69novels Chapter 84 Draco the Basilisk's Whereabouts
Chapter 84 Draco the Basilisk's Whereabouts
Chapter 85 Draco the Basilisk's Whereabouts
Upon hearing Snape's question, Harry immediately became alert, knowing that the basilisk was hiding in the shadows nearby, waiting for an opportunity to glare at him.
"Professor, close your eyes immediately! The basilisk monster hasn't retreated yet!"
Upon hearing this, Snape was startled and, like Harry, quickly closed his eyes and strained his ears to locate the sound.
After waiting for a long time, I heard no hissing from the snake, nor did I hear a scratch on its scales.
"Severus, what happened here?"
Harry opened his eyes abruptly and turned his head to see a man with silver hair and beard; it was none other than Dumbledore.
Harry saw the glow of the gauntlet go, knowing that the basilisk had escaped again. He rushed forward, grabbed Dumbledore, and pulled him to Colin's side.
"Professor! My brother has been petrified like the old cat! Is there any hope for him?"
Dumbledore bent down, about to take a closer look, but Snape scoffed and cut him off.
"You're getting more and more senile, Dumbledore."
"Is there really a need for judgment in a situation that's so obvious?"
After saying that, he snatched the camera from Colin's hand, lifted the lid of the box, and with a "hissing" sound, a plume of white smoke shot out.
Take the film roll out and look at it; it's been corroded so badly that it's completely blurred and indistinguishable.
"It is clear that Mr. Potter's fanatical followers saw the basilisk's eyes through the camera."
Snape's face turned ashen, and he said coldly, "Now the first victim has appeared."
"But this kid was lucky enough not to make direct eye contact with the basilisk, but the next victim—"
"Rest assured, Severus, I don't think anyone will be in any real danger."
Dumbledore examined Colin's entire body before rising, explaining, "After all, when a wizard dies, the magic within him returns to the world. And Voldemort, in his spirit form, requires a great deal of magic."
"Harry, Voldemort is indeed back."
He looked at Harry and said, "The student's magic has completely disappeared."
"The Dark Lord is coming to hunt underage wizards?" Snape frowned and said coldly, "Don't forget, he can even bewitch an adult wizard like Quirrell."
"Isn't hunting adults a faster way to seduce children than using their magic?"
Dumbledore remained silent for a long while, then shook his head and sighed, "I don't know, but besides Voldemort, I can't think of anyone else who would do such a thing."
When Harry heard Dumbledore say that the mastermind was indeed Voldemort, his anger intensified. He wished he could crush the hilt of his sword and settle all the old and new scores at once.
He looked at Dumbledore and said, "I hope you know, Professor, that serpent has just entered the pipes and is not in the castle yet. The secret chamber's seal has not been broken, so it must still be lingering inside."
"Why don't I send my house-elves to search the pipes? That way I can teach it a lesson on the spot!"
"I think the same way, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. "In fact, I sent them after I met Severus's Patronus."
Harry was delighted. "The professor is truly resourceful!"
"Oh, Harry, I've just lived a little longer than you guys."
The two flattered each other for a while, making Snape want to vomit.
Suddenly, several "snap" sounds were heard, and several house-elves appeared all around.
"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, we didn't find the basilisk in the pipes."
"Oh! Please, Professor, punish me!"
After only a few words, these house-elves started making a ruckus.
Dumbledore looked serious, and Harry's doubts deepened.
This three- to five-zhang-long serpent does not appear in the castle, nor hide in the sewers or tunnels, nor lie dormant in the secret chamber. Could it be that it has grown wings on its ribs and can fly and escape into the earth?
He pondered for a moment, but couldn't figure it out, so he turned around and ran towards the underground detention room.
Dumbledore called out hastily, "Harry, where are you going?"
"Has the professor forgotten about the 'back garden flower'?"
It is known that the one controlling the basilisk is Nadraco. Now, all we need to do is investigate whether he has left the underground classroom tonight, and we will know everything.
Dumbledore instructed Snape to deal with Colin, while he himself hurried after Harry.
"I'm sorry, Harry. My initial plan was for you to keep an eye on Draco during his confinement, so he wouldn't have time to control the Basilisk."
"But I didn't expect Lockhart to insist on supervising Draco's confinement."
"Professor Dude is always good at playing cryptic games!" Harry thought angrily, and shouted, "You should have just told me, I would have chopped Lockhart into pieces and made sure Malfoy never left my sight!"
Dumbledore rubbed his temples, took out the potion again, took a sip, and muttered to himself.
I didn't say anything because I was afraid you would actually kill Lockhart.
Let's stop talking.
The two charged to the door of the solitary confinement cell. Harry bent down, grabbed the door, and then kicked it open.
The loud bang startled Lockhart so much he almost screamed.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Lockhart hurriedly swept a stack of letters with lipstick marks into a drawer, and asked in a fluster, "What brings you here?"
"Oh, a student nearby was attacked by a basilisk just now, so I came to check if Harry and Draco are safe."
"Oh, I see—wait! A student has been murdered?!"
Lockhart's face turned ashen, and he nearly collapsed, his legs trembling.
Harry stared straight at Draco, who met his gaze and grinned.
"Why are you staring at me, Potter? Professor Lockhart and I haven't gone anywhere."
"That's right, neither of us has gone out." Lockhart cautiously drew his wand defensively. "That student—is he dead?"
"No, he's petrified." Seeing Harry remain silent for a long time, Dumbledore patted Lockhart on the shoulder. "Get some rest, Gilderoy, you'll be busy tomorrow."
"And of course, you, Draco."
Draco caught a glimpse of Dumbledore's eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. He nodded and said, "Yes, Professor."
Once outside the classroom, Dumbledore asked, "Did you figure anything out, Harry?"
Harry frowned and stamped his foot: "As far as I know, neither Draco nor Draco has ever left the classroom."
It should be noted that the place where Colin was killed was still a mile or two away from here. Even if Draco had superhuman speed, he could not possibly travel back and forth in an instant without losing his breath.
Then, Harry raised his left hand, twirling a strand of hair between two fingers.
When I arrived, I placed this strand of hair through the crack in the door to identify myself. The hair was neither broken nor moved, which proves that the two birdmen in the room did not step out.
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore stared at the strand of hair, slightly taken aback.
Harry is usually impulsive and has a very impatient personality, so who would have thought he would have such meticulous methods?
Is recklessness just a disguise, and keen insight the true nature...?
Dumbledore's eyes were deep; it seemed Harry was indeed intentionally hiding many things...
The White Lord was lost in thought, as was Harry.
Thinking of this snake monster and its mastermind, he was momentarily bewildered.
Where is that wicked serpent hiding? If it's not Draco who's behind it all, then who is this scoundrel causing all this trouble?
He thought to himself: Now that all the clues have been exhausted, the only way is to wait for the Polyjuice Potion to be brewed, sneak into the Slytherin common room, and find out the truth.
(End of this chapter)