Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 109 Huh? You guys found the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin?

Speaking of the Golden Snitch's ruling rules, there are precedents. There have been cases where Seekers have suffered greatly at crucial moments due to a small oversight.

To prevent his hands from slipping while riding the broom, the Seeker wore a full-coverage glove to reduce friction between his hands and the broom handle, making it easier to control the broom.

But he never expected that it was these gloves that would cost him his victory.

The Golden Snitch remembered direct contact with its flesh; the glove prevented skin contact, ultimately preventing the Snitch from reacting during the judgment and causing it to lose the match for nothing.

Because of this lesson, nowadays all Seekers, even if they need to wear gloves, will choose a style that does not cover their fingers.

After all, everyone knows that when touching the Golden Snitch, the fingers must be the first to come into contact with it. Only the bare fingertips can allow the Snitch to accurately record its physical information and avoid the regret of the past.

At this moment, both Charlie Weasley and the Slytherin Seeker are wearing these half-finger gloves, with their fingertips clearly visible, which does not affect the accuracy of the ruling in the slightest.

Just as everyone was quietly awaiting the verdict, Madam Hooch descended slowly from the sky on her broom, her posture upright, her expression serious, and her whole being exuding majesty.

As the referee of this Quidditch match, she walked straight up to the two Seekers and said, "Give me the Golden Snitch, and I will decide the final winner."

J

At the same time, the senior student presiding over the event gripped the magic megaphone again and shouted in a hoarse yet still loud voice, "Everyone, please be quiet! The judgment is about to begin. Everyone, please focus on the center of the arena and witness the final result!"

His shouts had an effect; the students who had been gripping their wands and were about to act impulsively put them down and focused all their attention on Mrs. Hodge and the two Seekers in the center of the field.

The commotion in the stands completely subsided, and everyone waited anxiously for the verdict, hoping that their favorite academy would win.

On the field, the players from both teams slowed down their flight speed, maneuvering their brooms to hover two or three meters behind their respective ball seekers.

They looked down at the center of the field, where the Gryffindor players clasped their hands together, silently praying that Charlie would win.

The Slytherin players, on the other hand, were completely confident that their Seeker would secure the final victory.

At this moment, the entire Quidditch arena fell into absolute silence, all eyes focused on the Golden Snitch in Mrs. Hooch's hand.

This is the most exciting moment of the entire match; the outcome hinges on this moment!

Madam Huoqi gently grasped the golden thief, exerted a slight pressure with her fingertips, and whispered a soothing incantation. The golden thief, which had been struggling slightly, instantly quieted down and obediently remained in her palm, no longer flashing its light.

After preparing, Mrs. Hodge raised her head, her gaze slowly sweeping over the two Seekers, and calmly asked, "Which of you would like to touch it first?"

After he finished speaking, both Seekers fell silent. In truth, neither of them had any confidence at that moment.

The struggle for the golden thief was so intense and chaotic that both of them gave it their all and couldn't clearly remember whose finger touched the golden thief first, or who was the first to actually touch it.

"I'll do it!"

After a brief silence, Charlie Weasley broke the silence first.

As expected of a Gryffindor student, he possessed courage and composure from the inside out. Even though he was uncertain and afraid of failure, he only hesitated for a few seconds before taking a deep breath, mustering his courage, and accepting the impending outcome with equanimity.

He slowly extended his right hand, and then, in the same posture as before, grasped the golden thief in Madam Hooch's hand again. He stared intently at the thief, held his breath, and waited for its reaction.

One second, two seconds, three seconds —

Time passed slowly, but the Golden Snitch remained completely still, lying quietly in Charlie's palm without emitting any light or making any special movements, just like an ordinary little golden creature, without any magical fluctuations.

This result froze Charlie Weasley in place, his face turning pale and his lips trembling slightly.

He slowly released his grip, his eyes filled with disbelief and disappointment, his lips drooping. He couldn't believe that he wasn't the first person to touch the thief, and that years of hard work had all been in vain at this moment.

On the other hand, the Seeker of Slytherin was overjoyed at the sight of this and couldn't help but let out a loud cheer. Overwhelmed with excitement and elation, he rushed to Madam Hooch, snatched the Golden Snitch from Charlie Weasley's hand, and eagerly reached out his hand to gently touch the Snitch's body.

Almost the instant his fingertips touched the golden snitch, the snitch, which had been completely unresponsive, suddenly moved, slowly extending its two small wings. Then, the wings suddenly opened up and down. This was the golden snitch's signal; only the first person to touch it could trigger such a reaction.

