"Well, Colin did have his camera with him… only when they opened it up to see if he'd managed to take a picture of the other person, it seemed like the film had melted," Harry said. "And… hang on, there was water on the floor near Mrs. Norris!"
"Water… and a camera? That's it!" Sam exclaimed. "Reflections! That's why they're not dead!"
"You think the cat and kid saw the basilisk through reflections or some other obstruction and that's why it's gaze didn't kill them?" I asked, though quietly, I was glad Sam had come to the conclusion first. Saved me from having to do it.
"Yes, exactly!" Sam said, and Harry gasped, while Sirius and Remus both looked disturbed. "And Nick is a ghost, right? I bet that's why he got petrified as well. Can't kill what's already dead."
"That's… I suppose that's possible," Remus admitted slowly. "We don't actually know very much about how a basilisk's gaze works."
"A basilisk is in Hogwarts?! And nobody's done anything about it after it attacked a student?! What is Dumbledore thinking!" Sirius snarled.
"Good question," I said. "And have they unpetrified the boy yet?"
"No, the Mandrakes in the greenhouses aren't ripe yet," Harry replied.
"Then why not buy some that are? People grow Mandrakes year round all over the world, they're a key component in Pepper-Up Potions among other things," I pointed out. "Hell, just buy a Petrification Daught from somebody who has them premade, or take the boy to Saint Mungo's! The potions are cheap and they keep for a few weeks before going bad, after all, and a hospital has got to have some in stock in case of emergencies!"
"Incompetence," Sam declared in disgust.
"That or pure, unbridled hubris," I added. "Dumbledore was already on thin ice already after his stunt with the Philosopher's Stone. I don't think we can trust him for much else after this muck up."
I then turned to Harry. "I'm going to send a few letters, and then I'll grab some fresh Mandrakes from a seller I know and brew the damn potion myself! You'll take it with you when you head back to Hogwarts, understood?"
"Right!" Harry said with a firm nod.
"Good," I grunted, before sighing a bit. "Ugh, that brought the mood down."
"Little bit, yeah," Sirius agreed.
"Although now I know why your fortune telling told me to be wary of snakes this year," Harry pointed out.
"Fair point," I nodded. "Let's just grab something nice. Some cookies might help as well."
That made everyone perk up. Nothing like a sweet treat to improve the mood.
And so, another Christmas came to an end. I just hoped the coming year would not be nearly as hectic. I had a feeling that was a long-shot, though. At least this one didn't end in a shootout.
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