Chapter 257 The Aftermath of the Basilisk
·
Yun Yin Shen
Chapter 257 The Aftermath of the Basilisk
The next morning, they woke up from the cold.
Although the weather outside the castle was fine and the sun was shining brightly, the wind was blowing, and the warmth brought by the sun could not be felt at all.
It seems to be back some time ago.
Not long after waking up, Narcissa Malfoy insisted on coming in to stay with Dracora Malfoy.
And want to drive McGuffin and the others out.
She always believed that the McGuffins were the culprits in this incident and should be punished severely instead of confining their victim (Decora) in a room.
"Who will be responsible for the damage? Who can guarantee that my Decora will not be harmed!" She kept yelling outside the school hospital.
There was no way, Madam Pomfrey could only take out a few jelly beans for calming the nerves from a large glass jar, handed them to McGuffin and the others, and let them leave.
"I didn't expect that this guy, Decora, is still a baby boy!"
"Harry, from now on when he talks trash during the Quidditch match, you'll have something to fight back!"
Narcissa ruined McGuffin's good mood in the morning.
When it comes to Quidditch, Harry is obviously listless and dejected.
This semester's Quidditch competition, due to the current atmosphere in the wizarding world and the events that have taken place at Hogwarts so far - there is no possibility of recovery at all.
"Ma Baonan?" Ron asked curiously.
McGuffin explained.
The others laughed, "Indeed, that guy looks a bit like that!"
"I said, why does it feel a little cold!"
Ron smiled, sneezed, and hurriedly pulled his collar.
The others shook their heads, and the chill in the corridor continued to pierce into the skin along the gaps in their clothes.
McGuffin couldn't help but trot or take two steps to warm up his body.
At this time, they discovered that for some reason in the corridor...a copper brazier was set up, and inside it was a burning, some kind of faint blue magical flame.
One is placed every few tens of meters.
In the following trip, McGuffin and the others often saw Aurors, and the professors were arranging all this.
And the closer you get to the corridor outside...the more you go down, the more these braziers will be.
"Are they going to check the pipes?"
"McGuffin! Looks like they believed your story!"
"It doesn't look like it will be long before we can find out where the basilisk is... and we can know where the secret room is!"
said Hermione excitedly.
"I don't hold out much hope for that..." McGuffin said.
"After all, the Hogwarts [Chamber of Secrets] legend has existed for hundreds of years."
"Hermione, didn't you say that Hogwarts has undergone several renovations and overhauls? I think the [Chamber of Secrets] must be hidden in a very secret place...or it would have been discovered long ago."
In the original book, the [Chamber of Secrets] was built in an unknown number of meters deep underground in Hogwarts...
According to the bureaucratic urgency of the officials of the Ministry of Magic, it is estimated that the work was done hastily, and the location of the [Chamber of Secrets] would not be discovered at all.
Harry and the others did not accept this statement. Instead, the three little wizards imagined catching the basilisk and life after Hogwarts returned to normal.
They were humming songs and walked into the restaurant with happy expressions.
It's a pity that a few people overlooked one thing. According to Hogwarts' traditional arts, - what happened in the library yesterday...one night is enough to spread throughout the entire castle.
McGuffin and the others had just entered the auditorium, and before they got close to the Gryffindor table, they realized that something was wrong.
Ever since Percy was attacked, the place has been sparsely populated and deserted.
Most of the little wizards are sent to the common rooms of the four colleges through magic by house-elves.
But now the entire auditorium is full of heads, packed to the brim.
The Gryffindor meal was seated, and it was so crowded that there was not even a single vacant seat.
It's like having a party here.
And as they walked in, the originally lively and noisy restaurant quieted down. Everyone stopped talking, shut their mouths, and stared at a few people.
— There was no sound.
But before they could react...
Immediately another burst of intense shouting broke out. (even Slytherin sideways glances)
The twin brothers came over in two steps and pulled them to the Gryffindor table.
"Well done, Ron!"
"Well done, MacGuffin!"