The outcome is decided, and there is no longer any controversy.

Madam Hooch paid no heed to the starkly contrasting reactions of the two young men. She offered neither comfort to the dejected Charlie nor heed to the ecstatic Seeker of Slytherin. Raising her wand, she gently pressed it to her throat and uttered the Loud Voice Charm. The next second, her voice became exceptionally loud, echoing throughout the arena and reaching everyone's ears: "I declare Slytherin the victor of this Quidditch match!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire Quidditch arena was instantly filled with two completely different voices, presenting a world of contrasting scenes. In the Slytherin stands, the students erupted in cheers, waving their green house flags, hugging each other, and jumping for joy, their faces filled with the joy of victory. In contrast, the Gryffindor stands were silent, with the students all dejected. Some couldn't help but tear up, some sighed softly, and others still refused to accept the result, yet were powerless to refute it.

Puni sat in the stands, watching the two polarized scenes unfold before him. He looked at the dejected Charlie in the center of the field, then at the ecstatic Seeker of Slytherin, and couldn't help but sigh that the charm of Quidditch might just lie in this uncertainty.

The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw stands on either side of the field were no longer as lively as usual. Most of the students from these two houses usually favored Gryffindor, and now, seeing Gryffindor's defeat, they all frowned, sighed softly, and looked regretful.

Qiu Zhang sat next to Puni, her hands supporting her chin, her eyes dim, muttering under her breath what a pity. Marcos, Eddie, and Roger beside her had also lost their previous enthusiasm, hanging their heads, silent, without even the energy to complain.

Looking at the three dejected people around him, and then at the polarized scene on the stage, Puni couldn't help but wonder what deep-seated hatred these people had for Slytherin. It was just a Quidditch match; winning was certainly something to celebrate, but losing didn't warrant such dejection. After all, in competitive sports, winning and losing were the norm.

Unlike the emotional fluctuations of everyone around him, Puni remained calm. He did not favor any house and simply admired the thrilling Quidditch match.

Previously, he had always thought his flying skills were pretty good, and he practiced very seriously, even with a bit of confidence. But after watching this competition, seeing the team members' skillful flying techniques, tacit cooperation, and calm response to danger, he realized that he was still far behind. Compared with these experienced team members who had trained for many years, he was indeed too inexperienced and had a lot to learn and improve.

Although the thrilling Quidditch match has come to an end, the discussions inside and outside the stadium have not stopped. Instead, they have continued for several days. Whether in the hallways, classrooms, or the cafeteria, the students' conversations almost all revolved around this match. The most discussed moment was the last two Seekers' struggle for the Golden Snitch.

No one expected that Charlie Weasley, who has always been known as a Seeker genius, would lose!

Before the match began, almost all the students were certain that Charlie would use his talent and experience to catch the Golden Snitch first and lead Gryffindor to victory. But the reality was so unpredictable that the final victory belonged to Slytherin's Seeker. This result was hard for many to accept.

Penny learned about Charlie's recent situation from the Weasley twins. In the past few days, the Weasley twins had lost their usual liveliness, rarely smiled, and seemed listless. They told Penny privately that after the competition, Charlie locked himself in his Gryffindor dormitory and refused to come out, sulking alone and not wanting to see anyone.

After all, Charlie was already in seventh grade this year. This was his last year at Hogwarts and his last chance to compete for the Quidditch Cup. He was full of expectations and wanted to use this match to bring his Quidditch career to a perfect end. Who knew that he would lose to his old rival Slytherin by such a large margin in the first match? This blow was too great for him. He was so depressed that he couldn't even eat. He looked much more haggard and was almost sick from holding it in.

The students were also discussing among themselves that it would be extremely difficult for Gryffindor to turn things around in the upcoming matches. Next, they would have to face Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Unless Gryffindor could win by a large margin in both of these matches and accumulate as many points as possible, it would be almost impossible for them to compete for the Quidditch Cup.

However, in Puni's opinion, Charlie Weasley might really be unable to withstand the blow. It was just a loss in a game, yet he was so fixated on it, trapping himself in negative emotions and unable to extricate himself. He couldn't help but secretly guess that this might be a common problem for geniuses. From childhood to adulthood, they have always been in the lead and are used to winning. Once they encounter failure, it is difficult for them to accept it. It is also possible that the gap between his expectations and reality is too large, and he is unable to adjust his mentality in time, which is why he is so depressed that he is almost sick.

