Chapter 576: What Tom Knew
Chapter 576: What Tom Knew
No sooner had Colin Creevey left the Gryffindor common room than Albert descended from his dormitory.
Tonight, he had added a little something to his roommates' milk tea, ensuring they would be fast asleep after their late-night snack.
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were all deeply slumbering and wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night, nor would they realize that their roommate had disappeared in the wee hours.
As Albert left the common room, he didn't forget to raise his wand and scrutinize the portrait of the Fat Lady, the gatekeeper who had momentarily stepped out.
"So that's what he meant," Albert muttered to himself before turning and swiftly striding towards the depths of the corridor, disappearing into the profound darkness at its end.
A few minutes later, Albert pushed open the door to the Room of Requirement and sat in the brightly lit room, spreading out the live map in front of him on the table, his eyes fixed on Colin's location.
Colin Creevey was walking slowly, probably due to it being his first night adventure. Each step was tentative as he made his way towards the seventh floor of the castle.
Albert believed that Tom Riddle was currently hiding in the Chamber of Secrets, using the Tracking Charm to monitor the entire castle, pinpointing the Mudblood's location, and also to avoid any patrolling professors when he unleashed the Basilisk.
In a way, Tom's approach was flawless, perfectly concealing the existence of the colossal Basilisk alongside the attack.
However, Tom never could have imagined that his flawless assault had been completely seen through by Albert from the very beginning.
At times, being a time-traveler allowed one to do as they pleased.
When Albert had left his dormitory, he had already cast a powerful Disillusionment Charm on himself.
It was the fruit of his relentless efforts over the past half month. With the boost from his skill panel and his own diligence, Albert had finally managed to successfully cast the Disillusionment Charm, obscuring his presence just in time before Tom Riddle controlled Ginny Weasley to carry out the second attack. As a result, his name and footprints would not appear on the map affected by the Tracking Charm.
Yes, Tom Riddle was completely oblivious to this. He viewed Albert as prey, unaware that the latter had already marked him as such.
At this moment, the heir of Slytherin was with Ginny Weasley, whom he had under his control, in the underground pipes, monitoring the Mudblood's movements through the map displayed on the diary.
Not long ago, Tom had learned from Ginny about a Mudblood named Colin who intended to visit Harry in the middle of the night and had invited her to join him. That was when Tom decided to make his move on the obnoxious Mudblood.
This was a rare opportunity. Tom knew that the last attack on the Squib's cat hadn't alerted the students to the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets and the return of the heir of Slytherin.
Back then, Tom had realized that he must have the Basilisk kill one or two Mudbloods to once again instill fear in the entire school, making them feel the dominance of the heir of Slytherin.
Ginny Weasley's mouth emitted a hissing sound, soothing the restless Basilisk behind her.
Ever since it had been awakened from its hibernation by Tom, the Basilisk had been irritable.
It was hungry.
The rats in the underground pipes were not enough to satiate its appetite. Tom had no means to control Ginny to feed the Basilisk, nor did he see the need to. To him, the Basilisk was merely a tool to achieve his goals.
Tom Riddle's Parseltongue allowed him to command the temperamental Basilisk to obey his instructions.
On the diary's map, the footsteps of the Mudblood were marked, approaching the second floor of the castle, where the hospital wing was located.
As for Argus Filch, the Squib caretaker? Before entering the Chamber of Secrets, Tom had already paid him a visit, and Filch was now sound asleep in bed, unlikely to wake up for the next six or seven hours.
As Colin Creevey drew closer to the hospital wing, Tom controlled the Basilisk to leave the Chamber of Secrets and commence its hunting expedition.
He was eagerly anticipating the reaction of the Mudbloods of Hogwarts after tonight's attack.
At this moment, Colin Creevey was oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. His accelerated heartbeat was due more to the surrounding darkness and the chilly air making him uncomfortable, and the lantern in his hand did little to assuage his fears.
Moreover, Colin was still worried that he would be caught wandering the castle in the middle of the night by the professors, resulting in a substantial point deduction and undermining all of Harry's efforts on the Quidditch pitch.
As Colin was about to climb the stairs at the end of the corridor past the Transfiguration classroom, he suddenly heard a rustling sound behind him.
What was that sound? Perhaps it was the courage of Gryffindor that kept Colin from immediately turning and fleeing.
In Colin's impression, there was nothing dangerous within Hogwarts Castle. If there were, how could it still be called a school? Wandering around at night, one might get caught by the professors, resulting in a detention or a point deduction at most.
However, that rustling sound was clearly not made by any of the professors.
Colin didn't leave; instead, he waited for the sound to draw closer. He had heard some upperclassmen talk about the fascinating occurrences within Hogwarts, such as encountering patrolling suits of armor in the corridors during night wanderings.
Perhaps today was his lucky day, and he would witness something extraordinary at Hogwarts.
He might just encounter one of those Hogwarts mysteries.
Colin suddenly felt a surge of excitement. He placed the lantern he was holding on the ground and removed the camera from around his neck, preparing to capture this moment.
The rustling sound grew louder as it drew closer.
As the owner of the sound rounded the corner, Colin quickly pressed the shutter button. The camera's flash illuminated the dark corridor, revealing an enormous serpent.
"Ah!"
Colin's eyes widened involuntarily, his mouth agape in a silent scream as his expression froze.
Colin Creevey had been petrified by the Basilisk.
In a way, Colin Creevey was lucky.
Because he had viewed the Basilisk's eyes through the camera lens, he wasn't directly affected by its deadly gaze and was merely petrified.
His body fell backward, colliding with the steps behind him.
Not far away, in Professor McGonagall's office, she had just finished grading student assignments and was resting when she heard the cry. Immediately, she climbed out of bed, her expression grim.
Evidently, a student was wandering the castle in the middle of the night.
She quickly threw on her cloak, grabbed her wand, and hurried out of her office. As she reached the end of the corridor, she heard an eerie rustling sound, as if something was dragging itself along the ground.
"What's that sound?"
Professor McGonagall's alertness heightened, and she cautiously approached the source of the sound. Soon, she discovered Colin Creevey lying on the ground, his body stiff. Professor McGonagall's heart skipped a beat, and she raised her wand, warily eyeing the end of the corridor.
The sound from before was most likely the monster from the Chamber of Secrets.
She hesitated for a moment before swiftly following the sound, and as she rounded the first corner, a familiar voice suddenly called out to her.
"What's the matter, Minerva? I heard a cry just now."
A sleep-clad Dumbledore appeared before Professor McGonagall without warning.
(End of Chapter)
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