0176 Terror Spreads

Words : 1989 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

News of the second student's petrification spread through Hogwarts like wildfire t. Within hours, conversations filled every corridor, common room, and corner of the ancient castle. Students huddled together in frightened groups, their voices dropping to nervous murmurs whenever footsteps approached, as if speaking too loudly might somehow attract the attention of that creature. If the first student's attack could have been dismissed as a tragic accident, a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, then this second incident delivered a terrifying message that no one could ignore: the monster responsible for these horrors was still very much alive, still roaming the castle's passages searching for victims. Moreover, a disturbing pattern had begun to emerge that sent fear through a specific section of the students. This latest victim, the third-year Ravenclaw girl was a Muggle-born witch just like Justin Finch-Fletchley from the previous incident. This undoubtedly intensified the panic among students from non-magical families. The panic among students had already partially subsided after Valentine's Day, but this incident made the situation worse than ever. A week passed in this state of this rising anxiety. Whether students or professors everyone was worried. Even Lockhart, who had built his entire career on stage plays of confidence and charm, no longer "performed" his usual shows for anyone who would listen. His typical peacock-like behavior had vanished completely, replaced by an unusual subdued demeanor that was very different from his normal personality. The change was so different that it was almost as if Hogwarts no longer had the flamboyant celebrity that students had grown accustomed to seeing swaggering through the corridors. Except for teaching classes, Lockhart rarely went out of his office. Adrian thought that he was terrified of encountering the basilisk again. After all, Lockhart had already experienced one close call with death before, and the memory of that encounter had clearly left lasting psychological scars. Some time ago, Professor McGonagall had given a stern warning that had obviously taken root in Lockhart's mind: if he made direct eye contact with the basilisk, even Merlin himself would be powerless to save him from death. Adrian couldn't help but think of Lockhart as a cowardly fellow, though he had to admit that his current behavior was actually quite intelligent from a purely practical standpoint. After all, no rational person would fail to cherish their own life, and Lockhart—despite his many flaws—was no exception to this. One evening, Adrian was chatting with Harry in his office. Harry had come to inquire about Gulu as recently, it seemed to be getting sleepier and sleepier. Out of twenty-four hours in a day, it spent twenty-three hours in a state of deep sleep. "It's probably about to enter its growth period," Adrian said after several minutes of careful observation, returning it back to Harry's hands. "This is completely normal phenomenon." Harry breathed a slight sigh of relief and took Guru back, and began playing with it in his hands for a while. But despite Harry's actions, Guru showed no response. "By the way," Adrian said suddenly, as if a thought had just occurred to him, his voice taking on a more serious tone that immediately caught Harry's attention. "Have you heard that voice again recently? The one you mentioned before?" "Voice?" Harry paused in his gentle stroking of Guru's fur, his eyes growing thoughtful as he searched his memory. "I don't think so. It's been quiet for a while now." Adrian nodded with obvious relief, though his expression remained concerned. "That's good news, but I need you to promise me something important. If you do hear that voice again, you must notify me immediately. And remember, under no circumstances should you act alone!" Adrian was genuinely worried that when Harry heard the basilisk's voice again, the boy's Gryffindor instincts would override his common sense and he would go charging off to investigate by himself, probably with some heroic view of protecting others from danger. Without a doubt, Harry was exactly that type of person. "I will, Professor," Harry promised with serious sincerity. "I won't do anything reckless." "I'm planning to choose only Care of Magical Creatures," Harry said with confidence. "I think I should be quite good at it." Adrian glanced at him and said with a smile, "If you don't choose my class, I'll assign you detention every single day for the rest of the year. Or perhaps I'll take you to Professor Lockhart and have you spend your afternoons helping him write replies to all his fan mail." The threat was delivered with such deadpan seriousness that Harry couldn't help but shiver at the mental image of spending hours writing responses to Lockhart's admirers. How could he possibly consider not choosing Care of Magical Creatures after such a terrifying alternative? "Alright, no more joking around," Adrian said, his expression becoming genuinely serious. "If I were in your position, I would definitely also choose Ancient Runes as a priority. As for Divination, Arithmancy, and Muggle Studies, they're not absolutely essential for your future career, but you should consider trying them if any of those subjects genuinely interest you." Harry felt somewhat overwhelmed by the suggestion. According to Adrian's recommendations, it seemed like he would need to choose practically every available course. But obviously, he didn't possess the energy, time, or mental capacity to excel in every subject simultaneously. So, Harry decided to focus his attention on the course that Adrian had specifically emphasized as most important. "Ancient Runes?" He asked with curiosity mixed with uneasiness. "What exactly is that class about? What would I be learning?" "You'll be studying runic words and ancient magical texts," Adrian explained. "It's mainly theoretical coursework, involving the translation and interpretation of historical runic magical manuscripts. You'll learn to read the language that many of our most powerful spells