A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"Sorry, I dozed off for a bit. Did I miss anything?"

“A girl has been kidnapped by a monster.” Snape looked at him dismissively. “Lockhart, your chance to shine has arrived.”

Lockhart was completely bewildered. He could barely understand the first half of the sentence, but the second half seemed to contain far too much information.

"what chance?"

"Didn't you just confidently say last night that you knew where the entrance to the secret room was all along?"

“Then it’s settled.” Professor McGonagall added, “The task of fighting the monsters will be entrusted to you, Gilderoy, after all, your skills are superb.”

Lockhart's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this.

He's just a braggart, and although he exaggerates a bit, you can't really believe him!

With his small frame, how could he possibly defeat a monster? Going up there would just be handing him a free meal.

But seeing the uniform anger in the eyes of the other professors, he knew that if he dared to say no, he would likely become their target for venting their frustrations.

“No problem.” Lockhart forced a smile. “I’ll go to my office to make some preparations first.”

“No need, one wand is enough.” Aaron stopped Gilderoy Lockhart, who was about to pack his bags and run away, “even though your opponent is a giant snake that is nearly tens of feet long.”

Lockhart swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead, then everything went black as he collapsed to the ground.

The others ignored this clown who only knew how to talk, and instead looked at Aaron with surprise.

Professor McGonagall moved swiftly toward Aaron as if she had spotted a ray of light in the darkness. "The monster in the secret chamber is a giant serpent? Are you sure?"

"To be precise, it is a basilisk, a magical creature that can live for thousands of years. Making eye contact with it will result in death, while indirect eye contact will result in petrification."

I searched through hundreds of books in the library before I finally found a clue.

"Wait a minute," Professor Flitwick asked with a strange expression, "Since you knew about it, why didn't you report it? That way we could have made some defensive preparations."

"Because it's meaningless."

"It's like knowing the killer's weapon is a magic wand, but you can't find the real killer among hundreds of teachers and students based on that clue," Aaron explained. "The book also says the basilisk's natural enemy is the rooster, and the rooster's crowing is deadly to it."

"Then let's..."

"Let me finish, Professor Flitwick."

Before I discovered this clue, Hagrid's roosters had already started being killed.

"If Hogwarts adopts a corresponding strategy, it will be tantamount to telling the heir that we know of the Basilisk's existence." Aaron observed everyone present meaningfully. "Several attacks are enough to prove that the heir is no saint. What if he decides to fight to the death?"

"This..." Professor Flitwick was speechless, "Fine, you're right."

"Then you can tell us first, and we can simply hold back, or we can secretly..."

"Don't mention the coverts, Professor McGonagall." Aaron waved his hand impatiently. "The truth is, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light."

It's not that I don't believe you, but what happened last year is still fresh in my mind. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would have thought that Professor Quirrell was the mastermind?

Also, please don't take this to heart, even if it's not the best thing to say.

I recall you mentioning that Hogwarts searched the castle countless times but couldn't find the Chamber of Secrets; the school's incompetence truly makes me ashamed.

Professor McGonagall's lips twitched; she was speechless.

If it were her, she probably wouldn't have given the clues to a partner who was neither capable nor trustworthy.

If something unexpected happens, it would be such a waste.

Professor Sprout wanted to say something more, but he swallowed his words back.

Professor Snape glanced at the professors who were embarrassed and couldn't lift their heads, a slight smile playing on his lips, and unconsciously straightened his back.

These are my Slytherin students; they really make me proud.

“Aaron, now tell us… what’s the reason?” Professor Snape asked.

"Because the heir couldn't wait any longer, whatever the reason, the fact that he chose to target Ginny means that he has taken absolute control."

I couldn't wait any longer, because I now know the identity of the mastermind behind it all.

"You know who the heir is?" Professor McGonagall asked in surprise. "Who is it?"

"You might not believe it, but the mastermind behind the murder is not a single person?"

Professor Flitwick's eyes widened in disbelief. "Could it be two people?"

"No, to be precise, he is not a person, but an ordinary-looking diary."

A magical artifact in which the ruthless heir of fifty years ago left his memories to guide future generations in continuing Salazar's work.

As far as I know, Ginny was the last person to have come into contact with the diary.

When would a magical object with its own thoughts choose to devour its master? Either it senses danger, or it has accumulated enough power, or both.

"Dumbledore isn't at the school now, and the Basilisk has no natural enemies. Even I have to admit he chose a remarkably perfect time; his intelligence is frightening," Aaron said calmly, then changed the subject, "However, we still have a slight advantage."

"What is it? Tell me quickly!" Professor McGonagall stamped her feet anxiously. This concerned whether Hogwarts could continue operating, so she couldn't help but be anxious.

"We now know that the murderer is a magical artifact, which gives us a direction for our investigation."

Professor McGonagall nodded with some disappointment upon hearing this.

This news isn't bad, but it's not much better either; it's better than nothing.

