The second week after the Christmas holiday, Aileen and the three prefects were late for the morning meeting again.

After more than a year since enrolling, Hermione, Hannah, and Luna had finally understood the uncertain distance within "Hogwarts Castle." They could flexibly control the length of the journey by letting Aileen walk in the front, thus extending the interrogation time of "walking and talking."

Therefore, when they arrived at the Great Hall, it was already full of people.

All the usual decorations had disappeared, replaced by banners representing the four houses of Hogwarts.

And on the wall behind the faculty table hung a huge curtain emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest.

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this style of Great Hall decoration had only one meaning: the start of a new school year.

Aileen and her group walked to the Hufflepuff table, found a few empty seats at the end, and quietly sat down, curiously looking around.

The air was filled with a chaotic buzz of discussion, as many young wizards talked anxiously and excitedly. Everyone was guessing what the professors would announce later. A few well-informed students were sharing what they had heard from their parents with gusto. Anyone who had paid even a little attention to the changes around the school had mostly noticed the foreign wizards appearing around Hogsmeade.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall picked up a silver spoon and gently tapped her goblet.

The crisp, melodious sound spread out like magical ripples.

The noise in the hall gradually subsided.

At the same time, Professor Dumbledore also stood up from the faculty table.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said softly, looking at everyone. "Of course, it may be a little late to say that now—"

He paused, his gaze falling on the Slytherin table.

Before Dumbledore spoke, there had been a very strange, oppressive atmosphere there.

Most of the young wizards at the Slytherin table had a newspaper in their hands. The black and white magical pictures, and the seemingly identical page layout style, exacerbated this sense of oppression, especially with the curious and uneasy gazes of other houses around them.

"These matters should have been explained at the end of the Christmas holidays, on the day the new semester began."

Dumbledore said, his gaze shifting away from the Slytherin table, surveying the faces upturned in the hall.

"However, due to the importance of the matter, and some teaching reforms at Hogwarts, we decided to explain everything together at the start of the second week. Now, I must trouble everyone to listen to an old man's ramblings... I believe some of us know a little about the content, but I still implore you to listen patiently and carefully, because for some strange reason, newspapers and word-of-mouth are often not so comprehensive and accurate."

"First, about what happened at Hogwarts Castle during the last Christmas holiday."

"And before that, perhaps we should first confront and trace back some of the ancient legends about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, his clear blue eyes sweeping over the students in the hall, and said calmly.

"You all certainly know that Hogwarts School was founded more than a thousand years ago—the exact date is uncertain—by the four greatest wizards of that time. The four houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Together, they built this castle, far from the prying eyes of Muggles..."

"In the early years, the founders worked together harmoniously, searching for young people who showed signs of magic, and bringing them to the castle to nurture them. However, gradually, differences arose between them. The rift between Slytherin and the others grew wider. Slytherin wanted Hogwarts to be more selective when admitting students. He believed that magical education should be limited to pure-wizarding families. He was unwilling to accept Muggle-born children, believing them to be unreliable. After some time, Slytherin and Gryffindor had a fierce argument over this issue, and then Slytherin left the school. At the same time, a strange story suddenly began to circulate in Hogwarts..."

"The story said that Slytherin built a secret chamber in the castle, unknown to the other founders."

"According to this legend, Slytherin sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that no one could open it—sealing within it a terrible monster, which, once released, would attack students in the castle. In fact... in the past, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened more than once."

"I am incredibly ashamed that we have never been able to catch the real culprit or find the entrance to the Chamber—"

Dumbledore paused, looked around the quiet hall, and said calmly.

"The last person to open the Chamber of Secrets was called Tom Riddle, and he caused a horrifying murder at Hogwarts."

A tense murmur rippled through the hall.

Everyone raised their heads, staring at Dumbledore in horror and unease.

Unlike a few months ago, almost everyone in the wizarding world now knew that Voldemort's name was Tom Riddle.

However, compared to the previous "fear," people no longer shuddered or gasped when they heard "Tom Riddle."

"I believe many students will remember that Professor Binns took a short break a few months ago... Fortunately, by some chance, and after paying a certain price, Professor Binns finally found the location of the legendary Chamber of Secrets."

Dumbledore paused again, his gaze sweeping over a small silver head, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Now it seemed that fully trusting the judgment of this little witch was one of the most correct decisions he had made as headmaster.

It was still last semester, after he "confirmed" Aileen's Seer status, that he asked the girl again about the source of the Chamber of Secrets information.

And Aileen's reply to him was that the attack "would" appear in her second year at Hogwarts, and listed the names of the victims shown in her "visions": Hermione Granger, Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Penelope Clearwater...

The credibility of this list was quite high, because there was a young wizard from the non-magical world who had not yet enrolled at that time.

Colin Creevey, before officially enrolling, only the headmaster knew this young wizard's name.

When Dumbledore saw this name in the Book of Admittance, his doubts about Aileen's "Seer" status completely disappeared, along with those "predictions" the girl had made... If those were all true, then the future would be too dangerous and terrible.

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Goo ah!