Chapter 642: The Four Victims (Long Chapter)
Chapter 642: The Four Victims (Long Chapter)
Just after Tom Riddle left, Professor McGonagall rushed over, having heard the commotion.
Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the damaged classroom door, the shattered suits of armor, and the ruined desks and chairs within.
There seemed to be something inside?
Professor McGonagall held her wand at the ready, prepared for battle.
As she stepped into the classroom, her eyes narrowed, taking in the chickens scurrying about. She muttered in disbelief, "What in the world happened here!"
"An attack, it seems."
Professor McGonagall glanced at the chickens again, her brow furrowed. "There's something odd about this."
She raised her wand and whispered a spell, sending three silver cats scurrying from the tip of her wand. The Patronuses darted forward and vanished at the end of the corridor.
If Albert had been there, he would have been eager to discuss the advanced use of the Patronus Charm with Professor McGonagall.
A few minutes later, Professor Snape arrived, his face pale. He quickly surveyed the mess in the classroom before turning back to Professor McGonagall. "Have you noticed that the Heir of Slytherin has left another message?"
"What did you find?" Professor McGonagall asked, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
"Below the previous message, it says: 'Her bones will lie forever in the Chamber of Secrets'," Professor Snape said in a hoarse voice.
Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together, trying to maintain a strong facade.
"Another attack," panted Professor Sprout as she hurried in. She paused, taking in the chaos of the classroom. "What happened here? And what are all these chickens doing here?"
"A student has been taken by the monster and brought into the Chamber of Secrets," Professor Snape explained.
"Who?" Professor Flitwick asked, his voice shrill with concern.
Noticing the other professors staring at him, Professor Snape repeated, "Below the previous message, it says: 'Her bones will lie forever in the Chamber of Secrets'."
"Which student?" Professor Sprout asked, her hand covering her mouth as if to muffle a sob.
Professor Snape shook his head. "I don't know."
"And what happened here?" Professor Flitwick asked, gesturing at the classroom.
"I heard a loud noise from my office and came rushing over. This is how it looked when I arrived," Professor McGonagall said, still perplexed.
"These chickens are real, not illusions!" Professor Flitwick shouted, having just tried and failed to make them disappear with a spell.
"Hagrid's chickens?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"I don't think so," Professor Flitwick replied.
"This whole situation is peculiar," added Professor Snape, his eyes narrowing as he studied the chickens. He suspected there was a particular reason for their presence.
"Regardless, we must first find out who has been taken by the monster," Professor McGonagall said, taking charge. "Then, tomorrow, we will send the remaining students home. Severus, Filius, please go to the library and escort the students there back to their common rooms."
"Perhaps we should inform Gilderoy Lockhart," Professor Snape suggested. "He claimed to know the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and the nature of the monster within. If a student has indeed been taken, we may need his help."
"Very well, Severus. Please go and notify Lockhart of the situation and let him deal with the monster," Professor McGonagall agreed. Turning to Professor Sprout, she continued, "Pomona, please inform the other professors. I will also ask the ghosts to help ensure that no students remain outside their dormitories. We must first confirm if a student has truly been taken by the monster."
As the Hogwarts professors scrambled to respond to the attack, Albert, one of the masterminds behind the events, emerged from the Room of Requirement looking rather pleased with himself.
Just minutes earlier, he had witnessed the disappearance of the ink mark bearing Ginny Weasley's name in the abandoned girls' bathroom on the second floor of the castle.
With Tom Riddle forced to take Ginny Weasley into the Chamber of Secrets, Albert's plan was coming to fruition.
Killing the Basilisk, destroying the diary, and saving Ginny Weasley? No, those were the tasks of the savior, Harry Potter, and had nothing to do with Albert Anderson.
Albert's preparations over the past several months had been aimed at completing the numerous Chamber of Secrets-related tasks that had piled up in his task panel while ensuring his own safety.
Uncovering the true culprit behind the attacks was more about his personal safety; after all, one couldn't rely on being a step ahead of thieves forever.
As for clearing Hagrid's name and restoring his reputation, that was merely a convenient side quest.
After all, Hagrid was a good friend, and it was only right to lend a helping hand when the opportunity arose.
There would undoubtedly be numerous invisible benefits afterward.
For example, his opinions would hold more weight, and no one would dare to underestimate his words because of his young age. In the future, if he needed to persuade—ahem—convince others, he could more effectively wield his powers as a prophet.
However, to complete the panel tasks and reap those benefits, he first had to expose the true culprit and bring the harsh truth to light.
Albert never expected to convince any of the professors to believe his words.
It was necessary to guide Tom Riddle into exposing himself as the perpetrator of the thrilling attacks.
Thus, Albert had spent a considerable amount of time and energy subtly manipulating Tom Riddle, leading him to carry out the daring attacks and reveal himself.
