Harry stayed in the hospital wing for three days before Madam Pomfrey finally allowed him to leave.
Many people came to visit him during that time, but Madam Pomfrey strictly forbade them from staying too long.
Seamus and Ron woke up that same afternoon. After three days in the infirmary, they were discharged along with Harry.
Without his two friends by his side, those days would have been truly unbearable.
When he returned to the Gryffindor common room, Harry was greeted with a hero's welcome.
"Potter is our Lion King!" the Weasley twins shouted, especially Fred, who yelled the loudest.
Every boy and girl longs for a tale of heroism.
Especially in Gryffindor—the house of unmatched courage—Harry's solo defeat of Professor Quirrell's plan earned him immense admiration.
Perhaps intentionally on Dumbledore's part, the person who spread the news never mentioned Voldemort, only referring to Professor Quirrell.
But that was more than enough to drive everyone wild. After all, he was a teacher! A first-year student, with the help of his friends, had overcome a series of challenges set by the professors, faced Professor Quirrell alone, and successfully thwarted his scheme.
A true savior!
Not only Gryffindors but also several Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had gathered in the common room.
Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff, along with his housemates, applauded Harry with genuine enthusiasm.
"Harry! Well done!"
Harry did not let the praise go to his head, nor did he grow arrogant.
He raised his hands, signaling everyone to quiet down.
When the students around him looked at him in confusion, wondering what he was about to do, Harry began to speak.
"Everyone, thank you for your support. But I didn't reach the end alone. I had friends who stood by me and helped me every step of the way. They're the reason I made it this far."
The students watched him in attentive silence.
"First, Hermione Granger!" Harry gestured toward Hermione, who stepped forward.
"If Hermione hadn't found a way past Fluffy and used a spell to play the harp and lull that terrifying three-headed dog to sleep, we probably wouldn't have even gotten past the first door—"
The students erupted into a chorus of cheers.
"Granger! Granger!"
"Hermione! I knew you were brilliant!" Lavender shouted.
Hermione's face flushed bright red, her large teeth showing as she smiled like a happy beaver.
After the cheering died down a bit, Harry grabbed Neville, who was trying to slip away, pulled him close, and draped an arm around his shoulders.
"And our Neville Longbottom! He was the one who discovered the Devil's Snare's weakness, allowing us to pass the first obstacle!"
"Longbottom! Longbottom!" The room exploded with loud applause that echoed throughout the common room.
Neville's lips trembled, his eyes reddening as he looked around at the students genuinely cheering for him.
God only knew how much pressure he had lived under from his parents since childhood—how he had even been considered a Squib who couldn't do magic.
Could someone like him… really receive applause from everyone?
"Neville, did you hear that?" Harry shouted. "You're the best!"
"Neville is the best!" Ron clapped and yelled from behind.
"Neville is the best!" the others joined in, and the atmosphere grew even more excited.
"Thank you… thank you, Harry!" Neville couldn't hold back any longer. He turned and hugged Harry tightly, tears streaming down his face.
Harry coughed twice, pretending to struggle. "Alright, Merlin's beard, Neville—if you squeeze any harder, I'm going to throw up everything I ate last night!"
Neville quickly let go. When he saw Harry wink at him, he finally smiled through his tears.
"And our Seamus Finnigan!" Harry pulled an excited Seamus forward. "Seamus broke the Devil's Snare with a spell and bravely stood up at the critical moment to help us secure a vital victory!"
"Finnegan! Finnegan!" The crowd cheered and whistled.
Seamus waved excitedly, drew his wand, and shouted, "Anyone want to see my Devil's Snare-breaking spell?"
"Oh God, please no—"
The students around him cried out in unison.
Everyone burst into laughter, and Seamus put his wand away. He had only been joking.
As the applause gradually subsided, Harry finally pulled Ron forward.
"I have to say it—Ron Weasley! You are the best chess player I have ever seen. You turned yourself into a piece, fought on the board, and at the crucial moments even stood up alongside Seamus to give us a chance to win that horrible wizard's chess game. Ron, you are the bravest person I've ever met—a true Gryffindor!"
"Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!"
The students cheered ecstatically. Ron sacrificing himself as a chess piece and fighting on the board, even choosing to risk everything in critical moments—that was incredibly noble courage!
If he wasn't a true Gryffindor, who was?
"Ronny, Ronny, oh! Oh!" The twins wiggled their hips playfully like Veela cheerleaders at a Quidditch match, completely shameless.
"That's my brother! My little brother!" Percy shouted from the applauding crowd, his face glowing with pride and joy.
This kind of celebration was something Ron—always overlooked at home—had only ever dreamed of.
And the Mirror of Erised had shown him exactly this.
Now, it had become reality.
He snapped out of his daze, turned, and hugged Harry tightly.
"Harry… is this real?"
"Of course it's real," Harry replied with a smile, patting Ron on the back and whispering, "Well done. Let's celebrate together!"
Ron released Harry and nodded vigorously.
He wasn't just happy that his dream had come true—he was genuinely happy to have a friend like Harry.
Among the surrounding crowd, the loudest cheers didn't come from Gryffindor.
They came from Hufflepuff.
The badgers deeply admired Harry's humility and his unwavering loyalty to his friends.
It was a rare and admirable quality that perfectly embodied Hufflepuff's spirit of community.
That was why they cheered for their savior with all their hearts.
"Alright, everyone!" Harry exclaimed. "Let's raise a toast to the bravery of our friends!"
