Chapter 111: Progress in Transfiguration (Seeking Subscriptions)
At 8:20 that evening, Aisen arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room. Before entering, Aisen had already seen them through God's Perspective.
The Trio sat quietly around the fireplace in armchairs, whispering continuously, seemingly discussing something.
Harry had a hint of fatigue on his face, but his spirits seemed exceptionally high. It appeared that although Quidditch training had tired him out a bit, he was very much looking forward to the upcoming dueling training.
"Honeydukes—"
Using the password, Aisen successfully passed through the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Professor Aisen!" Seeing Aisen arrive, the Trio's eyes immediately lit up. They rose from their armchairs and came over to Aisen.
"Ha—Professor Aisen, is there something you need?" On the other side, Fred and George, who were sitting on the sofa and muttering about something they were discussing, also chuckled and asked when they saw Aisenapproach.
"That's right, I'm taking them for detention—" Aisen had a half-smile on his face, "If you want to go too, I'd be happy to take you along, how about it?"
"Oh, no, no, George and I are still busy. We still have too few products to sell at the Magical Joke Shop, right, George!" As soon as he heard Aisen's words, Fredimmediately waved his hand and quickly found an excuse to signal to George.
"That's right, Professor Aisen, this is a little gadget we just made, it's very interesting!" George tacitly pulled out a very tempting-looking custard biscuit from his pocket.
"Oh? What does it do?" Aisen took the biscuit; from its appearance, it was indeed very tempting. If Aisen hadn't already eaten, he would have had the urge to shove it into his mouth and eat it.
"Haha, it's very useful!" Hearing Aisen ask, Fredimmediately became excited, "It can not only fill your stomach, but also help witches practice Animagus!"
"That's right, with it, it will be much easier for witches to learn human Transfiguration." George winked at Fred and echoed with a smile.
It can help practice Animagus? Since when did the Weasley Twins have this level? For a moment, Aisen was somewhat stunned. However, upon seeing their strange smiles, Aisen immediately understood that this was another one of their pranks.
So, this is—
Canary Cream? Aisen knew deep down in his memory what kind of prank item this was. So, they could already make Canary Creams at this time?
However, when thinking about the effect of the Canary Cream, Aisen suddenly marveled at how terrifyingly high the Weasley Twins' talent was. You see, the effect of the Canary Cream is that it can turn the person who eats it into a large canary with feathers.
Although its effect only lasts for 5 seconds, after 5 seconds, the person who ate it will automatically return to their original form. But even just this 5-second effect is a real-deal human Transfiguration category.
If the duration of the Canary Cream's effect could be controlled at will, then this would simply be a replica of Animagus.
You know, Animagus is an advanced technique in Transfiguration. To learn it, one must not only deeply study Transfiguration but also follow complex steps one by one.
As a result, Fred and George were actually able to develop a product like the Canary Cream, which is truly astonishing.
"Can I try it?" Thinking of this, Aisen was eager to experience the extent of its Transfiguration. So he held the biscuit and gestured to Fred and George.
"Ah—there's no need for that, right?" Fred was momentarily stunned.
"That's right, it's a prank product—" George quickly explained.
But the smiling expression on Aisen's face didn't change at all, and he directly ate the custard biscuit.
Subsequently, under the horrified gazes of Fred, George, and the Trio, Professor Aisen's body instantly grew full of feathers, turning into a large canary.
The magic within Aisen's body surged slightly, and his mind focused on feeling the subtle changes in his body. He found that it was indeed within the realm of human Transfiguration.
After turning into a large canary, Aisen flapped his wings. The theory of human Transfiguration that he had learned some time ago to create Apparition Without A Traceflooded into his mind, giving Aisen some sudden enlightenment.
Ultimately, although human Transfiguration is an advanced technique in Transfiguration, in reality, the essence of magical power still leans towards the subjective.
For example, when using a Transfiguration spell to transform the properties of two substances, does he really need to deeply understand the properties of the two substances? Of course not, he only needs to have that intention when casting the Transfiguration spell, and magic will automatically help him achieve the transformation of properties.
Similarly, when he uses Transfiguration to turn paper into alloy, does he need to understand the composition or atomic arrangement of the alloy? Obviously not. As long as he has this intention when casting the spell, the magicin his body will help him achieve all of this.
If that's the case, Aisen can understand the reason why Fred and George were able to make Canary Creams. Perhaps, when they were making these prank items, a strong enough intention played a large part.
After 5 seconds, Aisen's body returned to normal. But to Fred and George's surprise, he wasn't angry, but had a smiling face.
"Professor Aisen?" Hermione looked at Aisen worriedly. Harry and Ron also looked at Aisen with the same expression, seemingly worried if anything had happened to him.
"Don't worry, I'm fine!" After comforting the Trio, Aisen's gaze fell on Fred and George, "Very good props, they can indeed help people practice human Transfiguration!"
"Ah, this—" Fred and George, seeing that Aisen wasn't angry, had just started smiling when they heard this answer, and for a moment they were a bit confused.
Then, the two looked at each other, and could see the confusion in each other's eyes. Could this not be a prank?
"Professor Aisen, Professor McGonagall said that human Transfiguration is a very difficult technique in Transfiguration. Can that thing they made help people practice human Transfiguration?" Ron on the side couldn't help but ask.
Having lived with Fred and George since childhood, Ronknew what kind of people his two older brothers were, so he didn't believe they would make anything serious.
"Uh, it helped me a little, but for you, it might just be for playing pranks!" Aisen pondered for a moment and gave an answer that disappointed them.
To be honest, this time Fred and George brought Aisen a lot of inspiration with the Canary Cream. Now, Aisen even has a feeling that his Transfiguration will take a step forward.
A hint of joy flashed in his heart, and after this thought crossed his mind, Aisen opened God's Perspective and directly pulled his gaze above Hogwarts Castle.
The dark night could not obstruct Aisen's vision. As Aisen's thoughts flashed, a pool of clear water appeared in the air, then changed shape into clouds, then into fire, lightning, and finally dissipated into mist.
Previously, although Aisen could also achieve such changes, he mostly focused his energy on technique and the control of magic. And now, Aisen focused more attention on intention, only then discovering that the use of Transfiguration was much smoother. Even his control directly improved by a large margin.
The smile on his lips spread, and Aisen knew that if nothing unexpected happened, not only would his Transfiguration level improve significantly, but the level of all his Charms would also improve.
"Professor, Professor Aisen—" Hermione's voice rang out.
Changing his gaze and withdrawing his thoughts, Aisennoticed that the few people had calmed down and were looking at him.
"Let's go, follow me!" After signaling to Fred and George, Aisen beckoned the Trio and left the Gryffindor Common Room, heading towards their destination.
Chapter 112: First Training (Please Subscribe)
After emerging from the Fat Lady's portrait hole, Aisennoticed that the Trio following him were in high spirits.
Walking through the long corridor, a few minutes later, Aisen had already arrived opposite the Barnabas the Barmy tapestry.
The Trio, who were following Aisen, were stunned when Aisen suddenly stopped in an open area of the corridor and they didn't see any room.
"Professor Aisen, why have we stopped here?" Harryasked, and Hermione and Ron also looked at Aisen with questioning expressions.
"Remember this place—" Aisen pointed to the Barnabas the Barmy tapestry on the wall.
The Trio looked on in confusion, seeing several Trolls beating Barnabas the Barmy, who was trying to teach them ballet.
Perhaps because they were being watched, the Trolls stopped their beating and began to turn their heads to observe the Trio.
"Is there anything strange about this?" Hermione asked the question that Harry and Ron also wanted to ask.
"Ahem, I accidentally discovered a hidden room here a while ago." Aisen coughed softly after checking that no one was around, then pointed to the opposite side of the tapestry.
The Trio looked in the direction Aisen pointed, only to see a smooth, bare wall with no unusual features.
"It's opposite the tapestry. If you need a certain space, walk past that wall three times from here, and a door will appear on the wall. Behind the door is the space you need." Without waiting for the Trio to ask again, Aisendirectly gave the answer.
Hermione ran over and patted the wall, still finding nothing unusual, and immediately looked surprised.
"We need a place to practice Charms, so come watch me demonstrate—" Aisen beckoned to the Trio and moved to one side.
From the Trio's perspective, Professor Aisen muttered, "I need a place to practice Charms," and then walked back and forth in front of that wall three times.
Immediately after, something astonishing happened.
