Soon, exam week arrived.
The practical combat exam was scheduled after all the written exams.
Although Wade was exempt from assignments, he still could not escape the exams themselves.
However, none of the exam content posed any difficulty for him.
During the Transfiguration exam, Professor McGonagall even directly declared that Wade had achieved full marks.
At last, the exhausting exam week came to an end, and the practical exam was set for the weekend.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Wade. After finishing his exams, he went straight back to immersing himself in the laboratory.
As for Tom, he was dragged by Professor Slughorn to line up in front of the seventh-year trial tent, his expression full of bitterness…
…
Inside the laboratory.
Wade extended his hand, and a small green snake crawled onto his wrist.
It was the little Basilisk he had cloned earlier.
Tom had given it a name, Sneak.
When Wade asked why he had chosen such a name, Tom only said he had picked it at random…
It really was random. It was just the word "snake" with a letter changed.
He might as well have called it Snake.
Compared to a true Basilisk, the little Basilisk Sneak was indeed far weaker.
First, it could not grow to the immense size of a real Basilisk. At most, it would reach only two or three meters in length.
Second, the magic in its eyes could only petrify people, and only in a simple form. It was not the kind of petrification that required Mandrakes to reverse. The good news was that the little Basilisk could control this ability on its own.
Finally, its venom was not as potent as that of a true Basilisk. Of course, that was only in comparison to a Basilisk. Compared to ordinary venomous snakes, its poison was still extremely strong.
"Here, Sneak, have something to eat."
Wade took out a syringe, already filled with nutrient solution.
He slowly injected the nutrient solution into Sneak's mouth.
hiss~~<<
Sneak flicked its tongue and quickly opened its jaws, biting onto the syringe.
Clearly, the nutrient solution Wade had created was extremely enticing to animals…
"I trust you're not planning to raise a Basilisk at Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore's voice came from behind him.
Wade turned around, and Sneak on his hand also stared at Dumbledore with caution.
"Haha~ Of course not. I wouldn't dare do something that dangerous. This is a small snake I cultivated, modeled after a Basilisk."
At that moment, a glint flashed in Sneak's green eyes.
"Sneak! Stop!" Wade hurriedly tried to stop it.
But Sneak still ended up meeting Dumbledore's gaze.
However, Dumbledore remained standing there, as if nothing had happened.
Clearly, the young Sneak's petrifying gaze could not harm Dumbledore in the slightest.
"So it isn't a Basilisk… that's good. If you can cultivate a snake with properties similar to a Basilisk, but without the same level of danger, that would be a good thing." Dumbledore smiled again.
Sneak continued to watch Dumbledore warily. For it, Dumbledore was the first person who could withstand its gaze. A dangerous individual.
"Yes, that's precisely why I created it," Wade nodded. "Professor, why aren't you watching the practical exam today?"
"The Headmaster is overseeing things there, so it should be fine." Dumbledore pulled over a chair and sat down, then looked around the laboratory with interest.
Since the laboratory had been set up, this was his first time visiting it.
Of course, Wade knew Dumbledore could come at any time, so he would never conduct any improper dark experiments here.
"As for why I came to see you, it's because of the alchemical problem you gave me last time." Dumbledore took out a notebook from his robes.
"Professor, have you solved the energy core problem of the Everlasting Gubraithian Flame?" Wade asked excitedly.
"In truth, it was quite a difficult problem even for me," Dumbledore said honestly. "However, I happen to have a good friend whose achievements in alchemy far surpass mine. So I sent your problem to him. He found it very interesting and sent back some possible solutions today…"
Hearing this, Wade immediately knew things were settled.
Dumbledore's close friend could only be the legendary alchemist who created the Philosopher's Stone, Nicolas Flamel.
Wade eagerly took the small black notebook from Dumbledore's hand, pulled over a chair, and began flipping through it.
Dumbledore paid it no mind and instead wandered leisurely around the underground laboratory.
At one moment, he examined the Devil's Snare thriving in one corner. The next, he went over to amuse himself with the energetic little roosters.
He even picked up the small Basilisk, Sneak, to take a closer look.
Faced with a powerful wizard whose petrifying gaze it could not affect at all, Sneak instinctively felt a fear akin to encountering a natural predator.
Let alone biting him, it did not even dare to move, trembling as it allowed Dumbledore to lift it and examine it from every angle.
It was only a little snake. How could it possibly dare to challenge such a formidable opponent?
Dumbledore continued to stroll about at ease until he accidentally stepped on the tail of Tom the cat, who was lying nearby taking a nap.
"Muhhhaaaaaaawwww!" Tom clutched his tail and sprang up.
Just as he rolled up his sleeves in anger, ready to pick a fight with whoever had stepped on him, he looked up and saw Dumbledore smiling warmly.
"Heh… heh…" Tom instantly changed his expression, forcing an awkward grin, then quickly dragged over a chair and invited Dumbledore to sit.
"Oh… thank you." Dumbledore looked at Tom with interest.
Dumbledore knew a little about Tom, but he had not expected the cat to possess intelligence so close to that of a human.
"Little Tom, I hear you can write?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.
Tom nodded repeatedly.
Dumbledore then took a sheet of paper and began chatting with Tom through writing, clearly enjoying himself.
During their exchange, Tom enthusiastically introduced his good friend, the Mutated Venomous Geranium, Comrade Venomtooth…
While the man and the cat were chatting happily, Wade had already finished reading the notebook.
It had to be said, Nicolas Flamel truly lived up to his reputation as a legendary alchemist.
Wade had only posed a question, yet Flamel had already fully understood what he intended to achieve.
However, the solutions he had sent were not complete.
They only resolved a small part of the problem… and raised even more new lines of thought.
Strictly speaking, it only provided Wade with many new ideas rather than directly solving the problem for him.
It felt very much like teaching a man to fish rather than giving him a fish.
For example, Nicolas Flamel reminded Wade to first determine what the Gubraithian Fire actually used as fuel when it burned.
This was the foundation. Only by understanding that could he properly develop its energy source.
After that came some alchemical knowledge… along with an address.
"Finished reading?"
"Hmm?"
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