Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (12,000 Words)

Ron noticed Hermione struggling to resist, and he looked extremely anxious, fearing that Hermione would be overwhelmed by Pansy on the other side.

Go Hermione!

Harry frowned; in his view, Pansy's abilities were clearly abnormal.

Logically speaking, it's unlikely that a second-year student would possess such magical abilities.

Of course, it might be due to Pansy's family background, but the Pansy who clashed with Hermione at this time last year clearly didn't have these skills.

Could it be... that he was trained by Voldemort, who impersonated his mother last year?

But some of these explanations don't make sense.

Even Voldemort couldn't possibly turn something rotten into something magical and teach such a useless person to be so enlightened.

Harry's intuition told him that there must be something fishy going on.

For a fleeting moment, a flash of inspiration struck him.

Perhaps... it's Voldemort lurking in Hogwarts?

Harry lowered his head and pondered this, his mind gradually shifting towards this possibility.

However, a cheer suddenly came from beside me.

"Well done, Hermione!" Ron shouted, clapping his hands.

Harry looked up and saw that Hermione had already grabbed Pansy's wand in her other hand.

"How did you win?" Harry nudged Ron with his elbow.

Ron chuckled and said, "Hermione raised her wand and disarmed Pansy, it was that simple..."

Harry looked up in confusion, glancing at Hermione and then at Pansy looked resentful.

What's going on?

He turned to look at Snape, only to find that Snape, who had been tense, had relaxed again.

Could it be that Tom taught Pansy this trick last semester?

He temporarily suppressed his doubts and decided to talk to Dumbledore about it.

At present, even if he is certain that Pansy is controlled by Tom, he has no reason to take action.

After all, he couldn't prove Tom's existence, so finding Dumbledore, the Headmaster, was the safest option.

Moreover, since Pansy was defeated by Hermione in one move, no one would believe that she was Mind Control Tom.

"That was terrifying." Hermione stepped off the dueling platform, a haughty expression on her face. "I thought she was so powerful, but it turns out she only knows this one move."

"Don't let your guard down, Hermione," Ron said, still shaken. "I thought you were almost pinned to the ground by that Pansy and couldn't get up."

"Oh, thank you, Ronald." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I hope next time you'll wish me well, instead of always thinking about how I got beaten."

"But as long as the result is good, that's good, isn't it?" Seamus said with a chuckle. "It's just a pity that Professor Lockhart would absolutely not allow me to go on stage, otherwise I would have blown them all to smithereens."

"He better not let you go on stage, or Madam Pomfrey will be in for a lot of trouble," Neville muttered from the side.

Seamus, annoyed, patted Neville on the shoulder and said, "Neville, I haven't complained that you always burn cauldrons in Potions Class."

Neville opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute it.

Indeed, in Professor Snape's Potions Class, Seamus always shared the most venom with him, but he never complained.

But here's the problem: Seamus always creates small explosions during Charms Class, and Neville never complains about it.

Perhaps this is the bond between good buddies.

The Dueling Club finally came to a close around 10 p. m., much to the students' reluctance to part.

Watching others duel is really interesting; it's as captivating as watching gladiatorial combats in Rome.

Since the first-year students hadn't learned any dueling spells yet, they were just there to act as spectators or cheerleaders.

The main force in the duel consisted of students from fifth grade and above.

Even after returning to the dormitory, everyone was still discussing the duel they had just fought, analyzing who was the top fighter in each grade.

As for the second year, it was undoubtedly Harry's turn—but Harry wasn't happy about it, since punching the kindergartener wasn't something to be proud of.

After the Dueling Club ended, Harry sneaked into the Map Chamber.

"I'm glad you still remember me, Harry."

Veratia stood in the portrait, her brows furrowed, looking somewhat resentful.

Harry chose to go straight to the point, avoiding Veratia's follow-up questions.

"The Goblin told me that Gareth had a sum of money in the vault—I saw Gareth's ledger," he said.

Instead of avoiding the question as Harry expected, Veratia crossed her arms and said, "So you see, I'm willing to do so much for you, but you're unwilling to come to the Map Chamber to see me—not even once a week."