Even though Aisen had told them in advance that there was a hidden room there, they still looked incredulous when a smooth, grand door appeared on that wall.
"Wow, this is really cool!" Ron reached out and touched the grand door, saying with an amazed tone.
"Professor Aisen, is this the entrance to Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets?" Looking at everything happening before him, Harry, however, thought of the Chamber of Secrets that had troubled them for so long.
After hearing Harry's words, Ron and Hermioneinvoluntarily recoiled, stepping back several paces in a hurry, looking at Aisen anxiously.
"Of course not Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets. I've been in there several times, and there's no danger!" Hearing Harry's remark, Aisen couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Let's go!"
After speaking, Aisen was the first to push open the door and walk in.
The Trio chuckled sheepishly behind him and followed.
Upon entering, a spacious area appeared before them.
Several stands were placed at the edge of the area, and next to the stands were several humanoid dummies, seemingly for practicing Charms.
"Professor Aisen, what is this place?" Looking at the empty room, Harry couldn't help but ask.
"The Room of Requirement, I think this place can meet our demands!" Aisen said, pulling out his wand. "Alright, before we start combat training, I must say a few things."
Aisen's gaze was exceptionally calm. "First, the duelling etiquette Professor Lockhart taught you at the Duelling Club meeting, I believe you need to forget it.
Ron was absolutely right about this; when you're fighting an enemy, he won't bow to you."
Seeing that all three of them had thoughtful expressions, Aisen paused slightly, then continued: "Second, to protect yourselves when danger arises, I believe you need to learn several offensive Charms and defensive Charms, not those minor jinxes circulating among students."
The Trio remained silent, and Aisen nodded with satisfaction. "As for the third, I believe you should understand that on-the-spot reaction is also part of real combat. You should experience this in the upcoming training."
After they had processed the information Aisen had given them, Aisen nodded and continued, "Although Hogwarts School doesn't focus on duelling and teaching various forms of Martial magic as much as Durmstrang, much of it is actually included in Defense Against the Dark Arts Class.
However, I imagine that after almost two years of studying, you should know what the school's Defense Against the Dark Arts Class is like.
Due to curriculum issues or the Professor's own problems, this class is almost useless! So, the upcoming learning content, in addition to learning some Charms, will be more geared towards practical combat."
"So, now let me see your strength!" Aisen said, stepping aside and yielding the area to the Trio.
"Uh, Professor, you mean, let us—" Seeing Aisen so direct, a bewildered Harry pointed to Hermione and Ron, then to himself.
"That's right, you three start fighting. Let me see how strong you are. No matter what Charm you use, as long as you can defeat your opponent!" Aisen said, waving his wand to raise a square stone platform. "Harry and Hermione, you two start first."
After hearing Aisen's words, Ron immediately stepped back to Aisen's side, watching the two on the platform with interest.
Harry and Hermione took out their wands, then looked at Aisen below the platform, and then stared intently at each other.
"Begin!" Aisen gave the command.
"Tarantallegra—" Upon hearing Aisen's command, Harrystruck first, casting a minor jinx.
But surprisingly, Hermione sidestepped and dodged it, and almost simultaneously, cast a Petrificus Totalus at Harry.
"Petrificus Totalus—" As the sound rang out, Harryfrantically waved his wand to block, but because he hadn't learned a defensive Charm, Harry was hit by the spell, and his body stiffened, falling straight onto the platform.
After using a counter-spell to un-Petrificus Totalus Harry, Aisen had Harry and Hermione each duel Ron once.
As a result, due to Ron's broken wand, he lost both battles, which was unbearable to watch.
Since they were all only second-years, the academic Hermione was the strongest of the Trio.
At first glance, it seemed a bit absurd, but upon closer thought, it made perfect sense.
After all, Harry, the Savior, hadn't learned many Charms yet, so it was normal for him to lose to Hermione.
However, why didn't Hermione defeat Millicent at the Duelling Club meeting? Was it because the opponent's physical presence was too intimidating, suppressing Hermione? Shaking his head, Aisen reined in his wandering thoughts.
Looking at the happy Hermione, and the somewhat dejected Ron and Harry, Aisen spoke: "Alright, I understand your strengths now.
The Charm I'm going to teach you next is Expelliarmus!"
The Trio's eyes lit up, and they immediately became interested.
"I think Professor Snape already demonstrated the effect of this Charm to you at the first Duelling Club meeting.
It can not only disarm an opponent's wand but also knock them back.
Of course, more importantly, this Charm is quite low in danger but very high in practicality."
"Not only that, but this Charm is also quite simple to learn, and there's no problem practicing it daily anywhere.
Alright, I'll give you a demonstration!"
As Aisen spoke, he waved his wand, and the humanoid dummy at the edge of the area levitated and flew to the center of the area.
"Listen to the pronunciation of my spell and the movement of my wand!" Aisen nodded to the Trio, then raised his wand and aimed it at the humanoid dummy.
"Expelliarmus—" While chanting the spell, the wand in his hand made a small flick and then quickly thrust out.
Subsequently, a dazzling red light flew out from the tip of Aisen's wand.
Like a scorching bolt of lightning, it swiftly struck the humanoid dummy in the center of the area.
The humanoid dummy was immediately hit and flew to the edge of the area, tumbling a few times.
Flipping his hand, he waved his wand again, and all the humanoid dummies at the edge of the area were summoned by Aisen to the center of the area.
"Harry, Hermione, you two practice this Charm first.
Ron, bring me your wand, I want to take a look!" After instructing Harry and Hermione, Aisen extended his hand to Ron.
Chapter 113: Failed Wand Repair (Seeking Subscriptions)
"Riddikulus—"
"Riddikulus—"
Harry's and Hermione's voices rang out immediately afterwards. Each of them targeted one dummy and began practicing the Disarming Charm. Since Hermione had already mastered the Disarming Charm, every spell she cast went very smoothly.
As for Ron, he handed the damaged wand, wrapped in tape, to Aisen.
"Professor, can you fix it?" Ron glanced at Harry and Hermione practicing spells on the platform, a look of envy on his face, then looked at Aisen with anticipation.
"I'm not sure!" Aisen shook his head, seeing Ron's expectant face turn disappointed, and continued, "However, I think we can give it a try."
Looking at the damaged wand in his hand, the corner of Aisen's mouth twitched. How should he put it? From the wand Ron used, it was clear that the Weasley family's financial situation wasn't very good.
You see, Little Wizards have to buy their own wand when they start school, but the one Ron used was an old wand that his brother Charlie had used. Even if this wand hadn't been damaged, the Unicorn hair at its tail was already exposed.
The wand, which was almost broken in half, was taped together by Ron. It looked like it had been repaired, but in fact, it was useless.
Judging from the result of Ron's previous attempt to cast a spell on Malfoy which was bounced back, this wand had serious problems. Therefore, if Ron wanted to participate in practical training, the wand's issue had to be resolved.
Holding Ron's wand in his hand, he could feel the magicflow extremely sluggishly, especially at the break, as if it was blocked, unable to form a complete circulation.
A shimmer of light flickered in his eyes, and after activating the observation ability, his vision quickly zoomed in towards the wand in his hand. Immediately, the ash wood material and grain were clearly reflected in Aisen's mind, and the inlaid Unicorn hair was also seen clearly by him.
The wand made of ash wood had lines inscribed inside, and the key nodes were connected by Unicorn hair one by one, seemingly playing a role in connecting the magic.
But at the break, some lines could be seen damaged, and some nodes were blocked, causing this wand to lose its proper effectiveness.
"Can it still be repaired like this?" This thought flashed through Aisen's mind, but he felt the possibility was very low.
If Aisen remembered correctly, if a wand was severely damaged, almost broken in half, there was basically no Charm or method that could repair it, not even the master wandmaker Ollivander could do it.
But strangely, there was one exception, and that was the Elder Wand. In the original work, there were records of Dumbledore repairing Hagrid's wand and Harry using the Elder Wand to repair his own wand.
But when asked about the principle behind this, Aisencouldn't figure it out and could only attribute it to the special nature of the Elder Wand.
With a thought, the break in the wand was reconnected and restored under the effect of Aisen's Transfiguration. Subsequently, a shimmer of light flashed on Aisen's hand and disappeared, entering the wand and flowing along the lines inside.
A moment later, Ron's wand had become a completely intact wand. Even the Unicorn hair that had protruded from the tail was re-embedded inside the wand by Aisen.
