Chapter 60: Divide and Conquer

Chapter 60: Divide and Conquer

Ron and Hermione's expressions at this moment were truly captivating.

Harry struggled to his feet, saying, "Thanks to your information, Hermione, it's true that Parseltongue can control the snake creature."

Hermione covered her mouth, "Harry, you nearly died, do you realize?"

"Yes, I'm sorry!" Justin said from the ground, "He was trying to save me..."

He got up, brushed his hands on his clothes, and extended his hand formally, "Harry, I'm really sorry, I've been misunderstanding you. I went to Professor Snape, and he assured me that you're definitely not the culprit, but I was terrified during that duel lesson..."

"It's alright," Harry put on a casual demeanor, extending his hand as well, and they shook hands.

"A satisfactory outcome, isn't it?" Ron chimed in, "I don't want to interrupt this friendly atmosphere, but I think we should inform the professors as soon as possible..."

"Wait," Harry walked to a slightly ajar wooden door in front of him.

"This can't be..." Hermione gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

"It's possible," Harry said, "but it should be gone by now."

He pushed the door open and walked in, with Ron and Hermione following closely behind.

It was a very narrow room, filled with dust, and a long trail dragged away, disappearing into a wall.

"Do you think there's an entrance to the Chamber of Secrets here?" Hermione asked.

"We've discussed this, right?" Harry carefully examined the spot where the snake creature's trail vanished, "There might only be one entrance to the Chamber, but for the convenience of the snake creature's movement, Slytherin might have left more than one exit in the castle's network of pipes."

Using Parseltongue, Harry said, "Open." Justin, who had just entered, shivered.

The wall showed no reaction, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

Ron speculated, "Harry, if this exit is indeed prepared by Slytherin for the snake creature, he must have set specific conditions—"

"On the contrary, that means the true entrance to the Chamber must not have these restrictions!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

"What are we waiting for then?" Ron had a look of "the problem is finally solved," "We just need to notify a professor, anyone except Lockhart..."

Harry said, "No, it's you two who should notify the professors."

This place was the entrance to the Chamber.

Their discussion had led them to believe that the entrance to the Chamber was most likely where Moaning Myrtle had been killed—now the abandoned girls' bathroom. Myrtle had enthusiastically mentioned that on the day she died, she had heard a boy's voice.

This boy could only be the heir of the previous generation of the Chamber!

Following the faint sounds, Harry reached the center of the bathroom. There was a row of circular sinks. He gently placed his backpack aside, disregarding the standing water on the floor. He crouched down and pressed his ear against the metal pipe of a sink.

After a sound similar to a sticky hose sliding on the ground passed, the sound completely disappeared.

Waiting in silence for about ten seconds, Harry stood up and circled around the sinks, carefully inspecting the area. As expected, he found a small snake pattern on the side of a faucet.

He could hardly contain his excitement. In a hushed Parseltongue, he said, "Open."

Instantly, the faucet emitted a dazzling white light and began to spin rapidly. Then, the sinks themselves began to move. Harry watched as they slowly disappeared from view, revealing a significantly large pipe.

Walking through the standing water, Harry approached it. He peered inside, inspecting, but it was pitch black, seemingly leading straight into hell.

Harry was hesitating whether or not to go down. Following his usual instincts, he would have thought twice and not just jump in. But after being punished by Professor Snape and having to write lines about reckless behavior for two days, he felt that he could be bold.

"What are you doing?"

A very melancholic voice appeared behind him, close enough that it sounded like it was right next to his skull.

Startled, Harry slipped on the wet floor, falling into the passage and disappearing within.

The last thing he saw was a rather surprised expression on Moaning Myrtle's face.

My backpack...

It contained Professor Snape's magical puppet!

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