Alright, there isn't a word on the map called "Monster in the Secret Chamber".
This discovery made Hermione a bit disappointed.
"Well, maybe I overthought it..." Hermione sighed. Perhaps this map only marks humans and ghosts in the castle? Or maybe the monster in the Secret Chamber hasn't been named?
Hermione thought the second guess might be correct, as at some unknown time, a small dot appeared to the right of the dot representing Hermione Granger on the map.
"...Uh, hello?"
Looking at the big cat squatting beside the armor, Hermione awkwardly greeted it.
As the pet of the castle caretaker, Mrs. Loris has always been Filch's trusty assistant in catching little wizards wandering at night. If you accidentally see this cat while wandering at night, it means Filch (and detention) isn't far from you.
But ever since Filch was attacked and stayed in the Hospital Wing, Mrs. Loris lost this "intimidation", and the cat had also somewhat recovered from its sickly appearance due to a better diet. It has changed from a cat everyone hated to one that most people would pat on their way.
Of course, as for whether you get scratched afterward... that would depend on your luck.
And Hermione seems to have been quite lucky these days.
Moving her gaze away from Mrs. Loris, Hermione looked again at the map in her hand—a dot representing Ginny was now continuing downwards, seemingly heading for the hall... but what would she do in the hall at this time?
Seeing Snape walking up from the dungeons on the map, Hermione took a deep breath—she needed to speed up, or Ginny being caught by Snape was only a matter of time.
She put away the Marauder's Map in her hand and quickly left the tower via the spiral staircase.
"..."
Mrs. Loris silently stared in the direction the girl left, her long tail standing upright behind her.
"Chirp chirp!"
A Niffler climbed onto her head, and after a short chirp, Mrs. Loris slowly stood up and started jogging in the direction the girl had left.
...
The girl hastily passed through the corridors. Apart from being a bit eerie at night, the castle was not much different from daytime, with whispers constantly coming from the portraits, ghosts occasionally floating past the ceiling, and armor that would punch itself apart and start singing loudly as soon as someone passed by—
All this nonsense was there during the day too.
Descending the stairs in front of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom quickly, Ginny sighed—it wasn't her first time leaving the Gryffindor Common Room after curfew, but it was the first time she did so "alone".
Since the "instigator" in the diary had left her, she hadn't acted alone in the middle of the night.
But this time it was really out of necessity, even without the interruption from the "family meeting", she was desperate to know why—although William had emphasized many times that the diary had been properly kept, why did the attacks still happen?
Could it be that they guessed wrong, that the diary wasn't related to the attacks, the Secret Chamber, and the Heir?
But the diary did indeed appear on Ron.
Either... that transfer student has been lying all along? He's the real heir?
Thinking of this, the expression on Ginny's face began to stiffen, she simply couldn't imagine... if William had been deceitful all along, then her actions in seeking him now...
The girl stopped in her tracks subconsciously, her face uncontrollably showing a horrified expression.
...Right, after the diary was lost, all the information she got was almost entirely conveyed by William, could it be... if the opposite side is indeed the heir, what would happen?
Although they are both new students, Ginny hardly thinks she can handle a fifth-year student.
Moreover, judging from William's usual behavior, the opposite side isn't some half-Muggle who just got introduced to magic... maybe she should tell a Professor? But then, which Professor would believe a first-year little wizard who just entered school?
Uh... take it easy, Ginny, think of something positive, maybe things aren't as bad as they seem.
The girl took a deep breath, beginning to silently comfort herself, she continued to walk down the stairs, but the psychological self-comfort didn't seem to work well, and the unexpected happened—
"Crack..."
"Uh—"
With a crisp sound, Ginny's calf fell directly into a crack on the staircase from the second floor to the first floor, and her chaotic thoughts made her completely forget there was a collapse here—Ginny instinctively tried her best to pull herself out of the staircase...
But in the next moment, a voice she never wanted to hear echoed from not far downstairs, "...who's there?" The ominous voice just listening to it made her feel physically uncomfortable.
Snape!
It's Snape's duty tonight! Damn, she actually forgot such an important thing!
The more anxious, the easier mistakes happen, listening to the increasingly closer footsteps, Ginny almost gave up—but just at this moment, someone grabbed her shoulder from behind, as the two exerted force together, the girl's calf was finally pulled out from the staircase crack.
"Her—Hermione?"
"Run!"
Hermione looked at the parchment in her hand and pulled Ginny's arm, starting to run wildly towards the corridor on the right. After turning seven or eight corners, she opened the nearest bathroom door and the two girls rushed in.
"Huff... good, he didn't catch up here."
Seeing Snape choosing another direction three forks away on the map, Hermione finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What—what is this?" Looking at the Marauder's Map in the girl's hand, Ginny asked subconsciously.
"Yeah, what is this?"
"This is the Marauder..." Hermione replied subconsciously, but before she finished speaking, she realized something, turned to look at the rear of the two—
"Ahhhh—"
Immediately, three distinctly different screams rang out in the bathroom.
...
"...Harry, actually we all believe you aren't the heir." In the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, Neville in his pajamas was earnestly expressing his support to Harry, while Dean and Seamus beside him nodded earnestly too.
"I know, I know..." Harry responded somewhat helplessly. Although knowing there were still people believing him made his mood much better, but... the boy looked at the empty bed in the room, his eyes reflecting a hint of loneliness.
"...Where are you? I want to... kill kill kill—no one can obstruct me... I want to tear apart..."
Without any warning, a voice seemingly from hell once again echoed in the boy's ears, Harry lowered his head instinctively—this time the voice seemed to be coming from below the floor.
"You know, Harry, we..."
"Shush—"
Harry jumped off the bed, pressing his ear close to the floor, listening intently.
"What's wrong with you?" Neville blinked uncomprehendingly.
But Harry didn't answer, he seemed to swiftly pull something from under the bed and then ran out of the dorm without saying a word.
"?"
"What... happened to him?"
"Could it be... he's going to plan the next attack?" Seamus's expression turned somewhat horrified.
"Didn't you say you believe him?" Neville countered.
"...Since when?"