"Professor Aisen—" Ron looked at the now intact wand in Aisen's hand and immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Did you really fix the wand?"
Hearing Ron's voice, Aisen glanced at him, but his brow furrowed slightly. Holding the repaired wand in his hand, but upon closer inspection, Aisen could feel that the magic flow was still extremely sluggish.
It felt similar to when the wand was broken, although it was slightly better, upon closer inspection, it wasn't much better. This result made Aisen feel a bit embarrassed.
However, after a second thought, he felt relieved. It was important to know that Aisen had no understanding of wand making at all, and even Ollivander, a master wandmaker, couldn't repair severely damaged wands, so it was very normal for him not to be able to repair it.
"No, I don't think this can be called repaired. You can try it, attack me!" Aisen shook his head and handed the wand to Ron.
"Professor?" Ron held the wand, and upon hearing Aisen's words, his expression changed uncertainly.
"It's okay, just try it and see if the wand works?" Aisentook out his own wand and nodded to Ron, signaling him not to worry too much.
"Eat slugs—" Ron pointed his wand at Aisen and chanted loudly.
Hearing Ron's spell, the corner of Aisen's mouth twitched. It was just a test, and he was using such a crazy spell, it was too much!
"Armor—" Just as Ron was chanting the spell, Aisenswiftly cast an Armor between them as a barrier.
However, what Aisen didn't expect was that things didn't happen as he thought, where Ron's spell would be blocked by the Shield Charm and bounce back to the other side. Instead, before Ron's spell was even cast, the wand backfired.
So, Aisen was slightly stunned, and Ron's Charm hit him.
Boom—
A booming sound exploded in the Room of Requirement, followed by Ron being knocked back several steps and then falling to the ground.
"Professor Aisen—" Hermione and Harry, who were nearby, were startled and stopped practicing the Disarming Charm, coming to Aisen's side.
"What happened to Ron?" Harry stepped forward to help Ron up and looked at Aisen, asking.
"Just an accident!" Aisen spread his hands and then explained what happened.
"Ugh—" Ron opened his mouth to say something, but instead spat out a slug. Afterwards, he looked at Aisenpitifully, seemingly complaining about why he hadn't fixed his wand.
"Okay, let me try!" Stepping forward to Harry's side, Aisen pointed his wand at Ron.
Since Aisen had just read the book "Practical Defensive magic and Its Counter-Charm to Black magic" recently, Aisen happened to think that a curse-breaking Charminside could solve Ron's problem.
Although the curse-breaking Charm itself was a curse, its effect was very direct, which was to counteract the effect produced by the curse.
A shimmer of light emitted from the tip of the wand, and after hitting Ron, Ron let out a big burp, spat out a slug, and then breathed a long sigh of relief, recovering.
If Ron's spell had hit him before, Aisen could have directly given him an anti-curse, which would also prevent the curse from taking effect. But Aisen was stunned and didn't react in time, so now he could only use the curse-breaking Charm. However, fortunately, the effect of this Charm was quite good.
"Professor Aisen, what Charm is this? Why didn't you use it on me last time? I was vomiting for several hours that day!" Ron, who had stopped vomiting, seemed to remember something and looked at Aisen with a resentful expression.
Hermione and Harry were startled and also looked at him blankly.
"You have to know that there are too many strange Charms in the Wizarding World." Aisen shrugged his shoulders. "I only discovered this Charm recently when I was reading a book in the Library. Although it is very useful, it is essentially still a curse. I didn't know how to use it last time!"
"This Charm is really too useful!" Hermione didn't care much about whether it was a curse, she just felt that being able to counteract the effect of a curse was very useful.
"Don't worry, I will teach you this Charm after a while!" Aisen smiled slightly and drew a picture for them. "By the way, Hermione, Harry, how is your practice of the Disarming Charm going?"
"Professor, I'm already very proficient!" Hermione raised her head, looking forward to Aisen's evaluation.
"Excellent, but keep up the good work!" Aisen nodded and showed a look of appreciation to Hermione. Then, he looked at Harry.
"I haven't learned it yet!" Harry's expression was a bit down.
"Don't worry, this Charm is actually not difficult, I believe you will learn it very soon." Aisen comforted him. As for whether Harry could learn the Disarming Charm, he wasn't worried at all. You see, in the original work, Harry's attack method was basically the Disarming Charm from beginning to end, and he even used it to counter Voldemort's Killing Curse.
From this, it can be seen that Harry's talent in the Disarming Charm was still quite good.
"Alright, there's still some time, you continue to practice the Disarming Charm—" Aisen pondered for a moment, then handed his wand to Ron, "In the dueling club's practical training class, you can use my wand first, but I have to say, you need to buy a new wand."
"Thank you, Professor, I will tell my dad!" Ron took Aisen's wand, a look of surprise on his face, and then said seriously.
Chapter 114: The Stalemate Quidditch Match
On the edge of the Room of Requirement, Aisen sat in an armchair, quietly watching the Trio practice the Disarming Charm on the stone platform.
As chanting sounds rang out, streaks of red light flew from the tip of Hermione's wand, hitting the already battered humanoid dummy.
And the tip of Harry's wand occasionally flickered with red sparks; it seemed he wouldn't take long to learn this Charm.
As for Ron, perhaps because the wand wasn't his own, he had no effect at all when casting the Charm.
Aisen had actually anticipated such a result.
Speaking of which, there is another saying in the Wizarding World. That is, when a Witch buys a wand, they are usually told that it's not just the Witch choosing the wand, but also the wand choosing the Witch.
Only when the two are very compatible will the wand be easy to use. This means that using someone else's wand to cast spells isn't impossible, but the spell's effect will be very ordinary.
Just like the reason Aisen gave when he first entered the Wizarding World and bought a wand. If a Witch experiences many things that lead to a significant change in their thoughts, the compatibility of the wand is likely to drop significantly, and it may even resist the owner using it to cast spells again.
Aisen found this point quite strange. After all, in Aisen's view, if a wand can choose a Witch, it means the wand has 'spirituality'.
But a wand with 'spirituality' can be used by others, which is clearly unreasonable.
Time slowly flowed by, and soon half an hour had passed, bringing the time to nine o'clock in the evening.
At Aisen's call, the Trio's first practical training session ended. After leaving the Room of Requirement, Aisenretrieved his wand.
In the following days, Aisen spent his free time practicing Charms and reading in the Library. During the day, he would occasionally observe the entire Hogwarts Castleusing the God's Perspective of observing characteristics to check on the Trio's movements.
In the evening, as usual, he would take the Trio to the Room of Requirement for guidance.
As Aisen had expected, Harry was able to successfully cast the Disarming Charm on the second day. As for Ron, whether it was because his talent was slightly lacking or he wasn't used to Aisen's wand, he only managed to successfully cast the Disarming Charm on the fourth day.
At eleven o'clock on Saturday morning, the Quidditch Pitch was already bustling with people. This was the second Quidditch match of the season, so it was very important for Harry.
When Aisen arrived at the Quidditch Pitch and stepped onto the nearest spectator stand, loud cheers were already erupting on the field.
"Beautiful goal, Gryffindor gets ten more points! The current score is Gryffindor temporarily leading, sixty to forty!" Lee Jordan's commentary sounded simultaneously.
With the observation characteristic activated, Aisen's vision had completely enveloped the entire pitch. Under Aisen's perception, everything on the pitch was clearly visible, not even a wisp of breeze could escape Aisen's gaze.
Perhaps because the Hufflepuff team members hadn't all switched to super brooms like the Nimbus 2001, unlike Slytherin, everyone from Gryffindor, including Harry, was playing relatively relaxed.
Harry darted through the high air, then turned quickly, stopped, and then circled rapidly, weaving back and forth, seemingly performing difficult flying techniques.
Of course, the Hufflepuff players didn't give up easily either. They wore light yellow uniforms and moved around the pitch, keeping the score very close.
The Little Wizards in the spectator stands were constantly cheering. Whenever Gryffindor or Hufflepuffscored, it would cause enthusiastic applause from students of their respective Houses.
Time slowly moved on, and before they knew it, the score between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had reached three hundred and thirty to three hundred. Perhaps due to bad luck, neither Seeker from either side had managed to catch the golden snitch.
Sitting in the stands watching all this, Aisen couldn't help but yawn. Looking at the somewhat tired expressions of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff players on the pitch, Aisensuddenly felt very speechless.
