Chapter 33: The Secret Chamber Opens
"The secret room has been opened. Those who are enemies of the heir, be vigilant."
The words written on the wall of the third floor made all the students freeze in place. The words glowed terrifyingly under the light of the burning torches.
After the Halloween party, when Draco and a group of Slytherin students walked out of the banquet hall with contented burps, they saw a familiar scene: the cat named Mrs. Norris, her tail hanging on the torch bracket, her body as stiff as a piece of wood, her eyes wide open, staring straight ahead.
The cat was petrified, just as it had been in a previous life.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron were standing alone in the middle of the corridor, facing the cat. The students automatically formed a circle around them, keeping a cautious distance from them, and no one dared to approach them.
Merlin, Hermione's face turned pale.
Draco pushed aside the students blocking his way and wanted to go closer to ask her what was going on, but Blaise next to him pulled him back: "What do you want to do? Don't get too close to them, don't get involved in trouble. They are the trouble themselves now - look at Filch's face!"
Mr. Filch, who had hurried over, saw the miserable state of his beloved pet and his face turned pale. He then began to curse Harry and the others, believing that they were the culprits who had hurt Mrs. Norris.
However, he didn't have the chance to curse for long. Professor Dumbledore came rushing over and took the three stunned people to the headmaster's office for questioning.
Draco didn't want to be noticed by Professor Dumbledore. He had never figured out how to face this "greatest headmaster of Hogwarts ever, the greatest wizard of our time."
When you face someone who's already died before you, it's hard not to feel complicated. He couldn't even handle the innocent students who died tragically in the Battle of Hogwarts in his previous life; how much less facing his former assassination target?
In the previous year, he had avoided Dumbledore as much as possible, hoping not to suddenly meet the kindly smiling old man in a corridor of Hogwarts.
So Draco was in a trance, letting Blaise pull him and silently followed the Slytherin crowd back to the common room.
"What were you thinking about?" Blaise asked rudely as soon as they returned to the lounge. "What's wrong with you today? You're not calm at all, even a little impulsive."
"Nothing. I'm just a little worried about this." Draco sat in the armchair by the fireplace with a heavy heart, staring at the flickering fire. "It's written on the wall, the Heir's Chamber -"
"Exactly. I thought of the Heir of Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, too. Which house doesn't have some vague legends? All these years have passed, and the Chamber of Secrets has never been found." Blaise softened his tone and said nonchalantly, "I guess Potter and the others are using this legend as a gimmick, a prank, and have set their sights on Filch."
"It's not as simple as you think." Draco said amid the sound of Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle munching on pralines. "Even the headmaster was alarmed. It's obviously not an ordinary prank."
"So, Potter's gone a bit overboard, hasn't he?" Blaise said, leaning back in a relaxed manner.
"I don't think Harry Potter did it," Draco said. "Lockhart is more of a suspect than him. His office isn't far from where the crime took place..."
"What Lockhart?" Pansy, who was passing by, stopped and asked in confusion. Draco and Blaise both shut their mouths tightly, not wanting to waste time on such questions.
Pansy glared at them, walked straight to Crabbe, and said arrogantly, "Vincent, give it to me." Crabbe looked at her in horror and obediently handed over the newly opened bag of nut crisps in his hand.
"Pansy, stop bullying him." Draco had his back to them, but he heard what Pansy said.
"What's bullying? This is education!" Pansy said fiercely, "Vincent, eat less, you are fat enough. I heard your mother complaining about it at the tea party during the holidays! And -"
She turned and looked at Blaise again, who was frowning. "What did you say about Lockhart?"
"No one's talking about Lockhart, we're talking about Harry Potter! I think he played a prank on the cat, and Draco doesn't approve." Blaise said grimly.
"I'm on your side, Blaise. I've always said Potter was trying to attract attention!" Pansy munched on a praline brittle, chose an armchair next to Blaise, and joined their conversation with a beaming smile. "But I never liked that cat. I don't know how they did it! It's really satisfying to have this peeping cat fixed to the wall."
Draco sighed. Just like in his previous life, these people had completely misunderstood.
"A most basic question: How did Harry Potter know the legend of Slytherin House?" Draco observed Blaise's suddenly happy face and reminded him, "He's a Gryffindor and grew up in the Muggle world. He has no way of knowing all this."
Not far away, Theodore Nott, who was reading quietly, suddenly raised his head from his book and glanced at him.
"That makes sense," Blaise said thoughtfully, glancing around the common room—the Slytherin students were gathered in twos and threes, discussing what had just happened on the third floor.
"Oh, I sincerely hope that the prankster is not from our college. Or, he hides well and doesn't give Professor Dumbledore any handle to catch him, so that he has the opportunity to deduct 500 points from us." Pansy said indifferently - as if this matter was no big deal.
