The four of them tiptoed through the empty corridor and finally stopped at the door of the girls' restroom on the third floor.
As soon as the Scabbers door was pushed open, a damp and chilly mist rushed out, water dripped from the faucet, and a faint ghostly aura hung in the air.
Hearing the commotion, Moaning Myrtle floated down from above the sink. Her previously sullen face immediately lit up when she saw Draco and Hermione.
She drifted around,
"Oh, it's you two! Sneaking around on a late-night date? I knew there was something going on between you two!"
She circled around the two of them, her tone sarcastic:
"I saw you guys hiding here last time! Humph, you didn't even take me with you to see the show~"
Hermione's cheeks flushed, and she was about to explain when Moaning Myrtle's gaze shifted to Harry beside her.
She let out a joyful exclamation:
"Wow--New handsome guy! Are you the famous Harry Potter? You're so good-looking~ Why didn't you come to my bathroom sooner!"
She immediately floated to Harry's side and spun around, her attitude completely changing, and she completely forgot that she was just shipping them.
Harry blushed and could only awkwardly scratch his head after being praised so enthusiastically by Moaning Myrtle.
He wasn't used to being complimented on his looks so directly by a girl, especially a ghost, so he could only give a stiff smile and reply in a low voice:
"Uh... thank you."
"I just... happened to be passing by."
Upon hearing this, Moaning Myrtle immediately floated up and twirled, her semi-transparent skirt swaying as she did so.
With a smug look on her face, as if she'd finally caught a handsome guy, she cried out in a sweet, yet pitiful voice:
"Hmph! You must think my bathroom is too shabby and dirty, that's why you don't want to come!"
"That's what everyone says! Only Draco and Hermione sneak here—oh, I know, you're here to be a third wheel, aren't you!"
She glanced at Draco and Hermione with a wink, then snuggled back to Harry's side.
"But it's okay~ I'll forgive you because you're so good-looking! Remember to come and keep me company after you're done with your business~"
Hermione tried to suppress a laugh.
"Ignore her, she says that to everyone."
Harry, who had been at a loss, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Moaning Myrtle's gaze finally settled on Hagrid.
Moaning Myrtle froze for a second, then screamed and slid backward a great distance, nearly crashing into the ceiling.
"Aaaaaah! What is that?! Troll bigger than Giant! You, you stay away! My bathroom doesn't welcome scary big guys!"
Hagrid scratched his head innocently and awkwardly shrank back, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you..."
Draco coughed impatiently, interrupting Moaning Myrtle's fuss. "Quiet down, Moaning Myrtle. We're here to do serious business, not to chat with you."
Moaning Myrtle immediately pouted, looking aggrieved, but still obediently floated back to the corner, muttering softly:
"Why are you being so fierce... You're so gentle with your girlfriend, but so mean to others... You're such a jerk!"
Hermione's face flushed slightly once again.
Draco ignored her gossip and walked straight to the broken faucet in the middle, turning to look at Harry.
Draco pointed to the broken faucet and said casually, "This is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."
No one doubted it; even Hagrid nodded with a serious expression.
Harry stared at the faucet and asked nervously:
"Then... how do I open it?"
"How else can you open it? Just say 'Open Sesame'."
As soon as Draco finished speaking, Harry froze for a moment, almost blurting it out. He then coughed awkwardly, realizing his mistake. "You're joking at a time like this!"
" Draco! This is not the time to be fooling around!"
Hermione scolded.
"... Should I try first? I have a loud voice," Hagrid said earnestly; he believed him.
After hearing Hagrid's words, Moaning Myrtle, floating in mid-air, laughed so hard she almost fell over:
"Hahahaha! Open Sesame! Are you guys kidding me?! If Chamber of Secrets were that easy to open, they would have been opened fifty years ago!"
Draco looked intently at Harry.
"It should work, give it a try."
Harry stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the broken faucet engraved with tiny snake-like patterns.
He forced himself to calm down, the image of a snake appeared in his mind, and a cold, slippery hissing sound, completely unlike any human's, came from his throat.
"Open Sesame!" The deep, eerie Parseltongue echoed softly in the empty, damp washroom.
The next second! The faucet with the snake-shaped carving suddenly flashed with an eerie green light!
The metal surface quickly became cool and shiny, and the tiny carved snake seemed to come alive, slowly wriggling around on the faucet.
With a soft "click," the entire sink suddenly sank downwards!
The heavy stone seemed to be lifted up by an invisible force, slowly sliding to both sides to reveal a bottomless, dark pipe entrance underneath.
A cold, damp wind, carrying the stench of decaying earth and a fishy smell, suddenly surged up from the cave entrance, causing everyone's clothes to flutter.
The inner walls of the pipe were as smooth as a mirror, covered with dark green scales, winding downwards to a dark place not even recorded on the castle's blueprints!
The Chamber of Secrets!
The cave entrance slowly widened, and darkness spread outwards like a living thing, filling the air with an ancient and oppressive atmosphere.
Hagrid instinctively stepped forward, shielding everyone behind him, while Hermione gripped Draco's sleeve tightly.
"It's really open!" Moaning Myrtle was so frightened that she immediately floated to a higher place, not daring to approach any closer.
Draco took Hermione's hand and whispered to everyone, "Are you ready? Let's go down."
They all nodded solemnly.
Draco raised his wand and whispered:
" Lumos."
A bright white light shone from the tip of the staff, illuminating the deep, dark pipe ahead.
Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the smooth pipe wall and climbed inside.
Hermione and her two companions followed.
The pipeline was far more complex than it appeared, winding and twisting, sometimes plunging straight down, sometimes making bizarre turns.
The pipes were riddled with tracks left by the Basilisk over the years, forming a maze that resembled a giant serpent's lair beneath the castle.
Hermione followed behind, and couldn't help but whisper:
"No wonder the Basilisk can come and go as it pleases at Hogwarts... this place is practically tailor-made for it."
"Yes," Harry said angrily, "The people who built this Chamber of Secrets are absolutely despicable."
Suddenly, the tube beneath their feet gave way, Draco and Hermione plummeted downwards!
Draco reacted incredibly quickly, reaching out in the instant of weightlessness to firmly hold Hermione in his arms.
His back slammed hard against the rough stone surface first, cushioning the impact of the fall. The two of them landed on a slightly wider platform below with a dull thud.