Kopney himself was almost driven to the brink of madness by these discussions. These past few days, wherever he went, people around him were talking about Quidditch matches, repeating the same topics over and over again, with nothing new to offer. He was getting tired of hearing it and was starting to feel impatient. Wasn't there anything new to talk about that could distract everyone?

Perhaps his complaints had an effect, because just as he was about to be overwhelmed by the repetitive topics, something truly new happened. That morning, Penny had just stepped out of his dormitory, heading to the Great Hall for breakfast, when the Weasley twins stopped him at the entrance. Unlike their listless demeanor of the previous days, the twins were now beaming with excitement, their eyes sparkling, and their faces beaming with barely suppressed smiles. They eagerly and excitedly told Penny, "Penny, we've made a major discovery! We've found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!"

Upon hearing this, Puni froze instantly, his composure shattered, and his eyes widened in disbelief. He instinctively retorted, "What did you say? You found the secret room? How is that possible? Are you sure you haven't come to the wrong place?"

The cellars of Hogwarts are perpetually damp and dimly lit; even during the day, one needs magical lights to barely see the way. The Slytherin common room is hidden deep within these cellars, directly opposite the Hufflepuff common room, one to the south and one to the north, situated on opposite sides of the cellars.

Although both are in the crypts, their locations are distinctly different. Hufflepuff's common room is closer to the outer edge of the castle and towards the Forbidden Forest, where faint sounds can often be heard emanating from its depths. Slytherin's common room, on the other hand, extends inwards from the castle, extremely close to the Black Lake—so close that it evokes a sense of unease.

It is suspected that its true location is actually below the surface of the Black Lake. After all, standing in the corridor of the cellar near the Slytherin area, one can clearly feel the moisture in the air and even hear the faint sound of the lake water flowing.

It was past 10 p.m., and Hogwarts Castle was already silent. Most of the students were asleep, except for Filch and his cat, Mrs. Lorris, who were still slowly wandering the corridors, searching for students who had broken the rules.

Penny was pulled along by the Weasley twins, hidden under a large invisibility cloak. The three of them huddled together, moving very quietly towards the depths of the cellar.

The Weasley twins looked completely different from their dejected state a few days ago when they discussed Charlie's defeat. Their faces radiated undisguised excitement, their eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation. Even their steps were light and quick, a stark contrast to the dim and oppressive surroundings. As they walked, one of the twins spoke first, lowering his voice to Penny, "Penny, you'll never believe it! We made an unexpected discovery last night! We were just trying to sneak into Hogwarts' kitchens under the cover of darkness to find something to eat, but we stumbled upon this place by accident!"

The other twin immediately added, "Yes, we had it all planned out. Hogwarts' kitchen is near the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. We've been there a few times before and know the way. There's a painting on the wall there, filled with all sorts of fruit. If you gently scratch one of the pears in the painting, it will smile and turn into a tiny doorknob. With a gentle pull, you can open the door to the kitchen, where the house-elves always prepare plenty of delicious treats for us."

"But last night, I don't know if it was because it was dark and we couldn't see the road, or if we were too anxious to find food, we actually went the wrong way." The twins said, and couldn't help but smile at each other. "We were supposed to go towards Hufflepuff, but we ended up in Slytherin's territory, getting further and further away from the kitchen. By the time we realized it, we were already in the corridor near the entrance to the Slytherin common room."

As Puni followed them, he listened intently to the twins' story, his eyes gradually lighting up with curiosity. He couldn't help but lower his voice and ask, "And then? What did you find there?"

Hearing Puni's question, the twins became even more excited. One of them quickly said, "There, we found a painting that looks very similar to the one near the kitchen entrance! But instead of various fruits, the painting depicts a lush rubber tree with branches laden with heavy durians. Each one is plump and round, and looks incredibly lifelike, just like the real thing."

"We were curious at the time, since we had never seen this painting before, and it looked so similar to the painting at the kitchen entrance, so we couldn't resist trying it out. We tried scratching a durian in the painting, just like we scratched the pear in the kitchen painting." The other twin chimed in, "Who knew, as soon as we scratched it, a small snake suddenly jumped out from behind the durian, which scared us so much that we almost screamed. We quickly covered our mouths, afraid of being discovered."

