Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

"Heh... brewing Polyjuice Potion..." Snape narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them. "What secrets are you trying to uncover? Or... infiltrate somewhere?"

"Perhaps the corridor attack was too inefficient, so they planned to sneak into a common room to take out many people at once... This method was all too common more than a decade ago!"

Just as Dumbledore was about to speak, a faint sound suddenly came from outside the abandoned washroom.

The three of them moved in unison, closing their mouths and gripping their wands tightly at almost the same time.

"There's no horn powder, and no African tree snake skin fragments..."

“I secretly asked Percy… Polyjuice Potion isn’t an ordinary potion; these ingredients are controlled… So what should we do?”

"This is really troublesome... Let me think... Snape's private storeroom... That's the only place I can think of. He would definitely have both of these materials there!"

Hermione and Ron were talking outside the door, their voices getting closer and closer to the abandoned bathroom.

“Snape’s private storeroom…” Ron’s voice became hesitant, “You mean the legend of the Chamber of Secrets… could it just be a hoax?”

"Think about it... it's been almost a month since the Halloween dinner, and there haven't been any attacks. Shouldn't we just..."

Hermione's voice was firm, as if she had made up her mind to do it, "But it's also possible that it's true!"

"If there really is a locked room, and the monster inside really does attack, what should we do? There are quite a few students from Muggle families!"

The two entered the abandoned washroom, and Ron's voice became firmer, "I almost forgot! You're too good, I completely forgot about this. Let's steal it! We have the invisibility cloak anyway!"

"Stop saying that!" Hermione's voice softened, becoming somewhat hesitant. "Starting today, Christmas will be ready!"

“Touching…” Snape blurted out abruptly.

"Ah!" Hermione and Ron screamed, and the invisibility cloaks they were holding fell into the water.

Snape wore a broad smile, a smile like a fisherman who had caught a fish. "Would you like some gingerbread? To dip in the Polyjuice Potion from the washroom?"

"By the way... I do have horn powder in my storage room... as well as fragments of African tree snake skin. What do you think of sending them over as Christmas gifts?"

Hermione and Ron's cheeks turned the same shade, like the bright red of the rising sun.

"S...I...don't...don't...Vi?"

They could barely utter a complete sentence, only gesturing back and forth anxiously, sweat beading on their foreheads, and Hermione's eyes welled up with tears.

“Violating curfew and attempting to steal a professor’s property, Gryffindor loses one hundred points!” Snape’s expression suddenly turned cold, like a block of ice. “As a…reward.”

Dumbledore stepped forward and said in a gentler tone, "Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, why don't you explain why you're here? And why you're brewing Polyjuice Potion?"

Hearing Dumbledore's calmer tone, Hermione and Ron calmed down a bit.

Hermione struggled to catch her breath and finally managed to say a complete sentence, “Headmaster Dumbledore… that’s why we’re brewing Polyjuice Potion because we want to investigate the truth behind the Chamber of Secrets.”

“Tell the truth, and Gryffindor will receive ten points.” Dumbledore nodded and asked encouragingly, “Who is your target?”

Hermione glanced at Snape's cold expression, then exchanged a look with Ron, and began to stammer again.

Dumbledore stroked his beard, murmured, and said, "Severus, I'll go out and talk to them."

"Whatever." Snape pouted somewhat displeased. "Besides... no need to thank me. I was just following school rules and deducting points correctly."

“Of course I understand…” Dumbledore chuckled and led Hermione and Ron away from the abandoned bathroom.

The three had barely left the abandoned washroom when a plaintive voice echoed behind them, "Why do you always bother me? Why..."

Vizet and Snape immediately turned around, and in mid-air was a female ghost in a school uniform, whose expression looked extremely gloomy.

It is the Weeping Myrtle, the ghost that Lady Grey and Vizet mentioned.

Snape raised an eyebrow, and the weeping Myrtle stepped back, her face showing obvious fear.

As expected of Professor Snape!

Vizette sighed inwardly and asked, "Excuse me, are you Miss Myrtle Warren?"

The weeping Myrtle was still somewhat afraid of Snape, and took a few steps back before nodding and saying, "It's me! It's been a long time since anyone called me that. You're much more polite than them..."

Snape frowned, crossed his arms, and stood to the side, raising his chin at Vizet as if to say, "You deal with this."

Vizette took a step forward. "Miss Warren, I heard before... that you... died... in this very restroom?"

Chapter 170 I had a lot of fun with you

"Inherit the glory!"

Before Draco could finish speaking, a stone python suddenly appeared, its body arched, supporting the heavy stone door.

He entered the Slytherin common room through the slowly opening stone door and casually slumped into a carved armchair.

After a Quidditch match and being taken to the headmaster's office by Snape, the constant running around made him drowsy.

However, the series of events that happened during the night made it difficult for him to fall asleep.

Why was Dobby caught?

Why was Wizette in the principal's office?

