Harry, of course, heard Nolan's warning, but at that moment, there was nothing he could do.
Tom Riddle moved swiftly, withdrawing from the battlefield and appearing right in front of Ginny.
The sensation of pure, unfiltered life force pouring into his soul made him let out a long, satisfied sigh. Without hesitation, he began draining Ginny's life essence.
As long as Tom Riddle absorbed enough life force, he would be able to break free from the constraints of being a mere soul and become fully human. He just needed a little more time.
Both Harry and Nolan saw this and grew increasingly anxious.
At that critical moment, the monstrous serpent lunged at Harry once more. Unexpectedly, he neither dodged nor flinched, instead using his own arm to block the attack while simultaneously driving the sword in his hand straight into the snake's skull.
At the same time, the serpent's venomous fangs sank into Harry's flesh.
Nolan's expression turned grim at the sight.
Harry was already in an unstable condition, but even so, he forced himself to move forward, staggering toward Ginny, desperate to stop Tom Riddle from siphoning her life force.
Yet, due to Riddle's incorporeal nature, Harry's attacks were completely ineffective.
"It's useless. Once I finish absorbing this life force, you will all die here." Tom Riddle sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance.
But the moment those words left his lips, a gaping hole suddenly appeared in his chest.
Harry stared, dumbfounded, as Nolan withdrew a venomous fang from the basilisk's mouth and, without hesitation, plunged it viciously into the diary.
The diary reacted as if it were a living being, thick, dark red liquid seeping out like human blood. The foul stench filled the air, causing Nolan to wrinkle his nose in disgust.
Even so, he did not stop.
Keeping a firm grip on the fang, he twisted and drove it deeper, ensuring maximum destruction to the cursed object.
Tom Riddle let out a bloodcurdling scream, filled with fear and agony.
In the end, under their unwavering gazes, both Tom Riddle and the diary disintegrated into nothing but dust.
Only then did Nolan let out a heavy breath, collapsing onto the ground as he coughed. Each tremor sent sharp pain through his chest.
But it was over.
The mastermind behind this entire ordeal was gone, making Voldemort's resurrection even more difficult than before.
Meanwhile, Harry, his face drained of all color from the venom coursing through his veins, could barely utter a word.
As despair started to set in, believing he was about to die, Fawkes the phoenix suddenly appeared before him. A single drop of the phoenix's tears landed on his wound, and in an instant, his injuries vanished without a trace.
"Thanks a lot," Harry murmured, finally understanding Dumbledore's words—when Hogwarts called for help, help would always come. So this was what he meant.
"That little guy arrived just in time," Nolan said, exhaling deeply. "In a moment, let Fawkes carry you out. Grab Ron, and fly out of the Chamber. I'll bring Ginny and follow behind."
With that, Nolan took a deep breath, then lifted Ginny into his arms in a protective hold. Following Fawkes' lead, they finally escaped the Chamber of Secrets.
Upon returning to the castle, Hermione came running toward them, her face filled with excitement.
While they had been fighting for their lives, the professors had managed to brew the antidote to the petrification curse, and all the students had been revived. The only ones still facing hardships had been them.
"Well, since it's all over, I'll take my leave now." Nolan clutched his chest, coughing lightly.
His injuries would require some time to heal.
"We're throwing a celebration party," Hermione said, stepping forward hesitantly. "Would you like to join us?"
She looked at him with hopeful eyes, but Nolan, showing no interest in indulging her expectations, simply shook his head.
"I just want to get some rest." With that, he turned and walked away.
After only one night of rest, a bat brought him the latest news.
"That Harry kid sure has a clever mind," the bat chattered. "He stuffed his sock inside a book and had it passed through his master to Dobby, granting him freedom."
"Haha! Can you imagine the look on that pig's face?" the bat continued gleefully. "He tried to drag Dumbledore down, but you lot ruined his plans, and even his house-elf turned against him to protect Harry. What a spectacular case of shooting himself in the foot."
The bat flapped its wings excitedly, hopping around in its enthusiasm.
As Nolan absorbed all the information, a faint, unreadable smile tugged at his lips.
The tea on the table had long gone cold and stale. With a mere flick of his fingers, he cleared it away and prepared a fresh pot of red tea. Leaning back into his chair, he finally allowed himself a moment of peace. Beside his teacup, submerged in a glass container, lay the basilisk fang he had retrieved.
Since he had taken it from the serpent himself, it was now his prize—a trophy of victory, displayed in his personal collection.
Word of Nolan's return quickly spread.
Before long, a young witch burst into his room, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She looked at him with a mix of sorrow and betrayal, and before she could even speak, tears began streaming down her cheeks.
"Why didn't you take me with you?" she demanded. "Was it because my magic is too weak?"
Astoria felt abandoned. They had gone to the library together, investigated together, yet when the real battle came, she had been left behind.
Not being able to fight alongside Nolan filled her with regret.
"The situation was beyond our control," Nolan replied calmly. "Besides, I couldn't let you face that kind of danger with me."
He handed her a handkerchief, feeling an impending headache from her emotional outburst.
Fortunately, his savior arrived just in time.
Eve stormed into the room, her expression a mix of anger and frustration. The moment she saw Astoria, her eyes burned with fury. Without hesitation, she grabbed Astoria by the collar, lifting her slightly off the ground.
"Nolan is mine," Eve declared coldly. "No matter how much you try, you won't change that."
"That's not true!" Astoria protested loudly, turning desperately to Nolan for support, hoping he would say something.
But Nolan merely pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing as a dull pain throbbed in his temples.
These two together were far too noisy.
"Take her away," he ordered flatly. "I need to rest."
Eve's face lit up with a triumphant smirk. "You heard him. You're disturbing his peace. Get out."