Seeing her look of sudden realization, Draco's smile deepened, "So... I've told you such an important clue. Honey, aren't you going to give me a compliment?"
" Draco Malfoy! Be serious! Is this the time to talk about this?" Hermione gave him a light, embarrassed push.
"... You're pretty good."
Draco felt a warmth in his heart and was about to say something more when Hermione immediately steered the conversation back to the main topic:
"Stop fooling around. Now that we know the entrance, we need to plan carefully. The Basilisk, the ancient curse, and Voldemort's backup plan... This time, we must eliminate them all at once."
Draco felt a warmth in his heart and was about to say something more when Hermione immediately steered the conversation back to the main topic:
"Stop fooling around. Now that we know the entrance, we need to plan carefully. The Basilisk, the ancient curse, and Voldemort's backup plan... This time, we must eliminate them all at once."
"Honey, are you planning to just charge in and fight the Basilisk? Typical Gryffindor, your courage is off the charts!" Draco teased.
Hermione paused for a few seconds before snapping back to reality, her eyes flickering. "... I... I think I was too hasty just now. I should have sought the professor's help."
Hermione was actually afraid that if she hesitated, someone else would get hurt, and she was terrified that Harry would be wrongly accused. So her first reaction was to take matters into her own hands and keep all the danger away from those around her.
"I know what you're worried about, and I understand your desire to protect everyone, but the Basilisk isn't an ordinary dark Magical Creatures."
"Looking directly into the Basilisk's eyes will kill you, and looking indirectly will turn you to stone instantly. Its venom is incurable, and only the Phoenix Tears can cure a bite from the Basilisk."
"Not only that, it has extremely high magic resistance, making ordinary spells almost ineffective, and the Basilisk is enormous with tremendous impact."
"Furthermore, it moves through Hogwarts ' pipes, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. You can't hide from it, and you can't catch it. It's like the entire castle is its hunting ground."
"Honey, even though we have the protagonist's halo, do you still think we can defeat the Basilisk right now?"
Draco gave her a detailed analysis.
Hermione finally understood why he had that expression when she blurted out that she would handle it alone.
This is not an adventure.
This is suicide.
"In other words, in a direct confrontation, we might have no chance of winning at all."
"That's right, a direct confrontation means we're just feeding the snakes."
"If the Basilisk's gaze is a deadly stare, and anyone who doesn't meet its eyes directly will simply turn to stone... then what if it looks in a mirror and sees its own eyes—" Hermione speculated.
"It will petrify itself," Draco added.
Hermione was both surprised and delighted. "Really?"
"Theoretically, it's entirely true," Draco replied, drawing on his system analysis and knowledge of dark Magical Creatures.
" The Basilisk's curse doesn't exempt you from it; anyone who looks directly into its eyes will be petrified, and the same applies if it looks at itself. A mirror is the perfect weapon against it."
"Then we don't need to risk fighting it head-on... we just need to prepare a mirror, lure it out, and let it see its reflection?" Hermione's heart skipped a beat.
Draco chuckled softly as he saw the light return to her eyes, "As expected of Granger, he gets it right away!"
Having confirmed that the mirror could subdue the Basilisk, they also uncovered the whole truth behind the Chamber of Secrets.
Hermione's shoulders, which had been tense for several days, finally relaxed completely, and her eyes shone with joy.
Draco naturally put his arm around her shoulder, shielding her from the uneven stone steps outside the Restricted Section.
"Are you relieved now?" Draco said boastfully. "Without me, our Miss Granger would still be struggling with a pile of ancient books."
Hermione glanced at him, a smirk creeping onto her lips. "Yes, yes, thanks to Mr. Malfoy's efforts, Hogwarts is saved."
They discussed their plans in hushed tones as they walked.
Just as the two turned the corner and were about to head towards the fork in the road leading to the common lounge, the air suddenly turned cold.
A strong, damp, fishy smell suddenly wafted up from the depths of the dark corridor ahead.
Hermione stopped in her tracks: "Wait—"
Draco tensed instantly. "Don't speak."
Above, from the shadows of the wall, came the faint sound of scales rubbing together, so slow it sent chills down one's spine.
The Basilisk didn't rush out at all; it stayed inside the pipes above them, following them like a hunter.
The torch at the end of the corridor suddenly went dark.
A very thin, dark shadow descended from above, hovering less than half a meter in front of them.
It's the tip of the Basilisk's tail.
If they just went down a little further, they might catch a glimpse of those eyes if they looked up.
"Don't look!"
Draco practically roared, grabbing Hermione's head and pressing it against his shoulder, pulling her backward against the wall.
The Basilisk didn't chase, nor did it crash into the wall; it simply moved slowly in the darkness, the sound of its scales scraping against the cracks in the stone like the Grim Reaper sharpening his knife.
It is probing and hunting.
The two held their breath, slowly retreated to the corner, then suddenly turned and ran.
It wasn't until I rushed into the corner of the corridor that I heard a low hiss behind me, as if it came from underground.
They hid in an empty classroom, leaning against the door, panting.
Hermione's voice was soft. "It... it's not charging in at all, it's hunting."
Draco nodded, his face icy cold. "That's exactly how Tom used it back then."
He looked at Hermione, his tone turning serious. "That attack just now wasn't an accident; it was aimed at us."
Hermione's heart skipped a beat.
The Basilisk has its eyes on the two of them.
To be precise, they came for Hermione.
Draco stared at the door, his eyes gradually turning cold.
It could smell her scent, hear her footsteps, and even deliberately droop its tail in front of her.
The thought that Hermione had almost met those eyes filled Draco with barely suppressed rage.
His arms, which he held in front of him, were taut, and his voice was as cold as ice.
[System, retrieve all items that have special effects against the Basilisk and can instantly suppress it.]
I need something that I can redeem and use immediately.
The next second, a pale blue panel, visible only to him, unfolded before his eyes.
[Ding--Host needs detected; items specifically designed to counter the Basilisk have been selected:]
1. Phoenix Tear Concentrate: Can remove petrification and burn the scales of Basilisk.
2. Godric Mirror Fragment: Automatically reflects line of sight, forcing the Basilisk to petrify itself.
3. Snake Venom Immunity Amulet: Permanent immunity to Basilisk Venom and the stare intimidation.
Draco glanced at them and immediately selected three items.
[exchange!]
[Ding--Exchange successful, automatically added to host's pocket and space. Item in effect...]
A slightly cool force instantly enveloped the two of them.
Draco reached into his pocket and touched the cool shards of mirror and the warm amulet, causing his tense shoulders to relax slightly.
Hermione noticed something was wrong with him and looked up at him. " Draco? What's wrong...?"
"It's nothing." Draco's anger hadn't subsided.
"From this day forward, I will make sure that thing can never harm a single hair on your head again."
He quietly slipped a small, cool amulet into her palm. "Wear it, don't take it off."
Hermione was about to ask what it was when she heard a very faint hissing sound coming from the pipes outside the window.
The Basilisk is still nearby.
Draco gripped his wand tightly, a cold smile curving his lips.
That was a hunt.
Now, it's their turn to fight back.