Chapter 297: Legend of the Chamber
Chapter 297: Legend of the Chamber
For several days in a row, the topic of conversation within the castle unanimously revolved around Filch's recent attack, with students discussing nothing else.
Filch had been sent to the school hospital, accompanied by Mrs. Norris, who remained by his side.
Some students had thought that without this annoying duo, the coming days would be much easier.
For instance, they could now chat loudly in the corridors and playfully mess around without worrying about someone suddenly leaping out from the shadows, screaming about detentions.
However, things didn't turn out as they had hoped.
The professors took over Filch's duties, taking turns patrolling the castle, and anyone caught breaking the rules was punished just as severely as before, whether it was with point deductions or detentions.
What's more, they were even harder to deal with; the little tricks that used to work on Filch were completely ineffective against the professors.
In just a few days, the four school hourglasses had noticeably dropped in points.
To make matters worse, those who broke the rules now had to take on the task of cleaning the castle... and they couldn't even use magic to help them.
A few days earlier, Kyle had seen Fred and George lugging a bunch of tools as they laboriously scrubbed the walls to remove some graffiti on the third floor.
From their conversation, it seemed that they actually missed Filch in some strange way.
The Chamber of Secrets was also a hot topic of discussion these days.
All the copies of "Hogwarts, A History" had been borrowed from the library.
"They're just wasting their time," Cedric commented as he observed the young witches and wizards around him flipping frantically through the pages of their books in the Great Hall. "I clearly remember, there was nothing about the Chamber in that book."
"Do you have the entire book memorized?" Michael asked, incredulous.
"Of course not, that's impossible." Cedric shook his head. "But I do have a general impression of the content, and I don't recall any mention of a so-called Chamber... not even a hint."
"Oh, I was thinking of borrowing it from Millicent after she's done reading it," Michael sighed, clearly sharing the same interest in the Chamber.
After breakfast, the group left the castle and made their way towards the third greenhouse.
Professor Sprout was a kind witch with a perpetual smile on her face, and her Herbology class was one of the most popular subjects at Hogwarts.
Today, they were learning how to extract beans from Bubotuber pus.
It was much more difficult than it seemed; applying too little force wouldn't get the beans out, and too much force would cause the beans to burst into flowers immediately.
Finding the right amount of force was a tricky task.
"Don't rush, increase the force gradually, it takes time. Also, be careful not to touch the leaves and young shoots, or they'll get angry," Professor Sprout advised as she demonstrated the proper technique.
Just then, a young witch from Hufflepuff raised her hand.
"Miss Bird, do you have a question?" Professor Sprout asked with a smile.
"Professor, can you tell us about the Chamber of Secrets and who the heir is?"
Everyone's heads snapped up at the question.
Michael, who was a bit too eager, almost pulled the Bubotuber out of its pot.
The angry plant immediately sprayed its string of pink beans onto Michael's face, causing him to howl in pain.
Professor Sprout blinked.
"Miss Bird, you're not the first to ask me that," she said softly. "Lately, students have been asking about it in every class."
Professor Sprout thought for a moment. "Alright, if you can finish the task ahead of time, I can share some of the rumors I've heard during the remaining time."
At this, everyone lowered their heads and focused intently on the Bubotubers in front of them, carefully adjusting the force they were applying. Those who had been chatting stopped their conversations, and those who had been preparing dragon dung fertilizer set their bags aside.
While the students' failure rate was a tad high, at least everyone had succeeded at least once, and there were no deliberate failures.
So she decided to keep her promise. "Of course, this is just a legend, and a rather amusing one at that."
"Let me think... the Chamber of Secrets... this story dates back to a thousand years ago, when Hogwarts was first established..."
For the next ten minutes, Professor Sprout recounted in detail how Hogwarts was founded and the growing discord among the four founders... and their differing criteria for selecting students.
"...After a particularly heated argument, Salazar Slytherin left the school."
Professor Sprout paused at this point.
"That's all that has been recorded, and it's also mentioned in 'Hogwarts, A History' if you're interested in reading more."
"As for the Chamber of Secrets... it falls into the realm of bizarre legends." She continued, "Some say that Slytherin built a secret room within the castle, unknown to the other founders.
Only his heir could open the chamber and release the monster within, which would then purge the school of all those unworthy of a magical education."
The end-of-class bell rang, but the greenhouse remained silent, no one making a move to leave. Every eye was fixed on Professor Sprout, hoping she would continue.
"Alright, that's all I know. Off you go back to the castle."
Professor Sprout opened the greenhouse door.
"In my opinion, this legend is complete nonsense. Salazar Slytherin may have been able to hide the chamber from the other two founders, but he couldn't have fooled Rowena Ravenclaw.
And most importantly... even at his angriest, Slytherin only wanted to expel those students from the castle, not kill them."
At her urging, the students reluctantly left the greenhouse.
...
"I knew it, the Chamber of Secrets must be connected to Slytherin," Ryan said to Kyle and Connor. "That second-year student, Malfoy, he looked so smug at the time... and Flint, too. I bet they already knew about the chamber."
"It's a shame he wouldn't tell us anything," Michael said regretfully. "If only we could sneak into Slytherin's common room, we might overhear some secrets."
"If you really want to try," Kyle said with a smile, "I have a Slytherin scarf and some badges. With a bit of disguise and a covered face, you might just be able to pull it off."
"It's worth a shot..." Michael considered the idea seriously. "But I don't know their password."
"That's easy," Kyle said offhandedly. "Something about pureblood, honor, eternity, or power. Just try a few times.
Or you could slip in with a group of students after breakfast on the weekend when there are lots of people. One more person won't be noticed."
"That makes sense," Michael's eyes lit up. "I don't even need to know the password."
He touched his red and swollen face... the result of being hit by Bubotuber beans.
He had been considering getting some swelling reduction potion, but it seemed unnecessary now.
In his current state, even some Hufflepuffs wouldn't recognize him, let alone Slytherins.
It was a rare opportunity...
(End of Chapter)
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