"You're amazing, Harry!"
"Hermione..."
A few of them seem to have become some great big shots overnight. (Except for Harry, of course, he has long enjoyed this kind of treatment)
Many people lined up and came over to shake hands with them over and over again.
(Obviously most of the people were here for Harry. Even so, Ron seemed to be drunk, his face was flushed, his head was dizzy, and he couldn't keep his mouth shut... talking nonsense)
Especially Colin and Ginny held each other tightly, and lined up to shake hands again and again with a blushing and dizzy face.
Half a day later, when they sat down to eat, they realized the reason for all this.
"So... did you really kill a snake gourd?"
Wood, who abruptly pushed aside, placed plates of scrambled eggs in front of Harry, McGuffin, with great enthusiasm.
He said vaguely with a half sausage in his mouth.
"Snake melon?" thought the MacGuffin—what the hell is this?
"Ha, he means..."
"...I heard you skinned and cramped a basilisk...to avenge Percy!"
George asked with bright eyes.
"is that true?"
All the little wizards in front of them pricked up their ears.
"This... who said that!"
Ron bit his tongue in fright, swallowed the egg roll with great difficulty, and said with a hiss.
"Everyone knows! It's said to be from an Auror with a mustache..."
"Yes, yes, we all saw Cornelius Fudge,...almost half of the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic acted all night in the school yesterday...after a tossing all night, almost all the students knew that something must have happened!"
"And mom and the others are here, so I knew it must be a good thing for you... How can you not tell us about this kind of thing... It's really embarrassing!"
Fred didn't see the ugly faces of McGuffin and the others, and continued talking excitedly.
"Yes, Harry! That should be the case, right!"
"The basilisk is finished, Quidditch should be held again!" Wood happily raised a glass of milk and took a big sip.
McGuffin and Harry looked at each other, knowing that if they didn't make it clear now, maybe after a while, the rumor that they were going to invite everyone to a snake feast would spread.
"I said... No matter where you heard the news, it's not true..."
"Did I say it earlier?" Wood immediately turned to George with a look of disappointment, "How can the basilisk survive in Hogwarts..."
"No, no, there is indeed a basilisk..."
"Is it true?" The eyes sparkling with hope lit up again.
It took McGuffin a long time to let everyone understand the current situation.
"Are you saying that there is still a gigantic monster wandering through the pipes of Hogwarts? As long as anyone sees its eyes, it will die?"
Neville screamed and yelled.
McGuffin felt something was wrong, but Ron nodded first.
He was eager to prove that his escape from the basilisk was also a great thing.
But apparently the young wizards only noticed Neville's scream.
At that moment, everyone in the restaurant was stunned, the nerve cells in their heads were tearing at the news.
—There are basilisks roaming Hogwarts!
"It's over! It's over!"
"Quidditch will definitely not be held!"
After Oliver Wood heard the news, he seemed very dejected like a bolt from the blue.
"Is this the time to worry about this? There is a huge monster roaming around Hogwarts... No, I have to write to my father as soon as possible and tell my father that I am going home... Staying here is purely asking for death!"
That Slytherin Quidditch captain Furtling slapped the table, stood up and shouted,
"Yes, this crappy school doesn't care about our lives at all. If any of you want to stay, I want to complain anyway, and I have to take the train and leave here immediately! It's better to drop out of school than to die here!"
Then a few Slytherin students changed their faces drastically, and they agreed repeatedly.
The Slytherin students stood up one after another, and ran away within a few breaths.
The Hufflepuff students were a few beats late, but after a little wizard knew what it was from others, they also started to slip outside in three or four, and finally they all dispersed.
Ravenclaw took a pile of food before leaving in a hurry.
Only the little wizard of Gryffindor sat on the dining table resolutely, trying to move his butt and leave here, but no one wanted to be the first Gryffindor deserter.
In the end, he could only stare at McGuffin and the others with a look that was more intense than before.
But McGuffin and the others didn't eat a few mouthfuls yesterday, not to mention they also know what the Basilisk is all about.
