Hello Sinners, and welcome back to Hell! This arc is almost coming to an end and we will be going back to Hell once Harry's year is completed this semester. We are less than 200 followers and Favorites for this story away. Will we reach 1000 before the Prisoner of Azkaban arc starts? Let's find out!
P.S. As some of you are aware there is a rumor that is closing down. I want all of you to know that the rumor is false. The website is not shutting down someone has been spreading this over the years. Anyway, let's dive into Hell!
Chapter 22: The Chamber of Secrets
A few days after Harry and Ron went to Hagrid's hut and visited Aragog, they were figuring out how to get to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to speak with her. They would have done it immediately, but the security precautions prevented them from being able to go whenever they wanted. It also didn't help that the encounter with Aragog kept Ron up for the last couple of nights because of his fears giving him nightmares. "I keep seeing spiders," Ron bemoaned.
"Maybe my sister can find you some sort of tea that can help calm you down," Harry suggested before thinking of what to do for getting to Myrtle about her death. However, his pondering was cut short as the next thing he knew, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck. "Ugh! Charlie!"
"Are you still embarrassed that your big sister likes to hug you," the Princess of Hell asked him as she was still squeezing his neck.
Harry would usually try and push her off, but he was actually glad to see his older sister at the moment. He never got a chance to write to her as things were getting gloomier. "Sis, there's a lot we need to discuss with you."
"What is it? And where's Hermione," Charlie asked him as he and Ron looked slightly pale. She realized what their looks meant and her eyes widened slightly. "Oh… Well…what did you want to tell me?"
"We'll tell you all about it tonight when everyone is asleep. Meet with us at the portrait hole around 6," Harry whispered to her.
"Okay, but I want to see Hermione first," Charlie told both of the boys.
"Okay then. Change of plans. Me and Ron have a free period at four, meet us outside of Transfiguration," Harry told his older sister as he and Ron went off to their first class.
After the fourth period, Charlie met the boys outside of Transfiguration and saw that Harry and Ron looked relieved. Seeing the Princess of Hell, Harry walked over to her. "Charlie, I got some good news. Professor McGonagall told us the Mandrake Draught is nearly ready. Everyone that's been petrified will be cured as soon as possible!"
"That's great news! Are we still going to see her," Charlie asked.
"We are. We just got permission from Professor McGonagall to visit her," he said as the three of them walked off to the Hospital Wing to see their petrified friend. Once they reached it and gave the note to Madame Pomfrey, she allowed them in to let Charlie see Hermione's state for herself.
The two of them lead Charlie to the second-year Gryffindor, who was lying on the bed like a statue. The Princess of Hell let out a low gasp to sign her horror at what the Basilisk has done to her. "Poor Hermione," she said as she knelt down back on the girl's right side and stroked her hand then Charlie felt something in the girl's hand. It was a piece of paper. "Guys, look," she whispered as she gestured to Hermione's hand and saw the paper scrunched up. "Think you can get it?"
"I'll try," Harry scooted over next to his sister as Charlie blocked Madame Pomfrey's view with her body as the raven-haired boy tried to get to the piece of paper. "Dammit, I can't get to it without trying to break off her fingers," he said aloud as he tried to grab it. Just then, he had a better idea. "Sam, slither through her hands and grabbed the piece of paper"
"Okay," Sam said as he slipped right in between Hermione's fingers and grabbed the paper with his mouth. "Got it."
"Thank you, Sam," Charlie said to the horned white serpent as she unraveled the paper. The Princess of Hell read what was on the paper and gestured both of the boys out of the room so they can talk without anyone eavesdropping. "Harry, Ron, if you are reading this, that means you found my letter. The Basilisk has been getting around the school through the pipes," she read aloud as they were in an empty hallway. "So that's why Harry and I could hear it in the walls. It's using the plumbing in the building."
"That also explains why no one else saw it in the school. It's been using it like a network to slip in and out faster," Harry said as he looked at the note. "It also further proves our theory," he said as he starts to explain it to her. "70 years ago, the Basilisk killed a muggleborn girl in a bathroom. A Slytherin Prefect named Tom Riddle blamed it on Hagrid. We think that girl is none other than Moaning Myrtle. So if the Chamber is connected to the pipes, the girl's bathroom she died in could actually be the entrance."
