A vast shadowy cloud floats over, obscuring the bright moon in the sky. Accompanied by a fierce wind, it howls through the spacious grassy expanse of the Hogwarts campus. Hogwarts Castle by the cliff is aglow with lights, yet those flickering candles seem to carry an inexplicable sense of unease and apprehension.
Amosstah personally escorted the three lost little wizards back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry seemed to have figured out that he would do something next. Standing in front of the portrait of Mrs. Fat, he asked Professor Brain to let him do something,
"It's all because of me..."
Harry dared not look into Ron's eyes, lowering his head with a sad voice,
"If I had been more alert, not so easily believing that notebook, perhaps Ginny wouldn't have been kidnapped into that room, Hagrid wouldn't have been taken away by the Ministry of Magic, Lucius Malfoy wouldn't have had the chance to drive Dumbledore out of the headmaster position!"
"This isn't your fault, Harry—"
Hermione patted Harry's back, her voice gentle and soft.
"Many wizards with more experience than you couldn't resist the enchantment of the Dark Lord... we didn't realize that diary was harboring mischief."
"Hogwarts can't afford to lose another young wizard, Potter—"
Amosstah's memories hidden in the dormitory gave him some crucial information, but it did not mention the specific location of the secret room. Looking at Harry, who was in a low mood, he smiled with a faint meaning in his eyes.
"The Basilisk in the secret room is not something a young witch can handle easily. If you accidentally run into it, remember not to look it in the eyes—"
On the way back, Amosstah encountered Professor McGonagall outside the hospital wing on the fourth floor. She was in a rage, scolding several senior female students from Hufflepuff. Upon seeing Amosstah coming from a distance, Professor McGonagall ceased her scolding and instead instructed Filch to escort them back to their dormitory.
"These students!"
McGonagall's face was ashen, her lips tightly pressed together as she forced out each word one by one.
"Disgraceful, to sneak out looking for Gilderoy, hoping he could help them deal with the Heir... it's absurd. Even Albus can't do anything about it--"
"It can only be said that Professor Locket's previous books do indeed have quite considerable enchantment."
Amosstah shrugged and said. Then, he saw McGonagall take out a lace handkerchief to gently wipe the rim of her glasses behind her eyes and spoke in a nasal tone.
"-- Mr. Fudge told me before he came here that tomorrow, the Head of the Order of the Phoenix, Rubeus Hagrid, will be leading a team to take over the castle for a thorough investigation of Hogwarts and its students and staff..."
"I truly hope the person who carried out all this secretly could feel ashamed and take responsibility for their actions... I don't even know how to explain to Arthur and Molly. Hogwarts couldn't protect their daughter!"
.............
After Amosstah had calmed Professor McGonagall and collected the panoramic telescopes he had set up along the school corridors, he returned to his office well past ten o'clock at night.
The footage on the surveillance wall in the office was only half working, and all the way from Gryffindor dormitory to the third floor of the school was plunged into darkness.
"Three floors up..."
With just this piece of information, Amosstah confirmed the key detail. He sat cross-legged on the ground, spread out the panoramic telescopes damaged by the freezing spell in front of him, and began to repair the magical corridors one by one. Due to the severe damage, it took Amosstah a considerable amount of time to complete this task.
"Huff."
When the time came to eleven, Amosstah stood up and took out his wand, pointing it at the panoramic telescopes on the ground. Under the pull of magic, hundreds of thousands of threads of light, like golden sand, gradually gathered into static images in mid-air. The remaining information in the pictures made Amosstah's eyes narrow slightly.
As expected, there were no other people in the images except for Ginny Weasley!
Amosstah watched as Ginny, who had a black diary in her hand, stepped out from behind the portrait of Mrs. Fat. She looked at the position where the panoramic telescopes were placed on the ceiling of the corridor with a deep, sinister smile and then, suddenly waved her wand. The previously smooth footage started shaking violently before plunging into complete darkness.
Ginny was last seen on the third floor, standing at the corner of the staircase there, deliberately damaging Amosstah's panoramic telescopes in the same manner. Her ultimate destination remains a mystery.
Amosstah checked the historical footage on the second and first floors and found that Ginny had indeed not continued down to the ground floor. The last place she had been seen was indeed the third floor.
This is quite an interesting thing. What could possibly be up on the third floor?
Could it be that the Slytherin's secret chamber is located there?
Tock tock!
Just as Amosstah's thoughts became momentarily distracted, the office door slammed heavily. The sound of the knock, in terms of its frequency and urgency, suggested that the person on the other side was quite urgent.
Although the door hasn't been opened yet, Amosstah has already sensed from the magical perspective who the person on the other side is, causing him to involuntarily raise an eyebrow.
"Miss Granger?"
Amosstah moved his fingers, and the office door clicked open by itself. Hermione, who was pressing against the door with her whole body, stumbled and rushed inside.
"Can you explain why you would defy the rules of the school and Professor McGonagall's orders, to come to my office so late at night?"
"Professor Brain!"
Under normal circumstances, Hermione might have been trembling with fear and would have admitted her fault. But now, she completely ignored Professor Brain's furrowed brow and ran three steps forward directly to Amosstah's side, controlling herself from pulling at Amosstah's sleeve with her remaining sense. However, her tone was still extremely urgent,
"Professor, we've discovered the location of the secret room!"
Amosstah's brow furrowed instantly. He looked at the young witch seriously, and within the blink of an eye, he determined that Hermione was not lying.
This is quite a strange thing. He had clearly sent them back to the Gryffindor common room, so could it be that these headstrong little rascals had come out on their own to search the castle again?
"Tell me more about your discovery, Miss Granger!"
It's not the time to dwell on inconsequential matters. Amosstah took a deep breath and asked directly.
"Huff... It's like this, Professor Brain!"
Hermione's breathing was heavy, but now she didn't have the time to ask Professor Brain for a cup of tea. She pursed her dry lips and spoke in a hoarse but quick tone,
"It was Harry... After returning to the common room, we three did not go to bed in our dormitories, but instead discussed the diary of Lord Voldemort in the common room. At first, we were talking about some trivial things, but later, Harry suddenly came up with something very important!"
"What was it?"
Looking at the wide-eyed Hermione, Amosstah quickly asked.
"-- Earlier, while Harry was communicating with the diary, he overheard it mention that fifty years ago, the student who was killed by the basilisk died in a bathroom!"
"Go on, Miss Granger!"
Amosstah's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his tone betrayed his excitement. "The protagonist," truly a remarkable species, with so many opportunities being thrust upon them!
"The bathroom on the third floor!"
Hermione confirmed decisively,
"That bathroom has a ghost, we call her 'Peaches,' and she is the student who died fifty years ago. We got a lead from her, Harry opened the entrance to the secret room, and he and Ron went to save Ginny... Phew, Harry asked me to come here and tell you about this!"
Amosstah's shoulders, which had been tensed, relaxed again. He took a deep breath and finally smiled.
"Let's go, Miss Granger. Let's bring that poor little girl back!"
