Actually, Avada had an even faster option for dealing with this matter—simply subdue Malfoy and rip every secret out of his head with Legilimency; or use the Imperius Curse on Crabbe and Goyle and have them question Malfoy directly…
But he had no intention of doing that. Such methods were far too extreme and absurd, and if this kind of vigilante behavior ever became a habit, it would be frighteningly easy to slide, unconsciously, toward becoming a Dark wizard himself.
And honestly speaking, in his eyes, Draco Malfoy's level of suspicion wasn't all that high. At most, he might know something through Lucius, but it would certainly be extremely limited—perhaps not even as reliable as the information Avada already had.
Lucius Malfoy was a thorough villain, yes, but he genuinely loved his family. He would never allow his son to come into contact with something as dangerous as a Horcrux at this stage…
"Thank you."
Harry accepted the note solemnly. "We'll do our best."
"Mm. Good luck."
Avada nodded. From the time they sent the letter to receiving the ingredients would already take three or four days, and brewing Polyjuice Potion itself required a long process. By the time they actually put their plan into action, Christmas break would be nearly over. Who knew how many variables would appear in the meantime…
So Harry's plan was more of a spare move—great if it yielded results, but not a big deal if it didn't. The real core of this matter lay with the quietly scheming Dumbledore, and with Avada himself, who was racing to crack the Chamber's entrance.
Speaking of which… what was Dumbledore doing right now?
Dumbledore had completely cut off all information related to himself. The last time Avada tried to write to him, the owl had only tilted its head in confusion, and not a single newspaper carried any report of his whereabouts. Based on Avada's understanding of him, Dumbledore was definitely preparing something big in the shadows—he wasn't the type to swallow losses quietly.
"Oh, right."
Avada suddenly clapped his hands, remembering something. "I can also recommend a good place for brewing potions—absolutely safe and hidden. Polyjuice Potion is a regulated potion and takes a long time to brew. You're not planning to make it out in the open, are you?"
"What place?" The three of them immediately looked curious.
They had actually planned to secretly brew the potion in the abandoned girls' bathroom on the third floor. But if the ever-mysterious and highly reliable Ken was personally recommending a location, that was worth anticipating.
"Come with me."
Avada vigorously rubbed his ears to wake himself up a little, then led them toward the eighth floor. It wasn't that he was eager to promote the Room of Requirement again—he simply really didn't want three excitable kids bubbling potions beside him while he was fully focused on deciphering the Chamber's entrance.
Besides, ever since he mastered the Extension Charm and developed the Near-and-Far Spell, that room wasn't particularly useful to him anymore.
"…Right here. Remember this spot—the stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls."
After climbing to the eighth floor somewhat out of breath, he pointed at the blank wall and said to Harry, "Have any one of you walk past this wall three times while concentrating on the thought, 'I need a room suitable for brewing potions.'"
"You can just think it in your head?" Hermione immediately caught onto something. "Does that mean if we think of something else, we can open a completely different room—"
"Whoa!"
She didn't even finish before Harry and Ron exclaimed in unison. A spacious room filled with all kinds of containers and storage cabinets had already appeared. They rushed inside, excitedly touching everything, marveling at how solid and real it all felt.
"The room's magic is something you can explore on your own," Avada said, pressing a hand to his forehead and smiling at Hermione. "I need to go rest—otherwise I suspect I'll pass out right here…"
"Oh—sorry…"
"I'm heading off. Good luck to you all…"
He didn't bother the trio as they excitedly explored the Room of Requirement. Alone, he gripped the railing and slowly made his way downstairs, one step at a time.
The Chamber of Secrets…
A basilisk attack means the diary has awakened—and it's already in the school, in the hands of some student… It's not a professor. None of the professors show signs of extra soul fragments or mental interference, not even Lockhart. Which means Lucius still chose to smuggle the diary into the school through a student… What role is he playing in all this?
Is he, like in the original timeline, simply trying to frame Dumbledore after believing Voldemort is finished? Or is he actively cooperating with the diary?
Did the Board's staged coma incidents involve the diary as well? Was that an independent move by the Board to oust Dumbledore, or was it planned together with the diary? If it's the latter, that's bad—very bad. That would mean the diary has the full backing of the hardline pure-blood faction…
And who altered Myrtle's memory and changed the Chamber's password on the very first day of term? Was it the diary? But how could it possibly know someone would immediately pinpoint the Chamber's exact location?
If it wasn't the diary… then who was it? Who could it be?
Lost in chaotic thoughts, he kept his magical senses alert, guarding against a sudden ambush from the basilisk—he was Muggle-born too, well within its target range. Yet, whether by luck or misfortune, he hadn't detected the basilisk even once over the past half month.
—Strange, really. Even Harry's Parseltongue had caught the basilisk's voice a few times. So why couldn't he sense a thing? Did the basilisk fear the Killing Curse too?
Dragging himself along, it took him nearly five minutes to reach the Hufflepuff common room. He passed straight through the noisy crowd gathered around the notice board, returned to his dormitory, pulled back the covers, and collapsed flat onto the bed…
Wait… what were those people crowding around the notice board just now?
That was his final thought before consciousness slipped away. Unfortunately, he no longer had the strength to get back up and satisfy his curiosity—the moment his scalp touched the pillow, his mind sank into silence and darkness.
"..."
"Ken? Ken?"
In his haze, Avada felt someone shaking his shoulder. He struggled to open his eyes and saw the face of his roommate, Summers.
"What is it…?" he mumbled, feeling like he could fall asleep again at any second.
"The assembly! Didn't you see the notice board?"
Summers spoke rapidly. "Snape says he's already discovered the root cause of the petrification incidents. He's calling the entire school together tonight to announce the truth—and he's invited more than half the Board of Governors. Even the Minister for Magic is here!"
"…What?!"
(End of Chapter)