"I'm struggling with how to deal with a Basilisk," Harry blurted out, then quickly caught himself. "Oh, I don't need you to tell me the answer directly, Professor; I know you want me to think for myself. I was just pondering what you were saying."
"Finding their characteristics and devising targeted solutions…" he repeated the phrase to himself.
Lockhart nodded. "Then tell me, Harry, what are the Basilisk's characteristics? You've sorted through so much information; you must know them well."
Harry spoke without hesitation, clearly having given the matter serious thought. "A deadly gaze, fatal venomous fangs, and an enormous body—those are the three points."
As he listed them, he felt a familiar wave of frustration, for he couldn't solve a single one of them. Oh, wait, his good friend Ron seemed to have a knack for one of those problems. After all, Ron had once managed to knock out a monstrous troll, which certainly possessed an "enormous body," using a simple Levitation Charm.
It wasn't that Harry wasn't clever enough; it was simply that second-year wizards hadn't yet encountered a wide array of spells.
Lockhart considered this, deeming it an excellent topic for a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. He decided to address it directly. "Please, everyone, remember this: when seeking solutions based on characteristics, you must shift your way of thinking."
"That is, you must treat all Dark creatures, fantastic beasts, and indeed all magical creatures and plants, as if you were facing a wizard!"
"This is precisely why facing Dark Wizards and their Dark magic, confronting Dark creatures, and duelling are all encompassed within the subject of Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"When we look for solutions based on characteristics, you should equate the Basilisk's 'deadly gaze' with the Killing Curse cast upon you by a Dark Wizard."
"Seek solutions from that perspective."
At this, Lockhart looked around at the young wizards and began calling on them. "George, tell me, what would you do if a Dark Wizard cast the Killing Curse at you?"
George, it seemed, had plenty of ideas. He had only recently faced such a terrifying prospect. The Dark Wizard lurking in Hogwarts had cast the Killing Curse at Fred, and had Professor Lockhart not summoned the grey wolf to block the attack, he shuddered to imagine how bleak his future would have been. Every time he awoke from a nightmare, he was haunted by the thought of what he should have done. He constantly replayed the scenario in his mind.
"Impedimenta! Make the Dark Wizard, or the target—I mean, make the Dark Wizard or the target of the attack fall over, so the Killing Curse can't hit them!"
"If they've just started to attack, you could also use a Disarming Charm, or a Tongue-Tying Curse…"
He listed at least a dozen countermeasures, analysing all sorts of possibilities and responses, as if he had rehearsed them thousands of times in his mind. Fred, standing nearby, patted his shoulder reassuringly, indicating that he was very much alive and well beside him.
"Excellent!"
Lockhart praised him, then looked at the other young wizards. "Did any of you notice something in what George just explained?"
"It's that when we can't block the Killing Curse directly, we try to find a way to deal with the Dark Wizard casting it!"
"We try to prevent the Killing Curse from taking effect."
He idly stroked his wand, pacing among the young wizards, watching as they sank into thought, and continued to guide them.
"Returning to our topic, how should we seek solutions when facing the Basilisk's three characteristics?"
He smiled faintly. "In this lesson, I want you to develop this way of thinking, to find the solutions that work best for you."
"Let's begin with the Basilisk's 'fatal venomous fangs.'"
"When we can't brew an antidote to the Basilisk's venom, much like we can't defend against a Dark Wizard's Killing Curse, our line of thought should be—"
"Prevent it from biting us, or find a way to make it shut its mouth."
"Thinking from the perspective of 'preventing it from biting you,' you'll naturally come up with many answers." He looked down at Harry Potter, whose eyes had lit up, and nodded, encouraging him to speak his answer.
"Broomsticks!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "Sitting on a broomstick, Professor!"
"Splendid!" Lockhart looked at the other young wizards, encouraging them to offer solutions based on their own strengths. See, it wasn't difficult at all.
