Tom Riddle was very pleased. He had completely gained Ginny Weasley's trust and could temporarily act through her body. Before he found Harry Potter, figured out why his future self had lost, and killed him, he had enough time to complete the work unfinished fifty years ago—to purge the school of Muggle-born wizards! And the best creature for this job was the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets! Just as the Basilisk had killed Moaning Myrtle fifty years ago!
Arriving at the girls' bathroom on the second floor, Tom recalled his initial awkwardness when he first entered this washroom fifty years ago. At the time, he felt deeply ashamed, unable to understand why his ancestor would place the Chamber of Secrets entrance in a girls' toilet! But remembering that his ancestor could enter the girls' toilet without issue, he figured his own entrance wasn't a big deal!
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" [Open!]
The smell coming from the entrance wasn't great, but it differed somewhat from the smell Tom remembered. Fifty years had passed; some change was normal!
Tom jumped down and, a moment later, reached the bottom. Had he come to the wrong place?
The entire underground space and tunnel were spotlessly clean; those annoying dirty substances were all gone. The gigantic Basilisk skin lay there, with obvious scorching marks. If one didn't look closely, they couldn't even tell what the thing originally was.
Arriving at the wall with the intertwining snakes, Tom felt completely off. The eyes of the snakes, which once shone brightly, had been gouged out! What kind of monstrous act was this? The snake eyes, which originally provided the finishing touch, giving the stone carving a soul and artistic flair, had actually been removed?
An extremely bad premonition rose in Tom's heart. He hastily commanded:
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" [Open!]
The stone door opened, revealing the Chamber of Secrets.
This Chamber of Secrets… was different! Where was the Slytherin-colored mist?
Tom walked tentatively, step by step. He was starting to feel unsure. What exactly had happened to the Chamber in the last fifty years?
He finally reached the end and saw a Slytherin statue that was completely different from the one fifty years ago. Fifty years ago, the enormous statue stood solemn and majestic (the movie only showed a head, but here the novel's original description was used). The current Slytherin statue, however, was sitting casually with one leg crossed over the other, its face beaming with a look of satisfaction—though the smile was stiff, it didn't prevent Tom from recognizing it as a smile.
That smile is truly ugly!
Tom realized that someone had indeed been here, and they might have progressed further in exploring the Chamber than he had! But the most important thing now was to find the Basilisk!
"Speak to me! Slytherin! Greatest of the four Founders of Hogwarts!"
…
A faint breeze blew through the ventilation shaft, stirring Ginny's red hair, her bangs momentarily fluttering—that was the only movement in the entire Chamber. The Slytherin statue didn't stir at all.
After Slytherin passed on his inheritance to Audrey, he had smugly gone into deep slumber, transferring the magic maintaining this Chamber to the hiding place of his own consciousness—the more magic, the longer he could be preserved, perhaps intending to guide Audrey's descendants in the future!
However, Tom knew none of this. He was becoming frantic:
"Speak to me! Slytherin! Greatest of the four Founders of Hogwarts!"
The statue remained motionless. Tom's heart sank, as if the most important thing had slipped away from him.
"Thump!"
It was the sound of a giant object falling.
Tom turned and saw the badly wounded Basilisk crawling out of a water pipe opening. Tom was ecstatic!
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" [I command you to go and kill the Muggle-born students!]
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" [The Little Master won't let me kill people!]
Tom was bewildered. The Little Master?
"Hiss, hiss, hiss?" [Don't you recognize me?]
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" [I do, but you are not my Master!]
Chapter 114: Two of a Kind
Tom took a deep breath, but it failed to calm him down.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" [For the sake of our fifty years of acquaintance, help me just this once!]
Humble Tom, requesting assistance online.
…
…
Sirius Black never reappeared, so the alert at Hogwarts was lifted. Quidditch training resumed, and students were once again allowed to visit Hogsmeade village.
Ron Weasley hadn't managed to replace his wand yet—a problem that likely wouldn't be fixed until the Christmas holidays—so he couldn't escape the fate of spewing slugs.
Audrey, meanwhile, was on her way to Hogsmeade, dragged along by an insistent Isaline. Isaline was ecstatic because she had finally seen Audrey make new friends! Kamo Tsuruko followed behind them, calling them "Senior" repeatedly, which Isaline found rather nice coming from the Japanese girl.
Audrey looked miserable. She had told Isaline countless times that there was nothing interesting to shop for in Hogsmeade! If Isaline was so fond of shopping, Audrey would eventually build a large Wizarding shopping center so she could shop until she dropped! Reluctantly, Audrey secretly sent a distress signal to Edmond, asking him to rush over and rescue her from this predicament!
At Twilfitt and Tattings.
This was already the twelfth outfit Isaline had tried on. She looked so absorbed and happy that Audrey suspected Isaline could stay here all day if given the chance! Even Tsuruko was caught up in the excitement, joining Isaline in happily trying on clothes and seeking compliments.
"Senior, how do I look in this outfit?"
"Good, good!"
"Senior, what about this one?"
"Yoshi, yoshi!"
"Audrey, do I look good in this dress?"
"Subarashii!"
"Audrey, what did you just say!"
Audrey snapped back to attention. Oh, it was Isaline this time! She was about to speak when the shop door opened.
"Welcome!" The store clerk was pleased to see another customer.
Isaline was drawn by the sound and looked over. It was a tall, handsome wizard with heterochromatic eyes—one grey, one blue—which made her heart skip a beat.
The wizard looked around, then smiled and walked towards their location. The hem of his tailored coat flowed, making him look dashing and free. Isaline's heart pounded faster. Was he walking towards them?
"Audrey, there you are!"
Isaline: Meow meow meow?
"Edmond, you're here! Let me introduce you. This is my good friend, Isaline Windsor!" Audrey then pointed to Edmond. "Isaline, this is my helper, Edmond Grindelwald."
Edmond chuckled. "Some helper! I'm practically your nanny!" He looked at Isaline and greeted her politely: "Hello, Miss Windsor! It's an honor to meet you!"
Isaline's face was bright red. She thought she heard a very important surname, but that didn't seem important right now. "Hello, Mr. Grindelwald," Miss Windsor's mind went blank, and what she was thinking tumbled out: "Do you have someone you like right now?"
As the words left her mouth, Isaline quickly covered her mouth. Oh no, he's going to think I'm flippant, isn't he? What decent girl asks someone if they have a girlfriend the first time they meet them?
Edmond burst into a laugh. He looked at Isaline, who was trying to shrink her head into her neck. Her exposed neck and collarbone had turned the color of boiled shrimp.
This girl is so amusing!
Isaline secretly peeked at Edmond, saw him looking at her warmly, and immediately dropped her gaze again.
Edmond chuckled lightly. "I haven't had a girlfriend since I was born!"
Isaline was overjoyed. She snapped her head up, then looked slightly incredulous: "Audrey is so beautiful, and you're not tempted?"
Edmond laughed heartily. "This one? She's lazy, greedy, and bossy! And most importantly, I'm technically her grand-uncle!"
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