A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Felix picked up a piece of black, tombstone-shaped caramel cake and popped it into his mouth.

The ceiling of the hall was adorned with colorful ribbons and monster masks; he even spotted three large black dogs—black dogs didn't have a good reputation in the wizarding world. But upon closer inspection, he realized it was actually a three-headed dog.

Felix: "..." I have a feeling that Cerberus's reputation has been unfairly damaged.

Before they knew it, it was past ten o'clock and heading towards eleven. The young wizards gradually put down their utensils, their faces beaming with satisfied smiles.

Felix wiped his mouth with a napkin and began discussing spells with Professor Flitwick. Professor Lockhart tried to interject, but was ignored by the two.

Two months into the semester, anyone with a modicum of intelligence can easily see what kind of person Lockhart is.

Felix couldn't help but give Dumbledore a reproachful look. "What a waste of my trust in you! You just found such a mediocre person to be a professor?"

I had thought he was truly talented.

Felix felt that the time he had wasted was not worth it.

Finally, the Skull Dance Troupe ended their performance with an unconventional, soothing tune, and the audience graciously applauded in unison until they bowed and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

As the party ended, the young wizards crowded out of the hall, leaving a few professors behind to clean up the mess.

Just then, a young wizard rushed back in a panic, his lips trembling.

"Professors, I think you need to come and see...something has happened!"

Without him saying anything, the professors heard the exclamations of the young wizards outside the Great Hall. Dumbledore strode over, and the crowd automatically parted to create space.

Felix and Professor Flitwick exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

They climbed the stairs to the third floor. Following the young wizards' gaze, they turned the corner and came to an empty corridor.

Felix's first sight was of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the three of them standing alone with a noticeable empty space around them. But the next moment, his gaze fell on the cat hanging on the torch stand.

It is Mrs. Lorris.

It looked very stiff, as if it were dead.

Beside it, on a wall a foot above the ground, some writing was scribbled, gleaming faintly in the light of the burning torches.

The secret room has been opened.

Be wary of those who oppose your heir.

Filch was shouting something when Dumbledore quickly stepped over the crowd and untied Mrs. Norris. His expression turned serious, and his deep blue eyes scrutinized her carefully through his half-moon spectacles.

“Come with me, Filch,” he said to Filch. “And you, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger.”

Lockhart quickly recommended his office, then followed Dumbledore, with Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Felix close behind, while Professor Flitwick was left behind to calm the panicked young wizard.

Lockhart's office.

Several professors were gathered around a smooth table, scrutinizing the stiff Mrs. Lorris.

Dumbledore's long, hooked nose almost touched the hair on Mrs. Norris's body. He examined it carefully through his half-moon-shaped spectacles, his long, slender fingers gently poking and prodding here and there.

Professor McGonagall bent over, her face almost touching the cat's, and squinted as she looked closely.

Snape stood behind them, half of his body hidden in the shadows.

Felix stood on the other side, his fingers brushing against Lady Lorris's back, making her fur stand on end. He then gently touched her body with his wand, sensing a powerful aura of curse.

He's not dead... he seems to have been petrified...

Almost at the same time, Headmaster Dumbledore straightened up and said softly, "It is not dead, Filch, it has been petrified."

But the headmaster's words did not appease Filch's resentment. He immediately focused his suspicions on Harry and did not hesitate to reveal his Squib identity.

But his doubts were quickly dismissed because "this requires the most profound black magic."

The trio clearly couldn't do that.

What's more, there are those strange writings on the wall.

A locked room...

Felix fell into thought; the name sounded so familiar.

Next up was Snape's turn. He interrogated Harry, his two companions, in a mocking tone. Harry stammered his explanation, which made Felix sigh.

Kid, you're not even good at lying; your mental fortitude isn't up to par.

However, Felix immediately fell into thought: what were they hiding?

After attending the memorial service in the basement, they should have returned to the auditorium, but instead…

Perhaps, you could find an opportunity to ask your assistant.

After the trio left, the professors exchanged information.

“Potter wasn’t entirely telling the truth, Headmaster, that’s my opinion,” Snape repeated his point.

No professor could refute this; they could all see it.

But Professor McGonagall, as is her habit, defended her students, saying, "We have no evidence that they did anything wrong; in fact, they may have just heard some strange noises."

“That possibility cannot be ruled out,” Dumbledore said noncommittally. “What’s your opinion, Felix?”

The eyes of everyone present fell on Felix, and even the Lockhart photo on the wall peeked out from the shadows.

“My opinion… I’m still thinking about the inscription on the wall. The secret room has been opened. Whose secret room is it? Who opened it? And who is opposing this so-called heir?” He asked three questions in a row.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and said dryly, "It sounds like another Slytherin Chamber of Secrets legend, but there's never been any evidence to prove it..."

