"All students must return to their house common rooms by six o'clock in the evening, and no student is allowed to leave after that time."
"You will be escorted to every class by a professor, and until a professor arrives, you are not allowed to wander the castle alone."
"Quidditch practices and matches are postponed, and there will be no activities held at night..."
All the students sat at the long tables in the Auditorium, quietly listening to Professor McGonagall's announcement.
Professor McGonagall was truly afraid.
Even before the holiday, the Ministry of Magic had been paying close attention to what was happening at Hogwarts.
After Professor Charity Burbage from Muggle Studies was attacked, some people even suggested shutting down Hogwarts temporarily to focus fully on searching for the Chamber of Secret.
Although that proposal was later overruled by most people, as the attacks increased, just a few days before Christmas, the idea was brought up again.
This time, there were clearly far fewer people voting against it.
The reason the Ministry of Magic was staying so quiet, other than Dumbledore's influence, was also because no students had been harmed.
But that kind of luck could never last forever.
This apparent calm was only temporary. The previous attacks were like a pile of gunpowder barrels, ready to explode at any time.
In the dark, some people were already getting restless.
Professor McGonagall was sure that once a student was attacked, or when the number of incidents reached a certain point, they would seize the opportunity to ignite all those barrels.
No one could tell what would happen then.
Besides, Professor McGonagall didn't want to see any students get hurt.
This was the most critical moment.
The Mandrakes were about to mature, and once the petrified people or ghosts woke up, they could tell what happened in the Chamber of Secret and about the monster.
The heir to the Chamber of Secret must know this too. To protect themselves and cover up secrets, they would either stop now or grow more desperate.
And the petrified Dwarf showed that person clearly hadn't chosen to give up...
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath, her face more serious than ever before.
So far, everyone who's been attacked had been petrified, but that doesn't mean the monster in the Chamber of Secret can only turn people to stone.
Fifty years ago, when the Chamber of Secret was first opened, a student died in strange circumstances.
That sort of thing must never happen a second time.
She looked at everyone and, in a voice that almost choked out, said, "I hope every one of you will follow the rules, even if it's just for your own safety!
Anyone who breaks the rules will lose all your House Points, and your House will be directly disqualified from the Quidditch matches."
"Besides, I urge anyone who thinks they might know something to come forward."
"Every clue, no matter how insignificant, could help us find the criminal behind these attacks."
When Professor McGonagall finished, she hurriedly left.
As soon as she was gone, a flurry of chatter broke out in the Auditorium.
Losing all House Points and getting kicked out of Quidditch—there had never been such strict punishments before.
"Thankfully Professor McGonagall only postponed the Quidditch matches..." Harry said with some relief.
"You two..." Ron glanced hesitantly at Fred and George.
Of course, they could guess what he was thinking.
"We definitely won't get caught, even for the sake of Quidditch," Fred said.
"But it's you," George laughed. "Don't try to play hero and chase after bad guys like last year. That's not something you should do."
"We're not trying to be heroes!" Ron said, stiffening his neck.
Next to him, Harry and Hermione kept their heads down, eating silently.
At the Hufflepuff table, Kael also remained silent.
Everyone nearby was discussing who the Heir might be. For every name they guessed, Kael watched that person's expression.
But everyone looked totally normal. The only unusual one was Lockhart.
He seemed very quiet, not boasting about how many cards he'd received, nor bragging about the same old feats he'd retold a million times.
The image-obsessed Lockhart hadn't even cared for his hair; he wore a messy mop of blond locks, chugging down drink after drink, a far cry from his confident noon-time self.
Half an hour later, dinner ended.
Professor McGonagall came back into the Auditorium, along with the other three Heads of House.
Professor Sprout came over and led the Hufflepuff students back to their common room.
"Unless you're going to class, stay here the rest of the time. No wandering anywhere else."
She counted heads and only left after the last student had gone through the barrel door.
"Didn't Professor Lockhart say he already knows who the heir is?"
As soon as Professor Sprout left, someone blurted out, "Why can't the professors just catch that person!"
"Don't you get it?" someone else sneered. "He's just talking big—he can't do anything, doesn't know anything. Just look at how he acted in the Dueling Club."
"Nonsense!" another student shot back. "You've all read his books... think of the incredible things he's done!"
"Only because he says he did them."
...
The students in the common room quickly split into two camps, arguing fiercely over Lockhart.
Kael, Conna, and Cedric didn't join in that pointless debate. They skirted the crowd and sat on a few sofas in the corner.
"Kael, did you find anything?" Cedric asked.
"No," Kael shook his head.
"That person's just too well hidden," Conna sighed. "There's never anyone around during the attacks, as if they just happen out of thin air... What if the Chamber of Secret's monster is a ghost, able to move freely around the castle?"
"Ghosts can't petrify people. They just look scary," Cedric frowned again at Kael. "That gold chain you found before, where did you get it?"
"Somewhere... very well hidden." Kael hesitated a moment but still didn't mention the Chamber of Secret.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered telling Professor Dumbledore the location of the Chamber of Secret, along with information about Riddle.
In fact, after the diary disappeared mysteriously and the attacks became frequent, he'd thought of it—but never made up his mind. Or rather, the moment the idea popped up, it faded away for no reason.
It was as if he was a Muggle entering the range of a Repelling Charm—always distracted by something else.
But Kael himself noticed nothing; he just felt something was off but couldn't put his finger on it. In the end, he could only explain it away as being reluctant to let go of the Basilisk... After all, the Basilisk was worth a fortune—enough Galleons to make a mountain—so it made sense to be hesitant.
Kael rubbed his forehead, feeling inexplicably irritable.
"Speaking of clues, Kael, do you remember what you gave me for Christmas?" At that moment, Cedric suddenly got up, jogging to the dormitory.
"Wait for me."
After about a minute, he came back, holding a stack of Parchment in his hands.