Chapter 455: Chamber of Secrets

Bai Lang parts ways with Harry and the others and returns to his dorm— that night he stays in a small house handling his loot, preserving the items in low‑temperature fridges meant for serum storage. The fridges are pricey, but since he has magic it's easier to solve—Bai Lang uses magical insulating material and temperature‑control spells, buying plenty of dry ice for preservation—at least dry ice isn't expensive.

Time passes, the mandrake looks ready to mature, and a new attack shows up—this time it isn't petrification but Ginny's disappearance, accompanied by a warning note to everyone. Bai Lang gets pulled into it—Harry, Ron and Hermione Granger stare at him, "We need your help, Bai." Harry says, "Even though Dumbledore isn't here, why don't you go find Professor McGonagall? Or at least let her know? Harry, do you think you're a savior? Can you rescue everyone?"

After Bai Lang finishes speaking, he grabs his wand, "Since you say that, you must already have a lead. Let's go—where do we rescue Ginny?" He looks at Harry Potter and the Ron and Hermione Granger behind him, "Don't worry about informing the teacher yet; rescuing comes first, we can deal with point deductions later."

"Actually… Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart may have already left," Hermione Granger says, and Harry and Ron look at her, "You didn't tell us that." Bai Lang leads them to Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart's office, and sure enough the guy is about to slip away. Bai Lang doesn't intervene, but Harry and the others begin questioning Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart's escape, and the man ends up laying his aura bare. Bai Lang watches from the side—and when Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart attempts a Memory Charm, Hermione Granger immediately disarms him.

"Alright, the Harry and Hermione Granger here look dozens of times stronger than Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart; Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart's skill is probably only comparable to Ron's, and his spell level is such that only the Memory Charm beats Bai Lang's. So he's pinned and sent to the women's restroom—Hermione Granger's idea, and Harry quickly regains his composure. He goes in and asks Pomona Sprout how she died. Meanwhile Bai Lang wonders, 'Will Pomona Sprout recognize me? After all, let me think—I wasn't wearing a robe, and that day I didn't show my wand.'"

While Bai Lang ponders the question, he also frowns, "Now you've made your own mess; you'll have to smell the stink after the snake rots—how unlucky!" Bai Lang is already thinking whether to have Hermione Granger give him a bubble‑head spell later—he believes Hermione Granger will probably know it. Harry figures out the situation and, with Ron, finds the copper dragon head bearing a snake's head. "This dragon head never lets water out." Pomona Sprout, seeing Harry try to unscrew it, says cheerfully, "Harry," Ron says, "say a few words. Speak a few lines in a snake‑like tone."

Harry tries once and fails. After a brief mental preparation, he, under everyone's watch, says "Open," producing a strange hissing sound. Instantly, the dragon head emits a dazzling white light and spins rapidly. Then the pool begins to move. They watch as the pool slowly vanishes from sight, revealing a huge water pipe big enough for a person to crawl into.

Next, Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart is forced to go first, the first down, then Harry second, Ron third, Bai Lang fourth, and Hermione Granger last. "Hmm, indeed not very pleasant." Bai Lang's nose is extremely keen; he is the first to detect the odor. "Sure enough, Dumbledore also doesn't know the Chamber's location," he thinks, then says to Hermione Granger, "Can you give me a bubble‑head spell?" Hermione Granger looks at him, Bai Lang nods, "The smell is a bit foul; I don't know the bubble‑head spell. If anyone here can do it, it's probably you, Hermione Granger."

The young witch proudly lifts her head, draws her wand, mutters a spell and flicks, and Bai Lang's head is instantly enveloped by an invisible bubble. "Ah, the air feels much fresher," Bai Lang remarks, "Indeed, trusting your magical ability was not a mistake, Hermione Granger." Harry and Ron both request Hermione Granger to cast the bubble‑head spell on them, while the pitiful Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart receives none.

The tunnel is intricate and dark, nothing like the one Bai Lang explored before, and Harry's chosen route differs from Bai Lang's, but Bai Lang doesn't mind—after all they'll eventually reach the end. "Remember," Harry whispers as they tread cautiously, "If anything moves, shut your eyes immediately…" Yet the tunnel is as silent as a tomb; they only hear an unexpected sound—crack! —and find that Ron has stepped on an old mouse skull.

"Harry, there's something there," Ron grabs Harry's shoulder, his voice hoarse. Bai Lang steps forward and scans, "Don't worry, just a snake shed." He heads toward the tangled mass, and as they get closer they indeed find a gigantic green snake shed. Seeing it, everyone except Bai Lang is startled—the shed is enormous and vivid green. Hermione Granger covers her mouth to keep from screaming.

Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart's legs go weak; he spins to run, Ron tries to stop him but clumsily bumps into Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart, causing his wand to fall. Gilderoy Gilderoy Lockhart reaches to retrieve his wand, but with a deep "dong" sound, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's eyes roll white and he collapses. Bai Lang grins, sheathing his wand, "Physical stun spell plus physical Memory Charm—effect is superb!"

The three of them are about to roll their eyes at Bai Lang, staring at his long wand and the yellow, egg‑sized "amber" at its tip. Hermione Granger kindly goes up to inspect, "Oh, it's not dead." Harry and Ron are indifferent; Ron picks up his wand, "Hey, Hermione Granger, just as you trust your magic, I trust my force won't kill him—at most a stun and amnesia, I guarantee the bones won't break." Bai Lang says.

"Then let's keep moving," Harry says. The three young wizards carefully skirt the snake shed, while Bai Lang is unbothered; he even has time to scan with his wand, finding no treasure.

Ahead is another door; Harry opens it again, Bai Lang pats the recording sphere in his pocket, and from now on they rely on the bubble‑head spell, so Harry, Ron and Bai Lang avoid being knocked out by the rotting stench… Ginny Weasley lies not far away; Harry and Ron rush over, finding her pale and unconscious on the ground, still breathing. They also discover the source of the foul odor—just in front of a massive human‑faced statue, the cavern supported by huge columns entwined with snakes, where a gigantic snake, its corpse water rotting, lies.

Harry and the others can tell without climbing up that the massive serpent monster is already dead. Beside the dead serpent, a figure cloaked in a light veil sits. "Tom?" Harry asks, "Did you kill the serpent?"

"Oh, Harry. This serpent has been dead for at least a few months; you can see it's rotted down to almost just bones." Bai Lang pauses then offers Harry the reminder.