https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-648-The-Slytherin-Chamber-Tour-Group/12527071/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-650-Unveiling-the-Unknown-Once-More/12527073/
Chapter 649: Slytherin's Chamber
Chapter 649: Slytherin's Chamber
The group carefully stepped around the shed snake skin and continued deeper into the tunnel.
After navigating several twists and turns, they finally reached the end of the tunnel. There, they found a sturdy wall engraved with two intertwining snakes.
Albert took a step forward, examining the emeralds embedded in the snakes' eyes, and muttered softly, "Emeralds? That's quite expensive."
Even though the gems were only roughly cut, they were still valuable.
"Quite expensive?" someone asked.
Everyone turned to look at Ron, who had spoken, and he shrunk back, feeling a bit embarrassed by the attention.
"Yeah, they're valuable," Albert replied, stepping back and making way for Harry. "But we can't take them, or we won't be able to open this door."
"Open," Harry said, looking into the snakes' eyes and speaking in a low, hoarse hiss after clearing his throat.
As soon as he spoke, the two snakes on the wall separated, and the stone wall split open, slowly sliding apart and disappearing to the sides.
"That's some impressive magic," Albert commented.
He made a mental note to learn this technique if possible—it would surely come in handy in the future. He never turned down an opportunity to add to his skillset.
"Let's go in!"
Harry took the lead and stepped into the chamber, with the others following closely behind.
Upon entering, they found themselves in a long, dimly lit room.
Stone pillars adorned with entwined serpents loomed around them, reaching up into the darkness above. The green, eerie mist that filled the chamber made the already mysterious place even more foreboding, with shadows dancing across the room.
Albert waved his wand, sending several glowing orbs flying from its tip to hover above their heads, instantly dispelling the darkness.
With the darkness gone, the chamber's features became clearer. Their eyes were soon drawn to the body of the Basilisk lying not far from them.
"You really know how to ruin the adventurous atmosphere," Fred muttered jokingly as he took in the Slytherin-style chamber.
"Who would go through all this trouble to keep a Basilisk? This place is almost as big as the Great Hall!" Hermione exclaimed, impressed by the scale of Slytherin's creation.
"I always thought Slytherin looked like a monkey," Lee Jordan commented as he snapped a picture of the statue at the end of the chamber.
At the end of the stone pillars stood a statue as tall as the chamber itself—a likeness of Slytherin with a scraggly beard that reached down almost to the hem of his stone wizard's robes.
As Jordan had pointed out, the aged Slytherin did have a monkey-like face.
A smile tugged at the corners of Albert's mouth, and he had to hold back his laughter. Fred and George, however, burst out laughing, unconcerned about showing their lack of respect for the Slytherin founder.
"That's one huge Basilisk, though," Ron said, swallowing nervously. "You're amazing, Harry."
"No, it was mostly luck that I managed to kill it," Harry replied, still feeling the weight of the intense battle in his memory.
Killing the Basilisk had indeed been a stroke of luck.
"Fox must have pecked out its eyes!" Albert scanned the ruptured eyes of the Basilisk, his gaze falling on the fangs that had fallen to the ground. He pulled out a pair of dragon-hide gloves from his pocket and put them on before bending down to pick up the fangs that Harry had used to pierce Riddle's diary.
"Are those worth something?" Ron asked again, his curiosity piqued.
"I'd say so!" Albert placed the Basilisk fangs into a wooden box and closed it securely. Turning to Ron, who was eyeing the Basilisk's teeth, he said, "Be careful, though. Those teeth are highly venomous. If you get bitten..."
"...you'd need Phoenix tears to cure the poison!" Harry finished.
"Phoenix tears are incredibly rare, and the chances of survival are slim," Albert added, no longer paying attention to Ron as he surveyed the chamber. His gaze landed on the statue of Slytherin, and he walked closer, approaching the statue's mouth. He knocked on it lightly and turned to Harry. "There should be another chamber here. Open it!"
"Open!"
Harry opened his mouth and hissed, but this time, nothing happened.
Harry frowned, surprised at the lack of response.
"The password must be wrong," Albert mused, considering whether to blow up the entrance.
"I remember Voldemort saying something, and then the Basilisk emerged from Slytherin's mouth," Harry recalled.
