The note sent to Snape via the owl post office didn't receive a swift reply.
Lys regarded Britain's current sweltering heat with disgust, her mind constantly lamenting the precious materials that might spoil and lose value.
During the wait, she chose not to lodge in Lucius's guest quarters. Since she didn't know how long she'd be staying, Lys deliberately avoided anything connected to that diary business.
She suspected Lucius must be heartbroken over the diary's destruction...
So she tidied up her sealed Diagon Alley shop and moved in with Friedm, waiting for Snape's response.
It wasn't until the day before Hogwarts broke for holidays that Lys finally received a reply:
She should speak to Dumbledore herself...
But a Basilisk... Lys sat in the empty reading room, picking at cracks in the wall.
Go? Don't go?
A Basilisk... supposedly raised by Slytherin himself!
But Dumbledore...
She didn't want Dumbledore seeing more of her—that would mean leaving additional traces of her schemes beneath those piercing blue eyes.
When the wall crack had been picked to twice its original size, Lys finally decided:
—Go!
That was a Basilisk!
However, this time Lys didn't plan on bringing Friedm. She feared the boy would actually attempt plucking the legendary Basilisk's red mane—any scrape or contact would prove dangerous.
With legendary creatures, caution was always wise.
Lys considered her options and visited Lucius first, hoping Narcissa could mind the child for several days so Friedm could play Quidditch with Draco in the Malfoy estate's grounds.
Through subtle probing, Lys learned that Lucius's diary had been completely destroyed—it had passed through Dumbledore's hands before returning to him. This somewhat eased Lys's concerns.
Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard of the century... if he'd approved something, there shouldn't be major problems.
Lys seriously instructed Friedm:
"I'm visiting Hogwarts once. I'll probably return tonight. If the Basilisk truly has fur, I'll pluck some for you, but..."
Hearing the word "but," the excited Friedm immediately grew serious: "Tell me, Lys! I'll definitely remember."
"You must have supervision when flying. I don't want to return and find you've snapped your own neck."
Friedm chuckled and nodded.
He had a track record—at Durmstrang, he'd played Quidditch pursuing speed and agility without protective gear, resulting in bones broken from thigh to ankle...
Draco approached carrying two broomsticks, politely greeting Lys before standing with raised chin, waiting for Lys to finish briefing Friedm.
He remained taller than Friedm—about a head's difference—but still maintained that somewhat slender appearance.
Lys reminded Friedm once more to "be careful" before departing.
After meeting Dumbledore and securing his permission, Lys descended into the so-called Chamber under Snape's escort.
"Slytherin certainly had fascinating tastes—constructing his Chamber in a girls' lavatory."
Lys joked lightly, then adjusted Gabon's position in her arms and leaped into the gaping black void.
Upon landing, Lys's expression darkened as she cast over a dozen Scourgify charms on herself.
But that sticky, clammy sensation still clung to her thin trousers, nauseating her thoroughly.
"Is this the only route? Aren't these pipes abandoned? Why are they still slimy! Even smugglers' taverns aren't this revolting..." Lys couldn't restrain herself, continuing to cast cleaning charms whilst muttering as she followed Snape deeper inside.
Gradually, she fell silent. A putrid stench lingered here—that distinctive decay.
Small animal bones crunched beneath their feet. Lys gazed upon the seemingly massive yet actually emaciated Basilisk corpse and sighed. One side of the carcass showed signs of processing, but progress was clearly sluggish.
Lys patted the enormous scales, jostling the wary Gabon in her arms.
"I owned a peculiar storybook as a child—tales all jumbled together—but I still remember the protagonist kept a pet called a Basilisk."
"But it appears the Basilisk's days at Hogwarts weren't particularly pleasant."
The Basilisk's flesh clung tightly to its bones, muscles flattened rather than robust, scales retaining their greenish shimmer yet lacking smoothness.
The massive, flattened serpent head lay overturned, fangs protruding menacingly and reeking of decay. Lys felt grateful she hadn't brought Friedm—the venom in those fangs was undoubtedly lethal without testing.
That boy possessed the restless energy of a buzzing fly, and despite his relative obedience, Lys couldn't guarantee he wouldn't touch these dangerous remains.
Snape ignored Lys's commentary, retrieving tools and beginning to laboriously slice through the Basilisk's hide.
Lys employed Transfiguration to create a sharp blade and struggled to make an incision in the hide on the opposite side. "I'm hardly at a loss. When I take this material home, I'll have Father craft me gloves first. Look at this magical resistance—observe this durability—tsk, tsk."
Confirming the opening was sufficiently large, Lys transfigured a French half-moon leather knife, following the scale joints in graceful arcs. Soon she'd removed a substantial piece of hide.
She'd already planned this section's purpose: "I'll fashion Mother an apron to prevent potion-splash injuries. This piece for Friedm... actually, never mind—he's still growing. I'll save it for later."
Snape stood behind her, observing her technique with surprise.
Returning to his side to imitate her method, though his speed improved from before, his results' completeness and efficiency couldn't match Lys's.
"Know anything about Yeti pelts? Nile crocodile hide, Hungarian Horntail scales?" Lys spoke whilst continuing her work. "I've processed them individually, creature by creature. Those hides weren't as complex as the Basilisk's but proved far tougher. I've endured considerable hardship over materials these past years."
Snape remained silent at Lys's bitter yet boastful observations.
To maximize material utilization, after Snape and Lys agreed upon distribution ratios, he turned to processing other components.
During Lys's break, she carved Gabon a chunk of Basilisk meat, which Gabon devoured with obvious delight.
After informing Snape, Lys plucked the sole two red appendages—whether feathers or hair—from the serpent head's crest and tucked them into her robes.
She also subtly inquired about Lucius maneuvering Dumbledore from the school, then joined Snape in mocking Lucius.
Lys's left hand possessed limited sensation, so despite her superior processing skills compared to Snape, progress remained frustratingly slow.
However, Lys no longer worried as intensely about material decay.
This location lay deep beneath the castle—quite frigid. Lys eventually donned her cloak whilst working.
Lys stretched her arms and back, complaining about her height as she invariably did when processing materials: "Bloody hell, this damned height of mine—it's killing me."
Surveying the massive corpse now thoroughly dismantled, Lys felt exhausted yet exhilarated.
She hadn't experienced such happiness in ages.
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