"What about from the perspective of 'finding a way to make it shut its mouth'? Well, wizards have countless ways to do that; many of the spells taught in our everyday lessons would suffice." He then chuckled and looked at Ron. "Like the Slug-Vomiting Charm, of course, that would need a much more powerful effect."
"Here, I recommend a highly effective spell, one that George just mentioned: the Tongue-Tying Curse."
"Its effect is to cause the victim's tongue to curl backward and stick to the roof of their mouth, preventing them from opening their mouth or speaking."
"This is useful in so many situations, for example, during a wizarding duel, such a move would prevent your enemy from uttering any incantations."
As he spoke of this spell, a mischievous grin spread across Lockhart's face as he looked at Harry and the others.
"When I first attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, an older student, just entering his fifth year, was already admired by his classmates for inventing so many spells."
"Yes, he generously taught many students, and everyone benefited, earning him a great deal of renown."
It seemed old Severus had gone through such a 'trying to prove himself' phase as well. He looked at Cedric, whom all the professors now held in high regard. "Yes, he was about your age when he invented a great many powerful spells, including the extremely useful Tongue-Tying Curse."
"The Tongue-Tying Curse, the Muffling Charm, the Bat-Bogey Hex…"
And, of course, the Sectumsempra that he invented in his sixth year but never taught to his classmates.
Cedric felt a pang of shame. No, he even felt he could never achieve such a feat. Inventing spells, and such powerful ones, in his fourth year?
It wasn't just him; all the other young wizards gasped in unison. Listening to Professor Lockhart recount the achievements of this former student, they felt that such a genius was simply too far removed from them. Could they truly achieve such things at their age? Hermione, in particular, who always longed for her magic to perform more intricate variations, was filled with admiration to hear that someone had reached such a level during their school days.
"This former student of mine…"
Lockhart raised an eyebrow, looking at their expectant faces. "Is none other than your very own Professor Snape!"
"!!!"
At these words, Harry and the others froze, their ears filled with gasps of astonishment and surprise from everyone around them.
"I'm not at all surprised that Professor Snape could easily deal with a Basilisk," Lockhart said with a smile. "His invention, the Bat-Bogey Hex, along with his own formidable magical power, would be enough to suspend a Basilisk in mid-air, rendering its 'enormous body' and 'fatal venomous fangs' completely useless."
"And when we explore the thinking behind his spell inventions, with consistent ideas like the 'Tongue-Tying Curse' and the 'Muffling Charm,' it would be incredibly simple for him to conjure a spell that makes an enemy close its eyes."
"Make the enemy shut its mouth, so the fatal venomous fangs lose their effect."
"Make the enemy close its eyes, so the deadly gaze loses its effect."
"Make the enemy unable to gain purchase, so its enormous body also loses its effect."
Lockhart tapped his wand against his own head. "So, do you understand? We shouldn't focus on what an enemy's most powerful strength is. We should consider how to render that strength utterly meaningless, to prevent them from showcasing their power."
"This is…"
"Seeking solutions based on characteristics, the most practical direction of exploration in all fields of Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"Now…"
He leaned his hands on Harry Potter's desk, smiling at the Boy Who Lived, then looked at the other young wizards. "Do you still think dealing with a Basilisk is difficult?"
Just then, he looked up in mild confusion, towards the open door of the office. Professor Snape was standing there, he didn't know when, with a hint of a triumphant smirk playing on his lips. As Lockhart looked at him, Snape's face instantly dropped into its usual dour expression. He strode purposefully forward, pushing Lockhart aside once more, and surveyed the surrounding young wizards with a slightly raised chin and condescending gaze.
"I-f you… wish to learn the Tongue-Tying Curse and the Bat-Bogey Hex, as well as spells to make monsters or wizards close their eyes, I can teach you."
Then, he lowered his gaze, his eyes burning into Harry Potter. "Of course, you must understand who they should be used on, and who they should not!"