Chapter 154 The Legend of the Secret Chamber
"Ahem!" Aaron cleared his throat. "What are you doing?"
The three of them shivered, feeling as if they had been caught red-handed. Only after realizing it was Aaron's voice did they reluctantly breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing Aaron approach, Harry nervously asked, "Did you hear a hoarse voice just now?"
Aaron pretended to ponder for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I didn't hear anything."
Harry instinctively breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Then why are you here?"
"I was going back to the dormitory to sleep and happened to notice the staircase was covered in water. So I came to check it out." Aaron looked at the three of them meaningfully. "You guys are really something. Skipping the Halloween feast to pull a prank like this. Filch will be very angry if he finds out."
"It's not a prank," Ron said anxiously.
"Is that so?" Aaron raised an eyebrow, then looked at the bloody words on the wall. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware.
Tsk tsk tsk! Very bloody. These words were written not long ago.
When I arrived, only you were here. If not you, then who could it be?"
"But it really wasn't us," Harry said. "We just arrived too."
"Alright, no need to explain. It's just a sentence, isn't it?
Although this prank is a bit nasty, it's really nothing compared to driving a car to school."
Aaron didn't believe Harry and his friends would be so bored as to write in blood, but this was, after all, where that unknown dangerous creature had been.
Coupled with the bloody words on the wall and the water on the floor, it might be the so-called primary crime scene.
To perfectly distance himself, he could only adopt the perspective of an ordinary passerby and genuinely feign ignorance.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, as if they could both see a large pot on each other's backs.
"Ah…"
Hermione suddenly shrieked, pointing at the torch bracket on the wall. "What's that?"
The other three looked over simultaneously. A black cat was hanging on the bracket, completely stiff, as if it had been hit by Petrificus Totalus.
But the real situation was definitely much more serious than that, because Petrificus Totalus only immobilizes the victim, while all senses still function.
Yet its eyes were unmoving, as if it were truly dead, and not at peace.
"Madam Norris, Filch's most cherished cat." Aaronswallowed, carefully reaching out to check her breath. "No breathing, but her state is very strange. I can't be sure if she's really dead."
After speaking, Aaron looked at the three of them in surprise. "You didn't do this, did you?"
The three immediately shook their heads. Although they disliked Filch, they wouldn't take it out on a cat, especially not with such a malicious method.
"I thought not you did it.
Such an effect, even more abnormal than Petrificus Totalus, is not something a Wizard our age can achieve." Aaron said, already having some suspicions.
This was most likely the work of that unknown dangerous creature. The words on the wall might not have been its doing, as Abey speculated it wasn't human, but Madam Norris's petrification definitely had something to do with it.
Thinking of this, Aaron couldn't help but frown. The situation might be more complex than he thought; someone at Hogwarts might be cooperating with this creature.
"Aaron, what are you thinking?" Hermione asked.
"I'm thinking I need to leave here as soon as possible," Aaron said bluntly. "I advise you to leave quickly too. Staying at a crime scene is not a wise choice; usually, you'll be treated as a suspect."
"Shouldn't we try to save her?" Harry looked at Madam Norris with some reluctance, his voice a little shaky.
Aaron gave him a deep look, then a meaningful smile. "Goodbye."
"I think we should listen to him," Ron said.
Harry nodded, but before he could act, a low murmur and dense footsteps echoed from both sides of the corridor.
Aaron looked at the increasingly dense figures approaching from the front, cursed under his breath, and quickly retreated.
"Why are you back again?"
"Asking the obvious." Aaron rolled his eyes at Ron. "The feast is over. I knew I shouldn't have wasted my time here."
"Yeah!" Hermione shrugged, shrugging with some sympathy. "A step too late."
"A step too late, but the situation isn't too bad.
At least compared to you, my level of suspicion is still very low," Aaron said meaningfully.
Soon, both ends of the corridor were packed with students.
They looked at the four people in the center and Madam Norris hanging upside down on the torch bracket, and the joyful sounds after the feast ceased in a tacit understanding.
