"Astley,"
The pale-skinned boy sneered as he took off his sunglasses.
"Today is the day you pay your debt!"
Saiban cried out in alarm, "Viggars Carrow!! It's you! You're the one who stole my sunglasses!"
Viggars Carrow and Saiban shared a dormitory. Since Professor Lockhart's death, Carrow had vanished.
Carrow had eyes only for Audrey, completely ignoring the group of young wizards beside her as he held up the basilisk eye.
"Heh heh heh, counting you, I will have killed two Defense Against the Dark Arts professors. That will definitely be recorded in 'Hogwarts: A History'!"
Carrow laughed maniacally, a sickly flush appearing on his pale face, his bloodshot eyes filled with madness.
"Die! Astley!"
The basilisk's eye emitted a faint glow. Audrey gasped, then shouted, "Everyone, don't look at that yellow sphere!"
However, she was too late after all; more than half the students in the room turned a grayish-white.
Enraged, Audrey turned into a streak of light and flashed in front of Carrow. She snatched the basilisk eye away, grabbed the insolent brat by the throat with one hand, and hoisted him into the air.
"No, cough, impossible! Why are you fine even after looking directly into the basilisk's eye!"
Viggars Carrow roared; he couldn't understand how his foolproof sneak attack had failed.
"Cough, don't kill me, cough-cough, don't kill me! My master is... cough... invincible under heaven, he will... cough... avenge me!"
Audrey threw him to the ground and said coldly, "Your master? The Tom Riddle from the diary?"
Carrow's pupils shrank. How did Astley know that?
Audrey snorted coldly. "Fool, you don't even realize you're being used. Your life force was drained long ago. You're only able to move now because someone injected magic into you to sustain your life. Once that magic is exhausted, you will die instantly."
Viggars Carrow yelled, "Bullshit! You're lying! Master promised me—he said he would grant me power!"
Audrey shook her head; the boy was beyond saving.
With a light tap of her wand, she bound Carrow and funneled some magic into him—even if he was going to die, he couldn't do it in her classroom.
It wasn't that she feared the trouble.
It was mostly because it would be bad luck.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver-glowing Rui beast jumped from the tip of her wand. It had a single horn pointing backward on its head, a body like a tiger or leopard, a head and tail like a dragon, and a pair of wings on its shoulders that could not be unfurled.
The Rui beast walked lazily for two steps, glanced at Audrey, then flew up through the ceiling to report to the Headmaster.
"Don't panic, everyone!"
Audrey said loudly, "These students have only been petrified. They can be restored with a Mandrake Restorative Draught!"
The chaotic classroom fell silent instantly. Audrey had neutralized the perpetrator in moments, and combined with her prestige, her words carried immense weight with the young wizards.
A few minutes later, Dumbledore arrived with Madam Pomfrey. The Patronus Rui beast yawned and dispelled itself of its own accord.
Seeing the room full of grayish-white students, Dumbledore was taken aback. "This is...?"
Audrey tossed the basilisk eye to Dumbledore. "People often say things gotten for free aren't valued, and it seems they're right. A first-year could actually steal a basilisk's head from Snape! I should have charged a proper fee for it!"
Dumbledore only smiled faintly at Audrey's complaint, then looked down at Carrow, who was bound tightly on the floor.
"Is this Viggars Carrow?"
"Yes, this fool's life force has been drained dry. He doesn't have long to live."
"Bullshit!" Carrow struggled like a leech touched by stinging oil. "My master will come for me, just you wait!"
Dumbledore gestured to Madam Pomfrey, who immediately produced the restorative draught to tend to the students, while he himself knelt down.
"Who is your master, child?"
"Heh heh heh heh..." Carrow didn't answer, only letting out a sinister laugh.
"It's Tom Riddle," Audrey whispered into Dumbledore's ear. "It's likely the diary that bewitched Ginny Weasley. If I'm right, it's a Horcrux."
"A Horcrux?"
Dumbledore's brow furrowed. He didn't ask how she knew about Horcruxes, as her next words were even more startling.
"Carrow's life force has been almost entirely drained. If that energy was used correctly, Tom Riddle might have already gained the ability to move freely. Furthermore, the other basilisk eye is still in his possession."
Audrey scrutinized Carrow closely. "Viggars Carrow doesn't have his wand, so it's highly likely Tom Riddle has it. We could be facing a sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle with a basilisk eye, a wand, and a physical form."
It sounded terrifying, but Audrey didn't take a sixteen-year-old Tom seriously at all.
"This is a truly terrible situation," Dumbledore sighed. "What do you think we should do?"
Audrey rolled her eyes. "The last time Carrow attacked the hospital wing was to kill Harry Potter. I believe that is Tom Riddle's true objective."
"So, you don't need to stress. Just keep a close watch on your Savior, and Tom Riddle will reveal himself eventually... Also, since he has a basilisk eye, I suggest the school provide sunglasses to every student for their safety."
"Trendy sunglasses, legendary quality, one Galleon a pair, fair prices for all!"
One Galleon per pair—that was quite expensive!
Dumbledore blinked. "Your deduction is brilliant, but I can't award points to a professor. However, if you could sponsor the sunglasses for the students' safety, I could award fifty points to Slytherin!"
Trying to get a freebie using Slytherin points?
Heh, do I look like someone who cares about that?
...
Before lunch, in Snape's office.
Snape spoke softly, "Audrey Astley assisted the school by substituting for a class. Ten points to Slytherin."
Well, add a little less each day so the other Heads don't notice anything unusual...
...
...
Viggars Carrow died. He died in the hospital wing.
But Audrey had no interest in this. Dumbledore wanted to extract Tom Riddle's location from the boy, but Tom was cunning; if he threw Carrow out as a smokescreen, why would he let the boy know where he was hiding?
At that moment, Audrey was inside her suitcase, looking utterly speechless.
Norberta was sprawled on the ground, pressing her massive head against Audrey, only to be punched back by a 'fist of love' every time.
"Stop it, Norberta! Ao's baby is almost here!"
The female phoenix, Ao, sat motionless in her nest, while Fawkes circled her anxiously. Unable to bear his pacing, Ao pecked at him.
Fawkes cried out in pain, suddenly bursting into flames and turning into a pile of ash.
Audrey: ...
Does this count as a scene of murdering one's own husband?
Actually, it had long been time for Fawkes's rebirth. But since he'd been with Audrey, the radiating magical elements had nourished him, keeping him from looking as aged as he would have otherwise.
But when the time comes, it comes. Ao's peck simply triggered the process.
There was a stir in the ashes, and a wrinkled, featherless little bird crawled out.
"Uh, Fawkes, you're really ugly after a rebirth."
Audrey's words were blunt, making Fawkes squawk in protest.
"Do you mean the little phoenix about to hatch will look like this too?"
Fawkes nodded repeatedly. 'We birds all look like that when we're born!'
"Crack, crack!"
Ao hurriedly stood up. Cracks were appearing on the phoenix egg; the little one was breaking through!
The birth of new life is always captivating.
Eight eyes—one dragon, two phoenixes, and one chimera—stared fixedly at the egg. They were witnessing a sacred moment!
Finally, the little phoenix crawled out, letting out her first cry.
Her feathers were already formed, as bright as fire. Though tiny, she already possessed the aura of a divine beast.
Fawkes: ...
Ao glanced disdainfully at Fawkes and stepped forward to nuzzle the little one.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]