"Karl, something is wrong here; it seems like there's a problem."
"What's wrong?"
Deep in the dense jungle, Nina was checking a map by the moonlight filtering through the leaves.
"We should have entered the territory of the Acromantula by now, but..."
Nina frowned and looked around, her tone filled with confusion. "It's a bit too lively here."
"Lively?"
Karl focused and listened carefully. He did indeed detect faint movements—the sounds made by various nocturnal animals in the darkness.
"Logically speaking, there should be almost no other animals surviving within the territory of the Acromantula."
The Acromantula is a cruel and extremely dangerous magical creature, especially when they form large colonies, as they have a massive demand for food.
Within their territory, other animals are either hunted down or flee on their own.
Yet now, not only were there animals, but there seemed to be quite a few.
"Could it be that something happened to the Acromantula colony? Have they abandoned their territory?"
Karl carefully recalled, but he couldn't remember anything in the Forbidden Forest that could threaten them.
After all, adult Acromantulas are behemoths, each about the size of a horse.
When their eight legs stretch out on either side of their bodies, their span can reach fifteen feet, looking extremely terrifying.
Once this kind of monster moves in a pack, even a Dragon would have to take flight and get away immediately.
The only natural enemy of the Acromantula is the Basilisk, but the Basilisk is still in the Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin right now.
What is going on?
"Be careful. If the situation is wrong, we should retreat immediately; there is no need to take risks."
Following Karl's advice, the two gripped their wands and cautiously moved forward.
Along the way, tattered spiderwebs appeared constantly, indicating that the Acromantula had not been active for some time.
Finally, they arrived at the edge of a wide hollow where the trees had been cleared away.
In the center of the hollow was a dense, hemispherical spiderweb covering a cave below.
"The spiders have all hidden; a more dangerous creature must have come to the Forbidden Forest," Nina nudged Karl with her finger.
Karl nodded and pulled her back, not intending to investigate further.
"Let's leave here first."
The two transformed into Jungle Cats and returned the way they came at top speed until they were near the Mooncalf nest.
At this moment, under the moonlight, the adorable Mooncalves were still dancing, a stark contrast to the deathly silence at the Acromantula's place.
Nina noticed Karl's furrowed brow. "Did you think of something?"
"The Basilisk. Only that thing could make the Acromantula so fearful."
Perhaps other magical creatures could also pose a threat to them, but the only thing that could make an entire Acromantula colony hide and abandon their territory and hunting grounds could be the Basilisk.
But the Basilisk guards the Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin; it couldn't possibly be out for a stroll for snacks, could it?
Karl suddenly recalled that Elvis Heller and Quirinus Quirrell had communicated near the third-floor girls' bathroom. The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was right there. Could the Chamber of Secrets have been opened?
However, there were too few clues now to draw an accurate conclusion.
He could actually scout around the Acromantula territory to see if he could find any traces of the Basilisk.
But unless it was a last resort, he would never put Nina in danger.
It was a pity Harry Potter hadn't enrolled yet, otherwise he could have taken him into the Chamber of Secrets to see.
"The Basilisk? It shouldn't have appeared in Britain for hundreds of years, right?"
There is, friend! There is!
Not only does it exist, but it is right inside the Hogwarts Castle where we live and go to school.
"Then can you have any other answer?"
"Well..."
Nina thought carefully and found that there really were no other suspects.
"You know how dangerous the Basilisk is, right?"
"Of course, its eyes can kill any person or animal that makes eye contact with it."
Karl patted her head. "So, don't go to the Forbidden Forest again for now."
"Mm-hmm."
Sneaking back into Hogwarts Castle like cats, Karl sent Nina to the Ravenclaw tower before taking another round through the Castle, but unfortunately, he didn't run into the Weasley Brothers.
It wasn't until the next day in the Great Hall that Karl chatted with them for a while, but unfortunately, neither matter had made any progress.
So Karl reminded them again not to enter the secret passages of the Castle or the Forbidden Forest.
The Weasley Brothers nodded in agreement and took out two books for Karl to sign.
"the lion, the witch and the wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian" had already been published and were selling well at school.
It probably wouldn't be long before Karl could be considered a bestselling author.
He wondered what Gilderoy Lockhart would think of his fellow colleague.
...
After entering November, the Quidditch matches at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry kicked off.
Cedric Diggory and the other newly joined players were about to compete after two months of training.
There were two matches on Saturday: the first was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and the second was Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw.
The match was at eleven in the morning, but the students and teachers had arrived at the stands around the pitch before then.
Especially the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin, who brought telescopes and held up cheering flags and banners.
However, the Gryffindors and Slytherins were a bit confused as to why they didn't see the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.
"Pomona, Filius, where are your students? Why haven't they come over yet?"
Professor McGonagall, as a fan quite obsessed with Quidditch, was a fanatical supporter of her own house team, so she was the first among the Professors to arrive at the stadium stands.
"I'm not entirely sure either."
Professor Sprout was equally confused. Not to mention that there was a Hufflepuff match today; even if there wasn't, the Little wizards wouldn't miss such a lively opportunity.
"I guess they might be preparing some surprise?" Professor Flitwick laughed.
His office was on the eighth floor with a high vantage point and a good view. Around nine o'clock, he saw quite a few students from his own house and Hufflepuff huddled together discussing something.
This scene was nothing unusual normally, but on the eve of the Quidditch match between the two houses, it was quite rare.
"Alright, let's hope it's not a scare."
Professor McGonagall didn't pay much attention to it; she quickly turned her focus to the second-year Lee Jordan.
This child was serving as the match commentator for the first time today, so he shouldn't make any mistakes.
Time passed minute by minute, and amidst the noise in the stands, the match was about to begin.
Just then, two neatly arranged teams walked over from the direction of the Castle, instantly attracting the attention of the whole stadium.
Under the clear sky, the students of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw appeared wearing brand-new and beautiful school uniforms.
The somewhat cold wind blew their robes and scarves; the yellow-black tones and blue-white tones were clearly distinct yet harmoniously unified.
Looking at them, they were full of vigor and high spirits, as if they had injected new vitality into the entire Hogwarts.
This... looks really nice!
The Gryffindors and Slytherins looked over there, then looked at their own black robes, which were featureless and full of an old atmosphere, and suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.
Dear classmates, why didn't you notify us when you changed into new clothes?
How embarrassing is this!
"Well, I know what the surprise is now; it's indeed quite extraordinary," said Professor McGonagall.
"Yes, it would be great if we could have been like this back then," said Professor Sprout.
And Professor Flitwick said nothing, just kept laughing; he liked this vibrant energy of the Little wizards.
As for Professor Snape...
"Hmph! Showy!"