"Versus the Basilisk"

"Versus the Basilisk"

When they saw Stephen appear with Misty's help, everyone quickly approached.

"Boss, what happened? Where's Harry?" Fred asked urgently.

"He's on his way. Get ready," Stephen said as he tossed the hooded wizard to the ground like it was nothing.

"And who is he?" Ron asked.

But before Stephen could answer, something was heard in the distance.

"Harry's coming! Get into position!" Stephen shouted, watching as everyone ran to their spots.

What caught his attention was that Ginny and Luna seemed to have arrived while he was gone, so he grabbed each of them under his arms and took them to a corner.

"Stephen, we want to fight too," Ginny grumbled.

"You can attack from behind me. You don't have enough training yet to be in the front line," Stephen responded, shaking his head.

"Fine," they both agreed reluctantly. Then, they looked toward where Harry's scream was coming from, seeing him running with a giant snake chasing after him.

"Wear these glasses. They'll stop you from getting killed or petrified by its gaze," Stephen said, tossing glasses to everyone with a flick of his hands.

"Watch out!" Harry arrived just as everyone put on their glasses. The cape quickly threw him into the battlefield alongside Ron, Percy, Angelina, and the twins. They would be the front-line fighters, while Hermione and the others would provide support from behind.

"Attack!" The first to shout was Percy, surprising everyone, who also started casting spells, either with Eldritch magic or Hogwarts magic.

"Aim for its eyes first!" Hermione shouted while casting a shield spell to prevent the basilisk from biting or hitting Harry and Ron with its tail.

Stephen made a few hand signals to the levitation cape to assist them, and it covered the serpent's eyes.

"Fred, catch!" George shouted to his brother, throwing him a chain of light that passed over the basilisk's tail. Fred quickly understood and grabbed one end, driving it into the ground with a sword, preventing the serpent from using its tail to attack.

For some reason, at some point, Ron ended up on top of the basilisk's head, holding onto a chain.

"Ron, attack its eyes!" Harry shouted, using a shield to defend himself from a headbutt by the basilisk and seeing that his friend was so close.

"Don't say it like it's easy!" Ron shouted, holding on for dear life.

"You're forgetting the new techniques we learned," Stephen said softly, but everyone heard him thanks to magic.

"Right! Heavy Magic Warrior Art!" With Percy's shout, a large shield appeared in front of him as he ran forward. Each step multiplied his speed and strength until he crashed head-on into the giant serpent, leaving it stunned for a few seconds.

Those seconds were enough for Ron to strike one of the basilisk's eyes.

"Well done, Percy!" Fred shouted.

"Though Ron could put in more effort," George didn't miss the chance to tease his brother.

"Then come do it yourself!" Ron shot back, gripping the chain again as the snake started thrashing in pain.

The supporting wizards cast control spells, illusions, and containment magic to buy time for Ron to get down.

It looked like he would make it, but just as he was about to lose his balance, Angelina appeared beside him, standing on a light platform created by Hermione.

"Need some help, little guy?" Angelina said with a grin as she extended her hand to Ron.

"Thanks," Ron said, embarrassed, quickly climbing down from the snake.

As soon as Ron touched the ground, the serpent broke free from the control and started attacking again.

"They seem to be struggling a bit," Stephen commented, slightly tired.

"I think it's because they're holding back so they don't kill the basilisk, don't you think?" Ginny said, rolling her eyes at Stephen's complaint. After all, they were facing a mythical beast that even adults wouldn't be able to defeat easily.

"Cory, it's your turn!" Luna shouted, ignoring their conversation.

At Luna's shout, a portal formed, from which a massive rhinoceros emerged. Without hesitation, it charged at the serpent. The impact left the basilisk stunned once again.

"Well done, Luna!" Harry shouted excitedly as he and the others threw chains, driving them into the ground and successfully restraining the serpent. Completely immobilized, the snake struggled to free itself but failed.

After a few seconds of thrashing and nervous glances, the snake seemed to give up, remaining still while attempting to kill them with its gaze, to no avail. Stephen noticed this and, with a gesture, sealed the serpent's remaining eye, rendering it unable to open.

"Well done, everyone. Although I would have preferred if both its eyes were intact," Stephen said, approaching with the girls.

"Don't say such nonsense!" Ron quickly shouted, reflecting the thoughts of everyone present.

"What is going on here?!" a commanding voice shouted before they could say more. A group had approached quickly.

It was Headmaster Dumbledore, Minister Fudge, Lucius Malfoy, and Hagrid—who was chained—followed by four Aurors.

"Oh, you arrived just in time. We captured the beast of the Chamber of Secrets and... the supposed heir," Stephen said, approaching the hooded wizard who was chained. He pulled off the hood, revealing the person's identity to everyone.

"Draco!" Lucius shouted upon seeing his son. He quickly ran over to lift him up.

"What have you done to my son?" Lucius exclaimed, pulling out his wand and aiming it directly at Stephen.

Before Stephen could react, Misty appeared out of nowhere, swiftly disarming Lucius. Chains emerged from the ground, trapping him and forcing him to kneel. Before Lucius could protest, Misty pointed a sword at his neck.

"Don't you dare disrespect my master!" Misty said in a serious voice, her presence leaving everyone stunned. Her aura had completely changed.

If one paid attention, at that moment, Fred and George trembled slightly, recalling a small trauma.

Lucius, recovering from his shock, spoke arrogantly: "How dare you attack a wizard? You should be killed, you filthy elf—ugh...!"

Before he could finish, a hand violently grabbed his face, and the last thing he saw was a red aura dragging him into the worst nightmares imaginable.

