Chapter 99

“But the problem is, we still need to watch out for the rogue evil souls, Malfoy’s schemes, and the impostor pretending to be Neville.” On the way back to the dormitory, Ron stared gloomily at his remaining fingers, remembering these three unresolved matters.

“Not to mention, the attacker who struck Colin hasn’t been caught, and the secret he accidentally uncovered is now impossible to trace.” Neville sighed as well. “We still have a lot to do.”

“We don’t have to handle everything ourselves—we can use Malfoy.” Harry said with a hint of pride. “Zhang Qiu called this tactic ‘drive the tiger to devour the wolf.’”

“Finally, a Chinese idiom I can understand,” Ron rolled his eyes.

Finding a moment alone, Harry approached Malfoy and told him he wanted to hold another meeting to discuss the new developments.

At first, Malfoy was reluctant, muttering that not every matter needed to be discussed with Hufflepuff—this instantly made Harry understand his mindset.

"You invite the people you trust—I imagine that’s mostly the members of the self-inspection committee?" Harry smiled. "Of course, you can add others too."

“Ha, that’s a brilliant idea,” Malfoy’s mood visibly lifted. “I’ve long wanted to invite you and Zhang Qiu to join us.”

“Zhang Qiu probably won’t be too keen,” Harry said honestly—he didn’t want Ginny, Ivy, and Zhang Qiu all clustered around him at once; it was too overwhelming. “Then I’ll come alone. I’ll discuss the new findings with you.”

Another Sunday evening, Harry attended Malfoy’s meeting again. The same familiar faces were there, but this time Harry didn’t wear his invisibility cloak.

“I’m here to tell you all that the Chamber of Secrets has been thoroughly resolved,” Harry began, at Malfoy’s signal. “We found the hidden Chamber within the school—it did contain a Basilisk, but it’s been dead for a long time.”

“Dead for a long time?” Luna said. “How sad. Slytherin must not have left it enough food.”

“Anyway, the Chamber matter is essentially settled. I think you all should start thinking about what to do next.” Harry chose not to reveal the full truth.

“I believe that even without considering the Chamber or the diary, we’ve forged a deep friendship,” Malfoy, as a noble, naturally cultivated connections. “I suggest we keep our salon gatherings—and perhaps even form a secret society.”

“But a society needs a theme. Do we have any shared goals or ideals?” Harry thought this unrealistic—everyone present held different positions.

“We could simply exchange literature, share daily life, or even magical knowledge,” Cui Ge proposed. “Let’s call it the ‘Death Eaters Society’—poetry carries passion, dreams, friendship; our youthful spirit will be embodied in it.”

“Can we pick a different name?” Ginny stuck out her tongue. “I don’t like ‘death.’”

“Let’s base it on this term’s Chamber investigation,” Pan Xi said. “I think we all love this school, love its rich and lively campus life. Whoever tries to disrupt Hogwarts, we won’t allow it.”

“That’s true,” Malfoy nodded thoughtfully. “Though we come from different houses and families, with different ideals, none of us want to destroy this school.”

Even Voldemort dreamed of teaching here, Harry thought with a faint smile.

“I propose we make our theme ‘Love and Peace,’” Harry said. “We meet weekly to share interesting moments from our lives or exchange magical knowledge. But if something alarming happens at Hogwarts—like the Chamber being opened—we commit to solving it and uncovering the truth.”

“You said it perfectly—I think that’s exactly what we’ve done this year,” Crabbe said cheerfully.

“Indeed, no matter what the adults plan, we just want to enjoy these seven years at Hogwarts,” Malfoy agreed. Harry caught his implied meaning: Voldemort might be plotting something.

“Then let’s come up with a good name,” Luna said cheerfully. “Actually, I can’t wait to share some good news with you.”

“If we’re going to bear the responsibility of protecting the school’s peace, why not call it Torchwood?” Ivy said, uttering a name Harry found vaguely familiar.

“Legend says Queen Victoria once encountered a werewolf in a castle called Torchwood,” Ivy explained. “So she secretly established the Torchwood Institute to protect Britain from all supernatural threats.”