It was then that Aisen suddenly realized that Quidditchmatches had a big problem, which was the issue of the match ending. How to put it, Quidditch matches are about which team has a higher score, but the sign of the end is catching the golden snitch.
After catching the golden snitch, one not only gets one hundred and fifty points directly but also ends the match. But if the golden snitch is not caught, the match will continue regardless of the score.
It seems there was once a record in the Wizarding Worldthat a Quidditch match reportedly lasted for three months. Aisen was very speechless about this. At least in that case, the golden snitch was caught after three months. What if the golden snitch isn't caught for years or decades? Would a Witch spend their entire life locked in a Quidditch match?
For example, if a Quidditch match held at Hogwartsreally lasted for several months, would classes still be held? Clearly, Aisen felt this rule was very unreasonable. At the very least, there should be a time limit. For instance, a match must end within one day; wouldn't that be much simpler?
When the time reached two o'clock in the afternoon, the score between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had become five hundred and forty to four hundred and eighty. Aisennoticed that the Little Wizards in the stadium stands were already a bit wilted, and the cheering had almost disappeared.
"How long do you think the match will continue?"
"I don't know, I hope the match ends quickly, I'm very hungry!"
"They say one Quidditch match lasted for three months!"
"But the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff match doesn't have that many substitute players—"
"Do you think Cedric and Wood will agree to end the match?"
"Who knows? But Gryffindor is leading now, Woodprobably won't agree!"
"That's really terrible!"
...
Several Little Wizards were listlessly whispering, but the content of their conversation left Aisen speechless. Watching Harry and the other players sweating profusely on the pitch, Aisen sighed and turned to leave.
It must be said that Quidditch matches are indeed attractive enough to make adrenaline surge, but if they last for a long time, they become quite boring.
After arriving at the Library, Aisen found a seat and opened 'Practical Defensive magic and Its Countermeasures Against Black magic', reading it attentively.
In the evening, when Aisen arrived at the Great Hall, he was surprised to find that some Little Wizards looked absolutely starved, eating large mouthfuls of food as if they wanted to stuff everything into their mouths.
"Harry is—" Sitting down next to Hermione, Aisenpointed at Harry, who was messily stuffing food into his mouth, and then looked at Hermione and Ron.
Pfft—
The chicken leg in Ron's hand was suspended in mid-air, his face turning red from laughter, "They—their match—just finished, because Harry didn't eat lunch, that's why he's like this."
Looking at Hermione, she also looked like she wanted to laugh but was too embarrassed; it seemed Harry was truly starving.
"Oh? Harry caught the golden snitch? What was the winning score?"
"No, I didn't catch the golden snitch, Wood and Cedricnegotiated to end the match!" Harry swallowed a piece of bread, then stated the result, his tone revealing an indescribable sense of disappointment.
"That's nothing, in an official Quidditch match, lasting a day is quite normal; just ask Ron and you'll know!" Aisensaid, suppressing a smile.
"That's right, some Quidditch matches can last a very long time, even for several months!" Ron said seriously while taking a big bite of his chicken leg, "During that time, substitute players will also take turns playing!"
Watching this scene, Aisen smiled slightly. Did something like this happen in the original work? Right, it shouldn't have. It seems this match was even canceled because of an attack!
Chapter 115: Sudden Events
The next day, as Professor Aisen walked through the corridors of the Castle, he found that the Quidditch match from the previous day had spread throughout the entire School, and everyone was basically talking about the match.
Some Little Wizards believed that the rules of Quidditchshould be modified to set a time limit for each match. Other Little Wizards believed that the excitement of Quidditch lay precisely in the absence of a time limit, and that if a time limit were set, Quidditch would lose much of its appeal.
However, just as Professor Aisen thought the excitement about this matter would last for a while, he unexpectedly heard news at noon that suddenly spread throughout the entire School.
Hagrid was taken away as a suspect in the attacks, and Headmaster Dumbledore was forced to leave Hogwarts School.
Because the fact that Voldemort's Horcrux, the culprit behind the attacks, had been found was not announced, most of the Little Wizards, after making connections, agreed that Hagrid was the culprit.
But clearly, the truth of the matter was not like that.
"Professor Aisen, Hagrid has been taken away by Minister of magic Cornelius Fudge, and Headmaster Dumbledore has been dismissed!" Hermione said anxiously, her face showing deep unease.
Ron stood beside her, also looking at Professor Aisenwith a worried expression.
"I knew it, Malfoy must have told his father about the attacks happening at school, and his father would definitely come to the School to cause trouble!" Harry's face was a little pale.
"Don't worry, we all know that Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore have nothing to do with the attacks, they will be fine!" Professor Aisen waved his wand, and specks of light sprinkled onto their heads.
"That's right, Professor Aisen, they will be fine." Harrynodded after his emotions calmed down.
"I think, if we can find the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and find and deal with the Basilisk, then Hagridand Dumbledore will definitely come back." ProfessorAisen stood up and paced, then after a moment, prompted them.
"That's exactly what I was thinking, I said before that if we didn't find the entrance to the Chamber of Secretsand solve the Basilisk problem, Professor Dumbledorewould be in trouble!" Harry's eyes lit up, and he immediately stated his position.
"Where do you think the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" Professor Aisen mused for a moment, then asked directly.
"Who knows? Hogwarts Castle has too many hidden places since it was built, and no one has ever been able to figure out all its secrets." Ron spread his hands, and this question was once again before them.
"I read in the Library that the Basilisk can grow to be very large and live for a long time. Also, the Basilisk not only has deadly fangs but also a deadly stare; anyone who meets its gaze will die. Spiders run away when they see a Basilisk because the Basilisk is the spiders' mortal enemy, and the crowing of a rooster is fatal to the Basilisk." Hermione had clearly researched all the information about the Basilisk in the Library.
"Then luckily Professor Aisen made plans beforehand, if we need to search for the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, these sunglasses can protect us perfectly!" Harryand Ron exchanged glances, then both pulled out the enchanted sunglasses Professor Aisen had given them earlier and put them on.
"Cool!" Looking at Harry with the sunglasses on, Roncouldn't help but give a thumbs-up in admiration.
"Professor Aisen, what do you think?" Seeing how Harryand Ron looked, Hermione put on her sunglasses and then looked at Professor Aisen.
"Uh, it certainly feels very good!" Looking at the Triowearing sunglasses, for a moment Professor Aisen felt very strange, as if the art style was completely different.
However, although the style was weird, for safety reasons, Professor Aisen felt it was necessary to give a compliment. After all, he was the one who provided these things.
"Oh, right, since the attacks have happened several times, why hasn't anyone seen the Basilisk?" Fiddling with his sunglasses, Harry seemed to suddenly remember something, took off his sunglasses, and asked urgently.
Hermione and Ron looked at Harry, their faces showing confusion. Professor Aisen looked at Harry and nodded thoughtfully.
"What I mean is, Hermione said the Basilisk is very large, so if the Chamber of Secrets was opened, the Basiliskwould definitely be crawling around, but someone would surely see a large snake appearing in the Castle! But no one has seen the Basilisk!" Harry looked at Hermione and Ron's expressions and continued to explain.
"That's right! We thought the same thing last time, a Basilisk couldn't possibly be crawling all over Hogwartswearing an invisibility cloak!" Ron looked enlightened.
"If that's the case, the Basilisk must be moving around in the pipes of Hogwarts Castle!" Hermione crossed her arms, and although her eyes couldn't be seen through the sunglasses, one could certainly guess that her eyes must be very bright at this moment.
"No wonder, I've heard the voice in the walls several times!" Harry squeezed the hand holding his sunglasses, his face showing a look of surprise.
"Then where is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?" Ron's expression was a little uncertain, "You heard the Basilisk's voice in Lockhart's office, and you also heard the Basilisk's voice in the corridor, but the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets surely wouldn't be in a Professor's office, nor in the corridor."
"Maybe it's in a restroom—" Professor Aisen's mouth curved slightly, offering a guess.
"Restroom?" Harry was stunned, then exchanged glances with Ron and Hermione.
It seemed as if a flash of lightning had pierced the night sky, and an idea simultaneously sparked in the minds of the Trio.
"Moaning Myrtle's restroom!" Hermione's voice suddenly became rapid.
"That's right, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, the Basilisk was also released, and it caused a student's death. Moaning Myrtle has considered the restroom her territory ever since she became a Ghost, which means the Basilisk killed her right there!" Harryimmediately followed up with this guess.