“What about Ginny?” Professor Sprout asked. “What about Ginny Weasley? How are we going to explain this to Arthur if we can’t find her?”

“Um…Professor, actually I might know the location of the secret room,” Aaron said slowly, only to be met with several sharp gazes the next second, as if asking him why he hadn’t told him such important information earlier.

"I'm just guessing, but I don't have any substantial evidence."

Moreover, the location of the Chamber of Secrets poses a significant threat if any of Slytherin's heirs are overlooked. I dare not gamble on it, but we truly cannot wait any longer.

"Where is the secret room?" Snape asked.

Aaron mustered up his courage and said, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the weeping myrtle's washroom."

Chapter 187 Requisition of the Washroom

"Myrtle's washroom?" While the others were still somewhat confused, Professor McGonagall seemed to realize something and asked with a serious expression, "Are you sure?"

"It's not certain, but it's pretty close."

That washroom was the first crime scene fifty years ago and is highly suspicious.

Furthermore, there were numerous water stains at the crime scene on the night Mrs. Lorris was murdered; this was definitely not a coincidence.

Professor McGonagall nodded, agreeing with Aaron's assessment.

"Let's get there quickly, there's no time to lose."

"Wait a minute," Aaron hurriedly stopped them, "We still need to do some preparations."

"What else is there to prepare?" Professor Flitwick asked anxiously. "Ginny's fate is unknown!"

“That’s why we need to be fully prepared. If something happens to any of you, who will guarantee the safety of hundreds of students?” Aaron explained patiently. Then he looked at Professor McGonagall. “The school needs Dumbledore right now. I know you can contact him, and you must.”

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I'll inform him now, but it will take some time."

"In addition, my dormitory has the only two roosters that survive in the entire Hogwarts, and I'm sure that diary doesn't know about their existence."

With them around, the basilisk poses no threat and is nothing to fear.

Upon hearing this, Lockhart, who was pretending to be unconscious, immediately straightened up, got up from the ground as if nothing had happened, and his complexion returned to normal.

"I was probably too tired lately, and I just fell asleep without realizing it." Lockhart smiled, revealing eight pearly white teeth. "By the way, where were we?"

Fighting monsters, huh? No problem, leave it to me!

But I need one, no, two roosters, and they have to be lively and energetic.

Upon hearing this, Aaron's lips twitched uncontrollably. Did this oddball really have to try and make his presence known at this moment?

The others also frowned involuntarily; with that kind of thick skin, even the Death Curse probably couldn't be broken.

“Aaron, business is more important,” Professor McGonagall said. “Go and prepare. We’ll go to Myrtle’s bathroom to find the entrance to the secret chamber. We won’t move around before you arrive.”

Aaron nodded, turned and ran toward the Slytherin common room, while all the professors went to the weeping Myrtle's washroom.

Back in his dorm, Aaron quickly removed the cage, dispelled the illusion spell, and released the rooster he had raised for half a year.

The two roosters flapped their wings and crowed, but before they could enjoy their happiness for long, Abe glanced at them.

A sense of dragon's might pressed down on their hearts, and the two roosters immediately became obedient.

Aaron took a deep breath, pulled a wooden box from under the bed, and took out a silver longsword from inside.

He didn't know if he would ever need the sword, but just in case, he created a summoning magic circle and placed the longsword into the summoning space.

When he came out, many Slytherins looked at him in surprise because the two roosters he was carrying were very conspicuous.

"What's going on here?" Draco asked curiously. "Where did those two roosters come from?"

"This is Professor McGonagall's order, and I don't know the details either."

"I have to go out for a bit. You all stay in the common room until the new orders are given, and don't wander around." Aaron gave a vague explanation, then walked out carrying the rooster.

A dozen minutes later, Aaron arrived at the third floor of the castle and saw Harry and his two friends standing in the corner like children who had done something wrong. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"How dare you be here?" Professor McGonagall demanded loudly.

“We…” Harry stammered, unsure of what to say, but then he saw Aaron walking over carrying two roosters and immediately understood what had happened. He said, “We wanted to help too? Aaron knows that.”

"Another one asking for help?" Professor Snape sneered. "No, there are three, but you three are a bit overestimating yourselves."

You're not needed here, go back to your dorms.

“Wait, we might really need them here,” Aaron said hastily, then looked at Harry meaningfully. “There’s a Parseltongue here!”

Professor Snape frowned slightly. To be honest, he didn't want Harry Potter to take any risks, but what Aaron said wasn't without merit.

“Yes, Professor Snape,” Ron said with a grin. “Harry is one of only two wizards in the entire school who can speak Parseltongue.”

“Weasley, you’re the last person who should be so happy,” Snape said sarcastically. “Your sister’s been taken to the Chamber of Secrets, you know!”

"What?"

Ron's expression changed drastically, and he fell backward weakly. If Harry and Hermione hadn't caught him in time, he would have definitely had a close encounter with the floor.

“Ginny,” Ron murmured in disbelief, “How could this be? It shouldn’t be like this.”