Chapter 298: The Sneaky Trio
Back at the castle, Kyle and his friends navigated the crowded corridors, heading to their next Transfiguration class. Over the past two days, students had been constantly asking about the Chamber of Secrets in nearly every class. But unlike Professor Sprout, the other professors weren't as tolerant.
In Transfiguration, a Gryffindor girl raised her hand during Professor McGonagall's lecture, only to be cut off before she could even utter the words "Chamber of Secrets."
"Ten points will be deducted from Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said, lips pursed tightly. "Miss Bell, I would suggest you focus more on your studies and less on such idle legends. If I recall correctly, you still haven't managed to turn a button into a beetle... That was the assignment from our first lesson, and now Halloween has already passed. At this rate, you might not even earn an Acceptable on your exam."
Katie Bell flushed deeply and slouched back in her seat, her head bowed. With her as an example, no one else dared to broach the subject. But while the Gryffindors bit their tongues, Hufflepuff students felt no need to ask—they'd already heard the whole story from Professor Sprout. Watching their Gryffindor classmates remain clueless, the Hufflepuffs couldn't help but feel a small, smug sense of superiority.
So much for being a Gryffindor...
When class ended, Kyle intended to head straight to the Great Hall for lunch. But as he reached the first floor, he was startled by a rapid series of "crackling" sounds from above. He recognized those sounds all too well—the signature blasts of props being triggered in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Without hesitation, Kyle turned and sprinted up the stairs, drawing his wand and readying his suitcase as he went. Could it be the diary's owner? Or... the Basilisk! His heart pounded as he ran. If it was a person, fine, but if it was the Basilisk... he wasn't sure if it would still obey him. And if it didn't... could Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback, handle it?
With these thoughts racing through his mind, Kyle hurried down the corridor leading to Myrtle's bathroom. But as he arrived, he froze, surprised to see three familiar faces standing at the bathroom door.
"Harry, Hermione, Ron?" Kyle asked, blinking in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
The trio looked startled, clearly spooked by the string of explosions, and only fully registered Kyle's presence when he spoke.
Harry turned around, flustered. "We... we were just passing by... yeah, just passing by!"