The third floor of the castle.
Filch and Mrs. Norris walked one after the other.
They patrol the castle twice every night before bed to make sure no student sneaks out.
Since Moaning Myrtle stopped being in the girls' restroom, the third floor, which used to be filled with crying from time to time, has become completely quiet.
After the routine half-circle of the corridor, Filch lit up the interior with his lantern.
The faucet underneath was still leaking, and the overflowing water continued to cover the entire floor as always.
"Damn place!" he cursed under his breath, then went inside and bent down to turn off the tap.
The moment you let go, it slowly rotates back.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock—"
Mrs. Norris strolled in lazily from outside.
Filch tried again, but gave up when he saw that it spun back the same way.
Ever since he came to Hogwarts as a caretaker, this tap has never been able to be turned off properly.
At first, I thought it was Moaning Myrtle's doing, but now it seems to be someone even more mischievous.
"Peeves! I know you're here!"
"Meow—" Mrs. Norris walked to his feet.
Damn place!
The cursing had barely finished when crisp footsteps sounded behind him.
"Who is it!" Filch quickly stood up and shone his lantern into the corridor outside.
"Damn you, Peeves!" he cursed as he walked out of the girls' restroom.
Chasing after them would be a waste of time; it's better to continue patrolling.
Several figures, almost blending into the darkness, appeared next to the washroom.
"That old guy is really stubborn."
Shh—he hasn't gone far yet.
Vincent, dressed in a bat costume, lit his wand, went inside, and bent down to look at the automatically turning faucet.
It is certain that Hogwarts Castle was not equipped with running water when it was first built.
"Hey— Catwoman, do you remember what this restroom used to be?"
"An empty room." Hermione tried to recall:
"Around the 18th century, Hogwarts was seeing an increasing number of students, so Headmistress Dilys de Headmistress Derwent decided to build a few more washrooms."
"Correct answer!" The Sorting Hat, hidden inside Vincent's cloak, peeked out.
"Miss Granger, I dare say you have a better memory than I do."
"Thank you, Mr. Hat." She accepted the compliment quite naturally.
Vincent turned on the tap. "Very strange, isn't it?"
Even if the Chamber of Secrets requires Parseltongue to open, such a large-scale project couldn't possibly go undetected.
"Unless someone knows about the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione asked incredulously. "The Gaunt Family are descendants of Salazar Slytherin, and they disappeared in recent decades."
It is highly likely that members of the Gaunt Family concealed the existence of the Chamber of Secrets when this washroom was built.
"Drip drip drip—" The rather strange faucet turned on automatically.
Rolf and Cedric looked alright, but Fred and George looked like they'd seen a ghost.
"Vincent, how do you know the water pipeline project is so large?"
"This is common sense; any Muggle knows it."
"Hermione, how do you know the history of the castle?"
"It's recorded in 'Hogwarts: Hogwarts, A History'."
The tip of the Sorting Hat drooped slightly, indicating that what they both said was true.
The twins looked at the other two with a rather speechless expression.
Needless to say, Cedric had the best grades in the entire fourth grade.
Although Rolf is low-key, he's not bad at all.
If they didn't misbehave and studied diligently...
"Fred, you know what I'm thinking."
"George, you know what I'm thinking."
The twins, hands on their hips, grinned widely. "You two take care of the brains, and you can leave everything else to us!"
Vincent carefully examined the pool using the light from the tip of his cane. "Then I'll trouble you to continue keeping watch."
"No problem!"
According to normal pipe design, even if a blockage occurs, the faucet will not turn on automatically.
This time, even after slowly twisting it, it still didn't feel loose.
"Come and take a picture."
After Hermione lit her wand, he placed both hands on the tightly shut faucet.
After about a minute or two, the side automatically rotates open.
Cedric stepped forward and closed it, placing his hands on it as well.
The third one was also unscrewed.
Of the six taps here, there's bound to be one that won't turn off properly.
There are exactly six people here.
"Fred, George, you two come over—"
"Ah--"
A sudden, shrill scream interrupted Vincent.
"It's Filch!" George pointed to the third-floor corridor on the map.
The location wasn't far from them, just two corners away.
Moreover, only Filch and Mrs. Norris's names were on it; the Basilisk and the possessed person were not mentioned.
"Just like Quirrell last year!" Hermione looked at Vincent, who had let go and stood up. "You made eye contact with it. Can you name the Basilisk?"
"Not now." Vincent gripped his wand tightly. "I want to look it in the eye again."
While it's highly likely the Basilisk was responsible, nobody knows when it will return.
Perhaps after dawn, they might hide in another, more secluded place.
He tucked the Sorting Hat back into his pocket. "Voldemort isn't stupid; he must have guessed that we have a way to track locations."
This is a trap, a trap to lure them in.
If Salazar Slytherin were alive today, he would have taken the Basilisk and permanently sealed the Chamber of Secrets.
He wasn't actually a bad person; he was just influenced by the times.
But Voldemort was different.
Blindly believing in Pure-blood Supremacy and taking pride in being the Heir of Slytherin.
Grindelwald used " for the For the Greater Good" as an excuse, and so did Voldemort.
Vincent scanned the five men one by one, and could clearly see their determination.
As members of Hogwarts, they have a duty to protect the school.
But when it comes to responsibility, the professors should be at the forefront.
"Lockhart is no match for me." He loosened his grip on the wand in his left hand. "It just so happens I made a few extra pairs of glasses."
"Professor McGonagall?"
"Plus Professor Flitwick."
"And Professor Sprout."
"Anyway, we're not going to call Old Bat."
Vincent was quite speechless at their stares.
Snape isn't a bad person; if you dare to deduct points, he'd tear down the office.
"Let's go take a look first."
If you go out of the girls' restroom and turn left, and walk straight ahead, you'll reach the corridor where Filch is.
It was very quiet here, without any strange noises.
The six children proceeded cautiously, and after passing the second corner, they saw Filch and Mrs. Norris standing still.
Fortunately, they only made eye contact with the Basilisk through the puddles on the ground.
Unfortunately, Madam Pomfrey's potion had no effect.
"We can only wait until the Mandrakes matures." Cedric leaned forward and gently poked Filch's terrified face.
Although they were the first to suffer, this incident demonstrates what it means to be conscientious and responsible.
Vincent glanced at the wall a few more times.
There was no warning, no text.
It really was Voldemort; he knew it was them.
"Go find the professors; this is beyond our ability to solve."