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Chapter 149
Nearly Headless Nick was still floating in the air, but he was no longer the usual pearly-white, translucent ghost. Instead, he had turned completely black, like a mass of dark smoke suspended in midair. His head hung crookedly from his neck, and the expression on his face was frozen in the same terror as Justin's.
"The Basilisk attacked again... and this time in broad daylight."
Harry's breathing became ragged. His heart hammered against his chest like a drum.
He gripped his wand tightly and scanned the corridor in every direction. In his heightened state of awareness, he could hear nothing but his own rapid heartbeat and the faint voices of teachers lecturing in distant classrooms.
Should he leave immediately?
Or stay and guard the scene?
For a moment, he was completely lost.
He was alone. No friends. No one to offer advice.
Considering how many people already suspected him, remaining here could easily make him look guilty. Yet if he left and something happened to Justin's petrified body, he would never forgive himself.
He stood frozen in indecision.
Soon, however, the choice was taken away from him.
A nearby door suddenly burst open, and Peeves came zooming into the corridor. The mischievous poltergeist immediately spotted the scene before him.
"Oh ho! Potter survives another disaster!" Peeves cackled maliciously as he bounced around Harry's head.
"What is Potter doing here? What sneaky little thing is Potter up to now?"
Before Harry could answer, Peeves let out an ear-piercing scream.
"Murder! Murder! He's killed the ghost! Dead people! Dead ghosts! Run for your lives! Hogwarts is doomed!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Doors flew open all along the corridor.
Students poured out from classrooms in a chaotic flood. In the confusion, poor Justin was stepped on several times. People stumbled through Nearly Headless Nick's blackened form and recoiled in horror.
Harry himself was shoved against the wall.
Looking at the commotion, he muttered bitterly,
"If the Basilisk showed up now, it could probably kill half the school just from the stampede."
At last the teachers arrived and attempted to restore order.
Their shouted commands achieved little.
Then Professor McGonagall came charging down the corridor. With a sharp wave of her wand, a thunderous crack echoed through the hall.
"Back to your classrooms immediately!" she commanded.
"Anyone remaining here will face severe punishment!"
Only then did the panic gradually subside.
When Harry finally emerged from the Headmaster's Office, he still felt dazed.
I should have stayed in the dormitory today.
First he had overheard a group of seemingly honest Hufflepuffs spreading rumors about him.
Then he had discovered Justin and Nearly Headless Nick after the Basilisk's attack.
Finally, Peeves had nearly framed him for murder.
Fortunately, Professor McGonagall had not believed Peeves's accusations. Although she clearly wasn't convinced of Harry's innocence either, she had at least taken him directly to Dumbledore instead of making assumptions.
Thinking back to the meeting, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that Dumbledore was planning something.
Inside the office, he had seen the Headmaster's phoenix, Fawkes.
The bird was in the middle of its rebirth cycle.
To Harry's surprise, it looked dreadful—far uglier than any phoenix described in books.
Dumbledore had not questioned him extensively.
Nor had he accused him of anything.
The old wizard clearly knew more than he was willing to reveal.
Harry had considered telling Dumbledore about his own investigation, but in the end he kept silent.
"Harry, are you alright?"
Hermione hurried over.
After McGonagall had escorted Harry away, the Gryffindor students had informed Hermione and Ron. The two of them had been anxiously waiting near the entrance to the corridor outside the Headmaster's Office.
Seeing Harry emerge safely, both of them visibly relaxed.
Warmth spread through Harry's chest.
No matter what rumors were being spread throughout Hogwarts, his friends still trusted him.
That was friendship.
That was what a true bond meant.
"I'm fine," Harry said with a faint smile.
"Professor Dumbledore isn't stupid. He knows I didn't do it. I'm not getting expelled."
"I told everyone Dumbledore wouldn't believe Harry was the attacker," Ron said with relief.
"Thank goodness."
No one could have predicted that Harry's simple walk around the castle would end with him caught in another disaster.
Ron shivered at the thought.
If Harry had been even slightly unluckier, he might have ended up in the hospital wing alongside Justin and Nearly Headless Nick.
"Honestly," Hermione complained, "I can't believe the Basilisk attacked someone during the day. Hogwarts is becoming less safe every week."
"And Peeves is horrible. Framing people is already bad enough, but doing it over something this serious is disgusting."
Unlike George, who seemed content to wait for Dumbledore's plan to unfold, the three of them could no longer sit still.
People kept getting attacked.
More victims appeared every month.
How could they simply wait and do nothing?
"I want to talk to George," Harry said at last.
His hesitation was gone.
"I don't want to keep waiting for Dumbledore to solve everything."
He didn't want more people hurt.
He didn't want anyone to die.
Even if he trusted Dumbledore to succeed eventually, that wasn't enough reason to stand by and watch.
"I agree," Hermione said immediately.
"The attacks are becoming more frequent and more reckless. First Mrs. Norris, then students, and now attacks in broad daylight."
She knew that if George decided to help, the Basilisk could probably be dealt with quickly.
This time, she refused to remain a passive observer while classmates continued to suffer.
"Then let's ask George what he thinks," Ron agreed.
With both friends supporting him, Harry felt his confidence return.
Changing the subject, he suddenly said,
"Oh, right. I saw a phoenix in Dumbledore's office."
"A phoenix?!" Hermione nearly jumped.
Of all magical creatures in the world, phoenixes were among the rarest and most magnificent.
"Was it beautiful?" she asked excitedly.
"What did it look like? Did it have golden feathers? A golden tail? Was its song beautiful?"
Questions poured out of her one after another.
She had read countless books about phoenixes and adored them despite never having seen one.
The fact that Dumbledore actually owned a phoenix was astonishing.
For a moment, she looked ready to run straight into the Headmaster's Office herself.
Harry laughed helplessly.
"Well... not exactly."
"It was going through a rebirth. Honestly, it looked terrible."
He shuddered.
"The atmosphere in that office was pretty unsettling."
(To be continued...)