83: Secret Chamber

"Harry?"

"To be precise, it's Parseltongue," Ivan said. "Headmaster, do you know about Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets?"

"Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets..." Dumbledore's voice trailed off as Ivan's words stirred old memories. "Do you know where the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"Yes." Ivan didn't need to explain how he knew. He attributed it all to his prophetic abilities. "But to open the Chamber of Secrets, you need Parseltongue."

"I see..." Dumbledore immediately understood. The person who opened the Chamber fifty years ago was Voldemort.

As the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore was well aware of the legends surrounding the Chamber of Secrets. It was said that Slytherin had left a monster in the Chamber to rid Hogwarts of those with impure blood — the Muggle-born students.

"Take me there," Dumbledore said quietly. "Although Parseltongue is a rare gift, it can be learned."

"Wait, what?"

"Yes, if you have a good head and have lived a long life, not even the sky is the limit. Well, you only need 50 years of practice every day~"

"So, fortunately, this old man indeed knows a little Parseltongue," Dumbledore added with a small smile.

The old headmaster was a man with an exceptional mind and terrifying talent who had mastered countless languages, including Parseltongue.

"Professor, you are truly knowledgeable!" Ivan remarked. "But before we proceed, I believe we need to make some preparations."

"I mean, are you familiar with the basilisk?"

"The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk?!" Dumbledore was genuinely surprised. Myrtle's death fifty years ago was swift, not a case of petrification, and there were numerous spells that could have caused it.

Even Dumbledore hadn't immediately connected her death to a basilisk.

"The basilisk is a highly dangerous magical creature," Ivan explained. "Legend says it comes from the magical egg laid by a seven-year-old rooster under Sirius in the sky, and it's hatched by a toad."

Ivan continued, "The eyes of a basilisk possess deadly magic. Anyone who looks directly into the basilisk's eyes will die instantly."

"Except for the phoenix, because the phoenix cannot die," Ivan added.

"Fawkes!"

Dumbledore immediately understood the importance of this. He mentioned Fawkes, the phoenix, as a safeguard.

Fawkes, upon hearing his name, was clearly delighted. He flew down from the guardrail and perched on Ivan's shoulder, happily preening his feathers.

"Fawkes really likes you, Ivan," Dumbledore observed with a smile.

"I've always been liked by small animals," Ivan replied with a grin.

Dumbledore smiled meaningfully. "Except for me, I've never seen Fawkes be so friendly with anyone."

"..."

Ivan wanted to ask, What are you hinting at, old man?

"Oh, by the way, here's something else," Dumbledore said, pulling out a pair of glasses from somewhere and handing them to Ivan.

"What's this?"

"A pair of magical glasses that can effectively resist the basilisk's gaze," Dumbledore explained. "As long as you don't look at the basilisk for more than 3 seconds, you won't be harmed by its magic."

The dangerous aspect of the basilisk is its deadly gaze, so once that's addressed, it's just another larger magical creature.

"You even have something like this?"

Ivan was impressed.

With Dumbledore's vast experience, he must have encountered situations involving creatures like the basilisk before. Being prepared seemed natural for someone like him.

"And what about you?"

"This kind of magic item is quite rare; I only have one," Dumbledore admitted, but he handed it to Ivan.

This was Dumbledore's way of protecting Ivan, while also demonstrating his confidence in his own abilities.

—A mere basilisk? I, the White Wizard of the Wizarding World, don't take it seriously at all!

"Thank you," Ivan said, not acting overly polite, and he put on the glasses right away.

The glasses seemed to have the added function of correcting vision. Although Ivan wasn't nearsighted, everything became much clearer after he put them on.

The two walked through the quiet corridor. The school was silent, with teachers and students avoiding going out due to the chaos caused by Voldemort.

Of course, Ivan couldn't be sure whether the Weasley twins would actually abide by the rules.

Soon, Ivan and Dumbledore arrived at the bathroom where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was hidden. Faintly, Ivan could hear Myrtle crying from within.

"Professor, how about we assign our roles?" Ivan suggested with a smirk. "I'll deal with Voldemort, and you help me take care of the basilisk."

Facing a powerful dark wizard was an excellent training opportunity, and Ivan didn't want to pass it up. Besides, with Dumbledore backing him, Ivan had no reason to worry. The old headmaster's presence provided a sense of full security.

"Alright, but be careful," Dumbledore advised.

"Don't worry," Ivan replied with a grin. "If I really can't handle him, I'll call for help immediately."

Dumbledore shook his head. The old headmaster really couldn't understand why Ivan was so thick-skinned.

He cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, and then, following Ivan's guidance, he spoke to the faucet with a snake carving in Parseltongue: "Open~"

Buzz~~

The faucet emitted a dazzling white light and began rotating rapidly. Then, the sink moved aside. Slowly, it revealed a thick water pipe, wide enough for a person to fit through.

"Good design," Dumbledore remarked in the empty chamber.

Wasting no time, the two cast the Levitation Charm and descended into the pipe, one after the other.

The pipe twisted and turned, winding downward with a steep slope. It led into a dark stone tunnel, large enough for a person to stand inside.

Ivan cast a variant of the Lumos spell called "Firefly Glimmer," which caused glowing fireflies to attach themselves to nearby surfaces, lighting up the otherwise dark path.

Pah-pat-pat.

Ivan looked down and saw piles of small animal bones, like mice, scattered across the floor. A bit further ahead, a massive snake skin lay coiled in the tunnel.

Its green, glossy texture marked it as the shed skin of a venomous serpent.

"This basilisk must be over 20 meters long," Ivan estimated as he observed the massive snake skin. "If it's truly Slytherin's pet, it could be a snake king that's lived for over a thousand years."

Even Dumbledore had never heard of a basilisk surviving for such a long time.

"These pipes..." Dumbledore remarked, noticing the intricate network of tunnels running through the castle.

The old headmaster could scarcely believe that a thousand-year-old basilisk had been living beneath Hogwarts, able to roam freely through the pipe system of the entire school.

The thought sent a shiver down even Dumbledore's spine.

"Haah.. Slytherin, did you truly intend to kill Muggle-born wizards?" Ivan wondered aloud. "If that's the case, then this must be the earliest and most extreme pure-blood supremacy case ever recorded, right?"

"Ivan, when we discuss matters like this, it's important to first understand the root of the problem," Dumbledore replied thoughtfully.

They were still enveloped in a soundproof barrier, ensuring no one—especially Voldemort—could hear their conversation.

And with two great wizards standing guard over a mere remnant of Voldemort's soul, there was little need for excessive caution.

No intricate plan was required here.

It was simply time to act.

"What do you mean?"

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A/N: Poor Rhys would have been heartbroken lol. (Those who know ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡° ))

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