"6

As they spoke, the three of them reached the corridor near the entrance to the Slytherin common room. The twins stopped and gestured for Penny to look at the wall on one side of the corridor. Penny looked in the direction they indicated and indeed saw the painting of a rubber tree covered with durians. In the dim magical light, the painting appeared exceptionally clear, and the durians on the branches seemed as if they might fall at any moment. The wall below the painting looked no different from the rest of the place, yet it exuded a mysterious aura.

Just as George's fingertips touched the plump durian in the painting, a small black shadow suddenly darted out from behind the durian. It was so fast that no one could react in time. It was a small snake, dark green with black spots, its head slightly raised, its forked tongue flicking out, and it lunged at George's finger.

Caught off guard, George froze at the sudden noise, instinctively pulling his hand back. He stumbled and nearly crashed into the wall behind him, letting out a suppressed gasp. Fortunately, Fred reacted quickly, reaching out to steady him and covering his mouth to prevent the commotion from attracting the patrolling Filch. Puni, hiding in his invisibility cloak, was also startled by the sudden appearance of the snake, his eyes fixed on the small snake in the painting.

Before long, the three of them gradually relaxed. Although the snake looked ferocious and kept lunging and biting at George, it could not break through the boundaries of the painting. It couldn't even touch George's fingertips. Fred released his hand from George's mouth and chuckled softly.

George steadied himself, rubbed his slightly flustered chest, and followed Fred's gaze to the snake in the painting. Although the snake could not harm them, its appearance instantly attracted the Weasley twins' full attention. The two of them moved closer to the painting, staring intently at the snake with inquisitive eyes.

The three decided to carefully explore the secrets of the painting. The Weasley twins took turns touching every corner of the painting, gently poking at the durian in the painting, and then tentatively touching the branches of the rubber tree. They explored it repeatedly, not wanting to miss any detail. After a while, just when they were about to lose patience, George accidentally reached out and pushed the trunk of the rubber tree in the painting. Unexpectedly, the trunk shook slightly.

This discovery immediately caught the attention of the three men. Fred immediately stepped forward and, together with George, held onto the branches of the rubber tree with both hands and slowly pushed it forward. As the two exerted their strength, the seemingly sturdy rubber tree was actually pushed down little by little, revealing the wall hidden behind it.

Puni looked at the fallen rubber tree and couldn't help but move closer to examine it. Only then did he realize that the "rubber tree" in the painting was not a real tree. The three of them focused their attention on the painting again. Behind the fallen durian plant, a dark snake den was revealed, with more than a dozen black snakes coiled inside. Each one was much thicker than the small snakes that had just darted out from behind the durian. They were jet black and shiny, and their scales gleamed coldly in the dim magic light. They twisted their bodies slightly and flicked their forked tongues, looking extremely frightening and making people's hearts tighten.

In the very center of the snake pit, a small metal handle stands out. The handle is small and exquisite, with fine patterns engraved on its surface. Against the backdrop of the dark snake pit, it stands out even more. What is even more surprising is that the moment the durian plant was completely knocked down, the handle, which originally looked like an ordinary piece of art, slowly rose up and gradually became three-dimensional. It felt real to the touch and was no longer a two-dimensional image in the painting.

Puni couldn't help but marvel at the ingenuity of Hogwarts' magic. Such subtle and ingenious design was unimaginable without seeing it firsthand. However, even though everyone knew that the snake pit was still a two-dimensional image existing under magic, and that the black snakes couldn't break through the painting to harm people, actually reaching into the snake pit to touch the handle was still a great test of mental fortitude. An ordinary student would probably have been too scared to even approach.

Only the Weasley twins could be so nonchalant. Their faces showed no fear, but rather a hint of excitement, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, as if the snake pit before them was not a frightening trap, but a fun toy.

Puni followed the twins to the portrait that held the secret. While listening to Fred recount his discovery from the previous night, he watched as George reached out without hesitation and reached into the snake pit, firmly grasping the three-dimensional metal handle and turning it clockwise.

The three of them stared intently at the portrait, hoping it would slowly open like the fruit painting at the kitchen entrance, revealing the hidden passage behind it. But one second, two seconds, three seconds passed, and the portrait remained motionless, showing no sign of opening or closing, not even the slightest tremor.

George frowned and tried turning the handle a few more times, but there was still no response.

Seeing George's confused expression, Fred couldn't help but laugh, patted him on the shoulder, and gestured for him to look.

Puni also lowered his head and looked at the wall below the portrait. There used to be a small nameplate there with the name of the painting engraved on it, but now all the letters on the nameplate had been changed and were no longer the original words.