"Speaking of Riddle, his dairy was found in the same bathroom and Harry's bunk was torn apart by somebody that stole it from him," Ron added.
"Wait, a diary," Charlie asked the boys as they nodded. Cupping her hand under her chin in a thinking position. "Harry, do you remember that day we met Mr. Malfoy?"
Thinking back, the Prince of Hell tapped his finger to his jaw when he met Draco and his father at the library. "There was another book. That means the Heir of Slytherin is-"
Before he could utter another word, McGonagall's voice began ringing out like it was magically amplified. "All students are to return to their house dormitories immediately! All teachers to the second-floor corridor!" The three looked at each other before they rushed to the corridor. When they got up there and heard footsteps, they hid around a corner in the hallway. All three of them took a peek and saw the teachers gather around a corner of the corridor. "As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message. Our worse fear has been realized! A student has been taken by the monster into the Chamber itself," McGonagall said to them all as she let out a tearful sniff. "I'm afraid the students must be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts."
Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the other end of the corridor as it turned out to be Gilderoy Lockhart, who showed his white pearly teeth. "So sorry. I dozed off and only just woke up. What did I miss?"
"A girl has been taken by the monster, Lockhart," Snape told him. "It seems your moment has come at last."
Suddenly, Lockhart's smile faded as he now looked confused. "M-my moment?"
"Weren't you just saying last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is," Snape asked as he curled his lip. Lockhart looked like a fish that was out of water for too long.
"Then, it's settled. We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills, after all, are legend," Professor McGonagall added with the last part sounding sarcastic.
Lockhart looked at McGonagall and Snape, but quickly smiled like he did have things under control. "Very well. I'll just be in my office, uh… getting ready," he said, hesitating for a bit at the end. After that, he left the corridor and headed back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
'That guy won't be any good,' both Harry and Charlie thought simultaneously as they saw him quickly pace down the hall.
"Who is it that the monster's taken, Minerva," Madame Pomfrey asked the Deputy Headmistress.
Swallowing a large lump, the Transfiguration teacher finally spoke. "Ginny Weasley."
Harry and Charlie's eyes widened as Ron went pale and gave a silent gasp when he heard his sister's name. They watched Snape looking from side to side, as if he seemed worried for the first-year Gryffindor girl as much as he would for any Slytherin. As all the teachers moved out of the way to figure out what to tell the students, Ron and the royal siblings moved out when the coast was clear. Reading the message aloud, Ron shook like a leaf as he saw the blood-red writing on the wall. "Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever… Ginny…"
"We'll get her back Ron. We swear," Harry told his friend. "Come on, let's go to the Dark Arts Defense room," he said as he started leading the way.
"What good would Lockhart will do," Ron asked as they made their way to the DADA classroom.
"Nothing, but we do need a sacrificial lamb," Harry told him as they opened the door to his quarters. "Professor, we have some information to give you," Harry said as the three of them burst in. But rather than seeing Lockhart preparing for battle with the Basilisk, the three saw the man packing up his belongings. "Going somewhere?"
Gasping as he was startled by the arrivals, Lockhart looked at the three. "Well…um… Ah… yes… urgent call. Unavoidable," he said as he looked at the three.
"Unavoidable!? Ron's sister is in danger and the first thing you do is run away like a pussy?! What kind of wizard are you," Harry asked the blonde man.
"Aren't you supposed to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? I bet you didn't teach them anything useful this whole entire year," Charlie spoke up angrily.
"He didn't. I had to get some private tutoring from someone who actually knew what he was doing," Harry muttered to his older sister. Charlie nodded as she could tell just who Harry's tutor was.
"I must say that when I took the job, I didn't expect a Basilisk roaming around the school," Lockhart said as he was packing up a wig that matches his hair.
"So you're just gonna run away?! I bet you never did anything in those books," Harry shouted angrily.
"Those books have many truths in them! Just… not by me," Lockhart admitted sheepishly.
"So you're not just a liar, but a plagiarist," Charlie said as she glared and crossed her arms.
"Is there anything you can do," Ron asked.
"Why yes. I've been gifted with memory charms. Otherwise, you'd see all those wizards would have gone and blabbed, which means I would have never sold another book," Lockhart admitted as he went to his trunk. "In fact, I'm sorry I have to do this. Unfortunately, you leave me no other choice but do the same to you," he said as he went to pull out his wand, but Harry and Ron pulled out their own while his back was turned. Even Charlie was preparing for an attack when a ball of fire danced around her fingers while Sam was on Harry's wand hand and hissing at the older man.
