LRAB Chapter 188 Corpses in the Snow
Chapter 188 Corpses in the Snow
Chapter 188 Corpses in the Snow
Time seemed to freeze in that instant. The cold wind still howled, but it couldn't carry away even a trace of the icy silence. In the snow, only the Hufflepuff boy's suppressed sobs and heavy breathing could be heard.
Immediately afterwards, the brief silence was shattered.
"Merlin's beard!"
"Who...who is that?"
"Professor Quirrell?!"
"He's dead! He's dead!"
"vomit.
Gasps and gasps erupted from all directions. The students who had gathered around retreated instinctively like a flock of startled birds, their faces filled with shock and bewilderment. Several younger girls even covered their eyes and began to sob quietly. The Weasley twins' playful smiles vanished completely; they quickly shielded the stunned first-years behind them. Harry and Ron, equally pale, were squeezed in the crowd, Ron clutching Harry's arm tightly.
Karen was the first to react. The initial shock did indeed freeze Karen's thoughts, but he immediately realized that the situation needed to be brought under control!
"Quiet!" Karen's voice was amplified by a sound-amplifying spell, clearly piercing through the chaotic noise, carrying an undeniable power of stability.
"Listen up, everyone!" The magically amplified voice boomed like a bell, instantly silencing the crowd. All terrified gazes were fixed on him; this usually unassuming Ravenclaw genius was now the sole focus of the chaos. "I am Karen Hawthorne! Now, everyone, stand back! Stay away from the corpses! Keep your distance! Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw students, upperclassmen, please organize your house's students to retreat in an orderly fashion! Slytherin students, the same goes!"
His instructions were clear and decisive. The panicked students, as if they had found their leader, obeyed instinctively. Several senior students, as if waking from a dream, immediately began to call on their students to retreat and maintain order.
Karen's gaze swept quickly around the body. Quirrell's head was exposed, but most of his body was still buried under thick snow. The professors had to see the complete scene.
"Yugadimm Leviosa!" Karen's wand pointed steadily at the snow surrounding Quirrell's head. He precisely controlled his magic, gently and steadily peeling away the layers and pieces of snow covering Quirrell's body.
The snow receded silently to either side, revealing the body hidden beneath. Quirrell, dressed in his usual dark robe, lay curled up in an unnatural, stiff position on the frozen ground. His hands were twisted and clutched at his chest, his nails seemingly digging deep into the fabric, as if he had been gripped by immense fear before his death.
Her entire body was exposed to the crowd. A silent terror once more spread through the crowd, but this time, no one screamed, only suppressed sobs and heavy breathing. Karen released the loud voice spell.
"Patriot!" Cullen waved his wand again, without hesitation. Pure silver light erupted, quickly coalescing into his magnificent snow Patronus. The flowing silver snow swirled around the crowd, bringing warmth and courage, slightly dispelling their fear. "Immediately inform Headmaster Dumbledore! Professor Quirrell has been found at the Black Lake! Dead! Come immediately!" Cullen clearly commanded his Patronus.
The silver snow raven let out a clear cry, flapped its wings and transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the cold air at an astonishing speed, heading towards the high point of the castle, towards the direction of the principal's office.
Having done all this, Karen took a deep breath, calmed her turbulent emotions, and strode towards the Hufflepuff boy who was slumped in the snow, still shivering. His two companions were also quite frightened, but were still able to stand.
Karen crouched down, looking calmly at the boy: "What's your name? What grade are you in?"
The boy's teeth chattered, his eyes were unfocused, and his lips moved but no sound came out. He just stared at Karen in terror, then subconsciously glanced at Quirrell's corpse, his whole body trembling even more violently.
"Don't be afraid, look at me." Karen's voice softened, carrying a strange, reassuring power. He recognized the boy; he must be Cedric's classmate. He'd seen him with Cedric before—a Hufflepuff who was usually a bit awkward but very friendly. "You're Cedric's friend, right? I remember you, Zachary Coffey? Third year?" Karen deliberately brought up people and things he knew.
They tried to pull him back from pure fear.
Upon hearing Cedric's name, Zachary's unfocused gaze seemed to sharpen slightly. He nodded with difficulty, uttering a muffled syllable: "Yes—yes... Hawthorne—"
"Very good, Zachary." Karen nodded, quickly pulling a small crystal bottle from his pouch. Inside was a clear, pale blue liquid—a potent calming agent he and Fabian had developed together, capable of quickly stabilizing emotions and relieving shock. "Drink this."
You'll feel much better.
Zachary took the bottle with trembling hands, and under Karen's calm gaze, uncorked it and drank it down. The potion worked quickly; a few seconds later, his violent trembling subsided noticeably, and his rapid breathing gradually slowed, although his face remained pale.