Now that there are so many Aurors, the basilisk won't be able to hide for long according to the professor's investigation... What's more, McGuffin guesses that the basilisk probably won't be able to operate at such a low temperature for too long.
There is no danger at all...
"McGuffin, aren't you afraid? Facing such a monster... Isn't it a little unsafe for us to stay here!"
Seamus' face turned pale. He didn't want to be the first coward, so he could only hint at McGuffin and the others between the lines.
"It's okay! Spiders are afraid of basilisks. As long as you catch a spider and raise it, and see that little thing frantically trying to escape, it means that the basilisk has arrived..."
"Don't look directly at the basilisk, it can't do anything to you in the first place!"
"By the way, that guy is still afraid of roosters, and the crowing of roosters is the best talisman!"
The Gryffindors present were not afraid, except for Wood lamenting Quidditch with a frustrated face, but they just pretended to be very Gryffindor-like.
(Of course, except George and Fred, McGuffin really couldn’t tell whether they were trembling because of excitement or fear, and their eyes were shining)
The little wizards pestered the McGuffins and the others, and even the few of them couldn't even eat well.
McGuffin had no choice but to put down the fork, so he had to tell them how to fight the basilisk first.
"The crow of the cock?" Neville and Dean Thomas muttered, not knowing what to discuss.
Seeing the little wizards discussing something furtively, McGuffin felt something was wrong, but he couldn't tell why.
At this time, Professor McGonagall walked in with a piece of parchment.
When she came to the middle of the table, she realized that something was wrong, and she looked away from the parchment.
"What's going on here? People?"
"Didn't it mean that all the students would gather here in the morning?"
"What about people?"
McGuffin swallowed a piece of sausage with great effort, he was very nervous.
Because Professor McGonagall immediately began to stare at them closely.
"McGuffin, Harry, why are you here...you should be at the school medical office!"
"..."
"I see! You don't tell others about the basilisk here!"
Professor McGonagall reached out and patted his forehead, staring at the little wizards in disbelief.
"Professor, but professor..." Hermione stammered.
"Others have already known in advance! It doesn't matter!"
Ron raised his hand and stood up and said.
"I……"
"That's enough!"
Professor McGonagall first stared angrily at the bewildered Ron and the trembling McGuffin, then put away the parchment with an extremely tired expression, turned around and left quickly.
He didn't even pay attention to Wood's question about the Quidditch game.
Not a few seconds after Professor McGonagall left here.
Her voice began to echo in every corner of the castle through the magic broadcast.
"All students must return to the common room of their own college before six o'clock in the evening. No student is allowed to leave the dormitory building after this time. Food will be delivered to the common room by the elf as before."
"All Quidditch practice and matches are postponed. No activity at night."
"Students are not allowed to leave the common room without a teacher, including going to the library and using the bathroom. All outings must be reported by the prefect to the professor before they can take collective new actions..."
"Please remember that any student who is found to be in violation of the above regulations...may be repeated a grade and stay in school for observation..."
The Gryffindor students looked up and listened to all these almost strict prohibition orders, all kinds of nervous emotions flashed in their eyes.
After that, Professor McGonagall seemed to have finished speaking the announced regulations, and continued to say
"Actually, I don't need to say it, I think you all know...the basilisk, there is such a monster rampant in Hogwarts Castle."
"Although the school and the Ministry of Magic have some methods to limit its activity in time, and know the trajectory of its activity,...the monster has not been found yet."
"But you don't have to worry too much. The Ministry of Magic and most of the professors will conduct a large-scale investigation in the school after a period of time, and check all the pipes that can accommodate the basilisk..."
"Catch it soon..."
"The school will soon lift this special status, but if you have a criminal situation who planned these attacks, any information can come forward, ... will end this special period of special management methods early ..."
"In addition, you don't have to worry about all the colleges, there will be professors or Aurors and other adult wizards stationed..."
Finally Professor McGonagall feebly ended the speech.
