Humming a little tune, Jon Hart quietly pushed his suitcase up onto the steam locomotive.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hermione Granger—and she looked exactly as he remembered.
That was a relief.
...Or perhaps it didn't matter. Given his long-term plans, they probably wouldn't interact much anyway. In that case, maybe it wouldn't have made a difference if she didn't?
Squeezing through the crowd, he found an empty compartment near the rear of the train and hauled his suitcase up onto the step. Though only eleven, Jon wasn't exactly scrawny—lifting a suitcase weighing several dozen kilos was no big deal.
He pulled out Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, slouched into the seat, and started flipping through it absentmindedly.
Page 117!
Though he hadn't marked it, he knew the page number by heart.
He turned the pages more gently than usual, careful not to wrinkle them.
Basilisk
Ministry Classification: XXXXX (Extremely Dangerous)
The first known Basilisk was bred by "Herpo the Foul," a Greek Dark wizard who could speak Parseltongue. After many experiments, he discovered that if you incubated a chicken egg under a toad, it would hatch into an extraordinarily dangerous serpent. Basilisks are massive snakes with vivid green scales, capable of growing up to fifty feet long. The males have a single crimson plume on their heads. While their fangs are lethally venomous, their most deadly weapon is their large, yellow eyes—anyone who meets their gaze will die instantly.
Spiders flee at the sight of a Basilisk, which is their mortal enemy. The only thing that can repel a Basilisk is the crow of a rooster, which is fatal to them.
If food is abundant (Basilisks eat mammals, birds, and various reptiles), they can live for centuries. It's believed that Herpo the Foul's Basilisk lived nearly 900 years.
Beyond its magical properties and unnatural lifespan, most of a Basilisk's traits stem from its nature as a venomous serpent. Like other snakes, it sheds its skin periodically. Its omnivorous appetite is typical of giant serpents. While not explicitly stated, it's highly likely that Basilisk skin is similar to dragon hide—armored and resistant to spells. Only its eyes and mouth are considered weak points.
Creating a Basilisk has been outlawed since the Middle Ages, but it's relatively easy to conceal. As long as the chicken egg is removed before the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures arrives, there's no evidence. Still, Basilisks are incredibly dangerous—not just to others, but even to the Dark wizards who create them, unless controlled through Parseltongue.
There have been no recorded Basilisk sightings in Britain for at least four hundred years.
Jon lifted his eyes from the book. Honestly, he'd read that passage at least twenty times since the start of summer—it was etched into his memory.
As a Muggle-born wizard, Jon was well aware: once the Chamber of Secrets was opened on Halloween 1992, he could become a target of the Basilisk at any moment—part of Tom Riddle's twisted plan to "purify" Hogwarts' bloodlines.
Sure, there were plenty of other Muggle-born students, and it might not be his turn. Plus, limiting nighttime wanderings could greatly reduce the odds of being attacked. But you could never be too careful. He had to be prepared for the worst.
So far, he hadn't figured out any reliable way to deal with a Basilisk. The only offensive spell he could use reliably was the Body-Bind Curse, and using that on a Basilisk? That'd be like trying to show off in front of an expert—it wouldn't end well.
His best hope was that the realgar powder and the rooster-shaped alarm clock would actually work and scare the creature off. He also kept a Mirror of Glory tucked in his pocket—if things got really bad, he planned to petrify himself and wait for Mandrake-based treatment to bring him back.
Still, he couldn't help but think: Tom Riddle was a half-blood himself, so why did he hate Muggles and Muggle-borns so viciously? The old saying really was true—traitors often go harder than their enemies...
...
The compartment door suddenly slid open.
A girl stepped in—golden curls, long lashes, and two adorable dimples.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked softly, pointing to the spot across from Jon. "Most of the other compartments are full."
"Nope, have a seat!" Jon replied casually.
He also helped lift her bag up onto the luggage rack.
"Thanks!" The girl smiled sweetly as she sat opposite him. "May I ask your name?"
"Hart. Jon Hart." Jon closed his book. "First-year at Hogwarts."
"Greengrass. I'm Astoria Greengrass! I'm a first-year too."
Greengrass?
Jon almost burst out laughing. Why not just go all the way and be Altria Greenhart?
Of course, mocking someone's surname was rude no matter where you were, so Jon kept that to himself.
He mentally ran through the list of characters in Harry Potter, but couldn't recall anyone by that name... That probably meant she wasn't dangerous.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Greengrass," he said politely.
"Likewise, Mr. Hart."
She was already dressed in her new Hogwarts robes, and her suitcase bore a little snake emblem—definitely a pure-blood family, Jon figured.
Turning to look out the window, Jon spotted Eric and Judy standing by with Mrs. Longbottom.
He quickly tapped on the glass and waved to them.
Woooo... With a long whistle, the train began to move slowly.
Eric waved goodbye with a smile, while Judy dabbed at her eyes. Mrs. Longbottom stood beside her, offering comfort.
They stood there waving until the car vanished from view.
"Are you part of the Longbottom family?" Miss Greengrass asked softly.
"Of course not. I told you, my surname is Hart…"
"Then... those two Muggles just now—are they your relatives?"
"Of course. They're my parents. Is that a problem?" Jon's tone turned cold.
"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry... I didn't mean any offense…" Astoria apologized quickly, three times in a row.
"I didn't mean any harm!"