bacchusnovels Chapter 211 Don't Speak Human Language
Chapter 211 Don't Speak Human Language
Chapter 211 Don't Speak Human Language (Part 2)
Lockhart froze on the spot, his eyes wide open and his mouth involuntarily agape, revealing an expression of disbelief.
The room was filled with his selfies, each one capturing his self-image at different times, from different angles, and with different expressions.
These photos densely covered the walls, some even piled up, forming a "Lockhart" ocean that tightly surrounded him.
Under this sudden visual shock, Lockhart felt dizzy, as if he were in an absurd and bizarre dream from which he could not extricate himself.
He pinched his arm, trying to confirm his current condition, but the pain in his arm told him that it was all real.
Why are there so many of my photos here?
Is this still the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin? Where did that pipe take me?
Lockhart now faces two possible conclusions.
The first possibility is that Slytherin, who built this secret room, was a fan of his books, or perhaps a fanatical fan of the man himself.
The second possibility is that he spent some time in this secret room.
Anyone with a normal IQ knows which conclusion to choose.
Without a doubt, it's the former...the latter.
This conclusion naturally raises several other questions.
Why did I spend some time in the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin?
Who would be in Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets?
The answer is self-evident—I am the heir to Slytherin.
The thought of this possibility set Lockhart's mind racing, like a machine being propelled into England at high speed. Every neuron was transmitting information and analyzing the situation. He had never felt so intelligent before; every detail and every clue was converging in his mind to form a clear picture.
Then why did I lose my memory?
Lockhart's expression suddenly froze.
Could it be...?
Could it be that he deliberately orchestrated this whole charade to cover up his secret as the heir, causing his own death?
There seems to be no more reasonable explanation than this answer.
This bizarre idea entered Lockhart's mind and lingered for a long time.
Just as Lockhart was about to search the entire house for more clues, he heard hurried footsteps outside.
"Harry," Ron said, "say something."
"But—" Harry thought desperately.
"No buts. We've come this far, how will you know if you don't try?"
During Hermione's absence, Ron took over her duties, and sometimes Harry even felt as if Hermione herself was talking to him.
After hesitating for a long time, Harry took a deep breath and slowly said, "Open."
He looked up at Ron, who shook his head.
"No, you're speaking human language," he said. "Don't speak human language."
So Harry turned back to look at the little snake carved in the pool, forcing himself to believe it was alive.
"Open it," he said a second time.
"It still doesn't work," Ron said dejectedly. "Why don't we go back? Hermione and the others will wake up tomorrow anyway. We can ask them then; maybe they'll know who the killer is."
"No, I still want to go in," Harry said firmly, pushing up his glasses.
"Then why don't you speak in Parsleyan dialect?"
"Open."
"wrong."
"Open."
"wrong."
"Open."
"Still not right!!!"
"Why don't we go back?" This time, it was Harry who made the suggestion.
"Alright, I told you we should go back." Ron nodded with a "you're a promising student" look.
As they spoke, the two of them made a move to walk out.
This made Sean, who was standing outside the washroom, unable to hold back any longer.
This was completely different from the plot he had envisioned.
In his plan, Harry and Ron would successfully enter the tunnel, reach the Chamber of Secrets, and then see Lockhart, leading to a misunderstanding among the three and thus setting the stage for tonight's grand drama.
Unexpectedly, the two of them were about to give up at the very first step.
It's like... Tang Sanzang went to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures, but as soon as he left Chang'an, he felt too tired and turned back home.
This is understandable, though, as Harry couldn't control his Parseltongue skills. In the original books, he only used it in dire situations.
The director shouldn't be blamed for the actors' incompetence.
As the director of this grand spectacle, Sean would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.
He quietly circled around to the end of the second-floor corridor, coughed twice, and then quickly put on a disguise mask to look like Filch. "Who's there?"
Harry and Ron, who were about to leave hand in hand, suddenly heard Filch's voice, their hearts tightened, and they immediately stopped in their tracks.
The two exchanged glances, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts simultaneously.
Both of them knew very well what it meant to be caught by Filch on a night out at this particular time.