But his eyes were no longer so terrified and unfocused.
"Now, tell me, Zachary," Karen's voice remained steady, guiding, "What happened? How did you find Professor Quirrell? Speak slowly, tell me everything you remember."
Zachary swallowed hard, his voice still trembling, but he could speak coherently: "Me—the three of us," he pointed to his two equally shaken companions beside him, "we're building a snowman here. If we want to make the biggest one, I'll roll the snowball for the body—" he pointed to a huge snowball that was half-rolled beside him.
"I rolled here," he pointed to a small patch of ground next to Chilohu's body, "and then—then I felt my foot trip on something—I almost fell—I looked down...and there seemed to be something under the snow...something hard, but not like a stone." His voice began to tremble again.
"I thought it was a twig or something, so I used my hand to brush the snow off to try and get it out—" Zakari's breathing became rapid again, and a huge fear reappeared in his eyes. "Then, then the snow was brushed away and I—I saw hair, and a head, and his face, his eyes were open and staring at me—" He suddenly closed his eyes, as if he saw that horrific scene again, and his body trembled again.
"And then you screamed?" Karen asked.
Zachary nodded vigorously, unable to speak.
Karen patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, then stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping over Quirrell's corpse. He didn't immediately approach to touch it, but observed it carefully from a few steps away. The Eye of Truth quietly activated once more.
The body was utterly lifeless, devoid of any sign of life or magic. But more importantly, Karen clearly saw that on Quirrell's head and upper body, there lingered an extremely cold, cursed, and deathly aura of magical energy! This energy, like maggots in bone, was deeply imprinted on the body, sharing a similar origin with the lingering, cold malice of the basilisk he had sensed at the abandoned waterway entrance, but it was more direct and deadly!
The remaining magic exhibited a bizarre "rigid" state, not merely physical coldness and stiffness, but more like the magic itself had been forcibly "frozen" and "petrified." This was completely different from the freezing caused by simple extreme cold. It seemed Quirrell had died at the hands of the basilisk, perhaps even being watched by it?
As for Voldemort—Cullen's senses swept over Quirrell's head and entire body. Nothing! Absolutely no trace of that familiar, viscous, nauseating, parasitic soul-possessing magical energy! Voldemort's soul fragments had vanished! Not dissipated, but more like—forcibly detached and transferred? Alarm bells rang in Cullen's mind. Voldemort wasn't dead! He had abandoned Quirrell, his "host"!
Just then, a powerful and familiar surge of magical energy rapidly approached from afar. Dumbledore appeared at the end of the passage where the crowd had automatically parted. He wore a deep purple robe, and his usual gentle smile had vanished, replaced by solemnity and a deep sadness.
His gaze immediately locked onto Quirrell's body on the snow and Karen beside him.
Following Dumbledore was Snape, who glided in silently like a black bat. His face was so dark it was almost dripping with water, his dark eyes fixed on Quirrell's corpse, his lips pressed into a cold, straight line. Next came Professor McGonagall, her steps hurried, her face ashen, her lips tightly pressed together, her eyes filled with shock and rage.
"Callen!" Dumbledore's voice was deep and powerful, instantly taking control of the entire room. "What happened?" His gaze swept over Quirrell's body, then looked at Callen, clearly indicating that the Patronus's message was limited.
Karen reported quickly and clearly: "Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape. I was walking by the lake about ten minutes ago when I heard Mr. Zachary Coffey scream. When I arrived, I found Professor Quirrell's head exposed above the snow, his body buried. I used a levitation charm to clear the snow and fully expose the body. The discoverer was Zachary Coffey, a third-year Hufflepuff student, who tripped while building a snowman."
"After clearing away the snow, we found the head. I've given him a sedative." He pointed to Zachary, who was slightly calmer but still weak, standing to the side.
Professor McGonagall immediately stepped forward, knelt down in front of Zack, gently comforted him, and tried to ask for details. Snape, like a ghost, silently floated to the body, knelt down, and did not touch it immediately, but carefully examined it with his all-knowing black eyes, the tip of his wand gleaming faintly, clearly conducting a preliminary examination. His nose twitched slightly, as if he were sniffing something.
Dumbledore walked to the body, gave Quirrell one last, sorrowful look, then turned to Cullen, his deep blue eyes as unfathomable as the sea: "You did very well, Cullen, very timely, and very calm." He paused, lowering his voice further, "You seem to—have discovered something?"
Cullen met Dumbledore's gaze without flinching. He nodded, also lowering his voice, "Yes, Headmaster. I request to speak privately about some crucial information. It is very important."
