After returning to the castle, Kael and the others walked through the crowded corridors, ready to attend the next Transfiguration Class.
In the past two days, during almost every class, someone was asking about the Chamber of Secrets.
But other professors were not as easy-going as Professor Sprout.
During Transfiguration Class, a Gryffindor raised their hand during Professor McGonagall's lecture, but as soon as they said "Chamber of Secrets," they were ruthlessly interrupted.
"Ten points from Gryffindor."
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and said, "Miss Bell, I hope you can pay more attention to your grades rather than such elusive legends.
If I remember correctly, you still haven't managed to turn a button into a beetle... Don't forget this was the content of our first lesson, and now Halloween has already passed.
If things keep going this way, you might not even be able to get a P (Pass) in your exams."
Gryffindor's Katie Bell was flushed with embarrassment and sat down with her head lowered.
With her as a cautionary tale, others naturally wouldn't trouble themselves.
Of course, this was just the Gryffindor students... Hufflepuffs were different.
They had just learned the truth from Professor Sprout and didn't need to ask Professor McGonagall.
Seeing their still clueless classmates, the little badgers felt an inexplicable sense of superiority.
The Gryffindor students are just so-so...
When the class ended, Kael was planning to head straight to the auditorium on the first floor for lunch... but just as he reached the first floor, he heard a series of rapid "popping" sounds from above.
He was very familiar with these sounds; they were the explosions of the props set in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Without hesitation, Kael turned and ran upstairs, pulling out his wand and suitcase as fast as he could.
"Is it the person holding the diary, or... the Basilisk!" Kael felt a rush of tension.
It was one thing if it was a person, but if it was the Basilisk... who knows if it still listened to him.
If it didn't... could the Norwegian Ridgeback Norbert handle it?
With this complex emotion, Kael sprinted all the way to the corridor where Moaning Myrtle's bathroom was located.
But when he arrived, he was suddenly stunned. Standing at the bathroom door were familiar faces.
"Harry, Hermione, Ron?" Kael instinctively asked, "Why are you here?"
The three seemed dumbfounded by the series of explosions, and only reacted when they heard Kael's voice.
Harry turned around and stammered, "We... were just passing by... yes, passing by!"
While he was speaking, Kael noticed Hermione holding a thick, moldy-looking book.
Seeing Kael's gaze, she immediately hid the book behind her... she appeared very guilty.
Even though she acted quickly, Kael still saw the words "Potion", and if he guessed right, it should be "Powerful Potion".
A high-level magic potion book, he had a handwritten copy in his suitcase identical to it.
Kael didn't mind, looking at their soot-blackened faces, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Glad it wasn't the Basilisk.
"Regardless of whether you're passing by or whatever else, I think you better run." Kael said, "We just finished Transfiguration Class; Professor McGonagall should not have gone far."
"Professor McGonagall?!"
The three acted like cats whose tails were stepped on, almost jumping up in fright.
"If she finds out we blew up the bathroom..."
"Ron, we didn't blow up the bathroom!" Hermione corrected, "We just opened a door and didn't even go inside."
"I know, but Professor McGonagall doesn't know that!"
"Don't say anymore, just run!"
With the lesson learned from last Halloween, the three didn't hesitate and took off running.
When they passed Kael, they didn't forget to thank him.
"Thanks for the reminder, Kael."
"We're leaving now!"
The three ran as fast as they could towards the Gryffindor Tower direction.
Just as they rounded the corner, a tabby cat on the opposite side gracefully jumped onto the railing, her amber eyes looking around, quickly spotting Kael and the messy bathroom.
The tabby cat then jumped down, transforming mid-air into Professor McGonagall's form.
"So it was here..."
She hurriedly arrived at the bathroom entrance, "My goodness, what happened here, is someone practicing the Blasting Curse?"
Kael also came closer.
To be honest, Professor McGonagall's description was a bit exaggerated.
In the bathroom, aside from the blackened walls, ceiling, and the corridor at the entrance, nothing else was damaged.
The "Explosive Textbook" was, after all, a joke prop from Zonko's, apart from the loud noise, its damage was almost zero.
Otherwise, Kael wouldn't dare set them around the school.
Professor McGonagall quickly noticed this too, but she was still quite angry.
"Professor McGonagall, I came over because I heard the noise." Kael promptly said.
Professor McGonagall glanced at him and nodded.
"Did you see anyone else when you came here?"
"Three people." Kael pointed in the direction of the stairs and said, "When I arrived, they had just run up the stairs."
"Who!" Professor McGonagall asked with pressed lips.
Kael pointed to the blackened wall, "Their faces were as sooty as this wall then, I couldn't make out their features."
Professor McGonagall looked at the bathroom wall, then at the scorched hallway entrance, those three clear human-shaped outlines, as if she figured something out, her previously serious face showed faint amusement.
"Zonko's stuff again..."
She didn't pursue Harry and the others, taking out her wand, restored the bathroom to its original condition, and subsequently dispersed the onlookers.
The chaos just now had attracted a lot of curious students who feared someone had been attacked just like Filch.
During this, Moaning Myrtle was so quiet she might as well have been nonexistent, until after Professor McGonagall left did she cautiously stick out her transparent head.
"Those three annoying people were chased off... I didn't expect what you put there to really work."
"What did you think it was?" Kael, who had returned halfway, quietly replied looking at Moaning Myrtle.
"Your unwanted old books..." Moaning Myrtle said, "Will you put new ones again?"
"Of course."
During his last visit to Hogsmeade, Kael bought quite a few things from Zonko's, among them were "Explosive Textbooks".
Even if there were only two books, judging from the earlier commotion, they were enough.
...
When Kael returned to the auditorium, lunch had already started, Professor McGonagall sat at the head table, discussing something with Professor Flitwick.
Harry and the others came in even later, entering with heads bowed halfway through lunch.
They all changed clothes, tidying their tousled and messy hair as they walked.
At the head table, Professor McGonagall looked at them thoughtfully.
...
"Tomorrow's the Quidditch match."
Beside him, Harris was speaking with Cedric, "Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, we can just see the power of those brooms and their new Seeker."
Harris was referring to Draco Malfoy, the only newcomer.
Cedric nodded, "I'll be watching."
"Hopefully he got into the team because of those brooms, not because he's a genius like Potter," Harris said somewhat hopefully.
Seven brand new Nimbus 2001s would've been bad enough; if there's an outstanding Seeker too... the other three teams wouldn't stand a chance.
...