"What did Tom say?" Albert asked.
"I... I can't remember," Harry stammered. "It was an emergency, and I wasn't exactly paying attention to what he was saying."
"If you had heard it, I could use a special method to figure out how to open this chamber," Albert said to Harry. "Of course, you might not like the method."
"What method?"
"What is it, Harry?" Albert asked.
"Legilimens," Harry replied, looking into Albert's eyes and raising his wand. Before Harry could agree, Albert continued, "Now, I'll begin: Legilimens!"
Before Harry could even resist, his surroundings blurred and disappeared before his eyes.
A scene from a few days ago appeared in his mind, where he faced off against Voldemort. After hearing the password Tom had used, his vision returned to normal.
Harry stood there, still dazed.
"What was the password?" Albert asked.
Most of the group looked confused, not understanding what had just happened in those few seconds.
"What did you do?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"Legilimens, it allows me to browse through someone else's memories," Albert casually explained. "Since it happened recently, I was able to find it quickly."
"Browsing memories?" Hermione repeated.
"You could call it mind-reading," Albert said without hesitation.
"I hate that feeling!" Harry muttered.
"No one would like it," Albert urged. "Now, open it!"
"Speak to me, Slytherin, the greatest of the Hogwarts Four Founders."
The huge stone statue of Slytherin came to life, its mouth opening wider and wider until it formed a huge black hole.
Albert thought he might have guessed where Voldemort got his inspiration for the Dark Mark. He waved his wand, sending the glowing orbs into the cave to illuminate it.
"I wonder how Slytherin came up with such a bizarre idea," Ron said as he quickly followed the group through the entrance in the statue's mouth.
Behind the statue was an open space, not too large, probably dug out specifically for the Basilisk to inhabit and hibernate.
"What are you looking for?"
Hermione watched as Albert surveyed the area and couldn't help but ask.
"I'm looking for Slytherin's true secret," Albert gestured for the others to leave first, as he confirmed that there were no other hidden doors nearby.
In fact, Albert didn't think Slytherin would hide a secret door here. If someone accidentally stumbled upon the Basilisk's eyes, they would be putting themselves in mortal peril.
"The real Chamber of Secrets? Are you saying this isn't Slytherin's Chamber?" Harry was intrigued by Albert's suggestion.
"Probably—there's nothing here."
Fred and George felt they had guessed the reason. As Hermione had said, no one would go to such lengths to create a place to keep a snake.
"Initially, this place was probably meant as a refuge," Albert analyzed.
"Refuge?"
"Back then, the relationship between Muggles and wizards wasn't good." After exiting through Slytherin's mouth, Albert continued to look around, searching for traces of magic.
"Is there really a chamber here?"
Albert turned his attention to the solid cave wall, focusing intently. "There is, I've found it."
"How do you know there's a chamber here?"
Everyone looked at the stone wall next to the statue, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Magic always leaves traces, and it's not difficult to find if you observe carefully," Albert pointed to a certain spot on the wall and turned to the others behind him. "I need some blood."
"Blood?"
"Yes, just a little bit, smeared right here. It must be the blood of a pure-blood wizard!" Albert said as he took out a silver needle from his pocket and pricked his finger, then smeared the blood on a smooth stone. He turned to the three Weasley siblings and said, "One of you, just a little bit will do."
After a moment of hesitation, the three of them decided to play rock-paper-scissors to choose who would provide the blood. George lost and took the needle from Albert. He pricked his finger and smeared the fresh blood on the spot Albert had indicated.
A brilliantly white arch outline appeared on the cave wall, and the blood-stained rock within the arch disappeared, revealing a doorway.
"Wow, that actually worked!"
Everyone was amazed by the sight.
"Why does it have to be pure-blood?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"Slytherin was a pure-blood supremacist," Albert replied as he stepped through the doorway first, revealing a set of stone stairs leading upward.
"Where does this lead to?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking with excitement as this adventure far exceeded her expectations.
"We'll know soon enough!"
As they climbed the stairs, they entered a room.
"This is..."
"...probably Slytherin's magical research!"
Previously, Albert had thought that Slytherin had embedded his knowledge within the Basilisk, but upon further thought, he dismissed that possibility. "This is the real Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin."
(End of Chapter)
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