A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 62: Into the Chamber of Secrets

The phoenix flew down the pipes.

Facing Felix Harp's puzzled gaze, Dumbledore explained, "Fawkes is too weak now, he can't carry all three of us. If Harry is in danger and he sincerely seeks help, Fawkes will sense his location."

At that moment, a cold voice came from the door, "Apologies, I think it's four people." Professor Snape appeared, wearing a dark green robe, his hair disheveled, and he was slightly out of breath.

"Severus," Dumbledore looked at him, "You've come as well."

"How could I not come, Potter... a Hogwarts student's life is threatened!" Snape's temper wasn't great, "What are we waiting for? Planning a party here?"

"Right you are, Severus." Dumbledore seemed to have a sudden realization, he glanced at the four people present, "Miss Granger..."

"I'm going down!" Hermione quickly said, "I won't slow you down, I can, well..."

She spotted her bag in the corner, her eyes lit up, she rushed over, rummaged inside, and finally pulled out a magical scroll.

"Headmaster, Professor, this is Harry's scroll. It contains some pronunciation of Parseltongue, I think it might be useful."

"What is this?" Dumbledore's expression showed surprise, he looked at Felix Harp.

"We mentioned it..." Felix Harp said subtly, and the Headmaster understood.

"Very well, Granger." Dumbledore praised.

Hermione struggled not to show a smug look.

Dumbledore touched her shoulder with his wand, and she felt herself becoming weightless, rising slightly off the ground.

Then, the three of them cast Levitation Charms on themselves, "Are you ready?" Dumbledore received affirmative responses. He waved his wand, and the four of them flew into the dark pipes like light soap bubbles.

Next came a long underground slide, and Felix Harp couldn't be sure if it was five kilometers or ten. The tunnel twisted and turned, and sometimes even spiraled downward.

With the help of magical light, Felix Harp could see that the inner wall of the slide was sticky and damp, with many pipes branching out in all directions.

Finally, the downward slide turned horizontal. They arrived in a circular clearing, covered in standing water, with countless pale rat skeletons floating on the water's surface.

At this moment, they stood atop a massive pile of skeletons.

The tunnel was as silent as a tomb.

Dumbledore looked around with a serious expression, this was a place he had never known about. He whispered, "A massive undertaking... it seems Slytherin spent quite a lot of time on this."

The four of them headed towards the largest tunnel entrance. In the distance, Felix Harp saw a coiled gigantic creature.

"Close your eyes!" he quickly shouted.

Hermione obediently shut her eyes, while Dumbledore and Snape, also with closed eyes, drew their wands.

Following his intuition, Felix Harp cast a blazing red light, and the thick spell struck the creature's body with a deafening boom.

Simultaneously, there was an extremely discreet gust of wind – Snape's spell.

Dumbledore also took action, casting a shallow golden shield around the four of them.

After waiting for a moment, the unexpected hissing and movements of the serpent creature came.

Felix Harp opened his eyes. The massive creature had shattered into pieces, but there was not a hint of bloodstain in sight.

He and Snape approached, only to replace it was a massive snake skin, shining green, but covered in a layer of dust, making it appear grayish-green.

"The serpent creature must be at least twenty feet long – additionally," Felix Harp remarked, "an excellent Severing Charm, Professor Snape."

Snape retorted, "You're not bad either, Felix. Your 'Stupefy' effects rival those of a Blasting Curse."

Hermione and Dumbledore came closer, and Hermione carefully examined the remains of the snake's shed skin. One-third had been blasted into fragments – the trace of Professor Harp's magic. The remaining part had been sliced in half, the cut edges smooth and even, clearly a result of some powerful cutting spell.

The young witch picked up a piece of the snake's skin, stiff and hard like metal, leaving her amazed.

Dumbledore examined the shed skin closely, "It's been quite some time, likely left behind during the last opening of the Chamber."

Just then, a clear phoenix song could be heard from a distance.

"We need to pick up the pace," Dumbledore took the lead.

They turned around one bend after another, stepping on damp standing water, creating a splashing sound. Hermione felt the stickiness under her feet, her nerves trembling uncomfortably, just wanting this to be over.

Finally, they encountered a sturdy wall with a circular iron door embedded in it. This arrangement looked somewhat like the circular door of Gryfreplaceor's common room, but without any portrait on it. Instead, seven entwined snakes were coiled on it, each with large, sparkling emerald eyes. The snake tails intersected while the snake heads spread out, completely sealing the entrance.

"Clearly, we need an entrance command or to force it open," Felix Harp said.

Snape waved his wand, an invisible Severing Charm in effect. The iron switch erupted in a dazzling green glow. When everything quieted down, the circular iron door remained intact.

Dumbledore's fingers touched the twisted snake on the door. He shook his head, "I could force it open, but that would take time." He looked at Felix Harp.

Felix Harp comprehended and pulled out a scroll, tossing it high in the air. The magical scroll quickly unfurled, extending to about seven or eight meters in length.

His wand tapped the scroll, and he murmured, "Open." The writing on the magical scroll began to twist, distort, and rearrange. Soon, a whirlpool appeared at the center of the scroll.

The four of them heard the magical scroll emit a strange, hissing sound.

The next moment, the circular iron door moved. From the point where the snake tails intersected, a smaller snake slid out, circling around the door before a clicking sound signaled the door opening.

"Professor, what's this?" Hermione was curious; she wasn't aware that a magical scroll could do this.

"It can translate my speech into Parseltongue, of course, provided it holds sufficient snake language information."

Dumbledore exclaimed, "This is the concept you mentioned during the interview, blending Muggle intellect with magic?"

Snape and Hermione's gazes landed on Felix Harp simultaneously.

Calmly, Felix Harp said, "Just an experiment."

"Felix," Dumbledore said, "Wizards with such open minds as yours are rare."

Afterward, the group proceeded, passing through the circular iron door. Before them lay a long, dimly lit space. The space was shaped like a hammer, with the handle being the broad passage before them. On either side of the passage stood many pillars carved with coiled serpents.

These pillars towered, supporting the high and dark ceiling. In the shimmering green light, they cast long, eerie shadows.

At the end of the space, there was an open area, resembling the square head of a hammer. Along the edge of this area was a statue, the same height as the room itself, pressed closely against the dark wall behind it.

Felix Harp almost instantly recognized it as a Slytherin statue, similar objects he had seen in many books.

His gaze landed on the open area where a fierce battle was unfolding.

A blind serpent creature, thrashing wildly, was a full thirty feet long. With each swing of its body, it sent stones flying like rain, while a young wizard – none other than Harry Potter – was dodging it in a disheveled manner.

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