"Huff… huff… Professor Dumbledore, please wait!"
In the end, after the Opening Feast dispersed, Avada managed to catch up to Dumbledore before he returned to the Headmaster's office, sparing himself the awkward ordeal of testing passwords one by one under the stone gargoyle's deathly stare.
"Mr. Ken? Do you need something?"Dumbledore looked at the panting Avada in surprise, momentarily unable to think of what could have made him this anxious. He then waved his hand, opening the passage to the Headmaster's office. "Come inside and speak."
"Th-thank you, Professor."
Avada followed Dumbledore into the familiar office. After drinking a glass of water and catching his breath, he spoke solemnly.
"Professor, shortly before the start of term, I saw some more fragments of the future."
"Oh?"Dumbledore immediately grew serious. "What did you see, Mr. Ken?"
"I saw… a gigantic snake, moving through some part of Hogwarts. It had sharp venomous fangs, and eyes that could petrify—or even kill—at a glance. It will awaken this year and begin attacking students…"
"And,"He cut off Dumbledore just as the latter was about to speak and continued, "when I tried to investigate why that monster would appear at Hogwarts, all I could see was a vague image—a black notebook with a blank cover."
"A black notebook, and a massive serpent whose gaze brings death…"
"I understand, Mr. Ken. Thank you very much for the warning."
Dumbledore frowned and pondered for a long while. It was only when Avada was about to speak again that he finally raised his head and offered his thanks in earnest.
"The snake you described should be a Basilisk—a highly dangerous XXXXX-rated magical creature. Its characteristics match everything you mentioned. As for why it would appear at Hogwarts, and the matter of the black notebook, I will investigate them as quickly as possible. Allow me to thank you once more, Mr. Ken… you may well have saved this school yet again."
As he spoke, Dumbledore's expression relaxed somewhat. "However, now that we know this in advance, there's no need to worry excessively. You may not be aware, but Basilisks have a very clear weakness—they fear the crowing of roosters. To them, it is lethal."
"So… are you planning to raise a large flock of chickens in the school, Professor?"Avada asked curiously, already imagining the scene.
If a student accidentally injured a chicken, would they be swarmed by an enraged flock? Or hunted down by every professor in the castle?
"That won't be necessary," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "Doing so would disrupt normal teaching and might even cause panic…"
"My plan is to add several roosters into every painting in the castle, and have them crow from time to time—ensuring that the sound of roosters reaches every corner of Hogwarts. As Headmaster, adding a few chickens to the school's paintings isn't too much, is it?"
"..."
Avada fell silent. This was a path he had never even considered.
Paintings covered nearly every corridor and room in the castle. Through them, the roosters' crowing would permeate the entire school. Teachers and students alike would simply assume it was another one of Dumbledore's eccentric habits, arousing no suspicion or panic. And unlike in the original events, the chickens inside paintings couldn't be killed…
It was genuinely hard to imagine how the Basilisk was supposed to survive the year.
Here's hoping the snake has an accident.
"That sounds extremely secure, Professor," Avada said sincerely.
"Thank you for the compliment. Very well—it's getting late. You should head back and rest. The Basilisk and the notebook are no longer matters you need to concern yourself with. Leave them to me, the Headmaster."
…
With Dumbledore's assurance, and that utterly foolproof insurance policy, a huge weight lifted from Avada's chest. Only one last thing remained to be done.
"Harry! Harry!"
The next day at noon, Avada successfully intercepted Harry, who was walking alongside Ron and Hermione toward the Great Hall.
"Could you come with me for a moment? I need your help with something…"
"Me?"Harry blinked in surprise.
"You've run into trouble?" Ron and Hermione asked at once, puzzled. Avada smiled and gently waved them off.
"Oh, no need. What I need from Harry has to do with a trait he has. It won't take long—just a short while."
"Alright, then,"Ron nodded, turning to Harry. "We'll wait for you in the Great Hall."
"Thanks… let's go, Ken."
As he said goodbye to Ron and Hermione, Harry followed Avada, asking curiously, "What is it this time, Ken? And what do you mean by a trait of mine? Is it something to do with Voldemort again…?"
"I'm not entirely sure,"Avada shook his head and said no more, leading Harry straight to the abandoned bathroom on the third floor.
"This is the place."
"This… is a girls' bathroom, isn't it?" Harry said hesitantly, giving Avada a look.
"Yeah… fair point."Avada agreed. Feeling that two boys barging into a girls' bathroom in broad daylight was indeed questionable, he took out his wand and tapped both his and Harry's shoulders, casting a Disillusionment Charm on them.
"That should do it. Let's go in."
Harry: …
In the end, he was still dragged into the abandoned bathroom by Avada. The Disillusionment Charm was removed, and under Avada's guidance, Harry squinted hard until he finally spotted the little snake carved into one of the sinks.
"Tell it to 'open.'"
"Huh?" Harry looked completely lost.
"I suspect something's hidden here. Just do as I say."
"Uh… open?"Harry tried tentatively—speaking in ordinary English.
"You need to really imagine it's a real snake…"Avada twisted his arms, mimicking a serpent's movements. "Imagine it coming alive, slithering like this, flicking its tongue at you, staring at you as it waits for your command… then tell it to 'open.'"
"..."
Harry stared at the little snake for a long moment. Then his lips moved, and at last a cold, inhuman hissing sound escaped his throat.
Nothing happened.
How could this be…? Does this world truly not have a Chamber of Secrets? Is it just a parallel world that happens to resemble the original so closely?
As Harry looked at him in confusion, Avada frowned deeply, thinking at high speed. Then he walked over to the toilet, bent down, and lightly knocked on the lid.
"Myrtle, are you there?"
A translucent ghost burst out of the toilet with a sudden whoosh, startling Harry. She stared at Avada, her mouth puckering as she was about to cry—
"I wanted to ask how you died back then."
Avada cut off Myrtle's emotional wind-up in time, and her expression relaxed again.
"Oh, that?"She spoke cheerfully, surprising Harry with how readily she mentioned her own death. "I thought you were here to throw stones at me! Back then, I was hiding in this bathroom, crying all by myself. Then I suddenly felt dizzy, and when I opened my eyes again—poof! I was a ghost!"
"…That's all?"Avada asked cautiously. "Did you see anything else? Like… a pair of enormous eyes, perhaps?"
"Oh, nonsense like that."Myrtle scoffed. "You must've heard some silly ghost story and scared yourself sleepless, right? Let me tell you, back then I—"
"Alright, alright, I understand. Thanks for the information."
Avada quickly dragged Harry out of the bathroom, his eyes now filled with a mixture of relief and uncertainty.
(End of Chapter)