"Don't even think about it," Harry glared at him as he gestured his wand at the fraud. Seeing as he was defeated, Lockhart dropped his wand, which Charlie took immediately to keep it away from him.
"Now what are you going to do to me? I don't even know where the Chamber of Secrets is," Lockhart bellowed.
"Well, you're just in luck. My brother figured out where it probably is," Charlie said as she got behind the teacher and pointed her finger like a gun while the tip of her finger had a bolt of fire primed. "Lead the way, boys. I'll make sure this one doesn't get away."
The three lead Lockhart to the second-floor girl's bathroom where they heard Moaning Myrtle. The three of them made sure Lockhart was the first to enter so they could keep a better eye on him. Once the three of them entered the bathroom, they saw Myrtle floating above looking depressed.
"Who's there," Myrtle yelled as she looked in the direction of where the four entered, then recognized Ron and Harry. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"
"To ask you how you died," Harry told the ghost.
Myrtle's attitude changed as she looked from dreary to ecstatic as she was asked such a question. "Oh? It was dreadful," she moved around with relish as she pointed down where she was floating. "It happened in this very stall. I hid in here because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked and I was crying, but then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. I think it was some different language. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door to tell him to go away, and then— I died."
"How," asked Harry.
"I don't know. I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes over there," Myrtle gestured to the sink that looked to have slime all over it.
Both Harry and Charlie examined the sink from top to bottom and didn't see anything special about it aside from the water not working. As Harry checked it, he saw the engraving of a snake on the spout. "This is it. This is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said stepping back.
"Well, you heard Myrtle. That guy spoke and it opened. Either of you say something in Parseltongue," Ron told both Harry and Charlie as he still has his wand aimed at Lockhart.
"Hmm… maybe it's like that story of Ali Baba? Just tell it to open and the language itself is the key instead of the second word," Charlie suggested.
"Worth a try," Harry said as he took a breath and spoke in Parseltongue. "Open."
As soon as the hissing language was heard, the snake emblem on the sink began to glow white before the sinks began to move, separating themselves as the one with the snake emblem sank to the floor and revealed a giant pipe large enough for a man to slide through.
"Well done, you three. Now if you'll excuse me," Lockhart said as he tried to run away from them, only for Charlie to grab a hold of him and easily slam him onto the filthy floor with an arm lock.
"Your work's not done here," Harry said as the three of them pushed Lockhart near the edge of the entrance with wands and flames at the ready. "You go first."
"Come on now, what good will it do," he pleaded with them.
"We need somebody to scout ahead. And just like the teachers, we're volunteering you," Harry said, pointing his wand at Lockhart's head as sparks began to crack at the tip.
"Okay," Lockhart said as he turned around to look at the hole. "Shouldn't we test it out fir-oh!" he didn't finish as Charlie kicked his back to make him fall down the tunnel. His screams echoed through the hole until a thud was heard twelve seconds later. "OOF!"
"Well, let's go," Harry said as he, Ron, and Charlie looked down at the hole.
"Ladies first," Charlie said as she jumped down next, followed by Ron next, and finally Harry with Samael wrapped around his shoulders. The three of them were sliding down a slimy dark pipe that felt like a water slide that hadn't been cleaned in years. As they went deeper down, Harry thought that this was much deeper than the dungeons he went through last year to deal with the Sorcerer's Stone. He and Ron also noticed various holes every so often, making it clear exacting just how the Basilisk was getting to the pipes. Landing after the same amount of time it took Lockhart to fall, the four looked around to see where they ended up, keeping wands or flames pointed at Lockhart in case he tried anything funny. "Even a Basilisk needs to eat," Charlie said as she looked around to find more bones on the damp floor and found a tunnel they could use. "This way!"
"Alright, remember. If you see any movement, close your eyes immediately," Harry told everyone as they followed behind Charlie with Ron pointing his wand at Lockhart's back.
They walked straight through the tunnels, but the damp floor didn't make it easier for them. As they went through the cavernous tunnels, Ron noticed something on the rocks that made them look a different color. "What's that up ahead," Ron asked.
