"Me?" Li Wei shook his head. "No, I learned Parselmouth later in life."
This was only natural, but to Hermione and the others, it sounded like an incomprehensible tome.
"Learned later? But if you can't even understand it when you hear it, how could you possibly do that?"
"It just takes more clumsy effort. All right, this has nothing to do with what we need to do now."
Li Wei gave a brief explanation and steered the conversation back on track.
"Potter is indeed a Parselmouth, and the voice he heard was very likely the Basilisk's."
With Li Wei's conclusion, the suspicions the three students had vaguely held were completely confirmed, and they immediately grew anxious.
"Then what do we do? There's actually a Basilisk roaming around inside the castle? That's far too dangerous!"
They looked at Li Wei, hoping he would immediately make a reassuring decision—Hermione especially.
Her face was filled with admiration and calm, as though she had already decided that Li Wei would handle the matter properly.
Unfortunately, that hope was dashed the very next moment.
"Do nothing. Tell Dumbledore and leave everything to him."
Li Wei stood up, swiftly wrote a letter with his self-writing quill, and summoned Barton.
"Barton, take this letter to the Owlery."
"If it's just delivering a letter, Barton can handle it—"
"No, let an owl deliver it." Li Wei gently shook his head at Barton and whispered in his ear, "Our identities still haven't been exposed. There's no need for you to remind Dumbledore that there's currently a house-elf in the castle who can come and go as he pleases.
Besides, you might not be able to find him anyway."
"Yes."
Barton bowed and turned to leave.
The two assistants heard Li Wei's plan and showed no reaction, but Harry and the others could not understand it.
"Professor—you're not going to tell Dumbledore yourself? I mean, telling Dumbledore is certainly good, but what if he doesn't see the letter?
What if the Basilisk kills someone in the meantime?"
"It won't."
Li Wei's voice was so calm that Hermione and the others found it somewhat cold.
Disappointment and confusion overwhelmed Harry. He thought of the incompetent Professor Quirrell—the man later proven to be Voldemort's lackey—and a surge of urgency rose within him.
"Harry—"
Ron sensed what his best friend was thinking and discreetly tugged at Harry's arm, signaling for him to discuss it later.
He was beginning to feel that there was something off about this professor as well.
"No, I have to say it!"
Harry pulled free of Ron's hand, took another step forward, and stared straight at Li Wei.
"How can you guarantee that nothing will happen? Since you were the one who told Hermione about the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk, that means you understand better than anyone how dangerous the Basilisk is, doesn't it?
Since we already know the Basilisk is in the castle waiting to kill people, we should act immediately! Passing the responsibility off like this is irresponsible!"
"Harry! Stop!"
Hermione's face turned deathly pale. She grabbed the corner of Harry's robes and tugged him back with all her strength. She believed Professor Li Wei had a deeper reason for doing this.
Bang!
The sound of hands slamming down on the wooden table rang out.
Harry turned his head—the beautiful woman who had dazzled him earlier was bracing herself against the table, staring at him now with a gaze that seemed ready to kill.
Simply meeting her eyes made Harry feel as though he could no longer breathe.
"If—"
She strode toward Harry, her gaze sharp and her steps like blades.
"—your pitiful intellect prevents you from fully understanding what the professor meant, then at the very least, you should learn to ask calmly. Do you understand?"
Her bearing was so dazzling, and her presence so overwhelming, like a female general returning victorious from a ball, that all three of them were stunned.
"I—you—I—"
Harry's lips trembled as he desperately tried to say something, only to realize in shame that his voice was shaking.
"All right, Jiamer, rein in your magic. Don't scare the children."
Li Wei pinched the bridge of his nose and reflected on himself as well.
Although he remembered that no one had died in the Basilisk incident in the original story, no one else knew that.
Besides, even if it had not been his intention, he had officially intervened in the plot.
An event that should have lasted an entire semester had been brought into the open early. Whether things would still unfold as they had in the books remained uncertain.
No—rather, this was an excellent opportunity for verification. The Basilisk was dangerous, but as long as proper precautions were taken, it was not fatal.
With that thought, Li Wei's eyes flickered, and he spoke at the right moment, picking up from Jiamer's words.
"Your name is Harry, right?"
"Yes—yes. I'm sorry, Professor. I just couldn't understand."
Harry looked deeply remorseful.
Because he truly felt that he had misunderstood Li Wei.
"Listen—this isn't so simple."
Li Wei leaned down toward the three of them and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.
He had decided to see just how far these three could go.
"Slytherin left the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets a thousand years ago, yet Hogwarts has never suffered an incident because of it. What do you think that tells us?"
"It means it was locked up and couldn't get out?"
Hermione's eyes lit up.
"Maybe it was asleep before, like ordinary snakes hibernating, but now it's awake."
Ron had not yet recovered from Jiamer's earlier pressure, but his mouth still moved faster than his brain.
"Yes, either interpretation works—the Basilisk may have awakened from its slumber, or it may have escaped from wherever it was imprisoned—"
He guided the three of them patiently.
"Then do you think it is more likely that this happened naturally, or that someone was behind it?"
"Professor! You mean—"
Hermione was the first to think of a possibility. Her eyes widened as she looked at Li Wei in terror.
"What do you mean? What did you think of, Hermione?"
Ron looked at her anxiously. Harry gave up thinking as well and looked at Hermione with him.
Hermione glanced at the two of them and explained patiently.
"Do you remember the legend of the Chamber of Secrets? Slytherin said that his true heir would open the Chamber and kill all those of impure blood.
There must be a key person involved. He awakened the Basilisk and opened the Chamber! He wants to use it to kill all half-blood and Muggle-born wizards!"
"Correct."
Li Wei affirmed Hermione's guess.
"And I believe this is an utterly evil act. Whoever it is, I will not allow him to cling to such backward beliefs, much less allow him to recklessly take the lives of others."
"So, Professor, you want to find this person?"
Excitement appeared on Hermione's face, while Harry and Ron felt their blood burning—they felt as though they were taking part in something dangerous and important.
Though they might be afraid deep down, Professor Li Wei was here, wasn't he?
They could trust him!
Before you continue