Grindelwald drove his twist car out of the pipe opening and was about to dodge to the side, but it was too late; Karl directly screamed and crashed into him.
"Officer! Get out of the way!"
"Bang!"
Grindelwald, both man and car, rolled several times on the ground. He gritted his teeth and climbed up, ready to curse, only to see Dumbledore rapidly approaching on his own twist car.
"Bang!"
Grindelwald, having been struck a second time, lay motionless on the damp ground, staring blankly at the dark stone tunnel above him.
He felt so foolish! Truly! How could he have agreed to go first?
Regret! Just regret!
"Old man, are you alright?"
"Gellert, are you okay?"
Karl and Dumbledore squatted on either side of the 'dead' Grindelwald, peering over to look at him.
"Heh heh! Sorry! To disappoint you! I'm still alive! Not dead!"
Looking at their two identically smiling faces, Grindelwald rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Such feigned concern! You didn't slow down at all when you crashed into me!
"If you're fine, don't lie there. The ground is so dirty and cold," Karl chuckled. "Come on, I'll help you up."
"No need! I can do it myself!"
Grindelwald immediately scrambled to his feet, worried that the little rascal would pick him up and throw him.
"Scourgify, Lumos."
Dumbledore raised his wand, cleaning the mud that had gotten on the three of them from rolling on the ground, and simultaneously illuminating the stone tunnel they were in.
Whether it was the ground, the walls, or the ceiling of the tunnel, everything was damp.
"Let's go, keep moving forward."
The three walked through the eerie, silent tunnel and soon noticed more and more bones underfoot.
"A Basilisk that has lived for nearly a thousand years, its size must be about forty or fifty feet, right?"
"About that."
"So it only eats small animals like rats, and it hasn't starved to death yet?"
"Ordinary snakes can hibernate for several months without eating or drinking, let alone a magical creature like a Basilisk."
As they continued to converse, they turned a corner and then, on the other side of the tunnel, saw a coiled behemoth.
"Basilisk?"
Grindelwald was about to unleash fire, but Dumbledore stopped him.
"Don't rush, Gellert, our goal this time isn't to kill the Basilisk."
Karl had already walked over with light steps, "Besides, this is just a snake skin."
"Snake skin?" x2
Dumbledore and Grindelwald exchanged glances, then quickly followed Karl to get a closer look.
They found that it was indeed a huge snakeskin, a vivid and eerie green color.
"Albus! Is this thing valuable?"
Karl summoned a ball of flame into his hand, scrutinizing the snakeskin while giving Dumbledore a questioning look.
"I'm not really sure about that, after all, Basilisks haven't appeared for several centuries."
Dumbledore pondered for a moment, "However, a Potions Master like Snape should be very interested in it."
Karl chuckled, "In that case, finders keepers, how about we split it half and half?"
Grindelwald: (－_－)
"If it's finders keepers, then why are you two splitting it half and half? I'm standing right here, a big person! Are your eyes deaf that you can't see?"
Karl glared at him, "The Basilisk belongs to Hogwarts, so of course it's for us insiders to share. You, an outsider, have no right to participate."
Grindelwald was furious. He hadn't wanted this useless thing originally, but now he had changed his mind; he had to get a share.
"Don't forget I'm the school's vegetable patch caretaker! And after Halloween, I'll also be the Professor in charge of the Duelling Club!"
Hearing this, Karl scratched his head, realizing that the old man indeed counted as a member of Hogwarts.
However... easy to handle!
He looked at Dumbledore, "Albus! You dismiss him first! We'll call the old man back after we've finished dividing it!"
Grindelwald's mouth twitched, and he burst out laughing from anger; this little rascal was truly malicious!
"Cough~ Stop messing around, Karl."
Dumbledore waved his sleeve, collecting the snakeskin. "You're still young now, the school will keep it for you, and give it to you when you grow up."
Karl: (A°)
Why does that sound so familiar?
And by the time I grow up, Cat Mom will probably be Principal; will I even be able to get it back?
After several turns in the tunnel, the three finally reached its end.
Before them was a solid wall, carved with two intertwining snakes.
"Oh, not bad!"
Karl stepped forward and reached out to pluck off the four emeralds embedded in the snakes' eyes.
Hmm! Big and shiny! Good stuff!
Grindelwald eyed him askance, "Is this what they call a thief never leaves empty-handed?"
"Anyway, you don't get any!"
Karl generously handed two of them to Dumbledore, "Albus! They're for you!"
"Thank you, keep them for yourself to play with."
Dumbledore refused with a smile, then brought up another matter.
"When we enter the Chamber of Secrets later, do not make a move; leave the Basilisk for me to handle."
Grindelwald looked at him with some confusion, "You want to keep the Basilisk? You just said our goal this time isn't to kill it."
"That's right."
Dumbledore's expression was somewhat pensive, "Do you remember what I once said? The four founders all left behind means of defending the school."
"The Basilisk is one of them?"
Karl was very curious, as this was completely different from his original impression.
Dumbledore nodded solemnly, "When you were in your first year, I once told you that the school's founders left behind precious treasures."
Karl quickly recalled, "Like the magical staircase set up by Miss Ravenclaw?"
"Yes, Slytherin's Locket can command the Basilisk, Hufflepuff's Cup can direct the House-elves, and Gryffindor's Sword can enlist the aid of the Giant Squid and Merperson tribe in the Black Lake."
"As for ravenclaws diadem, you can ask Nina about it later."
Karl: (－_－)
People who don't finish their sentences are so annoying!
But the information in those words is so vast! So the four relics aren't just symbolic!
"So we don't need to kill the Basilisk, after all, it's also a guardian of Hogwarts."
Dumbledore, holding Slytherin's Locket, walked to the stone wall. "Open."
After the Locket emitted a sound, the two intertwining snakes quickly separated, and the stone wall also split down the middle, receding to both sides and disappearing.
"Let's go, let's witness the Chamber of Secrets built by Slytherin a thousand years ago."
Dumbledore, Karl, and Grindelwald entered one after another, stepping into the dimly lit, enormous room filled with an eerie green glow.
Many stone pillars carved with coiled snakes supported the high ceiling, looking both bizarre and grand.
They continued forward and soon arrived before a colossal statue.
The statue had an aged, monkey-like face, with sparse whiskers hanging down to the hem of its robe. Under the illumination of the glowing light and flames,
It looked both eerie and terrifying.
"Pfft! Although this old man doesn't look like a good person!"
Karl exclaimed, then, after scanning his surroundings, looked at Dumbledore.
"Albus! Don't worry, after you're gone, I'll definitely build you a tomb even grander and more luxurious than this place! Aren't you touched?"
Dumbledore: —
This child has some filial piety, but truly not much.
"Thank you, Karl."
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