Hogwarts: This Dark Lord is so evil

No sooner had Tom finished speaking than Leivde felt the ground beneath him become unstable...

Clearly, the ground was about to collapse!

In the instant the ground gave way, Leivde swiftly made a simple gesture with his hands, silently chanting the spell in his mind.

"Shock Absorption, Stop Speed!"

"Boom!"

The entire living room floor snapped in two like a chocolate bar broken with force!

Tom and Leivde plummeted through the crack!

Fortunately, Leivde's shock absorption spell was timely, preventing them from breaking their legs on impact.

"Ah! What the hell happened! It stinks!" Tom roared in anger.

But Tom couldn't continue speaking, as the overwhelming stench choked him, making it difficult to even breathe, let alone curse.

Leivde pinched his nose, surveying their surroundings. The dust kicked up by the floor collapsing was slowly settling.

Faint light streamed from above, illuminating the immediate area, but further away, it remained pitch black.

However, it was enough for Leivde to realize where they had fallen – into the sewers!

"Air Ascends!"

Leivde silently cast the Bubblehead Charm on himself and Tom. Two transparent bubbles enveloped their heads, successfully blocking the foul sewer odor.

Tom touched the transparent bubble around his head in astonishment, glancing at Leivde with a complicated expression.

"Is this another one of your self-invented spells?" Tom's voice sounded muffled through the Bubblehead Charm.

"Now is not the time for that, Tom..." Leivde cautiously scanned their surroundings.

Tom closed his mouth, falling silent.

On one hand, Leivde's ability to create his own spells made him feel extremely frustrated, and he didn't want to talk anymore.

On the other hand, they were in a dangerous situation...

Whatever could easily collapse the floor, whether human or otherwise, was definitely not something to be trifled with!

"Swish, swish, swish..."

A peculiar rustling sound echoed through the dust-filled air.

Overcome with unease, Tom couldn't help but say, "Perhaps we should run..."

However, before he could finish, a massive snake head lunged from the darkness ahead!

The hideous snake head, with its gaping maw and sharp fangs clearly visible, snapped towards Tom's head!

Caught completely off guard, Tom was paralyzed with fear, his legs rooted to the spot as if cast in iron.

He could only watch helplessly as the snake head lunged for his head.

"Obstacles in the Way!"

"Bang!"

Leivde's Impediment Jinx knocked the hideous snake head back half a meter!

"Tom! Don't just stand there! Say something!" Leivde shouted.

"Ah? Say... say what?"

Having just been attacked by the giant snake, nearly losing his life, Tom had temporarily lost his ability to think.

He couldn't process Leivde's words at all...

The snake shook its head and lunged again.

"Bang!"

Another Impediment Jinx struck its head, pushing it back once more.

"Tom! Speak to it!"

Leivde shouted, casting a Petrification Charm at the same time.

However, the usually reliable Petrification Charm bounced harmlessly off the snake's dark green scales...

But the brief respite was enough for Tom to regain his senses.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss..." Tom's Parseltongue skill activated once again.

Parseltongue had a controlling effect on snakes, and this time, it worked.

After hearing Tom speak, the giant snake stopped attacking.

However, although it didn't attack, it tilted its head, observing the two human cubs before it.

"What did it say to you?" Leivde asked, turning his head while cautiously watching the snake.

"It..." Tom frowned, "It didn't say anything!"

"Then what did you say?"

"I... I ordered it to leave!"

The giant snake was flicking its massive tongue, staring silently at them.

"I think... maybe we should leave first..." Leivde suggested.

"I agree." Tom agreed with Leivde's suggestion for the first time. "But... why isn't it obeying?"

"Maybe you're too weak right now. Would you listen to someone weaker than you?"

Read it all in one go!

Leivde's words were so blunt that Tom's young heart was deeply wounded, but he didn't have the energy to dwell on it now.

Just as the two were wondering how to leave.

"Hiss!"

The giant snake launched another attack!

Leivde cast another Impediment Jinx, hitting its head, but this time the effect was much weaker than before.

It only knocked its head slightly off course, and its sharp fangs grazed Leivde's shoulder, biting into the ground!

Tom's face paled as he once again commanded the snake in Parseltongue, "Hiss, hiss, hiss! (I command you to retreat!)"

A glint of mockery flashed in the snake's eyes, and it raised its head, seemingly preparing to launch a second attack.

Leivde's heart sank. In a narrow place like the sewers, there was no way to escape from such a giant snake.

It seemed their only option was a desperate fight to the death...

However, this giant snake seemed to have ridiculously high magic resistance!

Leivde was prepared to fight with his life.

Unfortunately, he had only been learning magic for too short a time. If he had just one more week to study, he wouldn't be forced to fight for his life!

Just then, the snake suddenly stopped moving, then began to tremble violently!

"Hiss..."

Looking at the snake, which was suddenly thrashing and hissing as if possessed, Tom looked at Leivde in confusion.

"Did you do this again?"

"If I had that ability, would I need to run away? Stop talking! Let's get out of here while we can. Once we reach the surface, we'll be safe!"

"Wait!" Suddenly, Tom grabbed Leivde, turned to look at the snake, his face filled with shock.

"What's wrong?"

"It... it spoke!"

"What did it say?"

Leivde frowned. The snake must have said something shocking to Tom, otherwise Tom, who cherished his life so much, would never have stopped.

"It said... for us to run! It has temporarily controlled itself..." Tom looked at Leivde in confusion.

Leivde turned to look at the snake. Sure enough, the snake's trembling body had stabilized, but its eyes were much clearer, completely lacking the ferocity it had shown earlier...

"Tom... ask it what its name is," Leivde said, looking thoughtfully at the snake.

Tom gave Leivde a strange look, but still did as he was asked.

After a moment, Tom said, "It says its name is Nagini..."