Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

Over time, its skin begins to curl and break.

The yellowed pages gradually turned burnt yellow.

A long scream, enough to pierce the eardrums, was heard, followed by unprecedented weakness and begging for mercy: "Eric! Spare me! I am valuable! Don't kill me! -"

"Oh? What are you worth?" Lynn seemed to be moved, and retracted the flames, giving Tom a chance to catch his breath.

At this time, Tom no longer had his previous indifference, pride, madness and resentment. He seemed to have grasped the last straw and was as humble as the most cowardly mortal.

He pleaded, "I know a lot of profound black magic knowledge! I can tell you about the deity! I can tell you the secret of defeating death! As long as you don't kill me!"

The young voice trembled, and Tom's face appeared on the page, capturing the weaknesses of human nature as always.

"Professor, that's the Dark Lord!" Hermione screamed, and the little wizards around her seemed to be stunned.

"Stupid Mudblood! Get out of here!" Tom was furious, but he quickly changed his face in front of Lynn, "We can definitely cooperate. You are so young, are you willing to be inferior to Dumbledore? I am very useful!"

"You're useful?" Lynn asked with great interest, which made Hermione even more nervous.

She fully understood Lin En's magical powers and was extremely anxious at the moment.

"I'm very useful! I know a lot of things. As long as you don't kill me, I can exchange this knowledge for you. And I can help you destroy my original body. I can replace him. I can definitely do it!" Tom, who seized the opportunity, pleaded again and again, his sallow face full of sincerity.

But Lynn's response plunged him into the deepest despair.

"Don't have too little faith in me. I am your teacher." He turned his head and looked at Hermione and the dumbfounded little wizards with a smile. "To resist temptation is to resist the weaknesses of human nature. Everyone has weaknesses, but we must hold on to more important things, such as conscience."

As he spoke, he raised his wand above his head.

This time it was no longer flames, but streams of water.

He stared at Cedric and whispered, "It's not just those seemingly powerful elements and substances that can hurt people, nor is it the so-called most brilliant magic."

The clear water flow constantly condenses and compresses in the air, turning into a small flying bird.

If you look closely, it is exactly the same as Andrew's patronus.

Every stripe is clearly visible, including the tiniest details on the feathers.

The pages of the diary turned back and forth with a rustling sound. It was frantically squeezing out its last bit of potential, trying to escape before the attack arrived.

However, an invisible barrier stopped it in place.

It is the simplest protection of all, but it is like a barrier between life and death.

"Eric! Don't do anything stupid!"

The diary, which had nowhere to escape, could only gather its remaining strength in front of itself and shouted unwillingly, trying to make Lin En change his mind.

"If you kill me, you will regret it! I am black-"

"puff"

The bird swooped down, and its sharp beak instantly pierced through the defense of the black fog. Together with its slender body, it drilled through the Horcrux, which was already at the end of its strength, and disappeared without a trace before hitting the wall.

Tom's last cry came to an abrupt end.

“Breaking through the so-called limits is the true value of our exploration of the mystery.”

Lynn's eyes swept across the little wizards with different expressions, and his voice remained calm.

"This is the last part of my class. get out of class dismissed."

The chamber was silent, save for the sound of ink pouring out of the remains of the diary.

It was a violent spurt, but there were no screams.

Tom Riddle's most special Horcrux, he died silently at the age of sixteen.

The old but immortal bird flew out of the darkness, carrying the fire of life.

Chapter 113: Secret Chamber Conjecture

I don’t know how much time passed in the gloomy and dark secret room.

All that was left here was Lynn and the remains of the diary.

All the students left here with the help of Fox, which made it very tired as it was about to enter Nirvana. It snatched a whole bag of precious herbs from Lin En.

The basilisk's body was also collected. It was the students' trophy. Lynn would buy it at the market price and divide it equally among every little wizard who participated in the battle - including Harry, Ron and Percy who were far away in the Forbidden Forest and were still unaware of this.

Doris and her companions, who had made the greatest contribution, had no objection to this. They simply took off a few pieces of scales and flesh from the basilisk and prepared to study them privately.

This is also a good thing that Lin En is happy to see.

As for Myrtle, Elizabeth Warren, who witnessed the end of her enemy, she did not pass away because of the disappearance of her obsession, but returned to the bathroom with the joy and satisfaction of revenge.

Facing death at the age of fourteen, she has already spent several times more years than her entire life in frozen time. Death is full of unknown fear for her.

