"Lumos."

  Hoare lit up all the light sources in the room.

  peared before the three of them was a massive room.

  Se, it was even bigger than the Great Hall.

  "Wow."

  "Wow."

  "Wow," Hoare joined in.

  "What is this pce?" Harry looked around curiously.

  "No idea, but it definitely looks like Slytheriory," Ron said, referring to the room's decorations, all in the cssic Slytherin colors.

  Green and silver adorhe entire vast, empty room.

  Well, irely empty; there were many rge stones of various strange shapes.

  "Hey, this stone looks like a taur."

  "This one looks like a pore."

  "The carving is so good, it looks real."

  Ron curiously examihe stones.

  Hoare uood what this pce was; it should be where the Basilisk pyed, and those stones might not have always been stones.

  "Henry, this pce is terrifying. We have to tell the professor," Harry said worriedly, his disfort peaking after seeing these stones.

  "Harry, we 't tell the professor," Hoare quickly stopped Harry from reag for his wand.

  "You're a brave Gryffindor, aren't you curious to explore such a mysterious pce?" Hoare deliberately teased them.

  "If the professors find out about this pce, we won't have another e back."

  Harry's expression softened, and Hoare felt he was about to vince him.

  Suddenly, Ron shouted, "Ahhh!"

  Harry and Hoare were startled and quickly turo run towards the dire of Ron's voice.

  "Ron!" Hoare was anxious, his voice filled with urgency.

  "Ron!" Harry shouted.

  When they reached the source of the sound, they saatch of white on the ground, looking somewhat terrifying.

  "What are you so excited about?" Ron poked his head out from the white mass, his hair covered in white fragments.

  Hoare pulled Ron out and shook him, causing many white pieces to fall off.

  Harry was about to speak, but Hoare beat him to it, his voice filled with anger and , "Do you know where this is? You just run around carelessly!"

  Harry couldn't help but g him.

  "Who are you to be so fierce! I didn't mean to fall in!" Roed loudly, his face flushed from being scolded.

  "I..." Hoare started to speak but held back. It wasn't the time to reveal his identity yet; he had already thhly offended Voldemort.

  Revealing his identity would mean bringing unimaginable disaster to the Weasley family, something Hoare couldn't accept.

  "Henry's just worried about you," Harry expined for Hoare.

  "Worried doesn't mean you be so fierce..." Ron muttered, needing to save face.

  Hoare closed his eyes tightly, then opehem, speaking calmly, "This is a snake's shed skin."

  "What?" Harry was shocked. "So big!?"

  "What!!!" Ron shuddered at the thought of his close enter with the snake skin.

  The shed skin hadn't fully unfolded, but it was already massive, piled up to half the height of a house. If it were spread out, it might take up half the room.

  The inal size of the snake was terrifying to imagine.

  Ron took a step back, swallowing in fear, his voice trembling, "There's a snake here!!!"

  Hoare sighed, "Not now, but if you keep dawdling, I 't guara."

  "So, Henry, you khere was such a big snake here?" Harry's mind was sharp.

  Hoare nodded. Since Harry and Ron had followed him down, Hoare po make the most of it.

  "Let's go find a."

  Though Hoare said this, they walked for a while before reag the end of the room, where there was an intricately carved wall.

  Huessed there might be a hidden door here.

  "Harry, it's up to you," Hoare pulled Harry to a snake carving.

  Harry uzzled.

  "Greet it, like you taught me this afternoon."

  After Hoare spoke, Harry still didn't quite uand, hesitantly hissing, "Hiss~ hiss~ hiss~."

  Hoare worried Ron might be scared, so he g him, but Ron's face was bnk, looking utterly fused.

  Hoare shook his head, sometimes knowing too much made oimid.

  Following Hoare's guidance, Harry hissed for a long time, but the little snake on the wall remained motionless, and Harry's mouth was getting dry.

  "Henry, I 't do it anymore, my throat hurts..." Harry's voice was hoarse.

  Hoare let Harry rest while he tried.

  "Harry, what were you hissing about?" Ron was extremely curious. From their expressions earlier, he felt like he was the only one who didn't know, which was a bit embarrassing, so he preteo uand.

  "Huh?" Harry uzzled. "What hissing?"

  "You were hissing for a long time," Ron demonstrated.

  Harry was fused. Wasn't he just saying 'hello'? "Ron, was I really hissing?"

  Ron nodded affirmatively.

  Hoare, oher side, took over Harry's task, hissing the only phrase he knew.

  As he hissed, he examihe entire wall, which was covered with tless crawling snakes.

  With so many snakes, whie was it?

  Then, the statue's eyes blinked.

  Hoare froze, trying to stay calm, shifting his gaze elsewhere, slowly stepping back.

  The little snake seemed to sense Hoare had seen it and slithered directly in front of him.

  Hoare lowered his gaze to the bottom of the wall.

  His mind was rag.

  Was this snake a magical tool or a Transfiguratioion?

  It couldn't be a Basilisk, right? Haha, Basilisks are huge.

  And he seemed to have seen its eyes without turning to stone.

  Hoare recalled the little snake's eyes, a vivid green, just like Slytherin's green, which was why he hadn't noticed it initially.

  Thinking of this, Hoare stopped retreating and directly looked at the little snake.

  Now, the little snake was stunned, as if it had turned into a real stone sculpture, motionless.

  Hoare raised an eyebrow, staring at the only snake on the wall with emerald eyes, stepping closer.

  The little snake tio pretend to be a stone sculpture.

  Hoare reached out with his wand, pretending to poke the little snake.

  The snake darted away from the se.

  "Henry? Are you okay?" Harry watched Hoare, who seemed to be daydreaming in front of the wall.

  "Snake!!!"

  Unlucky Ron, who had the little snake jump right at his face.

  0Niffler0