Harry and Ron: Is That It?

Headmaster's office.

"The Chamber of Secrets! The Basilisk!" Professor Sprout exclaimed.

Snape couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and walked straight to Loren, pulling him out by his robes. His words were brief and urgent. "Lead the way."

Before Loren could explain anything, he was led outside with a bewildered look on his face.

The other professors also stood up nimbly and caught up with the two.

Dumbledore lagged behind, slowly rising to his feet and casting his gaze upon the gilded perch. On the perch, Fawkes the Phoenix had recently undergone nirvana and whose feathers were not yet fully grown, tilted his head and gently flapped his wings.

Seeing that the other professors had all left the office, Dumbledore tapped Fawkes's small beak lightly with his finger and spoke in a voice only Fawkes could hear, "Go, just make sure they are safe."

Fawkes rolled her eyes at him, let out a soft cry, spread her wings, her whole body burst into red flames, and disappeared on the perch.

Dumbledore then leisurely caught up with the group.

"How could you all enter the Chamber of Secrets on your own? You should have informed the professor first!" Professor Flitwick cried out in a panic, his short legs swinging more frequently than the others, looking rather disheveled.

Professor McGonagall's face was tense, and her somber expression showed that she was very angry, but she knew that now was not the time to reprimand the young wizard.

"Well, at that age—" Dumbledore's attempt to ease the tension was cut short by a cold glare from Professor McGonagall, who gave Loren a helpless look.

"Loren, tell us what happened?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Loren paused, though he wasn't entirely sure of the situation. It was only because the illusion left on Lockhart had been triggered, coupled with Harry and Ron's delayed return, that he confirmed Harry and Ron had entered the Chamber of Secrets.

If the two of them had figured out the location of the Chamber of Secrets, they certainly wouldn't have rushed down into Chamber of Secrets. Acting without authorization must mean there was an emergency; his trip to the Headmaster's office was mainly to inform Dumbledore.

Loren hesitated for a moment. "We'll talk about the details later. Let's go save Harry as soon as possible."

Snape pursed his lips and glanced at him subtly. When he noticed Dumbledore standing leisurely behind him, he slowed down and even loosened his grip on Loren's robe.

No one spoke, and the scene fell silent for a moment. With swift footsteps, the group quickly entered Myrtle's Bathroom and arrived at the entrance to the pool in the Chamber of Secrets.

"I'll go down first!" Professor Flitwick waved his wand at himself, tapped the ground with his foot, and darted into the pipe at such speed that he left a blur in his wake.

Flitwick, worried that the Basilisk was waiting below, wanted to rush down first to create opportunities for the others. Snape remained silent, flipping over and leaping into the pipe entrance, his cloak billowing in the air, the sound of the wind whistling through the pipe.

Professor McGonagall nodded to Dumbledore, waved her wand, lifted her skirt, and flew into the pipe entrance.

Sprout was a little slower, and just as she was about to enter, Dumbledore stopped her. Dumbledore shook his head at her and said gently, "Pomona, you stay up there. Someone has to meet us, doesn't that mean we need to?"

Sprout gripped his wand tightly, opened his mouth as if to speak, but the plump Witch hesitated before finally nodding in agreement.

Dumbledore and Loren disappeared into the depths of the tunnel. When they landed on the damp ground, the three professors in front of them had already formed a battle formation and were rapidly advancing.

Everyone assumed that with Dumbledore protecting Loren, there was no need to worry about them.

Inside the pitch-black stone tunnel, the floor was covered with the skeletons of small animals, making the entire space resemble a huge tomb. At the pipe's exit, water droplets occasionally fell to the ground, creating a soft splashing sound that echoed through the tunnel.

The group headed towards the tunnel entrance, and from afar, Snape spotted the monster lying there. Instead of alerting it, he moved stealthily and warned those around him, "Watch out."

The three professors quickly aimed their wands at the tunnel entrance, but seeing neither Harry nor Ron, they hesitated, fearing that a hasty move might cause unforeseen consequences. Instead, they gathered their strength and steadily approached the monster. A moment of silence fell over the scene.

Loren glanced at Dumbledore and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Aren't we going to give him a heads-up?"

Dumbledore looked innocent, frowned, and feigned confusion, asking, "What reminder?"

Loren's eye twitched... Keep acting, or you'll get scolded by Professor McGonagall...

The two who had fallen behind caught up with them, but the monster ahead remained motionless. Professor Flitwick was the first to realize. "It doesn't seem to be alive?"

