Hunting the Basilisk(chapter 24)
Occlumency also stops a wizard's emotions from being influenced. "I cannot believe that I didn't look for this spell sooner; it should have been the first or second spell that I learned," he thought regretfully, since Gray had so many secrets. Although the system protects any information related to it, it was also good to have protection against any attempts.
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Chapter 24
"Well, I better start now," he thought as he continued to read about it. The most basic form of Occlumency involved clearing one's mind — making it "blank and empty" — in order to prevent a Legilimens from perceiving one's emotions and thoughts. More advanced Occlumency involved suppressing only the thoughts, emotions, and memories that would contradict whatever it was an Occlumens wished a Legilimens to believe. "OK, seems easy enough," he smiled as he decided to dedicate some of his time from his already filled schedule. Eventually, he left the library, only to bump into Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who seemed surprised that he was there. "I could have sworn that you were on the opposite side of the castle," Ron said, making Gray confused as he said, "What?"
"Yeah, you were with that purple-haired girl, with the red gem on her head, talking about the philosopher stone" Hermione affirmed, making Gray even more confused as his cane vibrated on his waist in response. "What is wrong with this wand?" Gray thought to himself before shaking his head and looking at the trio as he said, "I have been in the library for the past three hours," making the trio even more confused as Harry said, "Yeah, you were singing even. What was the song?" he asked as he looked at Ron, who said, "Yeah, I remember. It rhymed well: So prepare for the coup of the century, be- no, yes, Be prepared for the murkiest scam." He then said, "Lalala," mimicking the melody. That is when Harry finished it, "Meticulous planning, Tenacity spanning, Decades of denial, Is simply why I'll Be king undisturbed," only for Hermione to correct him.
"No, no, it was, the king undisputed, Respected, saluted, And seen for the wonder." That is when Gray groaned before stopping them. "You think this is funny?" he asked. He honestly wasn't amused one bit, as he then walked past them. "What? He was the one who sang it," Ron said, as Hermione then said, "Come on, we have to figure out what exactly is in the Chamber of Secrets," as Harry then said, "And whoever is the heir of Slytherin," before continuing to do their thing. Meanwhile, Gray, who actually had the same agenda as them, forgot their weirdness before walking the halls of Hogwarts. "Where are you, dumb snake?" Gray thought to himself as his fingers traced a test tube on his potion belt, which held a new dark purple potion.
[Name: Basilisk Ward Potion]
[Grade: High grade]
[Description: Crafted with a level 5 Potion-Creation skill, this potion offers 400% resistance against the deadly gaze of a Basilisk and its petrification effect, even from indirect eye contact. The main ingredients were carefully sourced from an island steeped in death, where many souls have perished, imbuing the potion with death-aligned properties. Key ingredients include Ghostvine, harvested from spirit-filled locations, Ashes of Soulroot, a plant found in burial grounds, Nightshade Bloom from a cursed graveyard, Deathcap mushrooms, and Ground Horned Serpent Scales, which serve as a potent and accessible magical component to counteract dark magic. The combination of these ingredients ensures protection from both the lethal and petrification effects of Basilisk encounters.]
[Deterioration Rate: 100%]
That's right, Gray had managed to brew an anti-basilisk potion after weeks of sleepless nights and experiments, which gave him the courage to roam the halls of Hogwarts while danger lurked around. Unfortunately for Gray, nothing attacked him that day. The next day, after a Quidditch match that left Draco and Harry injured, a student was found petrified, which only fueled Gray's search. Eventually, he found a place. "Huh, is this the Chamber of Secrets?" Gray thought to himself as he looked down at a hole. "Well, this is something," he thought, then sat near the hall, waiting. "You will eventually have to come out, little worm," Gray chuckled to himself as he took out his notebook and began revising it.
He tapped his foot against the stone floor impatiently, waiting for hours. The tunnel echoed faintly with the occasional shuffle of Grey's notebook and distant dripping water, but the Basilisk remained hidden. "Hm, looks like the snake isn't coming out," Grey muttered. He was about to leave when a sharp scraping noise reverberated through the tunnel walls.
His heart skipped a beat as he heard footsteps—a girl, a first-year student at that, with dead, lifeless eyes, carrying a small, eerie-looking book. "Ginny?" He recognized the girl as one of the Weasleys. The book is what caught his attention, it reeked of dark magic, the type of putrid sensation Grey had come to recognize. But what surprised him even more was that he couldn't sense this before.
"Is it because my magic potency increased?" he asked himself. Then came the hiss, like a whisper in the air, cold and sharp. Grey's eyes snapped toward the hole as the giant serpent, the legendary Basilisk, began to emerge. Its massive body slithered out of the darkness, scales gleaming in the dim light, every inch of the creature radiating ancient power. Its emerald-green eyes, though veiled, were enough to make Grey instinctively tense, but he noticed that he wasn't petrified or worse dead, "hhh, success, was there ever a doubt" undoubtly this stroked his ego and seemed to piss off ginny or whatever it was that possessed her.
Ginny Weasley's deadened voice rang out, chilling and monotone. "All you filthy mudbloods need to die." Her eyes locked on Grey, and she smiled eerily. "Kill him," she commanded, her voice dripping with venom.
The Basilisk lunged, its fangs bared, aiming for Grey's heart with a speed that betrayed its massive size. Grey's body, however, reacted faster. Enhanced by the swiftfoot draught, he leaped into the air, his muscles straining against the sudden burst of energy. Time seemed to slow as he flipped over the snake's gaping maw, landing with a heavy thud on its head.
The snake reared back, thrashing its head violently, trying to shake him off. Grey clenched his fists, channeling the strength of the troll's might potion coursing through his veins. With a guttural roar, he slammed his fist down onto the Basilisk's skull, the impact echoing in the tunnel like thunder. The creature's head smashed into the stone floor with a resounding crash, sending cracks splintering through the ground. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling as the force of their battle reverberated through the stone. The Basilisk recovered quickly, its body twisting with impossible agility as it lashed out with its thick, muscular tail. The massive appendage whipped through the air with a crack, aiming to crush Grey against the wall.
Grey's instincts screamed as he ducked low, the tail missing him by mere inches but shattering the stone wall behind him in a cascade of rubble. Grey groaned as he took out a speed potion, which he downed, increasing his speed before he darted forward, moving with blinding speed, the potion amplifying every muscle in his body. He sidestepped another strike, his feet barely touching the ground as he closed the distance between himself and the giant snake.
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A/N: Another chapter! Hope you guys like it. Just to make it clear, I plan on having Gray be the type of guy who's prepared for every encounter. Of course, he won't always be prepared, and there will be times he's caught off guard, but that will be rare. Also, I plan on having other worlds cross over into this universe. At first, they won't affect the HP universe, but over time, they will—maybe even threaten it. This includes shows like Supernatural and Doctor Who, especially "The Time of the Angels" episode. By the way, who's your favorite Doctor? Mine is the 11th Doctor. You know, "I will always remember when the Doctor was me"—my favorite line.
P.S. My favorite fanfic on this app is a Spider-Man fanfic where a guy reincarnates as Peter Parker—except this Peter has been through the worst. I mean, Aunt May is with JJJ, and the heroes abandoned him when he needed them. Then, this self-insert character (SI) with the Omnitrix shows up, and wow, does he do some damage! But I lost track of it because the author stopped uploading it, so do you guys have any recommendations for fics where Peter Parker is done with everything and seeking revenge?
P.S.S. My next fanfic, which I'm currently writing, is about a guy with an Archmage System, and this guy really hates vampires and werewolves. He's in the TVD universe—The Originals, to be specific—and I'm having a blast writing it!