Hogwarts Castle trembled slightly. In the common rooms, or among students sneaking around at night, many were startled.
George and Fred happened to be sneaking into Filch's office, and the quake caused a coat hanging on the wall to fall, scaring the twins half to death.
"George, what was that?"
"I don't know, Fred!"
"Look, what's that?"
Fred pointed at the hook where the coat had fallen—there hung a small pink garment.
"Filch's taste is really strange!"
At this time, the still-growing Weasley twins were still innocent enough to notice such details…
…
…
The castle tremor was naturally felt by Dumbledore as well. He stood up and spoke to the former headmasters hanging on the walls:
"Friends, I'd like to know exactly what happened."
One by one, the portraits nodded and stepped out of their frames.
Only Phineas Nigellus Black looked particularly confident.
"Dumbledore, minor castle tremors aren't unprecedented. They even happened in your first two years, though I don't remember the details. Hogwarts will not be damaged by such small quakes! And yet look at you—panicking like this! Where's the dignity of a headmaster?"
…
…
Audrey Apparated back to the Chamber of Secrets.
The moment she appeared, she saw fragments of stone floating, returning to their proper positions.
This type of permanent restoration charm made Hogwarts extremely durable. Since this was Slytherin's chamber, the protective enchantments were likely stronger than elsewhere.
Passing through the floating stones and shattered, slowly restoring columns, Audrey reached Slytherin's statue.
Audrey: …
The statue itself was struggling to repair. Its original form had never been great, and now it looked even worse—floating lumps that vaguely resembled a mouth, twisting as if it were scolding someone.
"Restore to original form!!"
Audrey waved her wand, and Slytherin's statue quickly reassembled.
When Slytherin had secretly built this chamber, he did so hidden from the other three founders. To avoid detection, the magic he channeled from Hogwarts itself was limited—so the chamber's self-repair was extremely slow.
—Which is why Slytherin never anticipated the chamber would explode a thousand years later.
The room could gradually repair itself, but Audrey didn't want to waste time. The statue, however, had to be restored first.
The statue reassembled—but there was still no movement. Audrey hesitated, unsure whether to speak the embarrassingly dramatic password:
"Speak to me, Slytherin, the greatest of the four founders of Hogwarts!"
She shook her head. Such shameful words could never come out of her mouth. How could her ancestor be so shameless?
While she hesitated, a voice came from behind.
"Hissss…" [Young Master!]
On guard, Audrey switched to her phoenix constitution. Turning around, she saw the Basilisk coiled about ten meters away, its body battered and scarred.
Audrey: …
The poor creature had suffered a disaster through no fault of its own.
"Hissss…" [Come here]
Summoned by Audrey, the Basilisk crawled toward her with difficulty.
Placing her hand on its bloody, hard, slippery scales made her shiver—the texture was revolting!
But worth it.
Basilisk constitution: ACQUIRED.
Eyes itchy, fangs itchy—Audrey quickly adapted to the Basilisk's magical physiology.
From now on, she was officially the type who could "make anyone pregnant with a glare" (not literally).
"Hissss…" [Okay, you may go.]
The Basilisk: …
Life is tough when you choose the wrong humans.
Turning back, Audrey continued to study Slytherin's statue.
The password? Out of the question. Not in this lifetime.
Still, she had spent a month studying with Nearly Headless Nick over the summer, so she had made some progress.
Let's see how she could crack this!
Carefully analyzing the statue and the magical circuitry around it, she poked here, tapped there.
Half an hour later… Audrey gave up in frustration.
What was this thing?! Completely incomprehensible!!
Just then, the last floating stone finally returned to its place.
Slytherin's statue's eyes flickered green, and in the next moment, it crouched down.
Ah—so all the chamber's magic had been used to repair the stones, leaving the statue without enough power to activate. A classic case of "memory overflow"!
"Child… I have finally waited for you…"
The voice was the same one Audrey had heard from the Sorting Hat during the Sorting Ceremony.
"Salazar Slytherin."
"It is I, Salazar Slytherin, the greatest of the four founders of Hogwarts!"
Audrey: …
"Child, your talent is unparalleled. You found this place so quickly—you possess extraordinary wisdom."
Sorry, I've read the canon.
"To clear a dangerous unknown location, you chose to explode your way through. This shows you are cautious!"
Sorry, that was an accident.
"Your first encounter with the Basilisk and yet you were not afraid. You touched it boldly—your courage is impressive."
Sorry, I just wanted its physiology.
"To save a friend, you can move forward without hesitation. This shows you value friendship—you are a truly good friend."
Yes, that part is true.
"You possess traits of all four Hogwarts founders. You are destined for greatness!"
Audrey cut off Slytherin's rambling:
"Stop praising me. I only want to know—did you put the curse on Iseline?"
"You are exceptionally gifted, beyond ordinary reach!"
"But what limits your growth is your character," Slytherin shifted. "You are far too lazy!"
The statue shook its head, full of sorrow:
"You are wasting your talents, child! Had I not cursed that girl, you probably never would have come here before graduation!"
Fine. The curse? That works.
"Undo the curse on Iseline immediately! Honestly, I cannot stand your type! You could have just had the Basilisk summon me—why make things difficult for others?"
"Ask yourself—would you have come if I hadn't done so?"
The answer, of course, was no…
But she didn't admit it.
"It's just about inheriting knowledge, isn't it?"
Audrey sneered.
"You're supposed to be the greatest of Hogwarts' founders—and yet you can't even come to the dorm to teach me?"
Slytherin's statue fell silent.
Most likely, Audrey had angered it. Although she spoke with some resentment, it was still outrageous.
Listen to this: the long-coveted inheritance of Salazar Slytherin was practically delivered to her mouth, yet it refused to open its mouth—it wanted her to chase it!
Slytherin had seen countless people.
"I used the Basilisk to place the curse. It must be lifted by a living person. I am only a memory, a consciousness, a fragment of my soul. I cannot remove the curse from your friend."
He continued:
"But if you find my secret vault and acquire the inheritance within, you will naturally know how to break the curse."
"Whether to learn it or not—that decision is yours."