Chapter 634: The Antagonist
Chapter 634: The Antagonist
Felix spread out the map, placing his hand on it and whispered, "Albus Dumbledore."
The map gave no response, as if the person didn't exist.
Felix pursed his lips, having anticipated this possibility. He put on his coat, and Valen wrapped a scarf around his neck. The two of them silently left the office. After a moment's thought, Felix headed towards the Seventh Classroom.
A few minutes early.
In the abandoned girls' bathroom on the second floor, four people were anxiously waiting. Moaning Myrtle sat on the toilet, frowning as she watched Harry pace back and forth, irritated. "You invited someone else?" the ghost asked.
No one answered her.
After another lap, Harry turned to Ron, who was standing by the door, and asked, "Any sign of movement?"
"Nope", Ron replied, bending down to peek through the keyhole.
"Did Luna forget the time?" Harry glared at Ginny.
"I think—"
"Ouch!" Ron suddenly cried out, clutching his forehead and stepping back. The door opened a crack, and after a few seconds, the four people and the ghost saw Luna cautiously peering in, her messy, dirty hair cascading down like a waterfall. Upon seeing the scowling Ron and the others, she immediately brightened up.
"Oh—everyone's here—how wonderful!" Luna said cheerfully. "I've always wanted to attend a secret meeting. Can we set off fireworks?"
"Ugh." Ron rubbed his forehead.
Luna stared at the red mark on his forehead. "What happened?"
"Let's not worry about that now, Luna", Hermione said. "You're late, and while I don't want to hear excuses like oversleeping, it's better than something worse—by the way, did you get caught?"
"I ran into Mrs. Norris", Luna said, and everyone's hearts skipped a beat. "But I Transfigured a bunch of rats and fish, and she chased the rats." She then showed her empty left wrist.
There should have been a stone bracelet there.
According to Ginny, they had placed an ad in the Mystery Wall newspaper, looking for pretty stones. Within two days, Luna received a half-box of oddly shaped, colorful pebbles, though there was no hope of finding the Resurrection Stone among them. Luna picked out a few to make her full set of accessories, and Ginny, after much reluctance, ended up with a necklace.
Of course, she never wore it.
The remaining stones were put to good use, and the two of them spent an afternoon adding a pebble path to the room of the "Horned Snorlax Must Exist" club, leading to a hammock.
"Why did you Transfigure fish?" Moaning Myrtle asked, her eyebrows drooping, but her tone indicated genuine interest.
"Cats love fish", Luna said confidently.
"But live fish don't just appear on the ground—aren't they live?" Hermione asked.
"Sure, but cats don't care", Luna replied.
Seeing the conversation veering off course, Harry cleared his throat, and the others turned their attention to him. He took on the air of a Quidditch captain, his expression stern. "We need to be quick. Three of us have to wake up early for team practice tomorrow."
"Earlier than class, how cruel. I wonder who set the time", Ron said.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Are you going to argue all night? Hurry up, Harry", Hermione urged.
Harry positioned himself in front of one of the faucets by the sink, the side of which was engraved with a serpent. "I have a bad feeling about this", Ron said, dampening the mood. "We should have returned to the dorm when we saw that statue suddenly appear—"
"Oh, shut up", Ginny snapped.
"What's wrong with what I said?" Ron whispered loudly. "You saw it too, that statue—damn, we've never seen it before!"
"It could have been moved recently", Ginny said calmly.
Ron gave her a look that suggested she was being unreasonable. Harry ignored the bickering, though a shadow of doubt lingered in his mind. What was that statue all about? He took a deep breath and shouted, "Open." A strange hissing sound came from his mouth, and the faucet emitted a blinding white light. The sink began to move, slowly sinking to reveal a large, dark pipe.
"Thank goodness the professors haven't sealed the entrance", Harry said with mixed feelings.
If it had failed, they could have called off the adventure for the night.
It was Ginny and Luna's first time seeing the Chamber, and they cautiously leaned over to look down. It was pitch black, seemingly bottomless. They cast various protective spells, dust-repelling charms, Levitation Charms, Enhanced Perception Spells, and Bubble-Head Charms, then held hands and jumped down.
"Will there be a baby Basilisk or something down there?" Moaning Myrtle asked, her face full of anticipation.
"Unlikely", Harry muttered, disappearing into the Chamber's entrance.
