In the legends surrounding Dumbledore's family, it was said that whenever one faced a desperate need, a phoenix would appear. And this time, when they were confronted with the fierce and savage basilisk, the arrival of Fawkes the phoenix greatly weakened Tom Riddle's power.
"A bird, Dumbledore? You plan to fight the basilisk with a bird?" Tom Riddle said mockingly, his expression full of disdain.
Dumbledore's eyes lowered slightly, offering no reply. Fawkes circled high above the Chamber, its clear cry echoing through the air, making the basilisk restless and uneasy.
The basilisk's natural enemy was the rooster — a rooster's crow could injure or even kill it. While a phoenix's song did not have that power, the phoenix could look directly into the basilisk's eyes without harm, and its tears could cure the basilisk's venom.
Tom Riddle hissed again, and at his command, the basilisk slithered rapidly across the floor, surging toward them.
Professors Flitwick and Sprout both cast spells at the enormous serpent, but even their powerful magic could not harm it. Like a dragon, the basilisk's gleaming scales shielded it completely from magical attacks.
The creature's green, glistening scales deflected every spell; the rebounding magic slammed into the floor and walls, leaving behind deep cracks and dents.
Tom Riddle laughed wildly. "It's useless! None of your spells can harm the Serpent King!"
The basilisk raised its massive, flat head, its yellow eyes sweeping across everyone present before it lunged downward to strike — but it never hit.
The water that pooled in the Chamber suddenly surged upward, forming a massive sphere of water that wrapped tightly around the basilisk, trapping it inside and holding it completely still.
Although Dumbledore, like the others, kept his head lowered to avoid the basilisk's deadly gaze, his unmatched magic still restrained the creature's movements the instant it struck.
Fawkes let out a piercing cry and, like a fearless warrior, dove straight into the sphere of water, crashing into the basilisk's massive head.
The Chamber, which had been as silent as a tomb, erupted into chaos — the basilisk's furious hissing, the phoenix's cries, and Tom Riddle's angry serpentine commands all intertwined into a deafening uproar.
Amid the confusion, Eda seized the moment to act. She grabbed Harry by the arm, and together they lifted the unconscious Ginny, helping her toward the exit of the Chamber.
If there was one thing Dumbledore had taught Eda, it was to do the right thing at the right time.
There were already enough people fighting the basilisk; one more wouldn't make a difference. But leaving Harry and Ginny there would only become a burden. It was far better to get "the hostage" Ginny out first, freeing Dumbledore from any worries and letting him fight without restraint.
Once they had left the long, dimly lit chamber behind, Eda quickly checked Ginny's condition. The girl's breathing and pulse were both extremely weak, and her face had gone completely pale.
Seeing that Ginny was at least temporarily safe, Harry turned, clearly wanting to go back and help Dumbledore fight the basilisk. His courage was admirable—but truly, it was reckless.
Without a wand, how did Harry plan to fight a basilisk? Throw rocks at it?
Eda reached out and grabbed the real number-one daredevil of Gryffindor. Shaking her head, she said firmly, "Stay here and look after Ginny. If anything goes wrong, don't hesitate—take her and run. Do you understand?"
"What about you?" Harry asked anxiously. He didn't know what Eda was planning, but he was certain it was dangerous. Eda meant a lot to him—she was the one who had first shown him the wonders of magic, planting in his heart the seed of fascination that would grow into his love for it.
Eda reached out and ruffled Harry's already-messy hair until it stuck up even worse.
Smiling, she said, "I'm Esmeralda Twist—no one who can kill me has been born yet!"
With that, she turned and ran back into the Chamber. The battle inside was still raging fiercely. The basilisk—its body as thick as an oak tree—was now clearly at a disadvantage. Its two massive yellow eyes had been pecked blind by the phoenix.
Black blood gushed out in streams as the basilisk let out guttural, painful roars. Writhing in agony, it swung its enormous head wildly, forcing the small but valiant Fawkes to retreat.
Tom Riddle shouted in fury, his face twisted with anger—but strangely, there was no trace of fear. It was as if, even if the basilisk died, he believed Dumbledore still couldn't touch him.