"We're trying to find the Basilisk Basilisk, aren't we?" Harry slumped his shoulders. "We've been searching for its whereabouts lately, but to no avail."

"But it wasn't all for naught," Harry added. "The good thing is that I found a rather suspicious person at the Dueling Club today."

"A suspicious person?"

"Yes, a suspicious person."

Harry recounted Pansy's performance in the Dueling Club, and then said to Veratia, "As far as I know, last year Pansy Parkinson was a little witch who couldn't even cast a few evil curses. It's really surprising how much she has improved in less than a year."

"That doesn't necessarily mean she was controlled by Voldemort," Professor Rackham said from the side. "You have to understand, the Parkinson family is a Pure-blood family, so there's bound to be some family tradition involved."

"However, as Harry said, this Parkinson is indeed suspicious enough," Headmaster Fitzgerald said after a moment's thought. "I'm more inclined to believe that she deliberately stepped forward and was easily defeated by Miss Granger because she was forced to do so by the Slytherin house's internal investigation, thus completely clearing herself of suspicion."

"Then why reveal that method in the first place?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"It's more convincing when it's a mix of truth and falsehood, Harry," Veratia said with a light laugh. She agreed with Headmaster Fitzgerald's point of view. "Perhaps the internal investigation within Slytherin has led to this Miss Parkinson, which is why she put on this act that's a mix of truth and falsehood—perhaps this was Voldemort's suggestion. Based on your and my descriptions of Voldemort, he is indeed this kind of... somewhat eccentric person."

Is your mind unusual?

Harry thought about it and realized that what he said made sense; after all, what normal person would make so many Horcrux to play with?

But seriously, was it really made by the Merope version of Tom?

In his mind, this younger version of Tom seemed much smarter than the noseless Voldemort, and didn't seem like the kind of person who could do such a thing.

If it were Tom, he would be more likely to lurk in the school and cause trouble, rather than openly sending out the Basilisk to launch a blatant attack.

"So I suggest you talk to Dumbledore about this," Veratia concluded. "After all, as the Headmaster, he does have some power—at least he can scrutinize a student—while you, Harry, are just a second-year student; you don't have that power."

"I understand, Veratia." Harry acknowledged Veratia's words.

He thought for a moment, then said to Veratia, "I came up with two ideas a few days ago..."

"What method?" Veratia asked.

"The first solution is to find the Chamber of Secrets and eliminate the Basilisk... I think the advantage of doing this is that it can quickly extinguish the threat in Hogwarts... But the disadvantage is also obvious: Voldemort, having discovered that the Basilisk has been killed, will definitely continue to lie in wait, and who knows what kind of sabotage he might be causing in the dark."

"The second method is to lure the snake out of its hole, to make Voldemort, who is hiding in the shadows, believe that Dumbledore has left the school and that martial law has been lifted—but the downside is that I'm worried that Voldemort use the Basilisk to cause widespread destruction..."

Veratia thought for a moment, then looked up and asked with a smile, "Then why don't you combine these two options?"

"Huh?" Harry was taken aback. Could these two methods be combined?

"I mean, you should first tighten the security around Slytherin," Veratia said. "If you can quickly find and kill the Basilisk Basilisk, you can convince Voldemort that Dumbledore has left the school before he finds out. Then you and the professors can hide at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets and wait for the students controlled by Voldemort to come Chamber of Secrets..."

"That's a good idea indeed." Harry nodded hesitantly. "But the problem is, we have no idea where the Chamber of Secrets of Chamber of Secrets is—maybe it really is just a myth, as Professor Binns said."

"Professor Binns is a ghost who pretends to be ignorant while knowing the truth—" Professor Rackham suddenly remarked sharply, his chubby face full of disdain for Professor Binns: "You'll see, that old fellow knows everything, he just doesn't want to say it—because he finds it too troublesome."

"Really?" Harry asked doubtfully.

Professor Rackham snorted but did not reply.

"Perhaps Professor Binns truly doesn't know about this; after all, he has no reason to hide it, and Voldemort isn't some relative of his," Professor Rackham said after a moment's thought. "Then, Harry, where else have you learned about the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets?"

"It's said that the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago," Harry replied.

