Compared with the original emerald-green Basilisk, the Red-scaled Basilisk was slightly smaller.
But it was no less ferocious.
Its enormous scarlet snake eyes occupied most of its face, while its split-open maw stretched all the way to its ears. Its mouth was packed with sharp teeth, and as its bright-red tongue flicked in and out, clouds of faintly green poisonous gas spread through the chamber.
The red scales that had originally looked like lumps of flesh hardened rapidly when exposed to the air, growing sharp, curved hooks. Along both sides of the split in its back, two rows of long bone spines slowly rose, extending all the way to its head. Coiling around it, they intertwined with its horns and spines to form a deep-red crown.
Judging by the crown's design, it bore an uncanny resemblance to the Ravenclaw Diadem.
"—Have its eyes lost their Magic Power?"
Hermione tugged at Zheng Qing's robes and asked in a low voice.
The black flames had appeared and vanished far too quickly. The young wizards had no time to react, and all of them had seen the enormous, scarlet eyes of the Basilisk before them.
But no one had died, and no one had been petrified.
"I don't think so."
Zheng Qing shook his head very slightly and warned the three young wizards, "Never underestimate the cunning of a Black Wizard. Since it was able to shed one layer of skin before you, it can shed a second, a third... Until you've seen its true form, you can never overestimate its Magic Power."
The Little Witch seemed to want to say something else.
But the Red-scaled Basilisk's enormous scarlet eyes suddenly turned toward them. Frightened, she immediately clamped her mouth shut and held her breath.
"...Has it discovered us?"
Ron's trembling voice rang