86: Killing the Basilisk and Daphne’s Disappearance

86: Killing the Basilisk and Daphne’s Disappearance

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The Sword of Gryffindor was lodged between John and Harry.

John was about to grab it when the basilisk broke free from its bindings and lashed its tail toward them.

He had no choice but to continue reinforcing his Transfiguration spells, causing the surrounding trees to transform into ropes that tightly bound the basilisk.

Stones turned into small dogs that bit into the basilisk's tail.

"Harry, pick up that sword!" John shouted to Harry, who had snapped out of his fear-induced stupor caused by the basilisk.

The suggestion had been planted by Riddle through the connection of the Horcruxes, and any strong stimulus would help Harry regain his senses.

But Harry lacked confidence, shaking his head rapidly in front of a tree, and yelled, "I.. I can't do it!"

"You can do it! You are the Chosen One, the child of prophecy!"

John, distracted for a moment, nearly got bitten by the basilisk's head as it struggled free.

The sharp fangs, like military blades, sank into a tree, causing it to wither and rot quickly. John broke out in a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Harry continued shaking his head, saying, "My body is shivering.. I.. I can't do it, John. I'm not like you. I'm not that good."

"Fuck..."

The basilisk bit through the rotting tree, its venomous fangs gleaming with deadly intent as it lunged toward the source of the sound.

John used the Shield Charm to block the attack, but his wand was knocked out of his hand.

He had no choice but to parry with the Ironwick sword, with the basilisk's venomous fangs dangerously close to his face.

Even the most patient person would be cursing by now, and John was no exception.

He rolled to dodge and then pointed towards Harry.

Using wandless magic, he cast a physical version of the Reviving Charm.

Harry, still in a daze, was suddenly thrown through the air, his body uncontrollably slammed around before being yanked out from behind the tree.

It worked—he snapped out of his confusion. John shouted angrily, "I don't care if you can do it or not, just pull out that fucking sword!"

"Right, John's in danger. I have to help."

The Charm cleared Harry's head. Though still a bit dizzy, he got up from the ground, ran over to the Sword of Gryffindor, and pulled it out.

The gleaming silver sword had a hilt encrusted with a dazzling, egg-sized ruby.

With the sword in his hand, Harry suddenly felt a surge of courage.

But that courage might have been a bit too much—he mimicked John, gripping the Sword of Gryffindor, and charged at the basilisk.

John was stunned.

"Wait, are all Gryffindors this stupid? I meant for you to pull it out and give it to me!"

Harry made a fearless charge, and then...

"John, help!!!"

The basilisk wrapped itself around Harry, preparing to swallow him whole.

However, Harry's actions managed to distract the basilisk, giving John the crucial time he needed.

John picked up his wand and aimed it at the basilisk, which was about to bite Harry. Channeling all his magical power into the tip of his wand, it emitted a brilliant white light.

"Reducto!"

The white light struck the basilisk's mouth, where there were no scales, causing its massive head to jerk back and fling away.

Boom!

The entire serpent collapsed to the ground.

It tried to rise again, but John reversed his grip on the sword, accelerated, and drove it into the open maw of the beast.

The soft tissue of the mouth provided resistance, but John pushed through.

No matter, John aimed his wand at the sword's hilt and cast a Banishing Charm, forcefully driving the blade further in.

The Ironwick sword acted like a nail, penetrating through the jaw and embedding itself into the ground.

"Don't be ridiculous. You could drain all my blood and still not cure the poison. You'd be better off chopping off my hand."

John looked at Harry, exasperated. The poison had already made his hand numb; sucking it out would only lead to both of them lying down dead.

Realizing that John had a point, Harry hesitated, then drew the Gryffindor sword, his expression conflicted. "..o..ok.."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't cut it off! I think I might still have a chance," John exclaimed, breaking out in a cold sweat at Harry's 'determination'. He suddenly remembered that he had the Serpent Slayer(/Catcher) Blessing, so maybe there was still hope.

Seeing Harry's skeptical expression, John quickly took out an antidote and downed it in one gulp. Then, he pointed his wand at the wound.

"Episkey!"

The wound slowly began to heal, and John could feel sensation gradually returning to his hand.

This allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief, realizing he'd scared himself for no reason.

Continuing to cast healing spells, the gruesome wound healed completely over time.

John flexed his right hand, and aside from some soreness, everything seemed fine.

Swallowing nervously, John noticed Harry still holding the sword aloft. "You can put that down now."

"Oh!? Yeah!" Harry lowered the sword, and John walked over to the basilisk. The creature was a treasure trove, though unfortunately, they couldn't take much of it with them.

'Hmm.. Hummm...'

John focused on the venomous fangs, knowing they were incredibly valuable.

He carefully pried each one out, stashing them in his small pouch.

"Let's head back," John said.

With the basilisk dealt with, it was time for them to return.

Both of them looked a bit disheveled, but John didn't care much about that right now.

After the healing, his stomach started to growl, and even Harry felt the same—earlier, he had been under Riddle's influence, and now that he had snapped out of it, he was filled with a lingering fear.

"So, you're saying that diary was something you placed there?"

John listened to Harry speak, falling into deep thought.

What exactly was Riddle's plan?

"He told me it was you who opened the Chamber, and that he could stop you, so I..."

Harry felt awkward and guilty. In hindsight, he realized how foolish his actions had been.

John was speechless.

You didn't listen to me, but you trusted a piece of paper from a diary?

The two of them returned to the Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, and as John passed by the room within the statue, he thought it best to come back another time.

Exiting through the passage, they found Professor Snape already waiting in the girls' bathroom.

"John Wick, Harry Potter," Professor Snape's face was grim. John gave a sheepish smile and said sincerely, "I had my reasons. Do you believe me?"

Professor Snape stared at John coldly, as if to say, "Do you think I believe you?"

After finally explaining everything to Professor Snape, John even showed him the basilisk fangs as proof.

Professor McGonagall arrived, and upon seeing the situation, hurriedly sent the two boys to the school hospital wing for a check-up.

Harry was mostly fine, aside from some fatigue and a few scrapes.

But when it was John's turn, Madam Pomfrey suspected that this child might be faking his injuries.

Aside from his tattered clothes, John was completely unharmed—not even a scratch.

If Harry hadn't seen John get bitten with his own eyes, he might have thought John had just rolled around in some mud!

...

After feasting in the Great Hall, John decided to find Malfoy and get the diary back.

But when he finally found Malfoy, he delivered some bad news.

"What did you say? Daphne is missing...?"

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