"Rumors?" Veratia frowned. "I don't want rumors, I want a definite answer—was the Chamber of Secrets actually opened fifty years ago?"

"I've seen Professor Dumbledore's memories in the Pensieve," Harry replied quickly. "Fifty years ago, when Armando Dippet was Headmaster, the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets was opened, and the culprit was Tom Riddle, who also caused the death of a student named Myrtle Elizabeth Warren. Afterward, he framed Hagrid for it, accusing him of killing Warren with the Acromantula he kept at the school."

"I have to say something," Professor Rackham suddenly remarked sharply, "Even if it wasn't Hagrid's Acromantula that killed that ' Elizabeth Warren,' that Acromantula isn't exactly a creature that should be kept in the school—good heavens, has Hogwarts become so wild that it even allows students to keep such a terrifying creature as Acromantula in the school?"

"What else can I say, Professor?" Harry replied helplessly.

"Hmm..." Veratia lowered her head and thought for a moment, then asked Harry, "So, do you know where Elizabeth Warren's body was found?"

"I don't know," Harry said, shrugging. "It wasn't mentioned, but even if we did, what good would it do? Maybe Tom just moved Myrtle's body."

"I think you should ask Dumbledore," Headmaster Fitzgerald said. "After all, he was a witness to this event. If he doesn't know, finding the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets will be even more difficult—unless you can use the Resurrection Stone to find Myrtle's soul, that's the only way."

"The Resurrection Stone..." Veratia said softly.

"Huh?" Harry scratched his head. He suddenly remembered that Myrtle was indeed dead, but wasn't her ghost still in Hogwarts?

He looked delighted. Seeing his expression, Veratia asked, "What's wrong? You seem to have come up with a solution?"

"Myrtle is actually still alive... no, she is indeed dead, but she's still at Hogwarts!" Harry said quickly. "I heard that after Myrtle died, she returned to the world as a ghost and started following Oliver Humbell, who had mocked her before—Oliver eventually went to the Ministry of Magic to restrain Myrtle's behavior, so she had to stay at Hogwarts."

Veratia's expression suddenly turned dangerous.

"Harry," she said, her eyelashes lowered, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I just remembered..." Harry scratched the back of his head awkwardly. To be honest, he had completely forgotten that Myrtle was now a ghost.

Veratia snorted and didn't say anything more, but her meaning was clear—wait until I get out of here, I'll teach you a lesson.

"In that case, go ask the person involved," Veratia said, glancing at him. "I believe she will definitely remember where she died, and that place is very likely the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

"I'll go ask right away!" Harry said quickly.

After Harry left, Professor Rackham said helplessly, "It seems your boyfriend is as simple-minded as ever."

"He has me, that's enough for him," Veratia said softly, looking at the tightly closed door.

"But that's not a good thing," Professor Rackham said. "It will make him increasingly dependent on you and unable to live without your wisdom..."

Veratia said in a lighthearted tone, "That's exactly what I wanted."

After emerging from the Map Chamber, Harry didn't immediately go to see the Moaning Myrtle, but instead went to Dumbledore's Headmaster's Office first.

When he walked up to the Waterspout Gargoyle, the stone monster suddenly jumped to the side.

"Why didn't you ask me for the password this time?" Harry asked.

"Professor Dumbledore given special permission that you will not need to ask for the password if you see Harry Potter in the future," the Waterspout Gargoyle Beast answered honestly.

Harry reached out and patted its head before walking up the spiral staircase to the Headmaster's Office.

This stone monster... has made great progress.

Harry arrived late today, and the portrait in the Headmaster's Office, the Phoenix, and even the Sorting Hat were all fast asleep.

Harry walked over to the Headmaster's desk and sat down, wondering how to inform Professor Dumbledore that he had arrived in the Headmaster's Office.

When he came to his senses, Professor Dumbledore was already sitting opposite him.

"It's hard to imagine that a little wizard like you has a hobby other than sleeping." Dumbledore yawned, still wearing his robe adorned with stars and moons.

"I'd like to sleep too, but there are more important things to do." Harry placed his hands on the table and said to Dumbledore, "You should know that Professor Lockhart is hosting Dueling Club in the Great Hall tonight, right?"