This time, Lockhart wasn't there to keep their secret, nor was Dumbledore, who was biased towards them.
For students, besides "dying before they've spent all their money," the most troubling thing in the world is...
Another thing that happened at the same time was that someone dropped out of school, but the school was still there.
They didn't want the school to survive while they themselves were expelled.
"How about we try again?" Ron whispered.
"That's what I think too," Harry agreed.
The two reached an agreement and returned to the pool.
As Filch's footsteps drew closer, Harry's speech quickened.
"Da da yi" "Open, open."
Tap tap tap - "Open, open, open!"
*Hiss* (Opens)
Finally, before Filch arrived, the two of them had already slid down the pipe.
now.
Their title, "Nighttime Bad Students," has officially changed to "Brave Ones Who Found the Secret Room."
Sean stood by the pipe, looking at the pocket watch in his hand, silently keeping track of the time.
He was waiting for the best time to enter the factory.
Lockhart's heart was pounding wildly.
He didn't know why there were other people in the secret room besides himself at this time.
who is it?
No matter who it is... when he sees the wall full of photos and himself, he's finished.
With that thought in mind, Lockhart silently raised his wand and aimed it at the stone door.
He vowed that whoever came here would have to experience his forgetfulness spell.
The footsteps grew closer and closer.
Then came the sound of climbing, which finally stopped abruptly at the stone gate.
Lockhart gripped his wand tightly, his fingers turning white from the force.
Under his almost frozen gaze, the stone door was slowly opened, each slight movement accompanied by a dull sound.
As the crack in the door widened, a faint ray of light shone through, illuminating Lockhart's tense face.
"Forget everything!" he suddenly shouted.
Caught off guard, Ron, who was the first to enter the stone chamber, was attacked.
Ron's body shuddered violently, and then, as if all his life force had been drained away by an invisible force, he collapsed limply to the ground and lost consciousness.
This happened so suddenly that Harry was stunned.
His face was filled with shock and confusion. He stared wide-eyed at Lockhart in front of him, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.
He didn't know why Lockhart was there, nor did he understand why Lockhart was attacking Ron.
"Professor Lockhart, you—" Harry's voice was full of doubt and anger. He wanted to question Lockhart about why he did this, but he didn't know how to say it.
Lockhart was stunned; he clearly hadn't expected that two students would be there.
It was still his two students whom he knew best—Harry and Ron.
If you're going to do something, go all the way.
Without much hesitation, Lockhart raised his wand again.
"This is to protect you." Lockhart said softly, his voice trembling slightly, seeing Harry's shocked expression. "Sometimes, forgetting is the best protection."
When Harry's gaze fell upon Lockhart's photograph in the Stone Chamber, all the doubts and clues seemed to be connected by invisible threads, forming a clear and coherent line of thought.
He understood everything.
The escape room wasn't even open last semester, so why did it suddenly open as soon as Lockhart arrived?
Why is Lockhart in the Forbidden Forest?
Why does Lockhart speak Parsley?
Why was Lockhart willing to keep their secret?
Even...why Lockhart seems so stupid.
It turns out that all of this was Lockhart's disguise and conspiracy.
He pretended to be a fool in order to conceal his identity as the heir to Slytherin.
No one could have imagined that someone who couldn't even handle a few house-elves would be the heir to Slytherin. Harry, having thought it through, barely hesitated, ignoring even Ron who had fainted on the ground, and turned to run away.
This cunning and powerful opponent reminded him of that name he couldn't mention—Voldemort. He knew he absolutely couldn't handle someone like that. He needed to go back and get reinforcements, find Headmaster Sean, and tell him everything that had happened, including Lockhart's conspiracy.
In the blink of an eye, Lockhart saw Harry disappear in a flash.
Lockhart was momentarily stunned, even wondering if he was seeing things or if there was something wrong with his eyes.
However, when he finally realized what was happening and hurriedly looked around for Harry, he saw Harry skillfully climbing down the huge statue outside the stone chamber.
He knows his own skill level.
Such a long casting distance is nothing more than a waste of magic power for him; he simply cannot guarantee the accuracy of the spell.
So he chased after him.
"Don't run away."
