After the confrontation in the Great Hall and the long walk with the Hufflepuffs, the mood inside the Hufflepuff dormitory was unusually serious. Students sat on couches, beds, or leaned against carved wooden pillars, looking toward Roy with attentive, trusting eyes.
Roy crossed his arms and spoke clearly:
**"Everyone needs to be careful around Umbridge.
She's not like other professors.She will look for excuses to punish students."**
A wave of unease passed through the room.
But when Roy added—
"If she tries something with any of you, tell me immediately."
—the entire dorm felt reassured.
Dozens of nods, dozens of determined looks.Hufflepuffs were loyal—once they trusted someone, they trusted fully.
After a short discussion and sharing of a few protective spells Roy had designed, the students began drifting off to their rooms, yawning and murmuring goodnights.
Soon the dorm was quiet, lit only by soft floating lanterns.
But Roy wasn't done for the night.
A Night Walk into Secrets
Once everyone was asleep, Roy slipped silently toward the exit tunnel of the Hufflepuff dorm. The barrels rolled out of the way automatically as they recognized his magical signature.
He left the cozy warmth of the dormitory and stepped into the dim, echoing corridors of Hogwarts.
His footsteps were steady.His eyes focused.
Roy was headed somewhere he hadn't visited since second year:
The Chamber of Secrets.
Past hidden archways, under shifting staircases, down forgotten corridors—Roy eventually reached the girls' bathroom where Myrtle used to float.
He whispered the command in Parseltongue.
The sink slid open.The stone tunnel revealed itself.Roy dropped in without hesitation.
Into the Past
The giant serpentine path was unchanged—cold, silent, heavy with ancient magic.
He passed the chamber where he once fought Tom Riddle.He remembered that day well—The basilisk.The poison.The echo of Voldemort's teenage arrogance.
But tonight, he wasn't here for nostalgia.
He was searching for answers.
Roy moved deeper, toward the Slytherin statue, the massive stone face carved with serpentine pride.
He stood before it and whispered:
"Open."
The stone lips creaked apart, revealing a dark hollow.Roy stepped inside.
The Hidden Room
Inside the statue's mouth was a narrow passage leading downward.The air grew colder.The magic grew thicker.
Finally, he reached a cramped chamber—one hidden even from the original Chamber of Secrets.
Roy lit the room with a silent Lumos.
What he saw made him pause.
**A small stone table.
A cracked shelf.A faded, ancient bed.**
Nothing else.No books.No scrolls.No rituals.
But Roy knew what this was:
Salazar Slytherin's personal living quarters.
The room where Slytherin had slept.Studied.Researched.And possibly practiced forbidden magic.
Roy slowly moved his hand across the stone table.A tingle of dark magic brushed his palm.
He knelt and lightly touched a spot near the bedframe—
And froze.
A tiny imprint of dark soul energy.
Not strong…But unmistakable.
Roy exhaled sharply.
"Just like Rowena Ravenclaw's soul mark in the diadem."
Which meant—
Salazar Slytherin had experimented with soul manipulation.Possibly even early forms of Horcrux magic.And someone else had learned from him.
Roy stood up, mind racing.
Memories and clues fit together at last:
• Who taught Voldemort ancient, forgotten black magic?• Who gave him knowledge of old magical families?• Who rescued Peter Pettigrew from Azkaban's transfer?• Who instructed Fenrir Greyback to kidnap the princes?
One answer tied all the threads:
**Not Voldemort.
Not a modern wizard.But someone from the past.Someone connected to Salazar Slytherin.**
Perhaps a disciple.Perhaps a remnant soul.Perhaps something even older.
Roy felt a chill run down his spine.
This…was bigger than Voldemort.
He knelt and summoned the system interface.
A System Message Appears
A golden notification appeared in front of him.
**System Task Unlocked:
Find a clue to the mastermind behind Voldemort.**
Reward: Advanced Boost Potion
Roy let out a long breath.
So his suspicion was correct.
Someone from Slytherin's lineage—someone ancient and hidden—was still influencing events.
The thought sent a cold ripple through him.
He took one last look at the room—the bed, the shelf, the faint soul mark—and then turned away.
"Whoever you are… I'll find you."
Roy closed the hidden chamber, sealed the statue, and walked back through the tunnels, silent and alert.
The shadows seemed deeper tonight.
And for the first time in a long while—Roy felt like Hogwarts was not the only thing hiding secrets.