A little wizard and the caretaker were attacked together in Hogwarts Castle, much like the new transfer student this year; these are all rare events that happen once in a century.
So, in the following days, everyone in the castle talked about Ron and Filch being attacked.
The opening of the Secret Chamber didn't scare them; on the contrary, the news of Filch's petrification made nearly all the little wizards (except those who were caught by Snape for night wandering) quite happy.
The corridor with the slogans even became a pilgrimage site in everyone's mind; almost all the "accidentally" passing little wizards would stare at those scarlet letters for a long while, then turn back and solemnly share their guesses about the heir with their companions.
Although very few of these guesses were reliable, Snape eventually became the top "heir candidate" with the most votes.
... William heard he had received quite a few votes too, because he was a new student this year and seemed to have a tendency to claim Mrs. Loris for himself, so the reason for opening the Secret Chamber was to "eliminate" Filch.
Time, person, motive—everything was complete...
The elements were so complete that even William began to suspect himself, because that diary is truly in his hands now.
...
"Do you think... who could be the 'heir' who opened the Secret Chamber?"
"I don't know, it's not me."
In the dining hall, at the Hufflepuff table, William shook his head—even though he had started persistently writing a diary daily, sincere and full of pearls of wisdom. But whether the other party was too cautious, or the power he left with Ginny reinforced the other party too much, to the extent their senses became overly sharp, the diary just wouldn't reveal anything, seeming no different from an ordinary diary.
As for the diary's subjects, naturally they incorporated Cedric's current life—teenage years, love, troubles... everything perfectly matched what Ginny had told him.
"I never said it was you." Cedric shook his head, spreading jam on the bread slice in his hand, speaking softly, "I still think the heir is Snape... you see, he hates Half-Bloods, dislikes Gryffindor, dislikes Harry Potter and his friends—"
Sitting opposite the two, Ernie Macmillan also joined the discussion, cautiously turning to look at the teachers' table—Snape was having a staring contest with a plate of fried fish, "Plus, I heard Filch is a Squib, which in the eyes of all Pure-Blood Wizards is also a Being—"
"Snape is also a Half-Blood." William, suddenly inserting, poured the pudding in his bowl into his mouth.
"Yeah, you see what I'm saying... uh uh uh huh?"
"Oh, don't you guys know?" Watching the sudden multiple gazes thrown at him, William wiped his mouth, somewhat puzzled.
"How do you know?" Cedric asked, his face shocked.
"...I have a friend."
William indeed had a friend, as a werewolf, Fenrir Greyback was not favored by Voldemort during the Wizard War, not even having a Dark Mark as a Death Eater on his arm—
Being long accustomed to exclusion and isolation, he naturally knew not to put all his chips in one place.
Hence, he began investigating all the Death Eaters who had been frequenting around Voldemort, knowing that if he possessed enough information, as long as he confessed enough "comrades", the idiots at the Ministry of Magic would surely give him a way out—
It was merely backstabbing fellow clansmen or teammates, a usual tactic of his.
Moreover, to him, those Black Wizards hardly counted as teammates.
Then what he feared indeed occurred, Voldemort genuinely fell, the Death Eaters scattered like monkeys when the tree falls, but perhaps the Ministry of Magic folks were idiotic beyond belief, Fenrir prepared a full list that ultimately wasn't used, this all was "contributed" to William—
William now even knew which way the Malfoy family's door opens.
"...Malfoy the fool knows well what I know, so he dares not report me to the Ministry of Magic, whereas I can spend the full moon night at his house playing 'games' with his son—thus, he must assist me."
During the initial fall of the Dark Lord—also when the situation was the most tense—Fenrir relied on threatening Lucius Malfoy to receive support and finally survive.
"...So perhaps, the next person to be attacked might be Snape? After all, in Hogwarts, the person with the most enemies is certainly him!"
Justin Finchley suddenly said from Macmillan's right side, and his speculation quickly gained unanimous agreement from everyone. Their faces changed at such a speed—just moments ago, they were suspicious of Snape, yet now some were beginning to express sympathy—
Of course, in most people's eyes there was schadenfreude not fearing the commotion getting bigger.
"I'll head out first." Borrowing the bread slice Cedric had spread with jam, William stood up.
"Uh..." Cedric gazed blankly at his empty hands, hesitated for a moment, "Wait a sec, why don't you come with me to the Quidditch Pitch?"
"...Okay."
"And, the bread... I spread three layers of jam on it!"
"Cough cough, Sammo Bread?" William blinked, his mouth full.
...
Today is Saturday; there will be a Quidditch match at noon—currently, the atmosphere between Gryffindor and Slytherin is like a powder keg ready to explode; if not for professors sitting nearby, the stands would undoubtedly break out in a fight the next moment.
"...Are you confident, Harry?"
In the locker room, Wood placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, his voice deep, "Even if their brooms are better than ours, a Quidditch pitch isn't where having a rich daddy guarantees victory, so today, you must catch the Snitch before Malfoy does, or die on the field, because today we must win! Tell me, are you confident?"
"...I am!"
Surveying his teammates around, Harry gripped his Nimbus 2000 tightly, feeling the wood's texture, he replied loudly.
"That's good, follow me."
Wood stepped out of the locker room first, Gryffindor players in red uniforms filed out, the leaden gray sky hung low.
"Don't stress too much either, Harry." Before leaving, Fred winked at Harry.
As Harry walked towards the pitch, he was greeted by a cacophony of noise.
Of course, mainly with cheers and applause, as Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff both hoped to see Slytherin defeated, yet amidst, one could also hear booing and jeering from within the Slytherin crowd.
With Ms. Hooch's final countdown, fourteen brooms shot off into the sky, carrying their owners with them.