Chapter 139: Basilisk
"Master?"
Nagini glanced around the lounge suspiciously, her voice lowered in caution as she called out.
She had just heard Saruman's voice... but there was no one else in the room except for her.
"Am I just being too anxious?" Nagini pondered aloud, stretching her lithe body. Her long limbs pierced through the black drapes, exuding a subtle charm of their own.
"Nagini..."
Saruman's voice echoed once more.
Startled, Nagini sat up in bed. Glancing around the room once more, she suddenly realized something. Closing her eyes, she felt a pulsing sensation deep within her soul.
"Master..."
Nagini called softly, and indeed, from the depths of her soul, came the familiar voice of Saruman:
"Very good, Nagini. You're performing admirably. I hadn't anticipated you becoming a professor at Hogwarts—"
"It was fortunate, really. Professor Dumbledore initially asked me to serve as the school's healer, but when Professor Quirrell, who was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, fled Hogwarts, I..." Nagini explained to Artel.
Since Dumbledore had been the Transfiguration professor when she first encountered him, Nagini still referred to him as such.
"Dumbledore, are you planning to attend another meeting of the Order of the Phoenix?" Artel inquired, eager to understand Dumbledore's intentions.
"Yes, we convened for a secret meeting recently... Dumbledore suspects that Gandalf might have assumed a new identity and integrated into the wizarding world as an ordinary wizard. It's even conceivable that he's living among Muggles, blending in seamlessly." Nagini briefed Artel on Dumbledore's latest developments.
"I see. You've done excellent work," Artel commended Nagini, eliciting a happy throb from her soul. Then, Nagini cautiously broached another topic:
"Master, there's a young wizard named Artel at Hogwarts. Do you know of him?"
"Artel... he's quite the talented lad... managed to stumble upon my lab notes left in the Hogwarts library. Not a big deal, just a little tinkering on my part."
Artel mulled it over and decided to go with this arrangement. After all, he possessed knowledge of magic unheard of in this world, having even taught Hermione spells like the Thorn Coil and the Light Shield.
During his tutoring sessions with Hermione, he attributed these spells to a wizard named Saruman. However, when Hermione attempted to research Saruman in the library, she came up empty-handed. After Artel's attack on the British Ministry of Magic as Saruman, Hermione associated the name with an evil dark wizard and never brought it up again, keeping their shared magic a secret.
Yet, Artel knew that such secrets would eventually come to light, and his chosen narrative seemed the most plausible.
Even if Dumbledore caught wind of it, his reprimand would likely center on Artel's failure to promptly return the notes rather than harboring the dangerous wizard's writings.
"Indeed," Nagini reflected, her fondness for Artel growing as she realized the boy dabbled in the same magic as Saruman.
"Master, what task do you have for me this time?" Nagini inquired cautiously, knowing Saruman wouldn't summon her without reason.
"Yes, there's a Basilisk concealed within Hogwarts. It's a potent and malevolent magical creature. Direct eye contact leads to instant death due to its cursed gaze..."
"Even indirect gaze results in petrification under its curse, only remediable by Mandrake Restorative Draught..."
Nagini was taken aback.
She understood the terror of a Basilisk, rumored extinct in the wizarding world. A wizard once attempted to breed one, only to be apprehended by the Ministry of Magic for harboring dangerous creatures...
To think such a dread creature lurked in Hogwarts?
Impossible.
"Master... this is beyond belief. Hogwarts teems with students, with Professor Dumbledore overseeing. How could a Basilisk go undetected?" Nagini voiced her skepticism. If anyone else mentioned it, she'd dismiss them as mad...
But her master's words... Nagini was inclined to believe.
"That's the legacy Slytherin left at Hogwarts... It's got its own purpose, and Slytherin's descendants will unleash it from the Chamber of Secrets to hunt down those Muggle-born wizards..."
"It usually hides in a secret chamber and slumbers. Once someone awakens it, it prowls through the pipes..."
Artel explained, a disdainful smile playing on his lips.
"Slytherin's heir possesses Parseltongue. The last person to open the chamber and release the basilisk was Voldemort. A young witch lost her life then; it was Myrtle, the ghost haunting the girls' bathroom on the second floor."
Nagini's eyes widened in realization. She had heard of the infamous ghost on the second floor, Moaning Myrtle. The young wizards avoided her, and the bathroom where she resided was often deserted.
Taking a deep breath, Angeline's gaze turned resolute as she inquired, "So, what's your plan?"
"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets lies in that bathroom. There's a tap with the Slytherin crest engraved on it, and Parseltongue is the key to unlocking the chamber. You'll need to use Parseltongue to access the chamber and control the basilisk."
Artel instructed Nagini.
He saw this as an opportunity to earn plot points.
Resolving the basilisk situation would yield plot points; finding and subduing the basilisk would earn him house points from Hogwarts. Artel's primary quest was still ongoing, and by semester's end, each house point could be exchanged for ten plot points.
If he could slay the basilisk, Dumbledore wouldn't hesitate to award him house points.
Moreover, in the process of dealing with the basilisk, he could gather venom, blood, and other materials to explore the possibility of enhancing the Strengthening Draught potion...
Furthermore, with the acquisition of Gramdrin, he could potentially disguise the sword as Gryffindor's sword, allowing him, a Slytherin, to wield it...
Regardless, it was all about fostering goodwill.
Now that Dumbledore and the other wizards were preoccupied with Saruman and Sauron, everything was unfolding as planned, and it was time for Artel to make his move.
If Artel's previous goal was to lurk, now that he possessed the Ring of Qi, he could afford to be more assertive.
After all, he held that power.
It was beneficial to first bolster his reputation among the young wizards at Hogwarts.
"I understand."
Nagini didn't fully comprehend Artel's intentions.
But she felt relieved upon hearing Artel's instruction not to harm the young wizards with the basilisk.
She truly cherished these young wizards.
"Be discreet, avoid detection. I'll reach out to you again."
Saruman's counsel echoed in her mind before the throbbing sensation dissipated.
Nagini lay back on her bed, gazing at the starry sky outside, pondering her next move.
Artel's task seemed straightforward to her.
Despite the blood curse being lifted, Nagini retained her ability to transform into a snake. It had become her innate talent.
This was something even Dumbledore was unaware of.
....
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