Dumbledore looked at the basilisk in Fish's hand through half-moon glasses through his own pair of startled blue eyes.
After the basilisk shrank, it didn't get cute, it still had the hideous look. It had its head upright, like a dead branch, resting quietly in Fish's hands, looking at the sudden change in front of it: a huge human.
This was an experience he had only had as a newborn.
Unlike Fish, who directly ignored the basilisk's gaze, Dumbledore was able to resist the basilisk's deadly gaze by relying on his own powerful magic, so he could clearly feel that the basilisk's gaze had become much less lethal after being shrunk by Fish.
"It's amazing..."
Although Dumbledore had seen a lot, he couldn't help but mutter in awe at that moment.
Normally, even if he had pierced the basilisk's scales, which were capable of resisting most magic, and made it smaller with a shrinking spell, it would not have been possible to weaken the power of the basilisk's gaze....
But there were a lot of strange spells on Fish, so it didn't matter if there was another one.
"Albus, what's wrong nya?"
?ω?
Dumbledore's exclamation was interrupted by the sound of Fish's voice, as he looked into Fish's face with his bright blue eyes, finding the little cat cuter and cuter the more he looked at him.
"What do you want to do, you bad old man?!"
Fish flinched at Dumbledore's strange look and took two steps back, pinched the little basilisk in his hand and pointed his head at it.
"Watch out Fish let Uroboros bite you!"
(●Φ?Φ●)
And the basilisk in Fish's hand also opened its mouth in unison, revealing its small but still deadly fangs.
"Hiss!"
"Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ... take it easy."
Dumbledore had no intention of trying to experience the basilisk's venom, so he also took two steps back, begging for mercy.
"I was marveling at your basilisk shrinking spell," Dumbledore, who was worried that the stubborn little cat would actually let the basilisk take a bite out of him, boasted without moralizing, "It's amazing that you can shrink such a large basilisk!"
"Of course nya!"
The kitten immediately raised its head proudly, unashamed to boast, "Fish is awesome!"
(●`?′●)
"Well, I can feel that the basilisk's gaze has indeed weakened," Dumbledore picked up on the subject, startling Professor McGonagall and Snape, who had their eyes closed, but Dumbledore ignored them both and continued, "But to be on the safe side, we'd better try it a few more times, can you get Uroboros to cooperate?"
"No problem nya!"
Knowing the importance of the matter, Fish agreed without hesitation, then lifted the basilisk in front of him and whispered.
On the other hand, Dumbledore had borrowed Fawkes' power to teleport out of the Chamber of Secrets and returned with a few toads and rats from outside.
"Come, let Uroboros try."
Dumbledore placed the poor little creatures in his hands in front of the basilisk, and immediately their bodies went rigid, looking just like Mrs. Norris.
But to Fish's perception, there was a difference, Mrs. Norris' breath of life was so faint as to be almost imperceptible, while the toads and rats could easily be perceived as still alive.
And Dumbledore, after examining the petrified creatures in his hands, had also noticed the difference.
For it was not even necessary to use the mandrake potion to revive them,
A powerful counterspell would suffice.
"Hmm... If it's just this level... Severus, Minerva, you two should be able to resist the basilisk's gaze."
Dumbledore said this to the two of them.
Professor McGonagall was still hesitating, but Snape had already opened his eyes impatiently, and jumped in front of Fish, meeting the little basilisk's gaze in the kitten's hand too quickly for Fish to retrieve Uroboros.
Luckily, Dumbledore had been right and Snape was fine, except that his face had become a little paler.
Then Professor McGonagall opened her eyes and looked curiously at the small basilisk in Fish's hands.
"It's no longer life-threatening, but most people can't stop the basilisk's gaze, so I still can't let you take it out of the Chamber of Secrets.... Can you weaken the basilisk's ability even further?"
Dumbledore looked expectantly at Fish.
But the kitten crumpled his face and deflated, he could do nothing more.
?︿?
Reducing Uroboros to this point is already the limit, and the other weakening spell he has mastered is [Elves' Fire] which reduces defense, which is useless at all.
There was the option of blindfolding the basilisk with a cloth, but Fish already asked Ouroboros, who would rather stay in the Chamber of Secrets and sleep than do that.
Unlike normal snakes, basilisks have good eyesight, and losing it is not a pleasant experience, nor is having a cloth over your head all the time.
There's no point in wearing glasses or anything like that, not to mention the hassle of fixing them, and the effect of basilisk vision can't be blocked with glass lenses, only reflecting them, which weakens the basilisk's gaze.
"It would be great if you could control your own abilities nya," Fish said regretfully and frowning as he lifted Uroboros up to his face, "Or maybe you could close your eyes..."
? ω?
"Hiss... (I don't like to move around much anyway...)."
Uroboros stretched his head, brought his nose close to Fish's and comforted him.
It would be nice to be able to follow Fish and wander around, but if not, it didn't matter to Uroboros, who had been sleeping alone in the Chamber of Secrets for years and was used to being alone....
Besides, the kitten still visited him from time to time, which is much better than before, so Uroboros was happy with his current life.
But Fish still had a disappointed expression, he was so close, but still so far away, it really discouraged the cat, and the cat's ears and tail drooped in frustration.
Professor McGonagall rubbed Fish's head, but could do little to help, while Snape pondered whether there was a potion that could achieve a similar effect.
At that moment, Dumbledore walked over to Fish and patted his on the shoulder, "Don't be discouraged, there may be another way."
"Nya!"
∑(●?ω?●)
Fish's droopy ears instantly perked up and his eyes locked onto Dumbledore's.
Although Dumbledore was a mean old man who sometimes intimidated him, his skills were well recognized by Fish.
"What's on your mind, Grandfather Albus?"
The little cat's level of unscrupulousness is not too high... In fact, he is Dumbledore's promising successor.
"There's nothing Grandpa Albus can do about it..." said Dumbledore in the same tone as Fish, and deliberately paused for a moment.
But Fish had calmed down a bit after Mr. Riddle's friendly coaching.
The mean old man waited a moment to see that Fish hadn't taken the bait, smacked his lips regretfully, and continued, "But I know an expert on magical animals, he might have an idea."
With that, Dumbledore looked down at the small basilisk in Fish's hand and a smile appeared on his face.
"Even though Newt has been retired for a long time, with Uroboros here, he will definitely come."
As soon as Dumbledore said the name, Professor McGonagall and Snape knew who he was talking about.
Newt Scamander, Hogwarts dropout, honorary Hufflepuff alumnus, author of "Fantastic Animals and Where to Find Them" and renowned magizoologist.