Harry, hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, quietly walked forward.
He deliberately kept close to the wall, not wanting to miss the sound that might appear again.
This time, he didn't call anyone, not even Ron.
The corridor was very quiet. He quickly passed an empty classroom and looked around elsewhere.
There was no one. Everything was silent.
But this was clearly not the answer he wanted.
Where could it be?
Would those sounds, which only he could hear, appear again?
He was puzzled. Harry, who had been moving quietly down the corridor, suddenly stopped. A faint sound reached his ears.
Immediately, he leaned cautiously against the wall.
But the sound was clearly not coming from inside it.
He turned his head to look at the wall in confusion. The faint sound appeared again, this time a little more urgent.
Moreover, it was moving farther and farther away. If he didn't listen carefully, he wouldn't hear it at all.
Harry quickly confirmed the direction and followed it.
...
Aiden and Cedric stopped talking after leaving the Hufflepuff common room.
Cedric didn't want to be discovered by Filch.
Even if they were caught, Filch would probably assume they were the Weasley twins.
After all, they were covered by an Invisibility Cloak. Ordinary people wouldn't be able to see them.
Even if it was a low-quality one.
It wasn't something a Squib like Filch could easily detect.
The corridor was silent.
However, as Aiden and Cedric moved, their Invisibility Cloak gave off a faint shimmer. If someone didn't look closely, they might not notice it at all.
This faint glow only appeared while they were moving.
When they stood still, the cloak blended perfectly with the surroundings.
Neither of them could notice this subtle change from inside.
"Did you hear anything, Cedric?"
Aiden suddenly stopped, causing Cedric to bump into him.
"What did you say?" Cedric asked, rubbing his nose.
Aiden had spoken too softly, and Cedric hadn't heard him clearly.
"Shh."
Aiden didn't answer. Instead, he raised a finger to his lips, signaling Cedric to stay quiet.
Then he crouched down and carefully listened.
It was a very faint scraping sound.
If he hadn't been paying attention, he might have ignored it just like Cedric.
But now, he had noticed it.
Cedric crouched as well. He took out his wand and quietly cast a sound-dampening spell around them.
Then he whispered, "What is it?"
"There's a sound. Something very faint."
Aiden kept listening as he spoke, trying to pinpoint its source.
"Then let's go check it out," Cedric said excitedly.
His nighttime adventures in Hogwarts were rare.
Faced with something strange, his first instinct wasn't to return to the common room or inform a professor.
Instead, he wanted to investigate.
Was it a professor?
Filch?
Or something else?
"No, Cedric."
Cedric was surprised. He had expected Aiden to agree.
Instead, Aiden refused immediately.
Confused, Cedric looked at him. The relaxed, carefree expression Aiden usually wore was gone.
In its place was a serious, almost grim look.
Cedric hesitated. The questions he wanted to ask got stuck in his throat.
He had never seen Aiden like this before.
They were currently in the third-floor corridor. Ahead lay a staircase that constantly shifted, capable of leading them somewhere else entirely.
The sound seemed to come from both above and below, leaving Aiden uncertain about which direction to take.
If this weren't the time when the Chamber of Secrets was active, he would have gone to investigate without hesitation.
But now, he had no idea when the Basilisk might emerge and attack again.
That made him wary of every small disturbance in the castle.
Better to avoid it whenever possible.
"Let's go upstairs, Cedric."
"Alright, I'm fine with that."
After a brief internal struggle, Aiden made his decision.
Myrtle's bathroom was located between the second and third floors. If the Basilisk came out, it would most likely be around there.
Filch's cat had been attacked on the second floor, which matched the Basilisk's usual path.
If Aiden wasn't mistaken, the sound had come from the second floor.
Cedric nodded. He didn't understand why Aiden seemed so serious, as if facing something dangerous, but he trusted him.
As for whether Hogwarts—protected by Albus Dumbledore—could truly be dangerous, Cedric hadn't even considered it.
After all, Hogwarts was known as one of the safest places in the world.
This only made Aiden's reaction seem more puzzling.
Once they decided, the two, hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, quickly moved to the staircase and waited for it to shift into position.
This was one of the magical quirks of Hogwarts—the ever-changing staircases.
Soon, the stairs settled, and one aligned in front of them.
Aiden led Cedric upward.
As they climbed, the faint scraping sound gradually faded away.
Only then did Aiden quietly let out a breath of relief.
...
📢 Author's Note
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