"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE."
The words written on the third-floor wall stunned all the students; the handwriting gleamed eerily in the light of the burning torches.
After the Hallowe'en feast, as Draco and the Slytherin students walked out of the Great Hall, burping contentedly, they saw a familiar scene: the cat named Mrs Norris, its tail hanging from the torch bracket, its body stiff as a log, its eyes wide open, staring straight ahead.
The cat was Petrified, just like in its previous life.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood alone in the middle of the corridor, facing the cat. The students automatically formed a circle around them, cautiously keeping their distance; no one dared to approach them.
Merlin! Hermione's face turned pale.
Draco pushed aside the students blocking his way, trying to get closer and ask her what was going on, but Blaise grabbed him from the side: "What do you think you are doing? Do not get too close to them, do not get involved in trouble. They are trouble itself—look at Filch's face!"
Mr Filch, who rushed over, saw the pitiful state of his beloved pet and his face turned ashen. He then began to hurl insults at Harry and his friends, convinced that they were the culprits who had harmed Mrs Norris.
However, he did not have a chance to rant for long. Professor Dumbledore rushed over and took the three stunned students to the Headmaster's office for questioning.
Draco did not want to be noticed by Professor Dumbledore. He had not worked out how to face "the greatest Headmaster in Hogwarts history and the greatest wizard of our time."
When you face someone who has already died before your eyes, it is hard not to have mixed feelings. He could not even adjust his mindset when facing the innocent students who died tragically in the Battle of Hogwarts in his previous life; how much more difficult would it be to face his former assassination target?
For the past year, he had avoided Dumbledore as much as possible, hoping not to suddenly run into the kind, smiling old man in a corridor of Hogwarts.
So Draco, lost in thought, let Blaise pull him along, silently following the Slytherin crowd back to the common room.
"What are you thinking about?" Blaise asked rudely as soon as they returned to the common room. "What is wrong with you today? You are not calm at all, and you are even a bit impulsive."
"Nothing. I am just a little worried about this." Draco sat lost in thought in the armchair by the fireplace, staring blankly at the flickering fire. "It is written on the wall, the Heir's Chamber—"
"That is right. I thought of that too, the Chamber of Secrets of the Slytherin heir. Which house does not have some kind of mythical legend? So many years have passed, and the Chamber of Secrets has never been found." Blaise breathed a sigh of relief and said nonchalantly, "I reckon Potter and the others used this legend as a gimmick to play a prank and set their sights on Filch."
"It is not as simple as you think." Draco said amidst the crunching sounds of Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle munching on Peppermint Toads. "Even the Headmaster was alerted; it is clearly not an ordinary prank."
"So, Potter has gone a bit too far, has he not?" Blaise said casually, leaning back in his chair.
"I do not think Harry Potter did it," Draco said. "Lockhart is a better suspect; his office is not far from the scene of the crime…"
"What about Lockhart?" Pansy, who was passing by, stopped and asked in confusion. Draco and Blaise both kept their mouths shut, not wanting to waste time on such questions.
Pansy glared at them, walked straight up to Crabbe, and said arrogantly, "Vincent, give it to me." Crabbe looked at her in horror and obediently handed over the newly opened bag of Peppermint Toads.
"Pansy, stop bullying him." Draco had his back to them, but he heard what Pansy was saying.
"What do you mean by bullying? This is education!" Pansy said fiercely. "Vincent, eat less, you are fat enough already. I heard your mother complaining about it at the holiday tea party! And—"
She turned to look at Blaise, who was frowning, and asked, "What were you talking about Lockhart?"
"Nobody is talking about Lockhart, we are talking about Harry Potter! I think he played a prank on that cat, and Draco disagrees," Blaise said coldly.
"I am on your side, Blaise. I told you Potter was just trying to be a show-off!" Pansy munched on a Peppermint Toad, picked up an armchair next to Blaise, and joined their conversation with great enthusiasm. "But I never liked that cat, I do not know how they managed to do it! It is really satisfying to have that peeping cat pinned to the wall."
Draco sighed. Just like in his previous life, these people had completely misunderstood.
"A very basic question: How did Harry Potter know about the legends of Slytherin?" Draco looked at Blaise's suddenly excited face and reminded him, "He is a Gryffindor and grew up in the Muggle world. He simply has no way of knowing all this."
Not far away, Theodore Nott, who was quietly reading, suddenly looked up from his book and glanced at him.
"That makes sense," Blaise said thoughtfully, glancing around the common room—where Slytherin students were gathered in small groups, chattering about what had just happened on the third floor.
"Oh, I sincerely hope that the prankster is not from our house. Or rather, let us hide well so Professor Dumbledore does not catch us in any way and give him a chance to deduct five hundred points from our marks," Pansy said nonchalantly—as if it were no big deal.
The others also wore expressions of agreement—they had not yet realised the seriousness of the matter.
At present, a Petrified cat alone was not enough to attract the attention of the entire school. Most students thought it was a prank or a joke, and the Slytherin students were even a little gloating.
In his previous life, Hogwarts only gradually descended into panic after a series of incidents involving "students being Petrified," with parents' owls crowding the Headmaster's office and the governors'. The Board of Governors then arrested Hagrid to quell public anger. However, it turned out Hagrid was innocent. Even after he entered Azkaban, the attacks did not cease.
Later, Harry and Ron entered the Chamber of Secrets at the end of the term and defeated the monster, earning them a Special Award for Services to the School from Hogwarts. A few days later, Hagrid was also acquitted. Meanwhile, Gilderoy Lockhart lost his memory and was admitted to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
This was all the information he remembered about the Chamber of Secrets from his previous life.
Whilst Draco was still in a daze, Blaise and Pansy were already having a heated discussion—who else could possibly play such a prank?
"...It could also be Peeves. It has been at Hogwarts for so long, it must know this legend," Pansy said, pursing her lips. "Besides, it is always causing trouble and making a scene."
"No, it is just a troublemaker—not even a proper ghost—and can only do very limited things. Considering the phrase 'Enemies of the Heir, Beware,' you should think about who Filch is at odds with, and whose grudges he holds the deepest. Take the Weasley twins, for example; though they are Gryffindors, they come from an ancient wizarding family and certainly know this legend," Blaise said with interest. "If it were me, I would use legends from other houses to play pranks and confuse them. They would never suspect me."
This was getting more and more outrageous.
Draco rubbed his temples and asked, "Did you not consider that the legend might be true?"
"What do you mean? You think the Chamber of Secrets actually exists and was opened?" Pansy said smugly, chewing on her Peppermint Toad. "Do not be ridiculous. If it existed, Dumbledore and the others would have discovered it long ago! Besides, was Hogwarts not renovated? Perhaps they already dismantled the Chamber of Secrets back then."
No. It was not dismantled; it was hidden away. Draco thought enigmatically.
At least that was what the Grey Lady said.