Hmm, I'll have Ginny get me a scarf later, thought the Niffler as it clenched its little paws.
...
...
The old place, huh…
Following Green Pepper's directions, William made his way down Slytherin's large stomach and, after a two-and-a-half-minute trek, they found a very hidden small door. Pushing it open, William stepped into a study that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
He had been here before, a long time ago.
Only, he hadn't used this door the last time… Ah, he remembered the condition for entering from another door was that someone in the group had to cast the Crucio on another. It was then he learned this unforgivable curse... It wasn't a pleasant experience at the time; Sebastian had held back a little...
Yes, he chose to endure the Crucio himself back then.
It wasn't because he couldn't bring himself to hurt a friend, nor was it some noble aura—all those reasons were hogwash. He was simply curious, wanting to taste this legendary Unforgivable Curse out of a slight masochistic tendency.
The pain was sharp, and it took him two and a half days to recover. During his exploration here, he quickly skimmed through and later completely forgot about this secret chamber.
Honestly, even if he remembered, it wouldn't have helped; the two young "snakes" with him, one was just interested in seeing Slytherin's Charm Book, while the other, a member of the Gaunt Clan, was vehemently opposed to Dark Arts. From the moment they entered, they argued non-stop...
Moreover, he didn't know about this path at the time. If he wanted to come back, he'd have to find someone else and have a mutual "Crucio" session at the door… Tsk, that's just too crazy.
But as he looked at the familiar place, William's wand illuminated, and he turned to Kabuda.
"Squeak!"
Kabuda saluted, then jumped to the floor, its form growing slightly larger, and started climbing up and down, stuffing nearby books into its stomach, even throwing in the cabinets—like a robber looting a village.
Taking an apple from his sleeve, William ate as he wandered around. He sat on Slytherin's high-backed leather chair—the dust long cleared with a Scouring Charm—and opened the drawer beside him. Seeing the pile of envelopes inside, he was taken aback.
Then, without any mental burden, he tore open the first one.
"Dear Gryffindor: …"
Oh?
Seeing the first sentence, William thought he might uncover some ancient gossip from a thousand years ago, but it turned out to be just a normal greeting. Thinking he'd been too influenced by the Bluebird, beginning to see something romantic in ordinary things, he did some self-reflection.
Oh, by "self-reflection," he meant harshly criticizing Old Bee and his companion in his mind. Who told those old men to corrupt this pure child...
All these letters were written by Slytherin to others, including the founders of Hogwarts' other houses and many names William had never heard before. Putting down the last envelope he held, William stuffed the apple core into Green Pepper's mouth and picked up the third letter he'd been reading.
This one was from Slytherin to Ravenclaw.
The content was simple, just friendly concerns and news of his imminent departure from the castle, but William's attention wasn't there. He focused on one line, 'I know, Helena stole your diadem, a blatant betrayal, I am aware of her whereabouts, if you need…'
Ravenclaw's diadem? That must be the crown?
At Hogwarts, each house had its legendary artifact, like Gryffindor's sword, Slytherin's Pendant Box, Hufflepuff's golden cup, and Ravenclaw's diadem. He currently held the sword in his hand, and among the remaining items, William was most intrigued by this diadem.
After all, it was said to enhance the wearer's wisdom, an epic-level headgear in gaming terms.
If only there were more clues…
Holding his wand's glowing tip, William continued reading, '... Be vigilant, Rowena, always vigilant, It is constantly watching us, after I leave, I will leave the Baron with you. He studied with me for seven years, learning most of my magic, make good use of him.'
At this point, the latter half of the letter exuded a strong Riddler vibe, making William frown, wondering what "It" referred to. Is there really a deity in the world? But he did recall the Baron—the Slytherin ghost, Bloody Baron, the embodiment of silence and Peeves' nemesis.
No one knew where this ghost came from, nor did he recount his beheading tales like Gryffindor's Nick.
However, as a former Ravenclaw little wizard wandering lost a hundred years ago, William was somewhat privy to this ghost's secrets, like how he frequently haunted their house ghost—Ms. Grey.
William felt somewhat relieved; there were clues, just requiring time to unravel this new side quest.
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
While William was deep in thought, Kabuda, having "cleaned up" the surroundings neatly, lobbed the letters William handed over and the desk itself into its pocket before returning the way they came with William, Niffler, leaving Peter Pettigrew in the secret chamber—
When William returned to the secret chamber, Peter had woken up.
He lay on the ground, motionless—or rather, unable to move. The Petrification Curse William cast on him was strong enough to keep an entire elephant immobilized for a whole week, let alone this rather short-statured human.
Perhaps noticing William's approach, the man began frantically rolling his eyes, straining to see who had come. He then caught sight of Kabuda perched harmlessly on William's shoulder.
"Ciallo～(∠・ω <)⌒★~"
Kabuda waved its paw, greeting Peter Pettigrew.
"?"
William wrinkled his nose, wondering where the urine smell came from.
Peter Pettigrew had been frightened to the point of wetting himself. He desperately wanted to speak but couldn't; the Petrification Curse locked not just his body, but also his lips and teeth, leaving him silently red-faced, his freckled cheeks looking almost like he had smallpox.
William hesitated, his wand trembling slightly—he had no desire to individually interrogate the man. Seeing his cowardly demeanor, the only thing piquing his interest was casting an "Avada Kedavra" on him, but… Lupin had instructed him otherwise.
Alas, what are friends for?
William sighed, levitating Peter Pettigrew gently. Beside him, Kabuda noticed the wet patch near the man's groin and hurriedly clutched its pocket protectively, adopting a "put this smelly thing in my pocket and I'll die now" look, leaving William speechless.
What other container can I use?
William looked around before pulling out a Stone Token from his pocket. As the token's blue aura glowed and the material crumbled away, Peter Pettigrew's body vanished from the spot, as he wasn't about to put him into the Basilisk's mouth to digest him, right?
Then William left along the Basilisk's direction, using Parseltongue to open the door entwined with stone serpents, continuing through a natural cave passage until he crawled out from a narrow, upward tunnel—
"Hiss (open)."
Using Parseltongue once more to open the door ahead, William looked bewilderedly at his surroundings, realizing he was in a washroom?
Rubbing his chin, William sensed something amiss but couldn't pinpoint it, eventually just exiting the washroom's main door, where he then collided with Professor Flitwick, leading Ravenclaw's prefects down the corridor—
To be precise, Professor Flitwick collided into his chest.
"Professor."
William rubbed his belly, having taken quite the hit.
But it wasn't Professor Flitwick who replied; instead, it was the girl following him. William thought she looked familiar but couldn't recall her name. The girl frowned, saying, "William, did you just come out of the toilet?"
"Uh... yes."
William reflexively nodded but then noticed the girl's peculiar gaze.
Following her line of sight, William turned to see the door plaque behind him—
"Ladies' Room"
"..."