After Dobby completed his oath, Aiden completely erased the contract binding the house-elf to the Malfoy family.
"You can even do that?" Harry said, his voice full of surprise.
"In the realm of the mind, I am far beyond ordinary people," Aiden replied with a touch of modesty. "Alright, Dobby, here is your first task. You need to return to the Malfoy family, act as though nothing has changed, and provide us with information."
"Yes, sir," Dobby said with a deep bow and disappeared into the air.
Harry watched them, a complicated expression on his face. For the first time, he felt truly powerless next to someone his own age.
Just as he was about to ask something else, Aiden suddenly pushed him back onto the bed and pulled the blanket over him. A moment later, Aiden vanished into thin air just as a burst of noise came from outside the door. Two professors rushed in carrying a stiff, petrified body, with Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall following anxiously behind.
The victim was Colin Creevey. He had clearly been on his way to visit Harry, as he still held a camera in one hand and a bunch of grapes in the other.
"I think he's been petrified, Pomfrey," Professor McGonagall said, helping to cover Colin with a blanket.
"Perhaps Mr. Creevey was about to take a picture of the attacker," Dumbledore mused. "It's a good thing I went downstairs for a cup of hot chocolate; otherwise, I would never have found him." He took Colin's camera. As he touched it, a plume of thick, acrid smoke rose from the device.
"What's going on, Headmaster?" Professor McGonagall asked, her voice full of worry.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore murmured, his gaze distant, "we should tell everyone the truth. Hogwarts is no longer safe. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened."
Hearing these words, Harry, hidden beneath his blankets, felt his expression grow even more solemn.
After leaving the hospital wing, Dumbledore began to patrol the corridors, searching for any trace of the attacker.
"Perhaps you need the help of an old friend who is far away in the United States, Professor," a clear, youthful voice said from behind him.
"Hmm," Dumbledore said, turning around and pushing up his half-moon glasses. "Your skills are becoming more and more refined, Aiden."
"Well, the moonlight is just right," Aiden smiled. "Shall we go for a walk together?"
"An excellent student invites me for a stroll? How could I possibly refuse?" Dumbledore replied with a gesture of invitation.
Aiden led him all the way to the abandoned girls' restroom on the second floor.
"So," Dumbledore said, a glimmer of doubt in his eyes, "you've brought an old man to wander around the girls' lavatory late at night?"
"Perhaps you can only get the blessing of the master of this particular lavatory by coming at night," Aiden joked. He took out his wand, put it to his mouth like a trumpet, and blew hard while spinning it. Golden powder flew from the tip, blanketing the room. The dust coalesced, forming the giant, shimmering outline of a snake. It slowly crawled across the floor and slithered toward one of the drainpipes before disappearing.
Seeing the revealed image, Dumbledore recognized the creature's path instantly. "A wonderful spell," he said with a smile. "Twenty points to Ravenclaw." He seemed relieved to finally know what they were up against. "That's Newt's spell, isn't it? It seems you have a deep friendship with him for him to teach you his specialty."
"I begged him for a long time," Aiden admitted. "I never expected Mr. Scamander to be such a unique person, specifically improving his spells just to catch magical beasts." He watched the last of the golden dust sink into the drainpipe. "Alright, Professor. Now it's time to deal with it." Aiden swapped his short wand for his long, silver staff.
"Hmm," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Now that we know what lies within the Chamber of Secrets, I have a plan."
Aiden understood perfectly. The two of them exchanged a knowing smile. For some reason, Harry, far away in the hospital wing, felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
Dumbledore summoned Fawkes, and in a brilliant flash of fire, the two of them appeared in the Chamber of Secrets. The chamber was vast and simple, decorated with stone pillars carved with coiling serpents. At the far end stood a colossal statue of Salazar Slytherin himself.
"Our Founder Salazar certainly did a thorough job with security," Aiden commented, having spotted at least twenty alchemical traps on their way in. "However, the old man still overlooked one thing. He never imagined one of his descendants would bring a phoenix to bypass them all."
The mechanism that trapped the Basilisk was violently dismantled by Dumbledore, and the enormous serpent crawled out from the mouth of its creator's statue.
"Does our old Slytherin founder have some... strange hobbies?" Aiden asked, getting goosebumps at the sight.
"Aiden, it is not good to criticize one's predecessors," Dumbledore said calmly as he waved his wand, levitating the entire Basilisk into the air. "Hmm. Now, what should we do with this fellow? It truly gives an old man a headache." He said this while staring pointedly at Aiden.
"Seriously? Can you be a little more serious?" Aiden sighed. "Where did that powerful, reliable headmaster from when we first met go?"
"Perhaps reality and ideals always drift further and further apart," Dumbledore blinked innocently.
Ignoring his antics, Aiden turned his attention back to the task at hand. "My suggestion is to complete the Eihwaz (ᛇ) rune. The creation of the Basilisk itself is closely related to this rune. Herpo the Foul used his consciousness to weaken its power, leaving only the aspect of death and removing the cycle of life. It's a common problem among Dark Wizards; they purely pursue extreme destruction."
"Well then, this arduous task will be handed over to our Master Alchemist, Prewett." Dumbledore waved his hand and prepared to leave.
"Hey!" Aiden said, putting his hands on his hips. "Are you just going to dump this troublesome matter on me? Be careful, or I'll sue you for abusing child labor!"
"Wizards have no laws protecting minors," Dumbledore's voice called from a distance as he vanished in another flash of flame.
Left alone in the Chamber of Secrets, Aiden began his work.
"Well now," he said, looking directly into the Basilisk's large, captivating eyes. "Let's have a look."
'You're dead,' the Basilisk thought gleefully.
But nothing happened. The deadly magic entered Aiden's body through his eyes and was instantly and completely digested. His body stiffened for a fraction of a second, then returned to normal. Aiden's heterochromatic eyes began to emanate a powerful draconic might, and the Basilisk quickly lowered its head, not daring to meet his gaze.
"So you're a snake after all," Aiden mused, stroking his chin as his right hand continued to scan the creature. "Dragon and snake... is there really a mystical connection?"
Just as he was about to take out his wand to modify the runes in the Basilisk's mind, an idea flashed through his head. 'System, can I...'
['Ding. Yes.']
Aiden began to work, completing the Eihwaz (ᛇ) rune on the Basilisk's soul. He changed its fatal gaze into a petrifying one. At the same time, thanks to the rune's inherent connection to death and rebirth, any damage caused by the petrification would now slowly transform into healing magic, allowing its victims to achieve a state of drug-free self-recovery. Afterward, Aiden also carved the Ehwaz (ᛖ) companionship rune into the great serpent's mind.
"It's done," he said, a smug smile on his lips as he admired his work. "No need for long-term enslavement. Temporary control is sufficient." He cleared his throat. "Come, repeat after me: Outsider not of this world, Great Master of the Sea of Consciousness, Grey-White Dragon who controls the mind. I swear to you that I am willing to abide by my oath, not to initiate a war, and to work tirelessly to maintain peace among all magical creatures."
"Hiss... hiss... hisssss..."
As Aiden and the Basilisk completed their oath, the power of the mind flowed through the great serpent's body, and its ancient, malevolent eyes became lively and intelligent for the first time in a thousand years.
(End of Chapter)
***
[Check Out My Patreon For More Chapters On All
Of My Fanfics!!] [www. p@treon.com/meowthtl]
[+300 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]