Wade seemed to appear out of thin air. He glanced around the room, neither confirmed nor denied Robert's speculation, and instead said:
"The basilisk has been slain. The challenge is officially over! As for the performance and evaluations of the participants in this event, we will announce the results at the end-of-term banquet after consulting the opinions of the professors."
"Wade Grey!" Slytherin's Drian asked in surprise, "When did you get here?"
"I've been here from the beginning," Wade replied calmly.
Drian was even more surprised. "Was it you who blinded the basilisk? How did you do it?"
Wade gave him a glance. "I didn't do it. That was the work of Fawkes, the phoenix."
Right on cue, Fawkes let out a cry and announced its presence. Then, in a burst of flames, it circled the Chamber of Secrets before landing on Wade's head.
Wade shook his head slightly, and Fawkes reluctantly moved to his shoulder, puffing out its chest proudly as it basked in the astonished and admiring gazes of the students.
The students were indeed amazed, but what shocked them most was how close the headmaster's phoenix seemed to be to Wade.
A reasonable guess: Dumbledore might also be in this chamber...
Some students began to look around, only to see Professor McGonagall's stern expression.
"It's already past curfew! What are you all waiting for? Get back to your common rooms!" Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"Professor! We defeated the basilisk! Can't we celebrate for a bit?" Fred shouted bravely.
"He's right!"
"Can we have a feast in the Great Hall? I'm starving..."
The students clamored excitedly.
Looking at the faces filled with anticipation, Professor McGonagall relented slightly. "You can enjoy a late-night snack in your common rooms... but don't disturb those who are already resting."
"Alright!"
The students cheered in unison.
Even Professor McGonagall allowed herself a small smile.
Though she knew perfectly well—those little lions from Gryffindor would undoubtedly wake everyone up when they got back and exaggerate their feats several fold to show off.
No... perhaps the other students weren't even asleep and were waiting instead for them to return and recount their adventure!
Tonight, Hogwarts was destined to be sleepless.
Under the urging of the heads of houses, the students gradually filed out. Every now and then, they pretended to tie their shoelaces, crouched down quickly, and stealthily grabbed a few fallen basilisk scales to stuff into their robes.
Each student thought their actions were perfectly natural and subtle, but when most of them did the same thing... it became glaringly obvious to the observing professors.
Professor McGonagall averted her gaze, pretending not to notice.
Professors Flitwick and Sprout were nearly amused to laughter but managed to hold it in, preserving the students' dignity.
Professor Snape, however, waited until everyone had finished picking up scales and left the chamber before coolly remarking, "If anyone gets poisoned, they can brew their own antidote to cure themselves."
Immediately, two or three students turned pale, but even so, they couldn't bring themselves to discard the basilisk scales.
The chaotic sound of footsteps and excited chatter echoed in the tunnel, gradually fading into the distance.
Only then did Dumbledore lift his Disillusionment Charm and step forward.
By now, Wade had already pulled out the other basilisk fang, root and all.
He used a clean-water spell to wash off the remaining venom from the fang, then transformed a nearby rock into a suitably sized stone box and placed the fang inside.
The long stone box was casually slipped into his backpack. Despite its modest size, the backpack seemed like a bottomless pit, swallowing the entire box with ease.
Seeing Dumbledore emerge, Wade said, "I thought Professor Snape would be the first to collect the basilisk's venom and blood!"
"He certainly considered it, but as the head of Slytherin House, he had to fulfill his duties first," Dumbledore said with a resigned smile. "So, he left the task to me."
Ah, that explains it! Wade thought to himself.
No wonder Professor Snape left so briskly. I almost thought he wasn't interested in such rare potion ingredients as the thousand-year-old basilisk. Turns out he roped Dumbledore into doing the hard labor for him.
Opportunities to have Dumbledore handle such tasks were rare indeed. Snape must have feared missing out, which was why he'd hurried away.
Wade stood to the side, and watched how Professor Dumbledore handled the enormous seven-to-eight-meter-long basilisk.
The headmaster rolled up his sleeves, waved his wand—and the massive serpent floated into the air.
Behind him, Wade's eyes widened, a faint golden glow shimmering in their depths.
It was as if an invisible force, delicate and precise, was gently dismantling the giant serpent piece by piece, like disassembling building blocks.
Scales, fangs, venom, punctured eyeballs, muscles, bones…
Each layer was separated with an elegance that resembled a top-tier pianist playing a symphony.
Wade felt dazzled and mystified, instinctively holding his breath.
Magic can be like this?
Magic is truly like this!
The giant serpents carved into the surrounding stone pillars seemed to come alive, and they slithered down the columns and across the floor, transforming into various containers beneath the basilisk.
The dismantled parts of the basilisk shot like swift birds into their respective containers, crisscrossing in a precise and orderly fashion. The crisp clinking sounds were unexpectedly melodious, and the originally pungent blood now seemed to radiate a mysterious brilliance.
When the last container was filled and sealed, the floating giant basilisk completely disappeared—leaving not even a single scale behind.
Dumbledore lowered his wand, feeling a rare wave of fatigue. But as he turned around, he couldn't help but smile.
The usually composed Wade was now staring at him with bright, shining eyes, as if his gaze had been enchanted with a Lumos charm.
Wade had always known Dumbledore was powerful, but this was different from the "Firestorm."
The firestorm-like flames were something Wade believed he could one day replicate, given enough magical strength.
But what had just unfolded before his eyes... it wasn't something explainable or replicable through spells, gestures, or even magic energy flow.
"Professor," Wade asked, his tone filled with genuine admiration, "how did you do that?"
"Ah, well..."
Dumbledore looked momentarily troubled by the question. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "This isn't something that can be directly taught, Wade. I can only say—"
"I wanted it to change, and so it did."
"To put it simply: magic is the embodiment of a wizard's will."
His explanation was somewhat vague, but Wade understood.
A magic of the mind—a power that uses will to influence the existence and transformation of the material world.
In other words—
God said: Let there be light.
And then there was light in the world..
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
[email protected]/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------