Tom had been lurking in the diary, waiting for an opportunity.
Last time in the Forbidden Forest, he didn't find any traces of the Basilisk. Hogwarts was vast, and he wasn't sure where the Basilisk was hiding.
Searching blindly would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, futile, and would alarm certain people—like the one who attacked him last time.
But soon, the opportunity arose.
The Quidditch match.
Many teachers and students would gather on the Pitch. With so many people, the concentrated human scent would be an excellent bait for the Basilisk.
Tom's consciousness emerged from the diary and once again invaded Lockhart's brain.
His hand quietly reached into his robe, grasping his wand.
On the Pitch, a Hufflepuff player had just caught the Quaffle and was rushing towards the Slytherin goal.
The cheers from the stands were deafening.
Lockhart stood up, his wand twirling in his sleeve.
He whispered a Spell, and magic surged from the tip of his wand, silently drifting towards the edges of the Pitch.
The scent emanating from the dense crowd on the Pitch, catalyzed by the magic, gradually drifted further and wider.
The scent was very faint, undetectable by humans, but for the Basilisk, it was the most deadly bait.
The scent passed through the Pitch, through the corridors, through the stone walls.
In the abandoned secret passage of the Castle, the Basilisk was originally coiled in the darkness.
Because this secret passage had long been abandoned, no one had ever discovered the Basilisk hiding within it.
It had been hiding for several months and was starving almost to madness.
Suddenly, it smelled the fresh scent of human flesh.
The scent made its mouth water.
The Basilisk's eyes snapped open, and its huge body twisted in the secret passage.
It slithered along the scent, moving faster and faster.
But the Roosters in the Castle instinctively made it afraid to get close, so it could only keep moving underground.
Gradually, it came near the Quidditch Pitch. The noisy human voices made the Roosters cower to the side, not daring to crow. Even if there were crows, they were completely drowned out by the Basilisk.
The Basilisk struggled frantically underground. The presence of its natural enemy and the hunger intertwined, making it difficult to choose.
Finally, the deadly hunger overcame its fear of the natural enemy, and the Basilisk broke through the earth, drilling upwards.
The ground began to shake.
The students in the stands hadn't reacted yet, only feeling a tremor under their feet.
"An earthquake?" Ernie grabbed the railing.
Justin also couldn't stand still, swaying to the side.
The grass in the center of the Pitch suddenly split open.
Dirt exploded, and a huge snake head emerged from underground.
The Basilisk's body was terrifyingly thick, its scales reflecting an eerie green light in the sunlight.
The stands instantly erupted.
Screams rose and fell.
"What is that thing!"
"A snake! A huge snake!"
"It's the Basilisk! It must be the heir's doing!"
Students frantically pushed towards the exits, the scene a chaotic mess.
The players on the Pitch were also stunned; the Quaffle in Cedric's hand dropped directly to the ground.
The Basilisk raised its head, flicking its tongue, its eyes sweeping across the stands.
Charlie's heart pounded.
Fortunately, the Pitch ground was some distance from the stands, so the students couldn't clearly see the Basilisk's eyes.
Otherwise, a large number of people would have already died.
But this didn't mean they were safe.
The Basilisk's target was clear: everyone around it.
In the Professor's stands, Professor Sprout suddenly stood up, her wand pointing at the Basilisk.
"All students, evacuate immediately!" Her voice echoed across the Pitch.
Snape also drew his wand, his face terrifyingly grim.
Charlie turned to look at the Professor's stands; Lockhart was already gone.
Damn it, he ran fast.
At the same time, the Roosters around the Pitch began to shriek.
But very quickly, all the Roosters' cries ceased abruptly.
Charlie's heart sank.
Tom had killed all the Roosters.
Without the Roosters' cries, the Basilisk would not be afraid.
The Basilisk's body rolled on the ground, its scales scraping the earth with a grating sound.
It twisted its enormous body, slithering towards the stands.
Snape's wand was already raised. He whispered a Spell, and a purple Spell shot towards the Basilisk.
The Spell hit the Basilisk's scales, erupting in a shower of sparks.
The Basilisk paused for a moment, then continued to crawl forward.
Snape's face grew even uglier.
"Damn it," he gritted his teeth.
The Basilisk's magic resistance was even higher than he had imagined. Spells hitting it caused no pain whatsoever.
Professor Sprout was also desperately casting Spells, vines emerging from the ground, trying to entangle the Basilisk's body.
But the Basilisk merely struggled slightly, and the vines were torn to shreds.
Sweat beaded on Professor Sprout's forehead.
Only she and Snape were the Professors present at today's match. She didn't know if they could hold out.
Both Professors knew their Spells were useless against the Basilisk, but they still cast them desperately, one after another.
Professor Sprout shouted to the students: "Everyone close your eyes! Don't look into the Basilisk's eyes!"
The students in the stands were already panicking, frantically pushing towards the exits.
Hermione gripped her wand, looking in the direction of the Basilisk. Although the Basilisk was still far away, the overwhelming pressure made it hard to breathe.
"Hurry, hurry!" Her voice was trembling.
Ron's face was pale, his eyes tightly shut, his hand gripping Harry's tightly.
"I can't see the way!"
Just then, a wave of scorching heat suddenly erupted from the direction of the stands.
Everyone felt the heatwave; the air itself was distorting.
Snape suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide.
A huge Dragon appeared in the center of the Pitch. The Dragon's body was terrifyingly enormous, even thicker than the Basilisk.
Its scales were deep red, shimmering with a metallic luster in the sunlight, and when its wings spread, they almost covered half the sky.
Previously, Charlie had concealed his Animagus because he lacked confidence in his own strength.
Now, after experiencing two Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors, he had basically determined that the magic world was not as strong as he had imagined, and he could display his Animagus without any reservations.
Professor Sprout's expression was grave.
Why did a Dragon suddenly appear?
Hermione felt the heatwave, her voice trembling as she said, "What is this?"
Charlie, with his eyes closed, scraped his Dragon claws on the ground, then suddenly took flight, charging towards the Basilisk.
Since the Basilisk's eyes were deadly, he wouldn't look at them.
If its magic resistance was high, then he would tear it in two with his claws.
The Basilisk also noticed the Dragon.
It twisted its body, trying to escape.
But the Dragon was too fast, pouncing on the Basilisk in the blink of an eye.
Its Dragon claws savagely gripped the Basilisk's head.
The Basilisk struggled frantically, its tail lashing the ground, smashing out large pits.
The Dragon's claws dug deep into the Basilisk's head, blood streaming down its scales.
The Basilisk let out a mournful shriek.
"Hiss!!"
Charlie didn't stop. With a forceful tug of his Dragon claws,
the Basilisk's eyes were savagely gouged out, blood splattering. It thrashed wildly beneath Charlie, the entire Pitch shaking.
The students in the stands huddled together, not daring to open their eyes.
Charlie felt the Basilisk's eyes being gouged out, and only then did he open his eyes.
He lifted the Basilisk with both claws, like grabbing an eel, and tore open its upper and lower jaws.
Scorching flames surged from Charlie's throat, forming a pillar of fire that sprayed into the Basilisk's mouth.
The Basilisk struggled frantically, its screams growing more and more mournful.
It tried to break free, but the Dragon's claws held its head in a death grip.
The flames continuously spewed forth, and smoke began to rise from the gaps in the Basilisk's scales.
Even if the Basilisk's external magic resistance was high, its insides were still soft, and were violently churned by Charlie's pillar of fire.
The smell of burning flesh permeated the air, making people want to vomit.
The Basilisk's struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Finally, the Basilisk stopped struggling. Its body lay limp on the ground, its insides burned to charcoal.
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