Filch spotted Mrs. Norris the moment he entered—petrified and hanging stiffly on the wall. His eyes then swept the crowd and landed directly on Harry and his friends.
Following the pointed fingers and whispers of the surrounding Hogwarts students, Filch didn't hesitate. His furious gaze locked onto Harry.
He lunged forward and seized Harry roughly by the collar, shouting,
"You killed Mrs. Norris?! You'll pay for this with your life!"
Harry, clearly distressed, tried to explain himself,
"It wasn't me! I didn't do it!"
Draco, however, was far less patient. He stepped in, shoving Filch aside with a sneer.
"Kill Harry? You?" Draco scoffed. "You're just a... Squib! Don't be ridiculous. Harry's a wizard—a pure-blood wizard! And you? What are you?"
Filch's face flushed with rage. He jabbed a trembling finger at each of them in turn, muttering furiously,
"It was you lot! I knew it—you've always had it out for me. You did this to Mrs. Norris to spite me! You'll be punished for this, all of you!"
Filch seemed ready to attack again, and Draco didn't back down. He stepped forward, squaring off with him, and the two began shoving each other.
Just then, Professor Dumbledore arrived with several other Hogwarts staff, his presence bringing immediate order to the chaos.
"Enough," Dumbledore said firmly, stepping between them.
With the professors now on the scene, Draco finally backed off. Filch, however, looked devastated, his voice breaking as he cried out,
"Headmaster, professors—they killed her! They killed Mrs. Norris!"
Dumbledore placed a gentle hand on Filch's shoulder.
"Argus, calm yourself. Mrs. Norris is not dead. She's been petrified. But do not worry—Professor Sprout is cultivating Mandrakes. Once they've matured, we'll restore her."
He then turned to the rest of the students.
"Everyone, return to your dormitories immediately. Do not wander the halls."
With that, the crowd began to disperse, each house led away by its prefects.
Draco lingered briefly beside Harry and asked in a low voice,
"You alright, Harry? Don't worry—he can't do anything to you. I've never liked that cat or Filch. Still... how did you manage this?"
Harry, still shaken, replied helplessly,
"I didn't! I just happened to be walking past. That's all."
Ron and Hermione stood by his side, both quick to confirm his story—they'd been together the entire time.
Draco narrowed his eyes but seemed to accept it. The three of them didn't seem like they were lying.
Since the Slytherin and Gryffindor common rooms were in opposite directions, the four parted ways shortly after.
Meanwhile, Wentworth remained entirely unaware of the night's commotion. At that moment, he was tucked away in the library, absorbed in studying ancient magical runes.
Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him.
"Wentworth... are you studying those dangerous things?"
Startled, Wentworth turned and found Luna standing there, her wide eyes fixed on the old runic text he had been poring over. Her expression was one of intense curiosity.
"You know something about ancient runes?" Wentworth asked. "Why would you call them dangerous? To me, this is real magic. Once a wizard masters ancient runes, they can create spells of their own. Isn't that every wizard's dream?"
Luna finally lifted her gaze from the book and looked at Wentworth. After studying him silently for a moment, she spoke softly.
"I don't know much about runes... but my mum died in an accident while experimenting with new spells using them."
Wentworth froze, guilt flickering across his face.
"I'm so sorry, Luna... I didn't know—"
But before he could finish, Luna interrupted with a calm shake of her head.
"It's alright. I just wanted to remind you—wizards should never tamper with powers they can't control... especially when they're alone, without someone strong and trustworthy at their side."
Wentworth stared at her, understanding the warning behind her words. He opened his mouth to thank her—but another voice rang out from nearby:
"You don't have to worry about that. Wentworth's never alone. I'm always with him. And I won't let anything happen to him."
Both Wentworth and Luna turned toward the voice. Cassandra stepped out from behind a nearby bookshelf, her emerald-green robes flowing elegantly as she approached.
Wentworth smiled and opened his mouth to greet her, but Cassandra didn't stop until she stood directly beside Luna. Locking eyes with her, Cassandra said coolly,
"Mind your own business, little Ravenclaw. Wentworth already has someone by his side—me."
The tension between them was palpable, and Wentworth shifted uncomfortably. Just as he was about to say something to defuse the situation, Luna tilted her head and replied brightly,
"Alright. I was just warning you. I've lost quite a few socks recently—I should go find them!"
And with that, she skipped away, humming to herself as she disappeared down the library aisle.
Wentworth watched her leave, still slightly stunned. Cassandra gave a small scoff and said with an amused glance,
"Done staring? Then back to your studies."
Wentworth chuckled.
"Cassandra, you sound more like a professor than Snape does! Even he doesn't hound me like this unless he's in the mood to make my life miserable."
Cassandra replied matter-of-factly,
"Well, unlike the professors, I'm actually staking my future on you."
Before Wentworth could respond, Cassandra turned on her heel and strode out of the library.
Tonight, sleep would elude many at Hogwarts.
The next day, during Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall was lecturing as usual when Hermione suddenly raised her hand.
"Professor," she said hesitantly, "could you tell us more about the Chamber of Secrets?"
A murmur of agreement swept through the classroom—clearly, all the students were curious.
Professor McGonagall sighed deeply.
"Very well," she said. "As you know, Hogwarts was founded by four great witches and wizards…"
The rest of the lesson was spent with McGonagall recounting the legend of the Chamber of Secrets.
At the very end, Ron couldn't hold back any longer.
"But Professor," he asked, "what exactly is in the Chamber?"
Professor McGonagall fell silent for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was low and grave.
"Legend has it... only the true heir of Slytherin can control it. And within the Chamber... there dwells a terrifying monster."
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