"Yeah! Let's celebrate!" the students shouted.
The welcome party lasted from morning until night, with Ron and Seamus repeatedly recounting their adventure and what they had heard from Dumbledore.
Even at the end, no one wanted to leave.
This was the adventure of the Boy Who Lived and his friends at Hogwarts—something so close and real to them.
Cedric, while sipping his butterbeer, clearly wanted to say something to Harry two or three times but hesitated and ultimately remained silent.
Harry didn't notice Cedric's strange behavior. He was simply enjoying the celebration with his housemates.
He was, of course, happy. Now that he could use ancient magic, the Chamber of Secrets was open to him.
When the party finally ended, he, Ron, and the others headed to the Great Hall for dinner.
Hagrid was already waiting there. The moment he saw Harry, he rushed over, sat down beside him, and began shaking with emotion.
"It's all my fault, yeh great lump!" He covered his face with his enormous hands and wept. "I told that scoundrel how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! He knew everything except that… and I just had ter blab! Yeh nearly died! All because of a dragon's egg! I'll never drink again… I should be expelled and made a Muggle forever!"
Harry knew his friend's straightforward nature. Hagrid was terrible at Occlumency and couldn't keep secrets. None of this was his fault.
"Hagrid," Harry said gently, hugging the half-giant, "it's not your fault. That man is the most cruel and cunning dark wizard of the century. Even if you hadn't told him, he would have found out eventually."
"But yeh nearly died…" Hagrid sobbed, grabbing a tablecloth and blowing his nose loudly.
"I'm fine now, aren't I? And that man's plan was foiled." Harry smiled, then whispered in Hagrid's ear, "I even got a lot of presents because of it—and my friends celebrated with me. I really enjoyed it."
"Really?" Hagrid smiled through his tears, wiping them away. "Blimey, I almost forgot—I brought yeh a present too…"
"Really?" Harry asked, intrigued.
"'Course. Here." Hagrid pulled a beautifully bound book from his coat pocket.
Harry took it and opened it carefully. Inside were touching photographs of witches and wizards.
His father and mother—on every page, in every photo—seemed to be smiling and waving at him.
Hagrid said, "I sent owls to your parents' old schoolmates asking for photos… I know yeh don't have any. D'yeh like it?"
"Thank you, Hagrid." Harry ran his fingers gently over the album. "I love this gift… I absolutely love it."
It was the first time he had seen so many photos of his parents…
Hagrid didn't disturb him. He quietly said goodbye and left.
Harry sat there, flipping through the photo album, reluctant to close it.
Only when Ron reminded him that dinner was being served did he finally close the album and carefully tuck it into his coat pocket.
He planned to treasure it.
That night, back in the Gryffindor common room, he placed the album in the safest spot inside his trunk.
"Harry, it's ten o'clock. Aren't you going to sleep?" Ron asked, yawning. He had just finished a game of wizard's chess with Seamus.
Ever since becoming a chess piece himself, Seamus had also become addicted to wizard's chess.
"I'm going for a walk. I'm not sleepy yet," Harry told Ron. "You go ahead and sleep. I'll be back soon."
"You probably didn't eat enough today, did you? I noticed you hardly touched your food," Ron said from his bed. "If you want to go to the Hogwarts kitchens, head to the Hufflepuff common room in the basement. The doorknob is a pear—you have to tickle it to make the door appear…"
"Got it, Ron," Harry nodded.
"I'm going to sleep now. Good night," Ron said, rolling over and falling asleep almost instantly.
Young people were so lucky—they could fall asleep the moment their heads touched the pillow.
Harry tiptoed out and cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself.
Now that he possessed the power of the Philosopher's Stone, it was time to explore the Chamber of Secrets marked on the map.
His feelings were complicated—a mix of excitement and anticipation, but also fear that he might find nothing after opening the Chamber.
Even more terrifying was the possibility of receiving bad news.
He made his way to the basement of Hogwarts Castle. This time, thanks to the blessing of the Philosopher's Stone, he could clearly see the ancient magical energy emanating from the Chamber of Secrets.
It was a swirling mass of black and white, constantly churning and producing indescribable sounds.
He walked up to the turbulent magical energy, raised his wand, and drew an arc from left to right.
Guided by the ancient magic, the energy obediently formed an archway. In its center, a watery curtain rippled gently.
Looking through the curtain of water, the door that once blocked the Chamber of Secrets had vanished.
This was the wonder of ancient magic.
Those with the talent could see places hidden by ancient spells—while those without it could search forever and find nothing.
Harry stepped through the watery curtain. As expected, the door to the Chamber of Secrets was gone.
He could enter!
Even after a hundred years, the Chamber of Secrets remained exactly as it had been a century ago.
Right in front of the entrance lay Vivi's book.
He looked at the portraits.
From left to right, four large portraits were arranged.
Harry remembered them vividly: on the far left was Headmaster Neofert Fitzgerald; second was Professor Charles Lukewood; third was Professor Percival Burkham. The portrait on the far right had been empty.
But when he looked at the rightmost portrait this time, there was now one more person inside it.
He stared at the portrait, and the person inside gazed back at him with tender affection.
"Harry…"
The girl greeted him with a smile as beautiful as her flowing hair.
It was Vivi—Veratia Grindelwald.
"Vivi?!"
Harry froze.
He had never imagined that the girl he had thought about so often would now be a portrait hanging in the Chamber of Secrets.
"It's been so long," the girl said softly.
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