It was exactly the same as what he had deduced behind the Headmaster's Office.
Something's not right with this Chamber of Secrets.
"As expected." Draco's calm tone silenced everyone around him. "It wasn't written by someone, it's not ordinary Dark Magic."
Harry frowned. "What do you mean? Is the castle really haunted?"
"Much more troublesome than a ghost story," Draco said.
"A similar Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago; that time, someone pulled the strings behind the scenes."
"But this time... the words in blood formed automatically, blood seeped from the cracks in the stone, the Basilisk moved Dumbledore's nose, and the traces were so clean that it didn't seem like a crime committed by a living person."
He scanned everyone's tense faces:
There are only two possibilities.
"Or perhaps the Chamber of Secrets wasn't manipulated at all, but rather some ancient curse that was triggered and is operating on its own."
"Or, someone used special methods we don't know about to hide themselves completely, even using the castle as a cover."
"Actually, I think the former is more likely. After all, no one has the ability to use the entire castle to make the words in blood appear on their own," Hermione said.
"That's what I think too." Draco nodded slightly, agreeing with her assessment.
Olivia frowned and whispered:
"Isn't that even harder to investigate than it was fifty years ago?"
"Much more difficult to investigate." Draco nodded.
"This Chamber of Secrets of Secrets is more concealed, more eerie, and more elusive than the one fifty years ago. The perpetrator doesn't even need to show their face to plunge the entire Hogwarts into panic."
Hermione cautioned, "So we can't panic. The more chaotic things get, the more smug they'll become."
Ron scratched his head, but couldn't help asking:
"So what should we do now? We can't just sit here and wait, can we? Harry's already being secretly pointed at by so many people..."
Draco looked at Harry and said seriously, " Harry's inner strength is stronger than you think."
Harry was taken aback by what he said, and a hint of stubbornness slowly appeared in his originally gloomy eyes.
"I'm fine. I won't be defeated by a few words."
Draco nodded and then gave the instructions:
" Olivia, Ron, you two stay with Harry for the next few days. No need for excessive protection, just keep an eye on him to prevent him from acting impulsively or going off alone."
"Understood." Olivia and Ron nodded simultaneously.
"The others can also go to the library to look up information if they have time. It would be great if they could find clues, but it's okay if they can't. But remember—don't worry about finding anything useful, your safety is the most important thing, and no one should act alone."
Everyone responded enthusiastically.
late at night.
Once everyone in the dormitory was asleep, Draco used Two-Way Mirror to notify Hermione, and the two quietly slipped out into the hallway.
Draco cast Disillusionment Charm on himself, and his figure immediately blended into the shadows, causing Hermione to pause slightly in surprise.
Then Draco shielded him in the shadows.
The Restricted Section was filled with the musty smell of ancient books, their pages yellowed, and incantations floating around them. Every single one of them carried a restless magic that could easily alarm Filch.
But Draco didn't need to touch the book at all.
A glint flashed in his eyes, and the data entry system started operating automatically. His gaze swept across the book, and countless pages of content were instantly analyzed, organized, and entered at an astonishing speed.
From the end of the corridor came the creaking of Filch's footsteps and the clinking of his keychain.
The light shone dangerously through the crack in the door.
Almost instinctively, Draco grabbed Hermione's wrist and yanked her into the deepest shadows of the bookshelf.
Before she could react, he turned to shield her in front of him, his arm half-encircling her, completely blocking her between himself and the wall.
The two were pressed tightly together, Hermione's forehead against his chest, and she could clearly feel his steady heartbeat.
Her heart skipped a beat without warning, racing uncontrollably, and a faint blush instantly spread across her face.
Granger, what time is it? You're still thinking about such trivial things!
Hermione mentally berated herself, forcing herself to suppress all her panicked and chaotic thoughts.
Although the two were not afraid of Filch, it was not advisable to joke with him now to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
Hermione tensed up, not daring to move, only listening intently to the sounds outside, her cheeks still burning slightly uncontrollably, unsure where to look.
Filch's lantern light swept across the doorway, and the footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Hermione then quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Hermione then pushed Draco away. "You... could you at least tell me beforehand next time?"
Draco's lips curled into a smile, and the two resumed their reading.
Most of the ancient books in the Restricted Section were imbued with restless magic. Hermione had just brushed her hand over a book with a blackened cover when the pages suddenly began to turn on their own.
The ink-black incantations floated up and down in the air, emitting a faint yet piercing buzzing sound.
The commotion further alarmed Filch, who was already in a terrible mood. "Damn brat! Who's causing trouble in there now!"
Filch's furious roar erupted outside the door, his keychain clanging wildly as he approached with furious strides.
He was already filled with pent-up frustration because of Mrs. Norris's petrification, and now even the slightest disturbance was enough to make him fly into a rage.
Without a moment's hesitation, Draco reached out again, this time with even greater force, pulling Hermione into his arms.
He pulled Hermione heavily against the narrowest, most secluded corner inside the bookshelf, covering her completely in his shadow.
His chest pressed tightly against her back, one hand rested on the bookshelf beside her, and the other gently covered her mouth to prevent her from making any sound.
Hermione froze in Draco's arms, staring blankly into Draco eyes, able to clearly feel the rise and fall of his chest.
He placed one hand on the bookshelf and gently covered her mouth with the other, his warm fingertips tracing the edge of her cheek.
This pose... is so embarrassing.
Her mind went completely blank for a moment, her reason screaming frantically: We're hiding from Filch! We're in the Chamber of Secrets!
But her body betrayed her; her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode, and her ears were burning hot.
She didn't even dare to move, afraid that the slightest movement would make the already awkward close proximity even more embarrassing.
She actually had time to care about this kind of thing at a time like this!
Hermione cursed herself inwardly, but she couldn't suppress the uncontrollable panic in her heart.
But then my heart started pounding uncontrollably again!
Filch pushed open the door to the Restricted Section, carrying an oil lamp and carefully searching inch by inch. The dim light swept between the bookshelves, almost illuminating the corner where they were hiding several times.
To avoid the light, Draco leaned down slightly and held her even tighter in his arms.
They were so close that their breaths mingled, their foreheads touched, and she could even see the focused look in his eyes.
Filch searched for a long time without finding anything, and in a fit of anger, he kicked the bookshelf hard and cursed:
"You bastards! Kids! You better not let me catch you! Otherwise, I'll hang you up and beat you to a pulp!"
After he finished cursing, he slammed the door shut in anger, and his footsteps, filled with rage, gradually faded into the distance.
Only when he was completely safe did Draco slowly release his grip and take a small step back.