The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 250 Coward
In the girls' bathroom, where the entrance to the secret room was hidden, Myrtle was staring at the sink. She was a ghost, but her eyes were full of fear. She saw the most unforgettable scene.

Dumbledore took Ada and Harry into the bathroom. He was going to solve the problem of the Chamber of Secrets, a problem that had plagued Hogwarts for a thousand years, and bring back the missing Ginny.

Harry was brought along because he was a Parseltongue and his help was needed to open the Chamber of Secrets. Ada was brought along because she was the hero who found the Chamber of Secrets and she was also capable of protecting herself.

Moreover, he was still here, and Dumbledore was confident that he could protect the two of them. If he didn't have this confidence, he wouldn't have rashly brought his students here to die.

Looking at Dumbledore, Ada and Harry who came in, Myrtle pointed at the pool and said, "Professor, you may not believe me, but I really saw the pool open, and the red-haired girl who hit me with the diary jumped in!"

Ginny, a red-haired girl, completely fits this description. Plus, she was the only one missing in the school, so it was almost certain that the girl who jumped was Ginny.

But Dumbledore and Ada didn't know when Ginny hit Myrtle, and whether she did it with the diary.

"Is that the diary I found?" Harry asked. Dumbledore and Ada didn't know, but he did. He, Ron, and Hermione had been preparing Polyjuice Potion here, and Tom Riddle's diary was also found here.

On the way here, Harry also knew that this was the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and only Parseltongue could open the Chamber of Secrets. This school year, Harry and his two friends had been so close to danger, but nothing happened to them. They were really lucky!
Myrtle nodded and said, "That's her! She was the one who hit me with that diary."

After hearing this, Harry had already noticed something. He turned to look at Dumbledore, only to find that Dumbledore was looking at Ada.

Unlike Dumbledore and Harry, Ada did not look at anyone, but kicked the pool fiercely. At this moment, Ada understood everything, and she figured out all the things that she couldn't figure out before.

She knew why Ginny had changed so drastically, because Ginny was the one who stole the diary, Ginny was the non-existent "Heir of Slytherin", and Ginny was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets and attacked the students.

Ada felt very guilty. She felt that she had let down the Weasleys' love and care. She had failed to take good care of Ginny for them. She always prided herself on being smart, but she failed to notice Ginny's abnormality.

If Ada had discovered Ginny's abnormality earlier and paid more attention to her, if Ada had not been busy looking for the Chamber of Secrets but paid more attention to Ginny, perhaps everything would be different.

Looking at Ada who was blaming herself, Dumbledore advised: "This was your negligence, but you cannot be blamed entirely. You don't have to blame yourself too much. And it's useless to blame yourself. It's better to save your energy and use it to rescue your sister later."

Dumbledore empathized with Ada's feelings. If he could wake up earlier and understand the importance of family affection, if he could not be so obsessed with Grindelwald and trust him less, if he could stop Grindelwald from attacking Aberforth, perhaps Ariana would not have died.

It’s too late to regret, but there is no "if" in life. Even in the magic world, there is no such thing as regret medicine.

Of course, Ada knew that it was useless to blame herself. She just wanted to vent instead of suppressing negative emotions in her heart, which was bad for her mental health and could make her prone to illness.

While the three were talking, the bathroom door opened again, and three professors, Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout, came in one after another. The three of them were the backbone of the school, so they definitely came to take a look, while Professor McGonagall was taking care of the four Weasley brothers and notifying the Weasleys.

Behind the three professors, Lockhart with golden curly hair also walked in. Although he greeted them in a relaxed manner, his face was full of reluctance. It was obvious that Gilderoy Lockhart was forced to come here, and he didn't want to come here at all.

"What's going on?" asked Dumbledore.

Snape sneered and said disdainfully: "Because he was afraid of the basilisk, this useless guy actually wanted to run away. When I went to his office, he was packing his luggage!"

Professor Flitwick's eyes were full of contempt, and he also said: "Lockhart has brought shame to the honor of Ravenclaw. He is a complete liar and a villain! He even wanted to attack us when we were not paying attention, but he couldn't even hold his wand!"

Even the usually kind Professor Sprout looked at Lockhart with an unfriendly look. If he wasn't afraid that Lockhart would dirty the place, he would probably have become fertilizer for the plants in the greenhouse by now.