Apart from Felix and Lockhart, the other three are all veteran instructors. Similar campus legends spread among the young wizards every few years, and new ones keep emerging, with increasingly sensational and bizarre content.

"But as far as I know, the names most associated with the word 'Chamber of Secrets' are Ravenclaw and Slytherin. And considering this attack, the implication is quite clear."

The others understood Felix's meaning: the Chamber of Secrets, and its connection to Slytherin.

Ravenclaw wouldn't do something like that.

“The speculation is reasonable, but unfortunately there’s no evidence,” Snape retorted.

Finally, Dumbledore made the final decision, "Over the next few days, we'll search the castle and see if we can find anything."

Chapter 36 A Chance Encounter

The next day, Felix went to the corridor where the attack had taken place the night before and, unsurprisingly, encountered Felch.

He had clearly cleaned the corridor thoroughly; the water on the floor had disappeared. An empty chair leaned against the wall bearing the words "The secret room has been opened."

At that moment, he was facing away from Felix, struggling to scrub the writing on the wall with cleaning agent, but it seemed to be in vain.

“Mr. Filch”

Filch turned around, his eyes bulging, his face flushed an unnatural red, and he was muttering to himself. But when he saw Felix, he still greeted him politely, "Professor Hyp."

"I'll come and check the scene; maybe I can find some clues left behind."

Felix didn't have much contact with Felch when he was in school, back when he didn't have Mrs. Lorris as an accomplice, and he himself was completely immune to Felch's threat thanks to his excellent Disillusionment Charm.

Filch gave up his seat and stood somewhat awkwardly to the side. He had just revealed his Squib identity yesterday, and he didn't want to stay a second longer in front of this genius professor.

"Well, then I'll take my leave now, Professor, I have something to attend to..."

“Go ahead and get busy,” Felix replied. “Oh, by the way.” He waved his wand, and the writing on the wall faded instantly.

"what?"

Somewhat surprised, he quickly moved closer to the wall, examining the writing from top to bottom. "It seems to be a kind of coercive magic, but not a permanent adhesive spell." Felix pointed at the wall with his wand, and soon the writing disappeared.

"Thank you, thank you." Filch blushed and hurriedly said this before leaving quickly, without even taking his cleaning tools with him.

Felix began searching his surroundings, and soon he found a clue.

He squatted down, tapped the ring on his left hand with his wand, and a large magnifying glass appeared in his hand.

Felix examined the ground closely; there was a charred mark there.

"What is this? How did it appear?"

Felix looked up at the girls' restroom directly opposite him, and without thinking much, he quickly pushed open the brass handle and went inside.

It was a rather dark and damp place, with stains on the walls, waterlogged floors, and peeling tiles on a row of sinks. The only light source was a few dark candles.

Suppressing his discomfort, Felix's gaze darted around.

A voice suddenly came from the innermost cubicle, "Who's there?" Immediately, a ghost with a gloomy face rushed out, her pearl-colored glasses obscuring most of her face.

She looked at Felix and clearly recognized the professor.

The ghost stared in disbelief, glancing behind her. Yes, this was her territory—the girls' restroom…

"Teach, professor?"

“Hello, Myrtle.” Felix’s voice was quite calm. He was here to investigate a case, and he had a legitimate excuse, yes, that was it.

Myrtle stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a scream. Her entire ghost flew back into the toilet, and he could even hear a crisp splash of water.

Felix: "..." Is it really that big of a deal? I just wanted to ask you a question, and I even managed to hold back my embarrassment.

Felix said, "Myrtle, I know you're here. Did you see the attack yesterday...?"

"No! There's nothing at all!" Myrtle shouted from the cubicle.

Immediately, he heard footsteps not far away, and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, left the bathroom, and brushed past a red-haired girl.

Being discovered by a ghost isn't scary, but what if a student sees you...?

His lifelong reputation was ruined.

Over the next few days, when he wasn't in class, he worked with several professors to search the entire castle, but naturally they found nothing.

One day in the auditorium, Felix was still thinking about this while eating lunch.

"It all started with the Dark Lord's Horcruxes, but knowing that seems useless... I don't know who the successor is, where the secret chamber is, or where the Horcruxes are hidden."

"The Chamber of Secrets, Slytherin, heir, petrification... these are clearly keywords. But how do you connect them?"

Felix always felt he was very close to the truth, but there was always a layer of mystery between him and the truth.

Slytherin... a snake?

He tried hard to recall, attempting to unearth long-buried memories. He seemed to see something—"Harry" fighting a giant snake. But the memory was quite hazy; he wasn't sure if he had mixed it up. In his recollection, "Harry" also seemed to have single-handedly dealt with a large group of Dementors.

How is that possible? Even a typical adult wizard couldn't do that!