"Lumos." Professor McGonagall gave her wand a slight flick as she whispered the spell.
A faint light glowed at the tip, casting a soft beam along the path ahead.
"Ah..." Hermione gasped sharply at the horrifying sight before them.
The ground was strewn with the broken bones of small animals, clearly gnawed by something. The gruesome remains made the scene chilling and morbid.
"If you hear any strange sounds, turn away immediately and shut your eyes!" Professor McGonagall turned to the trio, her voice firm.
They nodded seriously, all of them on edge.
The tunnel was deathly silent, like a grave. The group of teachers and students moved carefully deeper into the darkness... McGonagall led the way, while Snape brought up the rear.
Creak—Ron looked down and realized he had stepped on a bat's skull.
He was just about to mutter something when Professor Dumbledore gave a quick shake of his head, signaling him to stay silent.
"Fawkes has told me... there's a giant snake ahead, and it's getting closer," Dumbledore said calmly.
Suddenly, music began to echo through the empty tunnel, drifting in from somewhere unseen. The sound grew louder—ethereal, haunting, and strangely stirring.
A brilliant red bird appeared behind them, singing as it sped forward into the darkness.
Moments later, violent sounds echoed from up ahead—screeching and thrashing.
"Fawkes is a phoenix," Dumbledore said, turning his head slightly, as if to explain to Harry. "As a powerful magical creature, she's immune to many kinds of dark magic... and her tears have potent healing abilities."
Harry nodded, half-understanding.
"Let's follow her," Dumbledore suggested. "It looks like it's trying to escape."
Harry and the others quickly followed as Dumbledore led them deeper into the tunnel and around a bend... At last, Harry saw Fawkes. She hovered aloft, wreathed in flames, her presence crackling with menace, facing down her target.
Beneath her was a monstrous serpent.
Its entire body was a strange, vivid green, shimmering with the glossy sheen typical of venomous snakes. It was at least two feet thick and must have stretched over forty feet long. Its enormous yellow eyes, once bulbous and menacing, were now dull and lifeless.
Black blood poured from its ruined sockets—it had been blinded
"Well done, Fawkes... You've disabled the Basilisk's greatest weapon," Dumbledore praised her.
"This... Slytherin's... the monster in the Chamber..." Harry stammered.
"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore said, patting him on the shoulder. "It's a serpent—so you heard it hissing when it attacked. More specifically, it's a Basilisk: a fearsome magical creature born of dark magic. Its fangs are lethally venomous, and its gaze alone is enough to kill. That's why we must stay alert."
Harry nodded blankly, still unsure why Dumbledore was explaining all this to him.
"I'll handle the rest, Albus!" Professor Flitwick suddenly shouted. He drew his wand and darted forward.
His tiny frame seemed almost laughable compared to the size of the Basilisk.
But within seconds, Harry understood why Flitwick had once been a dueling champion.
With a sharp flick of his wand, Flitwick sent boulders rising from the ground, hovering at his command. Then, one by one, they slammed into the serpent's body.
The Basilisk shrieked as it was thrown against the stone wall.
"You will not harm my students again, monster!" Flitwick roared.
The Basilisk thrashed, but couldn't move. Vines burst from the walls and wrapped around its massive body, pinning it in place. Some vines bristled with thorns that pierced even its thick scales.
"Devil's Snare and Creeping Bind!" Professor Sprout muttered. "Strong binding and paralysis effects. Even a dragon would be stuck—don't think you're going anywhere."
Then, the animal bones littering the ground suddenly floated into the air, making Ron jump.
Professor McGonagall raised her wand, transforming the remains into flocks of sharp-beaked birds. Countless glowing birds began circling through the air.
"Oppugno!" she shouted.
The birds shot forward like golden bullets, beaks piercing deep into the Basilisk's flesh, then exploding on contact. The creature's screams echoed endlessly through the tunnel.
Throughout it all, it had almost no chance to fight back.
Snape, looking grim, stepped forward and raised his wand.
A dark, slicing spell struck the Basilisk. Its thick skin split open as if slashed by an invisible blade. Black ichor splattered as emerald scales tore free from its body, exposing mottled flesh underneath. The sight was sickening.
Snape's curse also cut through the vines binding the serpent.
Now free, the Basilisk, writhing in agony, began dragging itself deeper into the Chamber, leaving a long, bloodied trail behind.
Professor Flitwick started forward, but Dumbledore held out an arm.
"Let me go, Filius," he said calmly. "Perhaps the rest of you can search the area—see if you can find the diary Miss Weasley mentioned."
"Understood, Headmaster," Flitwick nodded. "We'll take care of it."
Dumbledore then turned to Harry and waved. "Harry, come with me."
Harry hesitated until Hermione gave him a nudge from behind, and he quickly followed.
"Professor, why bring me along?" Harry asked quietly, puzzled.
"Perhaps you've already faced your share of danger," Dumbledore said with a smile. "But gaining more battle experience is never a bad thing."
At that moment, Fawkes fluttered down and dropped something into Harry's hands.
It was tattered, grimy, and patched in several places—it was the school's old, battered Sorting Hat.