Although life at Hogwarts was not pleasant, it was a familiar environment after all.

Moreover, today the poor girl felt the long-lost warmth and care from the professor and his students, which was invaluable to her.

In her joy, she didn't even notice a tall old man walking towards the dark pipe in the night and sliding down from it.

-----------------

Silently, Dumbledore walked through the dark corridor, entered the Chamber of Secrets, walked to Lynn's side, and slowly stood still.

"I'm afraid Madam Pomfrey won't be able to sleep tonight." The old man made a slightly unexpected opening statement, "She will definitely scold me."

"Isn't it reasonable for you to be scolded for making the whole school play house with you, a crooked-nosed old man, for so long?" Lynn said without turning his head. He was still looking at the relief and emblem of Slytherin.

"You're right. I came here to tell you that Percy completed the task you assigned him perfectly. He rescued Harry and Ron and subdued Lockhart - without even using the reinforcements Hagrid and the others called for."

Lynn just glanced at him, "That's not at all beyond my expectations. You don't know most of your students well enough, except for the few you pay attention to."

"Well, then please forgive the foolish and incompetent old fool... As for Armando, let's not tell him." Dumbledore said half-jokingly, "Today you have given these students a lesson that has never been taught before and will probably never be taught again. Even I would not have dared to think of using Tom and the basilisk as teaching materials."

"You have to have the courage to think before you can put it into practice. These children are the future of Hogwarts - at least in the next few years, they will definitely take on important responsibilities." Lynn was very sure, "Besides, don't you think it's valuable to take a lesson in this secret room? This is its original purpose."

"If you had not completely wiped out his heirs and bloodline, I think the great founder might have been happier." Dumbledore added silently.

Lynn glanced at him and shook her head slightly: "Even if Slytherin was still alive, he might not think that his descendant is a suitable heir."

"Oh? This is the first time I've heard of this view," said Dumbledore.

His deep blue eyes stared at Lin En for a long time, as if he wanted to see something from the eyes of his student, but he got nothing.

"Tom has always called Slytherin the greatest of the Big Four and regarded it as a sign of inheritance, but Salazar has never considered himself above his three companions. Even if they have different opinions and even parted ways."

Lynn was already accustomed to Dumbledore's scrutiny, so he spoke slowly and pointed at a statue that was almost as tall as the Chamber of Secrets.

"He is a proud man, but he respects his friends very much. His friends also see him in this way. Helga has specifically emphasized this. Therefore, he would not leave such a secret code to open the door. This is not his character."

Dumbledore nodded. "The Sorting Hat once said something like this. Even though they had different ideas, the four founders still remembered this friendship until the end of their lives."

"This explains why Tom must return here. He must not have obtained the true inheritance of Slytherin. He may think that it was locked up too early fifty years ago, or he may not have found a suitable method." Lynn slowly bent down, picked up the diary with only a few pages left, ignited a flame in his palm, and burned it to ashes.

Although he knew it was a precious magical item, he still chose to destroy it completely.

"So, what do you think the true inheritance is?" Dumbledore raised his head and looked thoughtfully at Slytherin's old face.

“Who knows, maybe he and his old friend have a tacit understanding and hid a book behind this sculpture that is only open to pure-blood wizards?” Lynn teased, “However, people like us probably don’t have a chance to open it. A Gryffindor plus a Muggle-born Hufflepuff, these are the elements that this monkey-faced old man would most resist.”

"Monkey-faced old man...hahaha!" Dumbledore laughed heartily, his white beard trembling. "You are right. Even if he hid a chocolate mountain, we have no way of knowing it. This is his own secret and should be completely sealed like this chamber of secrets."

“Tsk…” Lin En turned his head away with disdain, sneering at the old man’s very typical guess, and didn’t want to respond at all.

"Let's get back to the topic, Lynn. I want to thank you for your dedication and tolerance over the past six months. Although the development of events is completely different from what I expected, at least the result is satisfactory." Dumbledore stepped forward and said.

"Don't be so pretentious. If you really want to thank me, just find me some good wine." Lin En was not giving face. "I don't care about the variety, except French wine."

Dumbledore asked, "Except French wine? Isn't French wine your favorite? I remember you always liked the wine of Saint-Chinian."

"My drinking buddies in France can line up from your office to Hogsmeade. Do I need you to find me some wine?" Lynn said with disgust. "Besides, I have some in Beauxbatons... Anyway, no!"