Dumbledore nodded, and he continued, "I think everyone knows why we are gathered here. I need a professor to go down with me to kill the basilisk and rescue Ginny Weasley. Is there anyone who volunteers?"

Hearing Dumbledore's words, the three headmasters stepped back together, making Lockhart, who had not reacted, stand out. It looked as if Lockhart had taken a big step forward on his own initiative.

The three deans knew that Dumbledore didn't need them to follow him, and he didn't even notify them to come. It was just that they were different from other professors. They were deans, and they had the responsibility and obligation to come. "Very good, Gilderoy, I have always believed in you." Dumbledore said, "You really didn't let me down. We will enter the Chamber of Secrets together later."

Lockhart looked helplessly at everyone present. He already understood what was happening. He said to Dumbledore, "Headmaster, I think it would be better to let Professor Snape go. After all, he is the head of Slytherin."

Anyone can enter the Chamber of Secrets, as long as it is not him, Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Don't underestimate yourself. Think about your great adventures," said Dumbledore. No one knew where he learned this sarcastic tone from.

However, Dumbledore seemed not to want to waste any more time. He said to Harry, "Harry, speak to that faucet and turn it on in Parseltongue."

Harry tried to mistake the small snake on the faucet for a real snake and wanted to open the Chamber of Secrets. Perhaps because of Lockhart's interference, Harry did not succeed in making a "hissing" sound until the third time.

Suddenly, the faucet emitted a dazzling white light and began to spin rapidly. Then, the pool also started to move. The pool slowly disappeared from sight, revealing a very thick water pipe that could accommodate a person.

The entrance to the secret room appeared!

"I think Professor Lockhart would be happy to be the first to go down." Snape said. He was very good at taking advantage of others' misfortunes.

The matter was settled. It seemed that the only way out was to go down and explore the way. But how could Lockhart possibly want to go down? How could he dare?

Lockhart said desperately, "No, I don't want to go down there. I don't want to go down there and die for a little girl from the Weasley family! I won't go! Ouch..."

Lockhart suddenly fell to the ground. It turned out that Ada couldn't stand it anymore and kicked him directly. This kick was very powerful. Not only did Lockhart fall down, but Ada herself also lost her balance. If Harry hadn't helped her, Ada would have fallen down.

"Shut your stinky mouth!" Ada pointed at Lockhart's nose and cursed, "You clown! Liar! Coward!"

Ada has always had a bad temper, and she was even more furious at the moment. Lockhart's shape was really suitable for being a punching bag, and Ada had already shown restraint by not using the Cruciatus Curse directly.

"I'm a coward, I'm a liar, I didn't do anything, I just put what others did on my account." Lockhart pleaded, "I cast the Memory Charm on them, making them forget everything."

At this point, he couldn't deny it. If he did, he would lose his current position, but if he didn't, he might die. Lockhart didn't dare to bet that the monsters below were well fed and well watered, nor did he dare to bet that Dumbledore would protect him.

Now, as long as he didn't let himself go down to die, Lockhart was willing to do anything. As for resistance, don't be ridiculous, he tried it on the way here, but in the end, even his wand was confiscated.

What's more, Dumbledore is here now. What's the difference between resisting and seeking death?

"Your words will appear in the Daily Prophet, Lockhart." Dumbledore finished speaking, then looked at Snape and continued, "Keep an eye on him, Severus."

After explaining Lockhart, Dumbledore entered the secret passage first, followed by Ada. Then, Harry, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Sprout also jumped in together, leaving only Snape, Lockhart, and Ghost Myrtle in the bathroom.

Lockhart looked at Snape with a pleading look on his face. He begged, "Please let me go, Professor Snape, please let me go!"

It looked like Lockhart was begging for mercy, but in fact he wanted to take advantage of Snape's inattention and attack him. As long as he knocked Snape down, no one could stop him from leaving.

As for the things he admitted, he could continue to deny them after leaving Hogwarts. Moreover, Lockhart didn't think these people could get away with it. That was the Chamber of Secrets, Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets!

The Potions Professor was unmoved. He just looked at Lockhart coldly and said, "What I hate most in my life is cowards!"

(End of this chapter)