Behind the stone wall was a long chamber, supported by numerous stone pillars carved with serpents. The high ceiling was shrouded in an eerie green glow, casting strange, unsettling shadows all around.
Between the last pair of stone pillars stood a massive statue. They had to crane their necks to see the enormous face at the top: an aged, monkey-like visage with a sparse, scraggly beard.
"I think this must be Salazar Slytherin," Hermione said, raising her wand and examining it for a moment.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but next, we need to figure out how to summon the Basilisk," Hermione added.
"Exactly. If it really is a loyal pet, then it must be closely connected to its master," Harry said confidently. He walked up to the statue, looking upward as if waiting for something. Orli felt the same sense of anticipation—something crucial was about to happen.
Out of nowhere, a melody began to play. The sound was ethereal and mysterious, filling the chamber with an invigorating energy. Orli felt her scalp tingle and her heart race. Suddenly, flames erupted from the nearest stone pillar, and a deep crimson bird descended from above, its long golden tail shimmering as it danced through the air.
It was Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes.
In its talons, it carried a tattered object. The bird flew straight toward Harry, finally perching on his shoulder and pressing its warm feathers against his cheek. Orli stepped forward and took the old Sorting Hat from its claws. A small piece of parchment fell out from inside, bearing a short message:
"Speak to me, Slytherin—the greatest of the Hogwarts Four."
"Here, Harry. It seems Fawkes has brought us the key to opening the Basilisk's chamber," Orli said, handing the note to Harry.
Harry opened his mouth and began to read the words aloud, but what came out were hissing sounds.
The enormous stone face of Slytherin began to move. Its mouth opened wider and wider until it formed a massive black hole.
Orli gripped her wand tightly, her mind vividly recalling the way Snape had stood on the dueling platform. Her stance now mirrored his exactly.
From deep within the statue, something began to slither upward. The four of them exchanged glances, as if silently agreeing on what was about to happen. No one closed their eyes. Fawkes let out a piercing cry and soared into the air.
A colossal creature crashed onto the stone floor, shaking the entire chamber. It was a giant serpent, sliding out from Slytherin's mouth and slowly uncoiling its massive body. Its torso was as thick as an oak tree, and its upper half rose high into the air. Its flat, triangular head wove erratically between the stone pillars, occasionally colliding with them and producing dull thudding sounds.
They quickly realized why the Basilisk's movements were so strange—its enormous eyes were clouded over, milky white and unseeing. Fawkes circled in front of its face, even brushing past its mouth a few times, but the creature didn't react.
"The Basilisk is blind," Hermione whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Of course, we're the luckiest people alive," Orli said, feigning ignorance despite already knowing this fact. She handed the Sorting Hat to Harry, as if it were the most natural thing to do.
"Your turn," she said.
Harry grabbed the hat, turning it over in his hands before instinctively reaching inside. From its depths, he pulled out a gleaming silver sword, its hilt adorned with a massive ruby the size of an egg.
The Basilisk seemed to have adjusted to its blindness. It coiled its body tightly, striking the stone pillars with its tail and flicking its forked tongue, as if using other senses to detect its surroundings.
Its mouth opened wide, large enough to swallow an adult whole. Inside, two enormous, razor-sharp fangs glistened with venom.
It wasn't long before the Basilisk sensed the presence of four warm, living beings in the chamber. It lunged toward them, its tail brushing against Hermione's robes and its forked tongue grazing Ron's arm.
"Immobulus!" Ron shouted just as the serpent passed him, casting a spell that seemed ill-suited for the situation. Yet, under the influence of the Felix Felicis potion, nothing was impossible. A thin strand of rope shot from his wand, wrapping tightly around the Basilisk's tongue. It writhed in pain, thrashing its head against the ground, but the rope held firm.
The violent struggle caused its massive body to convulse, and its tail nearly struck Orli's back. At the last second, Hermione's "Locomotor Mortis" spell hit its mark. Whether or not the Basilisk's tail counted as a leg, it froze just in time for Orli to roll out from underneath it.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Orli shouted as soon as she regained her footing, firing a spell straight at the Basilisk's head without even needing to aim.
"Harry, now!" she yelled.
Harry had already climbed onto a broken stone pedestal, positioning himself directly in front of the Basilisk. He raised the sword high above his head, channeling all his strength into a single strike. The blade plunged deep into the roof of the serpent's mouth, burying itself to the hilt.
Warm blood drenched Harry's arm as he pulled the sword free. The Basilisk's massive body collapsed to the ground, trembling briefly before finally going still.
Orli could feel the effects of the Felix Felicis potion fading. She ran over to check Harry's arm, relieved to find that he hadn't been bitten by the serpent's venomous fangs this time.
A wave of exhaustion washed over her as she looked at the Basilisk's enormous corpse. She slid down against one of the stone pillars, sitting on the floor.
"Did we... succeed?" Ron asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. The confidence he had felt earlier seemed to have vanished entirely.
"Hurry, Harry, gouge out its eyes and have Fawkes take them to Dumbledore," Hermione said, leaning against the wall and panting, still shaken.
"Let's hope we're in time for Hagrid's trial to clear his name," she added.
As Harry approached the Basilisk's body, sword in hand, Orli suddenly heard another set of footsteps echoing through the chamber.
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