Chapter 141 The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened

While everyone else was immersed in the festive atmosphere, Ma Jun felt nothing at all.

For him, only the Spring Festival was a true celebration; most other domestic and foreign holidays were merely days off.

Yet days off held no appeal whatsoever for Ma Jun. Whenever he desired, any time could be a time of rest.

During his time as a teacher at Hogwarts, Ma Jun had noticed that Dumbledore was focusing an excessive amount of attention on him, though the old headmaster seemed to think Ma Jun had not noticed.

Fortunately, after a few classes, Ma Jun had established a solid reputation among the students. They could clearly and noticeably feel that their magical abilities were improving by leaps and bounds.

Even Neville Longbottom, that famously inept student, could now easily cast quite a few defensive spells.

Perhaps because of this, and because Dumbledore had failed to discover any other bizarre behavior on Ma Jun's part, the headmaster gradually relaxed his scrutiny.

Now, Ma Jun could roam the library without the slightest reservation, freely perusing the Dark Arts books that he had coveted for so long.

When people feel their strength growing, they experience a profound sense of satisfaction.

Consequently, Ma Jun spent his entire day in the library. Many of the studious Ravenclaw students grew familiar with him—and, of course, that included Hermione.

This brilliant little academic overachiever also spent most of her time in the library. She had helped Ma Jun quite a bit; her unique insights into numerous spells provided Ma Jun with endless inspiration every time they spoke.

Although lacking in practical combat experience, Ma Jun believed his current strength had grown immensely compared to before he arrived in this plane.

At present, Ma Jun could soar through the skies at will, easily deal with an entire army, and cast magic effortlessly with a flick of his wrist.

The Halloween feast arrived right on schedule.

The Great Hall was decorated everywhere with items like jack-o'-lanterns. The fine drizzle and gloomy weather outside could not dampen the joyful holiday spirit in the least.

The students let loose, eating, drinking, and making merry.

At the staff table, Ma Jun exchanged toasts with the professors and discussed various spellwork topics with Professor Flitwick.

Even though Mr. Snape always wore that trademark deadpan expression, no one was dampened by it.

I must say, the house-elves kept by Hogwarts prepared exceptionally good food. Even Ma Jun, who was not particularly accustomed to Western cuisine, had to praise it.

Ever since he had cultivated his internal martial arts energy, his nutritional demands were extremely high. From the beginning of the banquet until the very end, he had not stopped chewing.

The students left one after another, still unsatisfied, chatting and laughing loudly as they went.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out among them, as if they had encountered something startling.

When Ma Jun hurried to the scene alongside a group of professors, Draco—that fresh-faced youth whose love for Harry had twisted into hatred—was laughing gloatingly, "Hmph, you non-pure-blood wizards had better watch out, hehe..."

There in the corridor hung Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, her tail suspended from a torch bracket, her body as stiff as a board and her eyes wide and staring.

On the wall nearby was a row of blood-red words: "THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE!"

Filch, who had only this cat for a companion in his daily life, was screaming in furious, helpless despair, "My cat! My cat!" He roared at Harry, "It was you! You killed it, you must have!"

"I didn't!" Harry denied.

Dumbledore quickly scanned the scene and said calmly, "All students, return to your dormitories at once!" He stepped forward and unhooked Mrs. Norris. "Filch, come with me. And Potter, Weasley, and Miss Granger!"

"My office is the closest one!" Ma Jun chimed in at the opportune moment.

Surrounding Dumbledore, the group of professors quickly swept past the silenced students and strode away.

Inside the office, Ma Jun lit the lamps, and Dumbledore began to examine Mrs. Norris.

Everyone wore a grim expression; for an attack like this to occur inside a school was certainly no happy matter.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked deeply anxious, convinced they were in colossal trouble.

Taking advantage of the moment while Dumbledore was busy, Ma Jun walked over to the three youngsters and said with a smile, "Harry, it seems you've found yourself in some trouble. Would you mind chatting with me about it? When did you discover Mrs. Norris, and did you see anything unusual at the time?"

"It was right as the feast ended. We were heading back to our dorms and saw the writing on the wall," Harry explained. "Then everyone else showed up. We didn't do anything!"

"I recall not seeing you three at the banquet?" Ma Jun stared intently at Harry.

"That's right, Nearly Headless Nick invited us to his deathday party!" Harry explained.

"A ghost party, must be fascinating, wouldn't you say?" Snape walked over, his perpetually deadpan face breaking into a triumphant smile. This tragic, deeply brooding man held very complex feelings toward Harry. "Why didn't you stay for the rest of the Halloween feast? Surely a ghost party couldn't possibly provide enough food to fill your stomachs?"

"We weren't hungry!" Ron blurted out loudly, immediately followed by a ferocious rumble from his stomach that turned his face beet red.

At that moment, Dumbledore spoke, straightening up and looking around at them. "Mrs. Norris is not dead..."

"Not dead!" Filch roared in joyful disbelief.

"Yes, she has been petrified."

"It was him, it was definitely him!" Filch pointed an accusing finger at Harry, acting as if the boy were his sworn enemy.

"Regrettably, a second-year student lacks the capability for such magic, even if Harry is the-boy-who-lived!" Ma Jun said with a smile. "Besides, petrification is not a particularly difficult spell to reverse."

"Indeed, a draught made from Mandrakes will do the trick," Dumbledore added.

After a brief discussion, Harry and the other two were dismissed.

"I would like to hear your thoughts," Dumbledore said in a low voice once only the professors remained in the room. "You saw the writing on the wall. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened."

"I still remember fifty years ago! The Chamber was opened then!" Professor McGonagall recalled with lingering fear. "A student died, back then!"

"This matter must be treated with the utmost seriousness," Snape said coldly. "The students lack the ability to cast a petrification curse, even the older ones. Whoever opened the Chamber must be a member of the faculty. And this year, it just so happens that a new professor has arrived!"

"Oh, wow..." Ma Jun widened his eyes and said with a bright smile, "Professor Snape's analysis is extremely logical! How did you know I was the one who opened the Chamber? Hidden in there is someone who's always wanted to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! He's terribly powerful and intends to wipe everyone out!"

"What are you talking about?" Provoked by Ma Jun's teasing sarcasm, Snape flared up and shouted, "Care to test the power of my wand?"

"Enough!" Dumbledore reprimanded. "Very well, we shall let this matter rest for the moment. All faculty members must be vigilant regarding student safety. Now, everyone back to your quarters."

The professors hurried away, their hearts heavy. They desperately hoped history would not repeat itself after half a century.

Since the office belonged to Ma Jun, he naturally did not leave. Nor did Dumbledore depart, which struck Ma Jun as somewhat peculiar.

"I would like a word with you, Professor Ma Jun?" Although phrased as a question, Dumbledore pulled up a chair and sat down without waiting for an answer.

"I'd be more than happy to!" Ma Jun smiled, walked around to the opposite side of the desk, and took his seat.