Written for barzensers' The Unknown Character Competition with the character Herpo the Foul

Written for Ralinde's Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, using the prompt 'To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream.'

Steps to Hatching a Basilisk

The Steps to Hatching a Basilisk by Herpo

Step One – Your ingredients

It has now become common knowledge that to hatch the creature known as the Basilisk, one must place a chicken egg under a toad. I, Herpo (many now know me as Herpo the Foul) was the one to discover this. It was by mere coincidence that I came across this technique, but one that has led to many questions and five more Basilisks being hatched within the last twenty years.

If one wishes to hatch one of these marvellous creatures, the first step will be to locate a chicken egg and a toad. This should not be hard if one knows where to look.

OOO

The words had taken Salazar ten years to decipher. Despite being rather good with words and fairly intelligent, the language of the Greek wizard who had lived almost one thousand years before him had been a challenge.

Of course – as Herpo the Foul had put it – the ways of hatching a Basilisk were now known by many people, but Salazar wanted the original. Herpo was the first man to ever do it and to see it scratched into stone tablets pleased him greatly.

He just wished it had taken him less time to decipher the neat scribble on the tablets. They had been easier to locate than they had been to read.

Shifting in his chair, Salazar glanced up at the small egg that was resting on his desk and the toad beside it. It looked distressed in its cage, but Salazar wasn't a cruel man. Once his use for it had ended, he'd set the ugly creature free.

"The others can't know about this," he said, unsure as to whether he was talking to the toad, or to himself.

He unlocked the steel cage the toad was in and wrapped his fingers around its slimy body. Swallowing a wave of nausea, he placed the creature over the egg.

The toad hopped away.

"Come back here, you wretched thing!" he growled, using his wand to immobilise it. He set the toad on top of the egg again.

"Now what?" he wondered.

OOO

Step Two - Confinement

It is a difficult task to get the toad to stay with the egg (as I discovered quickly). However, once one is aware how to do it, it is a rather simple task that doesn't require a great mind. Simply lock the toad in a confined place where it is unable to escape.

A toad needs to be conscious for a Basilisk to hatch properly. Do not use magic on it or it will become useless.

Once both the toad and the egg are confined in a small space, put it under warm light. A toad is naturally cold-blooded, but an egg needs warmth to hatch. Start a fire close to the egg. The toad will not like this, but it will tolerate it (it will have no choice if it is confined.)

OOO

Salazar swore.

Do not use magic on it or it will become useless.

Now what was he supposed to do? The toad was unconscious. He'd have to find a new one.

Helga's office wasn't too far away and he knew for a fact she had a large collection of the ugly things. Going to her office was not what he had had planned, but he also wanted to get to work as soon as possible.

He had no choice.

Grumbling about what an inconvenience this brought him, Salazar marched through the empty corridors, telling off a student here and there for not being in class. They had created a school for a reason. Students should be learning, not ambling through to corridors at their will.

He stopped out the front of the wooden door and knocked three times.

"Come in," came the reply.

Salazar opened the door, looking around the room until he located the slim woman leaning over a stack of parchment.

"I need a toad," he said shortly.

Helga seemed surprised by the statement. "A toad, Salazar?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Whatever for?"

It was really none of her business, but Salazar knew she wouldn't give him one unless he gave a good reason. "I need it for one of my classes," he told her.

Helga frowned. "You know I do not condone using creatures that are still alive for your potions, Salazar," she said.

Salazar sighed. The woman frustrated him to no end. "I do not need it for a potion," he said. "You know I would never offend you like that." He gave a wide grin, one that she returned.

"Very well," she said. "One moment." She moved to the back of her office and returned moments later with another toad in hand. It looked identical to the one he had Stunned minutes ago.

"I will have it back to you in an hour," he promised her, closing her office door with a light click. Or one just like it, he added silently as he made his way back to his own office.

When he reached his desk again, his original toad still lay there unconscious. He put it back in its cage and discarded it to the side. Once it woke, Helga could have it.

With the new toad, he kept it in its cage and placed the egg underneath it. As Herpo had said, the animal didn't appreciate the gesture, but with little room to move, it had no choice.

"Now for some warmth," he mused, taking out his wand again. He placed the cage in one of the corners of his office and lit a small fire. He placed it and the cage close together and stood back, admiring his handiwork.

Now all he had to do was wait.

But for how long?

OOO

Step Three – Waiting

It takes 9 lunar months for a Basilisk to hatch (the same as a human baby). No more and no less. Do not force a Basilisk to hatch before it is ready or there will be no chance for one to tame a creature such as this.

This fact is very important. Those who can speak the language of snakes must be able to tame a Basilisk, or it will turn on its creator.

Please heed my warning. A Basilisk must hatch after 9 lunar months or it will not be the same.

OOO

Salazar sighed. Nine long months of waiting. What was he supposed to do in the meantime? The school he had once had such high hopes for was diminishing by the second. Students who were not of magical blood were being allowed in simply because they possessed a talent.

He had once thought he and his three 'friends' had shared one dream – to teach those born with magic.

Now, he wasn't so sure. What a waste these people had become. What a waste of all his years of hard work.

Their motto had once been: To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream.

What a wonderful dream they had all once had. What wonderful students they had all once had.

Now, it seemed, accomplishment was only his dream.

