"Hiss hiss... Speak to me! The greatest of the four founders of Hogwarts."
As the Parseltongue spell was uttered, the statue of Salazar Slytherin slowly opened its mouth, and a 60-foot-long basilisk slithered out.
"Let us show Voldemort's power—Slytherin's heir, against the famous Harry Potter."
Harry Potter turned and ran. Gilderoy Lockhart stood to the side, unsure what to do. That's a basilisk! Should he run or not? At least give a signal! Lockhart gestured frantically at Regulus Black.
"Harry Potter, your Parseltongue won't work on the basilisk. It only obeys one master... my command."
Regulus Black said this as he walked over to Gilderoy Lockhart and grabbed him.
The 60-foot basilisk slithered swiftly, quickly catching up to Harry Potter. The poor kid tripped and landed flat on his face.
Silver light once again flickered in Harry's eyes, a surge of power that made him fearless—but it didn't seem to help much in the face of death.
The phoenix's cry rang out once more. Fawkes returned to the Chamber of Secrets. Harry could only see its shadow on the wall as Fawkes pecked the basilisk's eyes blind.
"No! Dumbledore's phoenix may be able to blind the basilisk, but it can still hear your movements," Regulus Black called out from behind.
Harry turned around and saw the blinded basilisk writhing in pain. But as he tried to move, the faint sound of his footsteps became the basilisk's new target.
The desperate escape began again. Harry ran into a maze-like side passage, only to find himself in a dead end a moment later. The basilisk, following the sound, slithered in, opening its massive mouth. The stench of its breath hit Harry like a wall. Its foot-long fangs glinted with a ghostly blue light.
Trapped, Harry's eyes flickered silver once more.
His hand brushed against a rock. He carefully tossed it toward the wall behind the basilisk. The sound it made finally lured the monster away. Harry seized the chance and quietly slipped out of the passage, returning to the main chamber.
Ron was still lying there. Harry ignored Gilderoy Lockhart nearby.
"You're too late. In a few more minutes, Ron will die completely. And I will no longer be just a memory. I—Voldemort—am about to return, full of life and magic."
Regulus Black dramatically recited these edgy lines, perfectly channeling the overly theatrical spirit of a 16-year-old Tom Riddle.
Harry Potter, if you want to protect the ones who matter to you, summon your courage! Without true courage, the Sword of Gryffindor will not appear.
With a loud "Bang!", the basilisk, having apparently taken a long detour, burst back into the chamber from the water—furious.
At that moment, Harry's desire to protect Ron was sincere. From the Sorting Hat, which had previously been discarded on the floor, a flash of silver light burst forth—and the Sword of Gryffindor appeared.
Regulus Black knew well that the way to obtain Gryffindor's sword was very specific. Only those who truly embodied the values of Godric Gryffindor could summon it—and only in times of need. It wasn't something that could simply be picked up by hand—it had to be pulled from the Sorting Hat.
That condition made it impossible for Regulus Black to acquire the sword through conventional means.
Throughout the entire Harry Potter series, only Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom had ever obtained the sword this way—drawing it from the Sorting Hat.
It was just as frustratingly specific as Dumbledore's method for retrieving the Philosopher's Stone using the Mirror of Erised.
The Sword of Gryffindor was a goblin-made weapon purchased by Godric Gryffindor during his lifetime. The hilt was encrusted with rubies, and his name was engraved on the blade. The genuine sword was forged centuries ago by goblins and possessed unique properties exclusive to goblin-forged weapons.
Goblin-made blades absorb only what strengthens them. For example, in the original story, when Harry used the sword to kill the basilisk, the blade absorbed the creature's venom. Basilisk venom is one of the few substances capable of destroying Horcruxes, and the Sword of Gryffindor, now imbued with that venom, gained that same destructive power.
Later, Ron Weasley used the sword to destroy one of Voldemort's Horcruxes—the locket.
Albus Dumbledore had once used the sword in his office to destroy another Horcrux—Marvolo Gaunt's ring.
In the final battle, Neville Longbottom used the sword to kill one of Voldemort's Horcruxes—the serpent Nagini. This had nothing to do with the sword's venom-absorbing ability, because to destroy a Horcrux made from a living creature, it's enough to simply kill the creature.
The Sword of Gryffindor could also resist certain spells, such as the Fire-Making Spell and the Geminio Curse. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione broke into Gringotts to steal one of Voldemort's Horcruxes—Helga Hufflepuff's cup—they used the sword to retrieve it.
Harry Potter didn't know any of this, nor did he know what the future held. But at this moment, all he could do was draw the Sword of Gryffindor and put on a brave performance—like a knight battling a dragon.
Regulus Black picked up the Sorting Hat from the ground and gave it a few strong shakes.
"Hey! Regulus, you brat, stop shaking me."
The Sorting Hat grumbled softly. No one had dared treat it like that in a thousand years.
"I was hoping maybe another Sword of Gryffindor would fall out! Or at least some Gryffindor treasure!"
Regulus Black replied in a hushed tone.
Harry Potter was locked in a life-or-death struggle with the basilisk. The battle was fierce, back and forth, as the two fought with relentless intensity.
"I say, Regulus, are you really just going to let Harry Potter deal with this 'basilisk' on his own? Have you thought about how this whole thing ends?"
Gilderoy Lockhart had more or less figured it out—the basilisk was a fake, conjured by Regulus Black using a Transfiguration spell with the water in the chamber. Even Fawkes the phoenix, who swooped in a second time to blind the basilisk, was a fake.
This entire show was staged for Harry Potter alone. He was the sole protagonist.
"When Harry kills the basilisk, the memory of Voldemort I've become will disappear as well. You, Gilderoy Lockhart, will be swept back across the lake with Harry by the rushing water. Once you return, just claim you were hiding with an Invisibility Charm the whole time. As for spreading tales of Harry Potter's bravery, that's your job."
Regulus Black shoved the Sorting Hat into Gilderoy Lockhart's arms. On the other side, the battle between Harry and the basilisk reached its climax—Harry drove the Sword of Gryffindor straight through the creature's head, causing it to thrash in agony.
"No! I refuse to accept this! I waited half a century for this chance—I will not fade away so easily!"
Regulus Black launched into his final performance. As the Sword of Gryffindor pierced the basilisk's head, a hole also appeared in Tom Riddle's head, growing larger with every flash of light.
"I won't let you go so easily! You will all die with me!"
As Tom Riddle collapsed and vanished, the basilisk sank into the water as well, disappearing along with the Sword of Gryffindor.
Harry Potter climbed down from the statue of Salazar Slytherin and rushed straight to Ron's side.
"Harry Potter? Where am I?"
Having just awakened, Ron had no idea what had happened. To Harry, it had been a near-death experience—for both of them.
"Harry Potter! I think we'd better get out of here now."
"Professor Lockhart? What are you doing here?"
Harry had completely forgotten—it was he himself who had forced Gilderoy Lockhart to come to the Chamber of Secrets. But after everything that had just happened, Harry had completely lost track of him.
"Actually, I was cheering you on from the sidelines the whole time! Giving you moral support! …Alright, fine! I admit it—I was hiding with an Invisibility Charm."
Under Harry's gaze, Gilderoy Lockhart shifted from one lie to another. This world is full of lies; it just depends on which one you choose to believe. There's always one that fits.
"Oh! Shit!"
With Lockhart's sudden cry, Harry and Ron immediately saw the reason.
A massive stream of water gushed from the mouth of the Slytherin statue, blasting all three of them away. Water surged from every direction, sweeping the three into different tunnels.
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