Sacrifice

Harry knelt before Ron, calling out to him repeatedly. Ron, however, seemed to be having an epileptic seizure, his whole body convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

No, if this continues, he'll bite his tongue sooner or later. We need to stuff something hard in Ron's mouth... Harry knows this basic first aid!

He instinctively reached out to put his hand in Ron's mouth, but after assessing the strength of the other's bite, he wisely picked up his own wand.

Harry's mind raced again... After all, it was his wand, quite useful, and it even had Fawkes's tail feathers... He couldn't bear to part with it!

So Harry picked up Ron's wand and put it in his mouth.

Twelve and a quarter inches... made of elm wood... hardness... average.

Anyway, Ron said it wasn't very hard, and with a crack, the product made in Cedric's small workshop was left with a row of terrible cracks.

The long, thin Basilisk emerged from Ron's chest and slithered out.

It is no more than a meter long, all green, with a bright red feather on its head, like a rooster's red comb.

If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a hybrid of a chicken and a snake.

Taking advantage of Harry's attention being focused on Ron, it secretly snatched Harry's wand from the ground, put it in its mouth, and then suddenly slithered across the ground.

It climbed up Riddle's thigh to his shoulder, raised its little head, and wagged its tail at the boy as if to ask for credit.

Riddle took Harry's wand, played with it gently, and laughed, "Potter, see? This is how I control Ron."

A very useful form of magic: by placing a snake inside a wizard's body, one can use the Parseltongue to remotely control them.

"That's why all the victims identified you as the perpetrator."

Harry looked up and stared intently at Riddle.

"Don't look at me like that," Riddle said with a playful smile. "You think I attacked so many wizards just to frame you?"

Besides Ron, I also placed five juvenile Basilisk inside the bodies of the other victims.

"Harry," Riddle whispered, relishing every second of the other's utter terror.

"Believe me, it's not just Ron's life or death that you need to worry about right now, but also your classmates... five lives."

And I could destroy them with a single thought... unless you help me."

Harry looked tense and was almost out of control.

"Please," he said, lifting his eyes slightly, his words slurred, "I'll grant you any request..."

"Excellent." Riddle's face lit up with elation.

He placed the diary on the table and gently unfolded it. Each page was covered with intricate Ancient Runes and spell patterns.

Riddle held the juvenile Basilisk in his hand, placed it quietly on his diary, and began preparing for the resurrection ritual.

Voldemort went further than anyone else on his quest for immortality.

He was only sixteen when he created his first Horcrux, yet he had already discovered several resurrection spells.

But unlike the real thing, Riddle, who resides in the diary, is merely a soul.

Because it was his first split, his soul fragments were indeed quite large, but still couldn't compare to his original body.

Only by constantly communicating with Ron and enticing Ron to share his soul and absorb his life force could he emerge from the diary.

This is just the first step!

In order to transform himself from a soul into an independent physical form, Riddle simultaneously absorbed the souls and life force of six people.

The six people who were attacked were all the breeding ground for his growth.

This is also why Dumbledore has been hesitant to act rashly; he must wait for Riddle to take back the Basilisk.

Otherwise, all of these people would have to die!

Now is the time to reclaim these forces.

Riddle waved his wand at the Basilisk and chanted a spell.

Almost instantly, the Basilisk withered away, and an invisible life force flowed into the diary.

At the same time, the five Basilisk that had been residing in other people's bodies also rapidly withered away.

The soul power they absorbed all flowed into the diary.

Riddle emitted a dense green light, and his shoulders, neck, face, and head were covered with intricate patterns of Ancient Runes and spells.

Exactly the same as in the diary.

Above Riddle's head were six strange ouroboros.

"Fragments of the innocent souls can make me whole!" Riddle murmured to himself.

His current state is that of a soul transformed into a physical body.

"Come on, Harry, form a spell with me. You said it was entirely voluntary!" Riddle whispered.

Harry stood up blankly, letting Riddle toy with him.

Riddle paced around the room, waving his wand and softly chanting Ancient Runes to himself.

Thick white smoke rose in wisps, accompanying his chanting.

The life force absorbed by the Basilisk was insufficient to revive the sixteen-year-old Riddle.

He wanted to be resurrected.

A powerful sacrifice is needed!

The more people hate him, the closer their bonds, and the more powerful the sacrifice.

Therefore, Harry was very important; Riddle chose him to complete the final sacrifice.

Having completed the magical preparations, Riddle asked loudly:

"Harry Potter, is Tom Riddle your enemy?"

"Yes!"

The white smoke swirled around Harry and Riddle.

"Are you willing to break the prison of your soul for your enemy?" Riddle asked again.

"Willing!"

The white smoke completely enveloped the two of them, then merged into their bodies.

"I've granted your request," Harry shouted, "Release Ron, and release the innocent."

Riddle opened his eyes and smiled.

"Our business isn't over yet, there's one last step, Potter."

"You may have noticed that my condition is different from that of ordinary people."

I wrote in the diary that to be fully resurrected, a sacrifice is needed to release my soul from the diary.

"You captured me to use me as a sacrifice?" Harry's voice trembled. "Is this the mission you spoke of?"

Riddle chuckled. "You really don't understand, do you?"

Just then, music drifted in from somewhere.

Riddle whirled around as the music grew louder and louder. The sound was ethereal, mysterious, and exhilarating.

A second later, a large bird Accio straight toward Harry. It dropped the tattered thing from its claws at Harry's feet and then landed heavily on Harry's shoulder.

As it folded its two enormous wings, Harry looked up and saw that it had a long, sharp golden beak and two bright, black eyes.

The large bird stopped singing. It sat quietly on Harry's shoulder, its warm cheek pressed against Harry's, its gaze fixed firmly on Riddle.

"Phoenix." Riddle laughed. "I had just drained the Basilisk's power Dumbledore arrived, interrupting our ritual. Too bad... he's too late."

"That thing—" Riddle turned his gaze back to the tattered object Fawkes had just thrown down, "Was it that old Sorting Hat from school?"

Harry grabbed the hat and haphazardly put it on his head.

"Help me—help me—" Harry thought, his eyes pressed tightly under his hat, "Please help me."

But the Sorting Hat did not answer him.

On the contrary, the hat felt tighter and tighter, as if an invisible hand was desperately clenching it.

Clang! Something hard and heavy landed on Harry's head, nearly knocking him unconscious.

He grabbed the top of the hat, trying to take it off, but felt something long and hard underneath.

A Winky silver sword appeared inside the hat, its hilt inlaid with a dazzling egg-sized ruby.

"Ah, the Sword of Gryffindor." Riddle squinted.

"No wonder I couldn't find it after searching for so long; it was hidden with Dumbledore."

Suddenly, Fawkes took flight, flapping its wings rapidly as it circled above their heads. Then, something landed on Harry's lap—the diary.

Without a second thought or hesitation, Harry grabbed the Sword of Gryffindor, raised it high, and prepared to pierce the diary!

Riddle watched quietly from the sidelines, a smile playing on his lips.

This is the night I've waited so long for; a great rebirth is finally about to happen.

(Thanks to "Hell Cat" for the donation)