New Attack, Lockdown

"What?" Hermione was shocked and cautiously looked around, afraid that she would see a pair of huge eyeballs at any moment.

"No need to be so nervous." Aaron smiled nonchalantly and said calmly, "Ninety-nine percent of the people at Hogwarts are here, including powerful professors and the unfathomable Dumbledore. You could say there's nowhere safer than here."

Hermione instinctively breathed a sigh of relief, but then it dawned on her, "If the Basilisk's target isn't here, then that means..."

"The castle." Ron turned to look at Hogwarts Castle, swallowing hard. "We have to stop it quickly, or some students will die."

How to stop it?

"Just the three of us little guys?" Aaron retorted. "Although I don't want to say it like this, I'm sorry to say that we can't be of much help. If we just stay here, we'll only be food for the Basilisk."

Even Dumbledore couldn't catch up; the Basilisk kills faster than any spell.

"So that means there's nothing we can do?" Hermione said anxiously.

"You could say that."

I've experienced this feeling of powerlessness several times already.

"Until we find the Secret Chamber of Secrets, all we can do is pray that the student targeted by the Basilisk is just indirectly making eye contact with it." Aaron shrugged helplessly, then looked at Hermione, "Until this is all over, it's best not to go out alone. With Harry and Ron, two Pure-blood, your safety is relatively guaranteed."

Even if you have to go out alone, you must carry a mirror with you, because... a mirror can help you avoid direct eye contact with the Basilisk.

Hermione nodded blankly, feeling a mix of Despair and a secret thrill. After all, it was a form of concern.

"Wait a minute!" Aaron paused slightly. "Something's not right!"

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"What a coincidence, it's really too much of a coincidence."

The diary was stolen yesterday, and today the door to the Secret Chamber has been opened again.

"You mean there's something wrong with Riddle's Diary?" Hermione asked nervously. "Could you be overthinking it? Harry found it so long ago and it's been fine as before, hasn't it?"

"That's right." Ron nodded in agreement. "Perhaps the Heir of Slytherin thought that having obtained the diary would eliminate any worries, and couldn't wait to test the Basilisk's power."

"I hope I'm overthinking it," Aaron said in a deep voice. "Otherwise, the Secret Chamber mystery will be far more complicated."

At that moment, a huge cheer erupted from the stadium as the Gryffindor House Team, dressed in red, and the Hufflepuff House Team, dressed in yellow, simultaneously flew into the air above the stadium.

The match is about to begin, and the fourteen players are all doing their warm-up exercises.

Madam Hooch released the Float and the Golden Snitch, just as she was about to throw the Quaffle to officially begin the match, Professor McGonagall hurriedly ran to the center of the field.

"I regret to inform you that the competition has been cancelled." Professor McGonagall held a large Mack, her voice tinged with fear and unease. "Please return to your respective common lounges. The academy officials will provide you with more information. Please leave as soon as possible."

"They've probably discovered the attack," Aaron sighed. "An attack has occurred again at the start of the new semester, and this time the school might not be able to contain it."

"Then we..."

Hermione wanted to say something more, but Aaron interrupted her, "Let's see what the school decides first. There's only so much we can do. It's already a miracle if we can protect ourselves."

If it really comes to the point where we have no choice but to close Hogwarts, then let's Dumbledore!

Safety first; I really don't want to push the other party to the brink of destruction unless absolutely necessary.

"The professors will understand," Ron said.

Hermione added, "Everyone will understand."

Aaron noticed the determination on their faces and was somewhat bewildered, wanting to laugh but unable to.

These two have completely misunderstood. Understanding is irrelevant, but Hogwarts absolutely cannot be shut down.

By simply Sign-in at the magic school, he can save himself so many years of hard work!

Wait a minute, it seems there's more than just Hogwarts in the Magic World. Maybe I can try other magic schools later, and if they offer better value for money, I might as well transfer.

Aaron's thoughts raced, but he quickly dismissed the idea of transferring schools. Apart from Hogwarts, his freedom would be severely restricted elsewhere; he might even be followed to the toilet. It wouldn't be worth it!

"Ahem! Um... I don't like showing off."

If you're going to have to confront them, you should tell Dumbledore.

Remember, you're the ones who found all of this out; whatever you do, don't mention my name.

"This isn't appropriate!" Ron said hesitantly.

He admitted he was somewhat tempted; this was a huge opportunity, even bigger than the House Cup.

He will become a hero at Hogwarts, and his mother and brothers will look at him with new respect.

