Sean never expected things to spiral this far.
Last night, Mrs Norris had merely been petrified.
By morning—
a student was dead.
This wasn't how the story was supposed to unfold.
Perhaps because every student who saw the basilisk in the original timeline ultimately survived, Sean had unconsciously developed a false sense of security.
But this was a basilisk.
The normal result of meeting its gaze was death.
Those students who had only been petrified were simply absurdly lucky.
They had likely spent a lifetime's worth of fortune surviving that encounter.
But Ada Killeen did not possess such luck.
Like the victims in the ancient basilisk legends, she had looked directly into its eyes—
and her soul had been taken.
Cedric Diggory fell silent instantly.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Only minutes ago, Ada had been eating breakfast at the same table as him.
Now she was gone.
"Professor… Professor Sprout…"
Cedric's throat tightened painfully.
He wanted to ask.
But he was terrified of hearing the answer.
"Hagrid," Albus Dumbledore ordered quietly, "take them back to Hufflepuff."
The towering Rubeus Hagrid stepped directly in front of Cedric, blocking the students' view.
Spreading his massive arms wide, he said firmly,
"The professors will handle this. Everyone back to your dormitories now."
As Hagrid advanced slowly forward, the students had no choice but to retreat.
"Pomona," Dumbledore said softly to Pomona Sprout, "don't leave Ada on the floor. Take her to the hospital wing."
Professor Sprout wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.
With trembling hands, she levitated Ada's body carefully and carried her toward the hospital wing.
Poppy Pomfrey froze in horror the moment she saw them enter.
As Hogwarts' healer, she barely needed to examine the body.
She already knew the truth.
In all her years serving as school matron, this was the first death she had ever encountered.
Normally, whether students arrived jumping, limping, or unconscious—
she could always send them walking back out.
But this time…
there was nothing she could do.
Silently, Madam Pomfrey pulled a sheet over Ada's body, gently covering the girl's lifeless eyes that could no longer close.
The castle fell unnaturally silent.
All students were ordered back to their dormitories.
Dumbledore immediately issued strict instructions to suppress news of the incident.
If word reached the outside world—
Hogwarts would almost certainly face immediate closure.
Sean sat absentmindedly at a study table inside the Slytherin common room.
To his left sat Cress, Cassius, and Graham.
Although Severus Snape stood watch nearby and repeatedly ordered students not to discuss what they had seen—
that was impossible.
Some students returned to their dormitories to whisper in private.
Others gathered in small circles around the common room.
A few students had heard old stories from their parents about the basilisk attack fifty years ago.
Ada's appearance resembled Moaning Myrtle's death almost exactly.
Before long, rumors about the basilisk spread throughout the student body.
Sean quickly realized something important.
This basilisk differed greatly from the one in his memory.
In the original story, the creature acted under Tom Riddle's direct control and specifically targeted Muggle-born students.
But Ada Killeen clearly wasn't Muggle-born.
Sean didn't know much about her despite them being in the same year, so earlier he had asked Cassius.
"Ada Killeen? Half-blood," Cassius replied. "The girls she hangs around with are all half-bloods too."
"My grandfather once told me," Cress whispered cautiously, leaning closer across the table so Snape wouldn't overhear, "that Salazar Slytherin raised the basilisk inside his Chamber to purge impure bloodlines."
"Impure bloodlines meaning Muggle-borns?" Cassius frowned. "But Ada wasn't one. So maybe it wasn't the basilisk?"
Sean remained silent.
He knew with certainty that the basilisk was responsible.
And more importantly—
the creature was still roaming the castle.
Dumbledore had reached the same conclusion.
He returned once again to the underground space before the Chamber doors.
The seal he had placed there the previous night remained intact.
Meaning only one thing:
after being released, the basilisk had never returned to the Chamber.
It was still moving throughout Hogwarts using the castle's enormous sewer network.
And Hogwarts was vast.
Its underground pipes twisted beneath countless buildings and corridors.
Finding the basilisk inside that maze would be incredibly difficult.
Even worse—
what would happen after they found it?
A basilisk was classified by the Ministry as a XXXXX-level magical creature.
Extremely dangerous.
Capable of killing wizards effortlessly.
Highly aggressive.
Highly destructive.
Over in Gryffindor Tower, some students also knew the old basilisk legends.
Combined with Harry speaking Parseltongue the previous night—
everyone's attitude toward him became increasingly uncomfortable.
Fearful.
Suspicious.
"You two don't think I opened the Chamber too… right?"
Harry Potter looked desperately at Ron and Hermione, hoping for reassurance.
"Of course not," Ron Weasley said immediately. "I've been with you constantly. Unless you secretly know cloning magic."
"It's obviously not you," Hermione Granger agreed firmly.
Dumbledore soon made a dangerous decision.
He intended to use Harry as bait to lure the basilisk out.
Meanwhile, classes would remain suspended indefinitely.
But Christmas break was only a month away.
If students were prevented from returning home, parents would inevitably storm the school.
And once that happened—
the Ministry would shut Hogwarts down anyway.
Unfortunately, disaster arrived even sooner than expected.
Less than half an hour after Ada's death, Cornelius Fudge arrived at Hogwarts uninvited.
He brought his assistant, Kane, with him.
Not a single owl had left the castle.
No one from Hogwarts had informed the Ministry.
Dumbledore immediately realized what had happened.
Whoever opened the Chamber had deliberately leaked the information.
Because Apparition was impossible within Hogwarts grounds, Fudge and his assistant appeared outside the castle before entering on foot.
Fortunately, Dumbledore noticed their arrival early enough to intercept them at the gates personally.
As they walked toward the castle together, Dumbledore calmly asked,
"What brings you here, Cornelius?"
"Dumbledore," Fudge replied gravely, "I received an anonymous report stating that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again. That the basilisk inside has been released."
He swallowed nervously.
"The murders from fifty years ago are still vivid in my memory."
When Myrtle died, Fudge had been a seventh-year student preparing to graduate.
Afterward he joined the Ministry and eventually rose to become Minister for Magic.
Fudge cared so much about the anonymous tip because he had only served as Minister for two years.
He desperately wanted a peaceful Britain.
A stable administration.
Achievements to prove his competence.
The last thing he needed was dead students and national panic.
But during the brief exchange, Dumbledore quickly realized something important.
Fudge still didn't know Ada had died.
"This must be some kind of malicious prank," Dumbledore said smoothly. "When exactly did you receive this anonymous message?"
"Early this morning," Fudge answered. "The night-shift workers found it through the Floo Network. I only read it after arriving at work."
As they walked through the castle, everything appeared completely normal.
Students sat quietly in classrooms.
Lessons seemed underway.
The illusion of order remained intact.
When they passed the second-floor Transfiguration classroom, Dumbledore glanced subtly toward Minerva McGonagall.
McGonagall immediately understood.
And gave the slightest nod in return.
To Read 60+ ahead advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146