Of course, with all this effort, Albert not only completed the previously accumulated tasks but also unlocked two new rewarding tasks in his task panel.
These were "The Basilisk Must Die," which required him to kill the Basilisk, and "Tom's Fury," which involved provoking Tom's emotions. It was worth mentioning that "Tom's Fury" had already been completed.
Albert was delighted to receive the reward of being able to freely choose another skill from Tom Riddle.
The rewards for "Tom's Fury" were richer than those of most tasks, as Voldemort was a treasure trove of useful abilities. The spellcasting technique he had acquired from the previous shearing had greatly benefited him, and he eagerly anticipated what he might gain this time, hoping for some proficient skills.
As for Tom Riddle, the ultimate loser in this game, his fundamental mistake had been underestimating his opponent and misjudging the situation. Otherwise, Albert would not have been able to achieve his goals so easily.
In particular, when the Basilisk caused a ruckus in the classroom, allowing Albert to slip away unnoticed, Tom had essentially lost his advantage, and he didn't even realize it.
When Tom Riddle recovered from his anger, he would find that he had run out of good options.
As a participant in the attacks, he had failed to kill or petrify Albert. This meant that remaining at Hogwarts was no longer a safe option.
After all, he could be accused at any moment, even without evidence.
The word of a victim was powerful evidence.
Moreover, did Albert truly lack evidence?
On the contrary, he had a plethora of it.
Thus, for Tom, taking Ginny into the Chamber of Secrets and buying himself some time was his last resort.
"He needs time to transfer Ginny's life force completely into the diary and fully detach himself from it to 'resurrect' himself."
Tom's original plan had been completely disrupted by this one attack.
What vexed Tom even more was that all of this was orchestrated by a Muggle-born wizard named Albert Anderson, and he had let his opponent slip right through his fingers. For Voldemort, this was an unprecedented humiliation.
If Tom Riddle knew that he had played right into Albert's hands, he didn't know if he would storm out of the Chamber of Secrets to confront Albert.
From the beginning, Albert never intended to capture the Heir of Slytherin. As long as he let the professors know the cruel fact that "Ginny had been taken by the monster into the Chamber of Secrets," they would have no choice but to accept the "good news" he would bring them afterward. They wouldn't be able to dismiss his words or treat them lightly.
This was a sort of prejudice among wizards—young male and female wizards were only respected once they reached adulthood.
Otherwise, they were thought to be...mischievous or babbling nonsense.
Albert was all too clear on this point.
Those old friends who were willing to communicate with him on equal terms and invite him to academic gatherings had only done so after Albert trounced them with his knowledge from the panel. They were forced to ignore his age and acknowledge that he stood on equal footing with them.
After leaving the Room of Requirement, Albert prepared to head back to the common room. He didn't plan on finding Professor McGonagall right away to tell her what he knew.
Until it was confirmed that a student was missing, any of his statements would only bring him unnecessary suspicion.
To use a line from his previous life's movie: let the bullets fly for a while.
Albert was calm and collected; after all, he wasn't the one in a hurry.
Speaking of which, the grudge he held against Lockhart was truly formidable. Before entering the Chamber of Secrets, Tom Riddle had even taken the time to pay a visit to Lockhart's office.
What Albert found most incredible was that after Tom Riddle left the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, the dot representing Lockhart on the Marauder's Map had not disappeared immediately.
Tom hadn't taken out his wand and cast the Avada Kedavra curse on Lockhart.
Although Albert didn't know what Tom Riddle had done in those ten-odd seconds in Lockhart's office, he knew that Tom definitely wouldn't let Lockhart off easily.
Alas!
The curse of the Dark Arts professor was truly terrifying. He hoped Lockhart would be alright.
As for causing trouble for Lockhart, Albert had no qualms about it at all. After all, Lockhart hadn't died, and even if he ended up in a terrible state, he wouldn't lose all his memories and become a babbling idiot like in the original story.
"What are you doing wandering around by yourself?" Fat Lady scolded as she saw Albert strolling leisurely toward her. "You should know it's dangerous to be out alone right now."
"Password."
Albert didn't plan on listening to Fat Lady's nagging, so he immediately spoke the password.
"Oh, alright, get in quickly and don't wander off by yourself again!" The Fat Lady's portrait swung forward, revealing the hole in the wall.
The Gryffindor common room was empty, with only a few people chatting softly.
Albert walked over to where the kettle was kept, drew out his wand, and tapped it lightly. Steam immediately spouted from the spout.
Harry, who had been playing wizard chess with Ron, gave Albert a puzzled look.
"What's up?" Ron followed Harry's gaze, confusion written on his face.
"Why are you back alone?" Harry frowned and asked.