"Aaaaahhh!" Lucius screamed in agony.

Everyone watched in shock, even Fudge not daring to intervene. The hand holding Lucius belonged to Stephen, whose anger was palpable. The magic in the air seemed to respond to his fury, leaving the weaker wizards breathless.

"Alright, Mr. Flamel, I believe Mr. Malfoy has gotten the point," Dumbledore said, coming out of his surprise. He looked around and felt the magic flowing, realizing that even he could not manipulate it in such a way. It was as if the world itself was on Stephen's side.

Hearing Dumbledore, Stephen released Lucius, while Misty handed him a cloth, which he used to wipe his hand as if he had touched something disgusting.

"Y-you… what did you do? What are you?" Lucius stammered, trembling in fear as he looked at Stephen.

"If you insult my family again, not even your hybrid and hideous master will be able to save you from your worst nightmare," Stephen said firmly before turning away, ignoring the trembling Lucius.

"Minister Fudge, as you can see, arresting an innocent man to save your own skin is not a good idea. So it would be great if you released my friend Hagrid," Stephen said, looking at Fudge, who initially showed fear but tried to compose himself and appear authoritative.

"Cough... Of course, thank you all for capturing the Chamber's creature and the supposed heir. But that doesn't change the fact that Hagrid might have been the previous heir," Fudge retorted, attempting to sound superior.

"No. The heir has always been the same," Stephen said as he approached Draco and pulled a black book from his pocket.

"Impossible. While young Malfoy may have opened the Chamber recently, he could not have done so so many years ago," Fudge argued.

Without saying anything, Stephen used a spell called Eye of Agamotto, which revealed the true nature of things. The spell was directed at the black book lying on the ground.

From the book emerged the figure of a man, whom Dumbledore immediately recognized.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle. Essentially, Voldemort, or a part of his soul. As Minister, you should be familiar with this kind of magic, so I won't give a lesson," Stephen said.

"What have you done?" Tom asked, looking at his form, surprised to have been pulled from the book against his will.

"Hello, Tom. Goodbye, Tom," Stephen said as he conjured a sword of light—different from any other, with a divine glow—and swiftly stabbed the book.

"Aaaah!" Tom screamed, vanishing in agony.

"Alright, all set," Stephen said, dusting off his hands and turning back to Fudge.

"Unless you want to face the Flamel family's lawyer and all those present who risked their lives to catch the real culprit, please release my friend," Stephen said with a smile.

Fudge, with a look of resentment upon realizing he could not assert his authority, relented.

"Release him," he ordered the Aurors, who quickly unchained Hagrid.

Fudge glanced at the Malfoys—now free—then at the students watching him, some recording the scene, and finally at the basilisk bound in the field. He decided the best course of action was to leave quickly.

"Dumbledore, take care of your school," he said, walking away with the Aurors behind him.

"See you in court to get Hagrid's wand back, Minister!" Stephen called out, watching as Fudge hesitated for a moment before continuing without a word.

Just as Dumbledore was about to speak, the other professors arrived, with Lockhart at the front.

"Fantastic! I expected nothing less from my students. Surely my advice was helpful; I deserve some credit for this," Lockhart said as he approached, hugging Harry and then Ron, who showed a disgusted expression.

Stephen, looking at Lockhart, turned his gaze to Misty, who was clinging to his leg, happy that her master had defended her.

"Misty, the evidence."

"Here it is, young master," Misty responded, handing him a giant folder.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I have proof that Lockhart never lived through any of his adventures. He stole them from other wizards, whom he later attacked with memory magic until they were either insane or dead," Stephen said, handing the folder to the professors, who were left stunned. Lockhart froze upon hearing this.

"Is that true, Lockhart?" McGonagall shouted furiously.

"I... I... Stay back!" Lockhart yelled, grabbing Ron as a hostage and pointing at him with his own wand, which he had picked up from the ground.

Everyone, shocked, drew their wands and aimed at Lockhart.

"Hahaha! They took Ron as a hostage! You owe me 10 Galleons," Fred shouted cheerfully at his brother George, who looked defeated. The twins had bet on who would end up as the hostage, and Fred had won.

"Are you seriously betting while my life is in danger?!" Ron shouted, trembling as he felt his own wand pressed against his neck.

Stephen sighed, moved his hand, and formed a translucent shield around Ron, surprising Lockhart.

"Stay still! Obliviate!" Lockhart shouted, casting his favorite spell with great skill. But since he was using Ron's broken wand, the spell backfired, hitting him in the face and sending him flying several meters backward.

"That was dangerous!" Ron complained.

"Relax, I put up a shield. At worst, it would have hurt a little," Stephen said with a smile as the professors approached to restrain Lockhart.

"It still would have hurt?! Then what was the point of the shield?" Ron grumbled.

"It's fine, Ronny, nothing happened to you in the end."

"Exactly, Ron, stop being such a crybaby," the carefree twins chimed in.

"Tsk," Ron huffed, walking away to join his friends.

"Sigh. Even though it was dangerous, I have to say you all did a good job. Now, return to your rooms while the professors handle the rest," Dumbledore said.

"Dumbledore, we have a problem," someone spoke up.

"What is it?"

Everyone turned to look at Lockhart, who was regaining consciousness.

"Hello. Who are you people? And who am I?" Lockhart said with a goofy smile.

"Sigh. Take him to St. Mungo's," Dumbledore ordered, exhausted.

"Mr. Stephen, if I could have a minute of your time—and bring young Harry with you," Dumbledore said as he walked away. At some point, Lucius and Draco had disappeared…

—

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