Today was Sunday.
A rare beautiful day. Almost all Hogwarts students were outside the castle, enjoying their leisurely rest day.
By the Black Lake, cheers and applause rose and fell. Slytherin's intense, frenzied rugby match drew young wizards to stop and watch.
Professor Flitwick sat happily on the high platform, serving as rugby referee. Slytherin students were quite taken with his new sword-wand combat techniques, so he also approved of rugby as a game that trained courage and physique.
Harry pulled his gaze back from the window, warily surveyed the corridor, then quickly walked toward the girls' bathroom.
Seeing someone suddenly approach, Ron, who was keeping watch at the corner, nearly cried out. But he immediately recognized the newcomer as Harry.
The second-floor girls' bathroom rarely had visitors anyway. The pungent, unpleasant smell completely masked the potion's bitter taste.
Ron led Harry into the girls' bathroom.
In the narrow stall, Hermione was concentrating on brewing Polyjuice Potion. Leeches floating on the water's surface were stirred back into the bottom by her. The potion in the cauldron gradually changed color.
As for the precious potion ingredients Harry and Ron had stolen from Snape's office, she'd hidden them all in the toilet tank.
"Hermione, is it going smoothly?"
Harry's voice suddenly rang out, startling the focused Hermione. She reflexively threw the pink butterfly knife in her hand.
"Harry?!"
A muffled groan arose. Seeing the two pale-faced behind her, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
Ron clutched his shoulder, collapsing limply to the ground. To avoid attracting attention, he bit his teeth tightly, swallowing back his cry of pain.
"Oh my god! This is too dangerous, Ron!"
Hermione hurriedly pulled the butterfly knife from Ron's shoulder, then rummaged through her pocket for a bottle of dittany, frantically pouring it on the continuously bleeding wound.
"Yeah, you're too dangerous..." Ron glared, his face wrinkled in pain.
As wisps of smoke rose, the wound under his robes healed at a visible rate. The sour, itchy, stinging sensation spread. Fine beads of sweat quickly appeared on Ron's forehead.
"Sorry, it's my fault. I won't do this again next time..."
Hermione drew her wand, somewhat embarrassedly using her robes to wipe the sweat from Ron's forehead.
"Scourgify!"
Light flashed from her wand tip. The bloodstains on the robes instantly disappeared. Then Hermione skillfully added a silent Reparo. The knife cut in the robes was completely mended.
Now, except for Ron's slightly pale complexion, no trace of injury remained.
"Hermione..." Harry's face was full of mixed feelings.
In his view, Hermione's spells were too targeted—all functional spells for cleaning up after Shelby's work. Some spells Hermione had even practiced to nonverbal casting.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Hermione comfortingly patted Ron's shoulder, helped him up, then looked at Harry.
"How's your hand? Lockhart's spell was terrible. I'm trying to replicate that spell for handling corp—"
"Hermione!" Harry quickly interrupted her.
He really didn't understand how Hermione could say such terrifying things in such a calm tone.
Also, he was certain Lockhart's purpose in casting the spell was completely different from Hermione's. Who was actually scary here?
"I have something to say! The Bludger going rogue wasn't an accident. That house-elf called Dobby appeared in the hospital wing. It was deliberate. It wants me to leave Hogwarts. It says Hogwarts is dangerous..."
Hearing Harry talk about last night's events, Hermione looked stunned, her attention instantly shifting to him.
"Merlin's triangular underwear..." Ron rubbed his shoulder, muttering with a slightly pained expression. "Is anyone more dangerous than her?"
Regarding the "danger" house-elf Dobby mentioned to Harry, Hermione didn't have a clear concept.
Because she already knew danger lurked within the castle, nearly claiming an innocent cat's life.
But that was all. This wasn't enough to make her heartstrings tighten.
Until the next morning, when terrified screams echoed through the castle. Colin Creevey had been attacked.
Several Hufflepuff students found him. The camera he'd been holding was still smoking white when they brought him to the hospital wing.
The film circuits inside the camera were completely destroyed, as if scorched by fierce fire...
"Oh, damn! I need to speed up!"
Learning this news, Hermione ran from the library, leaving Harry and Ron behind, working through the night on the Polyjuice Potion.
Rumors spread through Hogwarts again.
Including Harry and Ron, many students snuck to the hospital wing under cover of night to check on Colin Creevey's condition.
Without exception, everyone who returned was terrified.
"I guarantee it! This isn't an ordinary Petrification Curse!"
Percy Weasley looked seriously at his siblings, his stern gaze overflowing with warning, especially when looking at the Weasley twins.
The Weasley twins had never seen Percy look at them with such a terrifying expression. They rarely became serious.
As a prefect, Percy Weasley violated school rules for the first time in his life, all for his siblings' safety.
Ginny Weasley seemed somewhat lost, her face bloodless. However, her brothers all thought she was frightened, so Percy didn't say much, just gave her a comforting look.
The next evening at dinner, the professors not only suspended Quidditch matches but also called off the survival competition between lions and snakes. Dissatisfied murmurs immediately arose from the Slytherin table.
Unlike other houses, most Slytherin students were purebloods with some half-bloods. The Chamber of Secrets rumors didn't target them, so they felt no great panic.
Besides, their strangling plan was reaching its conclusion. Gryffindor now had only Percy Weasley and half the seventh-years still resisting.
Until Tiger tapped the table. Only then did everyone quiet down.
This wasn't just protecting other students—it was also protecting Slytherin. Others didn't know, but Tiger was clear: what was in the walls was a snake.
He'd never heard of wild beasts checking bloodlines before killing. At most, they'd taste for saltiness.
Tiger had planned to find Dumbledore tonight to discuss tearing down walls to find the snake.
After all, Hogwarts had self-repair abilities. Tearing down corridor walls from the first to eighth floors shouldn't be a problem.
Probably... maybe...
Who knew Dumbledore wasn't in his office. The moment Venom smashed through the stone wall and burst in, Fawkes immediately became a ball of flame and disappeared from his perch.
The current Venom was completely different from before. Without even approaching, Fawkes felt complete life suppression. How dare he stay in the room?
Of course, Tiger didn't dare linger either.
In the desk drawer, the Philosopher's Stone's attraction was deadly poison to him.
If he and Venom lost control, forget the snake in the walls—nothing living would remain in all of Hogwarts.
The feeling of having delicious food but being unable to eat wasn't pleasant. Tiger cursed as he walked back to the common room.
Until the panther gracefully walked toward him...
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