On the other side, hearing Hagrid's shout, Harold didn't hesitate—he turned and ran, yelling back, "Hagrid, the basilisk's gaze can kill!"
As he spoke, he gave a swift kick to a stunned Harry and bolted out the castle gates with practiced ease.
Funny, he thought, that he had so much experience dodging giant magical creatures inside Hogwarts Castle.
"What the heck is going on?!" he demanded as the three of them ran. "Wasn't this supposed to be one of Dumbledore's little games for you? Why is it out in the open now?!"
"Game? What are you talking about?" Harry gasped, baffled.
"Like last year with the Philosopher's Stone—same kind of challenge," Harold said.
"Now's not the time to talk about games!" Hermione cut in, equally confused.
Just then, more crashing sounds erupted behind them.
The basilisk had broken free, still dead-set on killing Harold. Hagrid clung to its tail, yanking it back with all his might.
"Oh come on…" Harold muttered, too afraid to look back as he sprinted faster.
"Shouldn't we go back and help Hagrid…?" someone said uncertainly.
"If you don't want to die and get Hagrid killed too, I suggest you forget that stupid idea immediately," Harold snapped.
He no longer cared how this had started. Right now, all that mattered was stopping the basilisk—or rather, Tom Riddle?
Whatever it was, it clearly had one goal: him.
He could only hope Hagrid could stall it long enough. If not, he was finished.
Could it be he was wrong, and this wasn't Dumbledore's test for Harry?
"We should get help from the other professors," Hermione said between breaths. "Isn't there another way into the castle?"
"Of course there is, but we don't need it," Harold said. "When it comes to magical creatures, Hagrid is more reliable than Professor McGonagall—especially when the enemy is a basilisk."
A direct gaze from the basilisk was lethal.
But Hagrid, with his half-giant resistance and magically enhanced club, could resist that fatal curse. McGonagall, on the other hand, was neither a giant nor armed with a magic-refreshing weapon—she could be killed instantly.
As they spoke, they arrived at Hagrid's hut.
"We have to do something!" Hermione cried, raising her wand to shoot red sparks into the air.
"Don't!" Harold shouted.
His Horcrux Codex appeared above her wand and devoured the spell before it launched.
"That thing is a basilisk. If anyone sees its eyes, they'll die on the spot."
"What?!" Hermione froze, horrified, finally remembering what Harold had said back in the castle.
If he was right, then what she had nearly done was extremely reckless. If anyone had looked out a window out of curiosity, they might've died instantly.
"Harold, that monster… it really is a basilisk?"
"Yeah." Harold nodded without enthusiasm—no time for Q&A.
He summoned the soul of a unicorn and peered through its blue, translucent form to check on the basilisk's location.
Apparently, Hagrid had taken Harold's earlier warning seriously—he was dragging the basilisk further from the castle, toward the Quidditch pitch.
Still, the beast was struggling, its head always facing in their direction.
Wow… what a grudge, Harold thought with a twitch of his lips.
He had no doubt that if it broke free, he'd be its first target.
"What exactly did you do?" he asked Harry.
"I…" Harry stared at the spectral unicorn, mouth opening and closing.
But Harold wasn't really listening. His focus was still on the situation unfolding in the distance. Once he saw Hagrid had dragged the basilisk far enough, he turned back to them.
"Now go back to the castle. Tell the professors the basilisk is out and make sure they seal all the windows—especially in the common rooms."
"I'll go!" Hermione turned and dashed off at full speed.
"What about you?" Harry asked, stopping halfway up the path when he noticed Harold wasn't following.
"I'm staying to help Hagrid. He might not be able to handle the basilisk on his own."
The beast's eyes weren't its only weapon. If Riddle calmed down and turned his full attention to Hagrid, no enchanted armor could stop those venomous fangs.
Harold needed backup.
"I'll help you," Harry said without hesitation, turning back. "Hermione can handle the warning."
Harold didn't argue. He pushed open the door to Hagrid's hut and strode in. Harry followed close behind, confused.
Inside, Harold rummaged through drawers and chests.
"What are you looking for?"
"A whistle. A stone whistle."
Harry joined the search, still puzzled. "Aren't we supposed to be helping Hagrid?"
"We are," Harold said, opening another cabinet. Please let Hagrid have left it behind…
"Is this it?" Harry called from behind.
Harold whirled around just in time to see him holding up a crude whistle made of stone.
"Yes, that's it!" Harold's eyes lit up. "Blow it. Hard!"
Meanwhile, back at the castle…
The basilisk's wall-shaking crashes had already drawn the professors' attention. By the time they reached the entrance hall, they were met with a gaping hole in the wall and broken pipes everywhere.
"What on earth happened?!" McGonagall clutched her chest.
"There's something there," Snape said suddenly. Amid the rubble, he spotted something gleaming. He stepped closer—it was a scale. A snake scale.
Snape's face went pale. "It can't be…"
At that moment, Hermione ran inside.
"Miss Granger?" McGonagall turned to her.
"Professor!" Hermione shouted, breathless. "The monster from the Chamber is out! Harold says it's a basilisk! You must seal all the windows immediately!"
Her words hit the hall like a spell blast. For a second, everyone froze.
Then the professors sprang into action, raising their wands.
One by one, the windows were magically sealed. The castle quickly dimmed.
Hermione quickly explained what had happened: the basilisk breaking through the wall, Hagrid dragging it outside.
"Thank goodness Hagrid was there," McGonagall said with relief. If not for the half-giant shielding them, those three children might've died on the spot.
"Professor…" Hermione's voice wavered. "Ron… please save Ron…"
"Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall's heart sank again. "He saw the basilisk?!"
"He was taken… taken into the Chamber," Hermione sobbed.
"You said the Chamber? Then it didn't escape on its own?" McGonagall pressed. "But the entrance was sealed—"
"It was Lockhart! He and someone else broke through the bathroom door…" Hermione cried. "They opened the Chamber!"
(End of Chapter) Google seaʀᴄh 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