"Do you think he bought it?"
Tom Riddle looked down at the unconscious Harry, his tone playful—none of the theatrical flair from moments ago.
Hermione's lips curved slightly. "Why wouldn't he? It's the truth... just not all of it."
She pulled an object from her robes.
A silver diadem set with a large sapphire, glowing faintly in the dim light.
Tom Riddle's pupils contracted sharply. He could sense the familiar aura radiating from the diadem—something that shared his essence.
"Ravenclaw's Diadem."
Hermione turned the diadem over in her hands, her tone casual. "One of the Horcruxes you'll create in the future. It contains a fragment of your soul. Naturally, you can sense it."
She paused. "Ginny Weasley didn't tell you about this because she doesn't know it exists. In fact, even now, very few people know you have more than one Horcrux."
Tom's expression flickered—complex, but mostly understanding.
He knew himself. Given his personality and ambition, creating multiple Horcruxes to ensure immortality was entirely predictable.
"What are you planning to do?" Tom frowned slightly.
"Make a replacement."
Hermione pulled out an ordinary black notebook.
She placed the diadem and the notebook side by side, her hands hovering over both objects.
Suddenly, the diadem blazed with light. Black mist poured out, accompanied by agonized shrieks, and slowly seeped into the black notebook.
At the same time, the diadem's glow dimmed until it became nothing more than an ordinary silver ornament.
The black notebook's cover began to shimmer with the same patterns as the diary.
Moments later, two identical diaries lay quietly in Hermione's hands.
The entire process was eerie and mysterious.
Tom Riddle picked up the new diary, examining it carefully.
He could confirm it—both diaries were Horcruxes. Both were his Horcruxes.
"This... this is also a Horcrux?"
He couldn't help but seek confirmation, disbelief written across his face.
"Of course." Hermione's mind flickered, and the old diary vanished. "It was made from your soul fragment. It's normal that you can't tell them apart."
"How... how did you do this?" Tom looked stunned. "I've never heard of anyone being able to transfer a soul from one Horcrux to another..."
This was beyond his comprehension.
Hermione didn't answer. She just smiled faintly.
"Alright. Let's continue."
With preparations complete, Hermione nodded to Tom.
Tom nodded back.
The giant statue's head slowly opened as he spoke in Parseltongue.
Hisssss...
A bone-chilling sound echoed from within.
Then, something massive began to emerge from the darkness.
A snake.
A snake beyond imagination in size.
The terrifying creature raised by Salazar Slytherin himself. The most dangerous thing in the Chamber.
"This is the basilisk." Tom gazed at the monstrous creature with satisfaction.
"Direct eye contact kills instantly. Indirect contact—through reflections or other means—causes petrification." Tom turned to Hermione. "Though I suppose that's not a problem for you."
Hermione nodded slightly.
Tom had already told her how to avoid the basilisk's gaze.
Otherwise, according to the Chamber's design, the first person to die would be the Heir who opened it.
After all, who would expect to be greeted by a basilisk's death stare the moment they opened the Chamber?
Hisssss...
The basilisk suddenly hissed, its massive head turning toward Hermione. Its yellow eyes burned with hostility.
"Seems it doesn't like you much," Tom said with a light chuckle.
"It's Slytherin's personal pet. Some 'bias' against Muggle-borns is understandable." Hermione's tone was flat.
She looked at the basilisk.
"In that case, to make this performance more convincing..." Hermione said slowly, "I'll have to trouble it a bit."
Hermione decided to kill it outright.
Worst case, she'd raise another one later.
Tom froze, then realized what she meant.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately stayed silent.
Then again, this was the Hermione he knew.
As for her decision? He didn't care.
It was just a basilisk. No big deal if it was gone.
The basilisk stared at Hermione restlessly, clearly wanting to strike—but Tom's control held it back.
Hermione waved her hand. A cat suddenly appeared on her shoulder.
"Is that... a cat?"
Tom Riddle stared at the orange creature perched on Hermione's shoulder, confused.
Fluffy body. Big, adorable eyes.
No matter how you looked at it, it was just an ordinary house cat.
"Goose." Hermione introduced it simply, then set Goose on the ground and tapped its head lightly.
A faint glow passed over it—a spell granting immunity to the basilisk's gaze.
"Go get it, Goose!"
"A cat?" Tom Riddle still couldn't believe it. "You're using that to fight the basilisk?"
"Just watch." Hermione didn't elaborate.
Hisssss...
The basilisk clearly noticed the tiny creature that had suddenly appeared.
It slowly lowered its head, its massive serpentine eyes filled with confusion.
To it, this little thing wasn't even enough to get stuck in its teeth.
Goose stood perfectly still, staring back at the basilisk.
A basilisk over ten feet tall. A cat barely a fraction of its size.
The image was absurdly mismatched.
Suddenly, the basilisk moved.
It opened its gaping maw and lunged at Goose.
At that critical moment, Goose moved too.
It opened its mouth—
What happened next left Tom utterly speechless.
Goose's mouth opened at an impossible angle. Countless tentacles burst from its maw!
In one bite, it dragged the entire basilisk into its stomach!
Seconds later, the massive basilisk had completely vanished. Only an orange cat remained, licking its paws with lingering satisfaction.
Young Voldemort stood frozen, jaw slack.
"Probably because a cat's reaction speed is seven times faster than a snake's."
Hermione's voice was calm, as if she'd expected this all along.
She walked over to Goose and scratched under its chin.
"Good boy. Spit it out."
Goose seemed reluctant but obediently opened its mouth.
A massive snake head burst out, still thrashing, trying to escape.
Hermione flicked her wand.
"Glacius Maxima!"
The head froze instantly, turning into a giant ice sculpture.
"Confringo!"
BOOM!
The head exploded into countless fragments.
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