"Mrs. Norris, Colin, Justin, and Nearly Headless Nick were all attacked outside Moaning Myrtle's restroom. If the Basilisk is hiding in Moaning Myrtle's restroom, it's normal that no one would discover the Basilisk, because no one usually goes there!" Hermione said, looking at Professor Aisen beside her.
"A very reasonable deduction, so we need to go and take a look in Moaning Myrtle's restroom." Professor Aisenslowly nodded.
Subsequently, Professor Aisen and the Trio walked out of his office, then passed through the dim corridor and arrived at Moaning Myrtle's restroom. After opening the door and entering, Professor Aisen saw Moaning Myrtlesitting on the tank of a toilet at the very back.
"I know you—you're the Astronomy Professor at Hogwarts!" Moaning Myrtle saw them and immediately looked at Professor Aisen.
"That's right, I'm the Astronomy Professor!" ProfessorAisen nodded, not paying much attention to her, and immediately began inspecting the sink in front of her.
"Are you looking for something?" A voice sounded in Professor Aisen's ear, and Professor Aisen turned his head to see Moaning Myrtle's transparent body floating beside him, seemingly very interested in him.
Looking at Moaning Myrtle's transparent body, ProfessorAisen suddenly had an urge to study it. Speaking of which, Ghosts in the Wizarding World are a very strange species. From the current situation, Ghosts are formed when Witches die but fear death and linger in the world.
Moaning Myrtle and Nearly Headless Nick are like this, but Peeves is very special at Hogwarts; while you could call him a Ghost, he can have a physical form and touch objects.
Of course, the peculiarity of Ghosts also reminded Professor Aisen of Dementors. If you were to say who was more powerful between Dementors and Peeves, it seems Peeves might have the edge.
Because Dementors can be dealt with using the Patronus Charm, but Peeves seems to have been at Hogwarts for a thousand years, and no one has ever been able to successfully drive him away!
For example, in 1876, the Hogwarts caretaker at the time, Rancorous Carpe, set a magical trap, intending to catch Peeves in a bell jar enchanted with various restraining spells and then expel him from the Castle.
As a result, Peeves easily blew open the bell jar and then left with several scimitars, several crossbows, a large-caliber muzzle-loading gun, and a small cannon. Afterwards, Peeves began firing randomly for amusement, threatening the lives of students. Consequently, Hogwarts Castle had to be evacuated for three days.
Afterward, the Headmistress at the time, ProfessorEupraxia Mole, had to sign an agreement with Peeves, trading some privileges for the weapons in his possession. The privileges included priority choice of moldy bread from the kitchen for throwing around, and permission to swim in the first-floor boys' restroom once a week, among others.
Of course, Headmistress Eupraxia Mole was certainly no match for Dumbledore. But no matter what, she was still the Headmistress of Hogwarts. The fact that she couldn't do anything about Peeves seemed quite absurd.
"Professor Aisen!" Hermione's voice rang out, with a hint of displeasure!
Professor Aisen collected his thoughts and looked at Hermione beside him. Although she was wearing sunglasses, her general expression could still be discerned.
Activating the God's Perspective observation ability, the entire restroom was reflected in Professor Aisen's mind. Instantly, the mark of a small snake carved on one side of a faucet above the sink was seen clearly by ProfessorAisen.
Chapter 116: Entrance to the Chamber of Secrets
Shifting his gaze, Aisen pretended to examine thoroughly, even checking the pipes below. Then he pointed to the side of the faucet engraved with a small snake.
"Look here!" Aisen motioned to Hermione.
Hermione immediately stepped closer upon hearing this and saw where Aisen was pointing.
"That's—" Hermione's voice was filled with surprise.
"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry, who had also seen the snake beside them, looked startled.
Ron stepped forward and turned the faucet, but no water came out.
"This faucet never works," Moaning Myrtle flitted through the group, saying excitedly when she saw Ron's action.
"Clearly, this is very likely the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" Aisen nodded, then looked at Harry.
"Harry, say a few words." Seeing Aisen look at Harry, Ron's eyes lit up, and he offered advice, "I mean, you have to say something in Parseltongue!"
"This—" Harry was a bit at a loss. Before, he would only speak Parseltongue involuntarily when directly facing a snake. Could he speak Parseltongue now?
"Open—" Harry stared at the small snake pattern on the side of the faucet and said.
Then, Harry looked at Ron.
"No, you're still speaking human language," Ron shook his head.
"Professor Aisen, what should we do now?" Hermione on the side asked Aisen for help.
Aisen looked at the Trio, seeing them all looking at him expectantly. An idea sparked in his mind. Immediately, a playing card appeared in his hand. As he threw it out, it transformed into a snake that coiled around the faucet.
"Try again!" Aisen motioned to Harry.
"Open." Harry stared at the wriggling snake and made a sound with his mouth.
However, to Aisen and the others, what they heard was not human language, but a strange hissing sound coming from his mouth. As Harry's voice fell, the faucet emitted a dazzling white light and began to spin rapidly. Then, the sink also moved.
The sink slowly disappeared from view, revealing a very thick pipe, large enough for a person to crawl into. Looking inside, one would find that this passage was bottomless.
"Hiss—"
Hermione and Ron both gasped almost simultaneously.
"Professor? Should we go down?" Ron glanced into the depths of the pipe, then looked at Aisen with a look of astonishment.
"The Basilisk is down there? You want to go down!" Aisen's mouth curved into a slightly mischievous smile.
"No, of course not—I mean, we should inform Professor Lockhart, he is the Professor of Dark Arts, he will definitely deal with the Basilisk!" Ron hastily waved his hand, then solemnly pushed Lockhart forward.
"You're right, Ron, you and Harry go inform Professor Lockhart to come deal with the Basilisk!" Aisen's eyes showed a strange expression, and then he arranged for Ron and Harry.
Hearing Aisen say this, Ron breathed a sigh of relief. After exchanging glances with Harry, the two quickly left the abandoned bathroom.
"Professor, are we just waiting here?" Hermione glanced at the bottomless pipe, a look of eagerness on her face.
"Cough cough—go find Professor McGonagall and inform her about this. I think it's necessary to tell her about this!" Aisen saw this and directly assigned Hermione a task.
After the three left, Aisen quietly looked at the pipe in front of him, pitch black as if leading to hell. However, when it came to the pipes of Hogwarts, Aisen felt that some things were very strange. That is, why were so many pipes built when Hogwarts was established?
To say they were for draining sewage from the entire Castle certainly didn't make sense. Because both cleaning spells and vanishing spells could directly deal with garbage. To say they were specifically left as activity space for the Basilisk, Aisen felt it was too absurd.
But Hogwarts did leave behind so many complex pipes, giving the feeling that it was not a magic Castle, but an ordinary Castle.
Normally, Aisen hadn't thought about this, but the more he thought about it now, the stranger it felt.
Footsteps sounded outside, interrupting Aisen's thoughts.
"Professor Aisen—" After Professor McGonagall entered the bathroom, she immediately saw the unfathomable pipe, and also saw Aisen standing beside it.
"Professor McGonagall!" Aisen nodded, seeing that besides Professor McGonagall, Snape, the Transfiguration Professor, had also come.
"This is—" Looking at everything in front of her, Professor McGonagall's expression became serious.
"Hermione, Harry, and Ron deduced from the locations of the previous three attacks that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in this bathroom. I came here with them, and then discovered that Harry's Parseltongueindeed opened a passage. I think this is very likely the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. So I asked Hermioneto inform you!" Aisen didn't hesitate. After looking at Hermione beside him, he briefly explained the matter.
"Professor Aisen, why did Potter and the others investigate the entrance to the Chamber of Secretswithout permission? You know, the Basilisk is a very dangerous animal!" Snape said expressionlessly.
"Gryffindor students always like to take risks, don't they? And, ever since Harry's Parseltongue was exposed, everyone has treated him as the heir of the Chamber of Secrets. Although Hagrid was arrested, Harry doesn't think Hagrid is the culprit, so of course he has to find out where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is!" Aisenhesitated for a moment, finding a clumsy excuse.
"And after finding out the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets? Can he deal with the Basilisk too?" A trace of mockery appeared on Snape's face.
"Quick, this way—"
"Okay, okay, I know!"
Harry's voice and Lockhart's voice came, and footsteps sounded outside simultaneously.
