63
votes
How did the basilisk decay so fast?
The basilisk’s corpse was never actually seen in the books.
When Ron and Hermione bring Harry the basilisk fangs in the book, the dead body of the basilisk isn’t seen or described in detail. It’s ...
- 106k
48
votes
Accepted
Was Myrtle's death an accident?
I believe she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Tom M. Riddle didn't expect anyone to be in the toilet as he opened the passageway to the Chamber of Secrets. When Myrtle asked him to ...
- 6,374
47
votes
Is a Parselmouth immune to the effects of the stare of the Basilisk?
There's no canon proof either way. Even if they aren't, there’d be ways around it.
They’d know that the looking into the eyes of the basilisk can
kill, so they'd be careful not to.
Most of the ...
- 106k
40
votes
Accepted
Other than stabbing it with an enchanted, 1000-year-old, goblin-made sword, how else can I kill a Basilisk?
From Chamber of Secrets (emphasis mine):
It was a page torn from a very old library book [...]
Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the
Basilisk flees only from ...
- 2,253
38
votes
Why did the Basilisk obey Tom Riddle (or anyone)?
Basilisks are controllable by Parselmouths
The creation of Basilisks has been illegal since medieval times, although the practice is easily concealed by simply removing the chicken egg from beneath ...
- 95.7k
34
votes
How did the basilisk decay so fast?
In the books there were the remains of small animals within the tunnel leading to the Chamber itself:
But the tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud ...
- 42.5k
29
votes
How did the basilisk decay so fast?
Only 5 years passed - the basilisk should have had flesh left on it, but all they show are only bones.
Decomposition of dead bodies happens a lot faster than that, even for large animals. It takes ...
- 419
21
votes
Why did the Basilisk obey Tom Riddle (or anyone)?
It would appear that snakes must listen to what is told to them in Parselmouth. For instance, at the Dueling Club:
Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. ...
- 39.1k
16
votes
Was Myrtle's death an accident?
The implication (from Pottermore) is that her death was best described as murder, albeit also accidental.
Riddle released the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets with the intention of allowing it to ...
- 708k
15
votes
Why did the Basilisk in Harry Potter only listen to the Heir of Slytherin?
Only Parselmouths can control a basilisk, and the Heir was one.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them explains that only Parselmouths can control a basilisk.
“However, since Basilisks are ...
- 106k
14
votes
Other than stabbing it with an enchanted, 1000-year-old, goblin-made sword, how else can I kill a Basilisk?
While the crow of a rooster is a sure-fire way to kill a Basilisk, there is no sense in the books that Basilisks have any special defenses.
After all, Fawkes was able to poke out its eyes, which at ...
- 291
14
votes
Accepted
How come there were no witnesses to the monster when the chamber of secrets was first opened?
They may not have seen the creature that attacked them clearly.
The students who were attacked might not necessarily have a clear description of the creature that did it. Although Myrtle was attacked ...
- 106k
13
votes
Can a basilisk attack any type of wizard?
Basilisks are extremely dangerous to everyone, regardless of blood status.
The Basilisk is a brilliant green serpent that may reach up to fifty feet in length. The male has a scarlet plume upon its ...
- 708k
12
votes
How Was the Legend of the Chamber of Secrets Established?
The Heirs of Slytherin bragged about it
As Rowling writes on Pottermore:
Whispers that a monster lived in the depths of the castle were also
prevalent for centuries. Again, this is because ...
- 118k
12
votes
Accepted
Did the Basilisk attack anyone else in the 1940s?
Riddle's memory that Harry witnessed does agree there were multiple attacks:
‘The thing is, Tom,’ he sighed, ‘special arrangements might have been
made for you, but in the current circumstances ...’
‘...
- 66.4k
10
votes
Accepted
Why wasn't Myrtle more involved with the Basilisk parts of the story?
1) Myrtle isn't always present in the main area of the bathroom, she often hides.
Harry Potter: "Did you see anyone near here that night?"
Myrtle: "I wasn't paying attention. Peeves upset me ...
- 325
10
votes
How did the basilisk decay so fast?
It was eaten, just not by other lifeforms, this assumes that Basilisks use a Cytotoxic venom that they have limited immunity to, said immunity being based on a stomach lining like mucus membrane that ...
- 7,216
10
votes
Did Salazar Slytherin actually use the basilisk to kill anyone?
It doesn’t seem like Salazar Slytherin ever killed with the basilisk.
In the JKR writing on Pottermore about the Chamber of Secrets, it’s stated that Salazar Slytherin had decided before he was thrown ...
- 106k
9
votes
Could someone look at a Basilisk through a remote camera?
The camera’s insides would likely melt and not show anything.
Colin Creevey was using his camera when he encountered the basilisk. However, instead of recording any pictures of the basilisk, the ...
- 106k
9
votes
How do Basilisk eyes actually work?
It’s not clear exactly how they work, but they cause instant death.
In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, it’s stated that looking directly into a basilisk’s eyes causes instant death. However, ...
- 106k
9
votes
Why did Salazar Slytherin arm the Chamber of Secrets with a Basilisk?
Salazar’s reason is never truly confirmed.
It isn’t known for certain why Salazar Slytherin put the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Though the often-cited explanation is that he did it so he or ...
- 106k
8
votes
Theoretically, would Harry have been able to control the basilisk, since part of the true heir of Slytherin survived inside him?
Harry might have been able to control the basilisk - he never tried.
Harry heard the basilisk in the pipes - but he never tried to speak to it, either when he heard it or when he was in the Chamber of ...
- 106k
7
votes
Is a Parselmouth immune to the effects of the stare of the Basilisk?
The creation of Basilisks has been illegal since medieval times, although the practice is easily concealed by simply removing the chicken egg from beneath the toad when the Department for the ...
- 95.7k
6
votes
How come there were no witnesses to the monster when the chamber of secrets was first opened?
Short answer: there weren't any witnesses to the giant snake, but there were witnesses to the giant spider.
The important question to answer first is: who were these witnesses? The only two people ...
- 7,680
5
votes
Can only wizards create / hatch a Basilisk?
Anyone can hatch a Basilisk, as far as we know.
I've got the original (not the screenplay) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and it doesn't say that the process must be carried out by a Witch ...
- 20.3k
5
votes
Can a fake rooster kill a Basilisk?
We don't know. Nowhere in Harry Potter canon, a fake rooster is pitted against a basilisk, nor is the use of fake roosters discussed by any of the characters.
- 39k
5
votes
Would Vipera Evanesca work on a Basilisk?
It’s unclear from the known information.
There’s no way of knowing for sure or deducing the likely possibility of what effect, if any, Vipera Evanesca would have on a basilisk with the information ...
- 106k
4
votes
Other than stabbing it with an enchanted, 1000-year-old, goblin-made sword, how else can I kill a Basilisk?
Possibly a mirror.
Certainly in the legends about basilisks (and likewise the similar cockatrice, who is also killed by rooster crows and may be a variant on the same original myth), it was often ...
- 730
4
votes
Should basilisk venom really be able to destroy Horcruxes?
Yes, because it does irreparable damage unless healed quickly.
Though phoenix tears are a cure for the damage done by basilisk venom, the basilisk venom will still do irreparable damage if not healed ...
- 106k
4
votes
How come there were no witnesses to the monster when the chamber of secrets was first opened?
We have only one evidence from an attacker in the books and that is from Myrtle:
So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then –’ Myrtle swelled importantly, her face ...
- 7,108
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