Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 35 The Battle of the Serpent Monster

In the final week before the end of the term, a heavy snowfall buried Hogwarts in the cold. A heavy silence, like the accumulated snow, enveloped the entire castle, making the students, already under strict lockdown, even more sullen.

During this time, Fred and George transformed into the most popular people; even their Slytherin classmates couldn't deny that the Weasley twins were the school's most humorous and lively characters. They would occasionally strut ahead of Harry to clear a path for him.

"Make way for the heir of Slytherin! The greatest and most evil dark wizard has arrived!"

"Lord Potter! According to the schedule, you should be heading to the Chamber of Secrets next to have tea with your 50-foot-long, fanged, vicious servant."

……

With the help of Fred and George, most people began to think that the idea of ​​Harry being the heir to Slytherin was absurd. But even so, one thing still troubled Harry.

This winter break, Ron's family and Hermione will all be staying at Hogwarts. Knowing his two best friends as he does, Harry will find it nearly impossible to hide his desire to fight the Basilisk alone. Therefore, he will have to create some illusions.

In the final week before the holidays, Harry prepared Christmas gifts for almost everyone. There was a voucher for an Ollivander's wand for Ron. (Harry had mailed seven Galleons to Mr. Ollivander in advance.)

There is a handwritten beginner's alchemy notebook given to Hermione.

There were ordinary invisibility cloaks given to Fred and George (ordinary invisibility cloaks are usually woven from the fur of invisibility beasts, while cheaper ones are ordinary cloaks that have been enchanted with a Disillusionment Charm; Harry bought the former for the Weasley twins. Although these invisibility cloaks are more durable than Disillusionment Charm cloaks, they will gradually lose their effectiveness over time; only the invisibility cloaks from the Deathly Hallows can make one permanently invisible)...

However, just as Harry was planning, as in previous years, to give Professor Snape the venom of the eight-eyed spider as a Christmas present after his last Potions class, the Slytherin Headmaster, who had been "suspended" for the entire semester, once again kept him after class.

As soon as Harry entered the office, Snape gave him a thorough dressing-down.

"What have you been doing lately? Don't you know you should keep practicing if no one's giving you extra lessons? Or do you think you've already learned enough?"

“Listen up, Mr. Potter. Whether it’s potions or the knowledge you’ve learned from other professors, at your current level, you’ve only just taken a small step past the threshold of entry. You may be a little better than your peers or other classmates, but you’re still far from being a master.”

Harry didn't argue with Professor Snape; he barely listened to what the professor was saying. From the moment he entered, Harry's eyes were fixed on Snape's clenched arm.

"Some things are not for you kids to handle. If you don't want to rely on so-called adventurous spirit and a desire for fame... what are you looking at?"

"It's nothing, Professor."

Snapeton stood up abruptly, his expression grave, and said:

"Don't lie to me."

Harry, who had never seen Professor Snape so nervous, instinctively made up an excuse to ask:

"Ah, Professor, I'm just a little curious, did you teach Malfoy the spell 'Shadowless Blade'?"

Since Malfoy's weakened version of Shadowless Blade was blocked by Mo Ran in his black mist form, Harry's human form was not harmed by the curse. Apart from a little pain, he didn't really think there was anything special about the curse.

But Professor Snape was different. As the creator of the Shadowless Sword, he understood the terror of the spell better than any reader or viewer.

"The Divine Blade Without a Shadow?"

Snape said, almost panting,

"Were you hit by him? Are you injured? What did you two idiots do? Why did Draco use that spell?"

The barrage of questions left Harry somewhat bewildered, but he also realized that many secrets he was unaware of had occurred at school this semester. So, he tentatively replied:

"Malfoy wasn't satisfied with the result of our duel at the dueling club, so he approached me over the weekend to challenge me to another match, and so..."

Harry's lie was immediately seen through by Snape, who slammed his hand on the table and reiterated:

"I told you, don't lie to me. Draco would never use this spell in a duel... Are you testing me?"

Harry, whose little schemes had all been seen through, did not answer Professor Snape's question. He secretly thought to himself, "If it were Hagrid, he certainly wouldn't have noticed," and then fell silent.

Looking into Harry's silent eyes, Snape, who was about to explode, slowly calmed down. In a few breaths, he slowly sat back down in his seat, choosing resignation over extreme unwillingness.

"This is Divine Sharpness and its only counter-curse—Swift Healing. Their effects are very special, so remember not to practice them on your classmates. Also, this is a bottle of Felix Felicis, which I introduced to you last semester. I don't expect you to always think rationally and act calmly like a good wizard. But it might be able to save you from doing something foolish in the heat of the moment at the right time."

Harry couldn't help but show a look of surprise as he saw the two lines of spells that Professor Snape had hurriedly written on the parchment and the small golden bottle he took out of the drawer.

Compared to the difficulty of brewing Felicidide, gathering the rare raw materials required for it is the simplest step.