"It looks like the snake," Lockhart said as he looked at the shape.
"It's not the Basilisk. This is its skin," Charlie said as she poked at the scaly material. To prove it, she held up a hand to illuminate the area with some fire to reveal the gargantuan shedded skin. Harry went forward and saw that they were only at the snake's tail before he went forward to where the head was, then found shorter snake skins that were about a third the size of the one they just saw.
"Bloody Hell! Whatever shed this much must be at least 60 feet long or more," Ron said as his eyes widened. At the same time, Lockhart fainted on the ground. "Heart of a lion, this one," Ron sarcastically remarked.
But as Ron let down his guard, Lockhart used the opportunity to snatch Ron's broken wand from his hand. When he did, he got up to his feet and pointed it at the three. "The adventure ends here. But don't fret. The world will know our story," Lockhart said, pointing the wand between the three. "I'll tell everyone that I was too late to save the girl. And the three of you tragically lost your minds seeing her mangled body," he said, preparing to erase their memories and potentially leave them for dead as he pointed the wand at Harry first. "You first, Mr. Magne. Say goodbye to your memories."
"Goodbye to your memories," Harry repeated to which Lockhart raised a brow before focusing again and casting the spell.
"Obliviate!" Lockhart chanted, but the wand backfired with green sparks and exploded, sending him flying back toward Ron and Charlie. Lockhart screamed before hitting the cavern walls with such force it shook them.
"Everybody move," Harry said as he ducked out of the way of boulders collapsing around them. Next thing he knew a wall of broken rock was blocking his exit. "Ron, Charlie! Are you okay!?"
"I'm fine," Ron coughed as he was covered in dust.
"Me too," Charlie said as she got up and dusted herself off. "What about you?"
"I'm okay," Harry told them as the three of them heard a muffled moan as Charlie and Ron saw that it was Lockhart.
"Hello. Who are you," Lockhart asked Ron.
"Ron Weasley."
"Oh. Who am I," Lockhart asked.
"Harry, Lockhart lost his memory. You go on ahead and find Ginny. I'll make sure to clear all this rubble when you rescue her," Charlie shouted as she used her hellish flames to melt the wall of rock at a pace that didn't overwhelm Ron or Lockhart.
"Okay," Harry said as he moved forward on ahead as he took out his wand. "Lumos," he said as the tip of his wand produced a small light. "Here we are again, Sam. Me and you fighting a powerful enemy."
"But this time, we're more prepared. I do kinda wish I was bigger," Sam said as he wanted to help but he was only a sixth of the Basilisk size.
"Once your big enough, you'll be more infamous than any serpent in history," Harry reassured his companion as they continued to walk through the cavern until they reached a wall with a circular door that had seven snakes on it. Harry approached the door and spoke in Parseltongue once more. "Open."
With the eyes of each serpent shining emerald green, an eighth snake with the same glowing eyes began to slither around them in a circular track. As the eighth moved, the other seven heads pulled back and a loud clicking was heard as the lock undid itself. When all eight snakes moved, the door began to open itself from the weight. "Into the lion's den, so to speak," Samael hissed.
Harry took out his sword and brought it to full size before entering the chamber. After climbing down a ladder, he saw statues of snake heads surrounding the chamber walls above water. The Prince of Hell guessed that the chamber use to be bigger at one point, but it flooded over, and whatever pillars and statues there were became submerged. Up ahead, he could see Ginny Weasley lying on the wet, damp floor in front of a large stone face that would most likely be a large statue of Salazar Slytherin himself. "Ginny," Harry shouted as he ran towards the girl. As he got to her, he dropped his wand and sword to check on her. "Wake up, Ginny! Wake up," Harry exclaimed, worried about her condition before noticing the diary in her hands. "Wait, is that…"
"She won't wake," a voice familiar to Harry said. Turning to see who it was, Harry saw Tom Riddle looking like he did 70 years ago.
"Tom Riddle? What do you mean," Harry asked.
"She's alive, but just barely," Tom said as he walked over toward Harry, seemingly not disrupting the water on the floor.
"How are you still here? Are you a ghost? You aren't see-through," Harry questioned further.
"A memory. Preserved in a diary for 70 years," the Slytherin Prefect stated before Harry checked Ginny's pulse, finding her skin ice-cold while Tom picked up Harry's wand off the floor.
