A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"Okay! I can reluctantly believe you."

Didn't Aragog tell you anything else?

“No, I’ve asked it many times, but it’s too scared to say the name of that creature,” Hagrid said. “Every time, I can feel that it’s terrified.”

"At least we've confirmed one lead," Aaron murmured, not particularly disappointed. "What else do you know?"

Hagrid shook his head. "That's all."

"Think carefully, and don't miss any details, as these may be the key to solving the case."

Hagrid frowned upon hearing this, and sat quietly in place recalling events from fifty years ago. "By the way, the student who was killed back then was from Ravenclaw, I think her name was Myrtle. She died in the washroom."

Upon hearing this, Aaron's lips twitched violently.

He was somewhat impressed with his own luck, having found both the victim and the fake heir from fifty years ago.

"Is there anything else?"

Hagrid paused slightly. "That's all. There really isn't any more."

“Alright!” Aaron chuckled softly. “Although the clues you provided aren’t very helpful right now, thank you anyway, Hagrid.”

There's one more thing; please keep my contact with you a secret as much as possible.

"But what about Dumbledore?"

Do you think our headmaster, the wise and brilliant Albus Dumbledore, wouldn't have guessed what I'm about to say?

But he couldn't say anything until he found the secret room, otherwise it might cause panic.

Hagrid suddenly realized, "Yes, he must know, he must know."

After leaving Hagrid's cabin, Aaron went straight to the library.

There must be records of that monster here, but finding its information in the dense sea of ​​books is definitely not easy.

"Mrs. Pince, could you find me a book about magical creatures?"

Which one do you want?

"Could you be more specific? A title would be best," Mrs. Pince said. "Without a title, it's going to be difficult; there are at least dozens of books like this in the library."

Aaron clicked his tongue in surprise. "Whatever! Let me take ten books first."

Ten books?

"Twenty books will do. You know my talent; I have a photographic memory."

If you don't mind the extra work, thirty books are no problem. In short, the more detailed the better; I don't want to miss any magical creatures.

“You may have to wait a little longer.” Mrs. Pince raised an eyebrow, then drew her wand and walked toward the bookshelf not far away.

A dozen minutes later, Mrs. Pince walked out from around a corner, a pile of books floating behind her, one by one laid out on a row of empty tables.

Aaron stared dumbfounded at the wall of books piled on the table.

What the hell is going on? Where are the dozens of books? Did they just add a zero at the end?

"Everything you wanted is here, but there's a bit more than I expected."

After all, as you know, not every book is dedicated to magical creatures. Some books may only mention them vaguely, or even gloss over them as myths and legends.

It's only because of you; I wouldn't have taken out so much money for anyone else.

"By the way, there are some records of the restricted book section, but even if I wanted to lend you those books, I don't have the authority."

"Thank you, Mrs. Pince, for your trouble." Aaron forced a smile, casually broke off a few pieces of his book, and walked towards a desk, his back view particularly lonely.

Even with a photographic memory, searching for answers in hundreds, or even more, books is pure physical labor.

But after he started investigating, he found that things were much simpler than he had thought. He had originally thought it would take a month or two to find the answer, but the book's description was very simple, and with the table of contents, he could find the part about magical creatures at a glance.

In just one afternoon, he completely dismantled the wall of books.

I thought I would have to read them one by one, but the process turned out to be as simple as looking up a dictionary.

To avoid missing anything, he skimmed through each book and, after comparing them, finally found the answer in three particularly worn-out books.

Basilisk.

A snake-like magical creature that can live for hundreds of years. It has a varied diet and eats everything, but spiders are its favorite food.

It has deadly fangs, and its gaze can be fatal; anyone who is stared at by its eyes will die instantly.

As Aaron read this, he frowned. His second task was to kill the monster in the secret chamber, which meant that he would have to face the basilisk sooner or later.

The danger of basilisks goes without saying; their magic, capable of killing with a single glance, is terrifying, though somewhat exaggerated.

At least against truly powerful wizards, its lethality is somewhat reduced; otherwise, Salazar Slytherin wouldn't have kept it.

If you're not careful, you might end up killing yourself.

The shrewd, self-preserving, and profit-driven Slytherins would never leave a time bomb by their side.

Even so, the basilisk's gaze was not something a mere mage like him could look directly at.

"Why don't we try a mirror?" Aaron thought to himself. Legend has it that Perseus killed Medusa by using the reflection of a bronze mirror.

But then he suddenly thought of Mrs. Lorris, who had been petrified, and immediately abandoned this suicidal idea.