Was it stupidity? Absolute confidence? Or arrogance born from something to rely on?
The long-overlooked Professors Flitwick and Sprout finally made their move, determined to remind Voldemort that they were not to be ignored.
With the basilisk having lost its most dangerous weapon, Professor Flitwick demonstrated why he was once a dueling champion. Spell after spell struck true, slamming into the creature's softer underbelly—where its scales did not protect it. For the first time, magic actually harmed the beast.
Professor Sprout did not attack; instead, she kept her sharp eyes locked on Tom Riddle, ready to react if he made any sudden move. After all, he still held Harry's holly wand.
Even a weakened Dark Lord was not someone to be underestimated.
Seeing everything before her, Eda didn't rush forward to help—instead, she stopped in her tracks. From the very moment she'd entered the Chamber, something had felt off.
Tom Riddle might have appeared before everyone, but he wasn't truly there. Otherwise, Eda's spells wouldn't have passed right through his body and hit the wall behind him.
Since he wasn't a real, physical being, that meant Tom's true form—or rather, his essence—had to be bound to something. He couldn't simply exist out of thin air.
Remembering that he had emerged from a diary, it became obvious: if she destroyed that diary, this half-real, half-illusory Tom Riddle would vanish along with it.
But where was the diary? It wasn't on the floor of the Chamber, nor on Ginny. Could it be on Tom Riddle himself?
Eda raised her wand and pointed it at him from afar, murmuring softly, "Accio diary!"
She repeated the summoning spell several times, but the diary did not fly out from Tom Riddle's body.
"Accio the Soul diary!"
"Accio Tom Riddle's diary!"
"Accio the filthy diary!"
"Accio Lord Voldemort's diary!"
"Accio Voldy's diary!"
Even when she tried adding descriptors to the spell, it was like throwing stones into the sea—no response at all.
It seemed the diary wasn't on Tom Riddle. He must have hidden it somewhere.
Just as Eda was at a loss, the golden-rimmed glasses perched on her nose suddenly emitted a faint gleam. The light was weak, but it was bright enough to make her squint.
When she opened her eyes again, through the glowing lenses she could see it—a faintly shining object that looked exactly like a diary. It was hidden inside the massive stone statue of Salazar Slytherin. If she could just find a way to get inside, she'd be able to retrieve it.
Eda looked around carefully and soon found a clue—water pipes.
Aside from the massive, serpent-carved stone pillars, the Chamber had once been covered in water. But since Dumbledore had used that water to trap the basilisk, the pipes that had previously been submerged were now exposed.
This was the only method Eda could think of—she had no choice but to try it. And when Eda decided to act, she acted immediately. Without hesitation, she turned around and crawled into the nearest water pipe.
Crawling through another pipe again—just great! Eda groaned inwardly, silently swearing that once she got out of this Chamber, she'd take the longest, hottest bath of her life. She'd scrub herself clean with soap—and maybe even eat a bar while she was at it, just to feel truly purified.
Inside the pitch-black pipe, Eda groped her way forward. Fortunately, her eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness, which at least kept her from breaking her neck in the process.
Through her enchanted glasses, she could see only the general direction of the diary—no clear path, no map—but it was enough to keep her from wandering aimlessly and getting lost in the maze of interwoven pipes.
Outside the Chamber, the "support" Harry was tending to their crystalized teammate, Ginny Weasley. Inside, the "mid-laner" Dumbledore had the basilisk completely pinned down. "Top-laner" Professor Sprout was keeping an eye on the opposing "AFK mid-laner," Tom Riddle, while "ADC" Professor Flitwick was enthusiastically dealing "chip damage" to the basilisk's underside.
And then there was "jungler" Eda—who had charged headlong into the dark jungle and hadn't returned since. In any game, that kind of behavior would definitely earn you a round of family-friendly curses from your teammates. Thankfully, Eda's family register contained only her own name—no family to worry about being cursed out. A small mercy, really.
After twisting and turning through the long pipeline for what felt like forever, Eda finally began closing in on her target. Time lost all meaning in the darkness—she didn't know how long or how far she had crawled.
But at last, she reached the point nearest to the diary… only to find that there was no path forward.
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