"That ancient creature in the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk."

"Basilisk?"

"What's that?"

In the empty classroom, Harry and Ron asked curiously.

Clark sat casually at his desk and explained to them, "Basilisk, just by hearing the name, you know that it is a very dangerous snake magical creature. ”

"According to the statistics of the Ministry of Magic, the danger level of this creature is set at xxxxx level, which is the same level as the eight-eyed giant spider raised by Hagrid, the three-headed dog of hell, and the fire dragon."

Clarke's first words startled Harry and Ron, and no amount of detail in his introduction could have highlighted the danger of the basilisk.

But once compared to the other fantastic beasts, the two of them understood.

After all, Harry, they only met the eight-eyed giant spider not long ago, and Ron also narrowly escaped in front of the three-headed dog of hell last semester, and as for the fire dragon, Hogwarts has it.

"The first recorded basilisk was bred by 'Hellbo the Mean', yes, the Parseltongued Greek Dark Wizard.

It is said that the method of cultivation is to hatch an egg laid by a seven-year-old rooster in the sky of Sirius under the body of a toad, and a dangerous snake with extraordinary abilities will hatch. ”

"Male eggs?!" Ron looked surprised, "You're mistaken, how could a rooster lay eggs?" ”

"How else could this be considered evil black magic?" Clark angrily scolded Ron, "Letting a rooster lay eggs in the sky of Sirius involves a very advanced local flesh transformation, and even some curse science and astrology, which is not as simple as turning a rooster into a hen." ”

You know, even in the Muggle world, changing gender is not a simple matter.

Surgery may solve some of the problems, but it is impossible to maintain the physical characteristics of a man while giving him the fertility of a woman.

"So although this magical creature seems to be easy to make, there have been no sightings of it for four hundred years, but I have looked through a lot of magical materials about the creation of the basilisk, and found that in other books, I can still see a little bit of the basilisk."

"For example, in the Old Testament's book of Isaiah, there is a sentence that says, 'They break the eggs of vipers and weave spiders' webs, and those who swallow the eggs will find a poisonous lizard in them after breaking the eggs of the wind,' and the poisonous lizard in this case is the basilisk.

However, some people call them petrified monitor lizards, because legend has it that their gaze can turn people into stone statues. ”

Harry and Ron looked at each other and turned into stone statues, which resembled the man who had been attacked.

Of course, this ability is somewhat similar to Medusa in ancient Greek mythology, but after all, it is a golden age, and the higher the ability, the more consistent it becomes, and there is nothing wrong with it.

Since then, this miraculous creature has often appeared in various biblical writings, but they are not very consistent and even inconsistent.

But the most well-known and detailed one is in a book written by the famous wizard Alexander Naikam in the 80s of the 12th century, although its content is not included in the "poisonous lizard", but in the section "Rooster". ”

Clark slowly recited what he had written:

"Its eggs must be laid on Sirius days, fertilized by a 7-year-old rooster. The egg is easily recognizable: it is not an ordinary ovate, but spherical, without a shell, but covered with a thick layer of skin.

And the egg must be hatched by a toad, which will give birth to this venomous monster - a snake with the characteristics of a toad and a rooster.

Covered in hard scales that are dazzlingly green, and can reach up to fifty feet long, the basilisk is so powerful that even a fire dragon can hardly break free.

The male snake has a bright red feather on its head, and the female snake has a cockscomb.

Their tusks are so poisonous that they can poison a wild boar with just one drop.

But its most dangerous attack method is to stare at the target with its large yellow eyes, and anyone who makes eye contact with it will be killed instantly. ”

Clark's words were like a beacon of light, instantly dispelling the darkness in Harry's mind.

"That's it," he said, almost breathless, "and here's the answer, the monster in the chamber is a basilisk, a giant serpent!" No wonder only I could hear that voice, but no one else could hear it. Because I can understand Parseltongue......"

As soon as he said this, his mind was instantly opened.

"Whoever looks at the basilisk will die. But since the attack, no one has died.

Peeves is because he is a ghost himself, and it is impossible for him to die a second time; When Hermione was discovered, there was a mirror next to her, and she looked around the corner through the mirror, indirectly seeing the basilisk's eyes. ”

Ron's mouth opened in surprise.

"And what about Lady Loris?" He asked eagerly in a whisper.

Harry pondered as he remembered Halloween.

"It's water!" Clark answered his question, "Lady Loris must have seen the reflection of the water that came out of the bathroom." ”

"That way, it all makes sense." Harry looked at Clark with a glint of wisdom in his eyes.

"Yes," Clark nodded, "this snake will live a very long life if there is enough food, it is believed that the basilisk of 'Despicable Helmbo' lived almost nine hundred years, and it is entirely possible that Slytherin kept a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and has lived until now." ”

"Besides, because the basilisk is the spider's mortal enemy, Hagrid's eight-eyed spider is so afraid."

"But according to what you said, how is it possible for such a gigantic basilisk to crawl around in the castle?" Ron said, "A big ugly serpent...... Someone will definitely see it......"

"Pipes," Clark answered his question without thinking, "there must be some pipes buried in the walls of Hogwarts, and it's likely that the basilisk is moving through pipes." ”

Harry reacted immediately, "No wonder I always hear that voice inside the wall......"

Ron suddenly grabbed Harry's arm.

"The entrance to the chamber!" He said hoarsely, "Maybe it's in a bathroom?" Maybe it's—"

"—Weeping Myrtle's bathroom." Harry said.

