Left turn, right turn, straight ahead—Little Tom could already see the window at the farthest edge, closest to the Forbidden Forest.
"Faster, faster!" Tom shouted, his voice filled with excitement.
"Smash through that glass! Break out directly!"
"Hisssssss!"
The Basilisk hissed in response. Although its words were incomprehensible, its intent was clear—it was following Tom's orders.
Even though Hogwarts castle was fortified with protective enchantments, the sheer physical power of the Basilisk's massive body rendered such defenses fragile. A single window was not enough for the Basilisk to pass through completely, so smashing both the window and the surrounding wall was the only viable option.
Fifty meters.
Twenty meters.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
One meter.
With a surge of energy, the Basilisk coiled and launched its head forcefully against the window and the adjacent wall. The violent impact left it momentarily dizzy, but the once-solid wall now had a gaping hole.
The path to freedom was open!
Without hesitation, the Basilisk's colossal body propelled forward, inertia carrying it through the air. It adjusted its posture mid-air and, after a drop of several meters, landed with a thunderous crash.
Outside, the snowfall had just ceased, leaving the world around Hogwarts blanketed in white. The Basilisk's landing sent a spray of snowflakes into the air.
Despite the cushioning effect of the snow, the Basilisk still felt some pain. But that was irrelevant now, for what lay before it was the vast expanse of freedom!
On the second floor, at the breach in the wall, a shadow leapt through the hole.
Tonight, the moonlight was exceptionally bright. The thick clouds that usually obscured the night sky were now scattered, revealing a clear and starry expanse.
The figures of Glenn Hawthorne and Hermione Granger, cloaked in black robes, stood out starkly against the moonlit snow. To the Basilisk and Tom, however, they brought only rage and fear.
They were the black reapers descending upon the white world.
"Shock Absorption Spell!"
"Shock Absorption Spell!"
Glenn and Hermione simultaneously chanted the incantation, their combined magic counteracting the gravitational pull of the earth.
Their downward velocity slowed abruptly, and with the night wind billowing their robes, they resembled giant bats hunting in the night as they glided toward the Basilisk.
In Glenn's hand, a steel cable launcher was ready, allowing her to maneuver herself and Hermione mid-air to avoid any potential counterattacks from the Basilisk.
However, as it turned out, her precaution was unnecessary. The battered Basilisk had barely recovered from the shock of its hard landing when it turned and fled toward the dark, ominous expanse of the Forbidden Forest.
"Earth Shift Spell."
As she approached the ground, Glenn cast the Earth Shift Spell beneath her feet. Though they were now in the open outdoors and her black ring contained a Nimbus 2001 broomstick for study, Glenn preferred the stability of solid ground to the unsettling sensation of flying. With her feet on the ground, she could adapt to changing circumstances more effectively.
"Thud."
In stark contrast to the Basilisk's heavy crash, Glenn and Hermione landed lightly. Their speed remained consistent, as if their aerial maneuvering had not slowed them down at all. The two quickly closed the distance to the Basilisk.
As the saying goes, "The sky is high for birds to fly, and the ocean is vast for fish to leap." In the open space of the outdoors, while the Basilisk gained freedom, Glenn was now able to fully unleash her agility.
Even as the Basilisk continued to wreak havoc on its surroundings, toppling massive trees in their direction, Glenn remained unfazed.
"Hermione, no need for protective spells," Glenn said.
"Focus all your magic on attacking the Basilisk."
"Leave the rest to me."
Hearing this, and trusting Glenn completely, Hermione ceased maintaining the Shield Charm. Taking a moment to steady her magical circuits, she pointed her wand forward.
"Sectumsempra!"
The spell recorded in Advanced Potion-Making, gifted by Professor Severus Snape, proved highly effective.
Swish, swish, swish!
Invisible, razor-sharp blades of magic swiftly crossed the distance, slicing through the trees ahead of the Basilisk. Twisted branches began to fall, dislodging snow and blocking the Basilisk's escape route.
For a Basilisk with highly magic-resistant scales, weaker spells had no effect; it could simply endure them without flinching.
Thus, disrupting the environment to delay its progress was the most effective strategy.
While Hermione unleashed her magic with abandon, Glenn nimbly dodged the Basilisk's destructive rampage.
Freed from the constraints of narrow corridors, Glenn's agility increased significantly. In the confined Hogwarts hallways, she had needed Hermione's assistance to navigate obstacles safely. But in the vast Forbidden Forest, she could easily maneuver on her own.
Dodging a flying tree trunk, she lightly tapped its surface, flipping herself toward another direction. Shooting a cable from her launcher, she anchored it to a nearby tree, pulling herself and Hermione away as the area they had just occupied was engulfed in dust from a falling tree. Retracting the cable, Glenn caught Hermione in her arms and slid under a collapsing tree trunk.
Throughout all this, Glenn ensured Hermione's spellcasting was not disrupted. Hermione's aim remained precise, her Sectumsempra spells toppling trees and frustrating the Basilisk and Tom.
The commotion they caused sent the entire Forbidden Forest into chaos. From a bird's-eye view, one could see a newly created path rapidly extending from the edge of Hogwarts toward the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
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