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A faint noise echoed in the dark stone stairway. Down and down two feet went; bare and thudding on the granite floor.

"Drip, drip, drip..." somewhere in the dimness, water trickled down to match the rhythm caused by the footsteps...

After a while or so of walking; the rambler came to a halted stop. An ancient statue, adorned with cobwebs prevented his path; it was an effigy of a serpent.

"Hssssstttttttt ssssssstttt usssstttt" hissed the person and the hardness suddenly sprung alive.

A cavernous cavity came within the view of the sightless eyes belonging to the wanderer; but still in he went; his senses unperturbed to the surroundings about him.

"Come hither..." rasped a hoarse voice in Parseltongue and the traveler went forward...

All around green fires began to glow, out of the blue...And in its illumination, an emerald throne shone at the edge of the circular room.

The wanderer reassumed his course once again and headed straight to the throne and got settled.

Time flew by... but he remained seated. Finally a rustle was heard, and a slithery vibration thundered the floor...A long narrow body of yellow and black appeared from behind.

Rows and rows of coils began to surround around the seated figure; building a huge muscle fortress.

"Time has come for the inauguration..." hissed a voice and two brick red irises glittered in the shadows...

The serpent's yellow end twirled like the tail of a scorpion, its sharp blade glittering in the fire light.

Two fangs extended from the Basilisk's mouth towards the wanderer's head while the tail came like a piercing spear towards his heart.

A blood curling scream tore through...and luckily the sleeping castle wasn't awoken due to the thickness of the stone walls.

Deeper and deeper the fangs and the tail tip perforated in... And soon the yells got weaker and weaker until it was vulnerably lapsed into silence...

The still body fell onto the floor as soon as the large reptile released it from its captivity.

"The deed is done... darkness shall sleep no more... evil shall sleep no more..." pronounced the creature and lifted the body in its mouth, cautiously.

And then, like a flick of a whip, the lengthy mass of coils dashed through the dark channels...

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A huge crowd surrounded a building even though it was extremely late at night.

"Can you tell us about the artifact? Is it real?" a woman pressed, shoving a microphone marked CNN at a man's face. "Have tests been performed on the DNA?"

The man frowned in distaste as the media poached on him, like a pack of vultures. How did the press jackals been alerted? Nothing had even been confirmed about the find! He waved off the reporters and the camera operators.

"Get them away from here, Jon," retorted the man to the security as he entered the edifice.

"This way, doctor," one of the museum aides instructed. "Please, come inside."

Lots of cries of outrage were heard outside as the glass doors closed.

"Our archaeologists have found this unusual bust in a crypt, sir," replied a smartly dressed woman, extending her hand towards the doctor. "It was buried in a temple at Karnak. We believe that it is the Egyptian deity, known as Set who might be represented."

The lady led the Doctor along a narrow fifteenth century hall inlaid with tiles of heraldic designs.

Soon they stopped in front of an oak door and the lady turned to address the security.

"Gentlemen, I think I'll go in with the Doctor now. Please do stay out and guard the territory. I want no one interrupting this investigation inside."

"Yes Lady Kailey," replied a security officer while the two important people stepped inside and closed the door.

The room was very narrow and long... And the sarcophagi of some Egyptian Kings and Queens were lined up on the marble walls.

"The bust is over there Dr. Seltzer," remarked Lady Kailey, indicating towards a pillar on which stood a golden serpent, with its mouth fiercely open; sprouting fangs as if it were ready to attack.

"So where did you find it Julie?" questioned Dr. Seltzer taking a magnifying glass to inspect the monument. "It looks quite genuine."

"It was unearthed in a grave when the bulldozers were digging up at sector fourteen for crypts and relics. We would have missed it completely had not it rained."

"What has rain to do with this?"

"A lot... During the excavation, the mud was washed off by the storm which swept through Karnak."

"Very interesting... The hieroglyphics reveal an interesting story..." murmured the Doctor examining the bottom of the artifact. "It says here that a powerful pharaoh will arise, bringing darkness along with a kingdom of serpents to conquer the earth."

Abruptly, the Doctor's hand began to shake... and Lady Kailey's eyes widened in shock. A reverent force gave them the urge to kneel on the stone floor. Finally that's what they did.

Little by little, the body of the serpent started to come alive...But more surprisingly, it grew in size...

The mouth opened and the creature spoke... But the two cowering people couldn't understand even a word of it. With a bang the serpent morphed into man... black robes blew around him... However at sight, he looked incredibly abnormal...

Lady Kailey tried to scream but her voice was strangled in her throat.

But the eyes of the robed man met her petrified gaze... He grinned wickedly and before she knew what was happening; the man opened his mouth and sealed her lips in a kiss!

Doctor Seltzer watched in horror at his accomplice... Her face was turning greener and greener as the kiss continued and pus began to jut out of her skin like untreated wounds... In the end she looked like a half decomposed corpse...

The man removed his pale lips... bile was dripping from his mouth. Like a paranoid serial murderer he turned towards the doctor and flashed him insane grin... The doctor crumpled on the floor unconscious...

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"Take a look at this!" exclaimed Cuthbert Mockridge angrily, slamming the latest edition of the Daily Prophet on the coffee table, and it said:

QUEER DEATH OF TWO MUGGLES; WITCHCRAFT MAYBE INVOLVED

Alastor Moody, chief Auror to the Muggle and the Wizard crime investigation department; went to inspect a case of murder recently; in which two muggles were reputed to have been condemned to death ghastly and unusually. Doctor Felton Seltzer and Lady Lara Kailey were the unfortunate victims. Both were two famous muggles researching in Muggle History; and lately they were to have found a serpent's bust at Karnak. However tragedy struck when they left to inspect the artifact, leaving security behind. Moments later when they failed to show up, their dead bodies were recovered; left behind in the most gruesome manner inside the Egyptian relic chamber.

Today Mr. Moody was interviewed and he revealed that the victims had pus covered wounds on their body. The bust which was alleged to be kept in the sanctuary of the museum was missing and yet no traces of a thief were to be found. Even finger prints weren't discovered.

Post mortem of the dead bodies divulge that a loss of bile has been discovered. But the reason for the wounds in such a short time is a complete mystery. Investigations are still going on, in both Muggle and Wizard crime divisions.

"Well? What about it?" asked Kenneth Potter yawning lazily as he pushed the paper away.

"KEN! FOR MERLIN'S SAKE OPEN YOUR EYES! IT'S HAPPENING ALREADY!!!"

"Honestly Bert, sometimes I wonder if you're sane. These are some stupid murders of muggles! Useless! I don't know why Quintus Rein would even send his Aurors to investigate such muck!"

"You're pathetic! If it was pure blooded wizards I bet you'd show a lot of concern!"

"Don't cross your limits Cuthbert! I am the Minister of Magic! What I say is the law!"

Cuthbert gritted his teeth. He hated Kenneth Potter!

"One day you and your family will pay for your irresponsibility!" he cried and went out of the office in a rage.

Meanwhile Kenneth Potter took the Daily Prophet and tore it into shreds.

"Muggles! HUMBUG!" He yelled as the brewing storm at a distance reflected his steel grey eyes...

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A/N: To be continued as soon as possible.