Over the course of seven years at Hogwarts, Harry Potter came across a variety of threats, but the way he interacted and battled some of these have been put into question, such as how he handled the Basilisk in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as it’s believed he could have controlled it. The Harry Potter saga told the story of “The Boy Who Lived” and his battle against Lord Voldemort, the darkest wizard of all, who had dangerous plans for both the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds.
Harry and friends came across different threats each year they were at Hogwarts, culminating with a battle with Voldemort himself and his Death Eaters in the final novel and movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and in order to defeat him, they had to return to the Chamber of Secrets for a Basilisk fang, as Harry defeated this creature during their second year. The Basilisk was no easy enemy, but thanks to the sword of Gryffindor, Harry finally killed this monster – but could Harry have actually controlled the Basilisk thanks to the abilities that being a “horcrux” gave him?
Why Harry Potter Could Have Controlled The Basilisk (But Didn’t)
Harry Potter became “The Boy Who Lived” after Lord Voldemort failed to kill him due to the sacrifice of Harry’s mother, Lily. As the spell backfired, Voldemort lost his powers and his physical form was obliterated, while Harry was left with a scar on his forehead and a piece of Voldemort’s already unstable soul latched onto him, thus turning Harry into an accidental horcrux. Because of this, Harry had some of Voldemort’s abilities, most notably the ability to speak Parseltongue, which he unintentionally used in the first book/movie at the zoo and later in Chamber of Secrets during a duel. Because of his ability to speak Parseltongue and his link to Voldemort through the piece of his soul in him, Harry Potter could have been able to control the Basilisk during their encounter in the Chamber of Secrets, thus making its defeat a lot easier for the young wizard.
Now, Tom Riddle told Harry at the Chamber of Secrets that Parseltongue wouldn’t save him as the Basilisk only obeyed him, but as a part of him was in Harry, the creature could have also obeyed Harry to an extent. It has been theorized that, given how manipulative Voldemort was and his incredible skill with words to get people to do as he pleased, Tom Riddle lied when he said the Basilisk only obeyed him so Harry wouldn’t try and thus prove him wrong, though it's important to remember that Riddle/Voldemort wasn't aware that Harry was a horcrux.
How Harry Potter Manipulating The Basilisk Would Have Changed The Saga
Of course, at that moment, Harry Potter didn’t know there was a piece of Voldemort’s soul in him, so he wouldn’t have even tried to communicate with the Basilisk, but had he tried and succeeded at it, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets would have ended very differently. Harry could have used the Basilisk to destroy Tom Riddle’s diary, though he might have still had to kill the creature in order to avoid more danger and in case Voldemort made a full return, otherwise, the Dark Lord could have easily returned for the Basilisk and use it to kill a lot of people, mostly at Hogwarts. Harry Potter would have also had a lot more confidence in his abilities after manipulating the Basilisk, which could have saved him some struggles in subsequent stories, but ultimately, whether he was truly capable of controlling the Basilisk or not, the Harry Potter saga is much better if he wasn’t.