Lockhart Has a Treasure Trove / The Young Voldemort Is Outmaneuvered

Upon hearing this, Peeves was overjoyed and immediately took flight.

It was originally a poltergeist born from the stress and emotions of the students; causing trouble and being mischievous was its instinct. It only suppressed its true nature because it obeyed Harry's discipline.

Now that he heard that he was actually ordered to cause trouble, Peeves naturally went all out and released all the bad ideas he had been holding back for more than a year.

Then, a series of loud crackling explosions filled the corridor from where Harry was all the way to the Eagle House's Tower, instantly creating a deluge of debris.

Harry quickened his pace, following Peeves' trail of destruction.

Harry was right; Lockhart was indeed up to no good.

His scheme was to gain access to Ravenclaw's common room with Professor Flitwick's help!

However, he completely miscalculated this time. If he had been accompanied by a Pure-blood parent, Harry might have had some reservations. But now, with Professor Flitwick by his side, it was a two-on-one situation between the teacher and student.

"I saw it!"

In a corridor very close to the Eagle House's common room, Harry finally caught up with Professor Flitwick and Lockhart, who were being annoyed by Peeves!

So he started running quickly, making no attempt to hide his footsteps!

"Harry?"

Upon hearing the voice behind him, Professor Flitwick lit up with delight, while Lockhart was utterly panicked!

"Expelliarmus!" Just as Lockhart was about to point his wand at Harry used the power of the Thunderbird Feather in his Ginkgo Wand to raise his hand first and easily knock Lockhart's wand away!

Immediately afterward, Harry leaped up and punched Lockhart squarely in the cheek, knocking him to the ground and breaking half of his molar!

"Harry, what's wrong with you...?"

"Professor, I don't have time to explain much, but I have solid evidence that Lockhart is one of the culprits!" Harry pleaded urgently with Professor Flitwick. "Please go to the common room and find Hermione immediately, and have her come here to find me!"

"This... Petrificus Totalus!"

In response to Harry's explanation, Professor Flitwick cast a Full Body-Bind Curse, instantly neutralizing Lockhart's ability to resist.

"Professor?" Harry was stunned by Professor Flitwick's actions; he hadn't expected the old professor to trust him so much.

"I unconditionally approve of my best students, and both Granger are no exception." Professor Flitwick's eyes were full of affection, but when he looked at Lockhart, his expression turned extremely disappointed. "This guy came to me probably wanting me to take him into the common room. It seems he really didn't learn anything good outside. Despite being Ravenclaw, he can't even get into the house's common room!"

Professor Flitwick now has a great deal of disdain for Lockhart, the former Ravenclaw.

Although the problem with the Bronze Door Knocker had become somewhat tricky, it was still possible to get in if one was willing to do some research and make a reasonable argument. However, Lockhart, an alumnus of Eagle House, just couldn't get in no matter what.

Therefore, what's truly useful is knowledge and science, definitely not some clever trick.

Chapter 170 Lockhart possesses a treasure trove.

After the petrification was lifted, the Locomotor Wibbly, the Relashio, and the fingers were removed...

After successfully rendering Lockhart unable to dance, Harry gave him the long-awaited Veritaserum.

Normally, only three drops of Veritaserum are needed, but Harry, to ensure its effectiveness, gave him half a bottle.

After taking the medicine, Lockhart's expression, which had been struggling intensely, quickly became calm, and his previously sinister gaze gradually began to unfocus.

"Can you hear me?" Harry asked softly.

"I can hear you," Lockhart replied cooperatively.

"Tell me the password to get through the Chamber of Secrets barrier," Harry pressed immediately. "What exactly is this so-called lifelong wish?"

"As great as I am, my lifelong wish is to be an omnipotent and eternal self."

Lockhart spoke the password to enter the barrier in a tone devoid of emotion and equally devoid of shame.

"Holy crap... just how narcissistic is this?" Harry's lips twitched in exasperation. Why were all the enemies he had to deal with either psychopaths or narcissists?

And then there's that inexplicable obsession with the women's Girls' Bathroom...

"Harry, we're here!"

"Hermione... and Luna Lovegood?" Hearing the girl's call, Harry turned around and saw two people jogging towards him.

"It's a long story, but in short, Luna Lovegood will be fine with us." Hermione quickly assured Harry, worried that he wouldn't want to bring Luna Lovegood along.

"Strange, you're actually speaking up for Luna Lovegood ... But whatever, let's go together." Harry shook his head indifferently. "You two take the trunk and head to Myrtle's bathroom on the third floor. While we have some time on the way, I need to continue interrogating him inside the trunk."

Having painstakingly prepared the medicine for a month, Harry certainly couldn't just leave it at that with just one question. He asked as many questions as he could, such as how Lockhart colluded with the Heir of Slytherin, how he plagiarized others' work, and where his private treasury was located.