On the other side, Grindelwald slowly walked down the dark corridor, mulling over what he had just heard. The Chamber, the Resurrection Stone... Was this just a student's adventure, or was there some real chance?
Also, those kids have great potential. They all seem quite sharp.
He grinned, the image of a red-haired, freckle-faced boy named Ron Weasley flashing through his mind. He had overlooked the boy in the past, not giving him much attention, but after Ron fiercely pounded on his statue-disguised self, Grindelwald decided to keep a closer eye on him.
He stopped in front of a door.
Was this the legendary Seventh Classroom? Did it house the young memory constructs of the professors? Grindelwald was quite curious and decided to investigate. His wand, like a sword, traced a long line across the wooden door.
This wasn't Grindelwald's own magic, but rather the magic stored in the gem within his wand.
Initially, this magic belonged to a young girl from the 'Future World' company. Later, when he arrived at Hogwarts, he began to draw on the stray, invisible, and uncontrollable magic from the ancient school. But no matter the source, it was far inferior to his own.
After performing the action, Grindelwald paused and carefully observed the wooden door.
A faint glow rippled across the wood, and the marks began to fade. Grindelwald watched the process, noting the order in which the marks disappeared. He was trying to understand the structure of the magic. When the marks completely vanished, he drew another magical line at an angle. He repeated this action several times, then stopped, lost in thought.
After an unknown period, he muttered something, pointing his wand at the door. Instantly, a dense web of lines appeared in the upper left corner of the door, extending to the surrounding walls. They were neatly arranged, like a corner of a vast maze. The lines flickered a few times before disappearing.
Grindelwald half-closed his eyes, extracting a fragmented image from his mind. He repeated the process. After a while, he opened his eyes and whispered, "Ancient Runes?"
At that moment, footsteps echoed from a distance.
Grindelwald narrowed his eyes and pointed his wand at the frosted window. Then, without looking back, he left from the other side. A few seconds later, Felix appeared slowly.
Valen sat on his shoulder, his little hands gripping Felix's neck, looking around.
"Chirp! (Where's the excitement?)"
"Be patient", Felix said, approaching the door of the Seventh Classroom. He paused to examine it, then began to survey the area. Soon, he focused on the enchanted window, deep in thought. The moon outside was bright, nearly full. Felix knew that Remus wouldn't be having an easy time in the coming days.
The moonlight illuminated the thick layer of frost, but something else seemed hidden there.
"Mirror", Felix whispered.
Valen looked at the window curiously. There was nothing there, but he watched as Felix made a few silly faces at the window. Then, Felix fell silent, standing still as if waiting for someone.
When Dumbledore, in his pajamas and with his long, silver beard, appeared, Valen finally understood.
The Dark Lord was staying up late for this!
But what about Harry and the others, as seen on the map? Valen sniffed the air and jumped down, looking at Felix.
"Go on, don't let them break my equipment", Felix muttered.
Valen gave a thumbs-up and quickly slipped away, clearly uninterested in Dumbledore.
The two remaining figures stood in silence for a moment.
Dumbledore also focused on the window, examining it intently. He then extended his palm and pressed it against the window, which indented like it was made of glue. When he withdrew his hand, the glass returned to its original shape.
Dumbledore gazed deeply into the glass, as if seeing someone else's reflection. Finally, the magic on the window dissipated.
The two walked down the corridor, whispering to each other.
"About Harry—"
"I know everything."
A moment of silence. Dumbledore spoke first.
"How is Tom doing?"
"Coincidentally, he just discovered the Chamber, but thanks to my attention, no one died this time. He's serving detention, cleaning the trophy room and copying the school rules."
"You're keeping a close watch on him."
"There has to be a difference. The subconscious resistance from Voldemort is getting stronger. I estimate only one or two months remain. When that time comes, we need to—do you have any suggestions?"
"If you want to prevent him from falling into darkness, you must never let him kill", Dumbledore paused, his voice grave. "Once you cross that line, there's no turning back. I hope he can experience love, even if it's just an illusion."
"…Albus, what if I take the role of the villain?"
Dumbledore stopped, his half-moon glasses reflecting as he stared at Felix.
"You know, follow Voldemort's path", Felix shrugged. "Maybe I can confuse his subconscious. Since a Dark Lord is inevitable, why not let me be the one? Let Tom stop me—or compete with me."