"I know about this," Professor Dumbledore nodded. "You must be here to talk about Miss Parkinson's, right? Severus has already told me about it."

"He already said so?" Harry asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes," Professor Dumbledore nodded. "This morning, Severus conducted a thorough investigation of Dark Arts artifacts in Slytherin House, and he paid particular attention to several students around Mr. Malfoy, the Pure-blood students who were close to him."

"So... Pansy Parkinson is also on the list of suspects?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Professor Dumbledore said casually, having someone pour Harry a cup of tea. "However, Severus only suspected, he didn't confirm who was carrying the Dark Arts item... Even with Miss Parkinson, he only suspected, he didn't completely confirm."

"The professors in the Map Chamber thought that Voldemort might have been being clever and wanted Parkinson to deliberately reveal part of his strength," Harry began to tell Dumbledore about the professors' analysis. "Then, by having Pansy be defeated by Hermione in front of everyone, they created a false impression."

"Very likely," Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Perhaps it is possible, but we cannot invade Miss Parkinson's privacy based on mere speculation."

Harry certainly agreed with this view, after all, Hogwarts is a school, not some gang base.

"So I talked to the professors about the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets again," Harry said after a moment of thought. "The professors all agreed that the place where Myrtle died might be the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, clearly not quite believing the claim.

"If so, why hasn't it been discovered after all these years?" Professor Dumbledore smiled and said, "You see, Myrtle died in the girls' washroom on the second floor of Hogwarts... Many people go in and out of that washroom all year round, why didn't they discover such Chamber of Secrets entrance?"

"Professor Rackham has speculated," Harry said, "That Tom Riddle might have moved Myrtle's body, creating this illusion... so he suggested I ask Myrtle if she remembers where she died."

"I think you could give it a try," Professor Dumbledore said noncommittally. "Perhaps you'll find something useful?"

"If we can find the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk," Dumbledore said again, "I hope you will return as soon as possible. Do not put yourself in danger. It would be best to let the professors handle this problem."

"No need for a big fuss, Professor," Harry said. "After discussing it with the professors in the Map Chamber, we've reached a decision..."

"What decision?" Professor Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Well..." Harry said after organizing his thoughts, "After killing the Basilisk, don't let this get out—at least don't let Voldemort's soul know about it. After sealing the news, we can create a false impression—for example, you, Mr. Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, have to School Opening for some reason and lift the martial law order, which will lure Voldemort's soul to the Chamber of Secrets."

"And I will lie in wait with the professors at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. When he arrives here, it will be his death day," Harry said firmly, tapping the table one last time.

"A good idea." Professor Dumbledore smiled with satisfaction, then asked, "So, under what pretext do you think we should create the illusion that I have to School Opening?"

"Fire the Headmaster?" Harry asked tentatively.

Dumbledore shook his head and laughed, saying, "Only the Board of Governors has the power to dismiss the Headmaster..."

"The Board of Governors?" Harry was stunned.

"Yes, the Board of Governors," Board of Governors Professor Dumbledore said helplessly. "I don't know any of them well, and I can't force them to do something they don't want to do."

"I do have a way," Harry said, punching his fist. "But if you really agree to this suggestion, Professor, I'll try to find a way."

"Oh?" Professor Dumbledore's interest was piqued. "What method?"

"I'll figure something out." Harry didn't want to say more.

Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, acknowledging Harry's words. "Well, if you can do that, I'll gladly accept my resignation."

"Then you'll be waiting for my good news, Professor," Harry said to Professor Dumbledore, "Your resignation is the signal of our agreement... Oh, and there's something else quite important."

"What is it?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"Well..." Harry scratched his head, "Do you know where Moaning Myrtle is? You know, that ghost. I need to ask her about the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets."

"Oh, she's in the girls' washroom on the second floor," Professor Dumbledore said without hesitation. "If you go now, you can probably find her."

"Yes, Professor," Harry nodded.

After leaving the Headmaster's Office, Harry made his way to the girls' restrooms on the second floor.

As Harry reached the door, he suddenly hesitated.

He felt... was it a little inappropriate to just go into the women's restroom like that?

