## Chapter 272: Let There Be Light
Wade seemed to materialize out of thin air. He scanned the surroundings, neither confirming nor denying Robert's guess, but simply said,
"The Basilisk has been defeated, and the challenge is officially over! As for the challengers' performance and evaluation in this event, we will combine the opinions of the professors and announce the results at the end-of-term feast!"
"Wade Gray!" Adrian of Slytherin asked in surprise, "When did you get here?"
"I've been here the whole time," Wade said flatly.
Adrian was even more surprised. "Did you blind the Basilisk? How did you do it?"
Wade glanced at him. "I didn't do it. That was the work of Fawkes the Phoenix."
Fawkes let out a timely cry, announcing its presence, then transformed into a ball of flame, circled once above the Chamber of Secrets, and finally landed on Wade's head.
Wade shook his head, and Fawkes reluctantly settled on his shoulder, then puffed out its chest, accepting the students' amazed and adoring gazes.
Everyone was indeed surprised, but what surprised them most was how affectionate the Headmaster's Phoenix was with Wade.
Logical guess: Dumbledore might also be in this Chamber of Secrets…
Some students began to look around and then saw Professor McGonagall's stern expression.
"It's already past Curfew! What are you waiting for? Time to return to your common rooms!" Professor McGonagall said with a grim face.
"Professor! We defeated the Basilisk! Can't we celebrate for a bit?" Fred bravely shouted.
"He's right!"
"Can we go back to the Great Hall for a late-night snack? I'm hungry…"
The students began to clamor.
Looking at their eager faces, Professor McGonagall relented slightly. "You can have a late-night snack in your common rooms… but don't disturb the students who are already asleep."
"Great!"
The students cheered.
Professor McGonagall even showed a faint smile.
Though she knew that these little Gryffindor lions would wake everyone up once they returned and boast about their achievements, exaggerated several times over.
No… perhaps the other children weren't asleep at all, just waiting for them to return and tell their story!
Tonight at Hogwarts was destined to be a sleepless night.
Under the urging of the heads of houses, the students gradually left. They would occasionally pretend to tie their shoelaces, squat down, and then quickly pick up a few fallen scales, stuffing them into their robes.
Everyone thought their actions were natural and discreet, but when most people did it… it was far too obvious to the surrounding professors.
Professor McGonagall averted her gaze, pretending not to see.
Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout almost laughed at the children but managed to hold it in to protect their self-esteem.
Professor Snape waited until everyone had finished picking up the scales and left the Chamber of Secrets before coolly remarking that if anyone got poisoned, they should use the Antidote they brewed themselves.
Immediately, two or three people turned green, but even so, they couldn't bring themselves to throw away the Basilisk scales.
Messy footsteps and excited student chatter echoed through the tunnel, gradually fading.
Only then did Dumbledore dispel his Disillusionment Charm and step out.
By this time, Wade had already pulled out the Basilisk's other fang by the root.
He used Aguamenti to wash off the remaining slime from the fang, then transformed the nearby stones into a suitably sized stone box, into which he placed the fang.
The long stone box was shoved into his backpack with a backhand motion. The small backpack seemed like a bottomless pit, swallowing the entire stone box.
Seeing Dumbledore emerge, Wade said, "I thought Professor Snape would be the first to collect the Basilisk's venom and blood!"
"He did have that thought, but first, he had to fulfill his duty as the Head of Slytherin House," Dumbledore said helplessly. "So he handed the job over to me."
No wonder!
Wade thought.
No wonder Professor Snape left so decisively. Wade had thought he wasn't interested in such rare Potions ingredients as a thousand-year-old Basilisk, but it turns out he roped Dumbledore into doing the hard work for him.
Opportunities to get Dumbledore to do work for him were rare, so Professor Snape was probably afraid of walking too slowly and missing this rare chance.
So Wade also stood by, watching Professor Dumbledore deal with the seven to eight-meter-long Basilisk.
The Headmaster rolled up his sleeves and, with a flick of his Wand—
The huge Basilisk's entire body floated up.
Wade's eyes widened behind him, a faint golden light flowing in their depths.
It was as if an invisible force, with gentle and meticulous hands, disassembled the entire giant snake like building blocks.
Scales, fangs, blood, pierced eyeballs, muscles, bones…
Layer by layer, separated with an elegance as if a master pianist were playing a symphony.
Wade felt dizzy with wonder and involuntarily held his breath.
Magic could be like this!
So this is what magic truly is!
The giant snakes carved into the surrounding stone pillars seemed to come alive, slithering along the floor to beneath the Basilisk, then transforming into containers of various sizes.
The dismembered parts shot like birds into their respective containers, crisscrossing yet orderly, making a crisp, pleasant clinking sound. The previously foul-smelling blood was now enveloped in a mysterious glow.
Not until the last container was filled and capped did the giant snakes floating in the air completely vanish, not even a single scale remaining.
Dumbledore lowered his Wand, feeling a weariness he hadn't experienced in a long time. But when he turned around, he couldn't help but smile.
Wade, usually so composed, was now looking at him with sparkling eyes, as if he'd cast a Lumos Charm on them.
Wade had always known Dumbledore was powerful, but "God of Fire's Descent" was different from what he'd just witnessed.
Wade believed he could one day master a Fire Charm like "God of Fire's Descent"; his magic just wasn't strong enough yet.
But the scene that had just unfolded before his eyes… it couldn't be explained or replicated by spells, gestures, or even the flow of magic.
"Professor." Wade asked, filled with genuine admiration, "How did you do that?"
"Well, about that…"
Wade's question put Dumbledore in a bit of a bind. He thought for a moment before saying, "There's no direct way to teach this, Wade. I can only say—"
"I willed it to change, and it changed."
"To put it simply—magic is the manifestation of a Wizard's will."
He spoke somewhat vaguely, but Wade understood.
Idealistic magic, influencing the existence and change of the objective material world through will.
In other words—
God said: Let There Be Light.
And there was light.
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