"What are you doing with my wand, Tom? And why are you suddenly here? Unless-"
"Unless you fingered out who the true Heir of Slytherin is," Tom asked the twelve-year-old boy as he started to fiddle around with Harry's wand. "Don't you see? As she grows weaker, I grow stronger. Why do you think I'm standing here now?"
"But how? Is… your diary," Harry questioned before realizing the answer. "It's cursed. You were able to speak with me when I wrote in it."
"Correct. But you must ask yourself how the Chamber was opened now," Riddle stated.
"Ginny was using the diary as her own," Harry realized. "You've been influencing her all this time, you creep."
"That's right. I can be very persuasive. I wrote back to her sympathetically, making her confess her hopes, her fears, and her feelings. She poured her soul out to me, so I gave some of mine to her," Riddle said as he began to explain how everything came to be since Halloween. "She was, shall we say, in a kind of trance. It was almost perfect. No one would have guessed a first year would open the Chamber, unleash the Basilisk, and write those messages on the walls with rooster blood," he stated as Harry thought of what happened through the year with Ginny being controlled into doing so. "Still, the power of the diary began to scare her and she attempted to dispose of it in the girl's bathroom. And then, who should find it but you? The very person I was most anxious to meet."
"I never met you before now. The closest is when you pulled me into the diary's memories," Harry stated.
"I knew I had to talk to you. Show how I framed that brainless oaf Hagrid to gain your trust," Riddle said as he walked around Harry.
"Well, that failed miserably since I found out what the monster was before then. Not to mention, Hagrid is my friend," Harry spat at him. "And you framed him for a crime you committed."
"It was my word against his. Only Dumbledore believed him," Riddle stated.
"I bet he saw right through you," Harry replied with a smirk.
"He certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after that," Riddle said with anger building in his voice, but he calmed down once again as he spoke. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was at school, so I left a diary with the memory of my 16-year-old self behind in its pages. So that one day, I would lead another to finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."
"You haven't finished it this time," Harry stated. "In a few hours, the Mandrake Draught will be ready and all the victims of your failed attacks will wake up again."
"Haven't I told you? Killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore," Riddle stated. "For many months now, my new target was you," he said as Harry raised a confused brow. "How is it that a baby with no extraordinary magical talent was able to defeat the greatest wizard of all time?! How did you escape with nothing with nothing but a scar while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed," he questioned with growing frustration as he brushed away Harry's bangs to look at the scar on his forehead.
"So that's it? You're curious as to how I escaped? Why do you care about that? Voldemort was after your time," Harry questioned as Samael glared at Riddle alongside the Prince of Hell.
"Because Voldemort is my past, present, and future," Riddle said before he started to trace Harry's wand in the air. As he did, flames appeared from the tip of the wand to spell out 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' before with a wave of the wand, they rearranged themselves into a new sentence, which Riddle said out loud. "I am Lord Voldemort."
"I can't believe it… your looks really went to shit," Harry remarked, making Riddle mad. "I'm wondering how long it took you to come up with a name that way. I bet it took a week. And even then, it's so edgy, I bet that's why I got my scar. You might as well have called yourself 'Edgelord' if you have the right letters, Tommy," Harry mocked even further, making Samael give a hissing laugh. "Also, look what I can do," Harry said as he snapped his fingers, causing the letter to rearrange again and spelled 'Am Dildo Motrvole.' making Riddle's face go red with anger. "Oh wait, I got another one," Harry said before he arranged the letters again and they said 'Armored Doll Vomit.'
"That's enough of your childish behavior," Riddle yelled as he made the words vanish out of view. "Point is I will never keep my filthy muggle father's name."
"So you're a junior to add into the mix. There's so much potential. I think I'm going to have a busy summer," Harry remarked, making Sam hiss with laughter harder.
"Enough! I took Voldemort as my name and will make every witch and wizard fear it and know that I am the most powerful wizard," Riddle announced as Harry stopped his laughter and looked serious along with his horned serpent.
"Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard I know. You're just a teenager that's deluding himself," Harry stated.
"Dumbledore has been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me," Riddle argued.
