The Return to Hogwarts

By the time Harry realized what was happening, he was already on the side away from the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. He anxiously watched Professor Blaine disappear rapidly into the distance and shouted,

"Watch out for Voldemort, it's here."

Amostah let out a long sigh of relief, turned around and smiled happily at the basilisk coiled up on the ground, barely alive. It hadn't been easy, after spending so much time and staying up all night, this basilisk had finally fallen into his hands!

Basilisks, being ancient creatures, can typically live for hundreds of years, but this one has lived for over a thousand years and still maintains such vigorous vitality. It's likely that Slytherin conducted many mysterious and complex modification experiments on it!

Amosta strolled to the front of the cage, staring at the basilisk's eyes gushing blood, and clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, hoping that when Kakus 'inspected' the goods, he wouldn't find fault and deduct his commission.

It seems—

Just as Amosta was about to alter the basilisk's enormous size, a young, polite voice suddenly came from behind the pillar behind him.

“You seem to really like it, Professor Blaine. I inherited this basilisk from my great ancestor. If you don’t mind, I can give it to you!”

"Confused--"

Without a trace of surprise, Amosta smiled and turned to look at Tom Riddle, a tall, dark-haired man dressed as a student, leaning against a stone pillar.

"Kill you, and this basilisk monster will be mine too!"

Chapter 86 Dismemberment

The enclosed room, filled with green light, fell into a long-lost tranquility, and a suffocating pressure permeated the cool air.

The basilisk in the cage seemed to have regained some courage. It raised its head slightly and, with its keen magical senses, detected the direction of its great master's descendant. The constant flicking and retraction of its scarlet forked tongue betrayed its unease. However, the enormous magical source standing just a few steps in front of it prevented it from making any rash moves.

Amosta and Tom Riddle stared at each other. Both were wizards who could see through many things through their senses. Although they did not speak, they had already begun to understand each other's true intentions.

“You don’t need to do this, Professor Blaine. We are friends, not enemies, aren’t we?”

Finally, Riddle spoke first. Not yet fully resurrected, he was undoubtedly at a disadvantage in his confrontation with Amosta. He gave a restrained smile, his gentle and polite voice making it seem as if Amosta truly was his teacher.

“I heard from Harry Potter about your past and your return to Hogwarts, Professor Blaine. Without a doubt, you are not the kind of mediocre, unremarkable person you often encounter. We are all the unique elites that the great Salazar Slytherin would have considered. And now, Hogwarts, and indeed the entire wizarding world, is dominated by hypocrites and a bunch of fools who only know how to whitewash the truth. The world desperately needs change, and we are the only ones who can change it.”

"Mr. Voldemort—"

Amostella interrupted Riddle's speech, tilting his head and staring intently at the core of the Horcrux before him with penetrating gaze, his wand twirling at his fingertips. Amostella spoke in a languid tone...

"How many times do you think this is before I've faced your Horcrux?"

Riddle fell silent, a look of astonishment crossing his face. The calculating glint in his eyes quickly transformed into the reddish gleam of a wolf hunting its prey, and his wrinkled nostrils made his once handsome face appear ferocious and ugly.

"What's the meaning!"

Riddle seemed to have abandoned his pretense; he glared fiercely at Amosta and demanded,

"Hordeals. What are those? You mean you faced my original self before? Then you should know that Voldemort was the greatest wizard of all time, and his power is beyond the comprehension of those fools!"

Amostah pursed his lips. He saw something more in the boy's illusory figure before him—not the most evil magic, nor the most terrifying power, but a soul, a soul shimmering with color!

This is truly a wonderful thing!

Amostah vividly remembers the fragment of a soul he faced when he destroyed the crown, completely immersed in endless lust and darkness. It was something that could not be communicated with, only able to use seductive magic to lure people into giving up their lives.

"--Amostrath Blaine, you've dealt with Dumbledore before, you should know he's a petty, narrow-minded man. He's wary of all talented young people and plots to destroy their talents. I assure you, Dumbledore will deal with you one day. Oh no, he's already done it, hasn't he?"

Amosta's increasingly oppressive gaze made Riddle feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. He curled his lips and spoke rapidly.

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, it was Dumbledore who persuaded you to do this, wasn't it? Everyone knows that the Dark Lord has personally cursed this course, and he wants to use it to kill you. Take me away from here, Blaine. Once I've regained all my magic, I can help you fight Dumbledore!"

Amosta had never dealt with Voldemort, who had become the second Dark Lord, but Tom Riddle in front of him was indeed a very cunning fellow who was adept at seizing opportunities.

"It seems this diary is the first Horcrux you created, isn't it?"

Amostella's soft words left Riddle speechless. He seemed to realize that no matter what he said, this rising star of Slytherin was determined to kill him.

"--Emotions originate from the soul, but Horcruxes, this evil magic, will first strip away reason and emotion from the soul, turning a person into a madman controlled by desire."

Da da

As Amosta took a step, the purple in his eyes began to fade at a visible speed. Under the influence of magic so powerful that it could make a fire dragon tremble, the air surrounding Amosta distorted like the space on a scorching asphalt road in summer.

A rumbling sound suddenly echoed in the vast and empty chamber. The basilisk in its cage hissed in fear, hiding its head inside its coiled body, as if it had already foreseen Tom Riddle's fate.

The statue of Salazar Slytherin, level with the ceiling, silently watches Amostrath Blaine and Tom Riddle at his feet. Having stood alone for a thousand years, he is about to witness a Slytherin destroy his bloodline, or uphold his true glory.

“I see in your soul the emotions that normal people possess: fear, hatred, loneliness, oh, and many other interesting little emotions.”

