081 The Chamber of Secrets (Part-1)
Half an hour later, Riddle's figure had vanished, and the diary pages that contained his soul lay scattered on the ground like confetti, without a trace of magic. In the center of each page, there was a sharp hole, as if it had been dug out by a sharp dagger. The ink that once spelled his secrets had faded into nothingness.
Bryan's cage had also disappeared, and the Basilisk left by Slytherin was nowhere to be found. Only a faint smell of smoke and a few scales remained as evidence of its existence.
Dumbledore looked solemn, he strode over the steps of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, wearing a purple traveling cloak that fluttered behind him like a cape, and Harry followed him breathlessly, saying something anxiously. His glasses were foggy and his hair was messy from the damp air.
When he saw Bryan safe and sound at the foot of the Slytherin statue, Dumbledore's expression finally relaxed a bit, but his pace was still hurried.
"Ah, you came so fast, Headmaster Dumbledore, oh, of course, and Potter–"
Bryan withdrew his gaze from the sculpture and turned around with a light smile. His robes were spotless and his eyes were bright. He looked as if he had just returned from a pleasant stroll.
"I'm glad to see you're all right, Bryan," Dumbledore said kindly as he approached quickly. He seemed to want to say something else, but his eyes were drawn by the diary on the floor. He picked up the broken diary and looked at the shattered pages with his deep blue eyes from his long crooked nose.
"**Sigh**,"
Dumbledore said softly, "Needless to say, he could probably be called the best wizard in Hogwarts history. Oh, and you too, Bryan. In my long life, I've never seen anyone better than you two. Of course, I mean in terms of magical talent."
Harry seemed confused, he looked around, but didn't see anything else in the chamber besides them, or any memories that could take shape.
"Professor Watson, Voldemort and the Basilisk, where did they go, sir?" Bryan smiled regretfully and looked at Harry who was covered in dust. His face was pale and his clothes were torn from the Basilisk's attack. He had a bandage around his arm where he had been bitten by that basilisk.
"The Basilisk struggled very hard, I couldn't control it with the cage I conjured with magic. I had no choice but to turn it into ashes. As for the memory stored in that evil magical device, it seemed to want to save its servant. When I was dealing with the Basilisk, it jumped out from behind a pillar and tried to ambush me,"
"What do you think is there, right, Bryan?"
"Something just feels wrong, Headmaster Dumbledore–"
Bryan didn't look at Dumbledore. His eyes flickered with an unreadable light. In fact, he didn't feel anything wrong from that dark hole. What made him curious about the black hole and determined to explore it was the memory he had recovered.
"The Basilisk, after listening to Voldemort's call, came out of there–"
Harry woke up from his sad silence and answered their question.
Dumbledore nodded indisputably. He looked down at Bryan with a probing gaze. After a while, he said calmly.
"This ancient castle hides countless fascinating secrets, Bryan. Even if I'm the headmaster of this school and have read the notes of the previous headmasters, I may not know as much about this castle as the Weasley twins. If you think it's necessary, I can go with you to see what's there."
Bryan bowed slightly and smiled gratefully. "I'm curious, Headmaster Dumbledore. Salazar Slytherin left a Basilisk in such a hidden chamber, just for the rumor that he wanted to get rid of the non-pureblood wizards in the school. This doesn't seem to be the breadth and vision of a wizard of his level."
A ray of light flashed across Dumbledore's half-moon glasses. "Rationally and reasonably judged, Bryan, since that's the case–"
Dumbledore seemed to have seen something but didn't choose to expose it. He raised his elder wand and swung it down neatly. Immediately, the whole chamber shook violently. Pebbles and dust fell like a fierce storm. Harry quickly covered his forehead with his hand to avoid something falling into his eyes.
He heard a loud rumbling sound as if the earth was splitting apart. Only a few seconds later, the shaking world returned to calm. Harry brushed off a layer of gray on his robe and looked forward quickly. With one glance, he was shocked! A staircase leading directly to the dark stone face appeared out of thin air in front of Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Watson. The staircase was rough and dark, and it was two hundred feet high, like a pillar reaching the sky. It looked ancient and majestic, as if it had been there for centuries.
Harry was amazed. Turning a stone into a staircase shape was not difficult for him who had received two years of formal magic education but to create such a huge staircase Harry was sure that even if he was squeezed dry in a juicer he wouldn't be able to produce that much magic!
/FicFrenzy