#175 - Chapter 175: Go quickly, don't let others misunderstand you

Several people climbed the floors non-stop, one floor after another, until they reached a corridor on the third floor of the castle.

"Hey, Potter, where are the bad guys? We've been following you around for ages," Malfoy complained, panting.

Ron, unable to argue with Malfoy, wiped the sweat from his face and asked Harry, "Harry, where's the sound? Are you sure you didn't mishear?"

Harry looked anxious, but he couldn't refute it. The sound had completely disappeared after reaching here, as if it had never existed.

However, his intuition told him that something unusual must have happened.

"Look, are those two lines of words on the wall in the distance?" Hermione gasped and pointed to the front of the corridor.

Following the direction of Hermione's finger, the group slowly approached and saw the bright red writing on the wall.

【The Chamber of Secrets has been opened

Enemies of the heir, beware】

"This wouldn't be written in blood, would it?" Malfoy felt a little uneasy, feeling that the bright red writing was extremely glaring.

"What's hanging under the torch bracket?" Ron's voice trembled slightly, "It looks like... an animal."

"I don't think it's very safe here. Why don't we go find a professor first?"

As he spoke, the group finally saw what it was and took a deep breath.

"Merlin! It's Filch's cat—Mrs. Norris."

They found Filch's cat hanging stiffly under the torch bracket, like a specimen.

"This is bad, very bad. Filch is going to go crazy," Malfoy urged anxiously.

"Let's get out of here, I don't want to be seen as a murderer and then be targeted by Filch."

Ron swallowed hard: "Although I don't want to admit it, I have to say, Malfoy has a point."

"Before the murderer is caught, we will definitely be misunderstood. Let's go quickly."

Although Harry wanted to go up and check, he had to admit that Malfoy and Ron's words made sense.

Once discovered, the few of them would definitely be seen as the prime suspects.

In a panic, the group turned around to leave. Just as they took two steps, noisy sounds came from both ends of the corridor.

The dinner was over, and the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students were returning to their dormitories.

"We're done for!" Malfoy's face was a little pale, "The banquet is over, we can't escape."

"I knew it, nothing good ever comes from being with you three, my reputation..."

Before he could finish speaking, dense crowds of students appeared at both ends of the corridor. They were wearing all kinds of strange costumes, and many young wizards had thick greasepaint on their faces.

After seeing Filch's cat, the chattering voices completely disappeared.

The young wizards stared at the four people in the middle of the corridor in surprise, as if they were looking at suspects preparing to flee the scene after committing a crime.

Soon, the young wizards couldn't restrain the questions in their hearts and began to discuss.

"Did they do it? They're so brave, they actually dared to attack Filch's cat."

"This is going to be a good show. Filch values Mrs. Norris more than his own life."

"Look at the words on the wall, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Is it the legendary Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin?"

"Could it be that the heir is one of the four of them?"

"Who knows? I think it's probably Harry Potter. His identity is the most special here."

Hearing this, Malfoy changed his uneasy appearance and glared fiercely at the student who said this.

What kind of eyes!

How could Potter look like the heir of the Chamber of Secrets?!

No matter how you look at it, he, a Slytherin student, is more in line with the identity of the heir.

Potter is a Gryffindor, how could he be qualified to inherit the Chamber of Secrets.

"What happened here? Everyone, make way!"

Filch was attracted by the commotion here. He struggled to get through the crowd and began to wail sadly after discovering Mrs. Norris.

In a burst of chaos, Dumbledore and the professors arrived at the scene.

He took Mrs. Norris down from the torch bracket and instructed everyone.

"Prefects, take the students of your house back to the dormitory."

"As for you few," Dumbledore glanced at the four of them, "come with me."

"Argus, you come too."

Hearing this, Sebastian stood up in a timely manner and suggested to Dumbledore.

"Headmaster, my office is just nearby, let's go there."

Sebastian, familiar with the plot, naturally knew that tonight was the time for the Basilisk's first appearance.

In order to prevent accidents, he had been releasing his magical perception, fully monitoring every move in the castle.

The Basilisk's appearance, attracting the attention of Harry and the others, Ginny leaving the writing and hanging Filch's cat on the torch bracket—all of this did not escape Sebastian's magical perception.

Sebastian kept thinking in his heart.

Now that the Basilisk has appeared, it's time to take the diary from Ginny's hands.

He couldn't just let Ginny be controlled by the diary and then let the Basilisk wreak havoc on the students in the castle.

A group of people marched into Sebastian's office. As soon as they entered, Dumbledore took out his wand and began to examine Mrs. Norris.

"Don't be sad, Argus, Mrs. Norris is not dead, but has been petrified."

"Petrified?" Filch's voice was a little choked. He looked at Harry and said hatefully, "Potter must have done it."

"A few days ago, he dirtied the corridor and I reprimanded him, so he decided to take revenge on me."

Harry opened his mouth, just about to refute something, when Mia stopped him behind her.

"Filch, I believe Harry definitely didn't do it. He's not that kind of child."

"Besides, Harry didn't have time to commit the crime tonight. He was invited by Nearly Headless Nick to attend the ghost banquet. I can prove this."

Snape glanced at the four students in surprise. He couldn't figure out how these little guys had gotten together again.

He stepped forward, examined Filch's cat, and then said slowly.

"Headmaster, please allow me to say something."

"Filch's cat was not hit by a common petrification curse. To do this requires very profound dark magic."

"And Potter and the others obviously do not have such strength."

"I think they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Dumbledore nodded, agreeing with Snape's statement.

He looked at Harry and the other three and asked calmly.

"You were the first people to appear on the scene."

"I want to ask, did you find anything?"