Many Thanks to Ethan Hobbs, Snackson and Paladar Blade for becoming Patreon members!♥♥
________
Hospital Wing.
"Harry, you're wrong."
Hermione argued back at Harry, clearly upset. "How can you suspect John? He's our friend, and he's a Muggle-born."
Even Ron thought Harry's idea was crazy. That was John Wick they were talking about.
He was the one who single-handedly dispelled people's fears about the Heir of Slytherin, and he was the one who saved the Gryffindor students by driving away the basilisk.
How could Harry possibly suspect John?
Seeing that his friends didn't believe him, Harry voiced his suspicions. "Think about it. Who was the first to discover the basilisk? It was John."
"What's so strange about that? If it weren't for John, you'd have been blamed as the cat killer by Filch," Hermione retorted, her cat-like face puffing up in anger.
Harry shook his head and said seriously, "What about the second time? John came out with the basilisk, and it just so happened that Colin was there to take a picture. During the time Colin went to get a professor, no one knows what really happened between John and the basilisk."
This made Ron think, just a little, that Harry might have a point.
"Think about it—why was John, facing such a dangerous creature like the basilisk, barely hurt? He just slept it off in the hospital wing."
Hermione dismissed the idea, "Maybe John is just that strong."
"Yes, he's strong, strong enough to take down Slytherin on his own. But don't you think it's all too convenient?" Harry pressed.
Recalling the strange compulsion that led him to ask Malfoy, Harry's suspicions about John grew.
He said, "John often disappears, and no one knows where he goes. Every time the basilisk shows up, John's reputation only gets stronger, almost like..."
"Almost like it's deliberately boosting his reputation, right? Harry, you're absolutely wrong! John is a Muggle-born wizard—Slytherin would never seek out a Muggle!" Hermione angrily finished his sentence, her whiskers practically twitching with indignation.
"But what if he's not?" Harry said quietly.
Hermione was stunned, and Ron, surprised, asked, "You mean John isn't a Muggle-born wizard?"
Harry's eyes gleamed with a hint of wisdom. "Maybe someone in John's family is a Squib, which would make him a half-blood, not a Muggle-born. And you've seen it—Malfoy is his friend, and Malfoy hates Muggle-borns."
Hermione wrinkled her nose and said, "That's just speculation, Harry. You need to calm down."
Ron nodded in agreement, thinking Harry might be too tired.
Seeing that his friends didn't believe him, Harry felt a mix of helplessness and frustration.
A voice in his head kept telling him that John was the Heir of Slytherin.
It was only for a fraction of a second but due to his sharp eyes, he accurately saw John that day.. The memory of John's slit-pupil eyes during the dueling club only fueled Harry's doubts.
The seed of suspicion had been planted deep in his mind, and Harry became increasingly wary of John.
...
"Accho!" John sneezed and rubbed his nose, puzzled. "There's no wind, though."
John glanced at the two pieces of parchment on the table, and tapped them with his finger.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
Both pieces of parchment unfolded, revealing identical maps.
The footprints and names moving on them were exactly the same—John had successfully duplicated the Marauder's Map!
Seeing the name "Peter Pettigrew" moving alongside Ron, John muttered to himself, "The Marauder's Map is not omnipotent. Perhaps it only needs a strong enough Confusion Charm to confuse it."
The Marauder's Map was like an advanced version of the Tracking Spell. Though powerful, it could still be disrupted by spells.
John wasn't sure what level of Confundus Charm would be required, but it would likely need to be at least Level 4 or higher.
"Probably no one in the school except Professor Flitwick and a few others could manage it."
Even ordinary professors wouldn't be capable; only the heads of the four houses might be able to cast a Confundus Charm at that level.
Tapping the Marauder's Map again, John closed it.
He had now reached the point where he could perform simple tasks without a wand.
Tucking away both versions of the Marauder's Map, John didn't want to risk them being found by someone with ill intentions.
Of course, if the Weasley twins discovered that he had taken the map and came to claim it back, he would be very generous.
Christmas had passed.
With the start of the new term, Hermione, who had turned into a cat-girl, wouldn't be appearing in classes for a while.
Without this know-it-all Miss Granger to compete with, John found the classes a bit lonely.
