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Chapter 87: Harry's Discovery
Chapter 87: Harry’s Discovery
Neither Harry nor Ron knew how they had made it through the night.
Sherlock didn’t punish them. With Hogwarts about to be closed, neither point deductions nor detentions would have any real impact.
So, Harry and the others were sent back to the Gryffindor Common Room. However, their guilt still kept them awake all night.
The next morning, they went to the Great Hall for breakfast with dark circles under their eyes. Dumbledore also arrived at the Great Hall.
He announced the closure of Hogwarts in front of all the students.
This caused a commotion in the Great Hall. Some students were relieved, others looked disbelieving, and still others were loudly protesting that Hogwarts couldn’t be closed.
But they had no say in the matter. After announcing that Hogwarts would be completely closed and the Hogwarts Express would take them home the next day, Dumbledore left the Great Hall.
His departing figure exuded a sense of despondency and loneliness.
After he left, the students continued to discuss the matter loudly. Gryffindor was blaming Slytherin House, saying that the Chamber of Secrets was their doing. The two Houses almost came to blows in the Great Hall.
It was only with the intervention of Professors Mcgonagall and Snape that the students from both Houses were made to return to their common rooms to pack their things.
There would be no classes today. After breakfast, each student was ordered to stay in their common room and not to go out unnecessarily.
In Harry’s dormitory, Dean was chatting with Seamus about what they planned to do when they got home. Neville was sitting on his bed, staring into space, while Harry and Ron were discussing how to see Hermione one last time before leaving Hogwarts.
“I heard from Percy that the petrified students will be sent to St. Mungo’s Hospital to wait for the Mandrake plants to mature. I wonder if the professors will inform Hermione’s family,” Ron said gloomily.
Harry got out of bed.
“Come on, let’s go find Professor Mcgonagall and ask her if we can see Hermione one last time.”
Ron stared at him.
“Are you crazy? Professor Mcgonagall won’t agree to that.” He glanced at Dean and the others, lowering his voice, “If you really want to go, we could sneak out at midnight using the Invisibility Cloak.”
Harry shook his head.
“No, I don’t want to cause any more trouble for the professors, Ron. If we had been honest with the school from the start, Hermione wouldn’t have gotten into this mess. Let’s go to Professor Mcgonagall and ask for her permission.”
Ron sighed.
“Alright, I hope Professor Mcgonagall will agree.”
They left the dormitory together. Professor Mcgonagall was in the Gryffindor Common Room, and each Head of House was guarding their students to prevent anyone from sneaking out.
“We want to see Hermione, Professor,” Harry said, his head bowed. “With Hogwarts being closed, we might not see her for a long time. We’d like to visit her one last time before we leave tomorrow. Can we, please?”
Ron also pleaded earnestly.
“Please, Professor, we just want to see Hermione.”
Professor Mcgonagall looked at them without anger or dismissal. Her voice trembled slightly.
“Alright.” Her gaze towards Harry was even misty with tears. “I understand how you feel as a friend right now. If you want to go, I can let you visit the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that I sent you.”
Harry and Ron's eyes lit up with surprise. They hadn't expected such little resistance from Professor Mcgonagall.
They left the Gryffindor common room and hurried to the hospital wing, telling Madam Pomfrey that Professor Mcgonagall had approved their visit to see Hermione.
Madam Pomfrey let them in, though reluctantly.
“She can’t move a muscle or hear you. Visiting her is pointless,” she said, and she was right. Seeing Hermione's motionless face, Ron's mood plummeted.
“If we had listened to her earlier, she wouldn’t be lying here now, and Hogwarts wouldn’t be closing tomorrow.”
Although Harry felt just as disheartened, something caught his attention: Hermione's tightly clenched right hand. A small white corner was peeking out. Harry leaned closer and realized she was holding a piece of paper!
He tapped Ron on the arm, indicating his discovery.
“We need to get it out,” Ron whispered.
He then moved his chair to block Madam Pomfrey's view, giving Harry a better chance to act. It took him several minutes, but he finally managed to extract the paper from Hermione's hand without tearing it.
They unfolded the note and read the words written on it.
It was a scribbled note with two words: “Basilisk,” “Pipes.”
Ron was completely puzzled, but a flash of insight struck Harry!
He grabbed Ron's arm.
“This is a clue Hermione left us!” Harry exclaimed. “The monster is a Basilisk! That makes sense! That’s why I heard that strange voice every time someone was attacked—I’m a Parselmouth, I can understand Parseltongue. It moves through the castle’s pipes, which is why no one notices it when it attacks!”
Ron's excitement mirrored Harry's, but as they discussed what to do next, they realized their discovery didn’t help much.
Knowing the monster’s true identity and its method of movement didn’t help them find the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.
Hogwarts was vast, with enough space to house seven years of students and still feel empty. The network of pipes crisscrossed the castle, and investigating each and every one would be a monumental task.
But even a small clue was worth reporting, and Harry and Ron decided to do just that.
Sherlock’s words the previous night had been a wake-up call. Their arrogance had only caused harm.
So, Harry and Ron rushed out of the hospital wing and returned to the Gryffindor common room to inform Professor Mcgonagall of their discovery. However, they found that Professor Mcgonagall had already left, and the common room was now guarded by a Prefect.
Percy refused to let Harry and Ron leave again.
Professor Mcgonagall had instructed him not to let anyone out of the common room until tomorrow morning when they would board the Hogwarts Express.
(End of Chapter)
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