Here, Children Had No Place Showing Off

The group looked at the ghosts' green-mold-covered cheese and enormous gray tombstone cake, then enjoyed the Headless Hunt's performance.

By the time Ron's teeth were chattering from the cold and he complained that he couldn't take it anymore, Harry still hadn't found a chance to speak to Jiamer.

"Come on, let's go. I hope there's still some pudding left in the Great Hall. I'm starving."

Seeing Ron in a hurry to leave, and with everyone else having had their fill of the festivities, they prepared to leave with him and headed toward the corridor lit by black candles.

Just as Harry was feeling disappointed, a sinister, low hissing voice suddenly sounded in his ears.

". Tear you apart. Kill you."

That familiar voice again. The Basilisk!

Harry abruptly came back to his senses and called out to everyone.

"Careful! The Basilisk is coming! I heard its voice! Put your glasses on, quickly!"

He had been busy with Quidditch practice and homework lately, with hardly any time to act together with Hermione and Ron. Still, all three of them remembered that safety came first: their glasses were either on their faces or carried with them.

"The Basilisk?"

Qiao Weili and Jiamer exchanged a glance and waved their wands. Along with Cedric, who had yet to figure out what was happening, all three of them suddenly had a pair of glasses on their faces.

"Mm."

Cedric awkwardly adjusted the glasses that had suddenly appeared. Though he had a stomach full of questions, he did not rush to ask them.

Harry's expression was grave as he said, word by word:

"It said—it was starving—kill people—the time had come."

Everyone's faces changed at those words.

"We have to stop it!"

Harry did not think twice before charging ahead.

"Wait, Potter!"

Qiao Weili tried to stop him, but Harry ran too quickly and was out of his reach in an instant.

"Heh!"

A scornful laugh rang out as Jiamer waved her wand without hesitation!

Gurgle, gurgle—an extraordinary sound rose up. The ground beneath Harry's feet suddenly twisted violently, then rolled around him like soft waves and surged backward.

"What are you doing?!"

Harry glared furiously at her, trembling with rage.

"Reckless boy. With adults here, it isn't your turn, children, to show off."

Jiamer did not take offense at Harry's abruptness.

In the blink of an eye, she and Qiao Weili had already started running before anyone else could react!

Beside them, Harry was trapped by the slab of rock controlled by Jiamer, moving along on its own as the two ran forward.

"Hermione, go to the office and notify the professors about the Basilisk immediately. Make sure your glasses are secure, stay alert on the way, and answer me if you hear anything!"

Jiamer issued orders decisively. In the blink of an eye, she and Qiao Weili were about to rush out of the corridor.

"Y-Yes! I understand!"

Hermione responded instinctively, but once she came back to herself, she began to hesitate—almost immediately, she looked at Ron beside her.

Ron had just swallowed hard, but when he met Hermione's gaze, his eyes immediately turned resolute—and Hermione instantly understood what he meant.

They had dared to confront the thief trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone in their first year. Could a mere Basilisk frighten them now?

Since Harry had been taken away, they would naturally follow him!

"Cedric, go notify the professors! We can't just leave Harry alone!"

Hermione and Ron gave Cedric almost no time to react before immediately starting to run, trying to catch up to the group ahead!

"Wait—you two—"

Cedric futilely stretched out a hand to stop them, only to be left standing there alone in the end.

"Tch!"

He gritted his teeth, then decisively turned and ran toward Li Wei's office. What had they just said? A Basilisk? They were all wearing glasses, including me. Right, that method of dealing with it—it had to be the Basilisk.

But why could Harry hear the Basilisk's voice? Why did everyone else seem to know everything about this?

If Cedric had not finished studying Li Wei's notes on dark creatures in advance as well, he truly would have been completely lost right now.

"How could such a dangerous creature be in the school?"

Cedric sprinted through the corridors as if his life depended on it, only regretting that his flying broom was not with him right now—next time, he would definitely keep it in a fixed place so he could summon it at any time.

"This way!"

Harry, who had already calmed down, was carried along by Jiamer as they ran up the stairs and into the entrance hall.

The laughter and chatter from the Halloween feast in the Great Hall echoed here, making it unlikely that they would hear anything else.

"Put me down! I can't hear clearly like this."

Jiamer glanced at Qiao Weili. Seeing him nod, she finally put Harry down.

The two followed Harry at full speed up the marble staircase, reaching the second floor of the castle—then the third—Harry raced around the entire third floor, and Ron and Hermione's voices soon sounded behind them.

"Nonsense! Why did you come here?!"

When Qiao Weili saw Hermione and Ron stumbling toward them, his tone suddenly turned stern.

This was a Basilisk! Even they were not confident they could subdue such a creature. Were these students joking?!

"We—"

Hermione had just wanted to explain.

"Forget it—this isn't the time for that."

Jiamer interrupted Hermione, tightening her grip on her wand and signaling for Qiao Weili to move forward with her.

"Qiao Weili, I'll be your eyes. Once we find the Basilisk, you have to restrain it!"

"I know."

Qiao Weili lowered his head to look at Jiamer's boots, his expression solemn.

His magic was stronger than Jiamer's. This was not the time to worry about her safety.

"Wait, can't we make a big enough commotion to scare it away? Or draw the other professors here—do we really have to handle this ourselves?"

Seeing the two move forward without the slightest hesitation, Ron both admired them and felt deeply worried, unconsciously offering a suggestion.

"No. The Basilisk's eyes are too deadly. We can't let it run around freely—having other professors come would be no different. If they were caught off guard, they could easily fall victim to it, and the cost would be even greater than for us."

The two held their breath and advanced slowly through the darkness. Gradually, they saw a line of bloody writing.

[The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.]

Harry and the others quickly caught up with them and saw the bloody words on the wall as well.

The chill from underground seemed to rise again, colder than before, freezing their bodies and blood alike!

Just then, Li Wei appeared from around the corner. In only a few long strides, he was already beside them.

"Professor!"

Though Qiao Weili and Jiamer's expressions remained grave when they saw Li Wei, their hearts immediately settled—now that a professor was here, even if their enemy was the Basilisk, they had nothing to fear!

"Mm."

Li Wei answered, his expression none too pleasant.

He had clearly told Dumbledore about the Basilisk. Why had the Basilisk incident still happened?

But first, he needed to confirm whether the Basilisk was still here!

He dropped to one knee and tapped his wand against the ground.

"Tap—tap—"

Sound waves spread through the ground with each tap. The echoes continued, gradually extending across the entire third floor, then throughout the whole castle.

"."

The professors who had been enjoying the festive atmosphere on the first floor suddenly raised their heads and looked toward the third floor alertly.

At Hogwarts, who would dare use detection magic over such a wide area?