This must be what it feels like to have no worthy opponents.
Neville was happy when he returned to school because his grandmother had praised him.
The training had helped Neville lose quite a bit of weight, which made Mrs. Longbottom both pleased and worried.
Before long, February arrived.
Hermione was finally out of the hospital, having been cured.
But for some reason, John noticed that Harry seemed to be keeping his distance from him.
'Could it be that the incident where I made Harry take the blame last time was exposed?'
John thought that Harry might have figured out the summer incident where he had shifted the blame onto him. If that were the case, he was willing to apologize.
The Felix Felicis was almost ready, and John still needed Harry's Parseltongue to guide the way.
Now that he knew the entrance, everything was ready except for the Parseltongue.
The Heir of Slytherin had yet to show up, and John even began to wonder if someone had forgotten to bring toilet paper and had used the diary...
No matter what, John was determined to visit the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets. After all, there were plenty of rewards to be gained.
Moreover, there was a chance that the Chamber of Secrets might trigger a challenge task similar to the Gryffindor Chamber. Missing out on that would be heartbreaking.
...
With the new term beginning, it seemed as though the previous fears had vanished.
Hogwarts was filled with laughter, and the Quidditch training grounds were echoing with Wood's roars.
Tom was running around everywhere, and the school had grown accustomed to having a cute dog around.
Whenever Tom went out, it would always wait at the entrance for the students heading to the Slytherin common room.
This time was no exception. After finding Fang, Tom obediently squatted by the entrance.
Daphne and Pansy happened to return, and Tom happily trotted behind them.
"Pansy, are you okay? Lately, you seem a bit distracted."
Daphne had noticed that Pansy seemed to be infatuated with writing in a diary. Even before bed in the dormitory, she could see Pansy scribbling away.
When Pansy heard this, a slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips, giving her the appearance of a girl in love, a bit shy.
"I think I've fallen for someone."
"Really?" Daphne was taken aback and curiously asked, "I haven't seen you interacting with any boys."
"What's so strange about that? You're the same way, and yet you like to—"
Pansy's words were abruptly cut off as Daphne covered her mouth, her ears turning red and a blush spreading across her pale cheeks.
"Don't say such nonsense," Daphne growled sternly.
Pansy rolled her eyes and pouted, "It's not exactly a secret anymore."
"That doesn't matter!" Daphne insisted, forcing Pansy to keep quiet.
Tom, who was following them, tilted his head, feeling as if they were discussing his master.
Barking twice, Tom struggled to climb the stairs with his short legs.
Seeing this, Daphne picked him up. Tom was a small dog, and fit perfectly in her arms.
When John came back, he happened to run into Daphne who was furiously rubbing his dog's head in the common room. John looked down on Tom's dog-licking look.
"Thanks for taking care of Tom," John said.
Daphne smiled and replied, "Oh, I like Tom too. By the way, how do you plan to spend tomorrow?"
She glanced to the side, pretending to ask casually, but with a hint of curiosity, "Umm.. Professor Lockhart mentioned he's planning a surprise for everyone on Valentine's Day."
"Him? A surprise?"
When John heard this, he immediately realized that the restless Lockhart was up to something again.
He completely missed Daphne's mention of Valentine's Day.
His eyelid twitched, and his instincts told him that Lockhart was definitely not planning anything good.
The Duelling Club, which had caught the students' interest thanks to Lockhart's surprisingly impressive initial display, had become a regular Saturday evening event.
John had thought that this would keep Lockhart occupied and out of trouble, but it seemed that the professor still wanted to stir things up.
'It seems I can't let him stay idle, or he'll keep causing problems,' John decided. There was no way he was going to let Lockhart continue his fuckery. Since Lockhart liked writing books so much, John thought it best to send him off to do just that, and stop him from tormenting the students.
The next day, when John saw the twelve dwarfs dressed as cupids, he facepalmed.
Especially when he received a Valentine's card that one of the dwarfs enthusiastically performed.
It was a moment of pure embarrassment. Malfoy wanted to laugh but didn't dare because John was glaring at him.
________
12 Advance Chapters—Patreon.com/Dragonel
"Your eyes are as beautiful as a salamander's, and your hair looks like oiled silk. Pfft, John, this is a terrible love letter."
