Chapter 79: Basilisk

'What do I know about the Chamber?' mused Harry after he returned from the Forbidden Forest. 'The Malfoys are somehow related to the opening of the Chamber since Dobby is their elf and knew it would happen. Draco is also acting strangely this year, but this may be caused by pressure from his parents. The Chamber was opened in the past, and there were at least some petrification victims since Dumbledore recognized it. So did Lucius open it before? And now Draco? Nah, they aren't the type to dirty themselves if they didn't have to. And it would be too obvious as Dumbledore would be able to come to the same conclusion. It's somewhere below the Castle, but the entrance may be somewhere on the second floor, or one entrance, as the Beast is able to move through the Castle without being seen. Also, the beast inside the Chamber is a Basilisk,' concluded Harry.

How did he know it's a Basilisk? There was only one type of snake that fit all the hints together, well somewhat. He only had a theory about the petrification for now. That neither Colin nor Mrs. Norris looked the snake directly into the eyes. Mrs. Norris must have looked at it through the reflection in the puddle of water on the floor.

As for Colin, he wasn't one hundred percent sure since he didn't see the boy himself, just heard of his petrification, but he is always carrying his annoying camera around. So maybe he tried to take a picture of his attacker and saw the eyes of the Basilisk through the mirror in the camera, effectively saving his own life.

But confirming it was the hint the Acromantulas gave him, there was simply one type of snake that was the enemy of all spiders, the Basilisk.

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The next day he was approaching his friends in the Common Room, "Good morning, Harry. Had fun yesterday?" asked Daphne as her blue eyes wandered over his body, searching for any wounds.

"Ehm, yes, it was quite the enjoyable stroll. Although I didn't find what I was looking for, it was still very productive," replied Harry nonchalantly.

"Oh, and what was so productive? Did you find something interesting out?" asked Hermione with squinted eyes as she was staring at him with suspicion. She probably believed that he found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets or something similar.

"Well, with the help of some new friends I made, I finally found out what the monster inside the Chamber was," explained Harry, sharing that much, as he was already planning it, he didn't want to lose his friends because they accidentally looked into the eyes of the Basilisk, "It's at least a thousand-year-old Basilisk. This Basilisk is probably the familiar of Salazar Slytherin that he left behind in the Chamber to protect the school or something. I refuse to believe that he was planning to kill his students, that simply wouldn't make any sense and must be some shitty propaganda."

"A Basilisk? Wasn't it forbidden to breed them?" wondered Tracey as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Only since the middle ages. And let's be serious. Which proper wizard follows the laws of the Ministry? Hell, they label anything with a slight risk Dark Magic because some idiots hurt themselves because they didn't read the manual properly. Like Ritual Magic, for example," ranted Harry as they continued down the Great Staircase towards the Great Hall.

Daphne only nodded, as she was aware of some of the nonsensical laws. Most old families didn't give a shit about them and still practiced traditional magic as their ancestors did. Like the Yule or Samhain fests, the old families still performed the traditional rituals every year. It was like their faith.

This was also one of the things that caused discord amongst the Purebloods against the Muggleborns, as it was their thoughtless handling of magic that caused many of these kinds of accidents that ended up classifying Ritual Magic as illegal. Yes, there were also other reasons, but this was one of them that helped people like Voldemort gain power and support.

"Well, what I originally wanted to say. All of you should carry a mirror with you. If you are alone, or hear something strange, use it to check around the corners and behind you. The gaze of the Basilisk is deadly, but if you aren't looking directly into its eyes, you will only be petrified and can be saved with a potion," warned Harry, making sure all four of them would stay safe.

"Shouldn't we warn the others?" asked Padma, worried for her sister.

"I think so too. I have no idea why Dumbledore isn't doing it, since I am pretty sure he already knows the monster is a Basilisk," added Harry. "But I don't want to be in the spotlight. So how about you guys start some rumors? For example, you could share it with your sister, Padma. This would spread pretty fast through the castle."

All of them nodded at that, this was a good plan. If Harry directly announced that it was a Basilisk, this whole thing would be spun that he was the Heir and just trying to pretend to be good.

As the group of five were walking across the entrance hall, they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up.

Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot beckoned them over, looking excited as they stood in front of the noticeboard. "They're starting a Dueling Club!" said Terry. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days. ..."

"I don't think it would come in handy against a giant Basilisk," replied Tracey nonchalantly, while the others were reading through the announcement.

"A Basilisk? Slytherin's monster is a Basilisk?" asked Anthony, confused.

"You haven't heard it yet? We heard some fifth years talking about it, that they should carry a mirror with them so they wouldn't be petrified by the deathly gaze," added Hermione, realizing what Tracey was doing, as many people around them were listening in on the discussion.

"That's smart. If it really is a Basilisk, I should absolutely do that," nodded Anthony. "But where should I get a mirror?"

"Maybe one of the older students can bring some from Hogsmeade. We probably could order some from them. They have Hogsmeade weekend next Saturday. Or we have to wait until the Winter Break when people go home," added Harry to the discussion innocently. How Tracey was spreading the rumor was really smart.

They continued chatting for a while, deciding that they should ask Penelope whether she could buy mirrors for them if they place a collective order with her. She was a Prefect and one of the most trustworthy students in the castle.

After spreading the rumor about the Basilisk, they headed towards the Great Hall while chatting about the announcement of the Duelling Club. "It seems still useful. Even if it hasn't much use against a giant Basilisk," said Padma from the side.

Harry nodded while muttering, "I am just wondering who will be holding the club? It wasn't written on the announcement. Maybe it will be Professor Flitwick; he is a former duelling champion."

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