Harry left.
Dana turned his focus back to the Basilisk.
At this point in time, the Basilisk shouldn't have been released...
Was it here to kill him?
No—Lord Voldemort clearly didn't know who was responsible that night. So, combining that with Quirrell's sudden approach earlier, was the Basilisk here because Voldemort wanted to "renew old ties"?
Sure enough, the Basilisk didn't attack. Instead, it glided slowly in front of Dana.
The spot it chose was quite specific—no paintings, no armor, no statues—just a small holly tree in a pot beside the wall.
The Basilisk slowly lowered its massive head. A glow shimmered from its forehead, and letters appeared in mid-air.
It hissed.
Dana, possessing Merlin's bloodline, understood it naturally.
"Please open your eyes. I have closed mine. Please read the message from my Master."
Dana was stunned. Sending a Basilisk to deliver a message—Lord Voldemort really was something else.
Had he hesitated for even a second, he might already be dead. Perhaps the Merlin physique was resistant to the Basilisk's fatal gaze, but turning to stone was still very possible. If he had died, what message could possibly be delivered?
And if Dana couldn't understand Parseltongue, how would he have known not to panic and attack? Maybe closing his eyes would have just triggered a deadly trap.
Clearly, Voldemort didn't know he could understand all animal languages. For him to take such a risky approach only confirmed one thing—he truly had gone insane.
Dana opened his eyes. As expected, the Basilisk had its own closed. The glowing message read:
"Please follow the Basilisk to find me, Emrys. I am the Master of Quirinus Quirrell. I will give you power and help you become the most powerful wizard."
Dana's lips twitched.
For him, Lord Voldemort had actually risked being discovered by Dumbledore to sneak into Hogwarts again. How touching.
With a thought, Dana transformed into a streak of blue light and merged briefly into the Basilisk's body.
A few seconds later, he returned to his original form.
[Basilisk Transfiguration – Acquired.]
Now, the question remained—how to deal with this beast?
Letting it leave was clearly not an option. It was far too dangerous. If, next time, it wasn't delivering a message but trying to take his life instead, that would be a real problem.
He had rejected Voldemort—and the odds that lunatic would send the Basilisk back to kill him were at least ninety percent!
So...
"Hiss, hiss, hiss…"
"Are you done reading? Can I open my eyes now? Master must be getting impatient."
Dana drew his wand and smiled politely.
"Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."
He waved his wand.
The chandelier above the Basilisk instantly transformed into a massive beheading axe.
Then, pointing his wand at the floor, he cast:
"Descendo!"
Under the spell's effect, the heavy axe plummeted. The Basilisk, caught completely off guard, had its head severed despite its magical defenses.
Thud!
The Basilisk's head rolled twice and came to a stop right at Dana's feet.
At the same time, its massive upper body collapsed to the floor, creating a gust of bloody wind that rustled through the hallway.
"Professor! Just ahead!"
Harry's anxious voice echoed, followed by the sound of footsteps pounding down the corridor.
Soon, Dana saw Harry, Professor Snape, and Professor McGonagall appear at the far end.
"Dana! Are you alright?"
McGonagall rushed toward him, wand held ready. Snape followed closely behind, his gaze sharp.
"I'm fine, Professor," Dana replied calmly.
"Merlin's beard!"
McGonagall gasped as her eyes landed on the Basilisk's decapitated head and its still-twitching body, from which dark blood gushed.
"Is this… a Basilisk?"
Snape, ever the potions fanatic, didn't waste time asking about Dana's well-being. One look told him the boy was unscathed. What truly mattered now was that the Basilisk's precious materials not be wasted.
He quickly stepped forward, casting a Freezing Charm to seal the severed end of the body. With delicate reverence, he ran a hand across its shimmering scales, a rare smile curling at his lips.
McGonagall gave Dana a thorough look-over. Only after confirming he was unharmed did she turn her attention fully to the corpse.
"Transfiguration, was it? Very clever. But relying on gravity alone probably wouldn't have severed its head, right?"
"I used Descendo, Professor."
"Oh? I don't recall that spell being taught in the first year."
"I found it in the library."
"Hm. That spell was actually banned for student use over a century ago. A student once fell and broke his neck because of it. However, your creative application saved your life today. For that, I'm awarding you ten points."
Snape, who had just finished calculating how much Basilisk venom he could extract, paused stiffly. He glanced sideways at McGonagall, letting out a barely audible hmph.
Ten points? Compared to this Basilisk corpse, that was meaningless. Gryffindor was already at zero anyway—what were ten or twenty more?
Dana smiled at Harry.
"Thanks, Harry. Because of you, the Professors arrived quickly."
"N-No…" Harry blushed. "I didn't do anything. You dealt with that giant snake on your own."
"That's not true. While I was lucky to kill the Basilisk, your help made sure the Professors could intervene if I failed. That means a lot to me, and I must thank you."
Harry waved his hands frantically, cheeks growing redder.
"You really don't have to, Dana. That's what friends do."
[I'm such an idiot,] Harry thought.
[I actually suspected Dana of working with a Dark wizard! But he didn't even hesitate to kill the monster. Clearly, he's a good person! He's so polite, he even thanked me! What's wrong with me? How could I doubt the first real friend I've made?]
Crack!
Dumbledore appeared.
"Harry. Dana. I'm very glad you're both safe."
The old Headmaster looked over the Basilisk's corpse and sighed deeply.
"Excellent Transfiguration. Remarkable quick thinking. For such a young wizard, this is quite the feat. So—"
"Dumbledore," Snape interrupted coldly, "if you're about to award points, Professor McGonagall already handled it."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.
"Oh? Well, that's splendid."
He turned to Harry, eyes twinkling.
"Harry, in the face of a terrifying Basilisk, you didn't panic. Instead, you calmly alerted the Professors. This courage and presence of mind are praiseworthy—so, ten points to Gryffindor."
Snape rolled his eyes. Both the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress were from Gryffindor—what could he even say?
He shot Harry a glare before turning back to Dumbledore.
"I'll handle all the Basilisk materials."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Of course, Severus. They will be used best in your hands. Do you need my help?"
"No. A House-elf will be enough for something this minor."
Dumbledore gave a slight nod. His gaze lingered one last time on the Basilisk. He recalled the "monster from the Chamber of Secrets" fifty years ago, and the recent death of Quirinus Quirrell.
"Is that you, Tom?" he mused silently.
He realized he needed to return to the Headmaster's office and mobilize all the paintings and ghosts. A Basilisk appearing openly in the school was no small event.
Crack.
Dumbledore vanished.
McGonagall raised an eyebrow, then gently patted Dana on the shoulder.
"All right, child. Head back to the common room and get some rest. Dinner will be ready soon."
"No, Professor. I'm going to the library."
Dana turned and walked away.
Even before he sat down among the rows of books, a single thought kept swirling in his mind—
What will next year's little diary think... when it finds an empty Chamber of Secrets?
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