"Okay, I understand." Dumbledore turned around with a smile, "I will definitely pick out a satisfactory wine for you. But we can't rest now. I'm afraid tonight will be a busy and sleepless night."

"This is the headmaster's job. What does it have to do with me? Do you want me to help in the hospital wing? I guarantee that Madam Pomfrey will kick me out."

Lynn turned and tried to run away, but was stopped by Dumbledore.

"Of course, there is no need to go to the school hospital, but there is a special patient. His condition is not something that Madam Pomfrey can solve. Perhaps you can help him. Besides, we should seal the entrance here first, right?"

Before Lynn could reply, the old man grabbed his arm, raised his left hand, and touched the Phoenix that was rushing towards him.

"Pong"

The flames burst out and the figure disappeared.

And at this moment, the Slytherin statue that had been covered in dust for thousands of years seemed to tremble slightly.

It seems... just as Lin Endo had guessed a few days ago, there are indeed some unknown secrets hidden here.

But no matter what is hidden, at least for a period of time in the future, it will return to silence like this secret room.

Chapter 114 Lockhart's "Life Money"

It was late at night and everyone was asleep, but Hogwarts Castle was bustling with people.

Every faculty member performed his or her duties under McGonagall's arrangement. Even Mr. Filch was standing outside the abandoned bathroom with a mop, on full alert.

The school hospital welcomed more than twenty wounded people at once, including young wizards who were slightly affected by the dark magic, those who had just recovered from serious injuries like Malfoy, and several people like Andrew who had some minor injuries in the battle. Of course, Harry and Ron were also indispensable.

Just as Dumbledore said, Madam Pomfrey would definitely not be able to sleep today, and Professor Sprout also came from the greenhouse with various herbs.

The air was filled with the unpleasant smell of herbs and potions. Harry and Ron saw Snape, with a sullen face, running back and forth several times.

But now they had no time to care about Snape.

Ron's excitement had not yet worn off, and even the pain in his ankle and other parts of his body could not stop him from talking about his brother with a red face, and from time to time he turned back to look at his sister who was sleeping not far away.

The poor first-year witch had endured too many blows that were far beyond what she could handle at her age. Although the blows were resolved quickly, she was still devastated.

Harry was in the same mood as his good friend, but while he was chattering, he also listened attentively to the discussion of the little wizards in the distance.

He heard Professor Eric's name, but couldn't hear the content of the discussion, and he was itching to get excited.

He and Ron both wanted to know what Hermione had been through and to find out the truth about the Chamber of Secrets.

On the way back, Percy was vague about this, but repeatedly reminded them to be careful and not to take such risky actions again. Hagrid didn't say anything either.

Just as he was about to sneak over to take a look, Madam Pomfrey's stern face appeared before him.

Soon, the sounds in the distance were ruthlessly suppressed, and only dim lights remained in the entire school hospital.

-----------------

On the other side, the principal's office.

Lockhart's emaciated body lay flat on the cushion, barely breathing, his body covered with scars of varying sizes, and countless broken bones.

Snape was sitting on the sofa nearby. On the coffee table were medicine bottles of various sizes, some of which were his own, and some had the logo of the school hospital.

At this time, the door of the office opened, and Lynn and Dumbledore came in one after another.

The phoenix Fox happily returned to his territory carrying his small cloth bag, picked out a herb and began to eat it happily.

"He can probably live for a few days, maybe even longer if that Weasley is gentler," Snape said slowly.

"You have done well, Severus," Dumbledore said gently, "but we must understand Mr. Weasley's feelings."

"Maybe. I'll go first." Snape did not comment. When he got up and left, he did not forget to look at Lin En with a complicated expression.

He had already seen Andrew and Doris in the hospital wing, as well as Draco.

"Perhaps you could inform Lucius. He must be very concerned about the diary." Dumbledore said softly.

The door slowly closed.

"Tell me, Lockhart?" Lynn asked calmly.

Lockhart, lying flat on the cushion, immediately shrank back, his eyes full of fear, and kept whispering "Don't kill me".

"We won't kill you, Gilderoy." Dumbledore said calmly, his eyes full of majesty, "but you need to tell us everything you know."

When the old man glared at him, even Lynn didn't dare to be disrespectful, let alone Lockhart who was already a fool and was in danger of death.

He immediately confessed everything without hiding anything - including the fact that he went out to buy food for Tom and the paint for drawing the magic circle.