What if there are people inside?

"Revilio (Revealing Charm)!"

The spherical Detection Charm spread out, but it did not detect anyone in the restroom.

He cautiously crept inside, raised his wand, and cast a light-up Charms.

"Myrtle?" Harry asked tentatively. "Where are you?"

There has been no response.

He searched the entire girls' restroom but couldn't find Myrtle.

Where did they go?

He muttered to himself as he waited outside the girls' restroom for a while, but Myrtle never appeared.

Helpless, he could only return to his dormitory, planning to come back to look for Myrtle the next day.

On the way back, Harry was still a little depressed.

You're a ghost, why aren't you staying in your bathroom? What are you doing wandering around aimlessly?

The next day, Harry came back three times—in the morning, afternoon, and evening—but still couldn't find Myrtle.

On Monday, Hermione noticed he seemed distracted, so she sat down beside him and asked, "Harry, what's wrong? You seem a little absent-minded."

"I'm thinking about something." Harry looked around and, seeing that Seamus and Ron weren't there, quickly whispered to Hermione, "I'm trying to find Moaning Myrtle, but I've been waiting in the places she usually goes for ages and haven't found her... Do you know where she is?"

Hermione looked at Harry with a complicated expression after hearing this.

Harry felt a chill run down his spine.

Oh no, I was so busy asking Myrtle that I forgot she was in the girls' restroom on the second floor.

"Harry, I hope you didn't go to the girls' lavatory," Hermione said with a complicated expression. "But Myrtle... she always seems to appear and disappear mysteriously, and isn't necessarily in the lavatory on the second floor."

"Myrtle?"

Cedric, who was passing by, heard Hermione's voice.

"Are you talking about the Moaning Myrtle?" He smiled shyly. "I saw her last night, peeping at me while I was showering in the Prefect Bathroom... Good heavens, how could there be such a ghost?"

Harry:...

He never imagined that a female ghost would peep at a male classmate showering...

"Do you know where she is now?" Harry asked curiously.

"It seems we offended some of the Ravenclaw girls yesterday, and they flushed the toilet down—probably into the Black Lake," Cedric said, shrugging. "You're only second year, so it's not surprising you don't know, but I still think those people went too far—there was really no need to do that to Myrtle."

"Yeah, so what if I peeked at you taking a shower?" Hermione rolled her eyes and said.

"So, what do you want with her?" Cedric asked, seemingly ignoring Hermione's sarcasm.

"Nothing much, just chatting about ghosts," Harry said, half-jokingly. "Don't forget what happened tonight—"

He winked at Cedric.

"I understand, let's meet at the usual time." Cedric nodded and said, "Oh, and if I see Myrtle, I'll have her wait for you on the second floor for the next couple of days..."

At this point, Cedric suddenly leaned down and whispered to Harry, "I hope you don't let those Weasley family clones know you went to the girls' restroom on the second floor, or they'll definitely make fun of you to death."

"I think so too!" Harry nodded in agreement.

"I'll go take a look for you now."

Hermione was about to go upstairs when Cedric stopped her.

"Don't waste your time, Hermione," Cedric said. "I already told you, Myrtle has been washed into the Black Lake..."

"Can ghosts be flushed down the toilet?" Hermione asked in astonishment.

"Of course," Cedric said, shrugging. "Ghosts are fascinating."

Finally, evening arrived. During dinner, Hermione went to the second-floor bathroom but did not find Myrtle.

Since Myrtle couldn't be found for the time being, Harry had to put the matter aside for the time being—but he also instructed Cedric not to tell anyone about it.

If word of his search for Myrtle were to reach Voldemort's ears, given Tom's personality, he would probably cower like a turtle.

"Are we going to the Forbidden Forest tonight?" Ron said excitedly. "Oh my god, I've never been to the Forbidden Forest at night before—this time, I can proudly tell Fred and George, 'Look, I went to the Forbidden Forest during school lockdown, can you do that?'"

"Of course we can, Ronnie little darling," the twins' voices rang out from behind. "Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your older brothers?"

Ron turned around awkwardly and saw his two Twins brothers looking at him with a relaxed expression.

