Anomaly

The week after the Dueling Club, the atmosphere at Hogwarts was different from before.

The most obvious change was that students had started practicing the Disarming Charm on each other in the corridors.

It was not fighting. It was practice.

After lunch, between classes, even before breakfast, groups of two or three students could be seen standing face-to-face and hurling Disarming Charms at one another. Gryffindors practiced with Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs practiced with Gryffindors.

There were even one or two lower-year Slytherin students secretly teaming up with Hufflepuffs.

Of course, there were side effects.

Filch confiscated eleven wands in two days for "casting spells in the corridors." He wrote a strongly worded complaint to Dumbledore, demanding that the Dueling Club be banned.

Dumbledore's reply was a smiley face drawn on Filch's letter.

Filch was so enraged that he cut out the smiley face and pinned it to the wall of his office, swearing to increase his patrols.

Zhang Wen had no choice but to announce in the next class, "Practice between classes is restricted to empty classrooms and open outdoor spaces. If Filch catches you casting spells in the corridors, I will not help you."

Tuesday afternoon, after-school tutoring.

The Golden Trio and Neville Longbottom arrived on time.

Today's training differed from before—Zhang Wen had decided to start teaching them teamwork.

"In a real battle, you will not face the enemy alone." Zhang Wen stood at the front of the classroom. "Most of the time, you will be acting alongside companions. In those situations, coordination matters more than individual ability."

He divided the four of them into two groups.

"Harry Potter and Longbottom in one group. Weasley and Granger in the other. Two against two, simulated combat."

Harry and Neville exchanged glances. Harry nodded at Neville, and Neville nervously nodded back.

Ron and Hermione stood together. Ron cracked his knuckles, while Hermione was already devising tactics in her head—Zhang Wen could tell from the way her eyes moved rapidly.

"The rules are the same as the Dueling Club. But there is one additional rule: the two people on the same team cannot attack the same target at the same time. You must divide your roles."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Because if both of you focus on one target, the other enemy is free. Splitting your firepower is how you control the entire field."

"That sounds like Quidditch tactics," Harry said.

"The principle is the same." Zhang Wen nodded. "Begin."

The first round.

Ron and Hermione lost.

The reason was simple—they started arguing during the fight.

Ron wanted to rush forward and trade spells with Harry, while Hermione wanted him to use a Shield Charm first so she could find an angle. The two spent three seconds discussing their tactical disagreement right in front of their opponents. Then Harry took out Ron with a Disarming Charm, and Neville followed up with one of his own—which was slightly off-target, but still knocked Hermione's wand from her hand.

"Why didn't you listen to me?" Hermione glared at Ron.

"Your plan was too complicated! Who has time for that in a battle?"

"That is exactly why a battle needs a plan!"

"Enough." Zhang Wen clapped his hands. "This is why I want you to practice coordination. Neither of you is wrong—Ron's instincts and Hermione's planning both have value. The problem is that you did not agree on your roles beforehand."

He looked at Harry and Neville.

"How did the two of you coordinate?"

Harry thought for a moment. "I did not really think about it. Neville was standing on my right, so I automatically attacked the target on the left."

"I saw Harry attacking left, so I attacked right," Neville said, his voice much louder than it had been a month ago.

Zhang Wen nodded.

"That is the foundation of teamwork—an understanding that does not require verbal communication. When one person moves, the other automatically fills the gap. You cannot train that through planning. It comes from a great deal of practice together."

Hermione took out her notebook and began writing.

Ron rolled his eyes.

"Keep practicing," Zhang Wen said. "Second round, switch partners. Harry Potter and Granger. Weasley and Longbottom."

In the second round, Harry and Hermione won.

Hermione handled defense and battlefield control, while Harry was responsible for precise offense. Their division of roles was so clear that they did not need a single word—Hermione's Shield Charm blocked Ron's attack, and under its cover, Harry fired two consecutive Disarming Charms that took out Neville and Ron.

"Not fair," Ron complained. "Harry can win with anyone as his partner."

"That is because Harry Potter can quickly adapt to his partner's rhythm," Artoria spoke from the corner. "He is not following a plan. He is reading his partner's movements. When Granger raised her shield, he was already preparing to attack. That ability is called battlefield awareness."

Harry scratched his head awkwardly.

"I just felt Hermione would block them."

"Instinct," Artoria said. "Something faster than planning."

Hermione's pen paused. She was probably thinking about how to write "instinct" into her notebook.

After tutoring ended, the four of them left the office together.

Zhang Wen called Harry over.

"Mr. Potter, wait a moment."

Harry stayed behind. Ron and Hermione waited at the door for a moment, but Zhang Wen waved them on. Neville left with them.

"There is something I want to ask you," Zhang Wen said. "Have you heard any strange sounds lately?"

Harry's expression changed.

It was very subtle, but Zhang Wen caught it—a momentary stiffness.

"What sounds?" Harry's tone was slightly unnatural.

Zhang Wen's heart sank.

In the original story, Harry began hearing the Basilisk moving through the pipes in his second year—because he could speak Parseltongue and understand the language of snakes. No one else could hear it. The sound once made Harry think he was going mad.

If Harry had already begun hearing it—

That meant the Basilisk was already active.

"I mean... sometimes there are strange sounds in the castle." Zhang Wen tried to keep his tone casual. "After all, this is a thousand-year-old building. There is often movement in the pipes. I have heard some things occasionally since I arrived as well."

Harry was silent for several seconds.

"I—" He hesitated. "Professor Zhang, would you think I was mad?"

"No."

"Recently... I think I have heard something talking inside the walls." Harry lowered his voice. "Not everyone can hear it. Ron and Hermione were right beside me, but they heard nothing."

Zhang Wen kept his expression under control.

"What did you hear it say?"

"Not very clearly." Harry frowned as he tried to remember. "Words like... 'tear apart,' 'kill,' something like that. It was all very vague."

The Basilisk.

It was already moving through the pipes.

But it had not emerged yet. Ginny—or rather, Tom Riddle in the Diary—had not completely opened the Chamber of Secrets. The Basilisk was likely only wandering through the pipe system and had not yet been directed to attack anyone.

"Mr. Potter." Zhang Wen looked at Harry seriously. "You are not mad. What you heard really exists."

Harry's eyes widened.

"But I cannot tell you exactly what it is right now," Zhang Wen said. "You only need to know three things. First, you are not going mad. Second, if you hear that voice again, come find me or Assistant Pendragon immediately. Third—"

He paused.

"Keep your mirror with you."

Harry looked at him, his mouth opening slightly. Zhang Wen could tell he had a hundred questions he wanted to ask.

But Harry Potter had a very good quality—he knew when to trust someone.

"All right," he said. "I will."

"Go. Do not tell anyone else about this."

Harry nodded, turned, and hurried away.

After the door closed, Artoria walked out from the inner room.

"You heard everything," Zhang Wen said.

"The Basilisk is already moving."

"But it has not emerged yet. Ginny has not been fully controlled." Zhang Wen calculated rapidly in his mind. "In the original story, the first Petrificus Totalus incident happened on Halloween night. Today is October fifteenth. Two weeks remain."

"We have less time than expected."

"How is the rooster training going?"

"They can already respond to signals," Artoria said. "Following my instructions, Hagrid knocks on a wooden board three times before every feeding. Now, as long as he knocks three times, the roosters crow."

"What is the accuracy rate?"

"Two out of the three respond one hundred percent of the time. The third has around a seventy percent success rate. It is rather lazy."