Horcrux? A Haunting Presence

Aaron raised an eyebrow and made a strange sound.

Unlike the sinister Parseltongue, the Dragon Language is much deeper and more profound, and it is not something that ordinary people can understand.

Although Abei was reluctant, its owner told it not to waste its energy, so it could only fly sullenly to Aaron's side.

"Riddle has been setting up this barrier for over a month; it won't be easy to break."

"But you can help me, just wait for my summons." Aaron patted its head meaningfully.

"An army is raised for a thousand days, but its strength is tested for one." I specifically learned summoning Magic Array back then, all for the sake of warding off evil.

"Aaron, what was that sound you just made?" Harry asked curiously. "That was definitely not Parseltongue."

"Dragon Language," Professor McGonagall said with some surprise. "That's the language of dragons. There hasn't been Dragon Speaker in the Magic World for at least a thousand years. No wonder you can keep a dragon by your side."

"You're overthinking it, Professor." Aaron shook his head. "I only learned Dragon Language after I became Abei's master."

"Some strange things might happen to my Dragon Cub later, so please let nature take its course and be careful to protect it."

After saying that, Aaron entered the barrier.

Harry, Ron, Hermione exchanged a glance and then rushed toward the barrier, unstoppable by the professors.

Holy crap!

Upon seeing this, Aaron's eyes twitched incessantly, and his mind was filled with utter turmoil.

Are you three crazy?

Why do you have to court death? Isn't it better to be alive?

"You need help," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "We just want to make up for our mistakes, and we should have that right."

"Potter, come out quickly!" Professor McGonagall cried anxiously from outside. "You can't help even if you stay here."

"Professors, don't worry, we definitely won't hold you back," Harry said confidently.

"My sister's life is hanging in the balance, and she's waiting outside. I can't do anything about it."

"You'd better get out here right now, or you'll be expelled!"

"No, Professor." Aaron shrugged helplessly. "This barrier allows entry but not exit. Even if they wanted to get out, it wouldn't be possible."

"What?" Professor McGonagall staggered back a few steps, as if most of her strength had been drained away. If Professor Sprout hadn't caught her in time, she might have fallen to the floor.

"Truly befitting Gryffindor," Professor Snape said sarcastically, then looked at Aaron, "Although I don't want to put any pressure on you, please protect these three idiots."

"I can only say I'll do my best." Aaron didn't dare make any promises, because these three people were really troublesome, and he would be grateful if they didn't drag him down.

Professor Snape paused for a moment. "Then protect yourselves."

"I will do my best in this."

The four people walked through a narrow passage and down a ladder into the real Secret Chamber room.

The Secret Chamber was large, and the light inside wasn't particularly dim; visibility was quite good.

On either side of the left and right sides are rows of giant serpent stone pillars, which support the high ceiling in the pool, adding an eerie touch to the room filled with water elements.

Aaron watched as the three of them, including Harry, drew their Wand and cautiously, as if facing a formidable enemy, taking one step at a time. He couldn't help but feel a little amused and exasperated.

"The Basilisk isn't here, so don't be so nervous."

"How do you know?" Ron countered. "It could be behind one of those pillars, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment. It's always better to be safe than sorry."

Aaron's lips twitched as he explained, "My hearing is more than ten times better than yours. The Basilisk so big, its movements can't escape my ears at all."

"Then you should take out your Wand!" Hermione said. "What if we get caught off guard?"

Aaron:...

Do you expect me, who is proficient in Wandless Casting, to tell you all this?

After the group walked to the end of the Secret Chamber, a huge statue suddenly appeared before them, pressed against the dark wall.

This was an old, decrepit Warlock with thinning hair, even balding, and a long beard that dragged on the hem of his Warlock's robes, even Dumbledore.

The upper part of the face looks rather gloomy, while the lower part is full of majesty.

"Salazar Slytherin, the Founders of Slytherin House." Aaron gave a simple Warlock's salute. "This must have been what he looked like in his old age, but he still exuded immense wisdom."

"Ginny." Ron ran quickly to the foot of the huge sculpture, where a red-haired girl lay on the cold floor.

"Ginny, please don't die, please don't die." Harry threw his Wand aside and helped Ginny up.

Her body wasn't stiff, unlike the others who had been stoned; however, her face was completely bloodless, and her body was extremely cold, almost indistinguishable from a dead person.

"Ginny, please wake up!" Ron pleaded, shaking his head twice. "Open your eyes and look at me, please."

"Is she still alive?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"She's still alive." Aaron checked Ginny's breathing; it was incredibly weak and intermittent, so there was no doubt that she was alive. "But her condition is terrible, extremely terrible; she's barely clinging to life."

To be precise, her life is already on a countdown; it could be several hours, a few minutes, or even just a few minutes.

"Can you save her?" Ron looked at Aaron with eager eyes. "I know you can save her; you have that Potions."

