Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Evan, Harry, Hermione, and Elaine, wands raised, advanced along the dark, narrow passage.

Soon, the darkness around them began to fade.

Without the need for wand light, the darkness was dispelled by the glow emanating from the walls, floor, and ceiling.

It was a brilliant crimson light, the color of red-hot iron or glowing filaments — an intense, fiery red like rock heated to the point of incandescence. The strange luminescence painted everything in shades of scarlet; even the air seemed to shimmer with a reddish tint.

The change in color was accompanied by a rapidly rising temperature, scorching everything.

Evan estimated that the four of them were now deep within the molten layers of the earth, completely surrounded by magma.

Even with magical protection, it couldn’t keep the surrounding rock from igniting under the extreme heat.

Likewise, even magical protection couldn’t shield Evan and the others from the astonishing heat emanating from the rock walls.

“It’s so hot!” Elaine wiped the sweat from her forehead.

The heat had even brought a faint flush to her normally pale face — a rare sight.

“This should help a little,” said Evan, waving his wand toward her and casting a temperature-regulating charm.

“It’s not much cooler. Vampires hate heat,” Elaine continued, sticking out her tongue and stretching her collar.

“If this Chamber of Secrets is Slytherin’s true vault, what do you think we’ll find below?” Harry asked expectantly, his curiosity piqued. “Could it be some kind of legendary magical item? Like the Twin Serpent Staff or the Locket?”

“Possibly. Slytherin had many valuable collections, and legendary magical items were just a part of them,” Evan replied in a casual tone. “If you ask me, I’d rather prefer a clue to the evil god or a key to a secret treasure.”

Of course, he wouldn’t complain if they stumbled upon a powerful magical item either.

“But it won’t be that simple,” he continued. “Don’t forget, Slytherin only intended his treasures for the pure-blooded, for those he considered true wizards. I doubt he was just boasting. If this is truly his vault, he probably wouldn’t leave us anything.”

The thought had been nagging at Evan since they opened the door.

Strictly speaking, none of the four of them met Slytherin’s pureblood requirements.

Evan and Hermione were obvious; Harry, though he had inherited part of Voldemort’s bloodline and magical gift, was still a half-blood. As for Elaine, she was nominally the heir of Slytherin, but her actual lineage was even more mixed, a blend of evil god, vampires, and wizards.

If Salazar Slytherin had truly designed his vault to recognize and reward only those of untainted lineage, then he must have left behind some kind of enchantment or mechanism to test it.

And if that were the case, none of the four of them would pass.

“Hmph, pure-blood again. It’s hard to believe one of Hogwarts’ founders could be so prejudiced. Seriously, no matter what Slytherin left down there, I hate this place,” Hermione wrinkled her nose and looked around uneasily. “Now is not the time to hunt for treasure. We’d better leave here quickly. The goblins above must have realized what happened by now. The tracks were destroyed by the dragon. They can’t come down, but they’ll definitely be guarding the main passages.”

“Don’t worry about that, Hermione. No matter how many goblins and Death Eaters are guarding up there, it’s useless — we’re not leaving the same way we came. I studied Gringotts’ underground layout before. This cavern connects directly to Diagon Alley above. Once we’re done here, we’ll ride the dragon straight up — nothing will be able to stop us.”

As he spoke, Evan came to a halt. The four of them had reached the end of the passage. “Since we’ve come this far, we should at least take a proper look around. Besides, it seems we’re already at the end. Look, that’s the end of the passage. Come on, let’s see what’s inside.”

Evan stepped forward to the very end of the tunnel, and before them unfolded a world bathed in deep crimson — a world made entirely of fire.

What appeared before him seemed like a road of flames. The four of them stared in stunned silence, lost in this blindingly red world where up and down, left and right seemed to blur together. They gazed at the sight for a long time before Evan finally came back to his senses. What lay before them was a confined space.

There was no way forward. What Evan had thought was a path of fire was actually a river of molten magma.

The ceiling above and the surrounding walls were all engulfed by flowing lava, merging together into one overwhelming inferno.

The heat was raging, the flames seemingly consuming everything.

In this space composed entirely of flames, the four figures seemed so small, so isolated and helpless.

Evan stood at the end of the secret passage, peering inward, with Harry, Hermione, and Elaine standing behind him.

On the wall facing them was a relief sculpture, half-buried under the molten rock; it was a statue of Salazar Slytherin.

Though its details couldn’t be discerned, the text on it was clearly visible. It wasn’t Parseltongue, but plain English.

The words, formed from the protruding stones, conveyed the message:

“By the blood that falls, truth is revealed; by the blood that’s pure, the treasure bestowed.”

“By the blood that falls, truth is revealed; by the blood that’s pure, the treasure bestowed,” Evan repeated quietly.

“What does that mean?” Hermione asked.

“Exactly what we suspected. Salazar Slytherin must have set up some sort of test to verify the bloodline of whoever reached this point, and decide whether to grant them his treasure,” said Evan, eyes narrowing as he examined the walls. “Well, if I’m not mistaken, I think he meant for us to let our blood fall into the magma below.”

“It seems so!” Hermione agreed, scanning the inscription again.

“What are you talking about?” Harry asked, puzzled.

“It’s just a guess, Harry, but it should be close. Stand back and let me try.”

Evan stretched out his left hand as he spoke, and with his wand in his right hand, he lightly traced a line across the index finger of his left.

A thin cut appeared on his finger, and a few drops of bright red blood fell into the endless molten magma below.

Soon, the blood merged into the deeper crimson, seemingly evaporating.

For a moment, nothing happened, but then a pillar of fire suddenly shot up into the sky from the spot where Evan’s blood had fallen.

Amid Harry and Hermione’s shouts and a deafening roar, the pillar of fire surged toward Evan with astonishing force.

Evan hurriedly raised his wand, and a shimmering protective shield appeared out of thin air, blocking the attack.

The flames and the shield clashed violently until both energies burned out and faded.

“Evan, what just happened?” Hermione gasped, eyes wide, pulling him back. “That fire pillar —”

“It confirmed our suspicion, but my blood doesn’t meet Slytherin’s requirements, so it gave me nothing — instead, it attacked me with magic,” said Evan, squinting his eyes and moving forward again, examining the relief on the opposite wall. “If I’d known that, I would’ve brought some blood from those pure-blood wizards instead!”