However, this was a clue that Aaron had painstakingly uncovered, and he wouldn't stoop so low as to steal the fruits of someone else's labor.

Hermione shook her head as well. "That's really not appropriate. We haven't been able to help you at all."

"No, believe me, this is perfect, absolutely perfect," Aaron said very seriously. "You guys get the limelight, and I get the low profile I wanted. It's a win-win situation for us."

"If you're not willing, I can go find Draco. Trust him..."

"I agree," Ron said immediately.

Given the choice between shamelessly accepting Aaron's gift and watching Malfoy steal the spotlight, he would undoubtedly choose to die rather than accept it.

Besides, things haven't gotten that serious yet!

"Okay, then it's decided."

The three of them followed the students back to their respective Common Room.

A short while later, a message came out.

Ravenclaw Prefect Penelope Clearwater was attacked, but like the previous cases, she was stoned and her life was not in danger.

She was lucky; she happened to be holding a mirror, which may have allowed her to indirectly make eye contact with the Basilisk.

Professor Snape himself came to the Slytherin Common Room. He looked no different than usual, without the tense atmosphere that usually evokes a sense of impending doom.

"As you all know, another attack has occurred."

Although I don't think Slytherin is in any danger, since everyone here is Pure-blood wizard.

As soon as he finished speaking, the students in the Common Room all smiled knowingly.

As the saying goes, "If it doesn't concern you, don't bother with it."

The fire wouldn't reach them, so Slytherin felt safer compared to the other three houses.

"However, Dumbledore has stipulated the following rules," Professor Snape said calmly. "All students must be back in the Common Room by six o'clock, and no student may leave the dormitory after this time."

All students must be accompanied by a teacher during class and may not use the restrooms without a teacher's supervision.

All training and matches have been postponed, and no further activities will be held in the evenings.

"This is unnecessary," Draco said unhappily. "It also restricts the development of Slytherin."

"I also think this is unfair to Slytherin, Malfoy."

However, this was, after all, the headmaster's order, Dumbledore worried that if things escalated, Hogwarts might have to close down.

"He's probably worried about losing his position as principal!"

"My dad always said that having Dumbledore headmaster was the worst thing that ever happened to Hogwarts." Draco said without any restraint, while Crabbe and Goyle behind him also let out disdainful sneers.

"Ahem!" Aaron coughed, giving him a warning look. "Draco, I have to tell you a Reality Stone."

You are now a student, and Dumbledore is the headmaster.

Draco pursed his lips and didn't continue his mockery.

Snape gave Aaron an approving look. "The regulations I just mentioned will take effect immediately. I don't want you to take them lightly; it's for your own safety."

As evening approached, Aaron finished feeding the two roosters in the cage and then planned to practice advanced Magic Array.

But the sudden knocking on the door made him temporarily abandon the idea.

"Come in!"

The door opened, but no one was there.

A moment later, the sound of curtains rustling filled the air, and Harry, Ron, Hermione emerged from the Invisibility Cloak.

"Holy crap." Aaron rolled his eyes, speechless. "I have to admit, you guys have repeatedly blew my mind. You actually came to see me this way? Even if the school is under lockdown, this is ridiculous!"

"We're planning to go find Hagrid."

"Then go!" Aaron looked at Harry with a wry smile. "I'm not going to stop you."

"We want you to come with us," Harry explained. "Time is of the essence. Professor McGonagall said that Hogwarts will have to close unless the culprit is found."

"So what? What does this have to do with me?"

"But it's not awkward for either of us with you here," Hermione said shyly. "Otherwise, we'd be too embarrassed to ask him."

"Oh!" Aaron suddenly realized and chuckled, "You guys have really had it tough."

However, don't get your hopes up too high. Hagrid was clearly framed before the age of fifty, and he didn't have any valuable leads.

"Every little bit counts!" Harry said urgently. "We must find the Secret Chamber and stop the Heir from committing the same crime again."

"Let's talk about it tomorrow, there's no need to rush."

"No, you don't understand how serious this is," Harry said bitterly. "Once Hogwarts closes, I'll have to go back to the Vernon family."

There's no warmth of home there for me; I'll be homeless.

Aaron was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Alright! What can I say? I'm a kind person!"

Upon hearing this, all three showed a hint of joy on their faces.

"Wait, there's one more problem." Hermione suddenly realized something, her expression changing slightly. "The Invisibility Cloak is barely enough to cover three people, it can't possibly squeeze in four."

Ron, however, looked at Abei and said, "It's not just four people; we'll probably need to bring a pet too."