Hermione Must Be Protected at All Costs / The Logic of an Investigation Is Hard to Understand

Harry and Hermione ran all the way out of the dark, cold dungeon, but when they reached the vicinity of the stairs to the Great Hall on the first floor, they both stopped in their tracks...

Before them stood a small, thin Gryffindor freshman, holding a camera and standing motionless, his body stiff as a stone statue.

"Colin?" Harry's eyes widened involuntarily.

Why did this child have to get into trouble?!

"Harry, look at the wall..." Hermione pointed shakily to the wall next to Colin.

There were two lines of grotesque characters, with scarlet marks winding down like a blood-written letter.

The Chamber has been opened.

Be wary of those who oppose your heir.

"Colin must have come out looking for me."

Harry guessed that Colin hadn't seen him at the Halloween party, so he came out with his camera to look for him, only to be attacked by an unknown force in the first-floor corridor!

Chamber, an heir—what exactly are those things?

The sharp-eyed Harry noticed a faint trail next to Colin, which looked like a water stain. But before he could determine where the trail led, a commotion suddenly broke out, and hundreds of students, having eaten and drunk their fill, swarmed in, completely surrounding the crime scene... and in doing so, destroying any possible clues.

When the students saw Colin, who was standing motionless, all the noise they had made earlier disappeared.

They watched silently as this horrific scene unfolded before them, their gazes towards Harry and Hermione gradually becoming wary.

"Those who oppose the heir, beware! You're next, you... Waaah!"

"Shut up!"

Hearing the gloating voices behind him, Harry didn't hesitate and threw a brick, slapping Malfoy across the face and silencing him.

"Asshole!"

"What are you doing?!"

Harry's actions naturally enraged the Slytherin House students, but when they saw the fierce look in Harry's eyes, they all hesitated and dared not cross the line.

"Very well, it seems Malfoy knows something, so this matter is also related to you Slytherin, huh?" Harry's sharp gaze swept over the Slytherin House students one by one, and everyone he stared at involuntarily shivered.

"I advise him to come forward and tell me who did it. If he gets caught, it will be too late to admit his mistake!"

"Harry, don't do this!" At this moment, Dumbledore arrived with the other teachers. Seeing the tense situation in the corridor, he quickly stepped between Harry and the Slytherin House students.

"We need to check on Colin first, no matter what," Dumbledore voice. "Let's go to the Hospital Wing first. Harry, Hermione, you two come with us."

"Okay..." Harry nodded silently, picked up Colin himself, and followed Dumbledore out of the scene.

Chapter 131 Hermione Needs Full Protection

In the Hospital Wing on the second floor, Harry carefully placed Colin on a hospital bed and handed him over to Dumbledore for a thorough examination.

Hermione gripped Harry's hand nervously; her palms were sweaty and trembling.

The situation was obviously bad; Dumbledore practically pressed his face against Colin's, but still couldn't give a reply.

"It must have been a curse that killed him, I suspect it was Transfiguration torture spell," Lockhart muttered incessantly. "It's a shame I wasn't there, otherwise..."

"Professor Lockhart!" Snape interrupted Lockhart's rambling with a grim face. "Headmaster Dumbledore is investigating. You need to keep quiet now."

Snape was actually helping Lockhart, because from his perspective, if Lockhart continued to ramble on, Harry would definitely pull out his wand.

"Colin isn't dead, he's just petrified." Dumbledore tapped Colin on the body with his wand, examined him carefully, and finally came to this conclusion.

"Minerva, how's Colin's camera?" He turned to look at his most trusted vice principal, seemingly hoping to get some good news from him.

"It's completely burned out; there's no useful information inside."

Professor McGonagall shook her head regretfully. She would rather not use such Muggle items at all, as that might give her a better chance.

"Um... Harry, can you tell me why you were there?" After being rebuffed by Severus Snape, Lockhart seemed to have found another way to assert his presence, straightening his back as he asked Harry.

He probably sensed that Harry, the Boy Who Lived, was ignoring him, and knew that his plan to become famous through Harry was likely to fail. So he decided to use Harry to maximize his own fame.

For example... regarding the petrification issue, give Harry, the suspect, a good scare to demonstrate your keen insight~

"Headmaster... how can Colin recover from this condition?" But Harry completely ignored him.

Hermione, who was standing to the side, wanted to say something, but in the end she held back, clearly finding Lockhart's question rather harsh.

"This is a stroke of luck, Harry," Dumbledore said thankfully. "Fortunately, Pomona Sprout recently obtained some Mandrake. Once they grow and mature, we can concoct Mandrake Restorative Draught to cure Colin's petrification."