Dumbledore gave Cullen a deep look, as if trying to read something in his grey-blue eyes. He nodded slightly, then turned to Snape and McGonagall, who was questioning Zachary: "Severus, Minerva."
Snape looked up, his cold gaze sweeping over Cullen with scrutiny.
"Severus," Dumbledore's voice carried an unquestionable authority, "examine the Black Lake ice surface immediately, especially the area near the castle walls, for any unusual magical fluctuations, traces, or entrances. The area—extend from where we are standing to the bottom of that steep cliff in the southwest corner. Don't overlook any clues." He pointed in the direction where Cullen had discovered the abandoned waterway entrance.
Snape frowned, clearly having doubts about the order, but he did not object, only coldly replying, "Yes." He stood up, his black robes billowing, and swiftly and silently drifted in the direction Dumbledore had indicated.
"Minerva," Dumbledore said to Professor McGonagall, "please immediately escort Mr. Burns and his companions safely back to the castle common room, arrange for Mrs. Pomfrey to look after them, and ensure they are calm. Then, organize all students to return to their respective common rooms immediately, and place the castle on temporary alert. No one may move about without a professor's permission. Inform Filch to increase patrols in the corridors. Also, please have Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout come to the Headmaster's office immediately."
Professor McGonagall acted swiftly, nodding immediately: "Understood, Albus." She quickly helped Zachary up, called to his two companions, and then began directing the surrounding students to evacuate in an orderly manner.
Soon, only Cullen and Dumbledore remained on the shore of Black Lake, along with the cold body in the middle of the snow. A biting wind whipped up snowflakes.
The wind blew the hem of their robes.
"Alright, Cullen." Dumbledore's voice regained its calmness, but the gravity remained unchanged. He looked at Cullen, "Now,"
Tell me your findings, and why you requested a private conversation so quickly. It seems you already have a clear understanding of Professor Quirrell's cause of death?
Karen took a deep breath; the cool air cleared his mind. He knew it was time to lay his cards on the table. He needed to present a "reasonable" line of reasoning to elicit the truth.
"Yes, Headmaster," Karen's voice was steady and strong. "I believe that it was the Basilisk that killed Professor Quirrell."
Even Dumbledore, upon hearing this word, felt a fleeting, barely concealed shock in his deep blue eyes! He leaned forward almost imperceptibly, his tone unusually serious: "Basilisk? Cullen, this conclusion—is no small matter. Tell me, what is the basis for your judgment? Please explain in detail."
Karen was prepared; he began his pre-prepared reasoning:
"First, there's the information Hagrid brought. After the Halloween incident, the Forbidden Forest was under heightened security, and Hagrid was devastated because the swarm of giant spiders had migrated. When we visited him earlier, he mentioned that the centaurs, Frenzel and his ilk, were recently making prophecies again, saying 'the stars are dimming,' and 'the ancient evil of the castle is about to awaken.'" Cullen looked at Dumbledore. "Hagrid thinks this is just the centaurs' old rhetoric, but I know they aren't lying about astrological prophecies. And the keyword 'ancient evil' really alarmed me. Hogwarts has a thousand-year history; Voldemort's problem is far from ancient. And in Hogwarts' records and legends, the scope of things that can be described as both 'ancient' and 'evil' is actually quite small."
Dumbledore nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
"Then there's the legend of the Chamber of Secrets," Cullen continued. "Last semester, while researching Lucian Sinclair's alchemical journal—you know, he claimed to have discovered Ravenclaw's legacy and attempted to recreate the 'Eye of Truth'—I consulted a great deal of historical material about the four great masters of Hogwarts and the castle's hidden legends. In those materials, it was mentioned more than once that Salazar Slytherin left behind a secret 'Chamber of Secrets' before leaving Hogwarts. Legend has it that the Chamber of Secrets contains the power he left behind to 'purify' the castle, and only his true heir can open it. As for what exactly is in the Chamber of Secrets, there are many different versions, but the most widespread and relatively clear one is—a basilisk slumbers inside!"
Karen's voice was resolute: "A terrifying monster, raised or tamed by Slytherin himself, possessing deadly eyes and deadly venom! Its awakening is seen as the beginning of 'Purification,' purging those whom Slytherin deems 'unworthy to learn magic.'"
“And this legend,” Karen emphasized, “is not unfounded. While reviewing Hogwarts’ old archives from the 1940s, I found some vague but pointed records. Over fifty years ago, a series of bizarre petrification incidents occurred within the castle! A girl died in an abandoned bathroom on the second floor, her death shrouded in mystery. The investigation at the time was vague and ultimately left unresolved. And that girl who died was none other than the ghost we know, the Weeping Myrtle! I encountered her while exploring the castle and asked her about what happened when she died. She said she heard strange hissing sounds, then saw a pair of eyes before dying. All of this perfectly matches the characteristics of the Basilisk: those who look directly into its eyes die, and the hiss of a snake!”
