Since the attack on Mrs. Norris, Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts Castle, had fallen into a deep gloom.
He paced around the site of the attack every day, glaring at every student who passed by—especially the Slytherins—convinced the culprit might return.
In a way, Filch's instincts were right.
The Chamber of Secrets was hidden at the very end of the corridor behind the attack site, inside a bathroom marked "Out of Order."
It was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom—Myrtle being the victim of the Chamber's incident fifty years ago.
Every time Jon passed it, a chill ran down his spine… as if a Basilisk might burst through the brass door at any moment and either bite him or turn him to stone.
Worse yet, the bathroom was right at the junction between the basement and the upper levels of the castle… meaning Jon had to pass it every day, coming and going from the Hufflepuff common room.
Because of that, he was always cautious. If he couldn't find a small group to walk with, he absolutely wouldn't pass alone.
All copies of Hogwarts: A History had been checked out of the library, and not every house had a professor as dependable as Professor Sprout. Besides, the naturally discreet Hufflepuffs weren't ones to go spreading news about the Chamber.
During Potions class, he overheard Astoria mention that two rare ingredients had gone missing from Professor Snape's private stores, and that several students were suspected… Snape was investigating and had sworn to expel the thief.
There was no doubt in Jon's mind—it had to be the trio. Hermione Granger had probably started brewing the Polyjuice Potion.
Jon, however, was half a month ahead of her. He'd already been preparing twelve Lacewing flies in infusion for two weeks. In just one more week, he'd be ready to add one ounce of coarse antimony and four de-mouthed leeches.
He believed his talent in Potions was no worse than Hermione's. The Room of Requirement certainly made for a better brewing chamber than Myrtle's bathroom. He might have one year less schooling, but he was still confident he could complete the potion successfully.
...
It was another Saturday morning.
Jon had just woken up and was practicing Occlumency in bed, as usual.
"Jon... Wake up… Wake up…"
A loud banging on the door startled him.
"Morning, Zacharias!" he shouted irritably.
"Jon, hurry up! Quidditch match! We're playing Ravenclaw at nine, and Gryffindor faces Slytherin at eleven… We've got to cheer for Hufflepuff!" Zacharias Smith shouted between breaths as he ran off to wake others.
"Another Quidditch match… I've got a feeling someone else will be attacked soon."
Grumbling, he climbed out of bed, pulled on his yellow jacket and scarf, and left the common room.
He found Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones and passed the site of Mrs. Norris's attack on their way out.
At the Quidditch pitch, he saw the stands were a sea of yellow, black, and blue. Hufflepuff supporters wore yellow and black, Ravenclaws blue and bronze.
Fans from both houses filled the stadium's opposite sides, shouting and cheering.
Ernie Macmillan had made a flag out of a piece of scrap cloth, featuring a cheering badger. Not to be outdone, the Ravenclaw crowd had formed the image of an eagle.
"Go Cedric! You're the best!" Hannah shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Go Hufflepuff!"
The players had already entered the field. Jon saw Cedric Diggory leading the Hufflepuff team. He didn't recognize the rest—they were likely upper years.
From Ravenclaw, he spotted Cho Chang, a girl with Asian features, walking at the end of the blue-and-bronze lineup.
The players shook hands, then spread out around Madam Hooch, who blew her silver whistle with all her might.
Fifteen brooms shot into the sky. The match had begun.
"The game begins... Ravenclaw captain Roger Davies grabs the Quaffle right away... He flies forward, dodges the Bludgers, slips past Cadwallader… Is he going for a direct shot? No, he passes to Chambers—wide open… and it's in! Ravenclaw takes the lead, 10–0!"
When it wasn't a Gryffindor or Slytherin match, Lee Jordan's commentary was pretty fair.
A chilly breeze made Jon drowsy. Honestly, he didn't care for Quidditch at all. He'd only come because his classmates dragged him, and he didn't want to seem like a loner.
The match quickly became one-sided. Ravenclaw's Chasers scored again and again, their cheerleaders erupting each time. On Hufflepuff's side, the mood began to dim.
Lee Jordan went on, "130–20! No surprise—Ravenclaw was last year's Quidditch Cup champion. In just twenty minutes, they've built an overwhelming lead. Hufflepuff's got no answer… Wait…"
"Wait—the Snitch! The Golden Snitch! Cedric Diggory—he's caught the Snitch! Brilliant move, Diggory! That's game! Hufflepuff takes it 170–130 with a last-second win!"
The pitch exploded with cheers. Hufflepuff students rushed the field to celebrate the hard-fought victory. Even Professor Sprout joined in the jubilation with her students.
Looking at the Ravenclaw players, fans, and Professor Flitwick—faces twisted like they'd eaten something foul—Jon suddenly found Quidditch a bit more fun.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match will begin in twenty minutes..." Lee Jordan's voice boomed across the stadium again.
The Hufflepuff crowd began to leave, while Gryffindor supporters marched in by the group.
Jon spotted a small cluster: Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Colin Creevey with his camera, and Ginny Weasley with her head down… He quickly avoided this "dangerous" group.
In the stands, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall—who hadn't shown up for the earlier match—were now seated to watch.
Suddenly, Jon realized something critical:
For the next hour or so, the trio of saviors, Ginny Weasley (currently under Voldemort's control), and Albus Dumbledore—all the people he needed to avoid—would not be in the castle.
Which meant… if he stayed clear of Filch, he could do whatever he wanted!
Now's my chance
He turned down Zacharias's invitation to the post-match celebration in the Great Hall.
"Sorry, I've got to grab something from the common room first."
He rushed back to the Hufflepuff dorms, grabbed a spare robe, and pulled a ballpoint pen from his drawer.
...
Three minutes later, Jon stood in the corridor behind the scene of Mrs. Norris's attack, in front of the door to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
He wrapped his robe tightly around his face, like the masked villains he'd seen in movies, to hide his identity.
He gripped the brass handle and slowly pushed the door open.
The floor was slick with water. Near the sinks stood a cauldron with liquid still simmering.
Stubby candles burned dimly in their holders, casting a gloomy light across the room… dark, cold, oppressive. Beneath a cracked and stained mirror, the surface of a stone basin was peeling away.
From a broken toilet in the far corner came soft sobbing—Myrtle.
"Someone's alive..." Myrtle seemed to sense him and floated over. "Looks like another boy…"
"Get lost, you ugly ghost!" Jon snapped, disguising his voice with a hoarse tone and mocking, "Fat, hideous, weepy, miserable ghost!"
"Wah…" Myrtle burst into tears and fled into the toilet, splashing water everywhere.
"And don't forget all those horrible spots!"
With that final insult, Myrtle let out a shriek and vanished down the bowl.
Jon sighed in relief and began inspecting beneath the sinks.
Soon, he found it: on the side of one copper faucet, a small snake was engraved.
He pulled out his pen—then froze.
Wait. If he wrote here, Voldemort—through Ginny—might find it when opening the Chamber. That'd ruin everything.
He paused, thought it through, and made a plan.
Stepping a few feet to the left, he knelt beside another basin, away from the entrance.
There, hidden beneath the rim, he carefully wrote:
"I am Ginny Weasley.
I think I opened the Chamber of Secrets,
and something is controlling my mind.
The entrance seems to be under the right-side sink,
beside a copper tap.
It can only be opened with Parseltongue.
Please help me…"
The message was tiny, faint, and well hidden in the bathroom's dim light. No one would notice unless they bent down and looked closely.
Jon dusted off his hands and left the bathroom.
He even wiped the doorknob clean, erasing any fingerprints he might have left.