After the banquet was over, everyone left the auditorium, still immersed in excitement.
The Skeleton Dance Troupe had already left while they were eating...which was somewhat disappointing.
"This dance troupe is very hard to invite."
Among the crowd, a young wizard shouted loudly, "My dad told me before, even the Ministry of Magic has to queue for a long time if they want to invite them to perform."
"I heard they were invited to perform at the last Quidditch World Cup, along with the Weird Sisters... People said it was the most spectacular opening performance of the century."
"I didn't expect us to be able to see them at Hogwarts, the headmaster is really amazing…"
"Of course, that is Dumbledore after all…"
The students excitedly discussed what had just happened while leaving the auditorium and preparing to return to their respective common rooms.
But before they reached the hall's exit, a sharp, ghastly scream suddenly came from the direction of the staircase.
The noise was piercing and made everyone's scalp tingle.
The chatter among the crowd gradually quietened...
"What was that sound just now?" Someone asked.
"It's Mrs Norris."
Someone replied, "Whenever I hear that sound, my scalp tingles. I couldn't be mistaken."
"Could it be that she caught someone breaking the school rules again...but we're all in the auditorium!"
"Perhaps some dangerous fantastic creature from the Forbidden Forest has run out... Mrs Norris' sound was strange, just like when my cat gets frightened."
"Why don't we go and check it out…"
Driven by curiosity, the crowd began to accelerate, unanimously rushing towards the staircase where the sound originated to see what had happened.
The banquet just ended, and they had nothing else to do anyway; as for any potential danger, no one seemed to care about that.
Just then, another scream sounded, leading people to the third floor.
In an empty corridor, they finally saw Mrs Norris.
She stood on a statue at the end of the corridor, her back hunched, with her fur puffed up like a porcupine.
Behind her, words were scrawled on the wall, glistening in the light of the burning torches.
[The Chamber has been opened,
Enemies of the heir, beware.]
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood rigidly in front of the wall, looking at the crowd in panic.
Harry seemed like he wanted to explain something, but as soon as he turned his head a bit, Mrs Norris screamed at him.
Now people finally realized what the earlier shrieking was about.
"Click…"
Colin Creevey emerged from the crowd with his camera.
"Harry, I've been looking for you, why didn't you go to the auditorium for the banquet!"
Harry also wanted to explain, but Mrs Norris wouldn't give him the chance; now, even if they just moved a bit, that cat would rush to them and start clawing at the three.
Harry had never seen such an agile cat; both he, Ron, and Hermione had long bloody scratches all over.
Yet, for some reason, they couldn't fight back.
"Excuse me, excuse me…" Kael also squeezed through the crowd.
Initially, he came just out of curiosity, but when he saw those words on the wall clearly, his pupils suddenly contracted.
The Chamber?
How's this possible?
Riddle's diary is still in his box, and he always carries that box with him, so no one else could possibly access it.
But this scene before him...how did it come to be!
Kael's mind was in chaos, not even noticing what Conna was saying beside him.
He instinctively stepped forward.
Mrs Norris, who usually had a good relationship with Kael, was not recognizing him this time and growled at him, revealing her sharp claws.
Kael stopped, not continuing forward.
Only at close range did he recognize that the statue Mrs Norris stood on was actually Filch. He was contorted and motionless, with his head bowed, which is why he wasn't recognized at first glance.
Others caught up too.
"Enemies of the heir, beware! You're next, mud..."
Draco Malfoy seemed to realize something, but eventually didn't utter the word.
However, his icy eyes became lively, his usually pale face turned red, as he sneered and looked at Hermione.
In the crowd, Kael frowned, feeling more bewildered; if Filch's current state wasn't from the Petrification Spell...then it must be the Basilisk.
"No, there's definitely something wrong." Kael thought to himself.
Just as he was about to go to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the second floor to check the situation, the professor arrived...
"What's happened here!"
The crowd automatically parted, and Dumbledore came through, followed by other professors. In the blink of an eye, he passed through the crowd and stood in front of Filch.
Mrs. Norris finally calmed down, jumped to the ground, and quietly stood by Dumbledore's feet.
"Now, everyone go back to your dormitories!"
Dumbledore said, "As for you, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, come with me. I need your help with something."
Lockhart hurriedly stepped forward.
"My office is the closest, Headmaster, just upstairs... And I have done significant research on this kind of Dark Magic. When I was at Castelobruxo, I helped the people there with a similar situation. At that time, they..."
"Thank you, Gilderoy, we'll go to your office."
Dumbledore interrupted his incessant chatter, "Could you help notify Madam Pomfrey from the Hospital Wing? I think she needs to come over."
"Of course, Headmaster."
The crowd parted again to let them through.
Lockhart seemed very excited, with a self-important demeanor, and hurried toward the Hospital Wing.
The other professors followed Dumbledore away, instructing the surrounding Prefects to take everyone back to the common rooms.
After the professors left, the crowd instantly became noisy, with everyone discussing what exactly happened to Filch.
And what exactly was that so-called Chamber of Secrets.
There were the most people around Malfoy, but he just smiled smugly and said nothing.
The Prefects were looking for their respective house's students, and Harris was among them.
"Kael, let's go back..." Conna turned her head and suddenly found that Kael, who was just beside her, had disappeared.
"Cedric, have you seen Kael?"
"Wasn't he just... huh? Where did he go?"
At this moment, outside the crowd, under the cover of the Disillusionment Charm, Kael quickly ran to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
The quill in the door crack was still there.
Pushing the door open, the explosive books inside were all intact.
Kael squatted down and checked the hair pressed under the books... the position was also correct.
"Oh, Kael, have you come to comfort me?" Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the sink, sobbing, "That annoying Peeves, he went and said I was..."
"Sorry, Myrtle."
Kael interrupted her and asked, "Has anyone been here lately?"
Moaning Myrtle stopped crying and then suspiciously glanced at Kael, "You have."
"Besides me," Kael continued to ask, "Has anyone else been here?"
"No one except you would come here. Who would want to be where there's a poor, sobbing, miserable Moaning Myrtle?"
Saying this, she started crying again.
But Kael was in no mood to comfort her now.
After leaving the bathroom, he casually found an empty classroom and took out a box from his Transfiguration Lizard Skin Bag.
The setup in the entrance room was the same as before he left.
Kael found the Magic Box under the bed, but as soon as he picked it up, his heart skipped a beat.
The weight of the box was lighter.
"No way... it must be my imagination. No one could have been here."
Kael took a few deep breaths and nervously opened the box.
There was nothing inside... the Diary originally inside was gone.
"Wait... maybe I'm opening it the wrong way."
Kael reclosed the lid and opened it again.
After trying five times, Kael had to admit that the Diary was indeed gone, right under his nose.
At this moment, a Billywig wobbled its way over.
Seeing it, Kael hurriedly asked.
"Has anyone been here?"
The Billywig hovered in mid-air, with an expression identical to Moaning Myrtle's on its face.
It emitted a faint buzzing sound.
"Only I have been here?"
"Are you sure?"
The Billywig flew up and down, as if nodding.
Determined, Kael also found the Niffler and Norbert to ask the same question, but received the same answer.
The Niffler sniffed around the room to confirm there was no scent of another human wizard here.