Malfoy finally couldn't hold back his laughter, and John shot him an annoyed glare.
"Let me throw it away for you. It might be one of those damn Weasley pranks."
Malfoy took it upon himself to dispose of John's love letter, but John snatched it back with a huff, "Forget it, I'll keep it."
He folded the letter, What if it was really sent by a girl? It would be too hurtful to throw it away casually.
Malfoy smoothed his hair and looked over at Harry, deliberately saying loudly, "Look, our savior also got a love letter."
"Shut up, Malfoy."
Harry was struggling as one of the dwarfs clung to his knees, refusing to let go. He had no choice but to listen to the dwarf perform.
His green eyes were described as pickled toads, which was just as bad as John's salamander eyes.
This made John suspect that the Weasley twins were behind the prank.
Leaving the Great Hall, John found Lockhart and gave him a task.
"Aren't you fond of writing books? Then write one for me!"
He ordered Lockhart to write a book titled Swinging the Sword at Hogwarts, so he wouldn't have to watch Lockhart causing trouble any longer.
Unlocking the Gryffindor's Secret Chamber, the Felix Felicis potion was nearing completion.
With the last ingredient added, the potion became as clear as water.
Carefully using a dropper, John placed the Felix Felicis into a glass bottle shaped like a water bulb. After months of preparation, the final yield was just a small amount.
Sealing the bottle, John finally exhaled in relief.
The Felix Felicis was crystal clear, with the flickering candlelight reflecting off its surface.
John murmured softly, "Now the trip to the Chamber is secured."
He wrapped a protective charm string around the bottle's neck to make a pendant, deciding not to store it in his small pouch.
The Felix Felicis was too valuable; he needed to keep it close.
He wore the pendant around his neck, tucking it safely inside his shirt.
John then made his way to the second-floor girls' bathroom.
Apart from him, no one knew the entrance to the Chamber was there.
After scanning the room to ensure no one had been around, he snapped his fingers.
|"Badge, come."|
The badge, hidden behind the mirror, flew over. John caught it, and as his left hand brushed over it, the stars on the badge turned pale blue.
"The snake hasn't come out, and apart from Moaning Myrtle, only Harry and his friends have been here."
After a moment of contemplation, John put the badge into his pocket.
He then approached the broken toilet and politely knocked on it.
"Hi, Moaning Myrtle, I need your help with something."
Moaning Myrtle floated out of the toilet, her voice sharp and angry as she said, "Moaning Myrtle, Moaning Myrtle, can't you stop bullying Moaning Myrtle!"
"Well, if you're willing to help me, I'd be happy to give you a gift."
John shrugged. As a person trained by his mother to attend her various parties, he knew how to handle social situations.
Upon hearing about a gift, Moaning Myrtle stopped crying and floated around John a few times.
"You know I'm a ghost, right?"
She thought John was trying to deceive her, as ghosts couldn't receive gifts.
Ghosts retain the state they were in one second before death, like Nearly Headless Nick, whose head was nearly severed but still had a small connection, preventing him from fully joining the Headless team.
Seeing that she didn't believe him, John didn't waste any more words. He raised his wand and pointed it at Moaning Myrtle.
"What are you doing!" Moaning Myrtle screamed, darting around in panic.
"Shh, quiet."
John motioned for her to be silent, then smiled lightly and said, "This is my gift to you."
"Mutatio est anima forma"
As the incantation was spoken, a stream of white smoke emerged from John's wand, enveloping Moaning Myrtle.
He reached into his small bag and pulled out a feathered hairpin, gripping it in his right hand.
The hairpin quickly disappeared from his hand, and in Moaning Myrtle's hand, the feathered hairpin began to materialize.
"How is this possible?"
Moaning Myrtle touched the hairpin in disbelief, the feel of the feathers in her hand exactly as it had been when she was alive.
"A simple spell, a conversion of material between life and death. Wizards who refuse death become ghosts. In the magical world, there are beings that walk between the living and the dead, and I've just borrowed their methods."
John spoke casually, but the process was actually extremely difficult.
The hairpin was made from a Thestral feather, and with the added Hogwarts engraving, it allowed the hairpin to exist in a ghostly state within Hogwarts.