"He's never gone! Not as long as those who remain are loyal to him," Harry stated. Mere seconds later, the call of a bird was heard throughout the Chamber and both Riddle and Harry looked to see a large red bird flying toward them. "Fawkes," Harry wondered aloud as he recognized the colors and shape of the fully-grown phoenix. As Fawkes flew past Harry, he dropped something in the boy's hands, making Riddle duck before circling around and heading back toward the exit. Untying what was tossed into his grip, Harry was confused when he saw it was the Sorting Hat.
Chuckling as he saw what happened, Tom Riddle gave a smug smirk. "So this is what Dumbledore sends his great defender? A songbird and an old hat. Let's test the powers of Harry Magne against the might of Lord Voldemort, the Heir of Salazar Slytherin," Riddle said as he was facing the statue. "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four!"
As he said that, Harry and Samael watched as the mouth of the statue began to open and they heard a monstrous sound. "This isn't good," Sam hissed.
Grabbing his sword off the ground, the Prince of Hell ran off as the Basilisk emerged from the mouth of the Salazar Slytherin statue. It was gargantuan at over 60 feet long with poisonous green scales for skin. The brief look that Harry got at its head before fleeing showed that there was no scarlet plume on its head, indicating that the monster was female. The giant snake's murderous yellow eyes focused on Harry when Riddle gave a command. "Kill him," the memory of Voldemort ordered in the language of snakes.
"KILL HIM! He has more meat on his bones," Harry hissed out without looking at the Serpent of Slytherin, trying to turn the Basilisk against Riddle.
"Parseltongue won't save you this time, Magne. It's too bloodthirsty to listen to you. Only my commands will give it what it craves," Riddle said as the giant monster hissed at the Prince of Hell who was running to find somewhere to have cover, but ended up tripping and losing his glasses.
As he picked up his glasses, Harry heard the Basilisk behind him and started swinging his sword around blindly to prevent the serpent from sinking its teeth into him. With only one slash being successful, the Basilisk felt a cut on its lower jaw before swiftly moving its head to the side, disarming Harry of his sword. With the blade sent into the pipe-like tunnels around the Chamber and Harry on his side, Riddle smiled as he saw the twelve-year-old Gryffindor was about to be dinner for his pet. "No, I will not allow you to hurt my Master! I don't care if I die, but he will live," Samuel hissed as he got off Harry's shoulders, making sure not to look the Serpent of Slytherin in the eye as he focused and he shot out a stream of flames from his mouth, making the Basilisk reel back.
With the Basilisk pulling back its head and Samael's fire breath blocking her vision, Fawkes took the chance to make an attack of his own against the Serpent of Slytherin. Pecking and scratching out the Basilisk's eyes without looking at it directly, the phoenix was able to blind the monster. With the shrieks of both creatures, Harry watched the shadows on the nearby wall to realize what was happening. "Excellent," he said before getting back up.
"No!" Riddle screamed as he watched as the phoenix gore out the serpent's eyes. "Your songbird may have blinded the Basilisk, but it can still hear and smell you," Riddle exclaimed before Samael breathed fire again. This time, the flames hit their mark and the nostrils of the Basilisk were seared shut.
'Now I have a better chance,' Harry thought to himself before he tried to find where his sword went. But as he did, he stepped in a puddle and alerted the serpent, making her lunge at the Prince of Hell. Running as the giant snake made its attack and failed, Harry ran for the tunnels at the side wall close to him. 'Where's my sword? It's got to be here,' Harry thought to himself as he looked around for it, dodging another attack from the Basilisk just before going into the pipe tunnels.
Running around in the tunnels, Harry kept looking for his sword as he saw rats in the pipes gathered together. As he turned, he was met with a dead end from a grate but saw something shiny. He picked it up and saw that it was his holy sword. However, as he turned around he was face to face with the Basilisk. It hissed and inched closer as this is where she last heard Harry, but he was smart enough to grab a rock and toss it deeper into the tunnel to the left. Hearing the clattering sound, the Serpent of Slytherin began to make her way through the tunnel and down a fork in the path. Harry watched the giant snake turn to the right and search deeper into the pipes, then slowly made his way out and went to the left. He saw Tom and Ginny and ran towards the girl and felt her hands get colder. "Yes, Magne. The process is nearly complete. In a few minutes, Ginny Weasley will be dead and I will cease to be a memory," Riddle stated.
"You got one part of that right," Harry spat out as he glared at Riddle.
"Lord Voldemort will return. Very… much… alive," Riddle stated, preparing to return to the prime of his youth to rule the Wizarding World.
