While all the students and staff were in the Great Hall for the graduation ceremony, Tris slipped off to the Chamber of Secrets again.
Doing this while Dumbledore was at Hogwarts Castle was a little risky, but he had no other choice. Besides, after observing him over the past year and watching his performance during the final battle to protect the Philosopher's Stone, Tris had come to a conclusion.
Although Dumbledore, as headmaster of Hogwarts, had a remarkably firm grasp of what happened within the school, he was not omniscient.
As long as Tris made his moves while Dumbledore was distracted by something else, he probably would not find out.
Tonight was the end-of-term feast, and Dumbledore would be in the Great Hall the whole time. Short of his leaving the school entirely, this was probably the safest opportunity.
Waiting for Dumbledore to leave Hogwarts was difficult. An opportunity like this was already rare enough.
With that theory in mind, Tris immediately put it into practice.
Unfortunately, there was nowhere at Hogwarts to practice Apparition.
The Chamber of Secrets felt far enough from Hogwarts Castle that it might even be outside the area where Apparition was restricted.
With that thought, Tris hurried through the pipes once more.
Although the basilisk had been dead for two days, some of its formidable predatory aura still lingered. The rats and cockroaches living in the stone tunnels and pipes had yet to come and enjoy the feast.
That kept Tris's losses to a minimum.
He quickly carried out the process he had rehearsed countless times in his head: skinning, deboning, draining the blood, and removing the meat. The Chamber of Secrets was hot and stuffy, and before long, Tris was drenched in sweat.
Even with the convenience of magical assistance, it took Tris a