They also mentioned pipes, but what are those?

And what about Snape's instructions... Could it be that the heir is in Slytherin?

But that's quite normal. He's the heir to the Chamber of Secrets; it would be strange if he didn't appear in Slytherin!

Just as Draco was starting to feel a headache coming on, Pansy's voice suddenly rang out, "Draco!"

Pansy sat down beside him and asked with concern, "I heard from Crabbe that...you were suddenly taken away by Professor Snape. What happened?"

Draco remembered Snape's instructions and looked at Pansy's concerned face, unsure how to begin.

Snape's instructions were that if anyone asked about what happened tonight, he should tell them that person's name.

Pansy pressed, "Was there another attack? Are you hurt?"

Pansy is his friend, so it's perfectly normal for him to be concerned about why he was taken away tonight...

Thinking this, Draco shook his head. "What could possibly happen to me? The Chamber of Secrets will just be about cleaning up that mud... whatever!"

Pansy persisted, "But I heard from Crabbe that Professor Snape didn't look too good when he took you away."

"Could it be... that Dumbledore thinks you attacked Harry Potter? Professor Snape wasn't biased towards Harry Potter, was he?"

“Harry Potter?” Draco sneered, mimicking Snape’s tone, “Just a Gryffindor with a head full of weeds!”

“Draco, you’re such a good imitation!” Pansy chuckled. “Where did you see Harry Potter? The school hospital? His arm looks like it’s missing.”

“Nothing.” Draco shook his head again, giving Pansy a deep look. “Pansy, you’ve been acting a little strange tonight…”

Pansy's smile froze, and her expression turned sorrowful. "I was just concerned about you... Since you don't want to talk about it, then forget it!"

Pansy finally left, and Draco breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed his temples, and returned to his dormitory.

-------------------------------------

Not long after, Pansy returned to the common room and sat in the same spot where Draco had been sitting.

She held a diary in her hands, and a series of characters appeared on her face.

Pansy, I'm so angry! You've done so much for him, but I haven't felt a single bit of trust from him. He doesn't consider you a friend at all!

Pansy wrote with such force that she almost tore through the pages of her diary. "Have they discovered me...? That house-elf that suddenly appeared, it's such a coincidence!"

Look! That Malfoy knows perfectly well you're worried, yet he won't tell you anything... We're carrying on the glory of Salazar Slytherin, and he understands nothing!

“Yes… he doesn’t understand anything.” Pansy wrote sadly, picking up her pen and writing on a piece of paper, “What should we do… should we continue? What’s wrong with Draco?”

[Of course we have to continue! I know who's pulling the strings behind the scenes! It's Albus Dumbledore! Only the headmaster of Hogwarts could command house-elves like this!]

[I understand! Draco Malfoy has been deceived by Dumbledore! He wants to control the Malfoy family! Just like when he came to threaten you!]

[Pansy, our mission is even more important now! Not only do we have to cleanse Hogwarts of the Mudbloods, but we also have to overthrow Dumbledore and save Draco Malfoy!]

“Save Draco!” Pansy murmured, writing on the paper. “Mr. Riddle, what should we do?”

Now that Dumbledore is suspicious, we can't just sit here and wait to die. We need to find a scapegoat! Then we'll hide for now, continue to build up our strength, and wait for the next opportunity.

“Find a scapegoat? Vizette Lovegood!” Pansy immediately thought of that name. “Frame him? What do you think?”

[As expected of the wise and beautiful Pansy, she came up with this idea so quickly. Let's do it this way... Didn't you say he likes to read books by rote? Let's use this to lure him in!]

Pansy's face flushed red, and she wrote faster, her handwriting becoming distorted. "Okay! What should I ask the house-elves to bring me? I'll prepare in advance!"

I'll teach you a way to make magical items... Also, make a diary and put it in the library; it will attract Vizette Lovegood's attention...

After that, I'll guide him to open the secret room, then let him be discovered, making him the target of everyone's ire... How about that, do you like it?

“Excellent!” Pansy wrote with a sneer. “Making him the heir is an honor we bestow upon him.”

Yes, it's the honor bestowed upon you... Of course, I need you to open your mind and body as much as possible, as you always do, so I can merge with you... That way you'll remember this method. Shall we begin now?

“Okay!” Pansy didn’t hesitate. She skillfully pricked her finger, pressed her fingerprint on the diary, and then fell asleep.

Riddle emerged from the diary, his body becoming incredibly solid, as if he truly possessed a physical form.

He gave Pansy a disgusted look and tried to sit as far away as possible.

He sat with his legs crossed, his fingers interlaced on his knees, a smile playing on his lips.

"Can you detect its movements? Is it some kind of plotting magic? Luckily, I cast a counter-spell on the diary, otherwise it would have been discovered..."

He looked at Pansy, who was unconscious with her head tilted to the side, and said, "We've kept each other entertained for quite a while now... All the things we've been through have been quite fun!"