Chapter 267 The Way of the Snake
·
Yun Yin Shen
Chapter 267 The Way of the Snake
In the eyes of Hogwarts professors, Gilderoy Lockhart is a person who always wears the most conspicuous and brightest wizard robes... leading the fashion trend of Hogwarts.
He's an 'enthusiastic' (bad talker), 'sociable' (likes to show off),
'Loved by teachers and students' (except for some witches, no one likes him), 'loyal to duty' (wish for greater fame and sell two more autobiographical travel books), ... the professor.
But there is one thing everyone agrees on:
Gilderoy Lockhart's two most precious things will always be-his own shining white teeth, and his precious hair that has never fallen out for more than 30 years.
The guy said those two things all the time.
And now...
Professor McGonagall blinked hard in disbelief.
Facing Gilderoy Lockhart's new look, it took her a while to react.
——Who is this person in front of you?
"Lockhart... you you you!"
Any wizard who recognized the fellow in front of him was speechless.
A braised egg with a bald head.
The scalp is covered with dark brown blood vessels, densely intertwined.
Spotted.
It looks like an unpeeled tea egg.
This situation is even more surprising than Voldemort jumping out and appearing before their eyes.
Gilderoy Lockhart's new image is domineering and full of gangster style.
As the wizards watched the 'new' Lockhart,
He also raised his head and stared at the crowd with a stiff, crooked movement.
Very strange.
"Ghideroy Lockhart...you..." Cornelius Fudge hadn't finished reading out the words that made the dark wizard in front of him easy to catch.
It was stopped by Dumbledore.
"It's no use, Fudge!"
"Didn't you see it? Gildero was manipulated by some kind of spell!...It looks like some kind of [voodoo] spell from Africa."
Dumbledore pointed at Gilderoy Lockhart with his wand.
"Look at his pupils..."
Only at this time did everyone realize that Lockhart now has two pupils squeezed in one eyeball,
One black and one red.
Constantly switching, sometimes even four pupils can be seen staring at everyone at the same time.
"Is-is this... the voodoo spell of the African Imperator?"
"Is the United African Ministry of Magic going to war on the wizarding world of Europe?" said Fudge, looking alarmed. "No no-no,... Or is it that the Black Priest Secret Society there has come here?"
"Wait! Speaking of which,... I remember that all the places that were attacked by giant plants seemed to be in the Muggle cities of Europe and America, and Africa and Asia were not attacked!"
"Minister, what to do!"
The Aurors behind started questioning Fudge, asking for orders.
"But—" Fudge stammered.
——This is troublesome!
He remembered that the wizard controlled by [Voodoo Curse] was different from [Imperial Soul Curse].
[Soul Imperius Curse] Although the wizard controlled by the [Soul Imperius Curse] can communicate, he cannot cast magic. Even if he casts magic, he will often get stuck because he often forgets the spell.
But for the [Voodoo Curse] cast by those soul-snatching wizards in Africa, it can be regarded as a variant of [Soul-snatching Curse]. His victims are often soldiers and weapons, not as spies like the victims of [Soul-snatching Curse].
A wizard who has been cast with the [Voodoo Curse] will gradually lose his mind, unable to communicate, and will only obey the orders of the caster, which will even strengthen the victim's magical power to a certain extent.
It is even easier to cast spells and attack.
——How could it be so troublesome?
Cornelius Fudge was greatly annoyed. If he had known this, he would not have come to the scene.
He originally thought it was a very simple task.
Face the man behind these months, the terrorists.
He first visited the scene with a kind of "fearless" leadership and courage, and persuaded the dark wizard to let go of the three young wizards, confessed his accomplices earlier, and received lenient treatment from the Ministry of Magic.
If it doesn't work, order a storm under the condition of 'trying' to protect the little wizard's life.
For the three little wizards this time, Cornelius Fudge had already made it clear that a Muggle family was not enough; the parents of the other two little witches from wizarding families would not have much influence.