"Of course I know that a second-year Witch can't deal with a Basilisk, but here—the person who can deal with the Basilisk is here, Lockhart, about to show his glorious moment!" Aisen smiled slightly at Snape, then pointed to the bathroom door.
Following Aisen's gesture, Lockhart, wearing a sea-green Witch robe, walked in, followed by Harry and Ron. However, Lockhart seemed to have been threatened by the two. After entering the bathroom and seeing Aisenand the others, his expression was slightly awkward.
As for Harry and Ron, they quickly put away the wands they were pointing at Lockhart.
"Ha—I said it, the entrance to the Chamber of Secretsmust be here, I can easily deal with the Basilisk inside!" Lockhart saw that Harry and Ron had put away their wands, and immediately smiled. As he spoke to everyone, he came to the edge of the pipe and looked inside.
"That's right, Professor Aisen is correct. Professor Lockhart said he regretted not being able to fight the Basilisk before Hagrid was arrested, and also said that things were messed up and he should have been allowed to handle it from the beginning. Now, it's time to show your abilities!" Snape said with a straight face, following Aisen's words to change the subject and start needling Lockhart.
Lockhart said something like that? Aisen frowned slightly after hearing Snape's words.
"Haha—yes, I can certainly deal with the Basilisk inside!" Lockhart walked past Aisen and went directly in front of Snape. "So, let's go down together!"
"Then, Gilderoy, we'll let you handle it," Professor McGonagall said, her expression very serious. "This is a great opportunity for you to show off your skills. We guarantee that no one will hinder you. You can go deal with that Basilisk alone. Now you're finally allowed to do it."
"Cough cough—" Hearing Professor McGonagall's words, Lockhart coughed violently.
"Aren't you all going down? I mean, I can certainly deal with the Basilisk, but I need to give Harry and the others a lesson, let them know how I will deal with the Basilisk, so they definitely have to go down with me!" After a while, Lockhart seemed to have found an excuse, asking Professor McGonagall while pointing at Harry.
Chapter 117: Deep Inside
Upon hearing Lockhart's utterly shameless excuse, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape were momentarily stunned. Before they could say anything, Harry, Ron, and Hermione beside them instantly turned pale.
Although they had the enchanted sunglasses and the prank product 'Rooster Recording Machine' in their hands, facing a terrifying monster like the Basilisk still made them feel apprehensive.
"Professor Aisen, what do you think of Professor Lockhart's suggestion?" Snape's quiet words broke the atmosphere, and he then glanced at Lockhart, seeming to imply something.
"Well, Professor Lockhart's idea is quite reasonable!" Aisen said after a moment of thought.
"Ha—I knew it, someone would definitely agree with me. Now, let's go down!" Hearing Aisen's supportive words, Lockhart instantly felt more confident. He immediately shook himself in front of everyone and pointed to the pipe beside him.
"Of course, Professor Lockhart is the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. I think not only Harry and the others want to know how he will deal with the Basilisk, but the Professors shouldn't want to miss it either!" Aisen said calmly, his gaze sweeping over Snape and McGonagall.
"What are we waiting for? The sooner we deal with the Basilisk, the sooner Hagrid will be released, and that old Witch Dumbledore will return to Hogwarts. I'm sure they will thank me!" Lockhart revealed his signature smile, pulling out his wand as he spoke.
As Lockhart stood at the edge of the pipe, Aisen saw Snape staring intently at Lockhart. Just before Lockhartwas about to wave his wand and cast a spell whose success was uncertain, Snape's mouth moved.
Whether he was casting a spell was unknown, but accompanying Snape's action, Lockhart's legs went weak, and he fell directly down.
"Ah—"
A muffled scream echoed back and forth in the pipe, giving off a creepy and terrifying feeling.
Tsk tsk—this method is truly dirty! Aisen couldn't help but click his tongue upon seeing this scene.
"Let's go, let's watch this special lesson and see how Professor Lockhart deals with the Basilisk!" Aisen said to the two Professors, taking out his wand and pointing it at Hermione and the Trio.
After Aisen's action, the Trio felt a warm current instantly flow out from the cards on their bodies. After circulating throughout their bodies, it made them feel light, as if they could fly with just a little effort.
"Oh, right, wear your sunglasses properly. The Basilisk's eyes are the most dangerous part!" Aisen took out a card, turned it into sunglasses, tapped it with his wand, and then put them on.
The Trio nodded while wearing the sunglasses, exuding an aura of seasoned individuals. Seeing this, Aisencouldn't help but twitch his mouth. However, when he saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, Aisen's eyes lit up.
After enchanting two pairs of sunglasses transformed from cards, he handed them over, "Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, these might be useful!"
"Thank you, Professor Aisen!" Professor McGonagallthanked Aisen after taking the sunglasses.
Then, she took off her own glasses, tapped them with her wand, and the lenses of her glasses immediately turned black. The sunglasses Aisen had given her transformed back into a card.
Alright, you're awesome, is that it? Aisen's mouth twitched, pretending not to see this scene. In reality, the magic Aisen had applied to the sunglasses transformed from cards was not profound magic, so it was normal for Professor McGonagall to easily break it.
On the other side, after Professor Snape took the sunglasses, he didn't hesitate and put them on immediately. Good heavens, upon seeing this scene, Aisen couldn't help but think of Liu Huaqiang's style of wearing black sunglasses.
Immediately after, everyone entered the dark pipe.
Due to the applied Floating Charm, the speed at which they descended was not fast. But as time passed, Aisenfelt that the length of this pipe exceeded his expectations.
It was a dark, slimy, endless slide. Under the illumination of Lumos, Aisen could see many other pipes branching off in all directions, but none were as wide as this one.
The pipe they were descending twisted and turned, winding around and around, sloping steeply downwards. Perhaps they had slid very, very deep beneath the school, even deeper than the underground classrooms. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape slid down rapidly ahead, while the Trio behind them made slight bumping sounds at the turns.
Finally, the downward slide became horizontal, and Aisenand the others reached a circular open space, the ground covered in standing water. After emerging from the pipe, everyone landed on the damp ground beside the accumulated water.
However, because Aisen had already seen through everything with God's Perspective, he knew the surrounding environment after landing.
Before them was a dark tunnel, built of stone walls, large enough for people to stand in. Not far away, Lockhart was getting up from the ground, covered in mud, his face as pale as a ghost, looking very disheveled.
"Phew—I'm sure we've come to a place several miles deep under Hogwarts Castle!" Lockhart said a conclusion that everyone could see after seeing the group.
"That's right, maybe even under the Black Lake!" A bright light appeared at the tip of his wand, sweeping around the walls, and Aisen nodded.
Judging by the dampness of the surrounding walls, they were very likely located beneath the lake.
"What are you—" Lockhart looked at everyone's glasses, showing a surprised expression.
"If you encounter the Basilisk and don't have time to close your eyes, you can rely on these!" Aisen smiled slightly, handing over a pair of sunglasses transformed from a card.
Since Lockhart had noticed, Aisen didn't mind giving him one. After all, if Lockhart faced the Basilisk head-on, the probability of being stared to death was quite high. But clearly, it wasn't very appropriate for the incompetent Professor Lockhart to die in the Chamber of Secrets.
"Ha! I think I'll have absolutely no problem dealing with the Basilisk now!" Lockhart took the sunglasses and put them on.
In the dark tunnel, it was as silent as a tomb. Although their voices were not loud, they were highlighted very clearly.
Walking along the dark tunnel, whenever Aisen stepped, the damp earth beneath his feet would automatically turn into hard marble. After Aisen walked past, the transformed marble would revert to its original state.
"Slytherin must have spent a lot of time building the Chamber of Secrets!" As Aisen went deeper into the tunnel of the Chamber of Secrets, he realized that this project was indeed not to be underestimated. It should not have been possible to build it to this scale without the help of magic.
"With Salazar Slytherin's level of magic, perhaps the Chamber of Secrets could be built in just one day!" Snaperetorted, his tone very calm.
Uh, okay, maybe it wouldn't even take a day. Aisennodded secretly, agreeing with Snape's point of view.
After turning a dark corner, Aisen noticed a huge black shadow lying at the other end of the tunnel, motionless.
"Be careful!" Aisen said, and a beam of light flew out from the tip of his wand, shooting towards the black shadow like lightning.
Boom—
The enormous creature directly shattered into several pieces, but there was no expected hiss, nor was there any splashing of blood.
