In summary, when William climbed out of Kabuda's pocket...
Peter Pettigrew was already lying in the pile of rubble on the ground, seemingly having more air going in than out. His eyes stared blankly at the pitch-black ceiling above, and his pointed nose and head looked bloodied and mangled. The enlarged Kabuda awkwardly stood side by side with Slytherin's statue...
Oops, too heavy-handed.
Seeing William's gaze turn towards him, Kabuda, who was secretly observing the situation with his head lowered, promptly stood up straight. Then, as if remembering something, he fished out a bottle of Dittany Essence from his pocket and handed it to William, before resuming his military posture, observing with eyes and mind.
Kabuda breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that his first action had nearly allowed this rat to escape... disgraceful.
Luckily, the final outcome was good, except he couldn't resist smashing him a couple more times... it's all the fault of this small star, being so fragile.
Kabuda reached out his claws, tapping at the air in front of him with his claw tips, inducing a facepalm from William.
He had to admit that Kabuda had always excelled at acting cute, which was why it could influence the circle of first and second-year girls. But... there's an art to being cute, and with a height approaching five meters, it appeared as a "big black rat" tapping away...
"Tsk—"
William sighed and beckoned Kabuda over, who responded immediately by shrinking and hopping onto William's shoulder. Watching as William poured the Dittany Essence onto Peter Pettigrew, a thick green smoke rose the moment it touched the wound—
When the smoke dissipated, the bleeding had stopped, and the wound looked as if it had healed for a few days, with new skin covering the exposed flesh from moments before.
It's probably better not to finish him off yet, since Lupin might still want to see this person.
However, William glanced around, intrigued by this gigantic underground space... could there be a Secret Chamber in the castle he'd never been to?
He now stood on one side of a narrow, elongated, dimly lit room, surrounded by columns carved with entwining snakes that soared upwards, supporting a ceiling lost in the dark above, casting eerie shadows throughout the room filled with mysterious green vapor.
Here it is...
"Hiss—"
The Poisonous Snake Green Pepper, sporting a red feather, climbed onto William's other shoulder, whispering softly into his ear.
Following the guidance of Poisonous Snake Green Pepper, William's gaze shifted to the statue resembling a monkey. Truth be told, Slytherin's appearance had always been a mystery, and according to Green Pepper's description, this statue was erected by Salazar Slytherin himself...
Generally speaking, people rarely make themselves ugly, often opting for a degree of beautification...
Of course, it's not impossible that Slytherin was indeed a genuine person...
Hiss... so ugly.
Gazing at the appearance of a snout-faced monkey, William grimaced. Though it wasn't his first time seeing Slytherin's statue, it remained undeniably ugly. He still remembered Little Tom's appearance and the dual-faced creature formed by the Boggart that once appeared before Harry...
Only to say, the Dark Arts are truly harmful.
In the Wizarding World, those who persistently delve into the Dark Arts seem invariably drawn towards resembling those unsightly, decrepit medieval European wizards or witches... perhaps those stories aren't myths but actual historical accounts.
Thus, William walked beneath the statue and transformed into a Thunderbird, soaring upwards—much more convenient than using the Flying Spell. Standing upon the statue's tongue, he observed the cavity's mouth of Salazar Slytherin, spacious enough for him to crouch through, exchanging a glance with Green Pepper.
Although Green Pepper wore an eye patch, it affirmatively nodded at him.
After a moment of hesitation, William proceeded to crawl into Slytherin's mouth, following the path down the "throat," observing the peculiarly large space within... Was this Slytherin's big stomach? He instinctively thought, meanwhile scanning his surroundings.
Here must be the place where the Basilisk has slumbered for nearly a thousand years; in the corner of the room lay several snake skins shed by Green Pepper.
Honestly, even with extended dormancy, the life span of a Basilisk usually peaks at five or six hundred years. Previously, William had no idea how this Basilisk, cultivated by Salazar Slytherin upon leaving the school, could live so long, maintaining such an exaggerated form...
Green Pepper itself couldn't clarify, only recalling awakening within the statue's belly, accompanied by Slytherin's command in its mind—
Follow the successor's directive.
Essentially, the next Parseltongue able to find this Secret Chamber.
"So, you're still shedding skin regularly?"
William inquired softly while continuing his journey guided by Green Pepper's cues.
"About once every three months."
"Do you ever feel like you're nearing the end of your life?"
"No, actually, I feel I'm still in adolescence..."
"A thousand-year-old adolescent?"
"Sort of?"
"...Little Green, do you have a White Snake sister?"
"?"
"Then, approximately when will you mature into a human?"
"???"
"..."
Observing the ongoing "hissing" exchange between man and snake, Kabuda felt a chill creeping down his spine.