By the time Robert had noted all of this down, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. At this time, the Headless Hunt team started a new round of head-juggling hockey, attracting most of the ghosts.
Robert took this opportunity to hurriedly leave the underground classroom. Perhaps there were more clues among the other ghosts, but he didn't need that many; three were already enough.
More importantly, it was almost curfew time.
Robert wasn't worried about Filch, but the underground classroom was Snape's territory, and he was a Gryffindor, so it was better to be cautious.
Especially after learning about Harry and Ron's experiences, he didn't want to be given detention by Snape.
Moreover, the underground classroom was too cold. Robert felt as if his whole body was frozen and wouldn't obey him. He just wanted to get back to the common room as quickly as possible to sit by the warm fireplace for a while.
When he came outside, Robert saw the melancholy ghost again, but this time he didn't disturb him. He just walked quickly through the eerie corridor towards the stairs leading to the Entrance Hall.
The candles on both sides were dim, reduced to the size of grains of rice when blown by the wind, providing almost no illumination.
"Lumos!" Robert whispered, his wand lighting up with a soft glow. Only then could he see the location of the stairs ahead.
Upon reaching the Entrance Hall, his body immediately warmed up. The frost on his hair quickly melted, and his wet hair stuck to his forehead, which was a bit uncomfortable.
Robert casually wiped his forehead with his pointed hat and quickened his pace towards the stairs.
The Entrance Hall at nine o'clock in the evening was empty, not a soul in sight. Even the people in the portraits seemed to be asleep. Moonlight streamed in through the main doors, falling on the suits of armor and casting long shadows on the floor.
"It's a bit scary," Robert inexplicably became a little nervous and subconsciously quickened his steps towards the marble staircase not far away.
His footsteps echoed in the empty Entrance Hall. In between, there seemed to be a faint, very subtle, rustling sound.
But when Robert stopped to listen carefully, the sound also disappeared.
The unease in his heart grew stronger. Robert wasn't sure if he had really heard the sound, or if he was hallucinating from being frozen after spending too long with the ghosts.
He could only quicken his pace again, sprinting up the marble stairs at full speed and running all the way back to the Eighth Floor without stopping.
Only upon reaching here did Robert relax a little, leaning on the railing and breathing heavily.
Whether it was a hallucination or not, it was safe here. After all, Dumbledore's office was on the Eighth Floor, so surely no one would dare...
"Meow!" A sharp cat's cry suddenly exploded from behind him.
Robert trembled all over, reflexively turning his head to look in the direction of the sound.
The moment Robert turned his head, two eerie yellow lights suddenly appeared in the darkness that had been empty before him—they were two enormous yellow eyes, like light bulbs.
At the same time, Robert heard the rustling sound again, very clearly. It seemed there was a massive creature slowly crawling through the narrow corridor.
Basilisk!
There was no mistaking it.
Robert's entire body froze. He forcibly resisted the urge to look back.
But how was this possible?
He had clearly confirmed that there was no blood writing on the wall, Mrs. Norris was fine, and Harry hadn't heard any strange sounds. Everything was normal, so why had the Basilisk appeared without any warning!
And on the Eighth Floor, right outside Headmaster Dumbledore's office, attacking him, a proper pure-blood wizard?
Countless questions flooded Robert's mind, but at this moment, he had no time to think. Only one thought remained.
Run!
Robert felt like he was back last year, when he was fiercely chased by a mad Fluffy on the Fourth Floor. Only now the location had changed to the Eighth Floor, the Fluffy had become the Basilisk, and the only thing that remained the same was that they were equally deadly.
And the Basilisk was more terrifying than Fluffy.
Robert didn't dare to look back at all. He could only run forward head down, stumbling all the way.
But how could he, a twelve-year-old wizard, outrun the Basilisk? So Robert prepared to use the same trick again, using the stairs in the Castle to slow down the Basilisk.
Just like he had slowed down Fluffy last year.
Only Robert had forgotten that Fluffy had been affected by dark magic at the time and had become completely irrational, but the Basilisk hadn't...
Just as he was about to run up the stairs, a huge tail whipped out from behind.
The tail was as thick as the trunk of an oak tree, gleaming green with the brilliant sheen unique to venomous snakes.
The moment Robert came into contact with the tail, he was flung away, crashing heavily against the wall.
A sharp pain shot up his arm. By the time Robert got up again, the Basilisk was only a few steps away from him. He could even smell a strong, foul odor.
He could imagine that the Basilisk had already opened its mouth and was lunging at him.
