Just as Ron was about to help Ernie to his feet, 'Ernie' suddenly drew his wand. "Stupefy!"
The jet of red light slammed into Ron, but instead of knocking him out completely, it seemed to be absorbed by the ring on his finger, though the force was still enough to send him staggering back. 'Ernie' then quickly snatched the ring from Ron's hand and threw it into the shadows. It drew a beautiful arc in the air before bouncing off the head of a peeping dragon.
The dragon with beautiful, heterochromatic eyes: "..."
'Ernie' stood up and pointed his wand at Harry, who raised his own in response.
"Didn't expect this, did you, Potter?" 'Ernie' revealed a wicked smile.
"You... you're Tom?" Harry immediately understood.
"I didn't expect that Weasley to be so powerful, to be able to withstand a Stunner and still be on his feet," Tom sneered. "But now, no one can save you, Harry Potter." He raised his wand at Harry, slowly retreating toward the colossal Slytherin statue. He opened his mouth and spoke in Parseltongue.
"Hiss... ssaa... heth... ssthee... (Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the four founders.)"
As the password was spoken, the Slytherin statue's mouth ground open, and a giant snake crawled out.
"Hiss... ssa... (Kill him)," 'Ernie' ordered the Basilisk. "Your Parseltongue won't save you, Potter," he gloated. "It only listens to my commands."
The Basilisk slithered toward Harry, who gripped his wand tightly, throwing several Stunning Spells at it. Without exception, none of them had any effect. Because the scene was so tense, neither of them noticed that the Basilisk that crawled out was actually blindfolded, its deadly gaze concealed.
"Chirp~~" A long, beautiful phoenix cry echoed through the chamber, and Fawkes flew in, carrying the tattered Sorting Hat. He dropped the hat, and Harry reached out to catch it.
"Ha! Is this the help Dumbledore sent you?" 'Ernie' mocked. "A broken bird and a broken hat?"
Up on one of the stone serpent carvings, Dumbledore offered Aiden a lemon drop. "Take it easy, old man," Aiden said meaningfully, popping one into his mouth. "Don't break the school's precious relics."
"No, no, they're all very strong," Dumbledore smiled, grabbing a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean and chewing thoughtfully. "Hmm, chili."
...
Harry put the hat on his head. Suddenly, a heavy sword hilt dropped out and hit him square on the head, almost knocking him unconscious. The long, silver sword slid out, and Harry picked it up, ready to confront the Basilisk. The great snake opened its mouth, ready to bite, and Harry waved the Sword of Gryffindor, driving it back and preventing it from striking.
Seeing his pet in a close fight, 'Ernie' shook his wand and fired a Disarming Charm. "Expelliarmus!"
Harry looked at the jet of red light flying toward him, drew back the long sword, and sliced the spell clean in two.
"What? That's impossible! It's just a broken old sword!" 'Ernie' was dumbfounded, unable to believe that the Gryffindor relic he'd dismissed as trash possessed such great power.
Harry began to circle the Basilisk, making his way toward 'Ernie'.
"Give it to me, Potter!" 'Ernie' yelled, pulling Ginny up and holding his wand to her temple. "Give me the sword, and I'll let the girl go, how about it?"
But in a place he couldn't see, a pair of deep, pool-like, heterochromatic dragon eyes were already watching him.
"Don't even think about it," Harry said, his voice clear and steady. "Even if I gave you the sword, you wouldn't let us go, would you?"
"Oh, that's a pity," 'Ernie' sneered, the tip of his wand beginning to glow with a sickly green light. "Come on, Harry. Say goodbye to your little girlfriend."
As he spoke, the dragon hiding in the dark suddenly felt a surge of immense power, not from him, but from the very stones of the castle around him. Aiden raised his head, his gaze penetrating the collective unconscious sea. A towering, ethereal castle slowly floated up from the depths, seawater sliding down its ancient spires. It seemed the continuous attacks on the young wizards had finally made the "castle" itself furious.
Just as 'Ernie' was about to cast the Killing Curse, the Basilisk chasing Harry suddenly whipped its tail, sending him flying. 'Ernie' smashed into the stalagmites on the ground and was embedded in the wall on the far side of the chamber.
