After hesitating for a long time, Kyle ultimately decided not to open Slytherin's statue to awaken the Basilisk.
It wasn't because he feared the Basilisk would kill him. Although Basilisks are XXXXX Beasts that can kill with a mere glance and are unreasonably powerful, their weakness is also quite obvious.
They flee in panic at the mere sound of a rooster's crow, as that sound is lethal to them. The fact that an ordinary rooster can kill one of the most dangerous magical creatures sounds like a joke, but it's actually true.
Kyle came prepared this time. Before arriving, he made a special trip to Hogsmeade and purchased over a hundred roosters through the Owl Post Office, feeding each one a Pepper-Up Potion.
Right now, those energetic roosters were having a party in their box. Just opening a small crack would release their chaotic and piercing crowing. In the Chamber of Secrets, where even footsteps were infinitely amplified, the sound of these hundred roosters would be at least ten times louder.
If he were to release all of them, it wouldn't just be lethal for the Basilisk — the creature would be lucky to survive even a second.
But Kyle didn't want a dead snake... or rather, if there were other options, he didn't want to turn the Basilisk into a one-time treasure chest.
The only problem now was how to make it obey him, which was rather troublesome. After all, he wasn't Tom Riddle, and he had no relation whatsoever to Salazar Slytherin. He had no idea how to control the Basilisk.
"No, I need to figure something out... I can't let that wastrel Voldemort have it so easily."
Kyle narrowed his eyes as he thought of a special ghost, the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw, also known as Helena Ravenclaw. As the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of Hogwarts' four founders, perhaps she might know something...
Suppressing the urge to blast the Basilisk, he walked out of the Chamber room, constantly looking back over his shoulder. Fortunately, Voldemort was completely obsessed with the Philosopher's Stone this year, so he still had time.
After leaving the Chamber, Kyle mounted his broomstick and followed the same path back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. As soon as he jumped off his broom, the basin covering the pipe automatically slid back into place.
The bathroom was completely silent; Myrtle hadn't returned yet.
Kyle didn't waste time. After cleaning up his footprints and other traces, he left under a Disillusionment Charm.
The corridors in the early morning were as quiet as the Chamber, though less gloomy. He glanced at the library door, shook his head, and decided to return to the dormitory instead of copying more books.
Before he could take two steps, a shrill, spine-chilling scream suddenly broke the silence around him.
Startled from his recent visit to the Chamber, Kyle immediately thought of the Basilisk. His hand trembled, accidentally opening the box he was carrying.
"Flutter... flutter..."
A multitude of roosters, all energized with Pepper-Up Potion, poured out like a fountain.
Kyle quickly closed the box once he realized what happened, but it was too late — more than half of the hundred-plus roosters had already escaped.
The corridor instantly came alive. Screams from the library and crowing from the roosters rose and fell, creating a chaotic concert of sounds.
"Merlin's beard, who's causing trouble in the library in the middle of the night!" Kyle slapped his forehead, cursing inwardly.
Students who so blatantly violated school rules deserved to lose a hundred points!
Hurried footsteps suddenly came from downstairs. It was Filch, holding a dim oil lamp and rushing toward them.
"Damn it!" Kyle frowned.
He hadn't brought his Invisibility Cloak this time. Though the Disillusionment Charm was useful, it still cast a shadow that would give him away if caught in lamplight.
Seeing Filch about to reach the upper floor, Kyle didn't hesitate and ran upstairs. He remembered a secret passage behind a suit of armor on the fourth floor that led directly to the classroom corridor on the ground floor.
"Come out! I saw you!" Behind him, Filch's furious voice cut through the chaotic crowing with grating intensity.
When Kyle reached the fourth floor, something strangely bumped into him. Looking back, he saw nothing...
There wasn't a single person around.
"Potter?" Kyle frowned, having a good guess who the unfortunate person in the library might have been.
For just a moment, he had felt something smooth like water against his hand. He knew that feeling all too well — it was an Invisibility Cloak.
"No way it's such a coincidence..." Kyle couldn't help but quicken his pace.
Then he spotted Snape and Professor McGonagall in her nightgown not far ahead.
The castle now echoed with the loud crowing of roosters from the earlier accident, and all the professors had been awakened. These two were just the first to arrive.
Kyle pressed himself tightly against the wall, not daring to move. He absolutely couldn't be discovered now, or he would certainly meet a terrible end!
"What's happening, Severus?"
"Someone probably found Christmas too boring and wanted some entertainment..." Snape said coldly, "How amusing to keep everyone from sleeping. Whoever it is, I'll definitely deduct a hundred points!"
"Professors..." At that moment, Filch arrived. While still on the stairs, he called out, "Someone was in the library, in the Restricted Section! I found a broken oil lamp there!"
"Out after hours, in the Restricted Section, creating chaos and waking everyone up... that's two hundred points and a month's detention!" Professor McGonagall was clearly furious.
"The Restricted Section?" Snape gave a cold laugh, "Then they can't have gone far. We'll certainly catch them!"
"Let Argus handle the culprit." Professor McGonagall said, frowning, "Severus, we need to deal with this current problem first, or the students won't get any sleep tonight. Good heavens, how did these creatures get into the castle?!"
Kyle noticed their voices getting closer. He was certain his Disillusionment Charm wouldn't fool the two professors — as soon as they turned the corner, they would discover him immediately.
He took a deep breath and began backing away step by step, trying not to make any sound. To his right, a door stood slightly ajar. His eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he squeezed through the gap.
Almost at the same moment, Professor McGonagall and Snape appeared in the corridor he had just vacated.
"Students these days are getting more and more outrageous!"
"Minerva, I think we should check the dormitories to see who's missing tonight!"
✭✭✭
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