The others also showed expressions of agreement - they had not yet realized the seriousness of the matter.
At present, a petrified cat alone is not enough to attract the attention of the entire school. Most students think it is a prank or a stunt, and the Slytherin students even feel a little happy about it.
In the past, it wasn't until a series of petrified students occurred that Hogwarts gradually became a place of panic. Parents' owls filled the headmaster's office and the board of trustees' meeting. The board of trustees then arrested Hagrid to appease the public. However, Hagrid was proven innocent. Even after he was sent to Azkaban, the attacks continued.
Later, Harry and Ron entered the Chamber of Secrets at the end of the semester and destroyed the monster, earning them the Hogwarts Special Service Award. A few days later, Hagrid was acquitted. Meanwhile, Gilderoy Lockhart lost his memory and was admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This was all the information he remembered about the secret room from his previous life.
While Draco was stunned, Blaise and Pansy were already discussing heatedly - who else might do such a prank.
"...It could also be Peeves. He's been at Hogwarts for so long, he must know the legend," Pansy said with a pout. "Besides, he's always causing trouble for others."
"No, it's just a mischief--not even a proper ghost--and can do very little. Judging from the phrase 'Those who are enemies of the heir, beware,' you should think about who Filch is against and who he has the deepest grudge against. For example, the Weasley twins, although they are Gryffindors, come from an ancient wizarding family and must know this legend." Blaise said with interest, "If it were me, I would also use the legends of other houses to play pranks and confuse people. They would never suspect me."
The more you talk, the more outrageous it gets.
Draco rubbed his temple and asked, "Have you ever considered that the legend might be true?"
"What do you mean? You think the Chamber of Secrets really exists and has been opened?" Pansy said arrogantly while chewing on a praline candy. "Don't be ridiculous. If such a thing existed, Dumbledore and the others would have discovered it long ago! Besides, wasn't Hogwarts renovated before? Maybe they had already dismantled the Chamber of Secrets at that time."
No. It wasn't removed, but hidden, Draco thought mysteriously.
At least that's what Ms. Grey said.
Hogwarts School has always kept the details of malicious incidents secret. In his previous life, Draco had never known what monster was in the Chamber of Secrets. He only knew that the monster would attack students and petrify all living things.
At the end of the previous academic year, thanks to Ms. Togre, Draco learned the identity of the Monster of the Chamber of Secrets: the Basilisk. To this end, he brewed a Mandrake resurrection potion in advance during the holidays, just in case.
Unfortunately, there was still too little information. He didn't know the exact location of the secret room, let alone find the basilisk and find a way to pull out one of its fangs.
"The most crucial question is, how can this huge monster appear and disappear freely in Hogwarts?" Amidst the conversation between Blaise and Pansy, Draco stared at the fire, muttering to himself in an inaudible voice, puzzled.
For several days, the students at Hogwarts were discussing Mrs. Norris's petrification. Even the portraits and ghosts in the castle were arguing about it.
"The cat was petrified, that's right!" Draco heard the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, shouting to the fat Hufflepuff monk in the Great Hall at dinner one day. "But that wasn't a simple Petrification Charm! Dumbledore said it required very advanced Dark Magic to do it! A second-year student couldn't do it!"
Dumbledore didn't seem to suspect Harry and the others, Draco thought. They were merely questioned and then released by Dumbledore that same day.
Filch couldn't get over it and often cast suspicious glances at Harry whenever he passed by.
After Mrs. Norris's death, he became somewhat delusional and would often wander the corridor where Mrs. Norris was killed, or try to use various cleaning agents to scrub off the writing on the wall, although the words still stubbornly flickered on the wall.
"Mr. Filch must be very sad," Hermione said to Draco, absentmindedly flipping through a thick book in the private area of the library. "He must love his cat very much."
"Don't bother with your sympathy, Hermione. He's a victim, but that doesn't hide the fact that he hates students," Draco said lazily. "He's gone mad. He gave Crabbe and Goyle detention an hour ago for 'gasping too loudly' as they walked past him."
"Speaking of which, he gave the Weasley twins detention yesterday, saying they shouldn't be 'joking' in the corridor." Hermione said with a bitter face, picking up another thick book and flipping through it quickly. "He's been staring at Harry with red eyes lately, yelling that it was all Harry's fault because Harry knew he was a Squib..."
"Oh, he's a Squib? That would explain a lot of my questions." He said in an "I see" tone.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I've always been curious about why there are brooms in Hogwarts Castle that can't be used for flying, and why there are broom closets specifically for storing these brooms," Draco said. "It seems that all these strange situations are thanks to him."
"Come on, it's weird to use a broom for flying." Hermione shook her head, looking incomprehensible.