were originally written in." Harry's face fell slightly as he absorbed this information. Whatever the specific subject matter, he was never good at theoretical parts. "It sounds like exactly the kind of class that Hermione would absolutely love," He said with a smile. "I think so too," Adrian agreed with a knowing nod. In fact, Hermione enjoyed almost every course at Hogwarts. Well, perhaps Divination wasn't among her favorites—he remembered her having some opinions about Professor Trelawney. Adrian's thoughts drifted to memories of the original story, where Hermione had chosen to take every available elective course and had even applied for a Time-Turner to manage the impossible scheduling conflicts that resulted from it. That Time-Turner was quite an impressive magical device—he often wondered about who had originally created it. Given the opportunity, he would definitely want to study its construction and principles in detail. This time around, Hermione would probably still choose to take all available courses. "Alright," Harry said nodding. "I'll definitely choose Ancient Runes. As for the other electives, maybe I should think about them a bit more before making final decisions." "A very wise choice," Adrian said with genuine approval in his voice. "If you have any ambitions of becoming a truly top-tier wizard, Ancient Runes is absolutely unavoidable. It's the foundation that everything else is built upon." This was no exaggeration—many of the most ancient and powerful magical spells, rituals, and enchantments were recorded completely in runic script. Without the ability to read and understand these texts, a wizard's education would remain permanently incomplete. "Oh, wait just a moment," Adrian said, struck by sudden thought. He walked over to his bookshelf and began selecting volumes. "Speaking of Ancient Runes, I happen to have several books here that are particularly well-suited for beginners. You can start reading them over the summer to get a head start on the material." "Hiss—" Just then, Harry suddenly covered his forehead. Adrian immediately turned around from his bookshelf, saw Harry's expression of anguish, and instantly realized what was happening. His face went pale with concern and growing alarm. "What's wrong?" He asked urgently, already moving toward his desk where his wand lay ready. The fragmented words echoed through Harry's mind like whispers from a nightmare. "Professor!" Harry's face had turned pale, his voice was trembling with fear and recognition. "That voice... it's the basilisk... I can hear it clearly now. It's coming again, and it's close!" Upon hearing this confirmation, Adrian immediately abandoned the books he had been selecting and lunged toward his desk, grasping the wand from his desk. "Try to stay calm, Harry," He said in a solemn tone. "Can you determine where the voice is coming from? Can you pinpoint its location?" Harry hearing the basilisk's voice with such clarity meant that the creature was currently somewhere very nearby. Perhaps someone had already been attacked. Harry closed his eyes shut, his fists clenching as he struggled to focus to filter through the mental noise and distinguish the direction from which the basilisk's voice was emanating. The basilisk's voice came in fragmented bursts, incomplete sentences that seemed to echo from multiple directions simultaneously. It was difficult for Harry's mind to process, making precise location nearly impossible to determine. Finally, after about thirty seconds, Harry opened his eyes with a gasp of recognition. "Very close!" he said, his voice still trembling but now carrying a note of certainty that hadn't been there before. "It's right nearby—maybe just down the corridor!" Before Adrian could respond or even process Harry's words, he immediately rushed toward the office door. Adrian followed closely behind. Just as Harry had said, the basilisk's latest attack had occurred very close to Adrian's office. After crossing just two quick turns through the corridors, they reached the scene of the latest tragedy. A student lay motionless on the floor, his body already rigid with the unmistakable stiffness of petrification. His eyes were wide open, frozen in an expression of terror. Even in his petrified state, he was still clutching a textbook against his chest, as if he had been studying when the attack occurred. The was clearly another basilisk victim. This time the victim was a fourth-year Hufflepuff student whose face Adrian recognized, though it took him a moment to place the name. The boy had been friendly with Cedric Diggory, another Hufflepuff from the same year, and Adrian had observed them together on several occasions during meals in the Great Hall. More importantly, this was yet another Muggle-born student. If this wasn't a coincidence then the basilisk's targets had definitely shifted to focus specifically on students from non-magical families. Suddenly, Adrian realized something and slowly walked forward, picking up the textbook from the student's hand. He opened the cover to the first page, and there, written in what appeared to be fresh blood-red paint, were four words that made his heart skip a beat: "Try to find me." Adrian stared at the message for a few seconds, his mind racing as he analyzed every detail. The handwriting was deliberately crude and rough, lacking any of the natural flow that would be someone's normal writing. The letters were formed with the obvious purpose to disguise their true origin. Clearly, whoever had written this taunting message was trying to conceal their identity by deliberately altering their handwriting. This was... a blatant provocation. "What should we do?" Harry asked anxiously from beside him. Adrian knelt down beside the victim and conducted a quick but thorough examination, checking for vital signs and assessing the extent of the magical damage. After several tense moments, he was relieved to confirm that this was still just petrification. "First, we need to notify Professor Dumbledore immediately," Adrian said with a heavy sigh. ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis

0176 Terror Spreads

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