"But Ronnie little darling, you're already a formidable wizard who can defeat fourth-year students," the twins said, one after the other. "What kind of Charms did he secretly learn? Did the Lion King of Gryffindor teach you a lot of fighting techniques in private?"

"What, you want to learn too?" Harry suddenly appeared behind them.

"Of course we want to learn," the twins said in unison.

"Let's wait until our Dueling Club votes before deciding whether to admit you," Harry said, patting them on the shoulder. "We'll deal with your situation urgently tonight."

"Yay!" The twins clapped their hands together and reached out to give Harry a piece of candy.

"Tongue-Tying Toffee," Fred said.

George then chimed in. "A candy whose effect is exactly as its name suggests, it can make your tongue suddenly swell up..."

"I understand, thank you." Harry pocketed the candy. "It's a great invention. I think you should put more effort into this area. Zonko's Joke Shop has been around for so many years, and it still only has a few products. Muggle wizards might find it novel, but wizards who grew up in the wizarding Muggle world are definitely tired of these old things..."

"That makes sense." The twins' eyes shone brightly. "I think we should take your advice, Lion King Harry."

Harry gave an OK sign.

"Then we wish you success—tonight our Dueling Club will vote on admitting you. Stay tuned for my good news," he said.

"Yes, Your Lion King Your Majesty," the twins said playfully.

Around 7 o'clock, several Gryffindor students wearing Invisibility Cloak came out of the common room.

Cedric and his friends waited on the second floor. Once the Gryffindor students arrived, they gathered together and passed through the unguarded door.

They walked all the way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest before finally removing their Invisibility Cloak.

"Oh my god, I thought we were going to be discovered..." Hermione said with lingering fear, "If we got caught, the consequences could be dire..."

"This isn't the first time you've broken the rules, Hermione," Ron said, pursing his lips.

Hermione glared at him but didn't say anything.

The Forbidden Forest was quiet all around. A crescent moon hung in the sky, and the cold wind rustled through the trees.

The occasional howls, whether from Werewolf or wild wolves, added a touch of mysterious dread to the forest.

"A Werewolf?" Seamus shuddered. "I've heard there are Werewolf in the Forbidden Forest..."

"It shouldn't be, right?" Neville instinctively looked down at the monsters. "There wouldn't be Werewolf at this time of year. I think it's more like wild wolves—don't worry, there are so many of us, why should we be afraid of wild wolves?"

"That's true, we are wizards!" Megan was also trembling—it was hard to tell whether it was from the cold or from fear.

"But..." Cedric frowned, "Harry isn't going to make us fight wolves in a real battle, is he?"

"Really, Harry?" Ron turned his head.

"Huh?" He realized Harry wasn't with them. "Where's Harry?"

"He was just here..." Neville shuddered. "I remember he was here when we came out, how come he's gone now?"

"Perhaps something got in the way. I remember he was looking for Myrtle," Hermione said.

Ron asked in confusion, "Myrtle, what is he looking for Myrtle for?"

"Wait!" Cedric suddenly exclaimed, "Something's up! There was a figure over there just now... I saw it!"

Upon hearing Cedric's words, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Oh my god, is there Dark Wizard here?

"It's not a spider, is it?" Ron asked in horror, as he was terrified of Giant Spider.

I'd heard from my Twins brother before that there were spiders in the Forbidden Forest, and what if it was a spider...

"I don't know." Cedric's voice was a little nervous. He said to the young wizards behind him, "Pull out your wands, what do you say?"

"Good."

Everyone was glad that Cedric spoke first, and they drew their wands, scanning their surroundings.

"I have a feeling like someone's watching us," Hermione whispered. "Harry's not here right now, should we head back? Just in case something happens?"

"I think it's okay..." Neville replied hastily.

However, just as they were about to give up, a hooded figure suddenly appeared in the Forbidden Forest.

Under the moonlight, the figure's face was obscured by a hood, but it was clear that the visitor was up to no good.

As the oldest among them, Cedric naturally stood at the front.

The moment he noticed the newcomer, he raised his wand and pointed it at the hooded figure.

"Who are you?! What do you want?!"