Snape darted over quickly, his voice carrying from afar. "It's just the Basilisk's shed skin."

The others stepped forward, examining the enormous Snakeskin. Snape's voice, tinged with suppressed excitement, said, "It's at least twenty feet long, and it contains Magic Power that hasn't been lost for many years. If it could replace the African Tree Snake Skin..."

What he said next was a mix of various Potions- related terms, muttered in a way that the others couldn't quite understand.

Professor Flitwick fiddled with the scales, which were half his body size, feeling their metallic hardness, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"I never knew such a monster was hiding in Hogwarts Castle! Good heavens, there are so many students in the school... Slytherin, he—" Professor McGonagall's forehead veins throbbed uncontrollably. If Salazar Slytherin hadn't been one of the Four Founders, she would have already cursed him out loud.

Loren stood to the side with an air of seriousness, pretending not to know anything.

Dumbledore coughed lightly. "Let's continue on our way. Potter and Weasley are still waiting for us."

The three professors, recovering from their surprise, nodded solemnly...

In front of the Slytherin statue.

Crabbe watched Lockhart being sent flying, a glint of lust for power in his eyes. He turned to Harry and Ron, grinning maliciously, and said, "Look who these are, Saint Potter and his friends."

"You came to save these two Muggle wizards, didn't you? Too bad, now you're going to die with them." His tone revealed barely suppressed excitement; he couldn't wait to see these people killed.

"And those two Mudblood, Morgan and Granger, and that Pure-blood traitor Lomberton... I will kill you all one by one—"

Voldemort ignored the fool and controlled the serpent to wriggle out, arching its body towards Harry: "Harry Potter! We meet again."

Harry felt the scar on his head burning rapidly. Facing the snake's gaze, he did not flinch, staring intently at Voldemort.

Under intense pressure, Harry felt his thoughts racing at an unprecedented pace.

Viper... Parselmouth... Basilisk... Chamber of Secrets... Hagrid, wrongly accused... Hagrid stammering...

A flash of inspiration connected everything, and Harry exclaimed in sudden realization, "Voldemort! You are Tom Riddle!"

Ron stared wide-eyed at the thin snake in front of him in astonishment.

"Hehehehehehe—" A hoarse, unpleasant laugh came from the snake's mouth as Voldemort slithered back and forth on the ground, unrestrained and smug.

"Yes, yes." Voldemort wrapped his arm around Crabbe's and manipulated his wand, drawing three Winky words in the air:

Tom Marvolo Riddle

"This is the name I used when I was at Hogwarts, but! You know, Salazar Slytherin's blood flows in my veins, passed down to me through his daughter! Would I still keep the name of that disgusting, filthy Muggle father who abandoned me before I was even born because he discovered his wife was a Witch."

Ron's heart pounded. He couldn't believe Voldemort had such a past. He had always thought Voldemort came from some filthy and evil quagmire and was born wanting to destroy the world.

Harry's mind went blank as he stared at Voldemort. This was the man who had once been an orphan, but who, as an adult, had turned many more people into orphans...

"Of course, my foolish Muggle father paid the price. And Voldemort is my past, present, and future..." The wand waved again, and the letters automatically rearranged, becoming:

I am Lord Voldemort.

The professors hiding behind the stone pillars at the entrance to the room had different expressions, filled with surprise and uncertainty. They had intended to rush out to protect Harry and Ron and rescue Colin and Justin, who had been kidnapped, but Dumbledore stopped them, telling everyone to stay behind the pillars and observe how things would unfold.

Professor Flitwick trusted Dumbledore unconditionally, believing that Dumbledore would not allow his students' lives to be threatened.

Snape gave Loren a deep look and let out a contemptuous snort through his nose.

Professor McGonagall was so angry that her eyebrows were trembling. She finally realized that Dumbledore had made arrangements all along, and this scene was within his expectations.

This discovery was both infuriating and reassuring. Although the professors had different thoughts and feelings, they all calmly hid behind the stone pillars and observed the situation with a different mindset.

"Fifty years ago, you killed Moaning Myrtle and framed Hagrid!" Ron shouted.

"It was me. I was the one who exposed Hagrid, Harry, and—that redhead." Voldemort glanced at Ron and said casually, "You can imagine what kind of situation was facing Mr. Armando Dippet. On one side was me, Tom Riddle, poor but exceptionally intelligent, orphaned but wise and brave, a Prefect and model student at school."

Upon hearing this, the professors present all looked at Loren, finding the argument very familiar.

Loren spread his hands innocently and blinked. "Why are you looking at me?"