Although Weasley is popular with the vast majority of Muggle wizards, there are many who hate him.
In short, this time the Ministry of Magic, under the wise leadership of Cornelius Fudge, would capture or kill the dark wizard at a negligible price.
Of course, it would be even better if the little wizard was okay.
He can also reap greater fame.
But now... this guy is just an unlucky guy controlled by black magic.
What's more, the black hand behind the scenes has not yet shown up. Under such circumstances, if there is something wrong with the little wizards.
The Daily Prophet and wizards from other Ministry factions could eat him alive.
Connelly was so remorseful.
He turned to face the Aurors.
Fudge played with his top hat and said hesitantly,
"Okay! Let's ensure the safety of the little wizard first, and then destroy this giant plant. Then, Kingsley, take a few people to save some strength and pay attention to Lockhart's movements...We still need to find clues from him who is behind the scenes!"
"Dumbledore? How do you think we should deal with this poor wizard who is being manipulated?"
"He now has the little wizard as a hostage, it's very difficult!"
Fudge waited for Dumbledore's answer.
But Dumbledore raised his wand and shot out a silver light directly.
Fudge stared at him in astonishment.
The silver light stopped in front of Lockhart, turning into a silver-white translucent semicircular shield and falling on the heads of the three little wizards.
Separate them from Lockhart and the spider golems in front of him.
"Well, this can last half an hour."
"We must not let Lockhart have time to react and solve the curse... Fudge, you should know how much trouble the United African Ministry of Magic was caused by the mixed use of [Voodoo Curse] and [Imperius Curse] by the Soul Reaper wizards in Africa back then?"
"Of course I understand!" Fudge turned around and shouted, "Don't do it yet!"
At the same time, Lockhart also roared, no longer trying to undo the protective spell cast by Dumbledore.
Instead, he waved his magic wand, commanding the spider puppet in front of him, and the giant willow tree to attack everyone.
And then,
- The war has begun.
In the sky, thousands of branches stretched down from the crown of the huge willow tree like flexible tentacles, waving and covering the sky and the sun.
On the ground, those dried mummified eight-eyed spiders spread densely, like the tide, coming in waves one after another.
The position where Dumbledore and the others were located was like a small rock in a violent storm, swept and submerged by the wind and rain, as if it would be smashed to pieces in the next moment.
"Burning fire!"
"Flying flocks of birds!"
"Dancing Dragon!"
Tongues of fire spewed out from the wands of the Aurors, fireballs, and flames turned into animals. For example, Professor McGonagall turned a ball of flames into a burning dragon, soaring into the sky with wings, heading straight for the giant willow tree that pierced into the sky.
In dealing with these giant plants this month, the Ministry of Magic already has a wealth of experience.
Flames are the most effective means of dealing with this magical plant.
But... now this method seems to be invalid.
The skins of those branches cracked, and some wriggling, fluffy red vines leaked out. These things, like faucets, fell from the sky along with the willow branches, spilling a bloody solution like a downpour.
The rain of blood extinguished all flames.
The flames evaporated the blood-colored solution, and the resulting steam turned into a thick blood-colored mist that began to pervade the Forbidden Forest.
The Aurors and the professor are surrounded by fog, and their vision will be blurred and hazy if they are one meter away.
This kind of fog cannot be blown away by strong winds, and cannot be penetrated by magic.
And everyone didn't care whether the strange gas was poisonous or not, and whether they could stay in it for a long time.
The Aurors and the professors could only wave their magic wands with their senses. In the attack of spider puppets and tentacles, they tried hard to block them with protective spells. The offensive and defensive positions were different for a while, and the front line was about to collapse.
They seemed to be in a strange nightmare.
……
Hogwarts Underground [Chamber of Secrets] Passage.
Harry followed Tom Riddle, who was Voldemort, and walked forward.
He looked at Hermione and Ron angrily and mournfully, their figures looming in the dim light of their wands.
He felt that it was his responsibility to bring his friend into such a situation.