Dumbledore also ignored Lockhart. In fact, this outsider simply did not understand Harry's importance in the hearts of all the teachers at Hogwarts!

"Headmaster, I want to know the details of the Chamber of Secrets." After confirming that Colin was not in mortal danger, Harry went straight to the point.

He's not the Harry Potter from the original books who's all subservient to all his teachers. For him, the basic procedure for handling any situation is to identify problems, gather clues, and solve them.

"I'll have Filius discuss the Chamber of Secrets with you in detail," Dumbledore shook his head at Harry. "Now, you and Hermione can leave."

"Okay." Harry knew that Dumbledore's task now was to settle Colin, so he simply took Hermione and left the ward.

After receiving a signal from Dumbledore, Flitwick turned and followed him out.

"Headmaster, I can concoct the Mandrake Restorative Draught; I could practically recite the recipe by heart. Besides, regarding Mr. Granger, I still don't think we should be so easily swayed..."

"Gilderoy, the Potions Professor at Hogwarts, is Severus." Before the man could finish speaking, Dumbledore's deep, hawk-like eyes fixed on him. "And I must tell you, Harry is absolutely trustworthy to me. I hope you remember this well in all circumstances!"

"Yes..." Lockhart replied awkwardly, then retreated hastily.

Meanwhile, in the Dean's office at Eagle House, Professor Flitwick had already given Harry a detailed account of the Chamber, as Dumbledore had requested.

The history of Hogwarts' founding and the feuds between the Four Founders can be skipped. The so-called Chamber of Secrets is the secret Chamber built by Salazar, and the heir is naturally the Heir of Slytherin.

This castle was originally Salazar Slytherin's hometown. After a falling out with the other Founders over his belief in Pure-blood Supremacy, he built a Chamber in the school and left behind a terrifying monster, waiting for his successor to reopen the Chamber and purge all students of ordinary birth from the school.

If Flitwick's account of history is true, then Harry has to say... Slytherin is a fucking lunatic!

Now he finally understood why Dobby had been so worried before.

His mother, Lily, was of common birth, so he was not Pure-blood Wizard in the strict sense, and was later adopted by a common family; while Hermione, who was by his side, was simply a wizard of common birth!

Hermione will definitely be targeted for elimination by the monsters left behind by Slytherin, and she... might very well be caught in the crossfire!

"Heir... Professor Flitwick, I want to know, was the Chamber ever opened?" Harry pressed.

If there were some prior clues, it might be able to analyze the problem more quickly.

"It might have been opened, but I don't know the specifics, since that was a long time ago..."

Professor Flitwick's tone was heavy, and when he looked up, Harry noticed that the old professor had red eyes.

"I...I really can't believe this has happened! Mr. Creevey, he's just like that...but I'm more worried about you now, Hermione!" Flitwick looked at Hermione with concern. "You and Mr. Creevey have the same background, so you might also be attacked by that Heir of Slytherin ..."

"I will do everything in my power to protect Hermione!" Harry instinctively grabbed Hermione's hand, holding it so tightly that Hermione felt a slight pain.

"That would be best, Hermione. And you absolutely must not act alone these days. I'll have Miss Clearwater arrange things to ensure you are protected at all times," Professor Flitwick solemnly instructed Hermione.

"Um... Professor, thank you~"

Hermione pressed her lips tightly together and bowed gratefully to Flitwick.

Penelope Clearwater is a Ravenclaw Prefect. Flitwick's implication is that even when Harry isn't with Hermione, he will entrust Ravenclaw Prefect, or another female student, to stay by Hermione's side at all times!

This unreserved appreciation and protection is truly something Hermione is deeply grateful for.

As for Harry, there's no need to emphasize gratitude between him and Hermione anymore.

"The Heir of Slytherin... so we really do have to keep an eye on Malfoy, and the entire Slytherin House, right?" Hermione tentatively guessed after returning to the Ravenclaw common room.

"No... I'll go see Ron tomorrow!"

After careful consideration, Harry rejected Hermione's idea.

The Chamber - Dobby - Lucius... After some thought, Harry realized that this series of information seemed to point to the fight between Lucius and Arthur!

Chapter 132 The logic behind case handling is difficult to understand.

If you think about it carefully, you'll realize that Dobby wanted to remind Harry of during the holidays was probably the Chamber.

Therefore, the reason the Chamber was opened must be related to Lucius.

However, after Harry calmed down, he felt that the Heir of Slytherin might be hiding in Slytherin House, but it might not necessarily be Malfoy.

Based on behavioral analysis, if Malfoy really did open the Chamber, he should at least have kept a low profile in front of Harry; there's no reason for him to immediately jump out and arouse suspicion.

Moreover, given the Malfoy family's doting nature, even if Lucius had some kind of conspiracy against Hogwarts, he would never let his son carry it out personally.

