The little snake gave Ron a face hug and then hid trembling in the back of Ron's shirt.

  The cold, slippery sensation nearly drove Ron to the brink of colpse.

  After Harry repeatedly assured that Hoare wouldn't harm her, she cautiously poked her head out.

  The little sroduced herself to Harry as Helena, saying she was sleeping soundly when someone woke her up.

  Hoare had a suspi in his heart; this Helena robably the Basilisk. He just didn't know how she had shrunk or what with her eyes.

  Hoare wao ask for crification, but unfortunately, every time he got close, Helena would start trembling, even though she was the one who initially wao get close to him.

  She could scare others but wouldn't allow herself to be scared. Hoare rolled his eyes at Helena disdainfully.

  Helena almost teared up again.

  "Harry, ask her where the door is," Hoare instructed Harry.

  Harry and Helena hissed bad forth for a while, and Hoare and Ron couldn't uand a word. However, judging by Harry's ging expressions, it seemed he was hearing something incredible.

  After a long exge of hisses, Harry finally remembered that Hoare and Ron couldn't uand and quickly transted for them.

  "She says the door here be pushed open directly. It's the st room her master appeared in, and she's waiting here for her master to return."

  Harry reached out and pushed a spot on the far right of the wall, which didn't look like a door at all; the entire wall seemed like a solid piece.

  Thinking about how they had been hissing for so long only to find out the door ushable, Harry and Hoare felt a bit embarrassed.

  "How long has she been waiting here?" Hoare asked.

  Harry was silent for a few seds before saying softly, "A thousand years."

  As expected, Hoare uood; Helena was ihe Basilisk, just as he had suspected.

  "A thousand years!" Ron shouted, and then he heard his voice echhout the room, causing him to quickly cover his mouth in fright.

  Ohe echo subsided, Ron quietly asked Harry, "A thousand years!? How a snake live that long?"

  Then he heard a couple of hisses from the little snake on his neck.

  Harry transted, "She says she's not just a snake; she's a Basilisk, very powerful."

  After saying that, Harry asked, "What is a Basilisk?"

  Ron's face turned pale.

  Hoare expihe in of the Basilisk to Harry, whose face turned even paler. "Then—her—eyes?" Harry poio his own eyes.

  The little snake hissed twice more.

  Harry's expression was quite iing. After the hissing stopped, he said, "Helena says she's a mature Basilisk now and trol it herself."

  Hoare raised an eyebrow, surprised that the Basilisk could uand human nguage.

  Hoare turned around and tried to push the door, but it wouldn't budge.

  He stepped aside, letting Harry try.

  Harry pushed hard, but it still wouldn't open.

  Hoare suddenly thought of something. Since Helena knew where the door was, why hadn't she gone in to find her master? Unless... she couldn't get in.

  "Harry, ask Helena what the ditions are to open the door," Hoare said.

  Harry and Helena exged a couple of hisses.

  Ron grimaced, "Harry, 't you ask her to move somewhere else? My hair is standing on end."

  Harry resumed transting, "Helena says only her master's bloodline open it. And Ron, Helena says you're very fortable, and she doesn't want to e down."

  Ron's expression was about to crack; he was not fortable at all!

  Hoare frowned deeply upon hearing this.

  No way, no way, the plot couldn't be that cliché, could it?

  Could he really be the heir of Slytherin?

  Having e this far, Hoare felt he had to go in and take a look, or he'd be letting himself down.

  As the saying goes, "Leave no stourned," meaning you should take something from every pce you visit.

  Just like the snake skin earlier, Hoare had already packed it all into his ste bag while Harry and Ron weren't paying attention.

  "Should I give it a try?" Hoare's tone was very hesitant.

  "If it's not you, the Slytherin, then who else? Us two Gryffindors?" Ron rolled his eyes.

  Hoare took out his wand aly cut a small wound on his fihen smeared the blood on the door.

  Hoare, Harry, Ron, and Helena all stared at the blood-smeared stone door.

  One minute... two minutes... five minutes...

  Nothing happened.

  Hoare awkwardly gri the two of them, "Looks like it's not me."

  He casually raised his wand, "Harry, why don't you give it a try? Potter is a big family, after all."

  Actually, it was because of the Voldemort inside Harry. Although he didn't know if Harry's blood would work, the Voldemort on his forehead certainly could.

  If Harry's blood didn't work, Hoare po try his basic exorcism spell.

  Using Voldemort to open their path forward wouldn't be a bad story to tell.

  "Oh, okay." Harry was also curious.

  Meanwhile, Ron was already frowning.

  Harry's blood was also smeared on the door, and the three of them, plus the snake, tio stare at the stone door.

  One minute... two minutes... five minutes...

  Nothing happened.

  Harry and Hoare exged a gnce, both scratg their heads. What now? They khe way back, but it was too high to climb up, and they might slip and fall.

  While the two were frowning and staring at the door, Ron couldn't help but speak up, "Hey! You let Harry try, why not let me?"

  "Don't be silly," Hoare pushed Ron aside. If it didn't work for him, it wouldn't work for Ron, who was born at the same time.

  "Ron, move aside, you're blog the light," Harry pushed Ron away. He remembered that Weasleys had always been Gryffindors, so letting Ron try would be a waste of time and blood.

  Ro the two of them, puffing up in anger.

  "Ouch!"

  Hoare and Harry heard the sound and quickly turned around, seeing Ron clutg his shoulder with a pained expression.

  "What happened!?" Hoare hurried over, pulling Ron's hand away from his shoulder. As soon as the hand was removed, blood started flowing out.

  Hoare took out a healing potion and poured it on without hesitation, stopping the bleeding immediately and revealing the wound underh, which was two round puncture marks.

  Hoare's face darkened, and he handed Roo Harry, grabbing Helena by her ned lifting her up.

  With a cold ugh, he asked, "Do you know what a windmill is?"

  Helena's emerald-like eyes showed fusion as she shook her head.

  "You'll know now."

  With that, Hoare began spinning his arm rapidly with Helena in hand.

  When Hoare's arm got tired, he finally stopped.

  By then, Helena was limp as a noodle, her tongue flig as she hung from Hoare's arm.

  Ron's wound had stopped bleeding, and Harry's hand was covered in blood.

  Suddenly, Ron got excited, "Hey, si's already bleeding, let's not waste it."

  He grabbed Harry's hand and spped it against the stone door.

  "Boom."

  The door opened...

  0Niffler0