The Gryffindor students chattered immediately.
(End of this chapter)
The next morning, they woke up from the cold.
Although the weather outside the castle was fine and the sun was shining brightly, the wind was blowing, and the warmth brought by the sun could not be felt at all.
It seems to be back some time ago.
Not long after waking up, Narcissa Malfoy insisted on coming in to stay with Dracora Malfoy.
And want to drive McGuffin and the others out.
She always believed that the McGuffins were the culprits in this incident and should be punished severely instead of confining their victim (Decora) in a room.
"Who will be responsible for the damage? Who can guarantee that my Decora will not be harmed!" She kept yelling outside the school hospital.
There was no way, Madam Pomfrey could only take out a few jelly beans for calming the nerves from a large glass jar, handed them to McGuffin and the others, and let them leave.
"I didn't expect that this guy, Decora, is still a baby boy!"
"Harry, from now on when he talks trash during the Quidditch match, you'll have something to fight back!"
Narcissa ruined McGuffin's good mood in the morning.
When it comes to Quidditch, Harry is obviously listless and dejected.
This semester's Quidditch competition, due to the current atmosphere in the wizarding world and the events that have taken place at Hogwarts so far - there is no possibility of recovery at all.
"Ma Baonan?" Ron asked curiously.
McGuffin explained.
The others laughed, "Indeed, that guy looks a bit like that!"
"I said, why does it feel a little cold!"
Ron smiled, sneezed, and hurriedly pulled his collar.
The others shook their heads, and the chill in the corridor continued to pierce into the skin along the gaps in their clothes.
McGuffin couldn't help but trot or take two steps to warm up his body.
At this time, they discovered that for some reason in the corridor...a copper brazier was set up, and inside it was a burning, some kind of faint blue magical flame.
One is placed every few tens of meters.
In the following trip, McGuffin and the others often saw Aurors, and the professors were arranging all this.
And the closer you get to the corridor outside...the more you go down, the more these braziers will be.
"Are they going to check the pipes?"
"McGuffin! Looks like they believed your story!"
"It doesn't look like it will be long before we can find out where the basilisk is... and we can know where the secret room is!"
said Hermione excitedly.
"I don't hold out much hope for that..." McGuffin said.
"After all, the Hogwarts [Chamber of Secrets] legend has existed for hundreds of years."
"Hermione, didn't you say that Hogwarts has undergone several renovations and overhauls? I think the [Chamber of Secrets] must be hidden in a very secret place...or it would have been discovered long ago."
In the original book, the [Chamber of Secrets] was built in an unknown number of meters deep underground in Hogwarts...
According to the bureaucratic urgency of the officials of the Ministry of Magic, it is estimated that the work was done hastily, and the location of the [Chamber of Secrets] would not be discovered at all.
Harry and the others did not accept this statement. Instead, the three little wizards imagined catching the basilisk and life after Hogwarts returned to normal.
They were humming songs and walked into the restaurant with happy expressions.
It's a pity that a few people overlooked one thing. According to Hogwarts' traditional arts, - what happened in the library yesterday...one night is enough to spread throughout the entire castle.
McGuffin and the others had just entered the auditorium, and before they got close to the Gryffindor table, they realized that something was wrong.
Ever since Percy was attacked, the place has been sparsely populated and deserted.
Most of the little wizards are sent to the common rooms of the four colleges through magic by house-elves.
But now the entire auditorium is full of heads, packed to the brim.
The Gryffindor meal was seated, and it was so crowded that there was not even a single vacant seat.
It's like having a party here.
And as they walked in, the originally lively and noisy restaurant quieted down. Everyone stopped talking, shut their mouths, and stared at a few people.
— There was no sound.
But before they could react...
Immediately another burst of intense shouting broke out. (even Slytherin sideways glances)
The twin brothers came over in two steps and pulled them to the Gryffindor table.
"Well done, Ron!"
"Well done, MacGuffin!"
"You're amazing, Harry!"
"Hermione..."