"Hermione, you have to get rid of this Muggle way of thinking. You are a wizard. You can fly on a broomstick. It's your innate ability." Draco fiddled with his ancient Greek translations, pondered her Muggle origin, and couldn't help but remind her, "By the way, you have to be smarter lately. Whether it's Filch or someone else. This cat may just be the beginning."
"What do you mean by this?" she asked sensitively, raising her head.
"It's nothing, it's just my legitimate concern." Draco glanced at her and asked knowingly, "What are you busy with?"
He had noticed long ago that Hermione seemed to be stimulated by something and had been looking up something in the library for several days. Even Draco's ancient Greek translation did not interest her.
"I want to look up the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. All the copies of Hogwarts: A History are borrowed," Hermione sighed grumpily. "The waiting list is two weeks out."
"It's natural. Everyone is curious about the Chamber of Secrets." Draco twirled the quill in his hand lazily. "Speaking of which, what exactly happened that day? Why didn't you go to the dinner in the Great Hall?"
"We went to Nick's Deathday party in the dungeons that day," said Hermione. "He invited Harry."
"No wonder he's so eager to clear Harry's name." Draco suddenly realized, and then asked, "If that's the case, why are you three not staying in the dungeon, but appearing upstairs instead?"
"There's nothing there for human consumption. We were going to go back up to the Great Hall. But Harry said—" Hermione choked up. She couldn't decide whether to say it or not.
Ultimately, this was Harry's business. He could hear things that others couldn't hear, and this was really strange. Hermione thought, she didn't seem to have the right to come out and say anything without permission.
"What?" Draco asked sharply.
"Oh, nothing. I think he might be hallucinating because he's hungry..." Hermione evaded him.
Hermione must know something, but she didn't want to talk about it. Draco frowned.
This feeling was a little uncomfortable. When did she stop trusting him? Were all girls so fickle?
Hermione clearly didn't want to talk about what happened that night anymore. She was more interested in learning about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. She looked at Draco hopefully, "Draco, since you come from a wizarding family, perhaps you know something about the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Why don't you ask Professor Binns in the next History of Magic class? Since he's old enough to become a ghost, what else might he not know about Hogwarts?" Draco deliberately ignored her expectant look and said tactfully.
He was a little concerned about her concealment.
How could he be the only one to experience the feeling of being on suspense? She also had to experience this uneasy feeling of being stuck in the middle.
"Oh, come on, how could he possibly tell you that in class? Draco, I bet you know something." Hermione snorted. She noticed a sly glint in Draco's eyes and concluded that he was hiding something from her. "Why can't you just tell me?"
"I'm not the only one hiding things from others around this table," Draco said pointedly.
He was still very concerned about Hermione's pause just now.
"Why don't you want to tell me the truth? I don't believe it was a coincidence." He stared at her, observing her expression, trying to catch some subtle changes.
"Isn't it a coincidence? So, you also think that it was the three of us who killed the cat? This is not surprising. I have heard many people talking about this in private!" She responded to his inquiry sensitively.
The way he stared at her was simply blushing.
The look in his eyes was so direct and explicit that it made her feel uncomfortable. Maybe he was doubting her!
"Of course I didn't think so," Draco said impatiently. What was going on in Hermione's mind?
"But I think your presence there is no accident! To be honest, I thought we could be more honest with each other!" he said dejectedly.
"Because I don't have to report anything to you, like you have a lot of little secrets about the Dark Arts!" Hermione said angrily.
Why does he speak so aggressively?
He is so cunning!
She had told him about Helbo that day, but he turned around and turned his back on her, not even willing to share the secret room with her!
Okay, then she'll find it herself.
She didn't believe that without Draco Malfoy, she couldn't do her own research? She thought angrily.
Moreover, his enthusiasm for knowledge of the dark arts made her feel that he was not as simple as she thought.
There must be something fishy about the "Herbo's Notes" he was studying, as it mentioned many advanced black magic terms and dangerous species.
Where had he found it? In the restricted section? Was that a place second years were supposed to frequent? Madam Pince was always very cautious about what was in the restricted section. How had he gotten it?
Wherever he had found the book, he was clearly interested in it, for his eyes lit up.
There was no doubt he was hiding something from her. He knew more than he was letting on, especially about the Dark Arts. Suddenly, her mind revived what Ron had told her—"The Malfoys were all about the Dark Arts."
She doesn't want anything to do with the dark arts!
And he, a secretive boy obsessed with the dark arts, actually interrogated her like a criminal, as if he thought she had done something shameful - he was quite lenient with her.
"Why are we there? That matter has nothing to do with you!" She said to him stubbornly and arrogantly, picked up the thick books that had been read, and prepared to clear another bookshelf.
"Very good." Draco returned to his indifferent expression, and Hermione could sense that he was in a bad mood.
"Yes, very good," Hermione said sharply, feeling a little hurt by his cold attitude. "I don't think there's any need to discuss this further with you."