"This scene reminds me of last Halloween Eve," Aaron said, exasperated.
Colin in the crowd saw this scene and instinctively picked up his camera, but before he could take a photo, Percyquietly pressed it down.
"Aaron, why are you here?" Draco looked at the other three with a stunned expression, somewhat incredulous.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't overthink it.
Did you forget I just said I was going back to the dormitory to sleep early? I only arrived a few minutes before you.
What I saw was pretty much the same as what you saw, just without me in it."
Draco, hearing this, looked enlightened.
He first gave Aaron an awkward but polite smile as an apology, then looked at the Slytherin Prefect and said, "What Aaron said is true. I can testify, many people can testify."
"I didn't say I don't believe him," the Slytherin Prefect said, then waved to Aaron. "Gaius, I don't think you should be standing with them right now."
"Prefect is brilliant." Aaron gave a thumbs up, unhesitatingly walking among the students.
"Neller, what you're doing is a bit inappropriate!" Percy said, somewhat displeased.
"We have a witness," Neller said nonchalantly. "You know my character; I've never favored any Slytherin, but I also won't let any Slytherin be wronged."
"Prefect is awesome."
"Oh, come on, I've never seen you flatter me like this normally." Neller said, exasperated. "From last year until now, you've at most just nodded to me when you saw me."
"Times change, don't they!" Aaron said with a mischievous grin.
Harry and the others looked at this scene, somewhat dumbfounded. Aaron had just extracted himself, wasn't that too childish!
The three exchanged glances, finally tacitly shifting their gaze to Percy.
Percy shook his head with great difficulty, indicating he couldn't help.
It was true that a Prefect had certain rights, but he couldn't abuse his power without reason.
Moreover, with so many people watching, unless Harry also had a witness, or sufficient alibi, he could only handle it officially.
But the three of them hadn't attended the feast tonight, which was already a flaw, not to mention they were at the crime scene at this moment. Few would believe it was a coincidence.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware." Draco looked at the bloody words on the wall, as if he had thought of something, and slowly turned his gaze to Hermione. "I estimate you'll be next, Hermione Granger.
I advise you to be careful, after all, you're a Muggle-born Wizard."
Hermione frowned. She felt Draco knew something, but their current predicament didn't allow her to ask for clarification.
"What do you mean?" Aaron asked, puzzled.
"You don't know?"
"Should I know?"
Draco chuckled awkwardly, but then, considering the special nature of reclusive families, he understood.
"The Chamber of Secrets is a Hogwarts legend. I heard my father talk about it before. The Professors should know too."
Just then, the system's voice suddenly rang in Aaron's mind, and his expression couldn't help but become strange.
But before he could figure out what was happening, ArgusFilch, the caretaker, pushed his way through the crowd.
"Potter, what are you…" Filch stopped mid-sentence, looking at Madam Norris hanging, his face filled with horror, and he staggered back a few steps.
"Madam Norris." Filch's lips trembled slightly, and he glared at Harry, asking, "You killed my cat."
"No, it wasn't me, it wasn't me," Harry said nervously.
"I'll kill you." Filch grabbed Harry's collar, roaring, "I'll kill you."
"Argus!"
Dumbledore arrived at the scene just in time, followed by a host of House Professors. The students spontaneously made way.
Filch also released his grip, just looking at his cat with a wronged expression.
Dumbledore saw the bloody words on the wall, his heart tightened, but he quickly composed himself.
"Everyone, orderly return to your dormitories. Everyone, except… you three.
Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger.
Wait, Mr. Gaius, you stay as well."
Aaron was stunned. "Professor, I might have misheard. Are you sure you want me to stay too?"
"Confirmed."
"But I have nothing to do with this, it was just a coincidence." Aaron said, frustrated. "I have witnesses. I only left the Great Hall a few minutes early. Even if I wanted to do these things, I wouldn't have had time."
"I know, and I'm not suspecting you, Mr. Gaius."
"Don't worry, Aaron." Professor Snape stepped forward. "Headmaster Dumbledore just wants to simply understand what you saw. It's nothing major, just tell the truth."