Therefore, assuming Malfoy was unaware of the Chamber, the most likely reason Lucius has had any contact with the school since the holidays is his fight with the Weasley family.

For Lucius Malfoy, who considers Pure-blood a source of pride and prides himself on being an aristocrat, personally confronting Arthur Weasley is like Lockhart handing out exam papers in class—purely an attempt to cover up his true intentions.

Lockhart was concealing his magical incompetence, while what Lucius was trying to conceal was a question for Ron.

The next day after class, Harry made an appointment with Ron beforehand, asking him to inquire with the Weasley family to see if anyone had discovered any clues.

He then found an empty classroom, intending to gather information with Ron there alone.

"Ron, you... why did you bring Ginny along?"

However, when Ron arrived, Harry frowned slightly, because Ron hadn't come alone; his sister, Ginny Weasley, was with him.

"Sorry, Harry," Ron said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Ginny knew I was coming to see you and insisted on coming along. I couldn't refuse, so I had to bring her with me."

Of course, what Ron didn't know was that Ginny insisted on coming along because she knew this was a rare opportunity for Harry and Ron to meet alone.

As a fellow Harry fan, Ginny didn't have the same gender advantage as Colin, who could run to Harry anytime for autographs and photos, or follow Harry around like a little shadow. So she could only watch from afar.

There was no way around it; Hermione's intimidating presence was simply too strong.

With her around, no female creature in the entire school, human or ghost, could possibly approach Harry with impure motives, Ginny was no exception.

"Never mind... Ron, how's the situation? Have any of your family members recalled anything unusual?"

Harry shook his head slightly, not paying too much attention to Ginny, and went straight to the point with Ron.

"Not at all." Ron shrugged helplessly. "Percy was standing far away, Fred and George were busy fighting Malfoy with me, and only Dad was fighting that nasty Lucius. None of us paid any attention."

"What about Ginny?" Harry asked, frowning. "Have you noticed anything unusual?"

"I... I was also..." Ginny stammered, caught off guard by Harry's question. Her heart began to race, and her face turned as red as her hair.

But while feeling shy, she was also suddenly overcome with deep worry.

Harry is now clearly suspicious of the entire Weasley family, and his suspicions are getting incredibly close to the truth, once he discovers it...

Ginny felt a chill run down her spine whenever she thought of the look in Harry's eyes when he stared at the entire Slytherin House yesterday.

"Harry, do I think your thinking is a bit off?" Just as Ginny was about to succumb to the pressure from Harry, Ron's voice suddenly rang out like heavenly music.

"I've also read that 'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, A History' book. Since the Chamber was built by that old madman Salazar Slytherin, his successor must also be a Slytherin. Even if you want to investigate, you should question the people in Slytherin House!"

"Ron, it's not that simple," Harry explained patiently. "I have concrete information that Lucius Malfoy is the mastermind behind opening the Chamber of Secrets, but I need to know how he indirectly opened Chamber. And your family had contact with him before the holidays, so it's possible he might have used you."

What Harry is doing right now is actually a process of identifying related individuals. Assuming Lucius is a pathogen, then everyone who had close contact with him during the holidays could be someone he was using!

Finding the target and the key tools used in the crime is a much faster way to identify the suspect, far more efficient than searching for an heir in a haystack.

Unfortunately, Ron seems unable to understand Harry's investigative logic.

"Harry, I find this really strange. Since you know Lucius is the culprit, why don't you go and ask Malfoy for clarification, instead of coming here to suspect us?"

"Ron, I'm not doubting your family, but I'm worried you're being used by him!" Harry explained urgently. "The Slytherin heir might be hiding in the school, but he might not be Malfoy. Asking him now would only alert him. And opening the Chamber of Secrets isn't just about the heir appearing; maybe there's a key, or even just an ordinary notebook..."

"Whoa!!"

Just as Harry and Ron's conversation was escalating into an argument, Ginny suddenly burst into tears without warning.

"Harry, you scared Ginny!" Ron stepped in front of Ginny, his face gradually turning angry. "Do you know how much she idolizes you? During the holidays, she kept pestering us to tell her about you, eagerly anticipating starting school and meeting you! And what do you do? You're right here, in front of her, doubting our whole family without any reason!"

"I... never mind." Harry opened his mouth, but ultimately gave up on explaining further.

"I think we can call it a day. Let's leave it at that for today." Having failed to reach a consensus, Ron was equally unhappy. He turned and left, tending to the tearful Ginny.

"Now that you're back, I'll go take care of my own things."

Penelope Clearwater, the Prefect of Ravenclaw, was an absolutely flawless beauty in everyone's eyes.