"A dangerous experiment", Dumbledore shook his head. "Voldemort has no love in his heart. You would only hasten his descent into darkness."
“No, he'll pretend for a while,” Felix said, his tone eager. “And during that time, I’ll find him a bunch of ‘helpers’—troubles he can’t shake off.”
Dumbledore suddenly looked at him with a strange expression.
“…You seem to be planning something. What is it?” Felix asked, wary.
Dumbledore smiled, “Just that what you said makes sense… troubles he can’t shake off, yes, exactly. But we must be careful.” He muttered to himself at the end.
In the abandoned girls' bathroom, Moaning Myrtle floated around in the air.
“A Niffler? A Niffler?” she asked, intrigued. “Are you the one Professor Hup keeps? I’ve seen you from a distance.” She began circling Valen, her tone cheerful despite her gloomy face. “But I didn’t dare get close… I’m a bit afraid of him. I’ve seen how he deals with Peeves.”
Valen looked at Moaning Myrtle curiously, then thought for a moment and pulled a small bottle from his pocket. Inside was some ghost food. He unscrewed the cap, and Moaning Myrtle leaned in, asking incredulously, “For me?” After receiving a nod, she extended her plump, transparent hand, reaching through Valen’s small hand and the bottle to pull out a silver, glowing mass.
Valen shivered, his hand feeling as if it were submerged in ice water.
“Never thought I’d have a midnight snack,” Moaning Myrtle said dreamily, her transparent pimples faintly glowing. She took small bites of the food, savoring it. “Honestly, ever since I caused a ruckus at Oliver Hornby’s brother’s wedding and was ordered back to school by the Ministry of Magic, I haven’t felt much joy… I’m the youngest, and I don’t have much to talk about with the other ghosts… Sometimes I think about suicide, but then I remember I’m already dead… It’s the ghost food that makes me feel alive, but I guess Professor Hup doesn’t care much. He hardly interacts with any ghosts except the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady, a cold person…”
Valen took out a bottle of Super Bubble Water, puffed out his cheeks, and blew a huge bubble that enveloped him. He waved at Moaning Myrtle and floated into the Chamber. Moaning Myrtle was startled and toppled headfirst into the toilet.
She floated out from the stall and peered down at the Chamber’s entrance, seeing a glowing, pale purple bubble growing smaller in her line of sight.
Inside the Chamber.
Harry felt he was wasting time. They had been searching the Chamber for half an hour, and Ron reported the time every ten minutes, so Harry was very aware of it. Luna thought Ron was helping, so she always thanked him whenever he spoke.
Another period had passed, and Harry wasn’t sure if Ron was embarrassed and didn’t want to keep up the task.
Apart from not finding the Resurrection Stone, everything was going smoothly.
They traversed the long tunnels, revisiting old ground. Harry introduced them to where the Basilisk had shed its skin, “We were almost scared to death!” Ron exclaimed. “But it’s gone now.”
“Oh, that thing was blown to pieces by Professor Hup and Professor Snape,” Hermione said.
Ron grumbled a bit but remained silent.
They then passed through another door into the actual Chamber. Harry could still recall how they had battled the Basilisk from the broken stones and the ruins of the stone pillars where the Basilisk had coiled. Ron and Hermione looked up in unison, smiling at each other.
Just for this, Harry felt the trip was worth it.
But they also saw many new things, such as the rows of black stone targets set up in the open space before the enormous statue of Salazar Slytherin. These targets had been severely abused—Harry thought at least a third of them had been instantly melted. The ground was littered with teardrop-shaped, crystalline pebbles, clear and sparkling like crystal.
“There’s plenty of stone here,” Ron said, half teasing, half admiring.
Hermione raised her wand, using Lumos to lift a milky white light ball to the high ceiling, making the Chamber as bright as day. They then began their long, futile search for the Resurrection Stone, but the gem-like pebbles on the ground made it feel less fruitless.
When Harry picked up a pine nut-sized, flawless, fiery red stone, he felt a twinge of regret, wishing Ginny hadn’t come. He thought he could secretly make a necklace for her, but now Ginny was happily crouching on the ground with Luna, looking for jewelry materials.
“Plop!”
A distant echo came, followed by rapid footsteps approaching. Harry raised his wand, looking back the way they had come, while Ron nervously swallowed.
(End of Chapter)
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