In the book Moste Potente Potions, there were some spells related to souls; this was just an experiment.
John's ultimate goal with ghost-related spells was to transform the ordinary deceased into ghosts.
Strictly speaking, this could be considered dark magic.
Manipulating life and death—any who dabbles in such will bear great sin.
John opened his palm, and the hairpin crumbled into a handful of ashes that slipped through his fingers.
He smiled and said, "Now, will you help me?"
"Of course!"
Moaning Myrtle was overjoyed, darting around the room.
John pointed to the faucet marked with a serpent symbol and said, "I need you to go down this pipe and take a look."
Last time, John had jumped down, but without opening the entrance this time, he had to rely on Moaning Myrtle's ability to move freely through barriers.
Ghosts can visit places they walked in life, and fortunately, the Slytherin Chamber was built into Hogwarts.
John could use the ghost spell to temporarily grant Myrtle the freedom to explore.
At this moment, John felt immense gratitude towards the creators of the Marauder's Map.
Thanks to the Marauder's Map, John was able to connect with the magical engravings of Hogwarts.
"Yeah! Don't worry!"
Moaning Myrtle descended through the faucet pipe, phasing through the tunnels all the way to the bottom.
After some time, about fifteen minutes later, John heard a noise coming from the toilet.
He looked over and saw Moaning Myrtle emerging from the toilet, looking confused.
"How did I get back here?"
Moaning Myrtle seemed dazed. John realized that the ghost spell had worn off, and he waved his hand, saying, "Umm, seems my spell expired. It pulled you back to the starting point."
"That's a shame. I saw a wall with two intertwined serpents on it."
Myrtle, still savoring the rare freedom she had experienced, lamented, "That wall had magic on it, and I couldn't pass through."
'A wall? That must be the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.'
Gleaning this bit of information, John thanked Moaning Myrtle.
After leaving the girls' bathroom, John muttered to himself, "It seems I can't do this without Harry. He's the key; I need him."
It seems without Parseltongue, he wouldn't be able to enter the Slytherin Chamber, even if he reached its entrance.
John decided to seek Harry's cooperation.
However, as he said this, he didn't notice that someone nearby had overheard his words.
...
Harry's scar throbbed with pain, and a voice echoed in his mind.
"He's the key; I need him."
A vision flashed before his eyes: John, with a dark and brooding expression, walking out of the girls' bathroom, muttering to himself.
After this vision, Harry found himself in the Trophy Room.
A golden medal bearing the name "Riddle" appeared before him.
Harry felt dazed, only snapping back to reality after Hermione called his name several times.
"I told you, Harry needs to rest," Ron said, thinking Harry was simply exhausted.
The Transfiguration homework was overwhelming, leaving them barely able to breathe.
Hermione was displeased. She thought, with so little homework, it felt like an insult. If the Slytherins saw this, they'd think Gryffindors couldn't handle it.
"Ten more assignments, one for each of us!" she thought defiantly.
"Ron, you're right. I do need to rest," Harry suddenly said.
He stood up and walked out.
His behavior was strange, and Hermione and Ron exchanged glances, each seeing the confusion in the other's eyes.
"What's wrong with Harry?" Hermione asked.
...
On the first floor, John encountered Gemma Farley, who brought up the diary.
"I couldn't find an old magical diary. I've searched everywhere."
"Alright, thank you anyway. If another little wizard had gotten hold of it, that would have been disastrous."
Gemma Farley had been quite helpful in searching for the diary, so John wasn't going to be too hard on her.
After she left, John sighed and muttered to himself, "Tom Riddle, where are you hiding? Stop playing games."
Voldemort was like a worm in the gutter—though not dangerous at the moment, he was still incredibly annoying.
With that, John headed back to the Slytherin dungeon. After he was gone, Harry appeared from around the corner of the staircase.
He stared at John's retreating figure, recalling the golden medal he had seen.
"John seems really wary of this Riddle. But why?"
Harry felt he was close to uncovering the truth and made his way to the Trophy Room, as he had seen in his vision.
There, he found Riddle's medal, and in the corner, there was a diary.
It seemed as though a diary had been waiting for him for a long time.
_________
Read 12 Advance Chapters:
Patreon.com/Dragonel