Not long after, the fluffy brown head disappeared behind the bookshelf with murderous intent, leaving only a light sigh from Draco.
It's not that he didn't want to tell Hermione, but... after telling her, he was afraid that she would misunderstand him even more.
However, the good student Hermione finally got the answer she wanted.
She took Draco's joke as a beacon of truth in her pursuit - she challenged Professor Binns' authority, asking him to talk about things beyond the textbook, and innovatively swept away the sleepiness of the whole class.
Professor Binns was perhaps the first to realize how popular he was with his students. He was surprised to find that almost all the sleepy students had opened their eyes, and were eager to listen to him tell all the information about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets.
When the get out of class was over, the students rushed through the crowded corridors to the dining hall.
In the crowd, Ron said to Harry and Hermione with disgust: "...Salazar Slytherin is a perverted old lunatic. Even if you pay me for free, I don't want to enter his college and become an evil Slytherin..."
Hermione nodded in agreement and eagerness.
This scene was so glaring that it made Draco feel like he was being poured cold water on his head. He was in a bad mood and didn't even want to greet them. He and a few Slytherin students pushed past them rudely without even looking at them.
To be honest, he didn't want to see their disgusted expressions.
This was one of the reasons why Draco didn't want to tell Hermione what was going on inside the Chamber of Secrets.
Once people know that the Chamber of Secrets is related to Slytherin, they will immediately look at them through tinted glasses, treating all Slytherin students as monsters and discrediting all Slytherin students.
And he cared a little about how she viewed him.
After what happened in the library when she defended him, he didn't want her to think too badly of him.
He... somewhat liked the feeling of being believed in by her passionately.
But now, this feeling seemed to have disappeared completely, because in her eyes, he was an evil Slytherin.
"I think he heard us," Harry said to Ron and Hermione, watching Draco's figure anxiously.
"I wasn't talking about Draco just now...but, you know, most Slytherins are pretty annoying," Ron added hastily.
"Oh, whatever," Hermione said coldly, staring at the back of Draco's head. Even among hundreds of students, his platinum blond hair was still very conspicuous and impossible to ignore.
Is he not even willing to give her a glance now? This is a bit hurtful to her self-esteem, she thought.
Harry and Ron looked at Hermione in surprise.
"Why do you say that? Aren't you two very close? Don't you go to the library to study with him every day?" Harry asked.
"That might be your illusion," she said sadly. "I feel like I don't understand him at all. Or maybe I never understood him."
The crowd dispersed a little, and Hermione continued to move forward with heavy steps.
Professor Binns's introduction just now made her feel confused.
All the evidence pointed to a very likely conclusion. Although she didn't want to admit it, Draco was very suspicious.
Professor Binns said that only the true heir of Slytherin could open the Chamber of Secrets.
Not just anyone can open the Chamber of Secrets. You have to be a Slytherin, have to have that kind of qualifications and strength.
And Draco is undoubtedly the best student in Slytherin!
He was even the best in the whole grade. Only someone like him was worthy of being Salazar Slytherin's heir, right? He was also a pure-blood wizard, the kind of wizard bloodline that Salazar Slytherin loved most.
Shortly before the Chamber of Secrets was opened, she translated for him a whole sheet of paper filled with information about dark magic. Undoubtedly, he was studying some advanced dark magic - could there be any connection between this and Mrs. Norris's petrification?
Professor Binns also said that there was some kind of monster in Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.
She thought of the "basilisk" on Draco's paper almost at the same time. What a coincidence! Is there any monster more terrifying than a basilisk?
The symbol of Slytherin is a snake. Assuming the Chamber of Secrets really exists, could the monster inside be a basilisk? If so, who released the monster? Was it Draco?
The thought of this possibility - the possibility that Draco was the heir to the Chamber of Secrets - made Hermione frown in pain.
Professor Binns had also said that the heir could open the Chamber of Secrets, release the horrors within, and allow it to purify the school, eliminating all those unworthy of learning magic.
If Draco was the heir, it meant that he was no different from his horrible father, a pure-blood lover.
Was she one of those whom he considered unworthy of learning magic? Would he see her as such?
Will those gray eyes that once showed her a gentle smile one day watch her coldly and heartlessly, being hurt by some monster?
If everything reached the most terrible point, if her suspicions were true, then all the impressions he had of her would be shattered.
He might not be the boy she thought he was, the one who would respect Muggle-borns.
Hermione didn't dare to think about it anymore, nor did she dare to look at the platinum hair in the crowd.
He was so dazzling that she couldn't look away; but if she didn't, those doubts would entangle in her heart like thorny vines, causing her to feel waves of hidden pain.
"Are you having a fight?" Ron mouthed to Harry, following behind the listless Hermione.
"I don't know either." Harry shrugged and answered silently with his mouth.