All of this happened too quickly. Robert had only just taken out his wand at this moment.
A blue Unicorn emerged from the tip of his wand and went straight towards the Basilisk.
But Robert knew very well that a Unicorn was no match for a Basilisk. A living Unicorn wasn't, and one in a soul state was even less so.
But at this moment, it could play a crucial role.
Through the Unicorn's blue body, Robert finally saw those cold yellow eyes.
His consciousness began to blur, and his body became still in the blink of an eye.
"Clink..." A small bottle dropped from his stiff fingers onto the floor, making a crisp sound.
At this moment, the diving Basilisk also stopped abruptly. It stretched its upper body high into the air, seemingly searching for traces of its prey.
As for Robert nearby—in the Basilisk's eyes, he was just a stone, without smell or temperature, no different from the wall next to him. It wouldn't use its fangs to bite a stone.
So the Basilisk saw the Unicorn.
Robert had turned to stone, but the Unicorn he used as a 'shield' was unchanged. Under the Basilisk's gaze, its bright blue body was still shimmering. It even lowered its head and forcefully rammed the Basilisk's head.
Then it passed right through the Basilisk's body.
The Basilisk felt as if it had been scalded by something, letting out a painful hiss. It angrily opened its mouth to bite the Unicorn and was scalded again.
It was like biting into a ball of hot steam.
Seemingly knowing it couldn't do anything to the thing in front of it, the Basilisk decisively fled. But the Unicorn didn't seem to have any intention of letting it go and chased it all the way.
Soon, they disappeared, leaving only the petrified Robert sitting on the ground.
Robert was in a very strange state. He couldn't move, but he wasn't completely unable to move.
Because he could clearly feel his wand still grasped in his hand. That familiar sensation of his fingers touching the wand's body was definitely not an illusion.
Robert also saw a cat, running up from downstairs in a hurry and then jumping onto his lap.
It was Tom...
Robert remembered. He had heard a cat's cry just as he reached the Eighth Floor, which was why he had managed to avoid the Basilisk's gaze in time.
That cat must have been Tom.
Luckily, it was downstairs at the time and didn't see the Basilisk's eyes directly.
Robert wanted to pet the cat, but unfortunately, his arm couldn't move... Speaking of which, his fingers seemed to have been blown by the wind just now. Was it because of the silver mane?
Robert, turned to stone, sat there for a full minute before the Professors who heard the commotion finally arrived.
The one running in front wasn't even Dumbledore, in whom Robert had placed his hopes, but Professor McGonagall.
Upon seeing the motionless Robert, she was initially a little angry, but only realized something was wrong when she got closer.
"Get up quickly, Mr. Ollivander, why are you sitting in the corridor... Good heavens, what in the world is going on!"
"Petrification Charm," Snape said grimly as he walked out from behind. "Perhaps Mr. Ollivander was trying to stop a student from sneaking out at night."
Snape didn't say any names, but the Professors present all knew who he was talking about.
Last year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had petrified Neville, who was trying to stop them from leaving the common room after curfew.
The Professors all knew this.
"It's not curfew time yet, Severus," said Professor McGonagall.
"But using the Petrification Charm on a fellow student is still a very bad act," Snape said, pointing his wand at Robert.
Tom, who was lying on Robert's lap, immediately bristled. His back arched high, his sharp teeth bared, and he let out a series of "hiss... ha... hiss... ha" sounds at Snape.
"Go away, you stupid cat, I'm saving him," Snape said with a frown.
"Leave it to me," said Professor McGonagall, transforming into a tabby cat immediately.
Before she could even do anything, Tom retracted his fangs and claws and slowly jumped to the side.
An awkward silence fell.
"Let's end this farce quickly."
Snape waved his wand, and a silver light fell upon Robert.
"Tell me, who did it."
Robert looked at the confident Snape and really wanted him to look closely... At least make sure the petrification is undone before you ask.
"What's going on?" Snape also noticed Robert's motionless eyes.
He waved his wand again.
"Finite Incantatem!"
This time it was a blue spell, but it immediately dissipated upon contact with Robert's body.
It had no effect at all.
Snape's face fell. Especially after seeing the strange expression on that stupid cat's face, the hand holding his wand was cracking.
Why did he feel like he was being mocked by a cat?
Fortunately, Lockhart and Flitwick arrived at this moment, along with the belated Dumbledore, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
But Dumbledore was also unable to undo Robert's petrification.
A ball of white light illuminated the dim
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