Chapter 71: Slytherin

"After exchanging and obtaining new information," Trig said, "I still insist on my point of view; the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is very likely not a Basilisk but a Gorgon, which can also explain why Slytherin's descendant is impatient to open the Chamber of Secrets. The so-called hating one's own Muggle birth is still a bit far-fetched. I think since he has the ability to communicate with snakes and issue orders, who can refuse a snake-haired, tsundere, flat-chested loli maid who can chat?"

Lu Na pinched him and interrupted: "Seriously, I am starting to feel that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is indeed a Basilisk. Compared to wizards from outside the school targeting Deng Buliduo, I think the attack is more likely to be done by students, because the first victim was Mrs. Norris. I guess the attacker just opened the Chamber of Secrets and learned that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets would kill the victim. Out of fear, he chose to attack Mrs. Norris first, and after discovering that the cat was only petrified, he started attacking other students."

"Let me add," Trig put away his playfulness and said seriously: "From this angle, if it was a wizard from outside the school launching the attack, even if the first victim didn't choose a student, attacking the kitchen would be a better choice, which could exert more pressure on Deng Buliduo. And the first victim was Filch's bad cat, which everyone hates; I think it can almost be determined that it was an attack launched by a student."

"Then let me talk about my view," after their speeches ended, Jin Ni continued. "I think starting from this angle, we can consider why the second victim was Colin Creevey. We investigated the classmates around Colin, and no one expressed dissatisfaction with him; this is a very strange thing. Considering several characteristics of Colin, perhaps the attacker intended to attack Harry Potter's fans, perhaps intended to attack people who publicly held Muggle items, perhaps intended to attack any Gryffindor student at random. I think the first point is more likely."

"Compared to the reason for attacking Colin, I am thinking about another question," Ivy said. "There is one thing I think it is necessary to verify; do you remember what Tang Mu's middle name is?"

"I have an impression," Malfoy was about to speak, but he suddenly choked and didn't speak himself, but took out the diary from his robe.

Only one signature, "Tang Mu Riddle," was written on the title page, and after Malfoy wrote down to ask Tang Mu for his full name, a line of fancy signatures slowly emerged: Tang Mu Ma Woluo Riddle.

Everyone present fell silent. Harry couldn't see the notebook surrounded by the crowd at this time and felt very curious.

"I think this is not necessarily a coincidence; allow me to ask again," Malfoy continued to write in the diary. He asked about Tang Mu's background, but Tang Mu told him that he was an orphan who grew up in a Muggle orphanage, and the name was the only information his mother left for him.

"Perhaps, the Slytherin descendant we have been looking for is among us," Malfoy said with a gloomy face. The atmosphere of the entire meeting suddenly became heavy; it seemed that this was no longer any other meeting, and they returned to the original purpose of the first time: the self-inspection of the group of eight.

Perhaps to take care of Harry, Malfoy said again the information he just noticed: "Since the memory sealed in the diary is Tang Mu Ma Woluo Riddle, and Ma Woluo Gaunt is the last recorded Slytherin descendant, I think Tang Mu's background might not be as simple as a Muggle orphan; this also proves why this diary was treasured by my father."

"Because Tang Mu is precisely the last descendant of Salazar Slytherin in this world," Malfoy said with a gloomy face. "As a memory sealed in a magical object, he answers every question. It is very likely that the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets is one of us; this person obtained key information from the diary, so even if this person is not Slytherin's descendant, it is better than Slytherin's descendant."

"Then that's it," Pan Xi said. "The opener of the Chamber of Secrets is very likely Jin Ni or Ivy; only you two would want to attack Colin because he is Harry's fan, otherwise others don't know Colin at all, so how could they think of attacking him? If I were the opener of the Chamber of Secrets, I would definitely attack those Muggle-borns who have obvious enemies, so that I could frame the crime of opening the Chamber of Secrets on others."

"I think you are the opener of the Chamber of Secrets, Pan Xi," Trig said seriously. "First of all, Jin Ni and Ivy have a very good relationship with Colin; they even formed a Harry Potter fan club together; the people these two really don't like are Zhang Qiu. Secondly, if they really learned about the opening of the Chamber of Secrets from the diary, why would they say it out? This matter is equivalent to Malfoy taking the initiative to open the self-inspection meeting after learning that the diary involved a conspiracy. If you want to deny this logic, then Malfoy is still suspicious. Finally, you directly said the plan in your heart; if you attack Colin, you can just frame Ivy and Jin Ni, but you didn't expect that they actually have a good relationship with Colin."

