The Headmaster descended down the hole. It was a tube that seemed to twist and turn; it felt like a waterslide. Not that the Headmaster has ever experienced sliding down a waterslide. Come to think, he has never even gone to a waterpark. Though I guess at his age, one must give up a lot of things. Ahem! Putting aside whether or not Headmaster Dumbledore has ever gone to a waterpark, the tube was covered with grime and dirt. Being the Headmaster, he immediately understood that he was going down the sewer system in Hogwarts. After a while, the Headmaster came out of the tube. He set his foot on the floor only to be met with cracking sounds. He looked down and his brows knit into a frown. Under his feet were a pile of bones and skulls, all belonging to humans.

Shaking his head, he looked around. Like Sol before him, Dumbledore saw the sewer walls which looked greenish-grey covered with grime. There were a few other holes in the walls, presumably other entrances to the Chamber of Secrets. Seeing the four or five holes in the walls, Dumbledore sighed. He felt that Salazar Slytherin was really worthy of being one of the four founders of Hogwarts and the most cunning among them. Centuries of trying to find the Chamber of Secrets, only to be accidentally found by a child. Dumbledore continued onwards. He stepped into a cavern, his steps unhurried. Stalactites dripped water from the ceilings.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Walking on the wet ground, Dumbledore came across a long set of protrusions on the ground. His usually calm face had a grim look to it. It looks as though the Basilisk shed its skin just a decade ago. If that really is the case, then he was in for a battle. Though it'd take a while, it was nothing he couldn't handle. At least, he thought so, he didn't really fight a lot of Basilisks if any at all. He walked past the shed skin and came across the circular doorway. He looked at the stone door which was now open. Looking at the snakes on the door, Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.

Was this door already opened when they came here? Or was it closed? If it's the latter, how did they open it?

Dumbledore took a long breath and let it out. No matter, it'll be clear after I ask Mr. Balor.

He went past the door and into the main chamber. Looking at the state of the chamber in front of him, Dumbledore concluded that the place had been abandoned for a long time. Water flooding the floors, grime sticking to the snake-head sculptures, the foul odor in the air all contributed to this conclusion. Seeing into the distance, he saw a body lying in front of the large statue of Salazar Slytherin's head. His steps finally hastened as he approached the body. Coming closer, he saw a student in school robes looking at the ceiling. His lifeless eyes had no light in them neither was he breathing. Dumbledore was shocked! Even though he had heard what happened from Sol, looking at it firsthand really has an impact. Even though he had many people die in the Wizarding Wars, it was another different thing seeing a student die inside Hogwarts. Especially when it was a time of peace!

He looked at the boy's face. He recognized him to be Colin Creevey. A first-year student who was excellent in his demeanor and studies. He was very much like Sol who was now in his third year. The only difference was that where Sol tried to keep a low profile, Colin didn't shy away from fame. Dumbledore felt a headache coming. Colin's death was going to create a lot of problems. Aside from the possibility of him having to step down from his position as Headmaster, it would make the wizarding populace lose trust in the school and its staff. Dumbledore looked around and saw Gryffindor's sword and a black diary next to it. Leaving the body, Dumbledore rushed towards the two objects. Gryffindor's sword was coated in blood and the black diary had a stab hole in it. The diary was emitting dark magic signatures. Dumbledore's brows knit into a tight frown. He didn't have good feelings about this. Looking back at Colin's body, Dumbledore sighed in resignation. He could only think of how to mitigate the damage caused by this incident.

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"MR. BALOR!! WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU?!"

"I'm sorry."

Stolen novel; please report.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY LAST TIME?!"

"T-That I would be careful."

"SO WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"I-I was careful."

"AND WHAT PART OF HAVING YOUR ARM BITTEN BY A BASILISK IS 'BEING CAREFUL'?"

"At least, I didn't d-die," Sol's voice kept getting quieter and quieter.

"OH MY GOD! YOU ARE GOING TO DRIVE ME INSANE!!"

"I'm sorry, Madam Pomfrey."

