Dumbledore—Heir of the Chamber of Secrets

Dumbledore smiled and slowly spoke the words that summoned the Basilisk. A strange hissing echoed throughout the entire room.

Slytherin's enormous stone face began to move, its mouth opening wider and wider until it finally became a massive black hole.

Something stirred within the statue's mouth. Something slithered upward from deep inside the statue, rustling as it moved. Soon, an enormous creature crashed heavily onto the ground, and the Chamber of Secrets seemed to tremble from the impact.

A Basilisk. A gigantic Basilisk, gleaming green all over, radiating the vivid sheen unique to venomous snakes. Its body was as thick as an oak trunk.

The Basilisk slowly unfurled its immense body from Slytherin's stone mouth. Its heavy form scraped over the sculpture before gradually reaching the ground.

The one who had summoned it—the heir of Slytherin, the master of the Chamber of Secrets...

The Basilisk lowered its head, about to show respect to the one who had summoned it, when its body suddenly shuddered the next second.

Five wands were pointed at the Basilisk in unison, magic poised to strike. Its instincts screamed in pain, and an overwhelming sense of danger seeped from its skin into its organs.

Thus, the Basilisk lowered its head even further, remaining almost completely motionless like a wooden post.

Dumbledore looked at the enormous Snake, unable to stop himself from recalling their earlier conversation.

Was he going to kill it here?

The professors looked to Dumbledore, waiting for their headmaster's instructions.

Kettleburn opened his mouth, then closed it again. He knew how dangerous a creature the Basilisk was; merely meeting its gaze was enough to kill someone.

Yet in the end, Dumbledore merely flicked his wand. A point of light appeared and flew to the Basilisk's enormous face, placing something resembling a pair of glasses over those huge yellow eyes like lightbulbs.

The Basilisk moved uncertainly, sensing that something seemed to have been placed over its face.

"Albus, what is that?"

"A small restriction for this elderly senior. At the very least, it will ensure the safety of others when it looks someone in the eye. It could be called... Accio Glasses?"

Responding to McGonagall's confusion, Dumbledore still wore a faint smile.

He then slowly approached the Basilisk. Strange hissing continued to emerge from Dumbledore's mouth, and the Basilisk immediately responded.

For a moment, beneath the professors' strange gazes, the Chamber of Secrets was filled with Snake speech.

Dumbledore knew full well who had opened the Chamber of Secrets last time. What he wanted to know was what command Slytherin had given it all those years ago.

The Basilisk's answer was simple. "My old master told me to remain here peacefully. Without an order, I was not to go to the surface. I was to eat the creatures in the pipes. I was not to harm humans, not to eat humans, and to obey anyone who could come here and communicate with me."

Now, Dumbledore understood everything.

Although Slytherin had fallen out with Hogwarts' other three founders, he still loved the school. Their beliefs simply did not align.

The Basilisk hidden in the Chamber of Secrets might not even have been left for his heir. Perhaps Slytherin had merely kept a little pet for his own amusement.

If Slytherin had truly wanted to pass down everything he possessed, then the Chamber of Secrets should not have contained a Basilisk. It should have contained complete magical manuscripts.

Perhaps Slytherin had once considered purging all non-pure-blood wizards, but in the end, he could not bring himself to harm the students. He could only leave the question to later generations.

If, in the future, someone still held the same beliefs as him, then it would prove that Slytherin had not been acting alone, and the Basilisk would become an aid.

A Basilisk without a master had lived underground obediently from beginning to end. If it were not such a dangerous creature, there was likely no essential difference between it and the Sword of Gryffindor.

Now, only one final question remained.

Why had it killed Myrtle Warren?

"That was my previous master's order. He told me to be active in Hogwarts. That girl suddenly came out of the bathroom and saw my eyes."

Dumbledore's face filled with sorrow after hearing this.

It really was you, Tom.

When the Chamber of Secrets had been opened many years ago, a series of attacks had occurred. In the end, Myrtle Warren's death had forced the school to close temporarily.

At first, the Basilisk had likewise obeyed its old master's orders and tried its best not to kill anyone. It merely injured those students, without using its venom or its eyes.

Until Myrtle Warren. She wore glasses, so the Basilisk had been at ease. But that day, she had been crying, and her glasses had been taken off.

A suffocating resentment pressed against Dumbledore's heart. His lips trembled several times. You could even calculate the movements of a crying girl, Tom. Was this truly an accident, or had you planned it all along?

"What is it, Albus?"

After noticing Dumbledore's strange state once the Parseltongue had stopped, Professor McGonagall could not help asking.

Dumbledore came back to himself and looked at McGonagall. His tone was calm, yet sorrowful. "I have gotten the answer I wanted."

"It has been nearly fifty years, hasn't it? When the Chamber of Secrets was opened last time, I should still have been the Transfiguration professor. Minerva, you had not even come to Hogwarts yet—not even as a student."

"Oh, you mean that incident? Albus, you know the answer?"

At that moment, Kettleburn suddenly cut in. He glanced around at the four Heads of House and suddenly felt a trace of pride at being one of the old guard.

"Yes, that incident. The Chamber of Secrets was opened back then as well. Several students were injured, and one student even died."

Professor McGonagall's eyes widened abruptly, while the other professors also showed unusual expressions.

"I suspected him at the time, but there was no evidence. He was extremely cautious. In the end, Hagrid had no choice but to bear that injustice for nothing."

"Of course, Hagrid may not have been entirely wronged. But a crime that did not belong to him should never have been his to bear."

Dumbledore's tone grew calmer and calmer, while the professors' breathing became increasingly uneven.

"Tom. I should have realized it long ago. Other than him, who else could have found the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts? Voldemort's acts of murder had begun while he was still a student."

The Basilisk remained motionless. It did not understand who Voldemort was, but it could sense that this opener of the Chamber of Secrets was more to its liking than the previous one.

Its broad tail swayed happily.

Tonight at Hogwarts was destined to be a sleepless night for many.

Legends of the past had become reality, mixed with legends from reality itself.

After parting from several dazed friends, from Kettleburn, who wanted to say something but did not dare, and from the calm Snape, Dumbledore returned to the headmaster's office alone and reached for the candy drawer.

At that moment, a cry suddenly sounded beside Dumbledore's ear. It was Fawkes.

The proud Phoenix glared furiously at the Basilisk, which was obediently staying beside Dumbledore. Its voice was filled with agitation.

You wicked magical creature! How dare you bewitch Dumbledore!

"All right, Fawkes." Dumbledore smiled helplessly, reaching out to receive the little Phoenix. After gently stroking it a few times, he introduced it to the Basilisk.

"This is Fawkes, Fawkes the Phoenix—an important friend of mine."

"Hiss..."

"This is Slytherin's companion, and also part of Hogwarts' legacy."

"Get along nicely, all right?"

Fawkes returned to the place where it usually perched, turning its head away so it would not look at the Basilisk.

The Basilisk ignored Fawkes as well, merely staying silently beside Dumbledore.

Dumbledore shook his head. Though he had resolved one matter, it felt as if new troubles were on their way. Suddenly, he felt the urge to confide in someone.

[Dumbledore: Is anyone there? I have resolved the matter of the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk.]

[Flender: Tell us more.]

[Samuel Oak: +1.]

[Zephyr: There were no casualties, right?]

Dumbledore smiled. These new friends and this new friendship were just as important.