"Fred once secretly told me that as long as we're not caught, it doesn't count as breaking the rules," Ron said nonchalantly. He knew that Albert and the others didn't take those rules seriously.
"Where are Fred and George?" Harry still felt that something was amiss and opened his mouth to inquire.
"They're still in the library. They'll be back soon," Albert replied as he headed upstairs to get a cup, intending to make himself some milk tea. He hadn't had a chance to drink anything since he'd been busy all this time.
Before Harry could say another word, the entrance to the common room was opened again, and Professor Flitwick brought in the Gryffindors who had been left in the library.
As soon as they entered the common room, everyone began discussing who might have been taken by the monster.
"Thank goodness you're alright. We thought you might have been taken by the monster," Fred, George, and Lee Jordan said as they rushed over to Albert, who was sitting in an armchair sipping his milk tea.
They couldn't help but be anxious.
After all, Albert had left just before they were informed about the incident.
Naturally, they were very worried that something might have happened to him.
"Why would the Slytherin monster take me?" Albert glanced at his knocked-over cup and sighed. He hadn't even gotten to take a second sip.
"Was someone really taken by the Slytherin monster?" Harry asked, alert.
"Yeah, just now, Professor Flitwick said it seemed like a student had been taken," Lee Jordan quickly explained to Harry and the other students who had remained in the common room.
"Everyone gather here. Please go and call down the girls who are in their dorms. I need to take a headcount," Percy said, fulfilling his duty as a prefect by making sure all the remaining students were accounted for.
Ten minutes later, Percy's face turned gloomy as he realized his sister was missing.
"Has anyone seen Ginny?" Percy immediately asked his younger brother.
Seeing the three of them shake their heads, Percy's expression became even more somber. He then asked two girls he knew to go to Ginny's room to look for her, but they didn't find anything.
Ginny was missing.
She was most likely the student who had been taken by the monster.
Just thinking about it made Percy's hand tremble as he held the parchment.
Fred and George anxiously looked at Albert, about to say something, when the door to the common room was opened again, and Professor McGonagall hurried in.
"Professor, my sister is missing," Percy said in a hoarse voice, as if something was blocking his throat.
"Hogwarts is closed as of now," Professor McGonagall said, looking at the students in the common room with reddened eyes. "The Hogwarts Express will take you home first thing tomorrow morning. Until then, stay in the common room."
"Professor, I want to send a letter home," Percy said, his mind in disarray as he thought about how he would face his family.
"Be careful," Professor McGonagall agreed.
After Professor McGonagall left, Albert noticed Fred and George staring at him.
"Where's the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?"
Fred pulled Albert back to their dorm as soon as he entered, impatiently asking the question.
"You must know, tell us, please," George pleaded, his voice loud. "Ginny is our sister. We can't let anything happen to her."
"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in the second-floor girls' bathroom," Albert said, lowering his voice as he explained to the anxious twins. "You need to speak Parseltongue to open the entrance."
"Parseltongue?"
"Parseltongue is the symbol of Slytherin."
Albert glanced at Harry and Ron, who were eavesdropping outside the door, and reassured them, "Don't worry, Ginny should still be alive. She's temporarily fine."
"Only Dumbledore can save Ginny now."
"But Dumbledore isn't at the school at the moment."
"He'll be back, and at the latest, he'll return tonight. There's no use in you panicking now." Albert drew out his wand and gave a slight wave, causing Harry, who was about to leave with Fred and George, to topple over.
"What are you doing?"
Everyone stared at Albert in shock.
"I understand how they feel, but rash actions won't solve anything." Albert's tone was calm and collected. "I can't just stand by and watch them rush to their deaths."
"Alright, I guess you know what you're doing." Lee Jordan glanced at Albert and used magic to levitate Fred and George, placing them on their beds.
"Can I open the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry's eyes were fixed on Albert, as if to confirm the truth of his statement. "You definitely know what's going on, right!"
"Yes, I'm going to find Professor McGonagall and explain everything to her. You guys stay put and wait here." Albert spoke sternly, "Once Professor Dumbledore returns to the school, he'll definitely ask you to help open the entrance to the Chamber."
"Why can't we save Ginny now?" Ron couldn't help but question.
With his sister's life at stake, he didn't want to waste a single moment.
"Entering the Chamber now would be walking straight to our deaths. Any professor who goes in might perish within; only the headmaster has the means to kill the Basilisk and deal with the Heir of Slytherin." Albert reassured them gently, "Rest assured, Ginny should be fine for the time being."
"Ginny isn't your sister, so you're not worried at all." Ron almost shouted this accusation.
"Sorry, but I think you need to calm down." Albert waved his wand, causing Ron to collapse, "I know Ron is upset, but rash actions won't help. It's best they sleep for a while, and when they wake up, everything will be resolved."
