Harry Potter: The Wandmaker

As much as he hated it, Snape still followed Dumbledore out of the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey still wouldn't let Harold leave.

By noon, Ron finally woke up. After much pleading, Harry and Hermione were allowed in to visit.

From them, Harold learned that both had been awarded fifty House Points each—credited for uncovering Lockhart's scheme and helping foil his plan to unleash the basilisk on the school.

Neither of them, however, had received a Special Services to the School award.

Still, Harry and Ron seemed overjoyed, their faces glowing red with excitement.

Somehow, news of the Chamber, the basilisk, and the three-headed dog had already spread throughout the school… The gaping hole in the Entrance Hall, the scorched Quidditch pitch, and the massive paw prints on the grounds were all undeniable evidence.

A legendary clash between magical beasts—Fluffy versus the basilisk. The students were losing their minds, desperate to hear what had really happened.

Harry and Hermione had already repeated the same story countless times. But every time a new group caught them in the corridor, the questions started all over again.

They had come to the hospital wing not only to visit Harold and Ron, but also for a bit of peace. With Madam Pomfrey around, no one else could get in to bombard them with questions.

What they hadn't expected was that Harold himself would be so curious—he ended up asking just as many questions as the others.

But Harold was different. He already knew parts of the truth, so Harry and Hermione didn't hold back and told him everything as it happened.

Just as Ron had said, Harry had noticed something off about Lockhart. Then, after overhearing a conversation between ghosts, they discovered the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets—and by a twist of fate, unlocked it and exposed Lockhart's plot.

It all sounded very reasonable. After all, they had done something similar last year—following a professor, solving puzzles, and eventually stopping Quirrell from stealing the Philosopher's Stone.

Only this time, the stakes had gone up. The basilisk wasn't Quirrell; it wouldn't crumble to dust just by brushing against Harry. Their only option had been to run and look for help.

Which just so happened to bring them into contact with Harold and Hagrid—then everything had unfolded from there.

Hagrid dragged off the basilisk, and Harold rode Fluffy to assist…

Harry shook his head. No matter how many times he replayed the image of Harold riding the three-headed dog, it still felt surreal. Even now.

Maybe they'd gotten too loud while talking, because before long, Madam Pomfrey came to shoo them out.

…

The next day, Harold and Ron were finally allowed to leave the hospital wing.

But Ron didn't seem very pleased.

"If I'd stayed one more day, I could've skipped exams," he grumbled. "Should've asked Fred for a Skiving Snackbox—would've done the trick."

Harold doubted that. Not because of the Snackbox—they worked brilliantly, and even Madam Pomfrey hadn't caught on yet.

But Ron probably couldn't afford one.

Fred didn't offer family discounts, and if he wasn't overcharging Ron, that was already showing brotherly love.

When the two entered the Great Hall, they were instantly the center of attention.

Ron beamed like a star—until the morning owls dropped off the newest issue of the Daily Prophet.

"Look at this! Lockhart's a fraud!" someone shouted.

The entire hall turned toward the paper. Students who didn't subscribe rushed to huddle around those who did.

Hermione, fortunately, had a subscription. Harry and Ron leaned over on either side of her and read aloud:

"According to sources, the contents of Gilderoy Lockhart's books are not his personal experiences, but stolen memories from others."

"Wizard Grant Feedy, whose memory had been erased, has now recovered under treatment at St. Mungo's, and he has exposed Lockhart's shameless deceit."

There was a picture of a big-nosed wizard gesturing wildly.

"He asked me how I drove off the werewolf—said it was for a Prophet article…"

"We later tracked down several other victims. Everything Lockhart claimed to have done was actually the work of others whose memories he stole!"

There were seven photos, each showing a different witch or wizard—and each paired with the real tale behind Lockhart's "accomplishments":

The big-nosed wizard had defended a village from a werewolf.

A hunched old witch had banished a banshee.

A half-goblin had taken down a vicious vampire…

Every one of Lockhart's "heroic tales" had a real, living counterpart.

The Great Hall exploded with chatter.

"I told you he was a fraud! And you didn't believe me!" Ron gloated, nudging Hermione.

She said nothing. She hadn't believed him at first—but during their recent investigation of Lockhart, she'd already figured out the truth.

So this article didn't shock her much—it only made her realize Lockhart was even worse than she thought.

All those books. All those lies.

For the rest of the day, the news about Lockhart completely overshadowed the basilisk and Fluffy.

The hole in the Entrance Hall was quickly repaired. The professors even reinforced the plumbing system to prevent anything similar from happening again.

The Quidditch pitch was resodded, the divots from Fluffy's paws smoothed out. Before long, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

With exams looming, students soon stopped gossiping about the basilisk—whose story lived on only in whispered retellings.

Was it all over? Maybe.

Harold still had questions. For example, how had Harry heard Lockhart's voice from inside his office?

And why would ghosts, who usually avoided sharing secrets in front of the living, suddenly blurt out the location of the Chamber?

Why that moment?

And what about Dumbledore's "protective enchantment" on the entrance—a few colored animal figures? That was supposed to be powerful magic? And why did it just so happen that one of the figures was a snake—just in time for Harry to accidentally speak Parseltongue?

Then there was Dumbledore himself—who supposedly left the castle after receiving a letter. But the greatest white wizard of the age, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, duped by a simple message?

Did he not notice the moment Riddle tampered with his enchantment?

And what about Fawkes, the phoenix?

Harold stabbed a forkful of roast potato and looked across the table at Harry, who was laughing with Ron about possible exam questions.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

What would've happened if he hadn't gone to visit Hagrid that night? If he and Hagrid hadn't crossed paths with the others right at that moment?

Harry and Hermione would've been trapped in the Entrance Hall. They would've run, the basilisk would've chased them—through the castle, maybe outside.

Eventually, they'd split up—one to distract the basilisk, one to find help.

Harry would've been the decoy. He wouldn't outrun it, of course. He would've been caught.

And then, Fawkes would've appeared—with the Sorting Hat. Just in time.

A phoenix is immune to the basilisk's stare, after all.

And suddenly, everything made sense.

Dumbledore had orchestrated this, hadn't he? A chance for Harry to gain experience. After all, he was impulsive, reckless—hardly ready to face Voldemort in a real fight.

It was just a theory.

But Harold decided to believe in Dumbledore, no matter what. The man was just old, that's all—too old to notice when someone forgets they're carrying a lizard-hide pouch.

Snape, too, must've simply forgotten about it for a moment.

Dumbledore hadn't.

Harold had seen him glance at his sleeve—right where the pouch was hidden.

But the Headmaster hadn't said a word. Hadn't reminded Snape either.

Harold ran a hand over his cuff. His fingers brushed a hidden pocket. A moment later, he was holding two massive, curved, eight-inch-long fangs—razor-sharp, like daggers.

Basilisk fangs. The largest from the upper jaw.

The third had snapped during the fight. The fourth had been blasted across the Entrance Hall and lodged into a painting. When Harold returned later, the tooth was gone—likely retrieved by one of the professors.

He'd also found something else… but that wasn't quite so easy to reveal.

(End of Chapter)