29 Sunglasses
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The first recorded basilisk was bred by "Herpo the Foul", a Greek dark wizard and a master in Parseltongue. Through numerous experiments, he discovered that hatching a chicken egg beneath a toad resulted in a formidable snake with extraordinary abilities.
The basilisk is a striking green serpent, capable of reaching a length of fifty feet, with the male sporting a vivid red feather on its head. Its fangs are highly venomous, but its most dangerous mode of attack involves locking eyes with its target through its large yellow eyes, instantly killing anyone who meets its gaze.
In conditions of abundant food, the snake enjoys an extended lifespan, with Herpo the Foul's basilisk believed to have lived almost nine hundred years.
"Oh my God, it all makes sense" Ron exclaimed. Given the presence of mice and owls in Hogwarts, the basilisk can sustain itself by preying on them.
"But how could such a sizable snake go unnoticed after attacking people?" Harry inquired skeptically.
"It can move stealthily and conceal itself through the secret passages and pipes in Hogwarts" Hermione's eyes lit up with realization. "So Harry can hear the basilisk as a voice but can't locate it!"
"Merlin's beard, look here, Harry" Ron's face slightly paled as he pointed to a passage in the book. Despite the basilisk being classified as an XXXXX-level dangerous creature that can kill wizards and cannot be domesticated or tamed, being a snake means it can be controlled through Parseltongue.
"I swear I never controlled that snake" Harry hastily explained to Hermione and Ron, his face turning pale. He had no idea that his Parseltongue talent harbored such an evil ability.
"Of course, we believe it wasn't you," Hermione reassured Harry, who was unnerved by the book's revelations. She then lowered her voice, saying, "There must be another Parseltongue hidden in Hogwarts, and he's the one who set the snake loose. The elusive Slytherin heir!"
"It has to be Malfoy" Ron exclaimed, standing up excitedly.
"No one despises Muggle-borns as much as him. I've been saying it all along!"
Harry pulled the enthusiastic Ron back to his seat, realizing that their actions had drawn the attention of several other students in the Gryffindor lounge.
"We have to find that Slytherin heir or he'll harm more of our Muggle-born classmates" Ron settled down and took his seat again.
"I think we can proceed with that plan," Ron suggested in a hushed tone, noting that no one was paying attention to them.
On the night Ethan discovered Harry's Parseltongue ability, the three young wizards had discussed a plan to use a Polyjuice Potion, transforming into a Slytherin student and infiltrating Slytherin. However, due to Ethan's earlier advice and the trio feeling the difficulty was too high, the plan was shelved. Now, with students being attacked, Ron felt he couldn't remain passive.
Hearing Ron's words, Harry nodded in agreement. Colin's petrification because he wanted to see Harry shocked him deeply, making him feel the need to take action.
"But making a Polyjuice Potion is too difficult" Hermione exclaimed, pulling out a book from her school bag.
"It will take me at least a month to brew a Polyjuice Potion"
Embarrassed, Hermione scratched her head. Then, as if a sudden realization struck her, she dashed into her room. When she returned, she held an additional bag in her hand.
Throwing the bag onto the table, Hermione made it emit a crisp clanging sound. "Or we can just buy a bottle of Polyjuice Potion."
Ron looked enviously at Hermione, aware of her wealth and influence. He knew that Hermione earned a significant income through the assistant job and paper publications. Even his brother Percy had recently made a considerable sum of Galleons from papers. Percy had even treated himself to a splendid new set of robes.
For the first time, Ron contemplated the idea of studying diligently.
The three young wizards then delved into a discussion on how to procure the Polyjuice Potion. As second-year students couldn't leave Hogwarts, they unanimously chose the well-connected Weasley twins to undertake this important task.
The Weasley Twins eagerly accepted the task, unanimously volunteering for the thrilling and exciting plan. However, Hermione vetoed their involvement, citing that there wasn't enough Polyjuice Potion for everyone to consume simultaneously.
Meanwhile, an unexplained surge of amulet popularity swept through Hogwarts, with many young wizards adorning themselves with various peculiar charms. These included rabbit feet, skulls of unknown rodents, cheap crystals, and spicy garlic. Professors had to reiterate in class that these so-called amulets were useless and only made the wearers appear foolish.
The amulet incident concluded when Professor McGonagall confiscated Neville's odorous garlic hidden in his hood. Seamus, sitting next to Neville, later remarked that Neville resembled Professor Quirrell from the previous semester.
A few days later, a new trend emerged at Hogwarts with the rapid popularity of a particular type of sunglasses. Unlike the previous amulet farce, this time, the sunglasses received unanimous approval from the professors.
These sunglasses were proven to provide some protection against monster attacks. Consequently, they became a sensation at Hogwarts, with students realizing that wearing sunglasses made them look cool. Many students were even reluctant to take them off during classes.
Surprisingly, Harry, Ron, and Hermione noticed that even Hagrid sported a pair of massive black glasses, giving him a somewhat thuggish appearance.
Slytherin House especially embraced the sunglasses trend. The little snakes found that the sunglasses complemented the temperament of their house, and Slytherins with stern expressions could often be seen strolling around Hogwarts.
Ron complained about this behavior, asserting that most Slytherins were pure-blood wizards and viewed their use of sunglasses as hypocritical.
However, the sunglasses craze brought about a series of problems. After dark, many young wizards collided with walls or accidentally stumbled downstairs due to impaired visibility. This became a common occurrence in Slytherin, where the lounge, located underground, required navigating a convoluted spiral staircase for access.
The Slytherin incidents amused the Gryffindor students, who now enjoyed sitting in the common room, pointing and laughing at the new scars on the faces of Slytherin students.
In response, before the little Slytherin wizards fully adapted to the sunglasses, Snape had to cast numerous lighting spells around the spiral staircase in the Slytherin lounge each day to prevent accidental injuries.