Mrs. Lorris did not die; she was petrified.

This suggests that it did not look directly into the basilisk's eyes. Considering the water stains at the crime scene, it may have indirectly seen the basilisk's eyes through its reflection, which is why it was lucky enough to escape with its life.

Looking directly into its eyes means certain death, and even indirect contact will petrify you. This is just too difficult!

Snapped!

Aaron closed the book, looked out the window at the setting sun, and let out a long sigh.

He would need to think carefully before he could kill the basilisk by himself, but if he were to call on Dumbledore, or add a few professors... he would still need to think carefully.

After all, he hadn't found the secret room yet, and the situation was one where the enemy was in the dark while he was in the light.

Moreover, the heir to Slytherin is still at Hogwarts, and he is definitely not someone to be trifled with. Before his identity is confirmed, everything must be done discreetly, otherwise we might be seen as early birds.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Mrs. Pince asked. "I guess you did."

“Yes, Mrs. Pince, I feel my brain is overwhelmed right now,” Aaron said. “Could you please register me? I haven’t finished reading this book yet.”

It might contain knowledge I need, so I'll need to borrow it for a while.

“Sure,” Mrs. Pince said with a smile. “I’ll lend you a month, enough for you to memorize the whole book.”

"Isn't this going to be too long?"

Mrs. Pince shook her head. "You take good care of books, and I trust you won't let them get damaged."

"Of course, I promise."

Chapter 160 Despicable Tactics, That's Called Cleverness

On Saturday, the first game of the Quidditch season took place as scheduled.

Before 11 o'clock, all the teachers and students went to the Quidditch pitch and gathered on the platform.

Inside the Slytherin locker room, Marcus and six other members changed into their green uniforms, ready to go.

"This is the first time we've used a completely new tactic, but I have enough confidence. The results of our training over the past two months are evident to everyone." Marcus looked at the team members standing in a row and said seriously, "Look at the Nimbus 2001s in your hands. They're the latest model and have an absolute speed advantage."

We must win this game no matter what, because we cannot afford to lose.

"Next, let's hear from the greatest Seeker in Slytherin's history."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked towards the doorway. Aaron, with a dark expression, lifted the green curtain and walked in.

"You had the prefect call me here just for this?"

“Boosting morale is essential,” Marcus said seriously. “I’m sure Wood is doing the same thing right now.”

"The problem is I have something to do, something very important, extremely important."

A few days ago, when Aaron was looking at that book, he found that it recorded the basilisk's weakness: the crowing of a rooster.

This discovery thrilled him, giving him a sense of relief and hope.

But he didn't dare show it; he just wanted to secretly steal—no, borrow—one or two of Hagrid's roosters for protection.

After all, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. If we are accidentally exposed, the heir of Slytherin will know that he has discovered the monster's identity, which is not a good thing.

However, he rarely finds an opportunity to strike; Hagrid is an exceptionally dedicated forest ranger.

The day of the Quidditch match had finally arrived. Most of the students and teachers were not at the castle, and Hagrid had also left his hut to watch the match live.

This is a rare opportunity, when everything is essentially undefended.

Catch two roosters, lock them in the dormitory, and do it without anyone noticing.

As for whether Hagrid will have any doubts? There are plenty of creatures in the Forbidden Forest, and it's normal for one or two to occasionally sneak out and have a craving.

But just as he was about to act, Prefect Neller came over in person and invited him here to cheer on the Slytherin team.

He missed a great opportunity, and to make matters worse, he had nowhere to vent his frustrations, so naturally, he wasn't in a good mood.

"Today's Quidditch match is the most important thing for Slytherin."

I even swallowed my pride and had Neller invite you; you certainly wouldn't refuse the prefect's request.

Aaron forced a smile and gave Marcus a thumbs up. "You're pretty good."

"Thank you for the compliment," Marcus said, clearly pleased.

Aaron's gaze swept over the Slytherin members. "I won't say much more about encouragement; I'm sure you've all heard plenty of that already."

I'm a person who likes to be honest. If you all win this match, I'll personally give you 100 Galleons as a reward.

As soon as the words were spoken, the Slytherin team, including Marcus, was excited, even the wealthy Draco was not.

To be honest, they've had enough inspirational quotes these days and are already immune to them.

They didn't want to lose this game, but in addition to honor, getting some tangible benefits would also be a huge motivation.

"Are you serious?" Chaser Derian asked.

“Senior, you know me, I keep my word,” Aaron said meaningfully. “However, I definitely can’t produce it right now. After we win, I’ll give it to Draco and have him distribute it to you.”