True Gryffindors, All Right

Ever since the attack on Halloween Eve, Albert had been on high alert, even hesitant to use the Time-Turner, fearing he might accidentally bump into the Basilisk in the hallway one day. Although he knew the chances were slim, what if? Better safe than sorry!

What if he were unlucky enough to run into the Basilisk on the way? Although Albert had a lot of confidence in the Protective Glasses made by Nicolas Flamel, confidence was one thing, but without testing, who knew if they would work? If they couldn't weaken the Basilisk's curse, wouldn't he die on the spot? The rewards for the panel quest were indeed tempting, but his life was more important!

Albert felt he needed to stabilize the situation first, focus on developing his strength, and then fight the boss.

Of course, Albert wanted to survive until the end of the semester and wait for Harry Potter to successfully save the world, but unfortunately, the situation didn't allow it. He had to find a way as soon as possible, otherwise he himself might not be able to hold out. No one can guard against thieves for a thousand days.

Even Fred, George, and Lee Jordan noticed Albert's unusual behavior.

Although they didn't know the reason, they could guess that something must have happened to Albert, which was why he had become so anxious.

Under questioning from the three men, Albert briefly explained his situation.

Fred, George, and Lee Jordan didn't take Albert's comment, "I might be targeted by the Heir of Slytherin," as a joke.

After all, Albert wasn't the type to seek attention, and his words were remarkably accurate.

Even knowing that traveling with Albert might be dangerous, the three of them still stayed with him to prevent Albert from being alone and thus from being attacked.

In the eyes of the three, the Heir of Slytherin attacked Muggle-born wizard, while they were not Muggle-born wizard and would not be attacked, making them a good talisman.

At least, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan all thought so.

Albert found this idea somewhat amusing. If Tom really wanted to kill him, he wouldn't care if there were other Pure-blood wizard around; he could just kill them all.

By now, Ginny Weasley is completely under Tom's control, so she doesn't care whether the target of the attack is her own brother or not.

"Hagrid said the giant spiders in the forest know what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is?" Lee Jordan looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then lowered his voice and asked, "So, the monster in the Chamber of Secrets really exists?"

"Yes. However, keep this a secret for now, don't talk about it, just keep it to yourself." Albert whispered a reminder: "If the heir has his eye on you, don't blame me for not warning you."

Lee Jordan suddenly fell silent. He knew that many students at the school believed the professors would quickly catch the madman who caused the accident and expel him from the school.

However, the reality seems to be quite different. The creature that made Albert so wary, the so-called monster in the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets, was clearly very dangerous.

"So what are you planning to do?" Lee Jordan asked Albert. "You seem a bit neurotic all the time. Are you trying to catch the Heir of Slytherin?"

"Don't be silly. A monster that even the Acromantula fears is enough to show how dangerous it is. I don't want to encounter such a monster. The best way is naturally to let Dumbledore deal with it."

As they approached the corner, the two stopped talking.

Albert stopped and glanced at the map in his hand before continuing on his way, making sure there was nothing unusual around the corner ahead.

"Don't worry, Filch often patrols the area where Mrs. Norris was murdered and believes the attackers will come again." Lee Jordan pointed to the chair in the corner, behind which was the wall with the words "The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened" written on it.

Lee Jordan bent down and gently rubbed the writing on the wall with his fingers. He turned to Albert and said, "The last time I saw Filch use ' Mrs. Cole's All-Purpose Stain Remover' to clean the writing on the wall, he just couldn't get it to work."

"I dare say Professor Flitwick could have easily wiped the writing off the wall in a matter of seconds, but he didn't. Something's very strange about that." Albert Stone looked at the still-shimmering writing on the wall and murmured, "We must remain vigilant at all times."

"We'd better get out of here," Lee Jordan warned. "Filch has been in a terrible mood lately; he's been finding excuses to put students in solitary confinement."

"If it were me, I wouldn't have a good temper either."

"By the way, you didn't bring the cat to school, did you already know this would happen?"

"No, I just Prophecy that something not so good would happen. I remember telling you guys about it before." Albert glanced at Lee Jordan, knowing that the other hadn't taken his words seriously. True enough, probably no one would bother to remember those strange pronouncements.

