Chapter 543: I've Made Arrangements for You
Chapter 543: I've Made Arrangements for You
"Who's there?"
The plump lady, who had just closed her eyes to rest, opened them in confusion, staring at the empty corridor before her.
Receiving no response, it was as if no one had been there in the first place.
It was eleven o'clock, and the curfew had already begun.
Light footsteps echoed in the quiet corridor, as if someone was gradually walking away.
As the footsteps continued, the corridor remained pitch-black, and no figure could be seen. Only the portraits on either side of the corridor murmured softly.
Squeak! A door was pushed open without warning, as if someone had entered.
A strange hissing sound suddenly emanated from the dark bathroom. A blinding beam of light shone from the faucet.
The sink began to shift, extending outwards and revealing an extremely thick pipe.
A petite red-haired girl appeared out of thin air, holding a book in her arms. She walked directly to the pipe and jumped into it.
After an unknown period of time, a sphere of light appeared in the girls' bathroom, dispelling the darkness within. Crisp clicking sounds echoed in the quiet bathroom, as if someone was taking pictures of the entrance to the chamber.
The light sphere hovered momentarily before disappearing, and the bathroom fell back into silence.
Soon after, a man's voice rang out in the darkness, "It seems my luck isn't bad."
Albert examined the photos in his hand, a pleasant smile curving his lips. With these photos, he could prove the existence of the Chamber of Secrets.
And that meant quests.
Just as he thought, the quests were coming.
Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.
You have discovered the location of the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets. Why not try to enter the chamber and explore the secrets hidden within?
Reward: Unknown.
Unspeakable Secret.
Legend has it that only the heir of Slytherin has the qualification to enter the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets. You happened to stumble upon someone opening the chamber. Investigate who this person is and what their purpose is.
Reward: 10,000 experience, 2 skill points.
Secret Digger.
You have accidentally discovered the location of the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets. Please inform the headmaster of Hogwarts and show everyone that the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets does exist.
Reward: 500 experience, obtain the skill Parseltongue.
Albert thought it would be best to leave the exploration of the Chamber of Secrets until after Harry Potter had killed the Serpent of Slytherin. In any case, he could learn Parseltongue through the skill, so he wasn't worried about not being able to enter the chamber.
Let the savior deal with that big problem of a serpent! After taking the photos and triggering the panel quest, Albert didn't plan to linger. It would be unwise to stay in case Tom noticed him, as the subsequent arrangements might self-destruct.
Leaving as soon as possible was the wisest choice.
With Ginny Weasley entering the Chamber of Secrets, it meant that Tom had already controlled Ginny to summon the serpent lurking deep within the castle.
This place was no longer safe.
For the sake of his life, Albert hurried back to the Gryffindor common room as quickly as he could.
To be honest, Albert was in a good mood, and even his footsteps felt lighter.
With the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets, he could definitely trigger a lot of quests if he played his cards right.
Tom Riddle thought no one knew he was controlling Ginny Weasley in the background, eliminating Muggle-born wizards from the school.
"Let's see if I can't arrange things clearly for you," Albert said with a cold smile, his mind whirring as he refined his previous plan.
As he passed the fourth-floor trophy room, he encountered Filch, the caretaker, who was grooming his cat. At the same time, he glared sharply at Ron Weasley, who was holding a teacup for polishing, a pleased smile on his face as if the mere sight of students in detention improved his mood.
As Albert sneaked away, he heard Filch's indifferent voice from the trophy room, "No, clean it again. Don't think about slacking off."
Then, amidst the sounds of retching, Ron's miserable cry could be heard.
"What are you up to?"
Filch looked at Ron, who was spitting up slugs, a cold smile on his face. "Clean it up, and only then can you go back. Otherwise, don't think about resting tonight."
"Hasn't Ron's slug-vomiting problem been cured yet?"
Albert could guess what had happened, and he was speechless. He really didn't understand why Ron Weasley refused to see Madam Pomfrey for treatment. Was this what they called hiding an illness to avoid treatment? Or was it that even Madam Pomfrey couldn't cure his problem?
Taking a shortcut, Albert soon arrived in front of the Gryffindor common room.
"Sweetheart."
"Where have you been?" The plump lady was clearly unhappy that her sleep had been disturbed again.
"On a date," Albert replied without hesitation.
"Who with? That girl, Isabelle, right?" The plump lady seemed a little excited.
"How do you know?" Albert raised an eyebrow.
"Everyone's been talking about you." The plump lady smiled, "They say you're the youngest International Wizard Chess Champion."
"Why are the portraits so gossipy?" Albert muttered, "Can I go in?"
"Of course, remember to come back earlier next time, preferably before curfew." The plump lady offered a friendly reminder as the portrait swiveled open.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Albert said with a smile as he walked in and sat down in an armchair, casually checking the map.
Ginny Weasley reappeared in the bathroom faster than Albert had anticipated. It seemed that Tom had only controlled her to go and check on the serpent's situation.
In fact, Albert was curious—was the serpent hibernating, or had it been active deep beneath Hogwarts all this time?
After such a long time, it would definitely need to feed. Without anyone providing food, it was impossible for such a massive serpent to survive on the rats alone.
Moreover, serpents were carnivores.
Sure enough, if one looked into it carefully, it felt very strange.
After all, it was a serpent that had been alive for nearly a century. Even if it could hibernate, it would need to eat.
Was it being fed by the Hogwarts house-elves, or could the serpent leave the chamber and find food elsewhere?
Like the Black Lake, perhaps?
That possibility seemed unlikely, or it would surely have been noticed.
Also, Albert had always been curious about how the serpent attacked others through the pipes. Did Hogwarts have more pipe entrances than passage pipes?
No matter how he looked at it, the whole situation seemed odd.
After all, the serpent was not small; it couldn't just appear openly in the corridors.
Otherwise, a hideous giant snake slithering through the corridors would surely be noticed by the professors and students in the classrooms. News of such an event would spread throughout Hogwarts immediately, and it couldn't be hidden.
So, how was it done?
Could it be that the serpent had always been sneaking out through the entrance of the girls' bathroom on the second floor and secretly attacking the Muggle-born students nearby?
(End of Chapter)
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