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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: GILDEROY "THE FRAUD" LOCKHART
LILY REPLACED THE OLD FLOWERS with new flowers that Lily had got for Hermione. As the boys and Lily sat around Hermione's bed, they sighed as they looked a petrified Hermione.
"Wish you were here, Hermione. We need you now more than ever." Harry said softly, which was true, they needed her smartness but Atlas was the other smartest one of the group. But Atlas couldn't really focused at all when his best friend was petrified and wasn't able to help them.
Ron sighed deeply, Adrian's head laying on Atlas's forehead while Lily was holding her hand, rubbing it comfortably. As Lily furrowed once she noticed something in Hermione's hand, she removed her hand from the brunette's hand and grabbed the crumpled and roll-up piece of paper that was in Hermione's hand. The boys were quick to notice and watched as Lily unfolded the piece of paper and read it.
"What's that?" The boys asked in unison as Lily's face turned into a realization one while facing them.
"Boys, this is why Hermione was in the library the day she was attacked." Lily replied as she quickly got up. "Come on." The boys were quick to follow her before stopped as Lily did, she quickly jogged to Hermione, kissing her head. "I'll be back, sweetheart." Lily whispered, unknowingly the boys had matching grins on their faces, but Lily had a grin of her own.
The golden five quickly left as Atlas took the paper from Lily.
"Many faced the beast/the robot and the normans more deadly than the basilisk: capable of living hundreds of years/instant death awaits any who meets this giant summers eyes, spiders flee before it," Atlas read eagerly before looking at the group. "Lily, boys, this is it. The monster in the chamber of secrets is a basilisk, that's why Harry can hear it speak. It's a snake."
"But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why isn't no one dead?" Adrian questioned as the others nodded in agreement. Atlas paused for a second before his face turned into realization.
"Because no one did look it in the eye, not directly at least," Atlas replied as the group began walking again. "Colin saw it through his camera, Justin... Justin must have seen it through Nearly Headless Nick. Nick got a full blast of it but he's a ghost, he couldn't have died again and Hermione... had the mirror, I bet you anything she was using it to look around corners in case, it came along!" Atlas explained.
"What about Ms. Norris?" Ron asked, as Atlas faced the redheaded boy. "I'm pretty sure she didn't have a camera or a mirror, Atlas."
Atlas thought once again. "The water, there was water on the floor that night. She only saw the basilisk reflection." The group nodded in agreement, it made so much sense how most of them got petrified.
