed at the figure's back. But Harry's arm was trembling slightly.

Countless images flashed through his mind:

Professor Lin's focused expression when demonstrating the Shield Charm in class; the approval flashing in his eyes as he critiqued Hermione's strategy; his steady tone as he told a flustered Neville in the corridor, "Breathe, think through the steps"; and on Christmas Day, the silhouette of him listening quietly to other professors chat, the firelight casting a warm glow on his silver hair…

Were all those small, meticulous details just an elaborate disguise carefully laid out for this very moment?

Could a person truly disguise themselves so flawlessly, so much like a real teacher?

What if… what if he was mistaken? What if Professor Lin came here for another, unavoidable reason?

This hesitation lasted only a few seconds, yet it felt as long as a century.

Cold sweat beaded on Harry's forehead, and the light at the tip of his wand flickered slightly due to his trembling hand.

Just then, Lin Du, standing before the statue, slowly raised the hand holding his wand and uttered a string of low, authoritative hisses:

"Awaken (Parseltongue)."

That voice shattered the last shred of hope in Harry's heart.

It's over!

A Parseltongue command to awaken it! Professor Lin was indeed summoning the Basilisk!

His foolish trust and soft heart just now had made him miss the only chance to stop this!

He could almost imagine the next moment—

The statue's massive mouth slowly opening, revealing the bottomless dark pipe behind it, the sound of sticky, slick scales scraping growing louder from afar, and then, a pair of huge, cold, deadly golden vertical pupils lighting up in the darkness…

However, the expected chilling slithering sound of the Basilisk's approach did not immediately follow.

Instead, there was a series of short, sharp, almost unintelligible spell-shouts, mixed with the dull thud of something enormous violently striking the stone walls, and a piercing, inhuman shriek of extreme pain!

That shriek belonged to the Basilisk! Filled with rage and agony!

Harry's eyes snapped open, his heart leaping into his throat.

He cautiously poked his head out from behind the stone pillar, peering with disbelief.

The sight before him stunned him completely.

In the center of the Chamber of Secrets, illuminated by flickering green light, the colossal creature that had burst from Slytherin's statue's mouth—

A giant snake, its body covered in dark green scales, as thick as a century-old tree, thrashed wildly, slamming its mountain-like body against the surrounding pillars and the ground. Each impact made the entire chamber tremble slightly, sending loose stones raining down.

One of its eyes—the golden vertical pupil that should have been the source of death—was now nothing but a bloody, charred hole, from which foul-smelling smoke was gurgling.

And the silver-haired figure was circling the rampaging giant snake like a phantom.

Lin Du's movements were so fast they were almost a blur. Each wave of his wand brought forth a sharp, tangible blade of magic, or a patch of scorching flame.

The complex, difficult-to-pronounce spells Harry had never heard before were uttered coldly and clearly from his mouth, each syllable imbued with immense power.

"Fiery Serpent Entanglement!" (Incarcifors Ignis!)

With a sharp cry from Lin Du, several bright orange flame chains erupted from the tip of his wand. They skillfully dodged the Basilisk's wildly flailing tail and fangs, precisely coiling around its thick neck and body. The scorching heat seared its scales, emitting a terrifying sizzling sound, and the air filled with the stench of burning.

The Basilisk let out an even more piercing shriek, struggling more violently, but the flame chains clung like a curse, tightening their grip.

"Nothing more than this." Lin Du's voice cut through the smoke and shrieks, carrying a slight post-battle breathlessness, yet his tone was astonishingly calm.

Harry watched the monstrous creature, which had only appeared in his nightmares, now writhing in agony like a scorched giant python, caught between flames and spells. The previously suffocating fear was instantly overwhelmed by an indescribable joy and excitement!

Professor Lin had won! He had defeated the Basilisk! He wasn't here to release it; he was here to destroy it!

The immense joy and relief caused Harry's reason to evaporate instantly.

He forgot to hide, forgot the danger, forgot that even severely injured, this colossal creature still possessed destructive power.

He suddenly rushed out from behind the stone pillar. The slippery ground made him stumble, but he didn't care, running towards Lin Du, his voice filled with excitement:

"Professor Lin! You did it! You defeated it!"

His cheer was like a stone dropped into a stagnant pond.

The instant his voice rang out, the Basilisk, which appeared to be gravely wounded and barely breathing, suddenly twisted its massive head at an unnatural angle!

Then, its enormous body unleashed astonishing, terrifying power. The thick, long serpentine body suddenly sprang forward, opening its stinking, charred maw, and like a black lightning bolt from a bowstring, it lunged at Harry!

Its remaining intact vertical pupil locked precisely onto Harry the moment it struck.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely, frozen.

The joy that lingered on Harry's face completely froze, turning into boundless terror.

He wanted to move, to hide behind a stone pillar, even just to close his eyes, but extreme fear gripped his throat and stiffened his limbs. He could only watch as the golden vertical pupil, a symbol of the instant death curse, magnified clearly in his vision.

I'm going to die...

This thought, with the chill of an ice pick, pierced through all his thoughts.

Just as the Basilisk's gaze was about to fully focus, and the death curse was about to descend—

A silver figure, like lightning breaking free from the bonds of time, charged from the side without warning, resolutely blocking the space between Harry and the lunging Basilisk!

It was Lin Du!

He didn't even have time to push Harry away.

The moment the Basilisk lunged, the only thing he could do was stomp his foot firmly, anchoring himself in front of Harry, and swiftly wave his wand:

"Protego!"

A silver shield instantly expanded.

This action also completely exposed his body to the Basilisk's attack path and its deadly gaze.

The shield was his first line of defense; his body was the last bulwark.

"Boom—!"

The Basilisk's head slammed hard into the light shield, and silver light exploded.

At the same time, its only intact, cold golden vertical pupil, through the shattering magical light, finally completed its final lock—

Directly, it met the eyes of Lin Du, who stood at the very front.

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