The weather turned colder, and frost began to form. It seemed the academy, affected by the weather, had lost its usual liveliness.
The chamber had opened, but the killer was wreaking havoc everywhere, and the panic caused had already disrupted the normal functioning of the school.
Students hurried about, coming and going swiftly, not daring to linger even for a second in the corridors.
Zhao Lun, once composed, was no longer as calm. He followed closely behind Ron, heading toward the school hospital.
At the hospital, Zhao Lun saw two petrified individuals—Hermione and Penelope! He could hardly believe it. How could they both fall victim?
With Madam Pomfrey present, Zhao Lun remained silent, merely glancing at the two. They were frozen in place, still bearing expressions of terror, as if they had been turned to stone.
Zhao Lun felt a pang of guilt. He had failed to pay closer attention to the known behind-the-scenes culprit, leading his friends into such a dire situation.
Speaking of the mastermind, though Zhao Lun had some idea, the culprit was cunning and had managed to avoid detection, leaving Zhao Lun with no means to act.
"Alright! You've truly angered me now!"
Seeing his friends harmed, Zhao Lun could no longer stay passive. He resolved that he would not rest until he uncovered the killer.
Life at the academy went on.
Except for the students of Slytherin, everyone else was on edge. Slytherin's students, with Draco Malfoy leading the way, continued to provoke Gryffindor every day.
Today, however, luck was not on Malfoy's side. Upon his arrival, he slipped on the floor and fell flat on his face, losing a few teeth and bleeding profusely.
The unluckiest of all were his two lackeys, who, caught by Malfoy's fall, ended up tumbling down with him, almost knocking the breath out of themselves.
They slunk away to Madam Pomfrey in defeat.
"Who did this? Step forward!"
It wasn't long before Professor Snape arrived, glaring at every student who passed through the corridor. His menacing gaze frightened them all, leaving students too afraid to approach the area.
Fuming, his deep voice sent shivers through the crowd. He immediately pinned the blame on Harry Potter, as everyone knew about his ongoing rivalry with Malfoy. Though their so-called "love-hate" relationship had been disproven, some still believed in it.
"Heh heh! You'd better not let me find out who did this!"
The irritable Filch also appeared, glaring at every suspicious student, ready to avenge his cat.
Despite the headmaster's confirmation that Harry was innocent, Filch refused to believe it. He had always suspected that Harry was retaliating, and thus kept his eyes on Harry even before the incident occurred.
Harry and Ron, feeling unjustly accused, knew the misfortune that had befallen their long-time rival, and couldn't help but come to witness the spectacle and mock him. However, what they didn't expect was to encounter Snape and Filch, who treated them as "suspects"—an entirely unfair situation.
Having failed to witness the desired drama, they found themselves caught in an absurd trap, further humiliated by the two of them.
They couldn't have been more frustrated. They hadn't even been involved, yet their reputations were tarnished. As they cursed Malfoy under their breath, they were reminded of how this troublemaker always ran to his parents whenever he encountered a setback. This time, however, they weren't guilty, and the false accusation stung deeply.
"Ha ha, Harry! It's you again!"
"You just can't resist trying to gain attention this way!"
"Well, don't think you can get away with it! I'll expose you. This wasn't your doing! We were together at the time."
Professor Lockhart then arrived, pulling the stunned children away, effectively rescuing them. For that moment, both Harry and Ron felt truly grateful to Professor Lockhart, who had cleared their names.
"Professor Snape, Harry still needs to write me a letter, so I won't disturb you."
A letter? A cursed letter! The professors had long recognized his true nature, and no one cared for him anymore. Even Snape ignored him, and Filch pretended not to see him.
Lockhart, though shameless in necessary circumstances, generally avoided Filch. Today, sensing Snape's predatory demeanor, he wisely dragged the boys away.
Ron, Harry's ever-loyal companion, quietly followed suit.
With one less opportunity to punish Harry, Filch was not pleased. Angrily clutching his kettle, he stood guard, terrifying the students. They feared he might pour boiling water on them.
Filch, who constantly sought to make life difficult for students, was well-known for his preparations of torture devices, which he cleaned daily. Many students had encountered these devices and feared them greatly.
No one dared to sacrifice themselves to amuse him. Thus, they cautiously steered clear of him, avoiding giving him any excuse to punish them.
In the end, nothing came of the incident, though someone else was eventually implicated—Norwegian!
Out in the cold night, wandering instead of sleeping, there was clearly something wrong with him. Filch was certain he was the one behind the attacks. No one could persuade him otherwise.
Norwegian's cries were of no use. The more he cried, the more Filch reveled in it.
No one believed Norwegian was the real culprit. Everyone knew his tendency to forget the password, which was a well-known quirk—even after all this time. Being locked out for forgetting the password was entirely normal, and even the professors had grown used to it.
None of this mattered to Filch, though. His beloved cat had been turned to stone, and he needed to vent his anger. With relentless determination, he refused to be stopped, even by the headmaster.
Eventually, things calmed down. The Quidditch match continued, the Bludger went out of control, the Duelling Club resumed, and Malfoy, missing a few teeth, returned, seeking revenge on Harry, even turning him into a Parselmouth. Everyone, except Zhao Lun, suspected Harry, leaving him feeling miserable.
Lockhart's performance was becoming increasingly disappointing to the students, and they began losing trust in him.
"The Malfoy family has a house-elf named Dobby."
"He's the one who stopped me from coming to school during the holidays."
"My scar is hurting again. I sense something bad is about to happen."
He confided in Zhao Lun, feeling a sense of relief afterward, and was about to leave.
"And also, Hagrid's situation isn't good."
"He's been reported!"
Lately, his life had been filled with nightmares, rumors, and a crazy fan constantly snapping photos of him. Worst of all, Ron believed he was the heir of Slytherin, which saddened him deeply.
The only friends he could rely on were Zhao Lun and Hagrid. Now, there were rumors that he had unleashed a monster that attacked students, and he was being investigated. If found guilty, he would face severe punishment.
All these negative developments weighed heavily on him.
"Mm." Zhao Lun nodded, and the two went to the hospital wing to visit the soon-to-be-discharged students.
To their surprise, the two had fallen victim. Fortunately, the batch of Mandrake roots had matured, and the antidote was ready to cure them. This was a small relief.
Even better, they were now closer to identifying the killer. If the culprit was caught, not only would the school's crisis be averted, but Hagrid's problems could also be resolved.