A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 302 The Chosen Child

Harry felt like he was having a very long dream.

In my dream, someone was screaming... a red-haired woman.

She kept pleading with another wizard not to kill the baby in the bed.

Harry knew the woman was dying... he had to help her... but he was like a bystander, only able to shout helplessly.

After an unknown amount of time, the red-haired woman disappeared... and a red-haired boy vaguely appeared.

Harry felt it was all so real, it didn't feel like a dream. But he still couldn't move.

The red-haired boy stood up, stared at Harry for a long time, then pulled back the covers, hugged him, lifted him off the bed, and walked out of the dormitory... How strange.

What is Ron going to do to him?!

After an unknown amount of time, Harry finally woke up from his dream, pressing his hands tightly to his face.

The lightning-shaped scar burned with pain, as if someone had just pressed a hot metal wire onto his skin.

He sat up, one hand covering the scar, and looked around.

It was a strange room, with many stone pillars carved with coiled and intertwined serpents, towering high and supporting the ceiling.

All around, there was a group of unusual torches... The flames kept changing color, they were purple just now, but now they were deep red, and they also illuminated the ceiling of the room.

Harry was stunned when he saw the ceiling.

Every inch of the room is covered with pictures, and overhead is a dazzling constellation map with countless stars moving along special orbits.

This appears to be simulating the movement of stars in the universe.

But Harry couldn't recognize which star system this was. Although he had taken astronomy classes, he had done a lot of homework with Ron.

Otherwise, just copy the answer that's already circulating in the market.

Harry's head was spinning, so he turned his head to look to the side and suddenly saw Ron lying flat on the ground.

"Ron!" Harry called softly, rushing to his side and kneeling down.

"Ron! What's wrong with you? Don't die! Please, please don't die!" Harry cried out in anguish.

"Yes, artificial respiration!" Harry remembered the emergency first aid he had learned at Muggle school.

He took a deep breath, quickly lowered his head, and spat into Ron's mouth.

Before he could even finish spitting out his water, a strange voice came from beside him.

"You'd better not disturb Ron; he's in a hallucinatory state, communicating with Death."

Harry was startled and turned around on his knees. He then realized that there was another person in the room.

It was a boy with black hair, sitting quietly at a stone table, holding a thick leather book in his hand.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

"My name is Tom Riddle, and I am also a student at Hogwarts." The boy closed his book.

"Tom Riddle...you're the owner of Ron's diary!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right, it seems Ron told you everything." Riddle's lips curled into a handsome smile.

"You just said where Ron is? Who is he talking to?" Harry asked eagerly.

"A dreamlike illusion, communicating with death," Riddle repeated.

Hearing Riddle's words, Harry felt a chill run through him, his hands and feet turning cold. He exclaimed incredulously, "You mean, Ron... is dead?!"

"Not entirely," Riddell shook his head.

"Not entirely?!" Harry roared, his voice echoing loudly throughout the room.

"What you just said, 'communicating with Death'... doesn't that mean you're already dead?"

Riddle stood up, his hands behind his back, and looked at Harry.

After a long pause, he sighed softly:

"To be honest, you've greatly disappointed me, Harry Potter."

I thought... having defeated the Dark Lord, you'd have a better understanding of the mysteries of life and death, but it turns out you're quite superficial.

Riddle shook his head.

"It seems Dumbledore didn't teach you his wisdom."

"What wisdom?"

"Perhaps I should pass the mission to Stark," Riddle muttered to himself. "He's a suitable candidate, but... he lacks a bit of the ritual."

"What are you talking about!" Harry snapped. "Weren't we talking about Ron?! What happened to him?!"

"Your beloved Ron isn't dead yet; he's in the illusionary realm," Riddle explained.

"A dreamlike illusion doesn't mean death... it's a world somewhere in between—"

"What do you mean?"

"Ron is currently lingering there. He may return to your world, or he may head straight for death... It all depends on your next move."

Harry tried desperately to understand. "An operation... what do you want me to do?"

"I summoned you here for a reason."

Riddle glanced at the time; there was still a little while... No panic at all!

"Summon me..." The Chamber of Secrets flashed through Harry's mind.

Since the attack, everyone has believed that he is the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets and the successor of Slytherin.

“Listen,” Harry said, “if you want to ask me about the Chamber of Secrets, I can assure you I know no more than you do—”

Riddle took a deep breath and said coldly, "Are you mentally challenged, Mr. Potter?"

"..." Harry was confused. Why would someone swear for no reason?

"Use your brain, which is barely bigger than a troll, and think carefully about where you are!"

Harry looked around, then shook his head blankly.

"Think about it carefully..." Riddle said patiently. "You were sleeping in your dorm bed in the middle of the night, but now you've suddenly appeared in this strange place... What's been circulating at school lately?"

A chill ran through Harry. "Where am I...?"

"Silly Potter."

Riddle's mild accent vanished, and he spoke in a fervent tone:

"This is the secret room!"

Harry gasped.

"To be more precise, this is the Chamber of Destiny, the great Slytherin, the place where he explored prehistoric mysteries, the secret treasure he left to his successors..."

Riddle gave a mysterious smile.

"I am the heir of Slytherin!"

"Then why did you bring me and Ron here?!" Harry took a step back, gripping his wand tightly.

Riddle whispered in a calm, gentle voice, "Don't be nervous, Harry Potter. If I wanted to hurt you, you'd be dead in bed by now."

"As I said, there's a reason I summoned you here. I need your cooperation tonight to complete a ritual."

Harry looked confused.

"No, don't look at me like that," Riddle said sadly. "You should feel honored that I came to you, Harry Potter—you are the only one I chose."

Harry was enraged by Riddle's tone; instead of feeling honored, he felt annoyed at being toyed with.

He said coldly, "Sorry, but you've definitely chosen the wrong person."

"I don't even know what a secret chamber is, let alone any rituals..."

"You still don't understand, you silly Potter," Riddle said with a grin.

"It wasn't me who chose you... it was Ron Weasley."

"He made me choose you!"

The secret sanctuary was deathly silent.

……

……

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P.S.: Limbo is a state between life and death.

In the seventh Deathly Hallows, Harry and Dumbledore are talking at King's Cross Station, and that state is a dreamlike state.

Limbo comes from Dante's Inferno in the Divine Comedy; "limbo" is the first circle of Hell. It is where good people who do not believe in the Jewish or Christian God reside.

This translation is from the Traditional Chinese version of Harry Potter; the Simplified Chinese version does not have this translation.

Therefore, the translation "Mystic Realm" feels very out of place, and it inexplicably reminds me of the Land of Illusion in Dream of the Red Chamber... It's not magical at all.

By the way, I'd like to recommend a really fun little game.

The English name for Limbo is also Limbo, which is a very pleasing translation.

(End of this chapter)