"Wait, wait a minute--"

With his face pale, the faint silver mist emanating from Riddle was gradually forced back into his illusory body. Unable to move, he managed to squeeze out a sound through clenched teeth.

You crave power, don't you?

We're all the same kind of people. This isn't the only secret Slytherin left in this castle, Professor Blaine. I'm willing to share with you the powerful ancient magic he left behind, if only you... "

Riddle couldn't bring himself to say anything more, because the expressionless Amosta finally strolled up to him.

He watched in horror as the young professor, who had been uneasy ever since he learned of his existence and had even risked premature exposure to recover his body, began to glow faintly. Then, he stared at Amostella in terror as he slowly raised his hand, his fingertips inching towards Amostella's brow.

Well!

Amosta ignored Riddle's painful whimpers. His fingertips, palms, arms, and even his entire body slowly sank into Riddle's body. The diary in Riddle's pocket flew out on its own and floated in mid-air. Although there was no wind, the pages of the diary rustled as if they were being swept by a gale. Wisps of black smoke hissed out from the pages. In the empty, secret room, such a scene was eerie and unsettling!

A burst of brilliant light flashed before Amosta's eyes, and when he came to his senses, his body had already appeared in an unfamiliar space.

This space was as vast and boundless as outer space. The silent space was filled with tangible, sharp gray hurricanes. Each wisp of these graying air currents contained evil and powerful magic. It was likely that Voldemort had cast protective magic on the diary and the Horcruxes themselves.

Whoosh! Boom!

The fluorescent light surrounding Amosta intensified instantly, forming an oval-shaped magical barrier around him. A continuous hurricane crashed against the slightly reddish barrier, and the bursts of light caused by the opposing magical forces made Amosta feel as if he were standing in a fiercely burning flame!

Amosta scanned his surroundings and soon sensed an anomaly in the space to his right.

That place seemed to be the core of the entire gray world, where a ball of light, black and white, was radiating ominous magic in all directions.

"Ah, I've found you--"

Amosta smiled slightly, took a glass bottle from his pocket, casually straightened his collar, and strolled away.

Chapter 87 A Secret Chamber Within a Secret Chamber (Part 1)

Half an hour later, Riddle's figure had vanished, and the diary pages that housed his soul lay scattered on the ground, no longer possessing any magic. In the center of each page, as if pierced by a sharp dagger, there were sharp holes with jagged edges.

The cage Amostella conjured has vanished, and the basilisk left behind by Slytherin, which was trapped inside, has also disappeared.

Dumbledore, his face solemn, strode across the steps leading to the Chamber of Secrets, his purple travel cloak billowing behind him like a cloak. Harry followed behind Dumbledore, panting, speaking urgently.

When Dumbledore saw Amostella unharmed at the foot of the Slytherin statue, his expression finally relaxed a little, but his steps remained hurried.

"Ah, you've come so quickly, Headmaster Dumbledore, and of course, Potter too—"

Amosta withdrew her gaze from the sculpture, turned around, and chuckled softly.

“I’m so glad to see you’re alright, Amosta,”

Dumbledore approached quickly and spoke gently. He seemed about to say something more, but his gaze was drawn to the diary on the floor. He picked up the tattered diary, his deep blue eyes shooting down from his long, crooked nose as he stared intently at the torn pages.

"That's amazing!"

Dumbledore said softly,

"Needless to say, he could probably say that in the history of Hogwarts—oh, and you too, Amosta—I have never seen a wizard more outstanding than either of you in my long career. Of course, I'm referring to magical talent."

Harry seemed confused. He looked around, but couldn't find any other creatures or memories in the Chamber of Secrets besides them.

"Professor Blaine, where are Voldemort and the Basilisk? Where have they all gone?"

Amosta's smiling expression suddenly turned regretful as he looked at Harry, who was covered in dust from head to toe.

"The basilisk struggled fiercely, and the cage I conjured with magic could no longer contain it. I had no choice but to turn it to ashes. As for the memories stored within this evil magical artifact, they seemed to want to save its servant. While I was dealing with the basilisk, it jumped out from behind a pillar to try and ambush me."

Amosta shrugged and said casually,

"I got a little nervous and used a very powerful spell, so it disappeared too—"

Harry's breath hitched. Professor Blaine's explanation made sense, but something still felt off. After all, it was a basilisk left by Slytherin to his heir, a creature that had created countless terrifying legends over the millennia, and an evil magical artifact made by Voldemort himself. Why did Professor Blaine make it sound as easy as killing a goblin?

Upon hearing Amostella's statement, Dumbledore, who was engrossed in studying the diary, looked up. He twitched his silvery-white eyebrows, and a strange glint flashed in his azure eyes.

“Anyway, Amosta,”

Dumbledore put the diary in his pocket, smiled happily, and said sincerely,

"I want to express my gratitude to you. In the few hours I was away from school, you fulfilled the duties of a headmaster for me. I'm so glad you saved Ginny Weasley, otherwise, I simply wouldn't know how to explain it to Arthur and Molly. You also protected Harry and his friends from the Basilisk and Voldemort, tearing away the shadow that had been hanging over the young wizards all year—"

Dumbledore blew his nose heavily, his voice sounding very sentimental.

"If it weren't for the fact that you've already graduated from school, I think a medal for special contribution would be the best reward for your courageous and fearless actions!"

Cough cough--

Dumbledore's barrage of praise almost made Amosta blush. He pursed his lips, waved his hand modestly, and then pointed his gaze at Harry.

“You flatter me, Headmaster Dumbledore. In fact, if Harry hadn’t been so quick-witted and astute enough to discover the entrance to this secret chamber, I don’t think things would have been so simple!”

"Oh, of course that's how it is—"

Dumbledore smiled and looked at Harry, whose ears had turned red.