Lockhart attempts to Obliviate Harry and his friends in an attempt to erase their memories of the event, Neville reacts quickly. He casts an Incendio spell that creates a burst of flames near Lockhart, causing the professor to jump back in surprise. Harry and his friends seize the opportunity to act, stunning Lockhart with spells and then binding him with a Body-Bind Curse.
Leaving Lockhart's stunned body behind, Harry and his friends continue to explore the inner chambers of the Chamber of Secrets. They enter a large hall within the chamber, adorned with colossal statues that tower above them.
In the dimly lit chamber, they discover a small red-headed girl lying unconscious on the floor, who is revealed as Ginny Weasely. her presence raising immediate concern. Nearby stands a ghostly figure of a boy.
Harry, approaching the ghostly figure, inquires, "Who are you, and what are you doing with Ginny?"
The figure introduces himself as Tom Riddle and shows a keen interest in Harry. He asks, "You must be Harry. I am waiting for you"
When Harry confirms his identity, Tom appears surprised and proceeds to share intriguing details about Ginny. He mentions how she has a crush on "the boy-who-lived" and her aspirations to marry him. Tom reveals that Ginny often speaks about Harry as a powerful wizard who has defeated the dark lord Voldemort when he was just a baby. The ghostly figure explains that he has grown tired of listening to the constant complaints of a little girl.
Curious, Tom turns to Harry and asks, "How does a young boy like you managed to defeat the most powerful and feared dark lord, Voldemort?"
Daphne, always quick with a response, challenges Tom. "Why do you even care? You existed long before Voldemort."
Tom chuckles, a sly smile on his face, and replies, "Voldemort is my past, my present, and my future. I care more than you can imagine."
With that, Tom Riddle makes his name appear in thin air, rearranging the letters to reveal the chilling phrase, "I am Lord Voldemort." The revelation leaves Harry and his friends in a state of shock, realizing that they are in the presence of the one responsible for unleashing the horrors of the Chamber of Secrets.
Tom Riddle aka Voldemort, unleashes a flurry of dark curses at Harry and his friends. They narrowly evade the curses and retaliate with their own spells, but their magic passes harmlessly through the insubstantial form of Riddle.
Frustrated and desperate, Tom Riddle shouts, "Listen to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!" As he does, a hidden tunnel within one of the statues creaks open, and a colossal Basilisk, nearly seventy meters in length, slithers out, its monstrous form casting a long shadow over the chamber.
Voldemort orders the Basilisk to kill Harry and his friends. Remembering the information, they have learned from a library book and the spells their families have taught them, Harry and his friends conjure roosters that emit a sound capable of killing the Basilisk.
In the midst of the battle, Fawkes, Dumbledore's loyal phoenix, senses the danger and comes to their aid from the headmaster's office. With a screech, the phoenix swoops down, piercing the Basilisk's eyes with its talons. The Basilisk writhes in agony, its deadly gaze foiled by the roosters' cries and Fawkes' intervention.
As Tom Riddle, enraged by the turn of events, attempts to use Ginny's wand against them, Harry and his friends prepare to confront this embodiment of Voldemort. The battle rages in the Chamber of Secrets, and Voldemort's figure taunts them, his malevolence evident in every word.
In the midst of the chaos, Draco has a brilliant idea. He seizes the diary and, with Harry's assistance, reaches the lifeless basilisk's corpse. With a powerful and resolute blow, they smash the diary against one of the basilisk's venomous fangs. The venom, potent and deadly, begins to dissolve the diary rapidly, causing Tom Riddle to scream in agonizing pain.
Within moments, both Voldemort's spectral form and the diary are reduced to ashes, though some remnants of the diary remain, scorched and smoldering. The threat of the Chamber of Secrets has been vanquished, and Ginny's life is no longer in danger. Harry and his friends stand triumphant in the chamber.