Harry was still standing at the end of the chamber, staring at Tom as if his brain had stopped working.
Alexander stopped beside him.
"Harry, did you have a nice talk with Tom?"
Harry turned to look at him.
Alexander grinned.
"I mean… the Dark Lord Voldemort."
Harry's eyes widened.
His mouth opened.
No words came out.
"Everything Tom said so far is correct. He is the teenage version of the Dark Lord Voldemort."
"Tommy boy here just doesn't want to be the throwaway memory. He wanted a real body and to be alive. He is trying to revive through Lockhart and maybe Cho, too."
Tom laughed.
The cold sound echoed throughout the massive chamber.
"Alexander Chen," Tom said, amused. "I was right. You truly are a clever boy."
His eyes glowed with curiosity.
"Did you plan this from the very beginning?"
Alexander shrugged casually.
"Maybe."
Then he smirked.
"Maybe not."
"You'll never know, Tommy boy."
Tom laughed again.
"Keep calling me Tommy boy..."
His voice was calm and confident.
"Once I am reborn... You and everyone you love will die in front of your eyes!"
Alexander began to laugh.
Tom asked, "Are you laughing in defeat?!"
Alexander smiled.
"You already lost. You won't be reborn. You will die as a memory."
Tom's smile faded, and he stared at Alexander.
Alexander slowly pulled something from his robe pocket.
A familiar black book.
The diary.
Tom's expression instantly changed.
"How—"
Alexander flipped the diary in his hand.
"I picked it up from Lockhart," he said casually.
Tom's eyes darkened.
"I told that Idiot to hide it nearby!"
"But it's too late."
Tom opened his mouth and began speaking Parseltongue.
A horrible hissing language filled the chamber.
The statue of Salazar Slytherin began to tremble.
Alexander grabbed Harry's sleeve immediately.
"Harry."
Harry turned nervously.
"Yeah?"
Alexander pulled him backward.
"Close your eyes."
Harry froze.
"What?!"
"Now!" Alexander shouted.
Harry shut his eyes instantly.
Alexander began dragging him backward across the chamber floor.
"Just follow me!"
A massive scraping sound echoed behind them.
The basilisk was emerging.
Alexander raised his wand.
"Oculus Obscura!"
A burst of bright silver light filled the chamber.
The basilisk lunged.
Alexander moved quickly, dragging Harry with him while keeping his eyes closed.
The Oculus Obscura spell was working. The spell allowed him to see obstacles in their pathway.
He turned to look at the large magic source. The Basilisk.
He could see that the giant serpent was going to lung forward.
Alexander pulled Harry around one of the stone pillars.
The Basilisk struck the stone floor where they had been standing moments earlier.
He continued pulling Harry past another stone pillar.
"Harry, just trust me! If you open your eyes, you will get petrified?"
Harry stumbled slightly as he was being dragged around.
He asked nervously.
"What do we do?!"
Before Alexander could answer—
A loud, piercing screech filled the chamber.
Both boys kept running; they ignored the screech.
A brilliant burst of gold and red feathers exploded through the darkness.
Fawkes the phoenix soared into the chamber.
Tom's eyes widened.
"You stupid bird!"
Fawkes dove straight at the basilisk.
His sharp talons slashed across the serpent's face.
The basilisk shrieked violently.
Tom screamed in fury.
"How dare you blind my basilisk!"
Alexander stopped running and opened his eyes.
He watched as Fawkes was fighting the basilisk.
Harry quickly asked.
"Alex, why did we stop. What was that screeching sound?"
Alexander released Harry's robe.
"You can open your eyes now."
Harry opened his eyes and saw Alexander looking at something.
He turned to look too.
His jaw dropped.
Fawkes was fighting a giant serpent!
The giant serpent thrashed wildly, blinded and enraged.
Alexander said.
"The Phoenix just damaged the eyes of the basilisk. We won't get petrified now."
Fawkes stopped attacking and circled once above the chamber…
Then it flew away.
Alexander was dumbfounded and yelled.