Dumbledore listened quietly, his face expressionless, but Cullen could sense his intense concentration.
"So, what about Professor Quirrell's condition?" Karen pointed to the body in the snow. "Although I didn't touch it directly, my talent allowed me to clearly 'see' the magical traces remaining on his head and upper body. It was an extremely cold, chilling magical residue, carrying a strong petrifying curse and instant-death properties! Its essence was the 'Curse of Self-Light'! This is completely different from the stiffness caused by the extreme cold. Moreover," he paused, throwing out a crucial point, "Headmaster, you should have also noticed that Professor Quirrell was buried face up in the snow. What does that mean?"
Dumbledore's gaze narrowed slightly: "This means that at the moment of his death, he encountered the murderer head-on, and—very likely—looked directly at him."
“That’s right!” Karen nodded. “Plus, the frozen, extreme fear on his face all points to one conclusion: he was caught completely off guard, or rather, while the parasite inside him was trying to control something, when he encountered the Basilisk’s deadly gaze! The parasite might be able to resist the Basilisk’s killing commands, but Quirrell, as the host, clearly couldn’t withstand the instant-death curse contained in the Basilisk’s gaze! And Voldemort is obviously not here!”
Dumbledore paused for a moment, his deep blue eyes fixed on Cullen, as if trying to pierce her soul. "Very—brilliant reasoning, Cullen. Clear logic, complete chain of evidence, bold and insightful. Especially the connection to the events of fifty years ago; it would be hard to conceive of without delving deep into the old files." He shifted his tone, a hint of inquiry in his voice, "So, you mentioned 'making a discovery' earlier. Besides this reasoning based on existing information, is there any more direct... physical evidence?"
That was exactly what Cullen was waiting for. Without hesitation, he took out the small pouch carefully wrapped in dragon skin from his pouch, opened it in front of Dumbledore, revealing several huge, dark green scales inside.
"This is my direct discovery, Headmaster." Karen handed over the scales. "These are the ones I just found near an abandoned waterway entrance beneath the Black Lake's rock face. While observing the Black Lake, I discovered cold, ancient, and malevolent traces of magic belonging to the basilisk, extending from the lake to that waterway entrance. These scales were scattered in the crevices of the rocks at the entrance. Their size, texture,..."
The lingering scent all pointed to one conclusion—a monster of extremely large size, far beyond the reach of ordinary snakes in nature. Combining this with the preceding reasoning, what else could it be but a basilisk?
Dumbledore looked at the scales, and Cullen, understanding he wanted to examine them closely, offered him a pair of dragonskin gloves. The headmaster thanked her, put on the gloves, picked up a scale, and examined it closely. His expression became unusually serious as he felt the lingering cold malice on the scale and the unnatural, cursed magical fluctuations. After a moment, he put the scale down and let out a long sigh.
“It’s a basilisk scale.” Dumbledore’s voice was deep, carrying the solemnity of confirmation. “There’s no mistake. This cold, ancient aura, intertwined with the curse of death—and this size, far exceeding that of ordinary magical creatures, it seems it truly is the one left by Slytherin.” He looked at Cullen. “That waterway you discovered, is it the entrance?”
"It should be, Headmaster. Half-hidden by icicles and withered vines, it has a large diameter and leads into the depths of the Black Lake. I suspect it's a secret passage for the basilisk to access the Black Lake and the castle's water pipe system," Karen replied.
Dumbledore nodded, his gaze returning to Quirrell's body, then back towards the castle, his eyes filled with worry: "It seems Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened. And the 'Purifier' inside has begun its actions—Quirk is likely to become its first victim after its awakening, or perhaps the price Voldemort pays for his failed attempt to control it."
He turned to Karen, his gaze becoming extremely serious: "Karen, your findings and reasoning are crucial. They explain Quirrell's death."
This also reveals the true threat facing the castle at this moment: the basilisk's danger—far exceeding anything you've encountered before. Its gaze.
“I understand, Headmaster,” Karen interrupted him, her gaze equally grave and resolute. “I’m very clear about the danger basilisk's nature from my research. But that’s precisely why we need to find it and stop it! And I’ve even discovered a place that appears to be where the basilisk emerged over fifty years ago!”
Karen took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on Dumbledore, and said, word by word, "Based on the information I've gathered, especially the abandoned girls' washroom on the first or second floor where Myrtle died fifty years ago, the comparison with the castle's water pipe system blueprints, and after on-site investigation, plus my talent, I've roughly determined that the entrance is there, and I may have even determined the location of the mechanism to open it."