Sean ran forward rapidly. Seeing the corner ahead, he stepped on the corner wall with a loud bang, then ran two steps along the wall to get around the corner before returning to the ground and continuing to run forward.
However, the pipes within the walls extended in all directions, and the Basilisk's speed was extremely astonishing. Sean ultimately couldn't escape.
"Sean, that thing has come out, it's right ahead. Be careful!"
Hearing Kulkan's urgent warning, Sean's expression tightened. He immediately drew his wand and set up a barrier in front of himself and the Basilisk that was about to appear, blocking its line of sight.
"Incarcerous!"
With a flick of his wand, numerous thorny vines grew from the ground, layer upon layer, interweaving with each other to form a wall that separated Sean from the Basilisk.
As soon as the thorny vine wall was completed, Sean immediately turned and fled.
When he ran past a corner, he immediately heard the sound of vines snapping from behind. Clearly, the wall of intertwined thorny vines meant nothing to the Basilisk—it could easily destroy it, serving at most as a slight delay.
"Sean, it's entered the pipes in the walls again. What did you do? This thing seems determined to get you—it won't give up until it kills you."
Without answering Kulkan's words, Sean sprinted forward with all his might. With the enhancement of his troll strength, Sean's speed was like the wind. Just as he could see the Hogwarts staircase ahead and was about to head to Dumbledore's office, three small figures suddenly appeared in front—who else could it be but Harry and his two friends?
"Run! The Basilisk is right behind us!"
As soon as Sean's words fell, a thunderous roar came from the wall behind them. The Basilisk had actually burst through the pipes and wall, intent on catching Sean and the three in one fell swoop.
Hearing the sound from behind, Sean immediately realized what was happening. His expression changed slightly as he shouted again to the trio, "The Basilisk is out! Turn around and run! Don't look it in the eyes!"
The three immediately reacted to Sean's words. Harry quickly lowered his head, and Hermione and Ron also tried to lower their heads and turn to flee, but they were clearly a step too late. The Basilisk's dull yellow eyes looked over, and Hermione and Ron were just one step away from meeting the Basilisk's gaze.
Just then, a ghost suddenly emerged from the wall, positioning itself perfectly between Hermione and Ron and the Basilisk's line of sight. The Basilisk's gaze passed through the ghost and fell into Hermione and Ron's eyes. Immediately, large amounts of smoke rose from the ghost, accompanied by a scream, and the ghost, along with Hermione and Ron, was petrified by the Basilisk, frozen in place.
Looking at the petrified ghost, it had to be said that this ghost's timing was perfect—coincidental to an excessive degree. But thanks to this resident ghost of Gryffindor, Nearly Headless Nick, Hermione and Ron didn't actually die from the Basilisk's eyes.
"Hermione! Ron!"
Seeing Harry about to rush forward to check on Hermione and Ron's condition, Sean reached out and grabbed Harry's shoulder, pulling him forward while shouting loudly, "They're just petrified! Once Professor Sprout finishes making the Mandrake Draught, they'll be back to normal."
Sean's words finally calmed Harry down. He gritted his teeth hard and turned to run forward with Sean.
Before long, numerous footsteps sounded from ahead. The Basilisk behind them, hearing these footsteps, immediately slowed down. Finally, under a faint Parseltongue command, the Basilisk immediately turned and dove into the nearest pipe entrance, disappearing without a trace once more.
At the same time, because Harry was nearby, Kulkan, who had already received Sean's warning, didn't speak aloud but instead twitched her body to tell Sean that the Basilisk had left.
Getting Kulkan's signal, Sean breathed a sigh of relief. It was just then that Dumbledore, Snape, and a group of Hogwarts professors arrived. They looked at the obviously disheveled Sean and Harry, as well as the petrified Hermione and Ron not far behind, along with Nearly Headless Nick. Everyone's faces showed shock, especially Professor Sprout, who couldn't help but cover her mouth, her face full of disbelief.
"Oh my, this time it's two of them. Poor children, they've been petrified too."
"Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley—they've actually been petrified too."
Dumbledore, along with Snape and Professor McGonagall, stepped forward to examine the condition of Hermione, Ron, and Nearly Headless Nick. After confirming they were only petrified, they breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As long as they weren't killed, there was still hope.
Seeing the chaotic corridor, Dumbledore signaled Professor McGonagall to check the situation ahead, while he and Snape returned to face Sean and Harry.
"Harry and Sean, could you tell me in detail what just happened?"
Hearing Dumbledore's words, Sean briefly explained what had just occurred.
As soon as he finished speaking, Snape said to Sean, "Sean, are you saying that the Basilisk was targeting you specifically this time?"
"Yes, Professor."
Snape was about to say something more when footsteps and commotion came from behind again. Soon Lockhart and a group of students who had come to see the excitement arrived, naturally including the Weasley twins and their sister Ginny. At first, the Weasley twins looked like they were just watching the excitement, but when they saw the petrified Ron and Hermione, their faces immediately showed disbelief. Then, ignoring the professors' attempts to stop them, they immediately rushed to Ron's side.
Ginny looked at her petrified brother and Hermione, her emotions instantly collapsing. She covered her mouth and sat down hard on the ground, sobbing quietly while repeatedly muttering that she had harmed her brother and killed Hermione.
To others, Ginny was just having an emotional breakdown and talking to herself.
But Dumbledore looked toward Ginny with an inscrutable expression, deep in thought.
"Pomona, Filius, I'll leave this to you. Severus and Minerva, you and the Weasley children, along with Harry and Sean, come with me to the headmaster's office. I think we should have a proper talk."
Hearing Dumbledore call for the Weasley twins and Ginny, Sean knew that his headmaster had probably guessed something. He said no more and followed his Head of House directly to Dumbledore's office.
"Everyone, please sit. Before we talk, let's have some hot pumpkin juice and sweets."
With a slight wave of his hand, steaming cups appeared in front of everyone, along with many large bowls filled with candy.
Under normal circumstances, everyone might have had some interest in eating candy and drinking something, but now no one was in the mood.
Seeing this, Dumbledore picked up a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth, then spoke to everyone, "Since no one is interested, let's get down to business."