"I don't."
"Don't run away."
"Help."
"Forget everything." Lockhart waved his wand, attempting to cast a forgetting spell on Harry, but Harry nimbly dodged it.
"Help!" Harry cried out urgently, his voice echoing through the stone chamber, tinged with panic and despair.
He walked swiftly around the many stone statues in the stone chamber, not daring to stop.
Lockhart followed closely behind, his face contorted with anger and exhaustion.
He had initially thought it would be an easy chase, but now he discovered that Harry was far more cunning and agile than he had imagined.
He chased Harry around the statue like the King of Qin chasing a pillar, but the chase left him breathless and his strength gradually waning.
"Stop, Harry!" Lockhart gasped, trying to cast the spell again, but his wand only swayed weakly, emitting no light.
He was too exhausted to concentrate, while Harry maintained his amazing speed and agility.
Just when Harry thought the chase would end in such an absurd way, something else happened.
Slytherin's enormous stone face came to life.
Harry watched in utter horror as its mouth opened, widening and widening until it formed a huge black hole.
Something is moving inside the statue's mouth. Something is sliding upwards from deep within the statue.
At that moment, he seemed to understand.
Now I understand what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is, and I also understand why those people were petrified.
So he closed his eyes; he realized it wasn't too late.
A massive object crashed onto the stone floor, and Harry felt the Chamber of Secrets tremble.
He knew what was happening; he could feel it, he could almost see the giant snake unfurling its coiled body from Slytherin's mouth.
Lockhart was also somewhat bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
Where did the snake come from?
Could this be...?
He tentatively commanded the snake in a Parsleyan accent, "Hiss hiss hiss hiss— (chase the boy)."
Just as he had commanded, the giant basilisk moved in Harry's direction.
Harry could hear its heavy body slowly gliding across the dusty ground.
With his eyes still tightly closed, he began to blindly dart to the side, groping around with his hands outstretched.
What should he do?
Lockhart laughed, opening his mouth, but music drifting in from somewhere interrupted the process.
Lockhart whirled around, staring into the empty, secret room. The music grew louder and louder.
The sound was tragic and stirring, inspiring and uplifting.
"Mama, just killed a man"
(Mom, I just killed someone)
Putagunagainsthishead
(I pointed a gun at his head)
Pulled my trigger now he's dead
(The trigger is pulled, the gun fires, and the man dies)
Mama, life had just begun
(Mom, life is just beginning)
?
This song made Harry's hair stand on end and his heart swell to twice its normal size.
The music grew louder and louder, until Harry felt as if it were vibrating right inside his chest.
Then, a silver-white owl with smooth and full feathers suddenly descended from the sky.
It also carried a small record player on its back and held a tattered package in its paws.
A second later, the owl flew straight toward Harry, dropped the tattered thing in its talons at Harry's feet, and then flew to a stone statue, leisurely enjoying the spectacle.
Harry recognized it; it was Headmaster Sean's owl.
Ten minutes ago.
Sean, who was guarding the pipe entrance, suddenly saw a phoenix appear out of nowhere and land on the edge of the pipe.
He recognized it as Fox at a glance.
But how could he let Fox ruin his plans?
Forbidden to traverse the land of China!
Sorry... I've switched channels.
Nighttime visits to Hogwarts are prohibited!
Before Fox could react, Sean used "Petrify All" to freeze the poor Fox in place.
This phoenix never dreamed that Sean would not only refuse to help, but also forbid it from doing so.
Then, Sean whistled and summoned Captain Nono, who was already waiting.
By the way, Captain Nono is the codename he just gave to his owl for this mission.
Captain Nono flew over upon hearing the sound and stopped in front of Sean.
Sean tied the small record player to its body with a rope, then placed the package under its paw, signaling it to fly downwards.
What's in the package?
It is a Sorting Hat and a Gryffindor sword.
Sean had been searching for a way to activate the longsword, but to no avail.
Because his temperament was completely opposite to that required by Gryffindor.
After careful consideration, Sean concluded that no one was more deserving of the title "true Gryffindor" than Harry, the chosen one of this world. Therefore, he couldn't think of anyone else besides Harry who had the ability to successfully activate it.
