Chapter 295: Hogwarts Traditions, A Restless Halloween
Chapter 295: Hogwarts Traditions, A Restless Halloween
As the feast came to a close, the students reluctantly departed from the Great Hall, still buzzing with excitement.
The Skull Dance Troupe had already left during their meal, leaving a slight disappointment in their absence.
"It's so hard to get this troupe to perform," a young wizard exclaimed. "My dad told me that even the Ministry had to wait a long time to secure their performance."
"I heard they performed at the Quidditch World Cup last time, and the Odd Sisters too... People say it was the most spectacular opening act in a century," another student chimed in.
"I can't believe we got to see them at Hogwarts. The headmaster is truly remarkable..."
"Of course, it's Dumbledore after all..."
The students excitedly discussed the performance as they left the Great Hall, heading back to their respective Common Rooms.
But before they could exit the Hall, a piercing howl suddenly echoed from the direction of the stairs.
The shrill sound sent shivers down their spines.
The crowd's chatter gradually quieted...
"What was that sound just now?" someone asked.
"It's Mrs. Norris."
"I get goosebumps just hearing her voice. I'm sure of it," someone else said.
"Could she have caught someone breaking the rules... But we were all in the Great Hall!"
"Maybe some dangerous magical creature escaped from the Forbidden Forest... Mrs. Norris' voice sounded strange just now, just like my cat when she's startled."
"Let's go see for ourselves..."
Driven by curiosity, the crowd quickened their pace, unanimously heading towards the source of the sound, eager to find out what had happened.
After all, the feast had just ended, and they had time to spare. As for any potential danger... No one seemed to care.
Just then, another howl echoed, and the crowd followed the sound to the third floor.
In an empty corridor, they finally spotted Mrs. Norris.
She stood on a statue at the end of the corridor, her back arched, and her fur bristling, resembling a porcupine.
Behind her, on the wall, were some words illuminated by the flickering torchlight.
[The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.
Beware, enemies of the Heir.]
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood rigidly in front of the wall, looking at the crowd in panic.
Harry seemed to want to explain something, but as soon as he turned his head, Mrs. Norris howled at him.
Now the crowd understood the source of the howls.
"Click..."
Colin Creevey squeezed through the crowd with his camera.
"Harry, I've been looking for you. Why didn't you go to the Great Hall for the feast?"
Harry wanted to explain, but Mrs. Norris didn't give him a chance. At the moment, even the slightest movement would cause the cat to pounce and bite the trio.
Harry had never seen such an agile cat. Both he and Ron and Hermione had long scratches on their bodies.
And for some reason, they couldn't fight back.
"Excuse me, excuse me..." Kyle squeezed through the crowd as well.
He had only come to join the commotion, but when he saw the words on the wall, his pupils suddenly contracted.
The Chamber of Secrets?
How is that possible?
Riddle's diary was still in his box, and he always carried that box with him. Others couldn't possibly have gotten into it.
But what about this scene before him... What's going on here!
Kyle's mind was in disarray, and he didn't even notice what Connor was saying next to him.
Unconsciously, he walked forward.
Mrs. Norris, who usually got along well with Kyle, didn't give him any face this time. She turned and growled at him, baring her sharp claws.
Kyle stopped and didn't continue forward.
Only when he got closer did he realize that the statue Mrs. Norris was standing on was actually Filch, curled up and motionless, with his head down, which was why he wasn't recognized at first.
Others followed suit.
"Beware, enemies of the Heir. Next is you, Mudblood..."
Draco Malfoy seemed to have thought of something, but in the end, he didn't say the word.
However, his cold eyes lit up, and his usually bloodless face turned red as he smirked at Hermione.
In the crowd, Kyle frowned, feeling even more confused. If Filch's current state wasn't due to a Petrificus Totalus spell... Then it could only be the Basilisk.
"Something's not right. There must be something wrong..."
"Kyle thought to himself."
Just as he was about to go to the second floor to check on Lavender's bathroom, the professors arrived...
"What's going on here!"
The crowd automatically parted to make way, and Dumbledore approached, followed by the other professors. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the crowd and stood before Filch.
Mrs. Norris finally stopped bristling and jumped to the ground, quietly standing by Dumbledore's feet.
"Now, everyone, back to your dormitories!"
Dumbledore said, "As for you, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger, follow me. I need your help with something."
Lo Hart hurried over.
"My office is the closest, Headmaster, just upstairs... And I personally have a deep understanding of this Dark Magic. When I was with the Kest tribe, I helped them with a similar situation. At that time, they..."
"Thank you, Gilderoy. Please go to your office."
Dumbledore interrupted his incessant chatter, "Could you kindly inform Madam Pomfrey at the school hospital? I think it's necessary for her to come over."
"Of course, Headmaster."
The crowd parted once more, allowing them to pass.
Lo Hart was very excited, looking smug, and hurried towards the school hospital.
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The other professors followed Dumbledore and instructed the surrounding prefects to take everyone back to their common rooms.
After the professors left, the crowd immediately became noisy, everyone discussing what had happened to Filch.
And what was this so-called Secret Chamber all about.
Malfoy had the most people around him, but he just smiled smugly, saying nothing.
The prefects were searching for their respective houses, and Harris was among them.
"Kyle, let's go back..." Conna turned her head and suddenly realized that Kyle, who had just been by her side, was gone.
"Cedric, have you seen Kyle?"
"He's been here all the time, huh? Where's the person?"
At this moment, outside the crowd, Kyle, under the cover of a Transfiguration Charm, quickly ran to Lavender's bathroom.
The quill in the door crack was still placed neatly.
Opening the door, the explosive books inside were all accounted for.
Kyle crouched down and checked the strands of hair under the books... The positions were all correct.
"Oh, Kyle, are you here to comfort me?" Lavender sat on the washstand, sobbing, "That annoying Peeves, he said I..."
"Sorry, Lavender."
Kyle interrupted her, asking, "Has anyone been here recently?"
Lavender stopped crying and then looked at Kyle suspiciously, "You."
"Besides me." Kyle continued, "Has anyone else been here?"
"No one else would come here. Who would let a poor, whimpering, sulking Lavender be here."
As she spoke, she started crying again.
However, Kyle was not in the mood to comfort her now.
After leaving the bathroom, he randomly found an empty classroom and took out a box from his Transformation Lizard Hide Bag.
The setup in the entry room was the same as before.
Kyle found the magic box under the bed, but as soon as he picked it up, his heart skipped a beat.
The box was lighter.
"No way... It must be my imagination. No one could have come here."
Kyle took a few deep breaths and nervously opened the box.
Then there was nothing inside the box... The diary that had been placed inside was also gone.
"Wait... I must have opened it incorrectly."
Kyle closed the lid and opened it again.
After doing this five times in a row, Kyle had to admit that the diary was indeed lost, and it happened right under his nose.
At this moment, a Billywig flew over, wobbling.
Seeing it, Kyle hurriedly asked.
"Has anyone been here?"
The Billywig hovered in mid-air, its face showing the same expression as Lavender's.
It let out a faint chirp.
"Was I the only one who came here?"
"Are you sure?"
The Billywig flew up and down, nodding.
Unrelenting, Kyle found Niffler and Norbert and asked the same question, but the answers were the same.
Niffler poked his head around the room, confirming that there was no scent of another human wizard here.
(End of Chapter)
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