But beyond that, it seemed to Harry that Voldemort was always deliberately keeping himself at a distance.
Like beware of yourself.
It reminded him of what happened when they had skin-to-skin contact with Quilinus Quirrell last term.
Afterwards, Professor Dumbledore explained to him that he has a protective spell given by his mother in his body, which can protect him from those evil black witchcraft attacks.
And those evil people can't touch him.
Voldemort's performance affirmed Harry's suspicion even more.
He wanted to jump over it eagerly, but thought that there was still a basilisk still wandering around, so he suppressed this thought.
After all, the bones of those small animals that were trampled underfoot along the way.
This 'crack-crack' crisp sound all reminded the existence of this monster.
Not to mention the fact that the way encountered that faded huge, green snake skin that was at least twenty feet long to prove it.
He had to think of a complete plan, otherwise he would attack Voldemort like that, in case he fell into a coma again... As for Hermione and Ron's state, the fate of the three of them might not be better than those little animal skulls that turned into skeletons.
After Voldemort led him around the huge snakeskin, he entered one tunnel after another, endlessly.
It's like an endless tunnel maze.
Every time he turned a corner, Harley's nerves trembled uncomfortably.
I was afraid of seeing the basilisk hovering in front of me head-on.
But he also hoped that he could get rid of the basilisk quickly, and then rushed forward to see if he could get rid of Voldemort in front of him to save Ron and Hermione.
At the same time, Harry hoped that the others would come quickly.
In such chaos and contradictions.
Finally, Harry and the others came to a solid wall.
A huge disc is engraved on it, filled with various complicated patterns, with two intertwined snakes floating on it, bronze style, and two huge, shining emeralds are inlaid in the eyes.
Voldemort chuckled, then spoke in Parseltongue.
"Open it up for me! Snake way! (Hiss-hiss, hiss!)"
A low, cold hiss came from his mouth.
Then the snake on the wall came alive, and began to move around the disc, slowly disappearing on both sides of the slide.
Afterwards, the disc opened slowly from the wall like the metal door of a bank vault, revealing a circular passage.
Trembling all over, Harry followed Tom Riddle in.
Here is a long, huge, dimly lit room.
Just like the name - [Snake Road]
A long, green passage leads to the end of the room.
There are many stone pillars on both sides of the passage, engraved with coiled and entangled snakes, standing tall, and the uppermost part of the stone pillars is hidden in the shadow of the ceiling.
Everything here is shrouded in a mysterious green light.
Between every two stone pillars, there are mouths full of blood.
Giant snake heads were placed there vividly.
The fangs and sharp teeth are lifelike.
The bodies of these snake heads are hidden into the wall or the ground.
It looked as if the mouths could almost make a grown wizard straighten up and walk in, which made Harry feel like there was some sort of secret passage inside.
He stood there with his heart beating wildly.
Everything here is scary.
Harry tried to make out the sound of the basilisk crawling in the penetrating silence.
Is it just hiding in a dark corner behind some stone pillar, or is it walking through the secret tunnels in those giant snake mouths.
Harry drew his own wand and followed Voldemort's footsteps.
He planned to stun Ron and Hermione if they really encountered the basilisk, lest they stare directly at the basilisk and die immediately.
Every step and footstep echoed back and forth in this empty stone wall.
Hollow and loud!
It made Harry's stomach cramp with tension.
When they reached the last pair of stone pillars, that is, at the end of the room, a statue suddenly appeared in front of them.
The top of his head was firmly attached to the ceiling, and the back was connected to the wall.
The statue is a gigantic face.
It was an old face, with a long but sparse beard that almost reached the hem of the wizard's robe carved in stone, and two big gray feet sitting on the smooth floor.
Harry recognized it. It was Slytherin Salazar, one of the Big Four.
"arrive!"
Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort, turned around.
Let out a cold, piercing laugh, "Welcome! Harry Potter!"
"...Welcome to the [Chamber of Secrets] of the great Slytherin"
"...Come to the location of [Snake Road]!"
