The Chamber of Secrets incident—which had cast a long shadow of fear over the entire school—had finally come to an end. And its resolution? A carefully orchestrated drama directed by Dumbledore, starring none other than Kai Adler.
But as the other key player in that drama, Harry Potter, wandered the familiar stone corridors of Hogwarts, he found himself unusually quiet, deep in thought.
He had just returned from the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore, now back at the school, had shared many things with him.
Harry had learned that the sword he pulled from the Sorting Hat could only be summoned by a true Gryffindor. He learned that his ability to speak Parseltongue—and even his sorting into Gryffindor—had been shaped by his own choices, not some inherited destiny. And most importantly, he learned that Voldemort would one day return.
Dumbledore's words echoed in his mind:
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities…"
A strange new feeling had taken root in Harry—a sense of responsibility. If Voldemort truly would return, then Harry had to be ready. He had defeated him once; he would do it again.
But determination alone wouldn't be enough.
His thoughts turned, inevitably, to Kai Adler.
Hermione's spellwork in the Forbidden Forest had been extraordinary—and she had said she learned from Kai.
Maybe I could ask him to teach me too…
But last he heard, Kai was still in the hospital wing, having been petrified by the Basilisk.
Harry sighed—then stopped abruptly as a figure stepped into his path.
He looked up—and instinctively took two steps back.
"Malfoy?"
Draco Malfoy stood before him. He still held his chin high as usual, but his expression was more restrained, almost hesitant. His eyes drifted away from Harry's face, unwilling to meet his gaze.
He had been conscious—though paralyzed—on the cold floor of the Chamber of Secrets. Though unable to move or open his eyes, his mind had been clear, and he'd heard everything that Harry said and did down there.
And now, he knew the truth.
The diary his father had given him contained a fragment of Voldemort's soul. The opening of the Chamber, the rampaging Basilisk, his own torment and near-death experience… all had come from that single cursed item.
And the person who saved him was none other than Harry Potter—the boy he had constantly scorned and opposed.
Draco had awoken in the hospital wing with this truth weighing heavily on his mind. And after a long period of hesitation, he had dragged himself to wait at the entrance of Gryffindor Tower.
Now that Harry was in front of him, Draco swallowed, face stiff.
"That… about what happened in the Chamber… thanks."
Then, almost awkwardly, he held out his hand.
Harry blinked, staring at him as if a Blast-Ended Skrewt had just offered to do his homework.
Who are you, and what have you done with Draco Malfoy?
Still, Harry couldn't ignore the genuine gesture. After a moment's hesitation, he shook the outstretched hand.
"I just did what anyone would have done. If it had been someone else down there, I would've saved them too."
"Hmph." Malfoy quickly withdrew his hand. "Good. I don't want to owe you anything."
With that, he turned and hurried off, cape swishing behind him.
Harry stared after him for a moment, then shrugged and entered the Gryffindor common room.
The moment he stepped inside, the room erupted into cheers.
"Harry!"
Dozens of students rushed to greet him like a conquering hero. Ron sat among them, grinning as if he had just slain the Basilisk himself.
Clearly, he'd been regaling everyone with tales of their adventure in the Chamber.
Harry threw a questioning look at Ron as he was swarmed by younger students.
Ron gave a small shake of his head.
After they had emerged from the Chamber, Dumbledore had appeared and asked them not to speak publicly about Voldemort's involvement—for now. It would only stir panic.
Though Ron loved telling stories, Harry knew he would never break Dumbledore's trust. His tale had likely been edited to omit the darker truth.
After soaking in a few more moments of unexpected fame, Harry and Ron made their way upstairs to their dormitory, both grinning from ear to ear.
But the moment they opened the door, they froze.
Kai Adler was sitting on his bed, frowning deeply at a letter in his hand.
"Kai!"
The two boys rushed to him, visibly relieved. "You're okay?!"
Kai nodded absentmindedly, still staring at the letter. His distant expression made them nervous.
Was he still affected by the Basilisk? Some kind of after-effect?
But then he looked up—and for once, the usually composed and enigmatic Kai Adler looked… lost.
"What… what do you give a girl for her birthday?"
Harry and Ron: "…?"
They had braced themselves for some dramatic post-trauma conversation.
And instead, this?
Harry blinked. "Is… is it Hermione's birthday soon?"
Kai lifted the letter slightly. "Her parents wrote to me. They mentioned her birthday is coming in three days—and asked me to make some preparations."
Harry gave him a teasing grin. "Sounds like Mr. and Mrs. Granger are quite fond of you."
Kai smirked, but didn't deny it. "It certainly appears that way."
But even he seemed unsure.
Truth was, back in his former life—eighteen years of academic obsession and solitude—he had never once thought about relationships, let alone birthdays or romance. He had barely spoken to girls.
Hermione was the only girl he had ever been close to. And now, he was utterly lost.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look. If Kai Adler didn't know what to do… what hope did they have?
"I know!" Ron said brightly. "Take her to a big Quidditch match! You could even take her flying—she'd love that!"
Kai stared at him. "She hates flying."
"Oh… right."
"I think we should get her a nice cake," Harry offered. "Throw a proper birthday party. She'd like that."
Kai nodded slowly. "Not a bad idea—but not very memorable."
It was the first birthday they would celebrate since becoming close. He wanted it to be unforgettable. Something Hermione would cherish.
Still, there were three days to plan. He'd figure something out.
As he tucked away the letter, Harry and Ron hesitated.
There was something else they had wanted to ask.
"Um, Kai…"
"That is…"
They both spoke at once, then gestured for the other to go first.
"You go."
"No, you."
Kai was already at the tea table, where his pristine German porcelain tea set sat. With practiced ease, he brewed a pot of strong black tea and poured a cup.
"Just say it," he said calmly.
Harry cleared his throat. "Would you… would you teach me how to cast more advanced spells? Like the ones you taught Hermione?"
Ron quickly added, "Yeah, me too. That's what I was going to say!"
Kai took a sip of tea, regarding their hopeful expressions.
"You want me to train you?"
They nodded earnestly.
A flicker of amusement passed through his eyes.
The Chamber of Secrets had finally lit a fire under these two.
He set down his teacup and said, "Alright. Hermione's birthday is in three days. If you two can give her a genuinely memorable surprise… I'll consider it your entrance exam."
"It's a deal!"
Both boys answered at once, bolting from the room in excitement.
Kai watched the so-called "Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix" disappear with a sigh.
He suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.