Shawn scanned his surroundings and found nothing else of note, so he continued flying deeper along the corridor.
Gradually, he realized this was less a chamber of secrets than a secret teaching facility.
Shawn had already passed three smaller classrooms, where remnants of rotting, dilapidated desks and lecterns could still be seen.
He did not linger, flying all the way to the end of the corridor.
At the end stood a heavy, tightly shut pair of bronze doors, each carved with a basilisk.
Shawn landed and gave them a push. Well, they would not budge.
He could only use Parseltongue again.
"Hiss, haa, ssah, hiss."
Creeeak!
A green glow flashed across the doors, and they opened at his command.
Shawn strongly suspected that if someone who did not speak Parseltongue tried to force their way in, something unpleasant might happen.
Before Shawn could send his Patronus into the final chamber, the room lit up.
Shawn stepped into the final chamber. It looked like a circular, split-level office, with wall lamps shining brightly.
Its layout closely resembled the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, though its style was darker and more antiquated.
Unlike the corridor outside, this place was not dilapidated or rotten. Some large-scale protective magic must still have been working.
There was a desk, bookcases, and a large laboratory bench.
Only a small number of books remained on the shelves. Tom had probably taken the bulk of them.
Shawn searched the office and dismissed his Patronus once he found no danger.
The most eye-catching feature was a portrait behind the large solid-wood desk. It depicted a handsome middle-aged man with a stern face, an upright bearing, and an imperious gaze.
He held a slightly curved emerald-green wand, while a newborn basilisk lay coiled at his feet. Bright green, it was rather