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Chapter 318: An Air of Tension
Chapter 318: An Air of Tension
"All students must return to their respective common rooms by six in the evening and are not permitted to leave after that time.
You are to be escorted by a professor to and from your classes, and you are not to wander the castle alone until the professor arrives.
Quidditch practices and games are postponed, and no evening activities will take place from now on..."
Professor McGonagall addressed the students seated at the long tables in the Great Hall, her voice carrying an air of authority.
The professor was genuinely frightened.
Even before the holidays, the Ministry of Magic had been closely monitoring the situation at Hogwarts.
After the attack on Muggle Studies professor, Keri Dibuj, some had even suggested temporarily closing the school to focus all efforts on finding the Chamber of Secrets.
While this proposal was initially rejected by the majority, the increasing number of attacks caused it to resurface just days before Christmas.
And this time, there were significantly fewer dissenting votes.
The relative inaction of the Ministry could be attributed not only to Dumbledore's influence but also to the fact that no students had been harmed thus far.
However, such luck was unlikely to hold forever.
The current calm was but a temporary respite, and the string of past attacks was like a stack of powder kegs waiting to explode.
Already, some were stirring in the shadows, eager to exploit the situation.
Professor McGonagall was certain that if a student were to be attacked or if the frequency of assaults increased, those with their own agendas would seize the opportunity to ignite the fuse.
The consequences of such an explosion were unpredictable.
Additionally, the professor did not want to see any student come to harm.
The situation was critical.
Mandrake restorative was almost ready, and once those who had been petrified—students or ghosts—were revived, they might be able to provide information about the Chamber and the monster within.
The heir of Slytherin was likely aware of this as well, and to protect themselves and their secrets, they would either cease their activities or become even more reckless in their attempts to keep the truth buried.
The petrified goblin was proof that the heir had chosen the latter path...
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath, her expression grave as she addressed the students.
Thus far, all the attacks had resulted in petrification, but that did not mean the monster in the Chamber was incapable of inflicting more permanent harm.
After all, the last time the Chamber had been opened, fifty years ago, students had lost their lives under mysterious circumstances.
Such a tragedy must not be allowed to happen again.
Her eyes swept over the students, and her voice took on a suffocating quality as she said, "I expect each and every one of you to abide by these rules, if not for your own sake, then for your own house's!
Any student found breaking these rules will lose all house points and their house will be disqualified from the Quidditch competition."
"Furthermore," she continued, "I urge anyone who has even the slightest idea about what is going on to come forward.
Every clue, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could help us catch the person behind these attacks."
With that, Professor McGonagall hurriedly left the Great Hall.
As soon as she was gone, the hall erupted into a buzz of whispered conversations.
Never before had such severe punishments been threatened—the loss of all house points and disqualification from the Quidditch competition.
"At least Professor McGonagall only postponed the Quidditch matches..." Harry said, counting their blessings.
"You two," Ron said, looking at Fred and George with a mixture of warning and curiosity.
The twins knew exactly what he was thinking.
"We won't get caught, even for Quidditch," Fred assured him.
"It's you we're worried about," George said with a grin. "Don't go trying to be a hero again like last year. Leave the catching of dark wizards to the proper people."
Over at the Hufflepuff table, Kyle also kept quiet.
All around them, students were discussing who the heir could be, and with each name mentioned, Kyle would observe the person's expression.
The only one who seemed out of place was Lockhart.
He was unusually subdued, not boasting about the number of cards he had received or regaling everyone with his countless tales of achievement.
The usually image-conscious professor had even neglected his hair, sporting a messy mane of golden locks, and he drank cup after cup of wine, a stark contrast to his confident demeanor at lunch.
Half an hour later, dinner came to an end.
Professor McGonagall re-entered the Great Hall, accompanied by the other three Heads of Houses.
Professor Sprout came over to usher the Hufflepuffs back to their common room.
"You are to remain here at all times, except when going to classes," she instructed.
She counted each student as they filed through the barrel hoop, only leaving once everyone had returned to their house common room.
"But didn't Professor Lockhart already figure out who the heir is?"
As soon as Professor Sprout was out of earshot, a student asked impatiently, "Why can't the professors just catch that person?"
"Can't you see he's all talk?" someone scoffed. "He doesn't actually know anything, and he's useless in a duel, as we saw in the club."
"Nonsense!" someone argued. "Have you read his books? Think about all the amazing things he's done."
"He's the only one saying he's done them."
...
The students in the common room soon split into two factions, arguing incessantly about Lockhart.
Kyle, Connor, and Cedric distanced themselves from the meaningless debate, navigating around the crowd to sit on a few sofas in the corner.
"Kyle, have you found anything?" Cedric asked.
"No," Kyle shook his head.
"That person is incredibly secretive," Connor sighed. "With each attack, there are no witnesses, as if they happened out of thin air... Could the monster in the Chamber be a ghost that can move freely within the castle?"
"Ghosts can't petrify people, they're only good for scaring," Cedric said, turning back to Kyle. "What about that golden chain you found before? Where did you come across it?"
"In a... hidden place," Kyle hesitated, not wanting to reveal the existence of the Chamber.
He had considered sharing the location of the Chamber and Riddle's message with Professor Dumbledore, especially after the diary's mysterious disappearance and the increasing frequency of attacks. Yet, he could never bring himself to do it, as if some unknown force was dissuading him from taking action.
It felt like being a Muggle who had wandered into the range of a Repelling Spell, constantly distracted by other matters.
However, Kyle was oblivious to this influence, only sensing that something was amiss but unable to pinpoint the cause. Ultimately, he attributed his hesitation to his attachment to the Basilisk... After all, the creature was incredibly valuable, and the number of Galleons it could fetch would surely stack up to a small mountain.
Kyle rubbed his forehead, feeling inexplicably irritable.
"Speaking of clues, Kyle, do you remember that thing I gave you for Christmas?" At that moment, Cedric suddenly stood up and dashed off to the dormitory.
"Wait a moment," he said.
About a minute later, he returned with a stack of parchment.
(End of Chapter)
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