OOO

Step Four – Hatching

After the 9 lunar months have finished, the egg should turn a glowing green colour. This means your Basilisk is ready to hatch. Keep the egg and the toad in a very warm setting and wait. Hatching may take up to a day.

Once the shell has been fully discarded, remove the toad. This toad is now of no use.

The creature that has just hatched will appear slimy and hideous, looking like an over-sized worm. This means it is healthy and will one day grow to be the creature many fear.

OOO

It had been rather difficult for Salazar over the past months. Students and teachers were constantly insisting to come into his office to speak with him and he was running out of excuses to stop them from entering.

He had been marking down the days one by one on a piece of parchment, checking on the egg and the toad many times each day. After one month, the toad had settled into a mulled mood, finally accepting its new life.

Salazar studied Herpo's writing thoroughly over the nine months, making sure he hadn't missed anything. Herpo the Foul had been very particular about following his steps thoroughly. He couldn't afford a slip-up, less he be forced to start again.

But on the final day – just as promised – the egg did turn a green. It glowed in the darkness, even turning the flames of the fire the same awful colour.

And it gave off a putrid smell. Where on the tablets had Herpo said that the smell was foul?

Nevertheless, Salazar watched and waited. He sent ten students away that day, and three teachers. By now, rumours were flowing endlessly through the corridors. What was Professor Slytherin keeping in his office? Why weren't they allowed in? He had been forced to put up intruder enchantments at night to make sure nobody went in for a peek.

The tablet said it could take a day. It took Salazar's Basilisk mere hours to break free of its shell. And, by Merlin, did it look hideous. If he wasn't so proud about his accomplishment, he would have turned away in disgust.

Once he removed the toad from the cage (setting it on the windowsill to leave at its own will) he studied his creation.

"Finally, you're here," he said in a way he had heard mothers talk to their newborns.

The creature wriggled in its new body.

OOO

Step Five – Taming it

Only those who are Parselmouths are able to tame the Basilisk. One – such as myself – who is familiar with speaking to serpents tamed the creature instantly. For others, who are less experienced, may take days, even months.

A Basilisk grows very quickly. If one cannot tame it before its jaws can wrap around a human head, it will never be tamed and should be destroyed.

Taming must begin at hatching. This is essential.

OOO

Salazar knew he could speak Parselmouth – it was a trait passed down from his mother. Though, over his years at Hogwarts, he had not used it as often as he would have liked. He wasn't sure how well he could speak it anymore. But he tried, nonetheless.

"Hello," he said, slowly, making sure he got it right. "Hello."

The creature lifted its head, slits for eyes looking up at him.

Tame it, Salazar thought. How was he supposed to do that?

"I'm your master," he said, again in Parseltongue. "You will obey me."

What a fool he must have looked, talking to something that was slightly bigger than a garden worm. But the serpent bent low. Acknowledging Salazar as its master, perhaps?

Salazar beamed. What an accomplishment he had made over the course of nine months. No, ten years. Not only had he managed to keep it secret from his fellow teachers (Godric, especially) he had deciphered the ancient Greek writing of Herpo the Foul and used it to his advantage.

He had dreamt of this day for a very long time – the day he'd finally rise above the others. Now, he had succeeded.

Almost.

OOO

Step Six – Using the creature to one's advantage

Basilisks are feared by those who cannot control them. For wizards who have ambition and desire power, they will find great use from this creature.

Basilisks answer to its master; and its master alone. Once tamed, it will not obey another soul (not even those who speak Parseltongue).

Once a wizard has tamed his Basilisk they may use it to their pleasure. Basilisks can kill by looking someone in the eye. They have poisonous venom which runs through the body quickly. They will do a wizard's bidding, no matter the request.

I repeat, those who have ambition and seek power will find great use from one of these creatures.

OOO

And great use Salazar found. Not long after his success in taming it, he took it down to the chamber he had built six years prior. It was a long way underneath the castle and not even Godric knew of its existence.

It was Salazar's secret. Salazar's and the Basilisk's.

Setting the serpent on the cold floor, he studied it with a pang in his chest. After all these years he had spent trying to hatch such a wonderful creature, he was saying goodbye after only a few months.

"I am leaving," he said to it that night. "And I will not be returning. This school has become something I do not dream of anymore. The people Godric, Helga and Rowena have allowed past these walls disgusts me. Those born to non-magic parents, those with mixed blood. It is not right." He paused. What a joke Hogwarts had become.

He looked back down at the creature, continuing calmly. "Do not fear, though," he said. "One day, an heir will return to this castle and they will find you and they will let you out again. I promise you this."

The chamber was dark and cold – perfect for a snake, not for a human. Salazar turned on his heel and left the chamber and Hogwarts after that.

He didn't know where he'd go next, but he knew one thing. One day, his hard work – and the Greek wizard's – would be appreciated.

Of that he was certain.

So, in the research I did for this character I'd never heard of, Herpo the Foul was an ancient Greek wizard known for being the first wizard for hatching a Basilisk, creating a Horcrux and creating many different evil spells. He made a chocolate frog card in the 1800s. I considered doing something similar with the Horcrux side of things, but then I realised (although I haven't read any myself) Horcrux stories are probably over done. I thought a Basilisk would be a bit more original.

The story was supposed to be more about Herpo the Foul and I know I used a lot of Salazar, but this was what came to mind. I hope you enjoyed it and I would really appreciate it if you left a review.

Thanks!