His cruel voice echoed in the empty and silent room.
(End of this chapter)
In the eyes of Hogwarts professors, Gilderoy Lockhart is a person who always wears the most conspicuous and brightest wizard robes... leading the fashion trend of Hogwarts.
He's an 'enthusiastic' (bad talker), 'sociable' (likes to show off),
'Loved by teachers and students' (except for some witches, no one likes him), 'loyal to duty' (wish for greater fame and sell two more autobiographical travel books), ... the professor.
But there is one thing everyone agrees on:
Gilderoy Lockhart's two most precious things will always be-his own shining white teeth, and his precious hair that has never fallen out for more than 30 years.
The guy said those two things all the time.
And now...
Professor McGonagall blinked hard in disbelief.
Facing Gilderoy Lockhart's new look, it took her a while to react.
——Who is this person in front of you?
"Lockhart... you you you!"
Any wizard who recognized the fellow in front of him was speechless.
A braised egg with a bald head.
The scalp is covered with dark brown blood vessels, densely intertwined.
Spotted.
It looks like an unpeeled tea egg.
This situation is even more surprising than Voldemort jumping out and appearing before their eyes.
Gilderoy Lockhart's new image is domineering and full of gangster style.
As the wizards watched the 'new' Lockhart,
He also raised his head and stared at the crowd with a stiff, crooked movement.
Very strange.
"Ghideroy Lockhart...you..." Cornelius Fudge hadn't finished reading out the words that made the dark wizard in front of him easy to catch.
It was stopped by Dumbledore.
"It's no use, Fudge!"
"Didn't you see it? Gildero was manipulated by some kind of spell!...It looks like some kind of [voodoo] spell from Africa."
Dumbledore pointed at Gilderoy Lockhart with his wand.
"Look at his pupils..."
Only at this time did everyone realize that Lockhart now has two pupils squeezed in one eyeball,
One black and one red.
Constantly switching, sometimes even four pupils can be seen staring at everyone at the same time.
"Is-is this... the voodoo spell of the African Imperator?"
"Is the United African Ministry of Magic going to war on the wizarding world of Europe?" said Fudge, looking alarmed. "No no-no,... Or is it that the Black Priest Secret Society there has come here?"
"Wait! Speaking of which,... I remember that all the places that were attacked by giant plants seemed to be in the Muggle cities of Europe and America, and Africa and Asia were not attacked!"
"Minister, what to do!"
The Aurors behind started questioning Fudge, asking for orders.
"But—" Fudge stammered.
——This is troublesome!
He remembered that the wizard controlled by [Voodoo Curse] was different from [Imperial Soul Curse].
[Soul Imperius Curse] Although the wizard controlled by the [Soul Imperius Curse] can communicate, he cannot cast magic. Even if he casts magic, he will often get stuck because he often forgets the spell.
But for the [Voodoo Curse] cast by those soul-snatching wizards in Africa, it can be regarded as a variant of [Soul-snatching Curse]. His victims are often soldiers and weapons, not as spies like the victims of [Soul-snatching Curse].
A wizard who has been cast with the [Voodoo Curse] will gradually lose his mind, unable to communicate, and will only obey the orders of the caster, which will even strengthen the victim's magical power to a certain extent.
It is even easier to cast spells and attack.
——How could it be so troublesome?
Cornelius Fudge was greatly annoyed. If he had known this, he would not have come to the scene.
He originally thought it was a very simple task.
Face the man behind these months, the terrorists.
He first visited the scene with a kind of "fearless" leadership and courage, and persuaded the dark wizard to let go of the three young wizards, confessed his accomplices earlier, and received lenient treatment from the Ministry of Magic.
If it doesn't work, order a storm under the condition of 'trying' to protect the little wizard's life.
For the three little wizards this time, Cornelius Fudge had already made it clear that a Muggle family was not enough; the parents of the other two little witches from wizarding families would not have much influence.
Although Weasley is popular with the vast majority of Muggle wizards, there are many who hate him.