"Ginny, wake up or your brothers will kill me," Harry said just before the Basilisk erupted from the water behind him, proving Harry's thoughts on the Chamber being flooded. "I need help now," he muttered before he heard some sort of magical hum coming from the Sorting Hat next to Ginny. Seeing a shimmer coming from inside the hat, Harry reached for it and felt something in his hand. Pulling it out like a rabbit from a stage magician's top hat, Harry was amazed at what he saw. A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat with its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs. It was shorter than his holy sword, but it was just the thing he needed due to Riddle holding his wand. "Good thing I learned how to dual wield," he told himself as he ran across the opposite side of the Serpent of Slytherin, getting close to the statue of Salazar Slytherin. As he ran, his feet were making loud splashing noises and the Basilisk slithered toward him.
After climbing halfway up the statue, Harry began to swing both swords at the serpent to keep it at bay, dealing more small cuts to the beast's face. The Serpent of Slytherin hissed in pain as both blades cut her scales, then she lunged blindly at Harry, only to miss him too much to the right and hit the part of the statue. Seeing it dazed from the impact, Harry climbed up the statue more as he was now on top of Slytherin's head. "Come on! I'm right here! Come at me," Harry yelled at the Basilisk as it shook off the self-inflicted injuries. Hearing his voice, the Basilisk started to lunge at him again. With better footing this time, Harry swung both blades at the Serpent of Slytherin and cut her more, dealing damage to the neck of the beast and the injured eyes. Taking a risk, the Basilisk whipped its head to the side to knock Harry back and disarm him again. Harry tumbled back as he let go of both swords, but recovered and saw they started to slide off the statue. Sensing where he was, the Basilisk lunged at Harry with its jaws opened fully. Acting fast, Prince of Hell grabbed both blades in time and thrust them both upward. The Serpent of Slytherin felt the blades go through the roof of her mouth and into its brain just before it could bite down on Harry, but he felt a fang pierce into his right arm. Fighting through the pain, Harry pulled the blades out, taking the fang with him. With blood dripping from the swords and his arm, Harry watched as the Basilisk flailed around, giving off death cries that echoed throughout the Chamber of Secrets until it fell dead to the floor.
Riddle looked angry as the serpent of his ancestor was killed off by none other than his nemesis. But he still smirked as one of the fangs was embedded into Harry's arm. As Harry weakly made his way back to Ginny, he started to fall to his knees as the venom coursed through his body. Dropping his swords to brace his fall, Harry looked up at Riddle as he smugly spoke up. "Remarkable, isn't it? How quickly the venom of the Basilisk penetrates the body," Riddle said as he watch Harry struggle to stand. "I'd guess you only have a minute to live. You'll be with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry."
"Fuck you," Harry spat out as he looked at the diary in Ginny's arm. As he did, he remembered something Quirrell said over the summer. "The diary…"
"Funny how much damage a silly little book can do. Especially in the hands of a silly little girl," Riddle said to further torment Harry. Without a word, Harry glared at Riddle before grabbing the diary and opening it to the center pages. "What are you doing," Riddle questioned with his eyes widening in fear.
"Burn in Hell," Harry said as he pulled the Basilisk fang out of his arm and stabbed it into the pages of the diary like a knife. On contact, the book began to bleed ink as venom from the fang leaked into the pages. As the book began to bleed black like an imp, a hole appeared in Riddle's chest and a light shined from it. Digging the fang in deeper, more venom and ink erupted from the pages as the wound on Riddle grew larger. Riddle tried to grab at Harry before he could deal more damage to the book, but he simply gripped the fang harder and stabbed the other side of the diary, making it bleed black even more and causing more wounds of light to erupt from Riddle's mouth and face. Folding the book to its front, Harry stabbed at the cover and pierced through every page he could as he twisted the fang into the diary. As ink and venom stained the paper, Riddle shouted in agony as the object storing his memory was brutally damaged and he burst into a flash of light, exploding into sparks that illuminated the chamber for a few seconds.
After Harry finished stabbing the diary, he heard Ginny give out a loud gasp as she finally awoke from her deep slumber. She slowly got up and looked around to see she was in the Chamber of Secrets. She saw Harry was on his knees clenching at his arm. "Harry… it was me. I- I didn't mean it. Riddle made me and- you're hurt," she said now noticing the stab wound on his arm.
