When Wade reached the bottom of the pipe, he saw Tom.
Tom was standing in the sludge, filthy from head to toe, swearing at the top of his lungs.
Pfft~!
That kick from Wade had been far too sudden. Even though Tom had managed to cast a Levitation Charm at the last moment to avoid being smashed to death, there was no way to avoid getting covered in mud and foul water halfway down.
For someone as fastidious as Tom, it was enough to make his lungs practically explode with anger.
"Ehm.. If you want to wake the Basilisk and have it bite your head off, you might as well curse even louder," Wade said lazily while trying not to laugh.
Tom immediately shut his mouth.
Thinking back on how loudly he had been shouting just now, a wave of lingering fear crept over him.
This was the Basilisk's territory. Yelling like that earlier really had been a bit too brave.
At that moment, Dumbledore and the others came down as well.
The Cushioning Charm was very effective at slowing their descent, so even without using a Levitation Charm, they landed safely.
As a result, aside from Tom being covered in filth, everyone else was in perfectly fine condition.
Seeing how filthy he still looked, Tom felt his anger flare up again.
Dumbledore walked over and gave a light flick of his wand. The mud and grime on Tom vanished at once.
"From now on, no one is to remove their glasses. This is extremely important," Dumbledore said sternly.
Tom hurriedly tightened the glasses that had been knocked slightly askew.
Although Tom's personality had changed a great deal, his fear of death had never diminished.
Everyone present was a heavyweight, and he was the only weakling. Of course he had to protect himself.
They were already deep in Hogwarts' underground pipes. The ground was covered in sludge and stagnant water, and an indescribable stench hung in the air.
A glowing orb shot out from Wade's wand and floated above them, illuminating the pitch-black tunnel.
"A very fine Lighting Charm, Wade. In that case, let's move," Headmaster Dippet said, finding their direction.
"Wade, keep Tom safe. Don't do anything like earlier again. What if he breaks his neck?" Dumbledore said seriously.
"Got it! Mission guaranteed!" Wade replied loudly.
"Keep your voice down! You'll wake the Basilisk!" Tom jumped in fright.
"Stand tall, Tom! Draw your wand! Don't embarrass yourself!" Wade shouted.
"You bastard… I really want to fire a spell and seal that mouth of yours!"
"Tom! Wands are for pointing at enemies, not your own people!"
"Alright, alright… I'm begging you, can you please keep your voice down!"
Amid the bickering, they stumbled forward through the tunnel, and before long, they reached the end of the pipe.
Most of the branching paths were above the main channel, so there was no real risk of getting lost.
This also confirmed Newt's earlier guess. This pipe was likely just one of the Basilisk's exits.
At the side of the tunnel's end stood a very conspicuous circular metal door.
The door was covered in serpent-shaped metal carvings. Each snake had green gemstones set into its eyes, making them look almost alive.
"This should be it. Tom…" Headmaster Dippet turned to look behind him.
Tom stepped forward. When he reached the door, he deliberately shifted to the side, afraid that the moment it opened, Wade would kick him in again.
"Hiss, hiss…"
As Tom spoke, the door gave a sharp click.
Everyone immediately pulled Tom to the very back and raised their wands toward the doorway.
The serpent carvings on the circular metal door lit up as the green gemstone eyes suddenly gleamed. Then, as if coming to life, the snakes withdrew to the sides.
The lock disengaged.
Holding the Elder Wand in one hand, Dumbledore pushed the circular metal door open with the other and cautiously stepped inside.
The others followed one by one.
Beyond the door lay a vast chamber.
Numerous pillars carved with serpents stood along the sides, and on the far wall of the chamber was a vivid carving of a hunched old man.
The old man leaned on a staff, looking like a withered old monkey.
Clearly, this was a statue of Salazar Slytherin in his later years.
"It doesn't look like the Basilisk is here?" Tom peeked out timidly from behind the others.
"It is," Newt said, crouching to examine the floor. "There are clear traces of a large serpentine creature having moved through here."
"Has the Basilisk awakened?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, probably not. These traces are many, many years old. This place has remained sealed all this time, which is why they've been preserved," Newt said. As he finished speaking, he picked up a large serpent scale from beneath one of the pillars.
Tom stared at the massive green scale, his face turning pale.
This Basilisk seemed even larger than Nagini had been.
"There's probably no need for me here anymore, right? Maybe I should…" Tom said as he edged backward.
"Your job isn't finished yet, Tom," Wade said, pointing at Slytherin's statue. "Look at its mouth. That looks like another door. You still need to open it."
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at the statue of Slytherin.
Sure enough, there was a distinct fissure at the statue's mouth, unlike the rest of the surface, which was merely carved decoration.
Moreover, through the magical lenses, a faint red glow could be seen seeping from within the crack.
That meant there was something magical inside.
Judging by the brightness, there was a very good chance the Basilisk was sleeping within.
"It seems we'll have to trouble you once more, Tom," Dumbledore said apologetically.
"Uh…" Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Tom knew there was no way he could slip away now.
He had no choice but to step forward again, stand before the statue, and speak Parseltongue toward Slytherin's mouth, telling it to open.
This time, however, nothing happened.
The statue's mouth remained tightly shut, without the slightest response.
"Uh… why isn't anything happening?" Tom asked in confusion.
"I think you need to be a bit more respectful. You can't just order it to open like that. That's your ancestor, after all. Think about it. If you were Slytherin, what would you want your descendant to say when they first saw you?" Wade asked.
Tom frowned and genuinely tried to put himself in Slytherin's place. "Alright… just shouting 'open' does seem a bit inappropriate…"
"Don't worry. There must be a way to open it," Headmaster Dippet said, flipping through the manuscripts again.
At that moment, Tom suddenly raised his head and spoke a line in Parseltongue to Slytherin's statue.
"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Four Founders!"
Crack!
As Tom finished speaking in Parseltongue, Slytherin's statue actually began to move its mouth.
"Oh! Tom, you really are a genius!" Wade exclaimed sincerely.
Clearly, Slytherin had not left behind every step required to open the chamber.
At the very least, this final door had not been explicitly explained.
But when one considered the purpose behind Slytherin leaving the Basilisk behind, it all made sense.
What Slytherin wanted was a descendant who worshipped him completely.
Only such a descendant would act entirely in accordance with Slytherin's will.
Therefore, if a descendant could not even bring themselves to offer a word of praise when facing his statue, then they were certainly not the kind of heir Slytherin wanted to see.
Such a person did not deserve to open the final door and awaken the Basilisk.
Yet the line Tom had improvised moments earlier carried both admiration for Slytherin and pride in being his descendant.
It was enough to trick the statue into opening its mouth.
"It's starting," Newt warned.
As Slytherin's statue opened its mouth wide, a rasping hiss echoed from within.
Clearly, some enormous creature was preparing to crawl out.
Seeing this, Tom immediately bolted, sprinting out and hiding beyond the doorway.
Just as Tom cleared the door, a massive emerald-green serpent slowly emerged from Slytherin's mouth.
Hissssssss~~~<<<<
Yet through the enchanted lenses Wade and the others were wearing, what they saw was a vivid red, serpent-shaped creature crawling out of the dim opening.
At the same time, Wade and the others felt sharp waves of pain stabbing at their eyes.
Their vision was already completely blocked, what they were seeing transmitted purely through magical conduction.
By all logic, they should not have been affected by the Basilisk's gaze.
And yet...
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