"What?" Harry was completely surprised by the Basilisk's sudden defection. The great snake carefully picked up Ginny and placed her gently beside Harry.
"You betrayed me?!" 'Ernie' yelled, climbing up from the rubble and glaring fiercely at the Basilisk. "How is this possible?"
The Basilisk turned its head and opened its eyes. Its pupils were no longer the previous yellow-green, but a pair of strange, familiar, heterochromatic eyes. Seeing them, Harry was stunned at first, and then the joy on his face could no longer be concealed.
"Aiden Prewett," 'Ernie' growled, looking at the Basilisk and saying the name like a curse.
'I thought our second meeting would be in a relatively cleaner place,' the Basilisk didn't open its mouth, but the clear, calm voice of a young man echoed in everyone's minds.
"Do you think you've won by controlling the Basilisk?" 'Ernie' glared.
"Hmph. I am now in this boy's body. If you want to deal with me, you'll have to kill him first. I know you can't do it. The so-called 'good people' are just hypocrites like you," 'Ernie' sneered. "In a few minutes, this boy will die, and then I will no longer be just a memory. Lord Voldemort will return, and you can only watch as I am resurrected from this child's bones!" His wild laughter echoed through the Chamber of Secrets. He was certain he had won.
"Ernie, wake up!" Harry cried, trying to wake his classmate, but it was no use.
Just then, Harry stepped on something under his feet. He picked it up. It was the diary. He looked at the book, then at the long sword in his hand, still dripping with Basilisk venom, and showed 'Ernie' a triumphant smile.
"No!" 'Ernie' rushed forward immediately, firing another Disarming Charm at Harry. The spell was blocked by the Basilisk's thick, scaly body, doing no more damage than a mosquito bite. The short distance of a few meters had become an insurmountable chasm.
Harry raised the long sword and plunged it deep into the diary. Black, viscous blood flowed from the pages.
"Ugh... ah!" 'Ernie' began to emit a blinding white light as black mist rose from his body. "No! No! Damn it! I curse you, Harry Potter! I curse you, Aiden Prewett!" His last, fading voice echoed through the Chamber of Secrets before he collapsed, unconscious.
Harry, weakened, supported Ginny and leaned against the Basilisk. After the long fight, his robes were tattered, and his face was covered in cuts and bruises.
"Ugh..." Ginny also began to wake from her coma. "Where am I?"
"Ginny," a tired voice attracted her attention.
"Harry! Go and tell the professors! It was Ernie! He's the Heir of Slytherin!" Ginny's memory was still stuck before the final confrontation.
"I already know," Harry said, lowering his head tiredly. "It's over."
Ginny looked around and saw the huge Basilisk and the unconscious people scattered around the chamber. "Harry, you're injured!" she said, her voice full of worry.
"Ginny, listen to me carefully..." Harry was interrupted before he could speak.
"Chirp~~" A long phoenix cry came again, and Fawkes flew to Harry's side.
"Fawkes, you're here! That's great! Go find the professors!" Harry said.
But Fawkes did not obey. He grabbed both Harry and Ginny and, in a flash of fire, flew away.
After the two left, Aiden and Dumbledore finally revealed themselves.
"No, Professor," Aiden said, his voice full of exasperation. "You asked Fawkes to send them away? What about these people?"
"You have to give the hero and his beauty some time alone," the shameless old man said with a twinkle in his eye. "And aren't we still here to watch over things?"
"Ah-choo! What's wrong with me?" Ron also began to wake up. He saw Aiden holding a long staff, which was emitting a gentle wave of energy that enveloped him.
"Besides your dear brother, who else would be here to patch you up?" Aiden teased.
"Oh, Aiden," Ron said, still a little dazed. "Where did Ginny go?"
"She has already been sent away by the professor," Aiden explained. "We'll send these people to the Hospital Wing. Remember to go to the headmaster's office after you visit. You're in a terrible situation this time." He raised an eyebrow at Ron, who, remembering what he'd done, turned pale.
"Aiden, is the reminiscing over? Can you come over and help?" Dumbledore's voice came from behind.
"Alas," Aiden sighed. "I'm really a hard worker." He took out his long staff and assisted Dumbledore in transferring the wounded.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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