Dawn brought clear skies, but the cold still penetrated to the bone. Aurelian rose early, before most of the students had even stirred in their beds. The distant murmur from the Slytherin common room indicated that some early risers were already on their way to the Great Hall.
The first day of school after the holidays always had an air of laziness about it, a sense that the winter calm had come to an end.
As he walked to his first class of the day, his thoughts strayed from the academic syllabus. He had already achieved several of his goals over the past two years: obtaining two of his father's Horcruxes, consolidating his GauntCorp business, and strengthening his ties with the people he considered important.
Now, his gaze was fixed on another point on the board: the Chamber of Secrets.
It was not an improvised goal. Since his arrival at Hogwarts, he had been aware of its existence, but until now he had not had the opportunity or the need to act. With the basilisk still dormant and the knowledge of its exact location, the challenge was not to find it, but to decide when and why to open it.
It was not just a simple whim or curiosity about his Slytherin lineage. The chamber could be a resource, a weapon, a tool for the future. The basilisk, well controlled, was a power that very few could even imagine.
During Charms class, while Professor Flitwick explained the subtleties of wrist movements, Aurelian was lost in thought, continuing to weave together possibilities, routes, and contingencies for accessing the chamber without raising suspicion.
Hestia and Flora, sitting next to him, watched him out of the corner of their eyes. They knew that look. Neither of them asked any questions, but they both knew that Aurelian was planning something.
The following weeks were a game of patience and discretion. Aurelian continued to attend classes as usual, maintaining his routine with the twins and chatting with his friends, but he spent every free moment refining the details of his plan.
Several times, under the excuse of "avoiding people," he would sneak off to the abandoned bathrooms on the second floor. Students tended to avoid them because of their reputation for being gloomy and because of the ghost that haunted them: Moaning Myrtle.
The first time he entered, the place was silent, except for the constant dripping of a broken pipe. The air was cold and damp, and the echo of his footsteps reverberated off the walls.
It wasn't long before he heard the high-pitched, mournful voice that broke the silence:
"And who are you? You're not one of those who come to bother me... are you?"
Aurelian slowly turned his head. Myrtle was floating a few feet away, looking the same as always: thick glasses, dark hair, and a suspicious expression on her translucent face.
"I didn't come to bother you," Aurelian said calmly. "I just needed a quiet place."
"Quiet?" Myrtle repeated ironically. "No one comes here for quiet. The other students avoid me, and when they do come, it's to mock me."
"Not me," he interrupted firmly.
Myrtle blinked, surprised by the lack of disdain in his voice.
"Then why?"
Aurelian thought for a second before answering.
"Let's just say I'm... investigating. But I need you to promise me something: that you won't tell anyone I've been here."
The ghost watched him with her large, watery eyes, floating in circles around him.
"And what do I get out of it?"
"Maybe someone to talk to who won't make fun of you," he said without hesitation.
Myrtle looked at him for a moment, as if unsure whether to believe him. Then she nodded slowly.
"All right... but if you lie, I'll know."
Aurelian nodded, and with that they sealed a silent pact.
Over the next few days, he returned a couple more times to study the sink with the carved snake, confirming the details he remembered. Each visit brought him closer to the moment of opening the Chamber. Every time he exchanged glances with Myrtle, she kept her promise, although she never stopped watching him with obvious curiosity.
It was nighttime, and the silence of the castle seemed heavier than usual. Aurelian had waited until the shadows completely covered the corridors, moving with calculated steps toward his destination. He had already mentally reviewed the route; nothing had been left to chance.
However, as he turned a corner near the entrance to the Slytherin common room, two figures emerged from the darkness. Hestia and Flora, arms crossed and eyes fixed on him, blocked his path.
"Where are you going?" asked Hestia, her voice soft but with a hint of warning.
"Don't tell me you're going for a walk," added Flora, raising an eyebrow.
Aurelian looked at them for a few seconds, considering whether he should make up an excuse, but in the end he decided it wasn't worth it. Sooner or later they would find out.
"I'm going to open the Chamber of Secrets," he said in a low voice.
The twins exchanged glances, as if they had expected to hear something different.
"The Chamber...?" whispered Flora, moving closer to him. "Of Salazar Slytherin?"
"The very same," Aurelian nodded.
Hestia frowned, taking a step forward.
"Then we're coming with you."
"No," he replied firmly.
The silence that followed was tense. The twins looked at him as if they hadn't quite understood the word.
"Why not?" asked Flora, her tone becoming sharper.
Aurelian took a deep breath.
"Because I don't know what I'm going to find in there. I can't risk them until I'm sure it's safe."
