Chapter 309: The Tale of the Chamber
Professor Binns cleared his throat with a dry, rasping sound like a piece of chalk snapping in half, and continued:
"In October of that same year, a committee of Sardinian sorcerers—"
He stammered to a halt. Hermione's hand was once again waving in the air.
"Miss Granger?"
"If I may, sir... legends are always built upon a foundation of fact, are they not?"
Professor Binns looked at her, looking utterly flabbergasted.
"Well," Binns said slowly, "yes, I suppose one could argue that." He peered at Hermione as though he had never truly looked at a student before. "However, the legend you speak of is a most sensational—one might even say ludicrous—story..."
By now, every student in the class was hanging on Professor Binns's every word. He blinked his bleary eyes at them, seeing every face in the room turned in his direction. Harry could tell that such a concentrated display of interest was making Mr. Binns quite uncomfortable.
"Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see... the Chamber of Secrets... You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago—the exact date is uncertain—by the four greatest wizards of the age. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Together, they built this castle, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by commoners, and wizards suffered much persecution."
Every student in the room leaned forward, their necks craning to catch every word.
"At the start, they were the closest of friends, working toward a shared goal. They sought out young people who showed the spark of magic and brought them here to be nurtured. But slowly, discord began to grow.
"The rift between Slytherin and the others widened. Slytherin wished for Hogwarts to be more selective. He believed that magical education should be restricted to pure-blood families. He was wary of those born of Muggles, believing them to be untrustworthy. After some time, a bitter argument broke out between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin departed the school."
Professor Binns paused, pursing his lips like a withered old tortoise. "That is what the reliable historical records tell us."
"And the Chamber, Professor?" Hermione asked quickly, sensing they were close to the core.
"The Chamber... it is a tale of legend that obscures the truth. The story goes that Slytherin built a secret room within the castle, of which the other Founders knew nothing. According to the legend, Slytherin sealed the Chamber so that none could open it until his true Heir arrived at the school. Only the Heir would be able to unseal the Chamber and unleash the horror within, using it to 'purge' the school of all those he deemed unworthy to study magic."
The story ended. A heavy silence draped over the classroom—not the usual sleepy boredom of a Binns lecture, but a cold, heavy dread.
I see... Hermione thought, her face pale. Everything was clicking into place. Tom Riddle was the Heir of Slytherin. He wanted to unleash the monster, but Sean had been stopping him. But who was Tom Riddle?
"The diary, Hermione," Harry whispered. "It's the diary."
Harry felt a cold sweat breaking out. A monster was hiding in Hogwarts. If Sean hadn't been fighting it alone every night, would it have been unleashed already?
"I tell you, the thing does not exist," Binns said, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber, and there is no monster."
After Class.
On the way to the Room of Hope, Ron was rambling, his voice trembling with nerves.
"I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony. But I didn't know he was the one who started all that pure-blood rubbish. I wouldn't go into his House even if they paid me. To be honest, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I'd have taken the train straight back home..."
Harry didn't think Ron would actually have the nerve to face Mrs. Weasley after running away, but he knew for a fact that Ron didn't have a bigoted bone in his body.
"We have to find Ginny," Hermione said, her eyes fixed on them. "As for the Basilisk fang... Harry, look."
Harry turned his head toward Sean's desk. There, sitting in plain sight, was a massive, curved tooth. It sat there silently, looking lethal even in repose.
"He's terrifyingly strong..." Ron marveled. "I bet if that old madman Slytherin were alive today, he'd change his mind about pure-bloods. Because at Sean's age, Sean could probably take on ten of him.
"Wait... I feel like something's missing," Ron paused. "Where's Sean?"
Hermione and Harry stood up simultaneously. Usually, at this time of day, Sean would be in the Room of Hope buried in a book. He hadn't been at breakfast, either—and no one had ever seen him miss a meal.
They sprinted toward the second-floor girls' bathroom. On the way, they spotted Ginny.
"Ginny! What are you doing here?" Ron asked, trying to sound casual.
Hermione, however, had eyes only for the bag Ginny was clutching. She spotted an old, tattered book that looked completely out of place next to her new school texts.
"Harry... look," Hermione whispered.
Harry followed her gaze. He moved close to Ginny and, with a quick, practiced motion, surreptitiously snatched the old diary from her bag. The process was surprisingly easy, almost as if the diary wanted to be taken.
Harry recognized it instantly. The faded date on the cover showed it was fifty years old. He flipped it open. On the first page, he could just make out a name written in smudged ink: T.M. Riddle.
"...Right, well, see you later then!" Ron said, feeling a nudge from Hermione. He cut the conversation short, and the trio hurried away.
The moment they were out of sight, Ron shouted, "I remember! I know that name! Riddle won a Special Award for Services to the School fifty years ago!"
"Never mind that, Ron," Harry said, clutching the Basilisk fang. "We have to do this." He raised the fang, ready to stab it into the ink.
"Wait, Harry! We still haven't found Sean," Hermione stopped him. "He might need this."
They reached the door to the girls' bathroom. Lately, Peeves had been causing such a mess in there that most students avoided it entirely.
The moment they slipped inside, Hermione let out a muffled gasp, her hands flying to her mouth. Harry and Ron watched as her eyes instantly filled with tears.
There, lying in one of the stone basins, was the petrified remains of an Alchem-Toad.
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