"Harry, I told you I only gave you a warning—not to drag me out on a shopping spree!"
"But Noah, I heard it again in the corridor earlier. We should check it out."
"Why not ask Ron to go with you instead?"
"Because both Professor Dumbledore and you told me to notify you immediately if anything suspicious happened."
Noah looked at Harry helplessly, then sighed.
Honestly, he didn't want to admit that he had ever said something like that. But thinking about it carefully, Noah realized those were indeed his words—which gave him a headache.
He'd played himself.
Noah never expected Harry to be this impulsive—dragging him out to roam all over Hogwarts without pause.
It gave him a headache… but he couldn't refuse.
"Fine, I'll treat this as exercise. Besides, the notes from the Ancient One emphasized the importance of adapting to unfamiliar environments. Let's just say this counts."
He comforted himself with that thought and kept smiling as he greeted students passing by.
To be honest, he regretted assigning Kenn and the others to review the new recruits.
If he had taken the review himself, he wouldn't have to follow Harry around like a lost ghost.
Maybe it was because of his ridiculous performance at the Dueling Club. Katniss Lopez, who had still been hesitant, immediately decided to join afterward.
This time, she didn't hesitate at all. Her eagerness even made Kenn's expression twitch in disbelief.
Now Kenn and the others were handling evaluations with even more caution and strictness.
Well, that's Slytherin for you. Not biased—just excessively careful.
And the greetings from fellow students? That was thanks to the damn Dueling Club too. Ever since his demonstration with Professor Snape, he was recognized wherever he went.
It wouldn't be that bad… if it weren't for first- and second-year Ravenclaws.
They'd stop him, ask questions, beg for autographs—like he was Gilderoy Lockhart or something.
But Noah had no interest in fame. He just wanted to quietly study at Hogwarts.
After nearly circling all of Hogwarts, Noah finally lost his patience.
"Harry, we've walked the entire castle. Did you hear that damn sound or not? If not, we're going back."
"Sorry, Noah... I..." Harry looked frustrated and a little embarrassed. "I still haven't heard anything."
"Then it's probably not hunting tonight. Let's go back," Noah decided.
"Okay. I hope you're right." Harry nodded. Ever since joining the Wizard Alliance, he'd become far more obedient to Noah.
Climbing the stairs, they made their way to the Room of Requirement.
They had walked all eight floors of Hogwarts. Both were exhausted, but it was still too early to head back to their respective common rooms.
"Noah," Harry began as they walked, "how did you know the monster was a basilisk? I mean, besides the fact that I could hear it speaking Parseltongue."
"To be honest, even if we didn't know you could speak Parseltongue, I had already suspected it. Not just me—Kenn and the others had similar suspicions. It's mentioned in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Ancient Creatures Edition," Noah replied casually.
Though in truth, Kenn and the others had only made rough guesses. There were too many ancient magical creatures that could scare an Acromantula like Aragog. A basilisk was just one of them.
"Oh? Then why didn't you say anything earlier?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Because I wasn't sure. A basilisk's gaze kills instantly. But Mrs. Norris was only petrified, not killed. That threw me off. But after thinking about it, the answer became clearer."
Noah stretched his arms. He was starting to realize how good he'd become at piecing together half-truths.
"So?" Harry asked.
"Remember what was on the floor when you found Mrs. Norris?"
"The water reflection?"
"Exactly. At first, I thought maybe it hadn't recovered its full power—after all, it had been asleep for fifty years. But then I realized... no, it was more likely dormant for a thousand years, and had already killed when it awoke fifty years ago. Why wouldn't it do the same now?
"As for Colin, I'm betting the camera saved him. He loved photography."
Noah's words struck Harry like lightning.
Right! That made perfect sense!
The basilisk had killed someone fifty years ago right after waking up. Why would it be weaker now?
He clearly remembered that Professor McGonagall had mentioned trying to develop Colin's film to see the attacker. But the camera had been melted...
That just proved Colin hadn't seen the basilisk directly!
Before Harry could reply, Noah suddenly stopped and pulled out his wand.
"I say, the one following us—how long are you going to sneak around? You've been behind us for half an hour. Want to come out on your own, or do I need to drag you out? Don't run. My wand's already out."
The move startled Harry—but he reacted instantly, drawing his wand as well.
Twin auras of silver and gold flickered at the tips of their wands. They were ready to strike.
Draco Malfoy was stunned. How had he been discovered?
He regretted everything.
After leaving the Slytherin common room, he'd spotted Noah and Harry and decided to follow them quietly.
At first, it went well. They didn't notice him, and he kept a safe distance. But gradually, he realized they were just... walking.
Then he overheard their conversation—he even cast some spells to enhance his hearing.
And what he heard made his blood run cold.
The monster in the Chamber was a basilisk.
And Harry could talk to snakes.
Draco didn't care about the Parseltongue part. All he knew was, a basilisk wouldn't care if you were pure-blood, half-blood, or Muggle-born. One look—and you were dead.
He wanted to run home right then and there.
And now, Noah had pulled his wand out.
Noah—the second-year who fought like a graduate. The guy who made his father Lucius break out in cold sweat. The boy who defeated multiple senior students in the Dueling Club.
Run?
Nope. Bad idea.
If he even twitched, Noah might actually curse him into next week.
After hesitating, Draco clenched his jaw and stepped out from behind the pillar.
Pulling his wand to fight?
Not happening. He'd been defeated by Hermione in a duel. Noah would destroy him in a single move.
"Malfoy? You?" Harry looked stunned.
"Well, well... Mr. Malfoy," Noah said coldly. "Care to explain what you're doing here?"
Draco swallowed hard. "I…"
He couldn't say he was just passing by. Noah had already claimed he noticed him half an hour ago.
Even if that was an exaggeration, Draco wasn't about to risk it.
Saying he wanted to see how "strong" Noah was?
That was worse. Noah might test a new golden spell on him.
Just as Draco was scrambling for an excuse, Harry's expression changed.
He suddenly pressed himself against the wall, listening closely.
Moments later, he turned to Noah, eyes wide.
"Noah—the voice! It's back! I can hear it again... it's close! It's moving!"
Noah turned from Draco and looked Harry in the eye.
"Well then... what are you waiting for?"
---------
Need More Chapters?
Give this fic more Power stones!!!!!
Every 250 Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
------------------
Need More Chapters?
Give this fic more Power stones!!!!!
Every 250 Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
------------