"How do I open the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry quickly supported the collapsing Ron to prevent him from falling to the ground.
"The mark of the snake, face the snake-related mark in that girls' restroom on the second floor, and speak 'open' in Parseltongue, and you should be able to open the Chamber." Albert patted Harry's shoulder, "Don't act on your own, alright? Wait for my good news."
"Okay!" Harry knew he had no other choice; he could only trust Albert.
Albert knew that Harry wouldn't obediently wait for the outcome, but he didn't mind if Harry took action on his own. With the prompting of Felix Felicis (foresight), knocking out Fred, George, and Ron was a way to give Harry the opportunity to face Tom Riddle alone.
As for whether the savior would die in the Chamber, that wasn't something Albert should be concerned about.
When Albert found Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress had just come out of the headmaster's office. She had asked the portraits of the previous headmasters in the office to inform the school board about the incident.
"Professor." Albert called out to Professor McGonagall.
"Mr. Anderson, what are you doing here?" Professor McGonagall fixed Albert with a stern gaze.
"I know where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is, what kind of monster is inside, who the Heir of Slytherin is, and what happened in the classroom on the third floor." Albert rattled off his knowledge in one breath.
"What!" Professor McGonagall stared at Albert, dumbfounded, unable to believe her ears.
Seeing the fascinating expression on Professor McGonagall's face, Albert felt pleased, knowing that she would be willing to listen to what he had to say.
"The Heir of Slytherin, well, it should be Ginny. She was probably controlled by something and attacked me not long ago, but she didn't succeed." Albert spoke nonchalantly, "So, you should have seen the classroom on the third floor. That was the mess created when he sent the Basilisk after me."
"You were really attacked?" Professor McGonagall stammered.
"Don't look at me with such suspicious eyes. Those chickens were my doing; the Basilisk is afraid of the crowing of roosters."
"Basilisk." Professor McGonagall repeated, her anxiety evident.
"The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is indeed a Basilisk."
"You knew this from the start?" Professor McGonagall asked, incredulous.
"Yes, I've been investigating this matter for some time, and I know most of what's going on." Albert replied calmly.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Now that this has happened, you're barely willing to believe me. If I had told you before anything occurred, you probably would have thought..." Albert didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
Albert's words left Professor McGonagall speechless.
"I think Ginny should still be alive. We should rescue her from the Chamber of Secrets first." Albert reminded her.
"Yes, where is the entrance to the Chamber?" Professor McGonagall suddenly realized the urgency and asked hurriedly.
"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in the abandoned girls' restroom on the second floor. However, opening the Chamber requires Parseltongue. Parseltongue is one of the symbols of the Heir of Slytherin. Don't look at me like that; without Parseltongue, there's no way to control the Basilisk."
"The Chamber of Secrets is in the abandoned girls' restroom on the second floor?" Professor McGonagall repeated, unable to believe her ears.
"Yes, but it's best to let Professor Dumbledore handle this. To be frank, I don't recommend that any other professor rashly enter the Chamber. They might very well perish within; the Basilisk is extremely dangerous, especially its eyes. If you make eye contact with it, you'll die instantly." Albert looked at Professor McGonagall and gently warned her, "Of course, I don't suggest you bring those chickens of mine into the Chamber. The Heir of Slytherin has already suffered a setback because of them, and it's unlikely that such a thing will happen again. So, don't be overly optimistic; the Heir of Slytherin is equally dangerous. If they die down there, it would be a huge loss."
"The Heir of Slytherin?" Professor McGonagall asked, puzzled. "Isn't it Ginny Weasley?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be the one who killed Professor Quirrell last year." Albert spoke softly.
Professor McGonagall shuddered and asked curiously, "How did you escape the attack?"
"It was simple." Albert took out the Time-Turner from his pocket, and seeing Professor McGonagall's shocked expression, he smiled triumphantly, "He had the Basilisk chase me through two corridors, and in the end, I had no choice but to go back in time to shake off the pursuit."
"Why didn't you call for help at the time?"
Professor McGonagall asked her final question.
"If you suddenly encountered the Basilisk unprepared, even Professor Dumbledore would be instantly killed by its gaze." Albert reminded her, "It's not that I don't trust the professors' abilities, but I can't let them take such a risk."
Professor McGonagall shuddered involuntarily.
It was not difficult to imagine what the outcome would have been.
Indeed, they had Albert to thank for much, or the entire school might have faced a very different situation.
"Come with me, Mr. Anderson. I think Professor Dumbledore will soon return to the school, and then you can tell him everything you know."
Professor McGonagall's tone softened, and she knew that Albert might still be withholding some information, but that didn't matter anymore.
Now, the most important thing was to resolve the issue at hand.
(End of Chapter)
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