"In fact, these behaviors that could have not been done but were done cannot prove who is innocent; this is a pseudo-logic," Lu Na said. "If Malfoy didn't organize the self-inspection meeting to tell everyone the news, then the fact that the diary involved a conspiracy would also be checked sooner or later; at that time, he would look very suspicious. Similarly, if Ivy noticed Tang Mu's middle name and didn't tell everyone, then when everyone noticed it, she couldn't use this point to show her innocence. I think Jin Ni and Ivy are indeed very suspicious; the main point is why the second attacker chose Colin."

"No, if it were me, the second attacker would choose Hermione," Jin Ni defended. "Colin is my friend, and also Harry's fan; most importantly, he is a boy. And Hermione has been by Neville's side; it's hard to say when she will pose a threat to us."

"This is just one angle," Ivy said. "The most important thing is, you directly assumed that the opener of the Chamber of Secrets intended to carry out a series of inhumane murders. Perhaps he just intended to attack Mrs. Norris? I think it is possible that Tang Mu only said the method of opening, but didn't say the method of closing. Attacking Colin was just the monster's own idea."

"I think this is very possible," Crabbe said. "Ivy is right; the opener of the Chamber of Secrets doesn't necessarily have to be for any purpose to open the Chamber of Secrets. Tang Mu said this is human nature and curiosity; we climb mountains because the mountains are there, and the reason for opening the Chamber of Secrets might also be just because the Chamber of Secrets is there."

"Could it be that the opener of the Chamber of Secrets originally just wanted to find a secret base to hide things in the school, and Tang Mu misunderstood his meaning," Gao Er guessed. "And only after opening the Chamber of Secrets did he find that there was a monster inside, but it couldn't be closed at that time."

Harry also felt dizzy at this time. He could understand the problem of the diary, but then it was very weird. Except for Trig and Lu Na talking about logic-related wheels there, everyone from Jin Ni to Gao Er was very suspicious, and even said their own criminal psychology directly.

"Listening to your speeches, I think Ivy is a bit strange," Malfoy said. "You said the opener of the Chamber of Secrets didn't intend to start a murder, but in your cognition, the monster in the Chamber of Secrets should be a very dangerous Basilisk."

"That's because I already somewhat believe that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a Gorgon," Ivy said eagerly. "The two consecutive victims were petrified; I think compared to explaining it as a coincidence of not looking directly, it is more likely because the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was originally a bit soft-hearted. And, no one has ever said that looking indirectly at a Basilisk will petrify; this was originally just our guess."

"Assuming what you said is the truth, then I think Crabbe and Gao Er are very strange," Malfoy named them again. "Why do you feel that the opening of the Chamber of Secrets was completely accidental? If the Chamber of Secrets was indeed premeditated, then the opener must have planned it for a long time, but how could he think of obtaining information from the notebook? Because I considered at the beginning that we all obtained the notebook by accident, so opening the Chamber of Secrets might not be a planned behavior."

"But if the opener of the Chamber of Secrets obtained information from Tang Mu," Gao Er said, "why don't we ask Tang Mu?"

"At the first meeting, I said it; Tang Mu told me that someone asked him about information related to the Chamber of Secrets, and none of you admitted it," Malfoy said. "Now it seems that the opener of the Chamber of Secrets can almost be determined to be among us, if the Chamber of Secrets really opened."

"If you want to say that, I think there is indeed another possibility," Pan Xi said. "It just so happens that there is no direct look at the Basilisk, or the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a kind-hearted Gorgon; these things are things with very small possibilities. By comparison, I would rather believe that the spider mutated into petrifying venom. If the attack was launched by a spider that Hagrid couldn't control, and the person planning to target Deng Buliduo took the opportunity to paint blood words on the wall, explaining the original accidental event as the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets, is there this possibility?"

"Just looking at the blood words," Malfoy said, "this entire Chamber of Secrets event should be premeditated. The first attack occurred on Halloween; even if it was accidentally learned from the notebook about the opening method of the Chamber of Secrets, the attacker had a whole October to study this matter."

"It's getting late; I think we can end it today," in the end, Malfoy examined the expressions of everyone present. "We still have to self-inspect at a frequency of once every two weeks, but if the attack doesn't happen again next, then this matter might not need to be taken so seriously." ===== CHAPTER 72 =====

"It's getting late, I think we can finish for today." Finally, Ma Erfu scrutinized the expression of everyone present. "We should still keep to our bi-weekly frequency for self-checks, but if the attacks don't happen again, then perhaps this matter won't need to be handled so solemnly."