A few of them seem to have become some great big shots overnight. (Except for Harry, of course, he has long enjoyed this kind of treatment)
Many people lined up and came over to shake hands with them over and over again.
(Obviously most of the people were here for Harry. Even so, Ron seemed to be drunk, his face was flushed, his head was dizzy, and he couldn't keep his mouth shut... talking nonsense)
Especially Colin and Ginny held each other tightly, and lined up to shake hands again and again with a blushing and dizzy face.
Half a day later, when they sat down to eat, they realized the reason for all this.
"So... did you really kill a snake gourd?"
Wood, who abruptly pushed aside, placed plates of scrambled eggs in front of Harry, McGuffin, with great enthusiasm.
He said vaguely with a half sausage in his mouth.
"Snake melon?" thought the MacGuffin—what the hell is this?
"Ha, he means..."
"...I heard you skinned and cramped a basilisk...to avenge Percy!"
George asked with bright eyes.
"is that true?"
All the little wizards in front of them pricked up their ears.
"This... who said that!"
Ron bit his tongue in fright, swallowed the egg roll with great difficulty, and said with a hiss.
"Everyone knows! It's said to be from an Auror with a mustache..."
"Yes, yes, we all saw Cornelius Fudge,...almost half of the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic acted all night in the school yesterday...after a tossing all night, almost all the students knew that something must have happened!"
"And mom and the others are here, so I knew it must be a good thing for you... How can you not tell us about this kind of thing... It's really embarrassing!"
Fred didn't see the ugly faces of McGuffin and the others, and continued talking excitedly.
"Yes, Harry! That should be the case, right!"
"The basilisk is finished, Quidditch should be held again!" Wood happily raised a glass of milk and took a big sip.
McGuffin and Harry looked at each other, knowing that if they didn't make it clear now, maybe after a while, the rumor that they were going to invite everyone to a snake feast would spread.
"I said... No matter where you heard the news, it's not true..."
"Did I say it earlier?" Wood immediately turned to George with a look of disappointment, "How can the basilisk survive in Hogwarts..."
"No, no, there is indeed a basilisk..."
"Is it true?" The eyes sparkling with hope lit up again.
It took McGuffin a long time to let everyone understand the current situation.
"Are you saying that there is still a gigantic monster wandering through the pipes of Hogwarts? As long as anyone sees its eyes, it will die?"
Neville screamed and yelled.
McGuffin felt something was wrong, but Ron nodded first.
He was eager to prove that his escape from the basilisk was also a great thing.
But apparently the young wizards only noticed Neville's scream.
At that moment, everyone in the restaurant was stunned, the nerve cells in their heads were tearing at the news.
—There are basilisks roaming Hogwarts!
"It's over! It's over!"
"Quidditch will definitely not be held!"
After Oliver Wood heard the news, he seemed very dejected like a bolt from the blue.
"Is this the time to worry about this? There is a huge monster roaming around Hogwarts... No, I have to write to my father as soon as possible and tell my father that I am going home... Staying here is purely asking for death!"
That Slytherin Quidditch captain Furtling slapped the table, stood up and shouted,
"Yes, this crappy school doesn't care about our lives at all. If any of you want to stay, I want to complain anyway, and I have to take the train and leave here immediately! It's better to drop out of school than to die here!"
Then a few Slytherin students changed their faces drastically, and they agreed repeatedly.
The Slytherin students stood up one after another, and ran away within a few breaths.
The Hufflepuff students were a few beats late, but after a little wizard knew what it was from others, they also started to slip outside in three or four, and finally they all dispersed.
Ravenclaw took a pile of food before leaving in a hurry.
Only the little wizard of Gryffindor sat on the dining table resolutely, trying to move his butt and leave here, but no one wanted to be the first Gryffindor deserter.
In the end, he could only stare at McGuffin and the others with a look that was more intense than before.
But McGuffin and the others didn't eat a few mouthfuls yesterday, not to mention they also know what the Basilisk is all about.
