Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets (III)

"I would do it as soon as possible," Lucius said. This time, he did not mention any difficulties. "I'll find all information regarding the monster in the Chamber of Secrets. Its species, habits, weaknesses—all of it."

Madara nodded.

"One more thing," he said. "As for what is inside the Chamber of Secrets—the Horned Viper's petrifying effect comes from its venom and requires direct contact to take effect. But Filch's cat was hung on a wall, its whole body rigid, its eyes wide open—that is not an effect venom could produce. The Basilisk is even more different. Looking directly into a Basilisk's eyes causes immediate death; only seeing it indirectly—through a reflection or water, for example—causes petrification."

He looked at Lucius, his scarlet eyes especially striking in the blue light. "Filch's cat was petrified, not killed. That means it did not look directly into the monster's eyes—perhaps it saw them through a reflection, or perhaps it merely saw another part of the monster's body. But either way, this snake must be enormous—so large that even a cat could be affected by other parts of its body wherever it passed."

Lucius listened intently, committing every word to memory.

"Find all of that out as well," Madara said at last. "Where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is, how to open it, what the passages inside are like—I need every piece of information you can find."

"Understood," Lucius said.

Madara's projection began to fade. The blue light dissipated from its edges, as if someone had poured a cup of water over a watercolor painting, the colors slowly and irreversibly washing away.

"My lord," Lucius suddenly said.

Madara's projection paused and turned his head slightly.

Lucius hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "About Filch... do we need to do anything? His Cursed