However, he was answered by a whooshing sound, followed by a sharp scream that pierced the night sky.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A bright green light illuminated the forest, so bright that everyone could hardly open their eyes.

But they heard what kind of incantation it was, and they also heard something fall heavily beside him.

When everyone finally came to their senses and opened their eyes, they found Cedric lying on the ground.

"No! Cedric!"

Megan screamed and swung her wand at the hooded figure.

"Reducto (Crushing Spell)!"

However, it was to no avail. The hooded figure waved his wand, knocking away her Charms, and then another flash of green light appeared in his hand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Ron reacted quickly, pulling Megan aside to avoid being hit by the spell.

"What should we do!" Megan asked, somewhat at a loss.

"Fight him!" Ron roared angrily, casting Charms with a flick of his wrist.

"Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)!"

Just as he cast the Charms, he heard a familiar voice beside him.

"Expelliarmus!"

They turned around in surprise to find that Cedric had somehow gotten up and was already fighting back with his wand in hand.

But the hooded figure opposite suddenly became serious. He blocked all the Charms and then used Transfiguration to bind them one by one, rendering them unable to move.

"Who are you?!" Ron cursed, "You cowardly bastard—"

However, to his surprise, the figure opposite him suddenly laughed.

He was out of breath, laughing so hard he was doubled over, and his hood slipped off his head.

It's Harry.

"Hahahaha..."

Harry slapped his thigh, put them down one by one, and pointed at Cedric was all green, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

Only then did everyone notice Cedric's fluorescent green outfit, and they couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"My God, how did you do that?" Hermione asked curiously, ignoring Cedric's concern. "The incantation was the Killing Curse, but what came out was... Is this Coloring Charm?"

"That's the secret." Harry smiled as he put away his wand and said to Hermione, "Unfortunately, you didn't meet my test requirements—so I won't be teaching you this Charms."

"Why?" Ron asked, pouting. "You're so strong, how could we possibly beat you...?"

"No, not defeat me." Harry held up a finger and wagged it. "It's your behavior—look, Cedric, in this situation, seeing a hooded wizard appear before you, your first reaction is to raise your wand and demand to know his identity? Did you really think he would tell you— 'Oh, my dear Cedric, I'm just here to take your life'?"

Cedric was a little embarrassed. He tried to wipe off the fluorescent green stains on his body, but he couldn't get them off at all.

"And you guys, Cedric's making a fool of himself, are you all going to make a fool of yourself too?" Harry scolded, exasperated. "If I were you, in this situation, the worst thing I'd do is Stunning Spell unidentified person—and then follow up with Crushing Spell, so as not to underestimate their threat..."

"Then how do we create the biggest threat?" Ron asked, looking clueless.

"Of course it's Harmless Minor Curses, my dear Ronnie little darling." Harry rolled his eyes, just like Hermione.

Ron opened his mouth, thought about it, and realized that it made sense.

"This is based on my experience from countless real-world situations," Harry sighed. "In this kind of environment, when you're unsure whether the other person is friend or foe, the best approach is to greet them with Charms —if he were truly your friend, I doubt he would try to scare you like this."

"But you still scared us like that," Hermione complained, still shaken. For a moment, she really thought Cedric was dead.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, this is a simulation." Harry snorted. "If it were a real battle, you would all be dead by now—but if you could all cast some spells on me together, you might have a chance to escape."

"I think Harry is right." Cedric, who had caught his breath, gave Harry a bright smile. "Think about it, guys... this time Harry is setting an example for us. If we encounter a real Dark Wizard next time, we won't be so foolish as to wait for him to cast the Killing Curse first. Instead, we'll have time to escape—or even defeat him."

"Very good, Cedric." Harry smiled at Cedric. "The fact that you think that way proves that my live-fire exercise wasn't a failure. At least you've gained something."

"So, could you remove my paint?" Cedric asked somewhat embarrassedly.

Harry took out his wand and gave Cedric a Clean-up, removing the green glow from his body.

"Actually, it looked pretty good just now too," Harry said, resting his chin on his hand. "A perfect skull shape, wasn't it?"

After saying that, he took out several wolves from his wallet.