In short, this time the Ministry of Magic, under the wise leadership of Cornelius Fudge, would capture or kill the dark wizard at a negligible price.
Of course, it would be even better if the little wizard was okay.
He can also reap greater fame.
But now... this guy is just an unlucky guy controlled by black magic.
What's more, the black hand behind the scenes has not yet shown up. Under such circumstances, if there is something wrong with the little wizards.
The Daily Prophet and wizards from other Ministry factions could eat him alive.
Connelly was so remorseful.
He turned to face the Aurors.
Fudge played with his top hat and said hesitantly,
"Okay! Let's ensure the safety of the little wizard first, and then destroy this giant plant. Then, Kingsley, take a few people to save some strength and pay attention to Lockhart's movements...We still need to find clues from him who is behind the scenes!"
"Dumbledore? How do you think we should deal with this poor wizard who is being manipulated?"
"He now has the little wizard as a hostage, it's very difficult!"
Fudge waited for Dumbledore's answer.
But Dumbledore raised his wand and shot out a silver light directly.
Fudge stared at him in astonishment.
The silver light stopped in front of Lockhart, turning into a silver-white translucent semicircular shield and falling on the heads of the three little wizards.
Separate them from Lockhart and the spider golems in front of him.
"Well, this can last half an hour."
"We must not let Lockhart have time to react and solve the curse... Fudge, you should know how much trouble the United African Ministry of Magic was caused by the mixed use of [Voodoo Curse] and [Imperius Curse] by the Soul Reaper wizards in Africa back then?"
"Of course I understand!" Fudge turned around and shouted, "Don't do it yet!"
At the same time, Lockhart also roared, no longer trying to undo the protective spell cast by Dumbledore.
Instead, he waved his magic wand, commanding the spider puppet in front of him, and the giant willow tree to attack everyone.
And then,
- The war has begun.
In the sky, thousands of branches stretched down from the crown of the huge willow tree like flexible tentacles, waving and covering the sky and the sun.
On the ground, those dried mummified eight-eyed spiders spread densely, like the tide, coming in waves one after another.
The position where Dumbledore and the others were located was like a small rock in a violent storm, swept and submerged by the wind and rain, as if it would be smashed to pieces in the next moment.
"Burning fire!"
"Flying flocks of birds!"
"Dancing Dragon!"
Tongues of fire spewed out from the wands of the Aurors, fireballs, and flames turned into animals. For example, Professor McGonagall turned a ball of flames into a burning dragon, soaring into the sky with wings, heading straight for the giant willow tree that pierced into the sky.
In dealing with these giant plants this month, the Ministry of Magic already has a wealth of experience.
Flames are the most effective means of dealing with this magical plant.
But... now this method seems to be invalid.
The skins of those branches cracked, and some wriggling, fluffy red vines leaked out. These things, like faucets, fell from the sky along with the willow branches, spilling a bloody solution like a downpour.
The rain of blood extinguished all flames.
The flames evaporated the blood-colored solution, and the resulting steam turned into a thick blood-colored mist that began to pervade the Forbidden Forest.
The Aurors and the professor are surrounded by fog, and their vision will be blurred and hazy if they are one meter away.
This kind of fog cannot be blown away by strong winds, and cannot be penetrated by magic.
And everyone didn't care whether the strange gas was poisonous or not, and whether they could stay in it for a long time.
The Aurors and the professors could only wave their magic wands with their senses. In the attack of spider puppets and tentacles, they tried hard to block them with protective spells. The offensive and defensive positions were different for a while, and the front line was about to collapse.
They seemed to be in a strange nightmare.
……
Hogwarts Underground [Chamber of Secrets] Passage.
Harry followed Tom Riddle, who was Voldemort, and walked forward.
He looked at Hermione and Ron angrily and mournfully, their figures looming in the dim light of their wands.
He felt that it was his responsibility to bring his friend into such a situation.
But beyond that, it seemed to Harry that Voldemort was always deliberately keeping himself at a distance.
