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"The one who should be attacked is actually you," George thought to himself as Hermione led him out of the library.
Most of the young wizards at the school had gone to the Quidditch pitch. Only he, Hermione, and a few others remained inside the school, making Hermione, a Muggle-born witch and one of Harry's close friends, the likeliest target for the basilisk.
But George wasn't too concerned. His plan was to lure the basilisk out, clear Hagrid's name, and temporarily get Dumbledore removed from the school. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
"It's here!"
They hadn't walked far from the library when, around a corner, George sensed the basilisk's presence. Though his psychic abilities weren't as powerful as the Professor's, they were enough to detect nearby threats, and the basilisk's hostility was unmistakable.
"George, something feels wrong," Hermione murmured, her voice trembling as she suddenly stopped in her tracks. She had caught faint sounds of the basilisk moving toward them from behind.
"Don't turn around. It's likely the basilisk—one look at its eyes, and we're done for. Trust me, keep moving forward," George whispered, clutching her trembling hand and quickly heading toward the staircase.
Sensing their movements, the basilisk seemed to react, charging toward them with alarming speed.
As the sound grew closer, Hermione's legs began to shake, but as a true Gryffindor, her courage didn't falter. She suggested to George, "You go and find Dumbledore, tell him about the basilisk—I'll hold it off!"
With that, she pulled out her wand.
But George firmly wrapped an arm around her waist and drew his own wand.
"Trust me, we can escape. Close your eyes—whatever you do, don't look at the basilisk's eyes!"
Feeling the basilisk's presence dangerously close behind, George activated his "Wings" spell. A pair of bright, white wings sprouted from his back as he lifted Hermione into the air, narrowly dodging the basilisk's deadly jaws.
At the same time, he swung his wand downward. "Sectumsempra!"
A transparent blade flew from his wand, striking the basilisk's raised head.
The basilisk's magical defenses were formidable; the spell couldn't penetrate its skin, but it still recoiled in pain, lowering its enormous head.
George seized the moment to speed up, flying towards the staircase.
Hermione, startled by the sudden lift, instinctively clung to George, burying her face in his chest as she cried, "George… you can fly?"
"This isn't the time to discuss it," George replied, beating his wings harder as the basilisk chased after them.
He had the situation well under control, as he wasn't even flying at his full speed—he was deliberately holding back so the basilisk wouldn't give up the chase.
In fact, whenever the basilisk seemed to lag behind, George would slow down just enough to let it catch up. If it looked ready to turn away, he'd hurl another Sectumsempra backward to keep it enraged.
The goal was to make a big scene. If the school's staff and students didn't witness the basilisk, then at least the portraits along the staircases had to see it. Otherwise, it would be difficult to convince others that they'd encountered a basilisk and not some Acromantula.
"Oh, heavens, what is that?"
"How terrifying—hide, quickly!"
"Run, poor child, run!"
Finally, after much provocation, George managed to lure the basilisk to Hogwarts' notorious 142 moving staircases. The figures in the paintings on the walls saw everything.
With his objective achieved, George swiftly flew Hermione upwards from the staircase area, while the basilisk, unable to navigate the shifting staircases, let out a furious hiss and retreated into a nearby pipe.
"Dumbledore should be over at the Quidditch pitch. Let's head straight there," George said.
Without a pause, he flew up to the eighth floor, found a window, and took Hermione outside through it.
Now, all they needed was to find Dumbledore and explain what had happened—then everything would be resolved.
As for George's flight magic—well, that was, of course, a spell he created himself, showcasing his unmatched talent.
After all, if Snape could invent spells like Sectumsempra and Levicorpus during his school days, then George creating a flight spell—albeit a rough one—wasn't unthinkable. Everyone had always seen him as exceptional.
He had been building his "genius persona" to set up moments like this. Even though he was only a first-year, true genius defies conventions, doesn't it?
While George was considering how to explain the situation once they reached the Quidditch pitch, he didn't notice the change in Hermione's gaze. Holding onto him tightly, she looked at him with something new in her eyes.
"Hello, everyone! Today is the fourth Quidditch match of the season—Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw! Let's bring out the players… oh, Merlin's trousers, what am I seeing?"
In the stands, commentator Lee Jordan was about to announce the players' entrance, with the crowd of young wizards cheering. But suddenly, he spotted George, wings outstretched and carrying Hermione, appearing in the sky above the pitch. Jordan was left speechless.
And it wasn't just him—the entire school was struck silent with awe.
"There he is!"
George, scanning the field, located the professors' stand where Dumbledore was seated and flew directly toward him.
"George, what are you…?"
It was Snape who first reacted, standing as George landed, retracting his wings and setting Hermione down.
George didn't waste time with explanations and got straight to the point. "Headmaster, Professors, Hermione and I were just attacked by a basilisk near the library…"
Hearing George and Hermione's account, the professors collectively drew sharp breaths.
Dumbledore's expression shifted to one of surprise, whether at the revelation that the creature in the Chamber was a basilisk, or that George and Hermione had managed to escape it, was hard to tell.
In truth, George wasn't certain if Dumbledore already knew about the basilisk. He suspected he did, but only Dumbledore himself would know for sure.
"Minerva, inform everyone that the Quidditch match is canceled. All students should remain in the pitch until we've completed a thorough check of the school," Dumbledore instructed.
Professor McGonagall nodded gravely and used a Sonorus charm to relay Dumbledore's command to the crowd.
"You've both done very well. Twenty points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin."
Dumbledore gave George and Hermione a warm nod before setting off for the castle with Snape, Flitwick, and other professors. Professor McGonagall remained on the pitch to maintain order.
(End of Chapter)