"Ginny… listen to me… you need to get out of here," Harry said weakly. "Ron and my sister Charlie will be waiting for you outside the chamber," he told her as he clenched his arm tighter, prompting Sam to comfort him and wish he could do more. Seconds later, Fawkes came swooping in again as he let out a songlike screech and landed next to the Prince of Hell. Harry looked at the red and gold bird's beauty as he looked it in the eye. "You were brilliant, Fawkes. I couldn't have done it without you and Sam. I just wasn't quick enough," he said as he felt cold and weak with his vision weakening. Seeing Harry needed help, the bird lowered its head toward the injury from the fang and began to cry. As the phoenix wept, the tears splashed onto Harry's arm and into the wound. When they did, the pain from the venom was fading quickly and the blood was washing off of Harry's arm with each teardrop. Harry and Ginny watched as the wound then began to heal itself and return to normal without even so much as a scar. Amazed at what was happening, Harry remembered a detail about Fawkes. "Of course. Dumbledore told me phoenix tears have healing powers," he said as he felt much better and stood up. "Thanks, Fawkes," Harry said before turning back to Ginny. "It's alright, Ginny. It's over. It's just a memory."
"One that might need a therapist for in the future," said a familiar female voice as Harry and Ginny heard footsteps. Looking back toward the entrance of the chamber, Harry saw Charlie and Ron coming toward them with a loopy-looking Lockhart following behind them. Before Charlie could even hug Harry, she saw the corpse of the Basilisk and was shocked. "You killed that monster?"
"Nearly took me out with this, though," Harry said as he held up the Basilisk's fang. "I think we should take some teeth for mom to make jewelry out of it."
"She might want a pair of earrings," Charlie chuckled before hugging her brother. "Wait till dad hears about this."
"Wait till he sees it," Harry said as he saw Ron and Ginny hug each other in relief. "I bet he might want this thing stuffed and on display," he remarked before pulling a few more teeth out of the Basilisk's jaws.
"You earned it. Harry Magne, Basilisk Slayer," Charlie chuckled. "Now, how are we going to get out of here," She asked. The Princess of Hell knew she could teleport them back with ease but that level of power would reveal her identity.
Harry thought of what to do before he heard Fawkes give another cry. Looking at the bird, he remembered another detail of phoenixes that Dumbledore told him about. "All aboard Air Phoenix," Harry said as Fawkes took flight once more, circling the group and grabbing Lockhart by his outfit. With Lockhart being carried, the others all grabbed onto him or each other as Fawkes effortlessly carried all of them safely out of the Chamber of Secrets.
"Amazing! This is just like magic," Lockhart exclaimed in wonder.
"Probably because it is," Harry muttered with a chuckle as he made sure he had everything he grabbed in the chamber, including the swords, the diary, the Sorting Hat, his wand, and the fangs. After a flight through the cavern, Fawkes brought the group up onto Hogwarts grounds as the full moon shined down on the castle. "And we're out of there. I need sleep after all of that."
"And you've still got about a month of school left," Charlie remarked.
"I bet after all of this, final exams will be canceled for the year," Ron added.
"Hermione would be devastated if that happens," Harry laughed as they landed outside the school. "Then again, she might be okay with it because of what happened."
"And may I ask what happened with all of you," asked an older man's voice. Turning to see who it was, Charlie and the Hogwarts students were surprised to see not only Dumbledore standing just a few feet next to them, but Lucifer alongside him with an arm extended to allow Fawkes to perch on it. "Shall this discussion take place now or after you've all gotten some sleep," asked Dumbledore.
"I say we discuss this now in your office, Albus. They have a lot of explaining to do," Lucifer said as he eyed both of his children and the two Weasleys.
"We're dead," Ron said with a gulp as they all followed both men into the castle.
And that is the Chapter, ladies, and Gentlemen. And boy was it a long one. I would like to thank WaterDragonMaverick for aiding me once again with beta reading and editing. One more chapter for the Chamber of Secrets Arc and we go back to Hell for a while until the start of the Prisoner of Azkaban Arc starts. And that book is where things will change from canon, majorly. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and remember to follow and favor this story, let's see if we can make it to 1000 follows or favorites. Until then, I will see all of you, in Hell.