Sean ran forward quickly. When he reached a corner ahead, he raised his foot and slammed it against the wall with a bang. Then, taking two quick steps along the wall itself, he shot around the corner and landed back on the ground, continuing to sprint forward.
However, the pipes inside the walls were all interconnected, and the basilisk's speed was astonishing. No matter how fast Sean ran, he couldn't shake the creature off.
"Sean! That guy's coming out—just ahead! Be careful!" Kulkan's voice rang out sharply.
Hearing Kulkan's urgent warning, Sean's expression tightened. He immediately drew his wand and cast a spell to throw up a barrier between himself and the basilisk, hoping to block its line of sight.
"Herbivicus!"
With a flick of his wand, a thick mass of thorn-covered vines burst from the ground. They quickly grew, layer upon layer, twisting and knotting together until they formed a dense, towering wall—cutting off the space between Sean and the place where the basilisk was about to appear.
As soon as the barrier was in place, Sean spun around and took off running again.
By the time he turned another corner, he could already hear the harsh crack-crack of vines snapping behind him. The wall of thorns was no match for the basilisk—it tore through them with ease. At best, they had only delayed it for a moment.
"Sean, it's entered the pipe in the wall again. What did you do? It's like this thing has locked onto you—it won't stop until you're dead," Kulkan hissed urgently.
Sean didn't respond. He poured all his strength into running. With the power granted by Troll Strength, he moved like a gust of wind through the corridors. Just as the staircase to Dumbledore's office came into view, three small figures suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway.
Who else could it be but Harry, Ron, and Hermione?
"Run! The basilisk is behind us!" Sean shouted.
A second later, a deafening crash came from behind as the wall burst open. The basilisk had smashed through the pipe and the stone, clearly determined to take down Sean—and now Harry and the others as well.
Sean's face changed. "It's out! Turn around and run—don't look into its eyes!"
Harry reacted immediately, ducking his head down. Hermione and Ron also tried to avert their gaze and flee, but they were half a step too slow. The basilisk's dull, glowing eyes fixed on them, and they were caught in its deadly gaze.
But in that very instant, a ghost swept through the wall, floating right between them and the basilisk—cutting off the deadly line of sight.
The creature's gaze passed through the ghost's translucent body before reaching Hermione and Ron. With a chilling hiss, the ghost gave a shriek—and in a swirl of pale smoke, all three were frozen on the spot.
Petrified.
It was Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Had he not appeared, Hermione and Ron would've been killed outright.
"Hermione! Ron!" Harry cried out, rushing toward them.
But Sean grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him back. "They're just petrified! Once Professor Sprout finishes the mandrake root potion, they'll be fine!"
Harry froze, trembling slightly, but Sean's words seemed to snap him out of it. Gritting his teeth, Harry turned and ran with Sean down the corridor, away from the monstrous serpent that still chased them.
Not long after, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from up ahead. The basilisk, which had been charging behind them, suddenly slowed down as if sensing the approaching presence. Then, under a faint command spoken in Parseltongue, it turned away abruptly and slithered into the nearest pipe entrance—vanishing without a trace.
Because Harry was nearby, Kulkan—who had already been warned by Sean—remained silent. But he twitched his body slightly, signaling to Sean that the basilisk had left.
Receiving Kulkan's silent cue, Sean finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
At that moment, Dumbledore, Snape, and several other Hogwarts professors arrived in a rush. Their eyes took in the disarrayed corridor, the battered appearance of Sean and Harry, and the still forms of Hermione, Ron, and Nearly Headless Nick just behind them.
Everyone's expressions shifted to shock.
Professor Sprout gasped and covered her mouth in horror."Oh my goodness… two this time. Poor children… they've also been petrified.""Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley," another professor murmured, stunned.
Dumbledore, Snape, and Professor McGonagall stepped forward to examine the victims. Once they confirmed that Hermione, Ron, and Nearly Headless Nick were indeed only petrified and not killed, the tension on their faces eased slightly.
As long as they weren't dead, there was still hope.
Looking over the chaotic corridor, Dumbledore gave a subtle nod to Professor McGonagall, who turned and headed ahead to check the surrounding area. Dumbledore and Snape remained, walking back to where Sean and Harry stood.
"Harry. Sean." Dumbledore's voice was calm but serious. "Can you tell me in detail what just happened?"
Sean nodded, then briefly described everything that had occurred.
Once he finished, Snape turned to him with narrowed eyes."Sean… are you saying that the basilisk deliberately targeted you this time?"
"Yes, Professor," Sean replied firmly.
Snape seemed ready to say something more when the sound of new footsteps and rising voices came from behind. A moment later, Lockhart appeared, leading a crowd of students who had clearly come to see what all the commotion was about. Among them were the Weasley twins and their sister, Ginny.
At first, the twins looked as if they were enjoying the excitement. But the moment they caught sight of Ron and Hermione lying stiffly on the ground, their expressions changed instantly.
A look of disbelief—and then panic—flashed across their faces.
Without hesitation, they shoved past the professors and rushed to Ron's side, ignoring the attempts to hold them back.
Ginny looked at her petrified brother and Hermione, and her emotions collapsed instantly. She dropped to the ground, covered her mouth with trembling hands, and began to sob softly. Through her sobs, she kept muttering to herself—again and again—that it was her fault, that she had hurt Ron, that she had killed Hermione.
To the others, it seemed like nothing more than a child having a breakdown from the shock of seeing her brother and friend petrified.
But Dumbledore's sharp blue eyes lingered on Ginny a moment longer, his expression unreadable—quietly contemplative, as though something had just begun to piece itself together in his mind.
"Pomona, Filius," Dumbledore finally said in a calm, clear voice, "I leave things here to you. Severus, Minerva—you'll come with me. Mr. and Miss Weasley, Harry… Sean—you four as well. I believe it's time we had a proper conversation."
As Dumbledore turned, his long robes sweeping behind him, Sean followed silently, not surprised in the least. The fact that Dumbledore had asked for Ginny specifically confirmed one thing—he was getting close to the truth.
No one said a word on the way to the Headmaster's office. The silence was heavy with tension.
Once they entered the circular room, warm and softly lit by enchanted lamps, Dumbledore gestured to the seats around the room's wide table.
"Everyone, please sit," he said gently. "Have some hot pumpkin juice and a bit of candy before we talk."
With a casual wave of his wand, several steaming cups of pumpkin juice appeared, along with a few ornate bowls filled with colorful sweets.
Normally, the Weasley twins might have tried a candy or two, and Ginny might have smiled at the gesture. But now, no one so much as reached for a cup.
Dumbledore, undeterred, picked up a bright yellow sherbet lemon and popped it into his mouth with a small crunch.
"Since no one is in the mood," he said mildly, "then let us get to the matter at hand."