“Oh, that’s the story Clara told me,” Harry now almost certainly believed his childhood tutor Clara had been a witch. “I think it might be true—after all, the Ministry constantly monitors wizards misusing Muggle items; there must be a department preventing Muggles from encountering magical artifacts.”

“Actually, all things magical are managed by the Ministry,” Malfoy added. “What you’re describing is probably the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement—they also monitor underage magic performed by Muggle-borns outside school.”

“Even better—that means Torchwood might be a fictional organization, or vanished into history,” Cui Ge exclaimed excitedly. “That means we can use the name—so cool. A name no one understands, implying secrecy, a hidden mission, a mysterious ancient order. I already love Torchwood.”

“Actually, I think we shouldn’t limit ourselves to Hogwarts,” Goyle said, unusually offering his own thought. “Why not make our goal protecting Britain? That sounds cooler.”

“I think we shouldn’t push Cui Ge too hard—he’s American after all,” Malfoy said awkwardly.

“No, to love someone is to love all of them,” Cui Ge said earnestly. “If protecting Britain is Luna’s wish, then it’s mine too.”

“Not yet,” Luna tilted her head. “Let’s start with protecting Hogwarts.”

“Alright,” Malfoy concluded. “Based on the friendships we’ve built this year, we’ll form a secret society. We’ll call it Torchwood. Its purpose: eliminate all threats to Hogwarts’ normal academic life. Weekly, on Sundays, we’ll meet to share daily life and exchange magical knowledge.”

“Actually, I have an issue to raise,” Harry and Luna spoke almost simultaneously.

“You go first,” Luna shrugged.

“Alright,” Harry said. “I’m referring to the missing piece of the Chamber incident. According to our investigation, a ghost—or some object housing an evil soul—is circulating in the school. It’s the true cause of the Chamber’s opening.”

“You don’t mean the diary, do you?” Pan Xi looked skeptical.

“No. I believe there’s another object. The diary clearly isn’t evil.” Harry himself found nothing suspicious about the diary. “Also, there’s another villain who attacked Colin after he stumbled upon a secret. If we let this killer remain in the school, he might strike again for some other reason.”

“This is definitely worth our attention,” Malfoy agreed graciously. “In our free time, we can discuss Colin’s attacker and monitor whether any terrifying dark magical items are circulating among students.”

“By the way, Luna, what’s your issue?” Malfoy asked.

“I think I’ve found Ravenclaw’s diadem,” she said proudly.

Though none of the students present belonged to Ravenclaw, they were all stunned. Everyone at Hogwarts had heard of the founders’ relics: Slytherin’s locket and Hufflepuff’s cup were mere decorations, Gryffindor’s sword was just a sharp blade—but Ravenclaw’s diadem was said to hold astonishing wisdom.

“I’ve been studying the patterns of moving staircases for a while,” Luna said. “Their paths resemble an eagle. I thought they might conceal a code or magical gesture. I spent a long time tracing their movements.”

“True—you vanished completely all October,” Cui Ge complained.

“I tried casting the gesture, but it seemed to be missing a spell. I thought it might be Ravenclaw’s motto: ‘Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.’” As she spoke, her expression grew confused. “Then I had a dream—but it felt incredibly real.”

“I suddenly saw a door in the corridor. I walked in—it was a vast storage room, filled with everything. There was a cracked, bubbling cabinet, beside it boxes, a half-statue of an old wizard. On the side lay a wig and a diadem. Though dull and lifeless, I was certain it was Ravenclaw’s diadem. I picked it up—I was so happy. I wanted to try it on.”

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the rest of the story.

“Then I woke up—in my own bed. I believe this dream was Ravenclaw’s revelation: the diadem is hidden somewhere in the castle.”

“I’ll help you search,” Cui Ge held her hand. “We’ll push every door in the corridor.”

“I suggest you don’t forget about Colin’s attacker and the dark magical items,” Malfoy clearly didn’t believe the girl’s dream.

“Let’s apply Occam’s Razor—simplify the problem. I believe the diadem might be connected to those things too…” Cui Ge grinned.

“Come on, Malfoy,” Harry said wearily. “We’ve got time. At least the monster in the Chamber is dealt with—we can take our time finding this killer.”