So he took this opportunity and decided to send the sword out so that Harry could try to activate it.
Harry bent down, picked up the package that Captain Nono had dropped, and opened it.
"It's that tattered Sorting Hat from the school," Lockhart remarked with his sharp eyes.
It really was it.
It lay motionless at Harry's feet, dirty, wrinkled, and patched.
Lockhart was starting to get anxious.
Now he not only needs to erase Harry's memories, but also needs to get rid of that wretched owl that's been watching the show from above.
"Hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss - (grabs the boy)"
The basilisk's upper body stretched high into the air, its flat, large head weaving haphazardly between the stone pillars, as if it were drunk.
Harry clutched the hat tightly; it was his only weapon and his last hope.
He hurriedly shoved it onto his head and then collapsed to the ground, as the basilisk's tail swept towards him once again.
"Save me—please, save me—" Harry murmured to himself, his eyes pressed tightly against his hat.
"Please, you must save me."
However, no one answered his call.
On the contrary, the hat was tightened more and more, as if an invisible hand was desperately trying to hold it together.
Suddenly, something hard and heavy slammed down on Harry's head, nearly knocking him unconscious.
He saw stars. He hurriedly grabbed the top of the hat, trying to take it off, but unexpectedly felt something long and hard hidden under the hat.
The next moment, a gleaming silver sword appeared in the hat, with a dazzling, egg-sized ruby set in the hilt.
Harry had already stood up, ready to fight. The basilisk's head was slowly descending, turning towards Harry, its body circling and pounding against the surrounding stone pillars.
Harry could clearly see its two huge, blood-soaked eye sockets and its enormous, gaping mouth, as if it could swallow him whole.
Two rows of venomous fangs, about the same length as his silver sword, thin and sharp, gleaming with a cold light, dripping with venom—.
The basilisk charged blindly at Harry. Harry frantically tried to dodge, but crashed into the wall of the Chamber of Secrets.
The basilisk lunged again, its forked tongue slicing across Harry's body with a whoosh.
Harry gripped the silver sword tightly with both hands, ready to fight.
The basilisk launched another attack.
Harry gathered all his strength and plunged the silver sword into the basilisk's body until the hilt was completely inside.
At the same time, the sword emitted a faint white light inside the snake's body.
As the silver sword plunged deep into the basilisk's body, its enormous yellow eyes seemed to fill with human emotion, bulging and turning around.
Then, in an extremely exaggerated and dramatic manner, the basilisk's enormous body crashed to the ground with a dull thud, and then remained motionless.
Is it over...?
Harry was panting heavily, his mind filled with doubt and disbelief.
He stared intently at the basilisk lying on the ground, waiting for any possible movement.
Sweat dripped down his forehead and fell to the ground, making a pitter-patter sound.
Everything around seemed to stand still, with only Harry's rapid breathing and heartbeat echoing in the Chamber of Secrets.
He slowly approached the basilisk, his silver sword still gripped tightly in his hand, ready to deal with any possible emergencies.
However, the basilisk made no further move, and its once threatening eyes were now empty and lifeless.
Harry was finally convinced that he had defeated the Basilisk. He collapsed to the ground, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from his body.
"Clap clap clap—"
Harry turned his head and saw Lockhart standing behind him, clapping softly with his signature, slightly exaggerated smile on his face.
Damn it, he completely forgot Lockhart was here too.
He tried to get up, but struggled for a long time without success.
"Well done, Harry! What amazing courage and skill!" Lockhart exclaimed. "I have never seen such bravery! You truly deserve the title of Savior!"
"If I were to write your story in my image into a novel, it would be a huge hit! Imagine how exciting it would be if Gerhard Lockhart, who had only been a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for a year, were to emerge victorious in his life-or-death struggle against the Basilisk and accomplished something that neither Dumbledore nor Phillips could do."
At this point, Harry's last remaining doubts were dispelled.
He wanted to say something, but Lockhart didn't give him the chance. He simply raised his wand high, pointing it at himself, with a resolute yet insane look on his face.
"Forget everything!" Lockhart shouted again.