The Great Hall buzzed with noise.
The Chamber of Secrets events were still hot news. Excited discussions rose everywhere.
Especially last night.
Male Prefect Burstrode led people using Levitation Charms to drag the Basilisk from the pipes. The Weasley twins and several night-wandering Gryffindors witnessed it firsthand.
With harsh scraping sounds, the snake's body—like a small mountain—crashed onto the floor. Tiles shattered under the weight.
The bloody, mangled head still held its living menace. Bottomless, rotting eyes spoke of desolation. Hideous jaws torn to pulp, exposing white bone. As if it had met an even more terrifying predator.
Only then did they truly realize how horrifying the monster threatening their lives actually was.
Terror and lingering fear filled everyone's hearts. Young, pale faces showed indescribable shock...
By contrast, the Slytherin table was quieter.
After all, the Basilisk's skeleton sat in the most prominent spot in their common room.
They'd already seen it.
The jagged bone surface showed strange smoothness. As if carefully polished.
As lake light fell, jade-like fluorescence flowed across it. Dark green light flickered in the pitch-black eye sockets.
Like a carefully crafted art piece.
Adding eeriness and fantasy to the luxurious Slytherin common room.
Of course, if Venom's burping could be quieter, the little snakes would be happier...
Seeing Tiger still hadn't appeared, the prefect's brows furrowed. Her eyes turned toward Draco and the others.
"Hmm?"
"Where's Shelby?"
Without this beast around, even eating lost flavor.
Draco and the others instinctively put down their silverware. Hesitant expressions carried helplessness.
This morning's first class was Defense. Following Lockhart's teaching habits, this would be another spectacular dramatic performance.
Only this time...
Tiger played the Tibetan Yeti.
Spectacular, yes.
But brutal too.
Pansy and the girls gasped watching. Harry and Ron in the front row got splattered with blood...
Sensing Father's mood growing more violent, Draco and the others didn't dare gossip. They cast pleading looks at the other Shelby.
Theodore calmly swallowed his steak, wiped his mouth, and slowly spoke.
"Father is doing pre-meal exercise..."
"Pre-meal exercise?"
Before Gemma Farley could show confusion, Tiger's muscular, fierce figure appeared behind everyone.
Seeing Tiger's hands still had blood stains, Draco quickly pulled off his robe and handed it over skillfully.
Tiger wasn't polite.
After casually wiping the blood away, he picked up his knife and fork and ate heartily. In moments, he'd finished his steak, then stood again.
Everyone quickly followed.
Seeing Tiger didn't return to the common room for his usual nap but headed up the stairs, Male Prefect Burstrode instinctively asked:
"Father, where are you going?"
"Post-meal exercise."
The low, calm voice came.
Tiger's steps didn't stop. He strode toward the Defense office.
Probably realizing something, Draco and the others swallowed, then lightly touched their chests. Sympathy appeared on their faces.
"May Merlin protect him..."
The setting sun slowly sank behind distant mountains. Brilliant, molten-gold light poured down, dyeing the entire castle orange-red. It looked beautiful.
"Oh, no..."
"Please... stop..."
"I'll leave right..."
"No..."
"Good Lord... spare me..."
"Ahhh!!!"
With shrill screams, a dark figure on the tower fell rapidly before the sunset. Like a kite with a broken string.
Outside the castle, students looked up in unison. Their gazes followed the falling figure, slowly leveling out.
But even facing such a horrifying scene, their expressions looked calm. Used to it.
Especially the little Slytherin snakes—they were numb. Didn't even want to look up.
These past few days, before and after meals, they'd seen similar shows. Nothing surprising anymore.
They just wondered what Lockhart had done.
Six beatings a day, eighteen in three days, with occasional late-night extras...
"How tragic..."
Draco shook his head with feeling.
Maybe only he and Scarhead knew.
Lockhart tried to escape last night. Theodore sent him to the centaur tribe.
They didn't know what happened.
They only knew that this morning, Lockhart hugged the statue outside the Headmaster's office, nearly crying himself to death.
He shouted about wanting to leave Hogwarts.
But Dumbledore didn't appear. Not until lunch started, when Father dragged him away by his hair...
The dull landing sound came as expected.
As hot blood splattered, many young wizards covered their eyes.
Only Timaeus walked calmly to the shallow crater and skillfully added a scarab beetle to the mess in the pit.
As the scarab burrowed under skin, Lockhart's nearly collapsed chest slowly swelled, recovering some shape.
"Let's go."
"Shelby's pre-meal activity is over."
"We should go back for dinner."
After watching the show, Lisa clapped and led the Slytherins back inside.
The young wizards outside also dispersed.
Leaving only the barely alive Lockhart in the crater, letting out weak moans like cries for help.
Tiger paid no attention to the scene below. After throwing Lockhart down, his gaze remained on the sunset sinking behind mountains.
His deep, dark eyes flickered slightly.
Mother Polly's letter made him give up killing Lockhart. Mother Polly had no feelings for this fraud. She even cursed him out.
But precisely because of this, Mother Polly demanded Tiger not kill Lockhart.
Not just because Dumbledore pleaded.
But because this idiot was, in a sense, the matchmaker between her and Father Lawrence.
That Valentine's Day, to prove how popular he was, Lockhart commissioned his parents to buy over 800 love letters in the Muggle world and send them to Hogwarts.
The idea was stupid to the extreme.
Valentine's Day became chaos.
But wonderful fate began. Among those 800+ letters, one from Father Lawrence to a friend got mixed in and fell into Mother Polly's hands.
Though he didn't know what coincidences occurred, the carefree laughter in that letter caught Mother Polly's attention. The gentle Hufflepuff wrote an apology letter to her ex-boyfriend...
"Tiger!"
"Quick! Quick!"
"Hermione's awake!"
Just then, Harry's excited shout rang out behind Tiger, interrupting his memories.
Tiger's eyes paused, then he turned to look at the breathless Harry.
After confirming the certainty in Harry's eyes, his originally fierce expression finally softened slightly. Like ice melting under spring sun.
Black, twisted tentacles suddenly shot out.
Like bungee cords, they wrapped tightly around Harry's waist.
Harry felt his body tighten. He instantly understood. His green pupils contracted sharply.
"Wait, I..."
Before his protest could finish, he was yanked up by powerful force.
Then Tiger's figure leaped from the Astronomy Tower like a meteor. Harry felt wind howling past his ears. His body felt like it was tearing apart. Shrill screams echoed across the sky.
"Why!!!"
The Hospital Wing was on the second floor.
This was faster...
Tiger only replied in his mind.
Harry: (?_?)
I meant why did you have to bring me along when you jumped.
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