Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 142 The Law of Victory Has Been Decided!

"We need to hurry."

Avada took a deep breath, letting the cold air refresh his mind, which cleared and calmed him once more. Then he started walking towards Hogwarts Castle...

"Um?"

He suddenly stopped, squinted, and saw a blurry figure running out of the castle in the distance, quickly approaching his location while waving at him—it was Baron.

What is he doing here?

Avada quickened his pace and jogged a few steps, soon reaching a distance where he could hear each other clearly.

"Why are you back again?" he asked first.

"To confirm something."

Baron took a couple of breaths, then brushed off the snow that had splashed onto the hem of his clothes before replying, "It's best not to involve Harry and the others in this. It's a bit dangerous for them, and I remember they're still busy with Polyjuice Potion. So I went back to the castle to say goodbye before coming back myself—I just discovered a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"During our earlier conversation, Hermione mentioned 'Colin's matter,' which reminded her to carry her warning device, which piqued my curiosity. So, when we went back together just now, I asked her about it and found out what happened..."

"Oh, I know about that. Harry just told me about it this morning."

Avada nodded to indicate that she understood and waited for Baron to continue.

"You've already heard?"

Baron raised an eyebrow: "Colin Creevey was attacked yesterday, and you were only assassinated by the Basilisk today. Nothing unusual happened yesterday, right?"

"That's right."

"Harry was with Colin when he was attacked, and the two of them hid in the classroom for ten minutes before it happened. So, if we combine this with your guess, could it be that the Basilisk's target yesterday wasn't Colin Creevey, but Harry, who was with him?"

Avada's pupils contracted.

"After making this guess, I didn't tell Harry and the others directly. Instead, I asked Harry about his itinerary for the day. According to him, he went to many places today, ate in the kitchen, went to the Room of Requirement to check potions, and stopped in the corridor to chat with other people... Apart from being with Hermione Granger on the way to the Room of Requirement, he didn't see any other Muggle-born people with warning devices around him."

"So here's the question—if Harry was indeed the Basilisk's target, why didn't it strike when Harry was most vulnerable?"

"And if Harry wasn't the Basilisk's target, then was it trying to kill you to avenge Voldemort?"

"..."

Avada pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "It's hard to say. Perhaps the Basilisk didn't want to kill Harry, but rather couldn't?"

"Don't forget, Harry wears glasses, which means it's almost impossible for the Basilisk to kill him with just a glance. He's also revealed his ability to hear the Basilisk's voice, so theoretically he's the least likely of the three of us to be targeted by the Basilisk."

"I've considered those things too."

Baron nodded: "But if the killer is really determined to kill Harry, there are ways. For example, they could try to stop the Basilisk from making a sound, or petrify him first, and then kill him completely after he's in the hospital... The possibility that Harry wasn't the target still exists."

"so what?"

Avada scratched his head in confusion, finding it hard to believe that Baron had come all the way back to him just to come up with such a vague, unverifiable, and unsubstantiated guess...

"You can tell who the basilisk is looking at, right?"

Baron's gaze turned serious: "I want to go with you to find out exactly what the basilisk's purpose is."

"We can wander around the castle together to lure the basilisk out, and then you can judge who it's watching—if, as you say, it really wants revenge for Voldemort, then we should both be on the kill list; but if you're still the only one being watched... then you'll probably have to figure out why yourself."

"That's too dangerous..."

"I can use magic to block my vision, and you can guide me with your mental connection. That way, there will be absolutely no visible problem, and I can also avoid accidentally making eye contact with the basilisk."

"……good."

Avada hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. He then took out his basilisk warning device and used his wand to deactivate the alarm magic. Baron followed suit, turning off his own warning device and exchanging a glance with Avada: "Let's go."

"Um."

After the two returned to the castle gate and climbed the stairs, Baron drew his wand, pointed it at his eyes, and softly recited a spell—it should be a relatively weak blindness curse. Baron had to check his pockets before putting the wand away.

I've opened the door; just go in.

Avada Kedavra's mental link reconnected their minds, allowing them to communicate directly through thought: "[Turn a little to the left, a little more...stop, okay, keep going, there are no obstacles ahead.]"

There's a corner ahead. Take three steps and turn left... That's it.

We need to talk about something; we can't just keep communicating through the mental link, or it might arouse suspicion...

About five minutes after entering the castle, Avada once again sensed the basilisk's life force reappearing around them, following them like a shadow. That deadly gaze remained fixed intently on Avada…

The basilisk is coming, be careful. Is your blindness curse okay?

Don't worry, it's fine... Who is it targeting right now?

[It's my turn now, let's observe a bit more...]

The two forced themselves to remain calm while continuing to chat as if nothing was wrong, and wandered around the castle for nearly twenty minutes.

The basilisk's gaze remained fixed on Avada, showing no reaction to Balon.

"...That's enough."

Even within the mental link, Avada's voice was quite confused: "The basilisk is still watching me; my previous guess was wrong. There's no point in testing further now. Let's separate for now. I need to think carefully about what's going on..."

Okay, be careful. I'll go check the information on the basilisk again.

……

After Baron carefully lifted the blindness curse and separated from him, Avada returned to the Hufflepuff common room, completely bewildered, desperately trying to figure out how he had managed to provoke the Horcruxes and the Basilisk...

"The Basilisk only wants to kill me; it hasn't reacted to Harry and Baron at all. It shouldn't be because of Voldemort... but what else could it be?"

"Under Lucius's influence, all enemies, including the Horcrux Journal, should believe I am a descendant of some great wizard. Theoretically, the Basilisk shouldn't even be attacking me, yet it wants my life..."

There must be another reason, another reason...

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Avada, causing him to stop in his tracks as he headed towards his dormitory. He stood frozen in place, his breathing becoming rapid...

"Could it be...? No, calm down, think about it again..."

"...Yes, that's it! That's it! It must be it!!"

"All the clues have come together!!"

He flung open the dormitory door and rushed inside, took a deep breath, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter: "If that's the case, things will be much easier!"

"Tom, Basilisk, Lucius... are you ready?!"

With that, he pulled out his wand and cast a teleportation spell to send himself into a spatial interlayer. He quickly found Baron and tossed out another note:

[Gather Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George, and meet at the Room of Requirement tonight at 8 PM! I've found the answer!]

(End of this chapter)