Aisen and Snape walked forward and found that what had broken into several pieces was just a huge snakeskin. The snakeskin was bright green and very vibrant, looking like the skin of a venomous snake.
Based on the size of the snakeskin, the Basilisk that shed this skin was at least twenty feet long.
"It's the Basilisk's shed skin!" Snape tapped the snakeskin with his wand and then said to Professor McGonagall.
Phew—
The stunned Trio immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"It looks like it's been here for a while, perhaps the skin left by the Basilisk the last time the Chamber of Secretswas opened." After tapping on a broken piece of shed skin, Aisen guessed.
Chapter 118: Lockhart Battles the Basilisk (Part 1)
The group didn't linger long in front of the shed skin before continuing deeper inside.
Turning corner after corner in the tunnel, stepping through the wet puddles, Hermione's and the Trio's shoes were soaked by the time Aisen and the others encountered a solid wall. In contrast, Aisen and his companions were completely unaffected by the water.
Of course, Professor Lockhart's shoes were just as damp as the Trio's, which didn't surprise Aisen at all.
"This is—" Hermione came to Aisen's side and tugged on his sleeve.
"It looks like the symbol of the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets!" Aisen said, looking at Snape.
"Obviously, it is!" Lockhart, though looking disheveled, was in good spirits. He walked directly to the wall and patted the large circular door embedded in it.
This door was different from the other doors in the Castle. It was carved with two intertwined snakes, their eyes set with large, glittering green emeralds.
"Then we need to open it!" Snape stepped forward, stroking the twisted snakes on the door, speaking coldly.
"Then we need—" Aisen said, a sudden thought flashing in his mind, his expression turning serious. "We need a password or to force it open."
Saying this, Aisen didn't step forward but quickly shifted his gaze backward. Because Aisen suddenly realized that the Basilisk was unlikely to be inside.
It was important to note that when the Chamber of Secrets was first opened, the Basilisk's range of activity had always been within the pipes of Hogwarts Castle. But the fourth attack incident hadn't occurred due to Aisen's interference. Even the diary Horcrux had already been given to Dumbledore.
Whether Dumbledore had destroyed this Horcrux, Aisendidn't know, but it was predictable that Voldemort definitely wouldn't have the chance to open the door before him again.
This meant that the Basilisk had no opportunity to go back inside, but had been wandering in the Castle's pipes. With this thought, Aisen had mapped out all the crisscrossing tunnels and pipes beneath Hogwarts Castlein his mind.
Immediately after, a long snake, over twenty feet in length, appeared in Aisen's sight. From the position where the Basilisk was crawling, it had branched off quite a bit from the tunnel Aisen and the others had just walked through, which was why the group hadn't seen the Basilisk along the way.
However, perhaps it was the movement of the group walking in the tunnel that attracted the Basilisk's attention, as Aisen noticed the Basilisk was crawling towards the location of the group.
Boom—
An explosion sound echoed.
While observing the Basilisk, Aisen noticed that this was the explosion caused by Snape waving his wand and casting an invisible Charm that struck the door.
After everything returned to calm, the door carved with the two snakes appeared completely undamaged. Clearly, Snape's Charm had not been effective.
Seeing this, Lockhart's face lit up with joy. He stepped forward, stroked the twisted snakes on the door, and then said smugly, "Of course I can break it open, but this tunnel can't withstand the destructive power of Charms, and you wouldn't want to be buried here, would you!"
Aisen noticed that almost simultaneously with Lockhart's words, everyone present showed expressions of extreme disdain. Even Hermione, standing next to Aisen, couldn't help but roll her eyes.
However, Aisen didn't step forward to try and violently open the door. Instead, he was contemplating whether to wait outside for the Basilisk to come and deal with it directly in the tunnel, or to enter the Chamber of Secrets, lure the Basilisk inside, and then deal with it.
After a moment of thought, Aisen decided it would be more appropriate to lure the Basilisk into the Chamber of Secrets. After all, the Chamber of Secrets must have been enchanted, and its sturdiness would definitely be much greater than the tunnel's.
Furthermore, although the tunnel could accommodate the group moving through it, the space was inevitably a bit small, making it difficult to fight freely.
"Harry—" After thinking, Aisen motioned to Harry.
"Uh, okay, Professor!" Harry seemed to understand something. He glanced at the expressionless Professor McGonagall, then walked step by step to the front of the door.
Looking at the two intertwined snakes on the door, Harrycouldn't help but swallow, even though he felt safer with a Professor nearby. Looking at the emerald-like eyes, Harry felt as if they were alive.
"Open." A low, hoarse hissing sound rose, giving a chilling feeling.
But as Harry's voice fell, the two snakes on the door twisted and quickly separated. Immediately after, the door opened.
"Professor Lockhart? What are you doing running to the back?" Professor McGonagall glanced at Lockhart, who had run to the back, her expression showing suspicion.
"Ha—I think it might be a bit dangerous in the back, I need to look after Ron and them!" Lockhart gripped his wand tightly, pushed Ron in front of him, and put on a brave expression.
Snape sneered and was the first to walk inside. Then, the group passed through the circular door and went deeper. As for Lockhart, he got his wish and fell to the very back.
Upon entering, what greeted the group was a long, dimly lit space. Stone pillars carved with large coiled snakes stood on either side of the space's passage, towering up to support the ceiling that dissolved into the darkness.
The group walked forward in the passage. In the silent room, their footsteps were particularly noticeable. At the end of the passage was a spacious open area, and at the end of the open area was a statue as tall as the room, pressed against the dark wall behind it.
Aisen had God's Perspective, so he could clearly see the full appearance of this statue: it was a decrepit, monkey-like face, a sparse long beard that almost reached the hem of the stone-carved Witch's robe, and two large, gray feet standing on the smooth floor of the room.
Clearly, this was the builder of the Chamber of Secrets, and one of the founders of Hogwarts, Salazar Slytherin. Besides here, Aisen had also seen his image in some books in the Library.
However, around the open area, just as Aisen had seen, there was no sign of the Basilisk.
"The Basilisk isn't here!" Snape's cold voice rang out, followed by a meaningful look at Harry.
"Ha, I knew it, the Basilisk must have known I was going to deal with it, so it escaped in advance!" Lockhart, standing in the back, began to boast again.
"Professor Aisen—" Suddenly, Hermione seemed to remember something, her face showing alarm as she looked at Aisen, then back behind them. Immediately after, Harry also looked behind him in terror, hurrying back to Aisen's side.
Clearly, those who knew part of the truth also guessed the possibility that the Basilisk was still wandering outside.
"Uh, is there a problem?" Lockhart looked at Harry's movement, turned around somewhat confusedly, and found that there was nothing unusual.
A rustling sound came from outside. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape immediately turned their heads towards the direction of the circular door.
Moments later, Aisen noticed the Basilisk had wandered to the doorway. Its heavy body slid over the damp earth, and it slithered in through the circular door.
"Gilderoy, the Basilisk is yours to handle, everyone be careful!" Professor McGonagall waved her hand, and several beams of light enveloped everyone, adding a protective armor to the group.
"That's right, a mere—a mere Basilisk, I—I can certainly—can certainly handle it!" Lockhart held his wand, a particularly ugly smile twisting his face, and stammered.
After slithering into the Chamber of Secrets from outside, the Basilisk immediately spotted the group. The extremely hungry Basilisk didn't make any unnecessary movements and charged directly at Lockhart.
Fortunately, everyone was wearing enchanted sunglasses, which largely negated the Basilisk's ability to kill with its gaze.
"Bombarda—" Lockhart's trembling hand pointed at the charging Basilisk, unleashing the highest level of attack Charm he had ever cast in his life.
As the words fell, a red light shot from Lockhart's wand, hitting the Basilisk. Unfortunately, the Basilisk was completely unaffected. Its massive body weaved and coiled between the stone pillars, then raised its head high and charged straight at Lockhart.
Boom—
A booming sound echoed. The buff that Professor McGonagall had added to Lockhart was completely broken. Lockhart was struck heavily and sent flying several meters, landing at the foot of the Slytherin statue.
"Ugh—" Lockhart coughed up a pool of blood and writhed on the ground, unable to get up. It seemed his body had suffered severe injuries. But the Basiliskwouldn't wait for him to stand up, sweeping its long tail towards him.
"Professor—" Hermione shrieked, gripping Aisen's arm tightly. Harry and Ron next to her both turned their heads away, seemingly unable to bear watching the tragedy that was about to unfold.
