"Why does he keep running to the washroom?" Harry asked, looking at Dudley's hurriedly departing figure.
Ron shook his head and said, "I don't know; maybe he's been drinking too much water."
"I know. I once read in an old medical text that this kind of situation usually indicates kidney problems," Neville said seriously.
"..." Harry stared at him in disbelief.
On the other side, Dudley could tell that voice came from Malfoy.
After entering the washroom, he found a stall, locked the door, then quickly responded to Malfoy's prayer and entered that mysterious space.
Previously, Dudley's strength had been insufficient to stay in this space for too long, and after his exploration, he had found that there were not any particularly special abilities here, so he rarely came here afterward.
At this moment, this was also Dudley's first time entering here after breaking through to mid-sequence Judge.
The magnificent palace had become more concrete, with strange mist permeating the air, flickering in and out of existence.
Dudley stood in the palace as if he were standing among the clouds.
He waved his hand trying to dispel the mist, but discovered that this mist seemed to be one with the palace here. His will could not drive the mist away.
"Where did this mist come from..." Dudley frowned.
Not having time to think about other matters, he immediately responded to Malfoy's prayer.
At the same time, in an abandoned underground classroom in Hogwarts castle, Malfoy was devoutly reciting the Night Emperor's honorific name.
Before long, Malfoy's entire body trembled as he saw a magnificent palace before his eyes. That oppressive figure emerged from behind the strange mist, looking down at him from above.
Condensed light flickered faintly around them, and the mist seemed to come from the deepest parts of the universe, emanating an incomprehensible and eerie aura.
"Night Emperor," Malfoy quickly bowed his head respectfully.
He felt that tremor-inducing aura, even more magnificent and irresistible than before.
Standing before the Night Emperor, it seemed the other party only needed a single thought to easily destroy him without leaving a trace.
"What is it?" Dudley asked in a deep voice.
"Night Emperor, I... I have been feeling very unwell recently," Malfoy said with a pale face.
"Some problems have appeared in Hogwarts castle. The legendary Chamber of Slytherin has been opened, and the monster inside is rampaging through the castle. Several students have already been petrified, and even my good friend Crabbe has been petrified."
"I am very afraid."
"Afraid that such a thing will happen to me."
"Moreover, according to legend, the monster in the Chamber is a basilisk that can kill anyone with just eye contact. I feel Hogwarts is very unsafe now. I..."
Malfoy's face was completely bloodless, and by the end, he was somewhat incoherent.
"Basilisk..." Dudley's eyes focused slightly.
He naturally knew about these matters, but he did not have any particularly good methods to deal with them.
After all, this was a creature from the magical world, and he still was not clear about what level the basilisk's death gaze could reach.
In terms of extraordinary abilities, Dudley knew that the Death pathway's Sequence 3 Ferryman possessed similar powers. Living beings that made eye contact with it would die directly, and even those with divinity would suffer severe injuries. Even without visual contact, targets within its sight would slowly wither, as if crossing death's river inch by inch. Most attacks except purification were ineffective against it.
This ability was very similar to the basilisk's description, but based on Dudley's speculation, no matter how powerful the basilisk was, it probably could not reach or exceed the abilities of a Death Sequence 3 Ferryman, which was already at the Saint level.
The currently known powerful wizards or creatures in the magical world could at most touch the demigod level—that is, Sequence 4. Therefore, it was impossible for a magical creature to possess power comparable to a Saint.
(TL NOTE: I know some of you might argue about the power scaling of the Harry Potter world, but this is fanfiction, so the magic itself might be stronger than in the books or movies.)
From Dudley's only previous encounter with the basilisk, the basilisk's ability to petrify him and Harry through a mirror was indeed very strong, but the Solar Ring could purify this condition before petrification was complete.
Although it had no effect on those already petrified, it showed that this petrification ability could not reach Saint level.
"Night Emperor, I wonder if you have any way to deal with the basilisk. I am really very afraid..." Malfoy asked with a pale face.
You could see he was indeed filled with fear.
Malfoy had rarely contacted the Night Emperor for so long, obviously because he was also very afraid of this mysterious and terrifying existence.
But now, because of the basilisk, he obviously could not worry about so much.
"Is Malfoy really that afraid of the basilisk?" Dudley looked at Malfoy's appearance with some confusion.
From their interactions in the castle, Malfoy should not be scared to this extent.
However, thinking carefully, Dudley realised that ever since Crabbe had been petrified, Malfoy's condition had indeed been very poor.
Perhaps this was when his real fear began.
Pure-blood wizards could also be attacked, and the one petrified was his most loyal follower. Such a blow was indeed very significant for Malfoy.
"If you do not have a good solution, Night Emperor, that is also fine. I was presumptuous," Malfoy spoke up, seeing the Night Emperor remain silent for a long time.
Dudley narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking about what to do.
Suddenly, his heart stirred as he remembered that during Tarot Club meetings, Mr Fool could bestow angel blessings that could achieve purification-like effects.
"Paper Angel!" Thinking of this, Dudley immediately used his will to control his surroundings, materialising a piece of paper and sketching the appearance of a six-winged angel.
"I shall bestow upon you a blessing, to purify evil and resist darkness," Dudley declared.
As his words fell, Dudley waved his hand, and the paper figure he had just cut flew toward Malfoy below.
"This is..." Malfoy did not understand what the Night Emperor meant and was about to ask when he looked up and saw a golden six-winged angel descending from above, radiating rich holy radiance.
The six-winged angel's pure white wings spread out, slowly embracing Malfoy, while heavenly choral music seemed to ring around them.
Then the golden six-winged angel gradually merged into Malfoy's body and disappeared.
A warm feeling swept through Malfoy's entire body, making him feel as if he were bathing in summer sunlight—an unprecedented sense of peace and comfort.
In the palace, Dudley stared at Malfoy. This was his first time trying such a thing, and he did not know if it would work.
Until he saw that after the paper angel merged into Malfoy's body, the faint black mist that had been entwining around Malfoy immediately dissipated like smoke, and only then did he show a smile.
"Another ability unlocked—I can bestow blessings now!" Dudley thought with satisfaction.