"Of course, these wolves aren't your mission." Harry reached out and ruffled one of their heads, the latter sticking out its tongue and fawning like a husky. "At least not today—given your current situation, let's wait until next time for a live-fire exercise."

"This is just the beginning. The next time we need green paint, we'll have to wait until it disappears naturally," Harry said, winking at them.

"Harry, how did you do that?" Hermione asked with interest. She wanted to go closer, but she recognized the creature in front of her as a wolf and hesitated, only watching from the outside. "These are wolves, how did you manage to make them obey? Was it some kind of Charms?"

Hermione dared not say Imperius Curse, so she could only use "that Charms" instead.

"The Imperius Curse?" Harry shook his head. "No, the Imperius Curse is best not used on animals—of course, insects like spiders are okay, but I wouldn't recommend you control a spider to jump onto Ron's face..."

"Harry!" Ron said angrily.

"I just told Hermione not to do that, you've misunderstood me," Harry said with a chuckle.

But judging from Hermione's expression, she was clearly somewhat tempted.

"If Ron doesn't study Charms properly, then I will definitely do it," she thought.

At this point, she had even forgotten that "being found to have used the Imperius Curse would result in expulsion from school."

This outdoor training exercise is now complete, so there's no need to stay outside any longer.

Back in his dorm, Harry lay on his bed and cleared his mind, quickly drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Harry was Awakening by a cold touch.

He groggily opened his eyes and found a female ghost wearing glasses looking at him.

"You're Harry Potter?" the female ghost asked, hands on her hips. "I heard you've been looking for me lately?"

Harry looked at her with some confusion and asked hesitantly, "Excuse me, who are you?"

"Myrtle," Myrtle replied succinctly, "I just crawled back from the Black Lake this morning when I heard from Miss Granger of your house that you were looking for me... So, what do you want with poor, ugly Myrtle?"

"Hello!"

Ron and Seamus woke up together when they heard someone talking.

Upon seeing that it was Myrtle, they both exclaimed in unison, "Come on! This is a boys' dormitory! What are you, a female ghost, doing here?!"

"Looks like I'm not popular!" Myrtle said angrily, then pouted and lamented, "Yes, who would like a pitiful, crying, and unattractive Myrtle?"

"Come with me, Myrtle." Harry smiled at her. "There are still people sleeping, and I think we need a quiet place to talk."

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Myrtle looked at Harry warily. "Ever since I became a ghost, no one has wanted to talk to me—not even Dumbledore from redbeard to white beard, he doesn't really want to have a heart-to-heart talk with me..."

Seeing that she was about to wallow in self-pity again, Harry quickly said, "Alright, come with me, Myrtle..."

"Oh." Myrtle, feeling awkward, had no choice but to follow Harry.

Actually, she felt quite good that someone wanted to chat with her, since she wasn't really popular in this castle called Hogwarts.

Harry and Myrtle walked out of the Gryffindor Common Room and onto an empty classroom on the second floor—the one where the Mirror of Erised used to be.

Along the way, many people stared at the two of them. The Gryffindor students were curious why Harry was walking with Moaning Myrtle, while the Ravenclaw students were wondering why anyone would be looking for Moaning Myrtle...

"Speak, what exactly do you want to ask?" Myrtle asked directly after entering the classroom.

Harry cleared his throat, trying to find a more acceptable question.

"I don't actually have any other questions, I just wanted to ask you about the Chamber of Secrets."

"Chamber of Secrets?" Myrtle asked, puzzled. "What is Chamber of Secrets?"

"It's the Chamber of Secrets from the Hogwarts legend—" Harry said, only to realize that he had asked the wrong question.

Myrtle only knew where she died, but she didn't know what the Chamber of Secrets was.

If you're going to ask, it would be better to rephrase the question.

Thinking of this, Harry asked, "Actually, I wanted to ask you... how did you die?"

To everyone's surprise, Myrtle's face immediately fell after she asked that question.

"I knew it! You were just trying to make fun of poor Myrtle —good heavens, can't you little wizards find someone else to tease?"

"No, Myrtle," Harry sighed, "This is very important, for Hogwarts —because the monster that killed you is back, and it has caused several incidents in a short period of time. Believe me Myrtle, only you can save Hogwarts now!"

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