Chapter 40: The Girl Crying in the Bathroom

This was not some sudden whim of Link, but rather that Link had indeed somewhat neglected Arkam these past few days.

Even though Arkam would from time to time hide in the pipe and use Parseltongue to remind Link that it was time to meet, Link still avoided meeting.

He had no choice, accompanying Arkam in speeding around was truly too dangerous.

This also caused Arkam to hold a large grudge against Link these past few days. Link figured if he didn't come up with a solution soon, it would directly show itself to come find him.

Surely if it really came to that, it would definitely be a disaster.

Thinking this, Link no longer hesitated, and directly picked up half a roasted pumpkin in front of him and ran out of the Great Hall.

His destination was still the girls' lavatory on the third floor, this was the old meeting spot agreed upon by Link and Arkam.

As long as Link spoke Parseltongue at the faucet, the Arkam hidden under Hogwarts could hear it and rush over quickly.

This was indeed very convenient, but the only thing that troubled Link was that this lavatory was the territory of a ghost, "Moaning Myrtle." That bespectacled ghost girl often hid in the stall crying, which caused Link, in order not to expose the secret of the Basilisk, to have to drive away the ghost every time.

However, today Link didn't need to carry out that step, because today was Christmas. Every year at this time, the ghosts would hold a grand ghost banquet, and "Moaning Myrtle" would definitely be there.

"Open!"

Holding the half roasted pumpkin, Link slowly gave the command, and then the sink quickly disappeared, but strangely, this time the Basilisk Arkam did not appear.

This made Link a little anxious.

He had been craving roasted pumpkin for quite a while now, and originally planned to deliver it to Arkam and then quickly return to enjoy the feast.

"Arkam. Arkam. Are you there? Don't be mad, I know I was wrong."

Link leaned at the pipe opening, speaking softly. Although his voice was pressed very low, it still echoed down the pipe.

And just as his words fell, a huge black shadow suddenly rushed out from the pipe, directly scaring Link into falling backward to the ground.

"Hahaha! Link! Scared you, didn't I!"

Seeing this, the Basilisk Arkam laughed loudly, and its mouth pulled out a seemingly ferocious curve.

"Arkam!"

Link shouted angrily, but upon hearing that, the Basilisk turned its head away, "Hmph! Who told you to ignore me these past few days! Serves you right."

This time Link had no argument, he was indeed in the wrong.

"Alright, Arkam, I'm sorry." Link held out the roasted pumpkin he had carefully protected all along and presented it in front of Arkam. "To make it up to you, I brought you a little dessert."

"Little dessert?" As soon as it heard there was dessert, Arkam's eyes instantly lit up. But upon seeing that what Link held was just a roasted pumpkin, it disdainfully shook its head. "What is this? I don't eat vegetables."

"Just taste it. Taste it first, then talk."

Link pushed the roasted pumpkin toward the Basilisk again. Seeing this, the Basilisk hesitated for a moment, but under Link's expectant gaze, it finally stuck out its forked tongue and gave it a lick.

That one lick changed everything.

The vertical pupils in the Basilisk's eyes rapidly expanded, and a dazed expression appeared on its snake face.

"What… flavor is this?" The Basilisk muttered to itself, then its tongue rolled up and swallowed the entire pumpkin.

"Mmm~ So fragrant~ Is there more, Link?"

"Of course there's more." Link said with hands on his hips, smiling. "I'll go get you more from the Great Hall later."

"Really? That's great, Link! For the sake of this snack, I'll forgive you."

The Basilisk happily wagged its tail and lightly rubbed its head against Link's face.

To be honest, this scene was quite terrifying, but Link was extremely happy and kept stroking the scales on Arkam's face.

In his past life, he had raised a pet python, so he didn't have much fear of reptiles.

However, before their friendly interaction could last long, the Basilisk suddenly stood up straight, and in the next moment, the previously dilated pupils suddenly narrowed into slits.

"There's another creature here. Daring to disturb my date with Link, I will kill her!"

Link sharply noticed that Arkam had said her, and the first person he thought of was Moaning Myrtle.

And he also knew very well, Arkam wasn't bluffing.

Even though the other was already a ghost, the Basilisk's instant-death stare was still effective against them.

But if Arkam really killed Moaning Myrtle, wouldn't that draw Dumbledore and the others' attention?

Link hesitated slightly, but at that moment, the Basilisk had already lowered its body into an attack posture.

"Wait, Arkam!" Link hurriedly said. "Leave it to me. You go back first."

Upon hearing this, Arkam froze. One of its snake eyes turned and stared at Link for a while before finally nodding, "Alright then, Link. I'll go back first. We'll meet again next time. But remember, you still owe me three full-speed rides!"

"Wasn't it two? Why is it three now?"

"Ha!~ Who told you to ditch me last time? It's settled then!"

With that said, Arkam quickly disappeared into the tunnel, leaving a bitter expression on Link's face.

Last time, even a half-ride nearly cost him half his life. Three full-speed rides, wouldn't that kill him?

Thinking this, Link still suppressed the expression on his face and raised his wand, slowly walking toward the inside of the bathroom.

He hadn't forgotten the serious matter, there was still a ghost in the bathroom stall waiting for him to deal with.

As he slowly approached the inner section, the faint and blurred sound of a girl crying gradually entered Link's ears, confirming even more the identity of the person inside.

He carefully moved his feet, and after confirming the location of the girl's voice, he cast Alohomora on the doorknob, then suddenly pulled open the stall door.

Creak!

The old wooden door made a strained creaking noise under Link's force. But after Link pushed the door open, he froze.

Because the person inside wasn't Moaning Myrtle at all, it was Hermione, tearful and weeping.

Maybe she had been startled too, because Hermione also froze for a moment and even forgot to cry.

For a moment, Hermione and Link looked into each other's eyes, and the air grew awkward and tense.

After a long while, Hermione finally reacted. Her face turned red, and while hastily wiping away her unstoppable tears with her hand, she choked out, "Lin… Link, why are you here?"

After saying that, she awkwardly turned her head away, only glancing at Link out of the corner of her eye. But with that glance, she found that Link's expression suddenly turned grim.

Before Hermione could react, Link grabbed her hand and pulled her forcefully outside.

"Quick! Come with me! This place is dangerous!"

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