One hour ago.
In Hogwarts' Great Hall, three young wizards were constantly sighing, filled with confusion about what would happen next Monday.
Even though they would attend the Magical Creatures Club's first meeting tomorrow, it couldn't erase their confusion about Monday.
Because if Seamus's intelligence was correct, next Monday Lockhart would bring them a real dark creature for teaching purposes.
Perhaps because the pixie incident hadn't gone wrong, Lockhart was now very confident in his abilities.
But they now had a clear understanding of Lockhart's capabilities. If that real dark creature wasn't one of the weaker ones like boggarts, then... would someone die next Monday?
Someone would definitely die!
Taking the pixie off his ear, Ron sighed and spoke in a tone as if his death were imminent:
"What do you think should be carved on my tombstone?"
Tapping his plate edge with a fork, Harry's expression also looked like death was approaching. "Just carve Lockhart's name. If we carve more, maybe we can become ghosts and haunt him for revenge."
"I don't think Lockhart would bring anything too dangerous?" Hermione's tone carried some hesitation. Although she was also thoroughly disappointed with Lockhart's performance these past weeks, the records in those books should have some basis in reality, right?
They couldn't all be made up, could they?
"Come on, I thought the same thing before our first Defence Against the Dark Arts class this term." Harry's expression was very helpless. He couldn't even eat properly now. "But after taking the first Defence class, that idea vanished into thin air."
"Is Defence Against the Dark Arts cursed or something?" Ron bit into a chicken leg. "Quirrell was like that; Lockhart is like that too. I heard George and Fred say that several Defence professors before we started school weren't normal people either."
"I remember Professor Kahn saying this course was cursed." Hermione hesitated. "For decades, no professor of this course has served for more than a year."
"Ha, cursed!" Taking another bite of chicken leg and swallowing, Ron's expression became even more helpless. "Then it looks like we'll never see a proper Defence Against the Dark Arts professor in our lifetime..."
But halfway through speaking, Ron suddenly noticed Harry's expression had become extremely stiff. Curious, he waved his hand in front of him.
"What's wrong?"
But Harry didn't respond to Ron waving his hand. He stopped all movement, as if concentrating on listening to something.
A hoarse and extremely cold voice slowly rang in his ears.
"Follow the heir's command... kill... act... no need to endure anymore..."
The voice gradually moved away. Harry's brow furrowed deeply as he looked toward where the voice came from.
After briefly analysing the meaning embedded in those words, Harry suddenly stood up and chased toward where the voice came from.
The heir's command? Killing?
"It seems like it's going to kill someone!"
Seeing Harry's actions, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, then quickly got up and followed.
The three ran wildly through the school corridors, first reaching the second floor, then racing toward the stairs leading to the third floor.
But just before rushing up the stairs, Ron suddenly stopped and looked toward a nearby corridor.
By another staircase leading upstairs, a boy in silver-green robes holding a notebook was walking forward calmly. He wasn't far from them, but their urgent footsteps hadn't attracted any attention from that boy.
That was... Malfoy?
Looking at Malfoy's eyes that were calm to the point of being vacant, Ron's heart was completely filled with confusion.
He had already felt that Malfoy had been acting very strange since last term.
And today, this strange feeling had become even stronger.
But before Ron could carefully analyse Malfoy's abnormality, Harry interrupted his thoughts.
"Quick, this way!"
Waving at the confused Ron, Harry charged toward the nearby stairs again, climbing up.
That cold voice still echoed in his ears, the killing intent in it growing stronger.
Not thinking about Malfoy anymore, Ron and Hermione directly caught up to Harry's pace.
The voice in his ears kept ringing. Harry ran at the front, identifying the sound while feeling somewhat anxious.
Although that voice had mentioned killing before, it had never shown such decisive behaviour as today.
What made it become like this? And who was this so-called heir?
While running, Harry felt his lungs beginning to ache, but that voice seemed to be getting more and more excited, as if it had already found its prey.
Just as Harry was feeling anxious, a sudden light interrupted his thoughts and made his steps pause slightly.
Blinding white light shone from his chest, and at the same time, two identical lights flickered behind him. Harry turned around in confusion, seeing Ron and Hermione had also stopped, looking bewildered at the sapphire pendants glowing at their chests.
These pendants were given to them by Professor Kahn a few days ago. He remembered Professor Kahn had instructed them when giving the pendants that if they lit up, it meant their current actions would be very dangerous.
Remembering Professor Kahn's instructions simultaneously, the three stopped and didn't dare go further.
And just then, a cat's piercing scream suddenly came from the corridor ahead.
"Meow!"
The scream was so intense, as if seeing something incredibly terrifying. Harry even wondered if this scream might damage its throat.
The next second, Harry felt something light leave his head as an anxious little girl's voice rang out from the open area ahead.
"Mrs Norris!"
After this cry, the bright light on the three young wizards' chests slowly faded, and they finally reacted, rushing toward the corridor ahead.
Turning the corner, Hermione's gaze immediately focused on that abrupt glimmer of light in the dim corridor.
It was a line of conspicuous writing glowing faintly in the dark corridor. After identifying it slightly, Hermione whispered:
"The Chamber has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware."
"What... is that?" Ron's trembling voice came from nearby. Following his gaze, Hermione looked at the ground, then shuddered.
In the weak light, she could vaguely see a cat standing arched on the ground, its dark grey fur standing on end, staring at the puddle of water on the ground, its whole body rigid like a stone.
Waving her wand, Hermione quietly recited a spell. Light scattered from her wand tip, letting her see the cat's appearance clearly.
That was Mrs Norris.