Hestia narrowed her eyes.
"You think we can't handle it."
"It's not that," he denied. "I trust you. But if there's something in there that could hurt you, I can't let you be near it."
The twins were silent for a few seconds. Then Flora took a step forward, her gaze fixed on him.
"Then promise us something."
"Anything you want," he replied quickly.
"When it's safe," said Hestia, "you'll take us with you."
Aurelian held her gaze and nodded.
"I promise."
There were no more words. The twins slowly turned away, though their eyes followed him until he disappeared down the hallway.
The bathroom was empty when Aurelian entered; not even Myrtle was to be seen anywhere.
Aurelian approached the sink with the carved snake and let his voice descend to that hissing tone that only a Parselmouth could achieve.
"Open up."
The stone moved with a deep rumbling, turning and folding in on itself to reveal a dark hollow. Without hesitation, Aurelian spoke again in Parseltongue:
"Stairs."
Immediately, a flight of stone steps emerged from the depths, damp and covered in moss. The air that rose from below was permeated with a nauseating smell, confirming that no one had been there in years.
He descended with sure steps, wand in hand. With each step, the silence grew heavier, broken only by the echo of his footsteps and the distant dripping of water. Finally, he reached a long tunnel, whose damp walls reflected the light of his spell.
The chamber opened before him just as he remembered it: stone columns decorated with carved snakes, a floor covered with shallow water, and at the back, the imposing statue of Salazar Slytherin, his beard and features carved in a stern expression.
Aurelian took a step forward. Before continuing, he sensed something. A subtle vibration beneath the water, a change in the air, as if something gigantic were moving.
From the dark threshold beneath the statue, two yellowish lights began to advance.
The basilisk emerged, its colossal body gliding with a hypnotic movement, each scale reflecting greenish flashes. Aurelian did not look away, keeping his gaze fixed on its head, but without looking directly into its eyes.
"An heir..." hissed the voice, deep and serpentine, echoing in Parseltongue.
Aurelian was not surprised that it spoke, but he was surprised by the tone, which was not that of a wild beast, but of a being that chose its words carefully.
"I am Aurelian Gaunt," he replied, his voice confident, "and yes... I am Salazar's heir."
The basilisk circled him slowly, keeping track of his every movement.
"I have waited a long time. But you are not like the others. You smell different."
"Because I have not come to use you," said Aurelian. "I have come to talk."
There was a silence. The basilisk tilted its head, as if evaluating that statement.
"Talk... few try that. Most just like to give orders."
Aurelian knew at that moment that he was facing a being whose mind was far from instinctive brutality. This basilisk had been alive for centuries, observing, waiting. It was not a monster blinded by rage, but a guardian with a mind of its own.
"Then let's talk," said Aurelian, with a slight smile.
The basilisk remained motionless in front of him, its body coiled over the shallow water, like a colossus of green scales with an unfathomable gaze. Its forked tongue flickered in and out, tasting the air around Aurelian.
"Were you... Salazar Slytherin's pet?" Aurelian asked, without taking his eyes off its head.
The creature let out a low hiss that could have been laughter.
"I was not a mascot... more of a guardian. I was born from an egg incubated with magic, my first memories are of his voice. He gave me my name, my strength, and my purpose."
"What purpose?" he asked suspiciously.
The basilisk turned its enormous head toward the statue, as if still expecting its master to emerge from the shadows.
"To protect Hogwarts. To protect his own. For Salazar... his own were all those born with magic, even if their blood was mixed. What he despised were the Muggles who feared and destroyed what they did not understand."
Aurelian nodded, based on his perception. He remembered how, in this life and in his previous one, humans always fear what they do not know and destroy what they cannot control.
"So he didn't hate the children of Muggles?"
"No. He saw potential in everyone who had magic. But he also knew that Muggles could be dangerous, and sometimes they were. When disputes with the other founders grew, he decided to leave. Before doing so, he gave me a clear order: to protect all students from any threat, even from themselves."
The basilisk lowered its head slightly, its eyes, which Aurelian avoided looking at completely, shining with a faint light reflected from the water.
"For centuries, I have waited. Heirs have come to me, but none with the heart that Salazar sought. All have lied to me, ordered me to kill. And although my nature compels me to obey any heir... I always knew they were using my fangs for their own ambitions."
Aurelian remained silent for a few seconds, realizing that he was facing a creature that was not only powerful but also marked by betrayal and loneliness.
"As I said, I have not come to use you. I have come to get to know you. To find out if, when the time comes... you would be willing to join me."
The basilisk watched him closely.
"That will depend on whether you are different from the others who once sought my strength."
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