Just then, a shout drew their attention; it was Percy Weasley. As they walked over, they saw the Gryffindor Prefect glaring angrily at his younger brother.

"What are you doing here? Looking for clues?" Albert walked over and greeted the group. "What did Myrtle say? Does she know who the murderer is?"

"How did you know?" Ron was very surprised.

"We don't know who made Myrtle either," Hermione shook her head. "Any news from Hagrid?"

"Well, he doesn't know what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets is either." Albert glanced at the exasperated Percy. "However, the Chamber of Secrets legend is probably true. It's said that fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was opened and a Muggle-born wizard was killed by the monster, so we have to be careful."

"Us?"

"Albert was talking about me!" Hermione explained.

"Alright, stop hanging around here. Everyone else is eating in the lobby. What will people think if they see you all gathered outside the Girls' Washroom? And stop with your detective work. Don't you know how dangerous that is?" Percy warned angrily. "If you keep doing this, I'm writing to Mom, Ron."

"I think Percy is right." Albert agreed with Percy and went to the hall to dine with Lee Jordan.

"That guy's acting a bit strange," Ron said to his companion, watching Albert's retreating figure. "Isn't he investigating this himself?"

"That's different," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"What's different?" Harry didn't understand at all.

"Albert is too famous. He's the most renowned Genius Wizard in the school, and he comes from Muggle family, so naturally they're very worried about this," Hermione explained.

"You mean he's an easy target?"

"I think he's in for a rough time now that the Heir of Slytherin has his eye on him."

Ron noticed the puzzled looks from Harry and Hermione and explained, "Fred and George said Albert is very capable and has a very sharp mind. When the Slytherin students tried to cause him trouble, he gave them a good beating. And..."

Ron lowered his voice and said, "I heard that when he was in first grade, Albert dared to venture into the Forbidden Forest alone at night and save Fred and George from a bunch of terrifying giant spiders."

Speaking of the giant spider, Hermione suddenly remembered something.

"I just noticed a group of spiders desperately trying to escape the castle. Could this be the reason?" Hermione's mind was quick. "Those spiders seemed very scared."

Do you think spiders are afraid of monsters in Chamber of Secrets?

"I don't know," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I think Albert might have gotten some clues from Hagrid."

"I think he might already have his eye on someone," Ron suddenly said. "Who would most like to kick Squib and Muggle-born out of Hogwarts?"

You mean Malfoy?

"You heard him say it too: 'You're next, Mudblood!'" Ron said definitively. "He's highly suspicious. I dare say that even if Malfoy isn't the Heir of Slytherin, he definitely knows something."

"Malfoy is Heir of Slytherin?" Hermione asked skeptically. "But Albert said that the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets at Hogwarts was opened fifty years ago."

"The Malfoy' whole family is in Slytherin, and he often brags about it," Harry reminded him. "They probably have Slytherin blood in their family, and his father is evil enough."

"Hermione, those Pure-blood wizard intermarry, so basically every Pure-blood wizard is related to someone," Ron reminded her. "To be honest, I'm not surprised at all that Malfoy has Slytherin blood."

"That's possible, but we have no evidence," Hermione frowned, reminding her. "The professors wouldn't... wait, I have a plan."

"What method?" the two asked in unison.

"There's a Potions that allows us to impersonate someone else," Hermione said calmly. "Snape mentioned it in class."

"You mean the two lackeys disguised as Malfoy, asking Malfoy about this?" Harry's mind raced, and he guessed Hermione's purpose.

"You certainly don't know how to brew that kind of Potions," Ron said, frowning.

"I have a way to get the formula," Hermione said confidently, "But it will require breaking a lot of School Rules."

"Fred and George always say that School Rules are meant to be broken, and I think they have a lot to say." Ron clearly supported this, and he couldn't wait to catch Malfoy in the act.

"Tell me, what are you planning to do?" Harry asked Hermione.

If Albert were here, he probably wouldn't be able to resist exclaiming. "Truly worthy of Gryffindor! They really do things recklessly and without thinking."