Madam Pomfrey looked at him with furious eyes. The boy in front of her was a big troublemaker. He had to have at least one big incident every year. And all of it had some part of himself heavily injured. What is he? A masochist?

As she shoved potion after potion down his gullet, she gradually calmed down. At least, she calmed down enough to not scream every word she was speaking.

"You are going to have to stay here for a week and then some more days to check for sequela. Drinking the potions you had lessened the corrosion of your veins by a considerable margin but the damage is still there. It's actually quite admirable that you haven't been screaming in pain. If not for your pale veins and the black veins on your arm, no one could tell you're poisoned."

"Hehe!" Sol smiled sheepishly.

"Wipe that foolish smile off your face!" Madam Pomfrey scolded. "Next time something like this happens, I'll get a murtlap to bite you!"

Sol immediately revealed a terrified expression. Nodding in satisfaction, Madam Pomfrey drew the curtains on his hospital bed saying, "Sleep now. It's been a long day."

After drawing the curtains, Madam Pomfrey left the room, presumably to report to the Headmaster. On his bed, Sol made himself comfortable. Though his arm was hurting like hell, it was still manageable. Sol smirked and looked at Iris who had slithered onto his arm. She had gone into hiding when Madam Pomfrey was diagnosing him.

Most of the steps have been taken, only five more to go. It shouldn't be too hard to change their memories. It's the only route I could've taken based on the circumstances [1]. The storm will hit everyone especially the one who started this. At least, the school won't get closed this way, hopefully...

He then closed his eyes and waited for nightfall, after which he snuck out.

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Next Day.

Sol sat up on the hospital bed, leaning his back against the frame. He was talking with Katie and Cormac. The atmosphere was heavy everywhere within the school. The news of Colin's death had already spread within the entire school. The students were both in mourning and afraid. The death of Colin made the students fearful for their own lives. They had their eyes peeled opened so that they didn't die as well. Many rumors were going about. Mostly about the school closing and whatnot. Hearing the rumors, Sol started sweating heavily.

This isn't how the script is supposed to play out!

Also, the aurors and other people from the Ministry of Magic were coming. They were about to conduct a thorough search of the castle for the Basilisk. As the three were talking, the doors opened to the Infirmary Wing opened. In came the Headmaster along with three other people, two men, and a woman. One of the men was walking alongside Dumbledore, he had brown hair and a round face. His face had a hint of weariness on it and he was wearing a grey dinner coat. The other man and woman were walking side by side behind Dumbledore. The man looked very similar to Colin and the woman had Colin's nose. They were his parents.

The four approached Sol and the rest. Dumbledore smiled and asked Cormac and Katie, "Would you mind if we borrowed Mr. Balor over here?"

The two quickly shook their heads and left the room casting glances at Sol. After they left, the four looked at Sol who looked at them with a confused and pale look.

"Mr. Balor, how are you?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm fine, Headmaster. Madam Pomfrey told me to stay put for now. Although I did do some emergency first aid, the venom did damage me a bit." Sol showed them his arm. Black veins spread across it, looking like snakes slithering. The others except Dumbledore gasped. Sol looked at the others and with a confused expression he asked, "These are...?"

"Ah, yes!" the Headmaster looked at the man in the dinner coat, "This is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Balor," Fudge said with a smile.

Sol looked stunned before replying, "Same here, Minister."

"And behind me are Mr. and Mrs. Creevey." As soon as Dumbledore introduced the two, Sol let out a pained and remorseful look. He was unable to meet their eyes and shifted them down. Naturally, this change in expression was seen by the four who felt that Sol felt pained of his friend's death. Though it was only Mrs. Creevey who had seen the remorse and regret in his expression, feeling that there might be something more that had happened.

"Mr. Balor, we need to learn what happened in the Chamber of Secrets," Fudge urged Sol.

"The Chamber of Secrets?" Sol looked at them with a puzzled expression.

"It was what the place was called," Dumbledore explained.

"I see..." saying that, Sol 'recounted' the events that occurred in the Chamber of Secrets."