The Restroom's Secret

The brief peace of Christmas was shattered on Boxing Day morning.

Students returning from the holidays brought news of petrified ghosts and potential dangers lurking within the castle, and their worries quickly fermented into waves of panic among parents.

Owls flooded the Headmaster's office with increasingly heated letters, and uneasy whispers echoed through the Ministry of Magic's corridors.

Facing public pressure, Minister Fudge arrived at Hogwarts with a contingent of Aurors on Boxing Day itself.

A fifty-year-old cold case was reopened, and as a "precautionary measure" and "to provide an explanation to the parents," Rubeus Hagrid was taken away from the castle by Ministry officials, despite Dumbledore's icy objections.

"He'll be alright, Harry."

Professor McGonagall looked at the three pale-faced Gryffindors standing in the entrance hall, fists clenched, her voice firm. "Albus will handle it. Hagrid will be fine."

Lin Du stood a short distance away, his silver hair catching the pale winter light.

When Harry's bewildered gaze met his, he calmly looked back and nodded slightly—it was just a simple, comforting gesture, as if to say, "Stay calm."

But this did little to extinguish the young boys' anger and helplessness.

However, events took a turn for the worse than expected.

The next evening, as Harry and Ron trudged back to the Gryffindor common room, weary and dejected, they found Hermione sitting alone by the fireplace, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet so tightly her shoulders trembled with anger.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked, collapsing into an armchair.

Hermione didn't speak. She simply slammed the newspaper down on the coffee table in front of Harry and Ron with a loud thwack.

The headline, in bold font, clawed at them:

Hogwarts in Crisis: An Incompetent Headmaster and a Dangerous New Professor?

By our Special Correspondent, Rita Skeeter

"Look at this!" Hermione's voice was sharp. "That... that woman!"

Harry and Ron leaned in to read—

The article began by dramatically describing the "terrifying shadow hanging over the thousand-year-old castle," then abruptly shifted tone:

"...However, what is more chilling is not the lurking monster, but Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's baffling leniency, or rather, incompetence.

It is understood that Rubeus Hagrid, the prime suspect in the tragedy fifty years ago that led to the unfortunate death of a female student, and who owned a dangerous 'pet,' has not only avoided permanent expulsion but has continued to serve as gamekeeper, maintaining close contact with students under Dumbledore's protection.

Is this a disregard for the life of the deceased? An extreme irresponsibility towards the safety of current students?"

"She's spouting nonsense!" Ron punched the armrest, his face turning red. "Hagrid was framed! Dumbledore knows it better than anyone!"

"It's not over yet," Hermione pointed to the next paragraph, her finger trembling. "See how she's slandering Professor Lin!"

The article continued: "Furthermore, this very semester, Hogwarts has hired a wizard with a mysterious background, confirmed to have extensively researched dangerous Dark Magic—Lin Du—as the crucial Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

According to reliable internal sources, this individual was already on the Ministry's watch list for involvement in Dark Magic experiments before his employment.

To have such a 'scholar' teach our young, impressionable wizards how to 'defend' against Dark Magic is akin to leaving lambs in the care of a hungry wolf!

What considerations led Headmaster Dumbledore to hire this person? Was it a lack of other candidates, or a deliberate recruitment of some malevolent force?"

"How dare she!" Harry felt a surge of heat rush to his head. He recalled Lin Du's calm guidance in class, his patience in helping him understand Parseltongue, and his hair that had turned white for some unknown reason...

To meet the demands of our vast readership, we are now introducing a VIP ad-free membership feature.

Click to view

None of this matched the image of a "dangerous dark wizard" in the article.

"Professor Lin... he... he teaches us very seriously! He even helped us..."

He remembered Lin Du's calm nod when Hagrid was taken away; it felt more like silent support.

"She's just a venomous snake who sells newspapers by fabricating sensational stories!" Hermione's voice grew shrill.

"She doesn't care about the truth at all! She's inciting panic and attacking both Professor Dumbledore and Professor Lin! Look at this 'reliable internal source' – it must have been leaked by those in the Ministry who don't want Professor Dumbledore to have an easy time! They'd be delighted if things blew up!"

Harry stared intently at the newspaper, a fire burning in his chest.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a small accompanying photo next to the article.

It was a picture Rita used to corroborate the "fifty-year-old tragedy"—a girl lying on the corridor floor, with two braids and glasses...

"Wait," Harry leaned in abruptly, poking the photo with his finger. "This girl... don't you think she looks familiar?"

Ron squinted. "A little... I think I've seen her somewhere?"

Hermione gasped, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Moaning Myrtle! The ghost in the second-floor restroom! She... she looked like this!"

It was as if a thunderclap had cleared the fog.

Harry instantly stood up, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Myrtle... Myrtle was the victim fifty years ago..." His voice tightened, his words accelerating.

"She died in the restroom, her ghost stayed there... that restroom! If she was killed by the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, that means—"

"—It means the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is likely there!" Hermione finished his sentence, her eyes lighting up. "The monster came out from there! Or... the entrance is nearby!"

Ron sucked in a breath. "So that's why Myrtle stayed there? Because... that's where she died?"

"And she always said she heard a boy's voice..." Harry recalled the details Myrtle had complained about. The clues clicked into place like a jigsaw puzzle.

"Not an ordinary boy... he's a Parselmouth! The one who can open the Chamber of Secrets is speaking!"

"Harry, where are you going? It's curfew now!" Hermione saw him grab his Invisibility Cloak and rushed to stop him.

"There's no time!" Harry's voice was hoarse with emotion, "Hagrid's been taken away, the papers are spouting nonsense, and whatever's in the Chamber could come out again at any moment! Another day means another day of danger!"

He quickly threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself, leaving only an anxious head exposed. "Hermione, Ron, you two go tell the professors! Professor McGonagall, Professor Lin, or... just go straight to Dumbledore! I'm going to check the second-floor restroom!"

"Harry! Wait—"

Before the two could say more, Harry had already turned and rushed out of the portrait hole, the Invisibility Cloak completely swallowing his figure.

The castle corridors were deathly silent after curfew, with only the sound of his own footsteps and his pounding heart echoing in his ears.

He sprinted along the familiar route, his mind fixed on a single thought: Moaning Myrtle's restroom.

All the clues pointed there.

When he finally burst, breathless, to the end of the dim corridor on the second floor and skidded to a halt before the door to Moaning Myrtle's "faulty" restroom, he froze unexpectedly.

Cold moonlight slanted in through the tall windows, illuminating the dust-covered tile floor and the figure standing silently before a row of broken sinks, his back to the door.

His silver hair shimmered in the dim light, and his posture was upright—

Lin Du.

Due to popular demand, we are now launching a VIP ad-free feature.

Click to view.