The Heir of Slytherin is the seventeenth chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Events[]
Harry enters the Chamber of Secrets and finds an unconscious Ginny. He is surprised when the physical form of Tom Riddle at the age 16 shows up and picks up his wand. He tells Tom they need to go before the Basilisk arrives but Tom tells Harry he is responsible because he is the Heir of Slytherin. Tom admits to using the Diary to manipulate Ginny into sharing her heart and soul so he could possess and control her. He forces her to open the Chamber of Secrets, put warnings on the walls and kill roosters. Even though he originally wanted to purge the school using the Basilisk, he now has a new target once he learned about his future: Harry.
Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes shows up to help Harry and gives him the Sorting Hat. Tom mocks it because he doesn't understand why Dumbledore sent something so unhelpful and unleashes the Basilisk. Harry begins running and falls over but Fawkes intervenes by tearing the Basilisk's eyes out. Harry puts the Sorting Hat on and begs it to help. The Sword of Gryffindor appears in the hat. Harry uses it to kill the Basilisk but in the process, a fang embeds in his arm.
Tom laughs because the fang is poisoning Harry and will kill him in less than a minute. Fawkes cries on the wound because the tears of a pheonix has healing powers. Harry's wound clears up and he is saved. He picks up the fang and intuitively stabs the Diary. It destroys Tom and the Diary. Ginny wakes up and Fawkes flies Harry, Ginny, Ron and Lockhart back to the school where they head to Professor McGonagall's office.
Characters[]
| Notable appearances | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chapter guide[]
| Chapters in Harry Potter books | |
|---|---|
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 16 • 17 |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 16 • 17 • 18 |
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 21 • 22 |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | Companion novels |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 Epilogue |
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them • Quidditch Through the Ages • The Tales of Beedle the Bard |