Besides the venom of the eight-eyed giant spider, it also requires the eggshells of the fire serpent bird, salamander eggs, mustard flower petals, and the blood and horn of a unicorn. After gathering all the materials, there are still brewing processes that last for one month and six months respectively, as well as a settling time required to increase the concentration.

Many potions masters who make a living by brewing potions may not be able to create a bottle of Felix Felicis in their lifetime, but Professor Snape, who was capable of brewing it, disliked this "lucky potion" for some other reason.

Like Mo Ran before his transmigration, most wizards in the magical world only knew that Felix Felicis was banned in various competitions and was expensive and rare. But for those who understood potions, Felix Felicis also represented one of only a few chances in a lifetime to defy fate.

Just as a dog can only eat a few grams of chocolate in its lifetime, overdosing on Felix Ferulic also has dangerous consequences—from mild intoxication-like dizziness to permanent personality changes that lead the drinker to a tragic end in arrogance and self-importance.

Snape detested arrogance and conceit; in his own words, it was:

"Even with the best of luck, a self-righteous person is bound to perish. What's worse, they often bring disaster to those around them. So Mr. Potter, I hope you never need to drink this potion, and never become a sinner who harms your friends and family."

……

When Harry came to his senses, the office door was already open. Having attended many of Snape's "lessons" here, he knew perfectly well that this was how Snape issued his "eviction notice." As Harry left his office, Snape slowly stood up.

In the darkness, he stared intently at the empty entrance with his even darker eyes, lost in thought.

……

On the first night of the Christmas holidays, Harry was especially happy. Although he didn't feast as usual, he had a great time playing around with George and Weasley in the Great Hall. The lively atmosphere infected almost all the students staying at school, and they played until midnight before finally having to return to their dormitories to rest because they were tired.

“Stupefy…” (faints and collapses)

A soft chanting of a spell came from the Gryffindor second-year dormitory. To ensure his actions went unnoticed, Harry actually cast a Stunning Charm on his good friend Ron.

"Ron! Ron!"

Harry first yelled twice, and when he saw that the other person showed no sign of waking up, he took off his robe to reveal the tracksuit he had been wearing underneath.

The festive atmosphere at Hogwarts had gradually faded by the late hour, but Harry didn't find it dull. More than nervousness and excitement, he needed to remain calm as he prepared to face the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets.

"Wand, potion, eye patch, invisibility cloak, and a fake Gobblestone to turn into a magic rooster... Hmm, everything is ready."

After the equipment and supplies were inventoried, Harry took out a bottle of vitality potion from his small bag, gulped it down, and headed towards the women's restroom on the second floor.

Standing once again at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Moran both felt a sense of tension. Without Headmaster Dumbledore present, and with most of the professors away on holiday, the responsibility of defeating the Basilisk now rested entirely on their shoulders.

A chilling wind blew through the bottomless pipe. After taking a few more deep breaths, Harry leaped and slid into the dark, sticky, endless pipe.

There are many pipes in Hogwarts Castle that connect to this passage. They are winding and twisting, but none are as wide and deep as the one he is using.

It wasn't until two minutes later, after descending several miles, that Harry felt the water pipe, which had been a steep slope, become horizontal. Seeing the end of the pipe just ahead, Harry suddenly sprang to his feet, avoiding a fall onto the wet ground.

"Lumos." (Fluorescent flashing)

Harry whispered something to his wand, and as the wand glowed brightly, he also put on the Invisibility Cloak.

The tunnel was pitch black, but Harry dared not use his Ultimate Fluorescence. He wasn't confident he could easily defeat the basilisk, and he knew how much of an advantage it would be to gain the upper hand in a battle of this magnitude. Therefore, he preferred to move forward cautiously, little by little, rather than recklessly walk into the basilisk's encirclement.

About five minutes later, the tomb-like tunnel was suddenly broken by a clicking sound. Harry looked down and saw that there was a layer of animal bones on the damp, rocky ground.

“Silencio…” (Silently)

Just as Harry was casting the Silent Charm on himself, he suddenly noticed the outline of a huge creature coiled up in front of him out of the corner of his eye. His heart pounded so hard that Harry once again entered a state of intense focus as the Seeker, and he quickly realized that what was in front of him was not a basilisk, but its shed skin.

The snakeskin was a vibrant, vivid green, and even just looking at it, Harry could sense the deadly venom and how terrifying it was. But for some reason, looking at the snakeskin made him feel like he had forgotten something.

Soon, Harry reached the end of the tunnel. After carefully navigating one bend after another, he saw a wall carved with two giant snakes intertwined.

“Hesha-Hassah!” (Open!)

Ha hissed in Parseltongue.

The emerald in the stone snake's eye flashed, and it slowly slithered away from the stone wall. Immediately afterward, a crack appeared in the stone wall that had been hidden beneath the two snakes' bodies. The crack widened until it finally disappeared completely to either side.

A long, dimly lit stone chamber appeared before Harry. Without Moran's prompting, Harry put on the eye patch he had prepared beforehand. He removed the Invisibility Cloak from his head and tied it around his waist, after which thick black mist rose from his skin, enveloping him in it.