Like beware of yourself.
It reminded him of what happened when they had skin-to-skin contact with Quilinus Quirrell last term.
Afterwards, Professor Dumbledore explained to him that he has a protective spell given by his mother in his body, which can protect him from those evil black witchcraft attacks.
And those evil people can't touch him.
Voldemort's performance affirmed Harry's suspicion even more.
He wanted to jump over it eagerly, but thought that there was still a basilisk still wandering around, so he suppressed this thought.
After all, the bones of those small animals that were trampled underfoot along the way.
This 'crack-crack' crisp sound all reminded the existence of this monster.
Not to mention the fact that the way encountered that faded huge, green snake skin that was at least twenty feet long to prove it.
He had to think of a complete plan, otherwise he would attack Voldemort like that, in case he fell into a coma again... As for Hermione and Ron's state, the fate of the three of them might not be better than those little animal skulls that turned into skeletons.
After Voldemort led him around the huge snakeskin, he entered one tunnel after another, endlessly.
It's like an endless tunnel maze.
Every time he turned a corner, Harley's nerves trembled uncomfortably.
I was afraid of seeing the basilisk hovering in front of me head-on.
But he also hoped that he could get rid of the basilisk quickly, and then rushed forward to see if he could get rid of Voldemort in front of him to save Ron and Hermione.
At the same time, Harry hoped that the others would come quickly.
In such chaos and contradictions.
Finally, Harry and the others came to a solid wall.
A huge disc is engraved on it, filled with various complicated patterns, with two intertwined snakes floating on it, bronze style, and two huge, shining emeralds are inlaid in the eyes.
Voldemort chuckled, then spoke in Parseltongue.
"Open it up for me! Snake way! (Hiss-hiss, hiss!)"
A low, cold hiss came from his mouth.
Then the snake on the wall came alive, and began to move around the disc, slowly disappearing on both sides of the slide.
Afterwards, the disc opened slowly from the wall like the metal door of a bank vault, revealing a circular passage.
Trembling all over, Harry followed Tom Riddle in.
Here is a long, huge, dimly lit room.
Just like the name - [Snake Road]
A long, green passage leads to the end of the room.
There are many stone pillars on both sides of the passage, engraved with coiled and entangled snakes, standing tall, and the uppermost part of the stone pillars is hidden in the shadow of the ceiling.
Everything here is shrouded in a mysterious green light.
Between every two stone pillars, there are mouths full of blood.
Giant snake heads were placed there vividly.
The fangs and sharp teeth are lifelike.
The bodies of these snake heads are hidden into the wall or the ground.
It looked as if the mouths could almost make a grown wizard straighten up and walk in, which made Harry feel like there was some sort of secret passage inside.
He stood there with his heart beating wildly.
Everything here is scary.
Harry tried to make out the sound of the basilisk crawling in the penetrating silence.
Is it just hiding in a dark corner behind some stone pillar, or is it walking through the secret tunnels in those giant snake mouths.
Harry drew his own wand and followed Voldemort's footsteps.
He planned to stun Ron and Hermione if they really encountered the basilisk, lest they stare directly at the basilisk and die immediately.
Every step and footstep echoed back and forth in this empty stone wall.
Hollow and loud!
It made Harry's stomach cramp with tension.
When they reached the last pair of stone pillars, that is, at the end of the room, a statue suddenly appeared in front of them.
The top of his head was firmly attached to the ceiling, and the back was connected to the wall.
The statue is a gigantic face.
It was an old face, with a long but sparse beard that almost reached the hem of the wizard's robe carved in stone, and two big gray feet sitting on the smooth floor.
Harry recognized it. It was Slytherin Salazar, one of the Big Four.
"arrive!"
Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort, turned around.
Let out a cold, piercing laugh, "Welcome! Harry Potter!"
"...Welcome to the [Chamber of Secrets] of the great Slytherin"
"...Come to the location of [Snake Road]!"
His cruel voice echoed in the empty and silent room.
(End of this chapter)
