Halloween was a school holiday, and most students either spent the day roaming the grounds or relaxing in their dormitories.
But on the morning of November 1st, the Hufflepuff common room was packed with students.
There weren't even enough seats.
They were whispering and chattering away in excitement.
"What exactly is the Chamber of Secrets? I heard it's been opened?"
"I think I remember my dad mentioning it once. I thought he was just trying to scare me into going to bed early!"
"They say the spell cast on Mrs. Norris is an extremely powerful form of Dark Magic, something even Professor Dumbledore couldn't handle."
"Who told you that? Since when has Professor Dumbledore ever been powerless?"
"It was the Weasley twins from Gryffindor. Their youngest brother went with Professor Dumbledore to check on Mrs. Norris."
"I think that Ronald Weasley is really suspicious… and Potter and Granger too. Why were those three Gryffindor students at the entrance to the basement? And they've never gotten along with Mr. Filch."
"Yeah, didn't Ronald Weasley get detention from Mr. Filch back in September?"
"And Potter had a fight with him too..."
...
From first-years to seventh-years, everyone was chiming in with their opinions.
Though the discussion was clearly getting off track.
Suddenly, there was a noise at the archway, and a plump witch climbed into view.
"Professor..." The students quickly surrounded her. "Professor Sprout…"
"What exactly is the Chamber of Secrets?" Hannah Abbott asked eagerly.
"How's Mrs. Norris?" Cedric Diggory asked with concern.
"Um… Professor… what's a Squib?" Justin Finch-Fletchley scratched his head, puzzled.
"It's alright… Let me answer one question at a time," said Pomona Sprout, her eyes bloodshot as if she hadn't slept at all. Even after checking on the petrified Mrs. Norris and tending to the mandrakes in the greenhouse, she'd come straight to the Hufflepuff common room to reassure her students.
"Mrs. Norris is in no danger. She's just been petrified!" Professor Sprout said. "Mandrakes can cure her easily… and conveniently, we have a batch growing in our greenhouse right now!"
The students erupted in cheers.
"What about the Chamber, Professor?" a sixth-year girl asked quickly. "It's just a prank, right? Something Potter or Weasley came up with?"
"The Chamber of Secrets…" Professor Sprout's tone turned grave. "That's no prank…"
"There's a legend—though it's only a legend—about Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin, the four greatest witches and wizards of their time. Together, they founded Hogwarts…"
"In the early years, the founders worked in harmony, traveling far and wide to find young witches and wizards showing signs of magic and bringing them to the castle for training. But over time, disagreements arose. Slytherin believed magical education should be restricted to pure-blood families. He refused to admit Muggle-born children, thinking they couldn't be trusted. Eventually, this led to a fierce argument—and Slytherin left the school."
"That's where the strange legend of the Chamber comes from… The story goes that Slytherin secretly built a hidden room in the castle, unknown to the other founders. He sealed the Chamber so that no one could open it—until his true heir arrived at the school. Only that heir could unlock the Chamber, unleash the horror within, and 'purge' the school of all unworthy to learn magic."
"In other words, Muggle-borns and Squibs."
As she spoke, Professor Sprout curled her lip.
"But it's just a legend, right?" Eloise Midgen said, shivering.
"We all thought it was…" Professor Sprout said seriously. "But then… fifty years ago, when I was a second-year Hufflepuff, the Chamber was opened."
"What?!" Several girls shrieked and took a few steps back in fear.
"A Ravenclaw student died. It was terrible magic… To this day, no one knows what truly caused her death. Eventually, Armando Dippet found the 'culprit,' and we all thought it was over…"
"Ahhh—!" Susan Bones suddenly let out a scream, as if she'd seen something horrifying, and stumbled forward in panic.
Several girls nearby screamed and ran as well, convinced that the monster from the Chamber had broken loose and entered the Hufflepuff common room.
Professor Sprout frowned and quickly spotted the culprits. She drew her wand and muttered lazily:
"Impedimenta!"
She halted two small creatures that had been darting across the floor, trying to escape the common room.
"I'm so sorry, Professor!" Jon Hart came rushing over, cradling a glass cage.
"Jon, letting your pets loose to scare your classmates isn't acceptable!" she said as she scooped up the two South African red spiders and returned them to the cage. Her tone was reproachful, but not harsh.
"I really am sorry, Professor," Jon explained quickly. "But I didn't mean to. They escaped!"
"I gave them some of Professor Kettleburn's calming potion earlier, and they'd been quiet… but starting last night, they suddenly got restless again. The potion had stopped working altogether. Just now, I accidentally left a small gap in the cage—and they both jumped out. They almost got away!"
"Is that so…" Professor Sprout's expression gradually turned serious after hearing this.
...
Half an hour later, Jon made another trip to the Owlery.
He ended up spending nineteen Galleons and seven Sickles to purchase five ounces of powdered Bicorn horn and an entire Boomslang skin.
Potions were indeed a money pit—just those two ingredients had nearly bankrupted him.
Luckily, there wasn't much you had to spend money on at Hogwarts, so having no Knuts left wasn't a big deal.
Returning to the castle and heading into the basement, he passed by the place where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. The words still burned brightly on the stone wall.
"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened."
"Enemies of the heir, beware!"
Jon let out a cold snort and touched the rooster alarm clock hidden beneath his robes… Without stopping, he turned and walked away.