When Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater and the girls who had been attacked alongside her slowly woke up, they first saw a familiar figure standing beside their beds.
A calm boy holding a bottle of emerald potion.
Lucian Thornwick.
Memories of the horrifying yellow eyes faded from their minds.
Reality returned.
Penelope struggled upright, her beautiful eyes shining with relief and gratitude.
"You… you saved us!"
Before anyone could react, she jumped out of bed—barefoot—and rushed forward.
Then she wrapped Lucian in a tight hug.
"Thank you! Really… thank you so much!"
The other Ravenclaw girls followed immediately.
They surrounded Lucian excitedly, talking all at once, thanking him again and again.
The hospital wing, once filled with fear and silence, suddenly became lively with laughter and chatter.
But amid all that happiness—
Someone else was quietly feeling a little sour.
Hermione's Jealousy
Hermione Granger sat on her own bed nearby.
She watched as several older girls crowded around Lucian.
Her lips puffed slightly.
Of course she was happy they had recovered.
But…
Seeing so many girls hugging Lucian…
She couldn't stop a strange, sour feeling rising inside her chest.
Lucian eventually freed himself from the enthusiastic group and walked over calmly.
"Hermione," he said.
"Come with me to the Chamber of Secrets."
He still remembered the important discovery she had mentioned earlier.
The Hidden Horcrux
Later, Lucian, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and several professors returned to the vast underground chamber.
Using clues from her research, Hermione quickly found something hidden behind a massive serpent statue.
A concealed compartment sealed by powerful magic.
Inside it was a small ebony box.
Even Dumbledore struggled to break the dark enchantments protecting it.
When the box finally opened—
Everyone froze.
Inside lay a heavy golden locket engraved with a serpent-shaped S.
A faint green glow pulsed from within.
The air instantly turned colder.
"This… this is also…" Dumbledore murmured.
Lucian nodded.
"Yes."
"Another Horcrux."
Destroying the Second Horcrux
Lucian turned toward the basilisk resting quietly in the corner.
He spoke in Parseltongue.
"Spit out one of your fangs."
The basilisk obeyed instantly.
Its massive mouth opened.
A curved fang nearly half a meter long dropped onto the stone floor.
Basilisk venom was one of the few substances capable of destroying a Horcrux.
Lucian picked up the enormous fang.
Then—
Without hesitation—
He drove it into the locket.
CRACK.
The enchanted gold shattered easily.
A cloud of black smoke burst from the locket, forming twisted faces resembling Voldemort.
They shrieked silently.
Then the venom consumed the soul fragment.
Within seconds—
It vanished completely.
The second Horcrux was destroyed.
The professors stood in stunned silence.
At that moment, every doubt vanished.
Voldemort truly had split his soul.
Peace Returns to Hogwarts
The Chamber crisis was finally over.
The next day:
Dumbledore was reinstated as Headmaster.All petrified victims recovered.The basilisk returned to the chamber to sleep under Lucian's command.
The bloody writing on the walls disappeared.
Sunlight once again filled Hogwarts.
Lucian Becomes a Legend
That evening at dinner, Dumbledore stood at the podium in the Great Hall.
Students waited nervously.
"We have good news," he announced.
"The Chamber of Secrets has been discovered and permanently sealed."
Cheers exploded across the hall.
Then Dumbledore continued.
"And we owe our safety to one person."
He looked toward the Gryffindor table.
Lucian was quietly cutting his steak.
"It was he who uncovered the diary's conspiracy."
"He who destroyed the Horcrux."
"He who subdued the ancient monster."
"And he who saved Hogwarts."
Dumbledore's voice rang proudly.
"That person is Gryffindor second-year student — Lucian Thornwick."
For three seconds, the hall was silent.
Then—
The entire school erupted.
"LUCIAN! LUCIAN! LUCIAN!"
Fred and George stood on the table leading the chant.
Students from every house joined in.
Even many Slytherins applauded reluctantly.
At that moment, Lucian was no longer just a talented student.
In the hearts of many students—
He had become the true guardian of Hogwarts.
The House Cup Ceremony
At the end-of-year feast, the Great Hall was decorated with banners representing all four houses together.
After everything that had happened, rivalry felt less important.
But the House Cup still mattered.
Dumbledore stood to announce the final scores.
"Fourth place: Hufflepuff — 352 points."
"Third place: Ravenclaw — 426 points."
"Second place: Gryffindor — 430 points."
He paused.
"And first place… with 472 points… Slytherin."
Polite applause came from the Slytherin table.
But everyone knew something was coming.
Dumbledore smiled mischievously.
"However… recent events must also be taken into account."
Students leaned forward.
"First— for bravery in facing danger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley each earn 50 points for Gryffindor."
Cheers erupted.
"Second— for brilliant research that revealed the truth, Hermione Granger earns 50 points for Gryffindor."
Gryffindor's score tied Slytherin.
But Dumbledore raised his hand again.
"And finally…"
His voice became solemn.
"For uncovering a fifty-year conspiracy…"
"For destroying Horcruxes…"
"For subduing the monster…"
"For saving Hogwarts with wisdom and power…"
He declared loudly:
"I award Lucian Thornwick… 300 points for Gryffindor!"
The hall exploded.
Scarlet and gold banners filled the ceiling.
Students jumped onto tables cheering wildly.
Gryffindor had won the House Cup again—by an overwhelming margin.
At the Slytherin table, students sighed.
But this time they didn't protest.
It almost felt like a new Hogwarts tradition:
At the end of every year—
Lucian Thornwick would somehow earn enough points to overturn the entire competition.
Dumbledore's Private Invitation
The celebrations eventually ended.
Students began packing for the Hogwarts Express.
But the night before departure—
Lucian received a special invitation.
Not by owl.
A burst of golden fire appeared in the Gryffindor common room.
Fawkes the phoenix landed gracefully.
In his beak was a parchment letter from Dumbledore.
Lucian followed the phoenix to the Headmaster's office.
But when he entered—
He immediately sensed something different.
The atmosphere was far more serious than before.
Dumbledore was waiting.
And this time—
The conversation ahead would not simply be between a headmaster and a student.
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