Sensing several unfamiliar presences, the basilisk instantly perked up—its instincts screaming that food had delivered itself to its doorstep.
It immediately fixed its lethal gaze on the one at the front, releasing a cold, dangerous hiss. Its razor-sharp fangs glinted in and out of sight as its massive body compressed and tensed like a coiled spring, entering an intensely unsettling, ready-to-pounce state—as if it would erupt in the next second and devour those tiny intruders whole…
Splash.
All of a sudden, the solid ground beneath the basilisk transformed into a pool of water, catching it completely off guard and dropping it straight down. Even more despicable, the water turned back into solid stone the instant it fully submerged the basilisk's body, locking it firmly into the ground so it couldn't move at all.
Then, a fragment of rubble on the floor abruptly transformed into a strip of black cloth, flying up to tightly wrap around the basilisk's eyes.
"I think we can open our eyes now."
Professor McGonagall lowered her wand with a light tone and removed her sunglasses.
"Beautifully done, Minerva."
Dumbledore and the other professors cheerfully took off their sunglasses as well and gathered around the basilisk to examine it without restraint. Professor Flitwick felt that the basilisk looked incomplete with half its body buried, so he caused thick bands of steel to grow out of the ground, wrapping around the creature and hoisting it into the air—like a museum specimen on display.
In short, it had absolutely no dignity left.
"Children, come and have a look—the basilisk is no longer dangerous."
Professor Sprout cheerfully beckoned to the students hiding behind the door. They walked in with dazed expressions, then stared around just as blankly, trying to confirm whether this really was the perilous Chamber of Secrets—or some kind of museum exhibition hall.
"Uh, Professor…"
Harry pointed uncertainly at the thing tied up on the frame. "That's the basilisk?"
"Yes," Professor Sprout nodded gently.
"The beast that's lived since the Slytherin era, the most dangerous XXXXX-class magical creature, Voldemort's trump card, the culprit behind the students being petrified?"
"That's right."
"And it was dealt with… just like that?"
Harry even rubbed his eyes, standing there with Ron, Hermione, and Luna wearing the same stunned expressions, clearly struggling to accept the fact that the shadow looming over Hogwarts for a thousand years had been resolved in a matter of seconds.
"How many moves were you expecting, Mr. Potter?" Professor Sprout asked with a chuckle."No matter how long-lived it is, how lethal its magic, or how fearsome its reputation—at the end of the day, it's still just a magical creature. It only has so many tricks, and beyond that, it's just strong… and we are wizards, Mr. Potter."
"Wizards are the true beings standing at the top of all magical creatures."
"…Huh?"
The first- and second-years exchanged looks, unable to process that idea for the moment.
"You need to update your perspective a little. Wizards being unable to defeat magical creatures has long since become history."
Avada and Baron looked perfectly calm—after all, they had witnessed the combat power of top-tier wizards two years ago. Avada even took the time, while idly messing with the petrified twins, to explain things to Harry and the others:
"We possess mental strength surpassing that of most magical creatures, the ability to learn virtually any form of magic, a complete and systematic body of magical theory, and countless auxiliary disciplines. Compared to us, beasts have no real advantage beyond looking scary."
"You might be frightened by the frequent reports of magical creature attacks, but almost all the victims were caught unprepared or taken by surprise. This time, the professors fully understood the basilisk's traits and launched a proactive strike—it's hard to imagine how they could lose."
Seeing Harry and the others fall into deep existential contemplation, Avada finally turned back in satisfaction, heading toward the basilisk with Baron and Professor Sprout, chatting casually along the way…
"By the way, wasn't Professor McGonagall's move just now pretty similar to what you used on me in the Dueling Club?"
"It was. See? Even techniques that third-year weaklings like us can dodge easily were enough to deal with a basilisk outright… Professor, if it were you, how would you handle it?"
"Me? Probably something similar—it's already the most convenient solution."
Professor Sprout smiled. "But if I had to use something more… personally distinctive, I'd probably plant seeds or spores directly into its body and magically force them to grow instantly—Devil's Snare would be a good choice, for instance."
Avada and Baron both shuddered in unison.
"Ho! Just look at these scales!"
Over by the basilisk, Professor Kettleburn had already started touching it enthusiastically."I'd wager this basilisk is well over a thousand years old!"
"And these fangs—absolute works of art…"
As he spoke, he manipulated the steel frame to pry the basilisk's jaws open, lovingly stroking the massive fangs while pulling out bottles and vials to collect its venom and saliva. He even took the risk of lifting the black cloth briefly to cast a spell and collect its tears…
"Alright, everyone."
Dumbledore had no choice but to clap his hands to stop all the professors—including Snape—from having too much fun."I think it's time to kill it. We still need to display the body to the entire school. After that, you may research it to your hearts' content."
"…Alright."
The professors reluctantly stepped back to Dumbledore's side. "How do we do it?"
"Don't damage the body!"
Professor Kettleburn pleaded. "Damaging it now would ruin so many specimens! It's best to keep the corpse intact and let Hagrid and me handle the dissection afterward… Oh, maybe I could even invite Newt and Charlie over—they'd lose their minds…"
His suggestion immediately earned unanimous approval from the others. This was an unimaginably precious research subject—damaging even a little would be enough to make their hearts ache.
"Hmm…"
Snape weighed his wand in his hand. "Why don't we… use that spell?"
"That spell?"The others didn't catch on right away.
"You know—the one…"
Snape subtly pointed toward Avada, who was chatting with Baron, frantically waggling his eyebrows in what was practically an outright hint.
"..."
The professors exchanged looks. In the end, the temptation of a perfectly intact basilisk specimen won out, and they gritted their teeth and nodded.
"Children, please step outside for a moment."
Professor McGonagall turned to usher them away. "What comes next isn't suitable for you to watch."
Waving them off despite their protests, she mercilessly herded Avada and the others back to the Chamber entrance, even moving the twins' statues along with them. Still not reassured, she cast a Soundproofing Charm at the doorway before returning to the professors' ranks and raising her wand alongside them.
Harry and the others couldn't hear what the professors were saying. They only saw six thick beams of green light slam violently into the basilisk's head.
The body, which had still been trembling faintly, went completely still.
(End of Chapter)