Furthermore, Harry had already prepared a thick stack of letters, and Harry would use a Recording Charm to record every word Lockhart gave him.

"Ginny Weasley brought that diary to school, but after you tracked her down, she immediately threw it away. I found it by chance..."

"I didn't banish the Wagga Wagga Werewolf; it was an old Armenia wizard who cast a very complex Human Restoration Spell..."

"All my valuables are packed in a suitcase in my office, including a key to Gringotts. The vault number is..."

Inside the suitcase, Harry nodded with satisfaction as he asked questions. In his eyes, Lockhart was simply a generous and incredibly adorable storyboard boss!

He's no fool, he's a veritable treasure trove!

Putting everything else aside, the Human Restoration Spell alone opened a door to a new era for Harry.

Although Lockhart added many far-fetched and unfounded details to the book, the old Armenia wizard's spell is absolutely real. Lockhart may not have been able to record it completely, but it is still of great research value!

This ignorant fool could never have imagined that a spell that could perfectly restore Werewolf to human form had a significance far beyond the simple royalties of a book!

In short, Lockhart was practically a mobile ATM without a password for Harry.

"Harry, we're here!"

"Knew."

The suitcase was reopened, and Hermione's voice drifted in. Harry responded, then used a spell to knock Lockhart unconscious again, before summoning a Swooping Evil and spraying venom in his face.

Veritaserum is a drug whose use is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic, so both Snape's previous feigned threat and Harry's current behavior are clearly illegal.

But Lockhart was not the mastermind, and therefore did not deserve to die. In this case, erasing his memory was the best option.

However, let's make it clear beforehand that Harry is only acting from a legal standpoint and won't kill him intentionally. But if they actually confront the Basilisk later and he gets caught in the crossfire, it won't have anything to do with Harry's Galleon.

"Open the door."

Harry summoned the entrance to the Chamber in Parseltongue, then, suppressing a urge to complain, recited the password Lockhart had provided. Looking at the dark opening before him, Harry tossed Lockhart down into it.

"Good idea!"

"Poor professor~"

Although Luna Lovegood and Hermione had different opinions on Harry's actions, they both expressed their approval.

Who knows if the Basilisk is lurking below? Sending a sacrificial lamb to scout ahead is definitely the right thing to do.

"Let's go, let's ride the Occamy down."

After waiting a while and finding no unusual activity, Harry summoned an Occamy from the box. Once it enlarged, he and the two girls rode on it together.

Not only can the Occamy fly, but it can also freely shrink and enlarge its body, making it the perfect choice for drilling pipes.

The downward-facing pipe was pitch black. Harry used his wand to light the way forward. The surrounding pipe walls were covered with a sticky, unknown liquid. The double assault on the senses of sight and smell made even the usually carefree Luna Lovegood feel nauseous.

Finally, carried by the Occamy, they flew out of the pipe and arrived at a dark stone tunnel.

Lockhart was there too, sprawled on the ground, covered in mud, but still unconscious due to the spell.

After confirming their direction, the three of them, carrying the unconscious straw bag, began to move through the tunnel. The entire tunnel was as quiet as death, with only the occasional crackling sound coming from under their feet.

That was the sound of them stepping on animal bones. The sound, combined with the dark environment, was particularly eerie, causing Hermione and Luna Lovegood to unconsciously move closer to Harry.

"Is that...snake skin?" Luna Lovegood's eyes were even sharper in the darkness. Before Harry could even move his wand, she had already spotted a huge creature coiled up on one side of the tunnel.

It was a shed snakeskin, over six meters long, with a bright green exterior but a hollow interior, and its shape was remarkably intact.

"This is one of the gains." Harry cast a Shrinking Charm on the snakeskin and then tossed it into his Space Ring.

Whether it's useful or not is another matter, but the scavenging step is essential.

After removing the snakeskin covering, the three continued forward. After turning countless corners in the tunnel, they finally saw a thick stone wall at the end of the tunnel.

Two intertwined snakes are carved on the stone wall, their eyes gleaming with a bright green light, looking just like real snakes.

"I'm taking Norberta, Zouwu, and the Occamy with me. You two take the Invisibility Cloak and hide in the chest." Harry solemnly instructed them in front of the stone wall. "If Ginny Weasley is really inside, then while I'm engaged with the Basilisk and the Heir of Slytherin, you two work together to rescue her!"

"Okay!" Hermione agreed earnestly. She had already been through life and death with Harry last year, so she naturally knew that the more urgent the situation, the more she should follow Harry's arrangements.

"Okay." As for Luna Lovegood, with her intelligence, she naturally wouldn't cause Harry any trouble at this time.

