Marvel's Omniverse Magic Controller

Chapter 58: The Basilisk's Appearance

October 31st, Halloween Eve.

As George walked into the castle's Great Hall that morning, he was greeted by the sweet, enticing aroma of roasted pumpkin.

Today's breakfast was entirely pumpkin-themed, likely thanks to Hagrid's generous supply of ingredients.

But to be honest, the house-elves' culinary skills were truly impressive. No wonder Tonks always reminisced about Hogwarts' food.

Even George, who wasn't particularly fond of Western cuisine, occasionally found himself pleasantly surprised.

If the opportunity arose, he planned to acquire a house-elf in the future to serve as his personal butler.

After the last class of the afternoon, the students flocked to the Great Hall in groups. As the star of Slytherin, George was naturally surrounded by his classmates as they made their way there.

"Did you hear? Dumbledore specially invited the Skeleton Dance Troupe for this year's Halloween feast!"

"Wow, the one made entirely of skeletons?"

Amid the excited chatter, George entered the Great Hall.

The hall was now a dazzling spectacle. A thousand live bats fluttered against the walls and ceiling, while another thousand hovered like low-hanging clouds above the tables.

Enormous jack-o'-lanterns floated in the air, each large enough to fit two or three students inside.

These were Hagrid's creations, made using Engorgement Charms on specially grown pumpkins. George had been there when Hagrid made them.

While he wasn't particularly interested in the pumpkins, he was fascinated by the Engorgement Charm.

The Engorgement Charm, which could rapidly inflate objects or people like balloons, had the same effect on objects. However, one had to be careful not to overdo it, as excessive inflation could lead to explosions.

George's interest in this spell stemmed from the idea that if he had known it while escaping the base, he could have enlarged the grenades he controlled by tenfold.

That might not have just blown up a few buildings—it could have leveled the entire base.

But the spell was quite advanced, and even after consulting Hagrid, George hadn't fully mastered it.

Of course, the main reason was that he had too many magical theories and spells to study, and the Engorgement Charm wasn't the top priority. It had to take a backseat, so he hadn't devoted much time to it.

If he had focused solely on this spell, with both his bodies working on it, he would have mastered it by now.

The Hogwarts Halloween feast did not disappoint. The house-elves had prepared mountains of delicious food, the professors showcased dazzling and amusing magic, and the Skeleton Dance Troupe performed hilariously.

These were things George could never experience in the normal world, and they left him in awe.

Compared to watching movies, the immersive experience was far more enchanting. Many things couldn't be fully appreciated through text or images alone—perhaps not even a tenth of the real experience.

No matter how tall Mount Everest looks on TV, it won't compare to standing at its base and understanding why it's the world's highest peak.

After the feast, everyone dispersed. The Slytherin students, including George, chattered excitedly as they headed toward their dungeon dormitories. However, at a corner, they suddenly froze.

They saw Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, hanging stiffly from a torch bracket, her body rigid and her eyes vacant. Beside the torch, large words were scrawled on the wall:

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.

Enemies of the heir, beware!"

Opposite the wall stood the equally petrified trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You're next, Mud—"

Malfoy stepped forward, eager to taunt the trio, but he only got halfway through his sentence before George grabbed his shoulder.

"Malfoy, now's not the time for this. Go inform the headmaster and the professors."

Malfoy turned and saw it was George. After a moment's hesitation, he closed his mouth and ran off toward the Great Hall.

Soon, Dumbledore, Snape, Lockhart, McGonagall, and other professors arrived, along with Filch.

Filch, upon seeing his beloved Mrs. Norris petrified, let out a furious roar.

He was convinced Harry had done this to get back at him. It wasn't until Dumbledore explained that this wasn't a spell a lower-year student could cast and that Mrs. Norris could still be saved that Filch calmed down.

George didn't take the opportunity to reveal anything about the basilisk. While it might have earned him points, he wasn't ready to get involved just yet.

After Harry and his friends were taken away by Dumbledore, George returned to the Slytherin common room with the other students.

While the others debated the Chamber of Secrets, George found a corner to continue studying his magic books. This earned him silent admiration from his peers.

After Halloween, the castle returned to its usual rhythm, though the topic of the Chamber of Secrets remained hot. Many students believed Harry was the heir of Slytherin.

One day, while reading in the library, George was approached by the trio.

"You think Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin and wants to kill all Muggle-born students?"

"His whole family's been in Slytherin, and he loves bragging about it.

I bet they're descendants of Slytherin. His father's evil enough, so he must be the heir."

Harry sounded convinced.

Ron chimed in:

"Maybe they've had the key to the Chamber for centuries, passing it down from father to son. That's how it ended up with Malfoy."

"Besides him, I can't think of anyone else who hates Muggle-borns so much. He even called me a Mudblood last time."

Hermione agreed with their suspicions.

"Even if your reasoning makes sense, how do you prove it? Speculation isn't enough to convict him. His father has a lot of influence in the Ministry."

George smiled.

Malfoy wasn't Slytherin's heir—Voldemort was. But George wasn't about to reveal that.

"That's why we need your help, George."

The trio leaned in closer.

"We need you to get us some hair from Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent Bulstrode, and tell us the password to the Slytherin common room."

"That's not too difficult, but what are you planning to do?"

George feigned ignorance.

Harry, trusting George, didn't hold back:

"We're going to brew Polyjuice Potion, turn into those three, and go into the Slytherin common room to trick Malfoy into talking..."

"That's a clever plan, but you do realize this breaks at least fifty school rules, right? Whose idea was this?"

George nodded, casually asking.

Harry and Ron both pointed at Hermione. They wouldn't have come up with such a plan, as they didn't even know what Polyjuice Potion was.

(End of Chapter)