"Come back, you stupid bird!"
Tom laughed coldly as he watched the Phoenix fly away.
"Even if it's blind…"
His voice echoed across the chamber.
"It can still hear."
Tom pointed forward.
"Attack!"
The basilisk lunged toward the sound of the boys.
Alexander sighed, and he raised his wand.
"Protego Maxima!"
A massive shield burst into existence.
"Fianto Duri!"
"Fianto Duri!"
"Fianto Duri!"
The barrier thickened and reinforced.
For extra safety, he waved his wand again.
"Repello Inimicum!"
The defensive magic layered together into a powerful wall of shimmering energy.
The basilisk slammed into it.
BOOM!
The giant serpent was thrown backward across the chamber floor.
Alexander laughed.
"Interesting."
He studied the barrier carefully.
"Cracks are forming."
With a flick of his wand—
The cracks repaired themselves instantly.
Tom shouted furiously.
"Keep attacking them!"
The basilisk hissed in rage and charged again.
CRASH!
The barrier trembled violently.
Alexander tried talking to the basilisk, but the basilisk attacked the barrier again.
Tom started to laugh.
"Since I awakened it! It only listens to me!"
Alexander glanced sideways at Harry.
"Harry."
"Yeah?"
"Do you know how to repair magical barriers?"
Harry shook his head.
"…No."
Alexander grinned.
"Perfect timing to teach you."
Harry froze and shouted.
"Right now?!"
Alexander pointed at the shimmering cracks forming in the barrier.
"Point your wand like this."
He demonstrated quickly with his wand.
"And channel your magic like this."
"Then release your magic."
Magic shot out of Alexander's wand and hit the barrier.
The barrier was repaired, with no more cracks.
Alexander patted Harry's shoulder.
"Got it?"
Harry frowned.
Alexander showed him again. This time slower.
He asked again.
"Do you understand it now?"
Harry gritted his teeth and said,"
"I think so?"
Another crash shook the barrier, and another crack formed.
Alexander said.
"Your turn."
Harry raised his wand nervously.
He is wand placement correct, channeled magic, and released it.
The spell hit the barrier, and nothing happened.
The basilisk slammed into the shield again.
More cracks started to spread across the barrier.
Harry focused again and shot off another spell.
The magic flickered as it hit the barrier.
The cracks stopped forming, and the barrier was repairing slowly.
Alexander nodded approvingly.
"Not perfect, but good enough."
Harry smiled.
"This is kind of cool."
The basilisk smashed into the shield again and again.
Harry kept repairing it.
Alexander stood nearby, firing spells through the barrier.
Explosions blasted against the serpent's scales.
Tom watched the scene in growing frustration.
"It is pointless!" Tom said coldly.
He raised his hands in the air.
"I have almost absorbed all of Lockhart's life energy."
His smiled.
"Even though you took the diary and moved him away…"
His eyes gleamed.
"I can still absorb it."
Alexander fired another spell at the basilisk.
Then he casually replied.
"Oh, Tommy boy, you think I wouldn't know that?"
Tom blinked in confusion.
Alexander smiled brightly.
"I'm just weakening the basilisk."
He watched the serpent slam into the barrier again.
"So I can make it my little pet."
Harry's turned to Alexander, flustered.
"… You're what?"
Alexander shrugged.
"It's pretty cute."
"It needs a better owner."
Alexander stared at Tom.
"Don't you think so, Tommy boy?"
Tom burst out laughing.
"You think you can tame a basilisk?!"
His voice dripped with mockery.
"Impossible!"
Alexander examined the basilisk closely.
The serpent was covered in injuries.
Burn marks.
Cracked scales.
The serpent was slowing down.
Alexander nodded.
"Perfect."
Tom frowned.
"What are you—"
Alexander snapped his briefcase open.
"Time to end this, Tommy boy."
Tom watched carefully.
Alexander shouted inside the briefcase.
"Silver!"
A small house elf's head popped out.
"NOW!"
Alexander pointed dramatically toward the basilisk.
"Summon my army of chickens!"