"Let's go then...open!" After getting ready, Harry picked up the suitcase and spoke in Parseltongue again to the stone wall in front of him.

The two snakes parted, and the stone wall split open in the middle. Harry, using his wand for light, resolutely stepped into the Chamber ahead.

Chapter 171 The Young Voldemort Was Tricked

Chamber of Secrets is a long, empty room that is not only poorly lit but also dark and damp, making it a haven for snakes, insects, and rodents.

Inside the Chamber Secrets stood many stone pillars carved with giant snakes, supporting the ceiling hidden high up. The snake eyes on the pillars stared at Harry, seemingly trying to put immense pressure on him.

However, Harry paid no attention to this and simply walked towards the deepest part of the Chamber on his own.

If it were someone else's Chamber, Harry might have to worry about some kind of trap or mechanism that could ambush him, but the owner of this Chamber was Salazar Slytherin.

A Pure-blood Wizard utterly rejects ordinary people would absolutely use magic to set up any traps or mechanisms.

With Harry's ability to hear Voice of Magic, he could hear them clearly even from five meters away. Moreover, he had drunk Felix Felicis before setting off, so he wasn't worried about making any mistakes.

So he strode confidently to the end of the Chamber and saw a huge human-shaped statue that was almost as tall as the room itself.

An aged, monkey-like face, a sparse, long beard, and a robe that trails all the way to the ankles... without a doubt, this is a statue of Slytherin himself.

Beneath the statue's two Padfoot, Harry saw a red-haired girl lying face down.

"Ginny Weasley... good, still alive."

Harry turned Ginny over and 'checked' her nose and lips, concluding that Ginny was probably still alive... Of course, this assessment was extremely unscientific.

Judging from her expression, which didn't seem to be in pain, and her noticeably neat robe, she probably hadn't suffered any physical injury or assault... well, that's just a professional habit~

After confirming that Ginny was alright, Harry casually put down the suitcase and patted it lightly twice.

"You don't seem to care much about her, Harry Potter..."

After that, Harry heard a strange, boyish voice, so he threw a brick.

The bricks shattered into fragments upon hitting the wall of the Chamber, interrupting the stranger's words in the same way.

"You must be Tom Riddle?" Harry turned to look at the person leaning against the pillar. "The Heir of Slytherin, the real culprit who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago. So... you can switch freely between physical and spiritual forms."

The brick Harry just threw pierced right through Tom's body, yet the guy was clearly holding an old diary, which suggests that he's similar to Peeves, seemingly immune to most types of damage.

"Great deduction, Lockhart told you, didn't he?" Tom glanced at Lockhart, whom Harry had tossed aside, a hint of undisguised disdain on his face. "That useless piece of trash, actually leaked my secret while being controlled!"

"I gave him Veritaserum," Harry said calmly. "So you don't need to keep arguing, because I've seen right through your tricks... By the way, I brewed that Veritaserum myself."

"Veritaserum... brew it yourself?" Tom's lips twitched involuntarily.

He was utterly disgusted. His greatest enemy was shamelessly flaunting his talent in front of him, while the two he was controlling were utterly useless, completely crushed by Harry!

"Ha, I really didn't expect that. You actually used Veritaserum." A hint of anger flashed across Tom's brow. "These Hogwarts teachers, how could they be so lenient with you?!"

"Yes, I'm the group's darling!" Harry said with a smug smile. "The Headmaster reserved potions and equipment for me, Professor McGonagall gave me the password to the Headmaster's Office, Professor Flitwick helped me subdue Lockhart, Professor Sprout gave me the key to the Mandrake greenhouse, and Severus Snape ... provided me with the detailed recipe and all the necessary ingredients for making Veritaserum."

"You're saying Snape is really helping you?!"

Upon hearing Harry's words, especially the nickname he used for Snape that was clearly different from others, Tom's face immediately turned extremely gloomy.

Having gained his memories of the 'future,' Tom, while still somewhat reserved towards Snape, generally trusted him.

The reason for devising the plan to ambush Snape was merely to stop the brewing of the Mandrake Restorative Draught, not to have the Basilisk stare him to death.

But for Tom, it was absurd that Snape would fight the Basilisk to the point of being Basilisk in the corridor for the sake of a lowly Mudblood!

Harry Potter just said that Snape was behind him brewing the Veritaserum?

What does this mean...?

This shows that Severus Snape, that Half-blood- breed, has completely sided with his enemy and wants Harry Potter to inherit his Potions mantle!!

"However... even though I learned the whole story from Lockhart, there's still one thing I'm curious about." Just as Tom was burning with anger at being betrayed, Harry suddenly changed the subject, "How exactly did you control Ginny Weasley and Gilderoy Lockhart?"