Halloween banquet... Skeleton Dance Troupe?
Goodness, did this just take him back a few months?
Though it seemed bizarre, Kael naturally accepted the fact without any significant change in his expression.
He's even met people from a thousand years ago... Going back a few months is no big deal.
After bidding farewell to those two second-year Ravenclaw students, Kael walked to a hallway on the right… this was the place where the first attack occurred.
The students were all in the auditorium, and the hallway was deserted.
Kael sat in a classroom, waiting while thoughtfully gazing at the diary in his hand.
Now he finally understood why this thing vanished without a trace initially.
He wasted so much time investigating the diary, only to find out it was right in his own hands all along.
Kael sighed deeply, Gryffindor was right, time should never be tampered with, it's truly tormenting.
However, he's somewhat curious, now that the diary is here, how the first attack would happen...
Time slowly passed by, Kael hadn't heard any cheers from the auditorium for quite some time.
This indicated the Skeleton Dance Troupe had left, the students had started eating, and soon the banquet would likely end.
Kael sat in the room, feeling somewhat anxious.
Just then, a thought crossed his mind... Could it be that he himself was responsible for the first attack?
With the diary in his hand, it meant at this time, he was the only one who could control the basilisk.
"Could I really be the heir to the Chamber of Secret..." Kael felt a bit conflicted.
But just as he hesitated on whether to go to the Chamber of Secret, Filch's voice suddenly came from outside the hallway.
"... I'm sick of it, balloons thrown everywhere, turtles drawn on the portraits, as if my workload isn't enough!"
Here he comes...
Kael quickly walked out of the room, using the Disillusionment Charm to hide by the stair railing.
Not far away, Filch grumbled as he walked from the other side of the hallway, bending down to mop up the water stains on the ground.
"Damn Peeves... No, I'm going to find Dumbledore..."
Filch was getting closer, and in the original timeline, he was attacked on the third floor.
Kael wasn't sure if he was the heir who attacked Filch... If he was, what should he do?
Should he go to the Chamber of Secret to summon the basilisk?
But now Filch was here, ready to leave at any moment for another floor, even if he wanted to go to the Chamber, he wouldn't have time...
"Bang!"
Just as Filch reached less than two meters from Kael, the door of the adjacent washroom was suddenly slammed open from inside.
A huge head popped out, followed by a long body...
"No lighting fireworks in the castle..."
Hearing the commotion, Filch instinctively wanted to look up, "This time I'll definitely lock you —"
"Close your eyes!" Kael shouted loudly.
The basilisk obediently closed its eyes.
But it was unnecessary now.
When the basilisk came out, it brought out a large amount of water from the washroom.
In the instant Filch looked up, he saw the yellow shimmering eyes reflected on the water's surface.
"Thunk..."
"Thud..."
The mop fell to the ground, along with a small bucket, spilling red paint everywhere.
Filch's voice abruptly ceased, he stayed bending over, motionless, just like Kael had seen him last time.
After Filch was petrified, it seemed to have triggered some critical switch, the gears began to slowly turn.
"... Crybaby... Covered in acne..."
An't far away, Peeves' excited shouting was heard.
Kael had no time to think, he immediately ordered the basilisk to return to the Chamber, then quickly grabbed the mop stained with red paint and wrote a few sentences on the wall.
The Chamber has been opened,
Enemies beware.
Kael then threw the mop down and was about to run away.
Meanwhile, Peeves was already chasing Moaning Myrtle up to the third floor.
It only took a turn and the three collided in one go.
Moaning Myrtle, covering her face, flew past without seeing Kael, but Peeves stopped.
Peeves looked at the motionless Filch nearby, and the writing on the wall, excitedly saying, "It was you, Kael brat, what naughty plan are you up to now."
"Um... It's a big plan..." Kael asked bravely, "But could you keep it a secret for me, Peeves?"
"I won't keep secrets for Kael brat..." Peeves grinned, "I'll report this all to Professor Snape, and watch you get detention!"
"Five big bags of balloons!"
Finally calming down, Kael didn't waste words, he extended his hand directly, "Plus a box of Dungbombs, a set of Wolf Fang Flying Discs..."
"Oh, I like your big plan!"
Peeves laughed even more merrily, "Alright, alright... Today I saw nothing."
"So, deal?" Kael smiled.
"Deal!" Peeves turned his eyes, flying around his side, "But I'm short one weapon, I'll just take this for now."
Kael suddenly felt his hand lighten, the diary he'd always held was snatched away.
Peeves took the diary without giving Kael a chance to speak, and flew away laughing.
And to make things worse, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were chasing after Moaning Myrtle, and Mrs Norris just appeared on the stairs.
Kael cursed silently, as someone outside of time, he absolutely couldn't get caught by Mrs Norris here like Harry once did.
Having no other choice, he gave up chasing Peeves and ran into the nearby washroom.
Moaning Myrtle had returned, sitting on the top of the sink, sobbing relentlessly.
Kael didn't disturb her, glanced at the closed Chamber, then quickly arranged the messy "Explosive Textbooks" on the floor according to his remembered locations.
"I" would come by to check soon, he had to restore things now.
While doing these things, Kael felt utterly absurd.
What is this... months spent searching for clues, and it turns out the enemy was me all along!
Honestly, even in the Magic Realm, this experience would be considered quite explosive, yet he encountered it...
Outside, the young wizards' discussions started to drift in.
After ensuring there was nothing wrong, Kai looked at the "Explosive Textbooks" he'd set again before exiting the washroom, and re-clipped the feather he'd removed earlier back in the door gap.