Charlie came out of the Principal's office and checked the time.
There was still some time before lunch, so he had enough time.
He walked out of the Castle and headed straight for Hagrid's Hut.
Charlie reached the door and raised his hand to knock.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Fang's barking came from inside, along with the sound of heavy objects colliding.
"Coming, coming!"
Hagrid's rough voice sounded.
The door opened.
Hagrid's huge figure appeared in the doorway, and seeing Charlie, a smile immediately appeared on his face.
"It's Charlie."
"Come in quickly, I'm making rock cakes."
Charlie walked into the Hut.
Entering October, the weather had already turned cold.
But it was warm inside, with a fire burning in the fireplace.
Fang wagged his tail and pounced over.
Charlie stroked his head.
Hagrid brought out a plate of biscuits from somewhere.
"Try some?"
"No, Hagrid."
Ever since he had a rock cake once, Charlie had been politely declining any food Hagrid offered.
That stuff could directly kill someone.
He quickly waved his hand.
Hagrid was a little disappointed, but still placed the biscuits on the table.
"Then have some tea."
He poured Charlie a cup of tea.
Charlie took the teacup and sat down in a chair.
"Hagrid, I came to ask you for a favor."
"What is it? Tell me."
Charlie took a sip of tea.
"I want you to help me procure some Roosters."
Hagrid scratched his head.
"Norbert wants to eat chicken?"
"No, I want them alive."
"Alive? What do you need live chickens for?"
Charlie put down his teacup.
"To deal with the Basilisk."
Dumbledore wouldn't conceal the matter of the Basilisk, so telling Hagrid now could also allow him to prepare early and avoid being attacked by the Basilisk.
Hagrid's eyes instantly lit up.
"A Basilisk?!"
He stood up excitedly.
The chair was pushed back a long way by him.
"There's a Basilisk in the school?!"
"I've always wanted to raise one."
Charlie looked at him speechlessly; only Hagrid could say something like that.
As long as it moved, he wanted to try raising it.
Charlie sighed.
"So can you help me procure Roosters?"
Hagrid finally came back to his senses.
"Of course, of course."
He patted his chest.
"Leave it to me."
Charlie stood up to say goodbye.
"Then I'll be going now."
"Remember to procure the chickens as soon as possible."
...The next morning.
The Great Hall was packed with people.
Students sat at their respective House tables, whispering.
Dumbledore stood in front of the staff table.
He raised his hand, and the Great Hall instantly fell silent.
"Students."
Dumbledore's voice was calm.
"I have something to announce to everyone, regarding Madam Norris's attack."
Everyone looked up at him.
Muggle-born students were especially uneasy; Dumbledore had spoken of the legend of the Chamber of Secrets that day.
They had been constantly worried, fearing that the heir's next target would be them.
Dumbledore continued.
"It is now confirmed to be the work of a Basilisk. Looking directly into a Basilisk's eyes will cause death, and seeing it indirectly will lead to petrification."
The Great Hall erupted.
Students gasped in fear.
"Merlin save us!"
"Has the Basilisk been caught? Are we in danger?"
Dumbledore raised his hand again.
The Great Hall became quiet once more.
"Please do not panic."
He continued.
"The Basilisk is still in the Castle, and the Professors will resolve this matter as soon as possible."
"Before that, please go in groups and do not act alone."
A student in the crowd asked.
"Principal, was the Basilisk released by the heir?"
Noisy sounds filled the Great Hall again.
Especially the Muggle-born students, who whispered to each other, their faces filled with fear.
But Dumbledore did not answer the question; the true heir was Tom, and he did not want to cause unnecessary fear among the students before Tom's return.
He raised his wand and pointed it at his throat.
"Quiet."
The sound exploded in the Great Hall, as if someone had yelled into every student's ear.
The whispering stopped instantly.
Dumbledore lowered his wand, his gaze sweeping across the Great Hall.
"The school will ensure everyone's safety." His voice was steady and powerful, making people feel at ease.
"The Professors will resolve the Basilisk problem as soon as possible."
"Before that, please trust the school, trust the Professors."
He paused.
"Additionally, I want to thank Mr. Charlie White."
"It was he who found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and discovered the existence of the Basilisk."
"At the same time, Mr. White has prepared a gift for everyone."
The students below turned their heads to look at the Hufflepuff long table, but did not see Charlie.
Harry was stunned.
"Where's Charlie?"
Hermione also turned her head and searched the Great Hall.
"He's not here."
Just then, the Great Hall doors were pushed open.
Charlie and Hagrid walked in, one after the other.
Behind them floated a huge cage, filled with Roosters.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
The Roosters crowed loudly, their voices terribly noisy.
The students all turned their heads.
The two walked all the way to the staff table.
Hagrid placed the cage on the ground, and Charlie cancelled the effect of the Levitation Charm.
The Roosters crowed even more excitedly.
Charlie walked onto the staff table, turned around, and faced all the students.
He pointed his wand at his throat.
"Hello everyone."
"I know everyone is very scared."
"The Basilisk is indeed very dangerous."
Charlie paused.
"But the Basilisk has a fatal weakness."
"It is afraid of the sound of a Rooster's crow."
He pointed to the Roosters in the cage.
"So I prepared these Roosters."
"Next, Mr. Filch will distribute the Roosters throughout the school."
"Corridors, classrooms, near dormitories, there will be Roosters everywhere."
"As long as there are Roosters, the Basilisk will not dare to approach."
Whispering sounds rose in the Great Hall.
The students looked at the Roosters in the cage, and the fear on their faces gradually faded.
The Roosters were still crowing.
But at this moment, the noisy sound seemed exceptionally pleasant.
Dumbledore stood by, smiling.
"Mr. White has made great efforts for everyone's safety. Fifty points to Hufflepuff."
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff long table.
Ernie was the first to stand up.
"Charlie!"
He excitedly waved his fists.
"Our King!"
The Hufflepuff students were stunned for a second, then stood up one after another.
"Charlie! Our King!"
"Charlie! Our King!"
The sound grew louder and louder.
Even students from the other three Houses began to shout loudly.
Besides Hufflepuff, Gryffindor shouted the most vigorously... In the following days, the sound of Roosters crowing was everywhere in the Castle.
In the corridors, outside classrooms, near dormitories, Roosters could be seen in cages.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
The Roosters crowed non-stop.
The students gradually went from initial relief to annoyance.
It was fine when there were no classes; they could use a Spell to block out the sound.
But during class, they couldn't just ignore the lesson, and the noise made it impossible to concentrate.
Charlie's tyrant points surged because of this.
[Your Majesty's magical pets are disrupting the class, tyrant points +1+1+1...]
And he didn't even listen to the class, he just put on a silencing Spell during lessons and slept soundly.
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