"Whether or not I save her is not up to me," Aaron said meaningfully, then looked at a black Diary not far away. "I'm here now, you should come out too, right?"

Tom Riddle, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, can't be a coward, can he?

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The sound of applause rang out, and a tall boy with black hair emerged from the shadows, though his outline was somewhat blurry.

The moment the figure appeared, Aaron heard the system's voice in his mind, "Congratulations, host, for triggering a new System Mission."

Destroy Voldemort's Soul Container:

The reward for completing the task is 1200 Magic Points; there is no penalty for failure. Do you accept this offer?

"Wortefa..."

Looking at the new mission panel, Aaron was completely stunned.

Why is it Voldemort? Does that old geezer have to be so persistent?

What is Soul Container? Is it in this Secret Chamber? Could it be... that Diary?

Just as Aaron was lost in thought, a figure drew closer, forcing him to refocus his attention.

"It's obvious you're not feeling well."

"It's only temporary." Riddle picked up Harry's Wand and played with it briefly. "Nice to meet you, Aaron Gaius."

"You're the person I most want to see at Hogwarts besides Harry Potter. I knew you'd come looking for me, even faster than I expected."

Aaron chuckled awkwardly, "Actually, you don't need to think so highly of me. I'm just a nobody. There are plenty of people at Hogwarts who are more capable than me."

"That's too modest, Gaius," Riddle chuckled meaningfully. "It took me five days to find the Secret Chamber, but you took even less time."

"And your ability to deduce the existence of the Basilisk from a series of attacks, and even to identify me as the mastermind, surpasses that of everyone else at Hogwarts."

"It was mainly good luck, really good luck," Aaron said modestly.

"Luck?" Riddle seemed to have heard a funny joke and burst into laughter. "Gaius, you and I are the same kind of people."

We're both Slytherin, both understand the importance of hiding our talents, and both are ruthless in achieving our goals. Would people like us believe in luck?

Ah... no, luck is still something to believe in.

If I hadn't been lucky enough to be found by Harry Potter, I probably wouldn't have known that there was a Slytherin like you in the school. You quietly discovered so much, which really surprised me.

I know I must avoid you until the plan is complete, otherwise, if you find a flaw, all my efforts will be wasted.

Upon hearing this, Aaron's resentment towards Harry Potter intensified.

It can only be said that even the wisest person can make a mistake. Who would have thought that Harry Potter would sell him out so easily!

"What did you do to Ginny?" Ron asked, his eyes red.

"She won't wake up; she might only have half an hour left before her life ends."

"You did all of this?" Harry asked incredulously. "But why? Even for Salazar's cause, Ginny is Pure-blood."

"This has nothing to do with whether she is Pure-blood or not; it's just that she was unlucky."

I need a sacrifice to gain new life, a completely new life or even Soul Stone.

Of course, I paid a considerable price for this.

Riddle's eyes were full of greed, but his voice was full of smugness and disdain.

"It's so boring to listen to an eleven-year-old girl talk about those childish worries."

But I patiently and carefully answered every question she asked, showing exceptional understanding.

After I captivated her, she easily opened her Soul Stone to me, which was exactly what I needed most.

I devoured the fear and secrets from the depths of her heart, growing stronger with each passing moment.

"But after a while, she started to suspect you, otherwise she wouldn't have thrown away the Diary," Hermione said calmly.

"Of course, anyone who discovers that they have lost a lot of memory fragments and are involved in several attacks would be involuntarily afraid."

To be honest, I was already planning to switch hosts at that time, but what made me happiest was that Harry Potter found this diary.

"Ginny, I've told you all about your thrilling and fascinating past. You're absolutely the person I most want to meet." Riddle stared at the lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead and let out a sharp, maniacal laugh. "I wanted to know as much as possible about you and had so many questions to ask you, but you've given me a huge surprise. I really didn't expect that anyone other than Dumbledore would pose a threat to me at Hogwarts."

Out of caution, I had no choice but to keep a low profile and secretly accumulate strength.

But after Ginny Weasley discovers the diary in your possession, she steals Diary to prevent you from finding out her secret.

Do you know how excited I was when I saw her again? It's hard for you and me to make a move, but a young girl isn't so easy to fool.

I used her to unleash the Basilisk again, which attacked a Ravenclaw and forced Dumbledore to leave.

After consuming most of her life, I learned from her Soul Stone that she wanted to hand me over to Mr. Gaius. There was no other way but to step out of the diary early in this manner, control her to write a suicide note, and then wait for you here.

She struggled desperately, crying and screaming, but to no avail.

"You deserve to die!" Ron roared angrily, gritting his teeth as he pointed his Wand at him. "Expelliarmus."

A green light moved back and forth within the tattered Wand, finally shooting out from the front under Ron's expectant gaze.

But Riddle didn't even chant the spell; he simply flicked his Wand, deflecting the spell back, and Ron's Wand flew out of his hand.