Malfoy didn't know about the diary itself, but he did know that his father, Lucius Malfoy, had done something shady.
During the holidays, Lucius had even warned him:
"Don't get involved with anything concerning the Heir."
And just now,
Did Dumbledore look right at him?
Did he… discover what his father had done?
Malfoy lowered his head in panic, too terrified to meet the headmaster's piercing gaze.
Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't press the matter.
He paused briefly, then looked away.
But that didn't calm Malfoy at all, because the students weren't letting the matter go.
"Who did it?!"
"That was a BASILISK! One look and you die! Someone wanted us dead!"
"Expulsion! They must be expelled!"
"No, send them to Azkaban!"
Now it wasn't only the Muggle-borns who were furious.
Even many Slytherins were outraged.
A Basilisk couldn't distinguish between pure-bloods and half-bloods.
They had been in just as much danger.
Over at the Gryffindor table, Ginny clenched her fists so tightly her nails nearly pierced her skin.
She forced herself to stay calm and glanced anxiously toward Slytherin.
Tom was sitting there, calm as ever, and even gave her a slight, reassuring nod.
Her frantic heartbeat steadied instantly.
"Quiet! Quiet!"
Dumbledore had to raise his voice to suppress the students' outrage.
Once the Great Hall settled into silence, he continued:
"As for who brought the dangerous Dark artifact into the school, I do not yet know.
But I am certain it was not their intention.
They were manipulated by someone with darker motives.
I will continue investigating until the true culprit is found and punished."
"Now then, let us speak of happier things."
A gentle smile appeared on the old wizard's face.
"With the myth of the Chamber fully unraveled, a long-buried injustice from fifty years ago can finally be corrected.
An innocent student who was expelled will have his name cleared."
"And in the future, there is no need to worry about the safety of the castle.
For that, we must thank Mr. Riddle and Mr. Potter for their efforts."
He began to clap, and the staff and students followed.
Harry felt this was unnecessary.
His only contribution had been… matching into the party.
Without him, the raid wouldn't have triggered.
Wait,
Was he actually kind of important?
Dumbledore smiled when he saw Harry suddenly come to that realization.
"For Mr. Potter's bravery, Gryffindor is awarded one hundred points."
"And Mr. Riddle," Dumbledore continued, "for risking his life and battling the Basilisk to protect the school and his precious friends…"
His voice hitched slightly.
That phrasing… Tom had taught it to him the night before.
A Basilisk, putting you in danger?
You fooled everyone else, but you can't fool me.
Dumbledore wanted to refuse, really, he did.
But when he remembered Horcruxes…
And Tom's massive contributions this time…
(The castle itself had taken structural damage!)
He couldn't bring himself to deny it.
A little exaggeration wouldn't hurt.
No one else knew the truth anyway.
Thus:
Tom Riddle received the Special Award for Services to the School, plus five hundred points.
Slytherin students erupted, pounding the table with delight.
Five hundred points!
Even if they slacked off for the rest of the term, they couldn't lose the House Cup.
The other houses didn't find it excessive either.
Many had witnessed Tom's performance that Saturday, it had been no exaggeration to say he saved their lives.
As for where the life-threatening danger came from?
Cough cough… Voldemort's fault. Definitely not Tom's.
When the students left the Great Hall, Tom was practically escorted to Transfiguration class.
At this point, he didn't need to establish dominance anymore.
Anyone thinking of provoking him had to consider two questions:
Was their skull harder than the Basilisk?
And were they more reckless than the Basilisk?
Anyone meeting both conditions might tug a tiger's whiskers,
But Hogwarts didn't seem to have such heroes.
In class, the Chamber and the Basilisk were still unavoidable topics.
Even Professor McGonagall couldn't keep the discussion from drifting.
"I believe many of you witnessed Mr. Riddle's battle with the Basilisk.
You can now appreciate how vital advanced Transfiguration is.
He remained in a completely safe position the entire time, the Basilisk never came close."
"Professor McGonagall!"
Lavender Brown shot her hand into the air.
Once called on, she asked eagerly:
"The puppets Tom controlled, were those Transfiguration spells?
What's the incantation? I really want to learn it!"
Many students stared at McGonagall with shining eyes.
A spell that could summon hundreds of powerful puppets instantly, perfect for group battles,
Who wouldn't want to learn it?
McGonagall smiled faintly.
"Well, that question… is best answered by Mr. Riddle himself."
She, too, wished to see just how deep Tom's understanding of Transfiguration truly ran.