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Chapter 127
George's thoughts were somewhat scattered. Just moments ago, he had been saying that Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall's behavior was quite poor. This shocked the three of them, and they immediately shifted their suspicion toward Malfoy.
"What was Malfoy saying? The Chamber of Secrets has been opened—who is the heir's enemy? Who's the next victim?" Harry had always had a complicated impression of his old rival. Although he didn't fully understand George's meaning, he still answered honestly.
"Wait, I remember something. I heard about the Chamber of Secrets somewhere before. I think someone told me that Hogwarts' Chamber of Secrets might be the one Bill mentioned," Ron said, clutching his head in thought.
Mentioning Malfoy and the Chamber of Secrets seemed to trigger something in his memory. He vaguely recalled hearing about it, but it was too long ago. At the time, he probably hadn't cared much, and now he couldn't remember clearly.
"Don't think too much about it," George comforted Ron, then continued, "So you see, the Chamber of Secrets isn't really a secret. Malfoy knows about it, and Ron also remembers hearing something about it."
"Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall… they already know about it too," Hermione said blankly. They were all here. If she couldn't hear George's reasoning, then she wouldn't be Hermione Granger.
Harry also recalled what Malfoy had said in the corridor, sensing something suspicious in it. "Malfoy knows about the Chamber of Secrets—and even knows who it's meant to target." He still couldn't bring himself to say the offensive word.
"He speaks in a long, pretentious, overly elaborate way, and his target audience seems to be witches and wizards from Muggle families," Hermione added. She remembered clearly that Malfoy had said, "The next victim is you, Mudblood."
Harry and Ron immediately turned to look at Hermione, suddenly worried that the attacker's target might truly be her.
"Hermione shouldn't be alone lately. Harry and Ron should also stay together," George reminded them. "We also need to find out the truth quickly and deal with it as soon as possible."
"We will protect Hermione," Harry and Ron said firmly, patting their chests.
Nothing ignited their fighting spirit more than seeing their friends in danger. They were filled with determination, as if they could defy gods and demons alike.
Hermione watched them with warmth in her heart, but she didn't back down. "I don't know who's protecting who," she said. She would not lose to Harry and Ron.
Midnight bells rang.
"It's already twelve. Everyone should go rest. We'll talk tomorrow if anything comes up," George said.
Even with their strong determination and survival instinct, it was already late at night. Rest had to come first.
Although important matters remained, students still had to attend classes.
In the following days, everything seemed normal again. Only in their free time did Harry, Hermione, Ron, and George pay closer attention to rumors about the Chamber of Secrets.
Harry knew that Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall had done something in Lockhart's office, though he didn't know for whom. For a while, the voices he had been hearing disappeared, and he shared his thoughts with the others.
"They've known about the Chamber of Secrets and the petrification incidents for a long time, and they've already made arrangements. We still need to find the Chamber as soon as possible to prevent more victims," Harry and Ron agreed.
Finding the Chamber quickly to prevent more victims was crucial, because the attacker's target likely included Hermione, since she came from a Muggle family.
Recently, the school had been lively with talk of Mrs. Norris's attack.
Filch's behavior reminded everyone daily that the incident was not over.
He often lingered near the place where Mrs. Norris had been attacked, perhaps hoping to catch the culprit. But more likely, he simply wished to suffer the same fate as his cat, so he could stay with his only companion.
Harry also saw him scrubbing the writing left by the attacker on the wall with strong cleaning fluid, but it was useless. The words had been magically carved into the stone, and the cleaner could not remove them—they continued to glow on the wall.
Harry didn't understand why the professors and Dumbledore were not dealing with the writing. Who were they working for? It unsettled him.
Ginny Weasley was also very upset about Mrs. Norris. Ron said it was because she loved cats.
"You don't know Mrs. Norris, don't worry," Ron told Ginny. "That cat was annoying. Everyone is happier without it."
Ginny said nothing, her lips trembling slightly.
"Hogwarts won't let the culprit go. They'll catch him soon and expel him," Ron reassured her. "In fact, we already have some clues."
Ginny's face turned even paler, and she quickly left.
Ron stood there for a moment but didn't chase after her. He wanted to stay with Hermione.
Compared to Ginny's timidness, Hermione was much braver—even though, as a "Mudblood," she could be targeted at any time. She didn't care about the mysterious attacker at all.
She continued attending classes, doing homework, and practicing spells, showing no curiosity about the Chamber of Secrets.
The only difference was that she was never allowed to go anywhere alone. Harry and Ron accompanied her most of the time.
Although inconvenient, Harry, Ron, and George refused to let Hermione go alone.
This confused Hermione a little, but she couldn't refuse her friends' kindness.
However, things were now beginning to change.
"The Chamber of Secrets isn't actually mysterious," George brought them new information.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione straightened up, listening carefully.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded around 993 A.D. by four of the greatest witches and wizards of the time. They named the four houses after themselves: Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Godric Gryffindor.
"They built this castle together, hiding it from Muggle eyes. They recruited young people with magical talent and brought them here for training," George explained.
"Why did they need to hide from Muggles? Do wizards need to fear Muggles?" Hermione asked, raising her hand. She already knew this history, but reading it always left her with this question.