Now that there are so many Aurors, the basilisk won't be able to hide for long according to the professor's investigation... What's more, McGuffin guesses that the basilisk probably won't be able to operate at such a low temperature for too long.
There is no danger at all...
"McGuffin, aren't you afraid? Facing such a monster... Isn't it a little unsafe for us to stay here!"
Seamus' face turned pale. He didn't want to be the first coward, so he could only hint at McGuffin and the others between the lines.
"It's okay! Spiders are afraid of basilisks. As long as you catch a spider and raise it, and see that little thing frantically trying to escape, it means that the basilisk has arrived..."
"Don't look directly at the basilisk, it can't do anything to you in the first place!"
"By the way, that guy is still afraid of roosters, and the crowing of roosters is the best talisman!"
The Gryffindors present were not afraid, except for Wood lamenting Quidditch with a frustrated face, but they just pretended to be very Gryffindor-like.
(Of course, except George and Fred, McGuffin really couldn’t tell whether they were trembling because of excitement or fear, and their eyes were shining)
The little wizards pestered the McGuffins and the others, and even the few of them couldn't even eat well.
McGuffin had no choice but to put down the fork, so he had to tell them how to fight the basilisk first.
"The crow of the cock?" Neville and Dean Thomas muttered, not knowing what to discuss.
Seeing the little wizards discussing something furtively, McGuffin felt something was wrong, but he couldn't tell why.
At this time, Professor McGonagall walked in with a piece of parchment.
When she came to the middle of the table, she realized that something was wrong, and she looked away from the parchment.
"What's going on here? People?"
"Didn't it mean that all the students would gather here in the morning?"
"What about people?"
McGuffin swallowed a piece of sausage with great effort, he was very nervous.
Because Professor McGonagall immediately began to stare at them closely.
"McGuffin, Harry, why are you here...you should be at the school medical office!"
"..."
"I see! You don't tell others about the basilisk here!"
Professor McGonagall reached out and patted his forehead, staring at the little wizards in disbelief.
"Professor, but professor..." Hermione stammered.
"Others have already known in advance! It doesn't matter!"
Ron raised his hand and stood up and said.
"I……"
"That's enough!"
Professor McGonagall first stared angrily at the bewildered Ron and the trembling McGuffin, then put away the parchment with an extremely tired expression, turned around and left quickly.
He didn't even pay attention to Wood's question about the Quidditch game.
Not a few seconds after Professor McGonagall left here.
Her voice began to echo in every corner of the castle through the magic broadcast.
"All students must return to the common room of their own college before six o'clock in the evening. No student is allowed to leave the dormitory building after this time. Food will be delivered to the common room by the elf as before."
"All Quidditch practice and matches are postponed. No activity at night."
"Students are not allowed to leave the common room without a teacher, including going to the library and using the bathroom. All outings must be reported by the prefect to the professor before they can take collective new actions..."
"Please remember that any student who is found to be in violation of the above regulations...may be repeated a grade and stay in school for observation..."
The Gryffindor students looked up and listened to all these almost strict prohibition orders, all kinds of nervous emotions flashed in their eyes.
After that, Professor McGonagall seemed to have finished speaking the announced regulations, and continued to say
"Actually, I don't need to say it, I think you all know...the basilisk, there is such a monster rampant in Hogwarts Castle."
"Although the school and the Ministry of Magic have some methods to limit its activity in time, and know the trajectory of its activity,...the monster has not been found yet."
"But you don't have to worry too much. The Ministry of Magic and most of the professors will conduct a large-scale investigation in the school after a period of time, and check all the pipes that can accommodate the basilisk..."
"Catch it soon..."
"The school will soon lift this special status, but if you have a criminal situation who planned these attacks, any information can come forward, ... will end this special period of special management methods early ..."
"In addition, you don't have to worry about all the colleges, there will be professors or Aurors and other adult wizards stationed..."
Finally Professor McGonagall feebly ended the speech.
The Gryffindor students chattered immediately.
(End of this chapter)
