Dumbledore led the way into the secret passage.
Draco recoiled, trying to slip away.
But Charlie grabbed him.
Where was that ambition to be Slytherin's heir?
You need to step up.
Ignoring Draco's pleading eyes, Charlie grabbed him by the collar and jumped into the secret passage.
The secret passage was a dark pipe, its walls slick and emitting a decaying smell.
The three slid down the pipe.
Charlie felt like he was on an endless slide, surrounded by darkness, with only the whooshing sound of wind in his ears.
"Mom!" Draco shrieked from behind.
After an unknown amount of time, Charlie landed.
The bottom was a wider tunnel.
Dumbledore had already landed, raising his wand.
"Lumos."
A soft light glowed from the tip of his wand.
The light illuminated the surroundings.
The tunnel was damp, its walls covered in moss, and the floor had shallow puddles of water.
The three walked forward, stepping through the water.
The puddles splashed, making faint sounds.
After walking for a distance, Charlie noticed something huge ahead.
It was a shed snakeskin.
The shed skin was translucent, at least twenty feet long, like an empty coat discarded on the ground.
Charlie stopped, examining the snakeskin.
"It seems the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a snake."
"That certainly fits the Slytherin character."
Draco cowered behind him, looking at the giant snakeskin, his face even paler.
He didn't think such a huge monster would spare him just because he was from the snake house.
Dumbledore said nothing, simply continuing to walk forward.
The three bypassed the snakeskin and continued along the tunnel.
The tunnel narrowed ahead, then suddenly came to an end.
At the end was a wall.
Carved into the wall were two intertwined snakes, finely detailed, with clearly visible scales.
Each snake's eyes were set with an emerald, glinting with an eerie green light under the wand's glow.
Charlie stared at the wall for a few seconds, then pulled out his wand.
If he couldn't find the mechanism, he'd blow it up!
Dumbledore's eyelid twitched.
"Oh, wait, Charlie."
"Let me try."
He was afraid that if he spoke too slowly, Charlie would act.
Charlie secretly regretted that with the Principal present, he couldn't fully unleash his art.
He put away his wand and stepped aside.
Dumbledore walked forward, examining the wall for a moment.
He looked up at the snakes on the wall.
A hissing sound came from his mouth.
It was a strange, tongue-flicking sound, like a snake's.
The two snakes on the wall suddenly moved.
They slowly separated, and the wall opened to both sides, revealing the space within.
A stronger smell of mold wafted out.
Dumbledore was the first to enter.
Charlie hid behind Dumbledore and followed him in.
Draco felt torn at this moment.
If he went forward, there might be some monster; if he stayed here, the deep tunnel behind him looked more like a giant python opening its mouth, ready to devour someone.
Seeing that Dumbledore and Charlie had both gone in, he gritted his teeth.
"Wait for me."
He caught up and hid behind Charlie.
The space inside the wall was much larger than the tunnel.
It was a rectangular hall, with a ceiling so high it was almost out of sight.
On either side of the hall stood many huge stone pillars, carved with coiling snakes, their eyes also set with emeralds.
The wand's light shone on the pillars, casting distorted shadows.
In the depths of the room was a statue.
The statue was enormous, its head almost touching the ceiling.
The statue's face looked ancient, like a monkey's, with a beard reaching its chest.
But strangely, the statue's mouth was open, looking very uncoordinated, revealing a dark, cavernous space inside.
The room was quiet.
There was no sound at all.
Not even the sound of dripping water.
Charlie stepped out from behind Dumbledore, his gaze sweeping across the hall.
"Why is it so quiet?"
Dumbledore didn't answer.
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