Professor Snape chuckled softly, "Let's see if you grow into the third Dark Lord."

Professor Flitwick smiled slightly; it was obviously a joke, after all. Not every student from a poor background, orphaned at the age of 18, would grow up to be the Dark Lord. Professor McGonagall remained expressionless, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"What does this have to do with me? My family is by no means poor," Loren retorted. Grandpa Bates was a tycoon.

Amidst laughter, Dumbledore's gaze drifted to the unconscious Lockhart, and he sighed softly... It seemed he had missed something.

Voldemort's smug voice continued, "And on the other side, Hagrid Big Oaf, clumsy and clumsy, always causing trouble, getting into trouble every week. He keeps Werewolf pups under his bed and sneaks into the Forbidden Forest to wrestle with trolls. But I must admit, even I didn't expect the plan to go so smoothly. I thought someone would realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be Heir of Slytherin. It took me five whole years to figure out the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets and discover that secret entrance... Does Hagrid have that kind of mind, that kind of ability?"

"I dare say Dumbledore time ago," Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, he was wary of me from the beginning and unconditionally trusted that troll Rubeus. Ever since Hagrid was fired, he's been monitoring me even more closely, which is really annoying."

Despite saying this, Voldemort's emotions were not greatly affected:

"I know that under his watchful eye, it wouldn't be safe for me to open the Chamber of Secrets while I'm at school. I'm here to learn from Salazar Slytherin and carry on his unfinished work and ideals. My great ancestor and those three Gryffindor stayed too long, bound by those foolish morals, and he could have gone much further down this path."

"But I am different. I never care about the ignorant prejudices of others and can directly touch the essence and truth of magic. Combining the knowledge he left behind, I have embarked on a completely different path. Of course, I do not want to waste all my years of searching for the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets, nor do I want the legacy of Slytherin to vanish. Therefore, I left behind a diary to preserve my memories of being 16 years old."

Harry compared these thoughts to what he had just heard and murmured, "Horcrux?"

"Yes, the Basilisk killed Moaning Myrtle, and my soul was split. So I left a part of myself at sixteen years old in that year forever. In this way, I hope that one day, by chance, I can guide another person to follow in my footsteps and complete the Slytherin work of Salazar Slytherin."

Ron glanced at Crabbe and asked with some disdain, "This is the guy you chose? Did he find the diary? I hate to say it, but I think Malfoy is more suitable."

"Hiss," Voldemort hissed, "A poor attempt at sowing discord. While Malfoy's offer is also quite favorable, his father Lucius, is a cunning man..."

The second half of the sentence was unclear, and no one heard it clearly.

The slender snake coiled around Crabbe's arm, wrapping around him even more tightly. "Unfortunately, the Diary has been destroyed. Although it's not certain yet, I suspect it was your good friend Loren Morgan who did it."

"That's great news, isn't it?" Harry said forcefully. "All your plans will fail! The same goes for the Basilisk attack—not a single person will die—"

Voldemort interrupted him, "You'll be dead soon."

Before he could finish speaking, Crabbe launched a sneak attack, sending two Shattering Curse hurtling towards Harry and Ron respectively. The two nimbly dodged, and the three began to fight beneath the Slytherin statue.

Crabbe voluntarily opened his soul and Magic Power, accepted Voldemort's transformation, and was induced to have Magic Surge, making him much stronger.

But Harry and Ron have come through the Troll Incident, experienced the Quirrell Incident, the Acromantula, and were often beaten up by Loren. They also experienced Magic Surge more than once, with even more powerful ones.

Even if the two of them were separated, they could both beat Crabbe.

Ron defended, Harry attacked, and with their tacit cooperation, they quickly found an opportunity. Harry hit Crabbe with Disarming Charm, sending him flying and crashing to the feet of the Slytherin Statue, his wand flying out of his hand.

Harry and Ron breathed a sigh of relief, but remained on high alert against Voldemort.

The slender snake hissed and opened its mouth, spitting out a cloud of Grey Mist at the two of them.

The speed wasn't fast; both of them waved their wands simultaneously. Ron used Transfiguration to summon a stone tablet to block the Grey Mist, while Harry swiftly cast another Disarming Charm.

As they released the spell, the two ran in different directions to carefully dodge the falling rocks and prevent them from being unable to block the fog.

Voldemort was surprisingly weak; the Grey Mist was scattered by the stones, and the crimson Disarming Charm sent the serpent flying, almost tearing off all its scales.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and smiled easily.