In the end, Hermione still succumbed to Kai Adler's gentle insistence and accepted the talismans.
When faced with Harry and Ron's eager, pleading eyes, she shot them a fierce glare.
"Kai said these are for self-defense, not toys."
"Okay, okay… but are we really going to be in danger?" Ron muttered.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Have you forgotten where we are right now?"
The two turned their heads and looked towards the far end of the Chamber of Secrets.
There, the corpse of the Basilisk still lay coiled in grotesque stillness.
Even though it was long dead, the sheer size and monstrous form still made their skin crawl.
Right. They had already been in danger.
"What was the Headmaster thinking? Why is this terrifying thing still here?" Harry asked, unnerved.
Kai squinted thoughtfully.
"Maybe because… ordinary students weren't supposed to enter this place freely in the first place?"
If it weren't for Hermione, the two of you wouldn't even be here to complain.
"Come on, it's time for class," he said calmly.
Fortunately, leaving the Chamber of Secrets no longer required crawling back up through slimy pipes.
Kai had discovered a third entrance to the Chamber—
Besides the sewer and the entrance in the Forbidden Forest, a secret stone door was hidden in a deep corner of the Chamber.
Behind it lay a narrow spiral staircase that wound upwards and opened into the castle proper.
It made sense. Salazar Slytherin himself would hardly design his grand chamber with only a filthy sewer entrance. He was a founder, not a prankster.
After slipping out through the secret door, the four quietly made their way toward class.
Kai was the last to leave. As he exited, he glanced sideways—
Behind them, unnoticed, two heads popped out from behind a stone column, exchanged sly looks, and quickly ducked away.
The next evening, after dinner, the group entered the Chamber of Secrets once again through the secret door.
Kai, who was bringing up the rear, casually glanced in the same direction as before—
But saw nothing this time.
After several hours spent studying and practicing, the four prepared to leave.
"Why wasn't there a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson again today?" Hermione complained, walking ahead. "Where's the Headmaster anyway? If Kai weren't the assistant, we'd be doing nothing but self-study!"
"What if they cancel the final exam?" Ron asked hopefully.
Hermione sent him a piercing look.
"Don't even think about it."
Kai raised an eyebrow at her teasingly.
"Are you saying my lessons aren't good enough?"
"Not at all," Hermione quickly replied, "Your classes are clear and easy to follow. Much better than that disaster Lockhart."
She paused and added, "But you can't be a full professor—you're still a student."
Kai gave her an amused look.
Comparing me to Lockhart? That's far too insulting.
Then again, her tone and expression… she was pouting like someone afraid of being left behind.
Hermione had always been fiercely competitive. Even though they now shared an unbreakable Soul Oath, she still didn't want to be a burden—didn't want Kai to get too far ahead of her.
Kai shrugged.
"I saw the Old Man sending out letters from his office. He's clearly searching for a replacement. But who knows if he'll find one before the end of term?"
"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione corrected automatically.
Ron began muttering again.
"I hope they don't find anyone. And if Kai makes the exam, I bet it'll be easy!"
Kai's expression turned mischievous.
"Don't count on that. If I write the questions, they might be harder~"
"What are you—Ouch!"
Harry chuckled as Ron rubbed his side, grumbling.
The four emerged from the secret door, still laughing, when Kai suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The others turned around, puzzled.
Before they could speak, Kai grabbed Hermione's wrist and stepped aside quickly.
"Surprise~!"
Two voices shouted in unison.
Boom!
A loud bang shook the corridor as magical dust burst into the air, covering Harry and Ron from head to toe in grey powder.
Hermione blinked in disbelief.
"Fred? George?"
The Weasley twins grinned, pointing triumphantly at their spluttering brother.
"Got you again, Ron!"
They clapped each other's hands as Ron and Harry spat out dust and wiped their faces miserably.
"Ptooey! What is this stuff?" Ron gagged.
"A little something from home," said Fred—or was it George?—with a wink.
"Why would you bring this from home?" Ron demanded.
"To get you, of course," they chorused.
Then they turned to Kai, impressed.
"You're clever, Kai," said one of them, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "How did you know we were lurking nearby?"
Kai smiled lightly.
"I just have good eyesight. But I'm more curious—how did you find this place?"
Every time they visited the Chamber of Secrets, Kai had been extra cautious. He'd made sure no one had followed them. Yet somehow, the twins had been lying in wait by the entrance for days.
The twins exchanged knowing glances and smirked.
"We'll tell you," said one.
"But you have to trade a secret too," said the other.
"A secret for a secret. Seems fair, right?" they chimed.
Kai's expression turned curious.
"You sure you want to know?"
"Absolutely."
A few minutes later, the Weasley twins stood at the entrance of the underground chamber, jaws hanging open.
Their eyes darted around the massive, ancient space—the towering stone serpent statues, the eerie grandeur, and in the distance, the coiled remains of the Basilisk.
Meanwhile, Kai sat casually on a nearby table, holding a map in his hand.
A very special map.
The Marauder's Map, the twins had called it.
By tapping it and saying "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," the parchment revealed a magical map of Hogwarts, complete with the real-time locations of every person in the castle.
Even the Old Man pacing in his office.
To most, it was a novelty. To Kai, it was a marvel.
This map wasn't just enchanted—it was embedded with spells. Detection spells, concealment spells, all bound into parchment and driven by Black Magic.
It was, in essence, a talisman.
Clearly, whoever created this map had mastered the art of spell imprinting.
Could they have knowledge that Kai didn't?
His talismans could be used by young wizards like Hermione and Harry, but he had yet to solve a key problem:
How to store Black Magic within a talisman so even ordinary people—like the Grangers—could use them.
He glanced at the creators' names printed on the map:
Prongs, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot.
Perhaps, if he could track them down—those who were still alive—he might find the answers he needed.
Meanwhile, not far away, Ron strutted proudly, leading Fred and George through the Chamber like a tour guide.
He recounted tales of their epic battle with the Basilisk, the possession of Ginny, and the destruction of Voldemort's remnant soul.
The twins were impressed—at least at first.
Then George raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you weren't just a glorified bystander?"
Ron opened his mouth—and froze.
The memory of nearly getting Harry killed flashed before him like lightning.
Sensing his embarrassment, Harry quickly jumped in, "Ron really was brave. Without him, defeating the Basilisk wouldn't have been that easy."
Hermione tried to keep a straight face, lips twitching.
After all, if Ron hadn't tripped Harry at that moment, Harry wouldn't have stumbled and accidentally driven the Sword of Gryffindor straight into the Basilisk's mouth.
Ron's face turned a distinct shade of pale.