"This… how is this possible? How could Hagrid be the murderer?"
"Lockhart must be lying. I knew he was a fraud a long time ago."
"Hagrid is always so kind to us. How could he be the Heir of Slytherin's Chamber?"
"It must be that liar Lockhart again—trying to boost his fame by framing Hagrid!"
Most of the wizards who knew Hagrid were from Gryffindor.
When Lockhart claimed that Hagrid had been the culprit behind the Chamber of Secrets incident fifty years ago, their first reaction was disbelief.
"Who knows? Sometimes the most honest-looking people hide the dirtiest secrets. Maybe he secretly hates Muggle-borns."
"Yeah, maybe those who act nice in public are completely different in private."
Across the corridor, the young Slytherins sneered at the Gryffindors.
They hadn't forgotten how the Gryffindors mocked them earlier—now that the tables had turned, they weren't about to let the chance slip away.
"Do you know anything about this?"
Compared to the heated tension between Gryffindor and Slytherin, the students of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were far calmer.
A few Hufflepuffs gathered curiously around their classmates who came from wizarding families.
Sure enough, one Ravenclaw boy—Middler Thomas—claimed to know something about the old case.
Why vaguely?
Because all he truly knew was who had been arrested back then—nothing more.
"I remember hearing my family talk about it once at a gathering," Middler said importantly.
"They said everyone knew about that incident fifty years ago."
"Then do you know who the murderer was?"
The question drew every curious eye toward Middler.
The sudden attention made him blush with pride.
"Of course! I know plenty about the Chamber of Secrets case. But since we're short on time, I'll just tell you who the real culprit was."
He straightened up, basking in his brief moment of glory—before realizing he'd said too much and quickly stopped.
"Well? Who was it? It couldn't really have been Hagrid, right? He's always been so nice—just looks a bit scary, that's all. Could it have been Tom Riddle instead?"
Some Ravenclaw witches spoke up to defend Hagrid.
Everyone at Hogwarts knew him—half-giant or not, he was kind and gentle.
Except for a few Slytherins, most students had good things to say about him.
"Then… then of course! I heard he was the one arrested back then," Middler said loudly, though even he sounded unsure.
Aiden watched the scene unfold with mild amusement.
His mind was elsewhere, however—focused on one pale-faced Gryffindor girl.
Ever since her name had appeared in the [Live Broadcast Q&A System], Ginny Weasley had looked absolutely terrified.
Her lips were white, her hands trembling.
No one around her noticed anything strange, but Ginny's heart was in turmoil.
Ever since she had found that strange diary and begun writing in it, she had started feeling… different.
It was as if someone else was moving her body, whispering inside her head—someone whose name she had read in the diary.
Tom Riddle.
Her eyes widened. Could it be… I was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets?
Compared to everyone else who was busy blaming Hagrid, Ginny already knew the truth.
The real culprit wasn't Hagrid.
It was Tom Riddle—the boy who had left his soul inside that diary.
Her chest tightened.
If Tom Riddle had opened the Chamber fifty years ago…
then this time, she was the one who opened it.
The realization made her stomach twist with fear.
Mrs. Norris still lay petrified in the corridor—proof of her mistake.
She wanted to confess to Dumbledore, to tell him everything.
But panic and shame strangled her courage.
"Maybe I should just throw the diary away," she thought suddenly.
"If I do that, no one will ever know it was me. I won't be expelled… I won't have to face anyone…"
Yes—what Ginny feared most wasn't Voldemort, nor the Chamber itself.
It was being expelled from Hogwarts.
Meanwhile, Lockhart stood in front of everyone, beaming confidently.
He truly believed he had solved the great mystery of the Chamber.
All around, the young wizards nodded knowingly.
They had heard from those "in the know" that Hagrid had indeed been punished by the school and the Ministry—his wand broken, expelled from Hogwarts.
To them, it seemed obvious. Lockhart couldn't lose.
But then—
"Mr. Lockhart's deduction is excellent," said a calm, echoing voice from the Live Broadcast Q&A System.
"However… what a pity."
"You answered incorrectly."
"You must now accept the punishment—briefly forgetting your emotions."
For a long moment, silence filled the hall.