They sat there, too excited to control themselves, and couldn't believe it all.

"It's very likely," Clark touched his chin, "we just need to ask the myrtle and we'll know the outcome." ”

"But now the professors are very strict," said Harry, "and the girl's bathroom is on the second floor—next door to the scene of the first attack—which is simply impossible." ”

"Or," Ron suggested a solution, his eyes sparkling, "let's go straight to Professor McGonagall?" ”

"Let's go to the staff lounge first," Clark said, pushing open the door to the empty classroom.

"She'll be there in ten minutes, and class will be out soon."

Harry couldn't move, he had redone the recklessness of Gryffindor.

If Professor McGonagall had been told about this, he would not have been able to participate in this adventure again.

Clark could see at a glance what Harry was thinking, and that was exactly what he wanted.

Still, he asked, "What's wrong, Harry?" ”

Harry hesitated for a moment before he said, "I think we should go to the bathroom on the second floor to check first, and then inform the professor......"

"You're crazy, Harry, that's a basilisk!" Ron exclaimed.

"We're just going to ask Myrtle, and we won't actually go to the secret room, so it should be fine." Harry tried to convince Ron.

Ron hesitated, and he looked at Clark, who agreed with Harry.

"I think Harry is right, there is only one chance, and if we don't have proof, or if we guess wrong, Professor McGonagall won't believe us anymore."

"But why should we take the risk?" Ron was still a little scared, and he remembered what Clark had just said that the basilisk's gaze would kill people.

"Even without our help, the whole secret will come out tomorrow, and once Hermione wakes up, the truth will be revealed."

Clark glanced at him, "As a Gryffindor, Ron, you wouldn't be afraid!" ”

As soon as these words came out, Ron, who was helpless, had no choice but to decide to talk to Myrtle with them when he had the opportunity.

To their delight, this opportunity soon came.

After two classes in the morning, the second-year students who had had lunch were escorted by Gilderoy Lockhart to a history of magic class.

Perhaps because of his busy patrols all night, Lockhart didn't seem to be in good spirits.

His hair wasn't as shiny as usual, his skin was dull, and he yawned as he walked.

Perhaps it was for this reason that he was now even more convinced that Hagrid must be the murderer. Because if that were the case, he wouldn't have to escort the students through the hallways safely.

"Take my word to me," he beckoned the young wizards around a corner.

"When the petrified people and ghosts wake up, they will surely identify Hagrid as the murderer.

Frankly, I'm surprised that Professor McGonagall thinks it's necessary to take so many security measures when the Ministry of Magic has locked people up. ”

"I agree, sir." Harry met his words, and Ron, who was next to him, dropped the book on the floor in surprise.

"Thank you, Harry."

Lockhart said kindly, and they stood aside and waited for the long line of Hufflepuff students to walk by.

"I mean, we teachers have enough to do, prepare the content of the lecture every day, correct the students' homework, and now escort the students to class, and stand guard all night long......"

"Yes," Ron immediately understood, "you've worked so hard, Professor. ”

Clark followed, "In that case, you might as well send it here, sir, we only have one corridor to go." ”

The look of joy on Lockhart's face flickered, "Okay, Puwit, I want to say, so be it, I really should go and prepare for the next lesson." ”

With that, he hurried in the direction of his office.

"What a lesson," Ron sneered at his back, "it's pretty much the same to take care of his hair." ”

They told the rest of the Gryffindors to walk to the front, then sneaked into a nearby aisle and hurried to the weeping Myrtle's bathroom.

The three of them descended the nearest staircase, avoiding the patrolling ghosts and prefects, and cautiously walked through the dimly lit hallway to the door of the girls' bathroom on the second floor.

They ignored the big sign that said "Fault" and pushed the door open.

It was the darkest, drenester place Clark had ever visited, almost as much as the classroom below Potions class.

Beneath a large, stained, cracked mirror is a row of stone pools with peeling surfaces.

The damp floor was covered with water stains, and a few candle heads burned low on the holders, emitting a dim light that illuminated the floor eeriely.

The paint on the wooden doors of the single rooms had peeled off and were covered with scratches, as if they had been scratched by some kind of wild beast.

One door had even its hinges disengaged, and it hung there wakily like that, creaking and creaking.

The three of them saw at a glance that the weeping Myrtle was sitting in the tank of one of the innermost toilets.

It was the first time Clark had seen the female ghost, with a melancholy, gloomy face, half obscured by her long straight hair and large, thick, pearl-colored glasses.

"This is the girls' bathroom," she said, looking at Clark and the others with suspicion, "You're not girls. ”

"Yes," Clark agreed, "we just wanted to come and see how beautiful it was here—here." ”

He waved vaguely at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor.

Thanks to his handsome appearance and outstanding charisma, Clarke, like his predecessor Tom Riddle, managed to win the favor of female ghosts.

Myrtle squeezed her hands nervously and lowered her head shyly, "Do you — really—think so?" ”

"Yes, that's what I think." Clark also did not expect that one day he would be reduced to the point of betraying his beauty to a female ghost.

"Ask her if she sees anything." Harry said to Clark in a low voice.

"What are you muttering?" Myrtle glared at them and asked.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly, "we want to ask you—"

"I hope people don't talk about me behind my back!" Myrtle said with tears in her voice, "I also have feelings, you know, even though I am dead." ”

"Myrtle, no one wants to upset you," Clark could only say again, "we just want to know how you died so that we can help you find the murderer." ”

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