Chapter 119: Lockhart Battles the Basilisk (Part 2)
Professor McGonagall looked solemnly at the fallen Lockhart, and Snape also extended his wand. Although neither of them favored Lockhart, they couldn't just watch him be killed by the Basilisk.
Professor McGonagall pointed her wand, and a vine wrapped around Lockhart, pulling him to the side, allowing him to dodge the Basilisk's tail attack. At the same time, Snape used an invisible SectumsempraCharm to carve a wound on the Basilisk.
Black blood spilled from the wound on the Basilisk's body. Seemingly feeling the pain, the Basilisk's twisted body thrashed around, even causing some cracks in the stone pillars near the open space.
Subsequently, the Basilisk seemed enraged, its twisted body surging wildly, charging towards the group.
Feeling Hermione's grip on his arm tighten, Aisennarrowed his eyes, glanced at Snape and McGonagallbeside him, then raised his wand and pointed it at Lockhart, who was lying on the side, his life unknown.
As Aisen acted, the floor beneath Lockhart suddenly transformed, raising a one-foot-square stone platform. After the platform lifted Lockhart, its top end changed into a chair, straightening Lockhart's body. This made him look as if he were sitting on it.
Immediately after, armrests appeared on both sides of the chair. The right armrest transformed into a support that propped up Lockhart's right hand, holding it high, and fixed his wand in his right hand.
Aisen's mind moved, and the support holding Lockhart's right hand shifted, causing the wand in his right hand to point at the charging Basilisk. Subsequently, points of green light emerged from the tip of Lockhart's wand.
Wind blades appeared out of thin air in front of Lockhart, forming a wind blade tornado that attacked the Basilisk. Wounds constantly appeared on the Basilisk's body, knocking it to the ground.
Speaking of which, this was a very complex process, but it was actually completed within a second.
To Harry and the others, this was a very strange scene. They saw Lockhart, who had been pulled to the side by Professor McGonagall, suddenly sitting on a chair on a raised stone platform, gripping his wand and pointing it at the Basilisk. Then they saw wind blades, like a tornado, slicing the Basilisk, leaving it covered in wounds.
Of course, this wasn't strange. What was strange was that Lockhart's sunglasses had fallen to the ground, and his eyes were tightly closed, seemingly to avoid looking at the Basilisk. But his head was slumped to the side, as if he had fainted.
Since he had fainted, how was his magic being cast? And such powerful magic at that. The wounded Basiliskthrashed and rolled on the ground, and within moments, it was severely injured and near death.
"Is Professor Lockhart that powerful?" Ron was stunned by this scene. He had always been Lockhart's number one hater and firmly believed that Lockhart was a big fraud.
You know, Ron had seen with his own eyes how Lockhartbehaved in class. But he never expected Lockhart to become so powerful, able to kill a Basilisk by himself.
"This—" Hermione looked at Lockhart's pathetic slumped head and then at Aisen's wand pointing at Lockhart, unsure of what was happening.
Professor McGonagall and Snape stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on Aisen. They were somewhat amazed and somewhat puzzled.
"Professor Lockhart's strength seems very powerful, truly worthy of being the Professor of Dark Arts!" Aisenpraised Lockhart subtly, his wand still pointing at him.
With a thought, the wind blade tornado rapidly expanded, becoming a ten-foot-thick pillar of wind, then compressed and merged into a single wind blade, which directly severed the Basilisk's head.
The Basilisk's body twitched violently, twisting and rolling a few times before becoming completely still. The massive wind blade also dissipated under Aisen's will.
At the same time, the support for Lockhart's right hand slowly moved, allowing his wand-holding right hand to fall and rest on the armrest. It gave the impression that he had just finished casting a spell.
"The Basilisk is dead?" Hermione's voice came.
"That's right, the Basilisk is dead!" Feeling Hermione's gaze, Aisen went to the Basilisk's massive head. After confirming that there was no curse feedback from the Basilisk's bulbous eyes, Aisen gave a definite conclusion.
Then, Aisen took off his sunglasses, dispelled the magic, and they turned back into cards which he put away. Seeing Aisen's actions, the others also put away their sunglasses.
"Now that the Basilisk is killed, does that mean Hagrid is alright, and Headmaster Dumbledore will also come back!" Harry put on his own glasses, a relaxed smile on his face.
"That's right, Headmaster Dumbledore and Hagridshould be back!" Professor McGonagall showed a rare smile.
"Yes, the Basilisk that caused the attacks has been dealt with. Since none of this was done by Hagrid, then Hagridwill naturally be fine. As for Headmaster Dumbledore, I think he should be back soon," Aisen nodded in agreement.
"Oh, right, Professor Lockhart!" Ron was wandering around the Basilisk's corpse, rubbing his hand on the palm-sized scales. As if suddenly remembering something, he ran over to Lockhart.
Aisen's mind moved, and the chair beneath Lockhartreturned to its original form, and the stone platform rapidly descended, becoming the floor again.
Lockhart, lying on the ground, was covered in bloodstains, and his clothes were already filthy, looking particularly miserable. But judging by the fact that he was still breathing, he had not died.
"He's a bit injured, and he's fainted!" After examining him, Professor McGonagall gave her conclusion. At the same time, Aisen noticed that Professor McGonagall also let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed that she also didn't want Lockhart to die so miserably in the Chamber of Secrets.
"Uh—" A faint groan came from Lockhart's mouth, and then he opened his eyes.
"What happened?" Looking at Professor McGonagall and Ron who had gathered around, Lockhart asked his question in confusion.
"Congratulations, Professor Lockhart, you defeated the Basilisk by yourself and showcased your glorious moment. It was truly amazing!" Aisen gave Lockhart a thumbs-up, then pointed to the decapitated Basiliskcorpse nearby.
"Really? I told you solving a Basilisk would be no problem! See, there's nothing I can't handle!" Lockhart's blood-stained face broke into a smile, looking particularly comical.
When he tried to stand up, he stumbled and fell back onto the ground, clutching his chest with both hands. At the same time, the smile on his face twisted directly.
Beside them, Hermione and Harry, who had already guessed what was going on, looked at Aisen with bewildered expressions. But remembering Aisen's previous instructions to hide their strength, a faint look of understanding appeared on their faces.
"That's right, Professor Lockhart, you are too amazing! I think you can definitely write a book about this experience, called 'How I Solved the Basilisk'!" At this moment, Hermione directly transformed into a fan of Lockhart, and the flattering words immediately spilled out.
"Professor Lockhart, when will you teach us that Charmyou used to defeat the Basilisk? It was truly incredible!" Harry, the Savior's, flattery made Lockhart beam with joy. He suppressed the pain in his chest and waved his hand at Harry.
Hiss—
Snape let out a cold snort and turned his head away, seemingly unable to stand their flattery of Lockhart. Then he walked over to the Basilisk's decapitated head and began to observe it.
"Let's go, I think Gilderoy, you need to stay in the hospital wing for a while!" Professor McGonagall saw Lockhart's miserable state with blood oozing from his mouth and frowned, interrupting their conversation.
"I think the Basilisk's body needs to be brought out," Aisen paused slightly, then continued, "Only then can we convince others, and convince Cornelius Fudge, that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets has been dealt with."
"That's right, the Basilisk's body must be brought out and shown to the Little Wizards so they know that it was I, Gilderoy Lockhart, who defeated the Basilisk. That way, they will know that the attacks will not happen again!" Although Lockhart looked very disheveled, his eyes sparkled with excitement.
Seeing Lockhart's appearance, everyone was speechless. However, they soon left the Chamber of Secrets.
Professor McGonagall walked in front, with Aisen and Hermione following closely behind. The injured Lockhartwas being supported by Harry and Ron, walking behind Aisen and Hermione. Bringing up the rear was Snape, who had cast a spell on the Basilisk's body and was carrying it.
A soft light illuminated the tip of Professor McGonagall's wand, bringing a glimmer of brightness to the dark and deep tunnel. Although the entire tunnel was still damp and gloomy, unlike when they came in, the atmosphere around the group was clearly a little more relaxed as they left.
After all, when they came in, they were going to face the Basilisk, so the atmosphere was inevitably a little tense. But now that the Basilisk had been killed, there was naturally no need to worry.
Just like Lockhart, who was being supported by Harryand Ron, he even happily hummed a little tune to himself.