Chapter 627: Prepared for All Contingencies
Chapter 627: Prepared for All Contingencies
Upon learning that Hermione had already revealed the matter of Riddle's diary to Albert, Harry initially expected that Albert would bring them some good news. However, more than half a month had passed, and Albert still hadn't made any moves, as if nothing had happened.
To say he wasn't disappointed would be a lie.
However, Harry also knew that it was foolish of him to pin his hopes on others.
The annual Wizard's Chess tournament was about to begin once again, and several of Harry's roommates couldn't resist the temptation of the championship reward and signed up for the competition. Unfortunately, their luck wasn't great, and they were eliminated in the knockout rounds.
As the host, Albert must be busy with the tournament at the moment.
Having just finished his homework and exiting the library, Harry, who was on his way back to the Gryffindor common room, spotted a semi-transparent figure floating across the corridor. He quickly hurried forward and managed to catch up just in time before Nick completely disappeared.
"Hey, Nick!"
"Good afternoon, Harry."
Nick, upon hearing his name being called, pulled his head out of the wall and greeted Harry with a smile. As he spoke, he withdrew the rest of his body from the solid stone wall and waited for Harry to continue.
"Nick, I have something I want to ask you. Is that alright?"
"Oh, alright." Nick, who had almost lost his head, agreed, "If I know, that is."
After hesitating for a moment, Harry asked, "Do you know Tom Riddle?"
Actually, Harry wanted to ask Nick who had opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, but he felt that he shouldn't rush things.
"Tom Riddle?" Nick repeated the name.
"That was the name of a student fifty years ago." Harry revealed what he knew.
"A name from fifty years ago?"
Nick furrowed his brows, then shook his head in confusion. "I'm sorry, Harry, I don't know who he is. But I think the name Tom is quite common. As far as I know, there's a student in Gryffindor who has a fat cat named Tom."
Harry opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"Anything else?"
"How much do you know about the legend of Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets? I heard that fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and the culprit was expelled from school." Harry tried to probe further, even though he didn't have high hopes.
"That's right, there was such an incident," Nick nodded after trying to recall, "I think a student died at the time, and the principal resigned as a result."
"Do you know who opened the Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin?" Harry asked further.
"I don't know, Harry." Nick shook his head.
"Wasn't the heir of Slytherin caught?" Harry said.
"Unfortunately, I don't quite remember. It's been too long. If it's not particularly impressive, most ghosts don't remember much." Nick thought for a long time but still couldn't recall, "Our minds usually contain memories from our lives. However, if you want to know, you can ask Headmaster Dumbledore. Maybe he still remembers what happened fifty years ago."
"Sorry to bother you." Harry said.
"Don't mention it."
Nick walked away, leaving Harry standing there, staring blankly at the spot on the wall where Nick had disappeared.
Just as Harry turned to leave, he saw Ginny Weasley, her face slightly pale.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
Ginny's lips trembled slightly, and she quickly turned and walked away.
"You don't look fine to me." Harry muttered as he watched Ginny's disappearing back.
"Harry, what did you do to Ginny? I just saw her..." Hermione and Albert appeared at the corner of the corridor and looked at Harry, who was standing there.
"I don't know what's going on either." Harry was equally puzzled.
"You didn't reject Weasley's confession, did you?" Albert teased.
"I have something else to do. See you later." Harry walked away, feeling embarrassed.
Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes at Albert, thinking his joke was a bit too much.
"Ginny is just a kid, how could she possibly..."
"Ginny wrote Harry a Valentine's Day card." Albert said seriously, "And I think you can't deny that Ginny Weasley admires Potter quite a bit!"
"How do you know she wrote a Valentine's Day card to Harry? I remember that day you seemed..." Hermione didn't finish her sentence as Albert interrupted her.
"His eyes are as green as a pickled toad..." Albert began to recall the song Fred and George had sung in the dormitory, "He's as black and sleek as a blackboard... I wish he were mine, he's really handsome... He's the hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
A moment of bewilderment flashed across Hermione's face, and then she looked at Albert with a strange expression, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
"Do you think, apart from Ginny Weasley, who admires Harry Potter, anyone else would write this kind of Valentine's Day card to him?"
Even Hermione had to admit that Albert made sense. Harry was the so-called savior, but he wasn't as popular with the girls at school as Albert was now.
Well, I seem to have written him a card too, Hermione thought, and suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. She quickly changed the subject and asked, "What about your investigation into Tom Riddle?"
"The situation might be a bit complicated."
"What do you mean by a bit complicated?" Hermione also realized that Albert had already found out something.
"Given your extremely poor secrecy, it's not appropriate to tell you at this time." Albert didn't plan to tell Hermione about Hagrid yet, as she would soon find out from Harry.
Well, Albert had indeed done something to Harry.
To be precise, he had altered some of Harry's memories slightly, which would help him discover the secret of the diary.
"What exactly did you find out?" Hermione was itching to know, so she pressed further.
Lowering his voice, Albert said, "The Chamber of Secrets incident fifty years ago. Tom Riddle captured the heir of Slytherin, and the school gave him a special contribution award to keep him quiet."
"Do you know who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, finding it hard to believe that Albert had managed to gather so much information in such a short time.
He's amazing! "That unfortunate expelled student was just a scapegoat." Noticing Hermione's gaze, Albert shook his head, "I can't reveal his name yet, as I promised to keep it confidential for now. I think you'll know soon enough. So, don't ask any more questions for now, just wait patiently."
Hermione suddenly felt like hitting Albert.
"By the way, here, take this." Albert suddenly took out a small mirror from his pocket and handed it to Hermione.
"Why are you giving me this?" Hermione took the mirror doubtfully and examined it.
"When you're passing by the corner, if you hear any strange noises, use the mirror to check the corridor first." Albert subtly warned Hermione about the basilisk.
"You mean the heir of Slytherin will continue the attacks." Hermione quickly realized Albert's intention.
"It's always good to be prepared." Albert shrugged, "After all, we're Muggle-born wizards, and we need to take some precautions."
(End of Chapter)
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