Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 112 What?! Are you guys crazy? You're actually making hallucinogenic drugs?

The small snake statue slightly raised its head, its forked tongue rhythmically flicking in and out, becoming exceptionally solemn, carrying a hint of warning, as it reiterated: "I'll emphasize this again, this year is the basilisk's most powerful period in fifty years. If you dare to enter the secret chamber now, it's no different from suicide. Even if you're a snake-like creature, you're no match for it. You must wait until next year, after the basilisk has molted, its strength will plummet, at least by half. At that time, your chances of success in entering the secret chamber will be much higher, and the risks will be greatly reduced."

Puni traced the timeline, silently calculating in his mind that if this year was the Basilisk's strongest period, then next year would be the year the Basilisk shed its skin and its strength greatly diminished, which was 1992. He clearly remembered that according to the Hogwarts school year division, Harry Potter's second year was the 1992-1993 school year, and that year was also the year the Chamber of Secrets was reopened. Going back fifty years, to 1942, Tom Riddle was just sixteen years old and in his sixth year at Hogwarts. It was said that he spent five years searching for the Chamber of Secrets before finally finding the entrance and successfully becoming the heir to Slytherin. However, as soon as he opened the Chamber of Secrets, he committed a murder, killing the girl Myrtle.

Puni continued to recall, and the fragmented information gradually pieced together the whole picture. After Tom Riddle killed Moaning Myrtle, Hogwarts faced the crisis of being closed down. Fearing that his crimes would be discovered, he dared not continue to do so, so he deliberately framed Hagrid for all the crimes, making Hagrid the scapegoat and expelling him from the school. Thinking of this, Puni couldn't help but frown, a sense of doubt rising in his heart. Everything matched up perfectly.

Puni stopped talking, slowly walked to the sofa and sat down, crossed his arms and fell into deep thought. He lowered his head, his brows furrowed, and his fingertips tapped lightly on the sofa armrest. He repeatedly sorted through the clues in his mind, trying to find the connection between them. But the more he thought about it, the more he felt that things were not simple, and the doubts in his heart grew deeper and deeper. He did not notice that the little snake statue beside him was silently watching him.

The reason the snake statue proactively shared this information with Penny was because it had misunderstood the Weasley twins' persistent questioning about the Chamber of Secrets. It assumed Penny, like the Parseltongues who aspired to become Slytherin's heir, was searching for the Chamber, wanting to tame the basilisk and become the new Slytherin successor. However, the snake statue was completely unaware that its idea was flawed from the start. Penny had never had any intention of becoming Slytherin's successor, nor had he ever considered taming the basilisk.

Of course, that's possible. After all, having a basilisk as a subordinate is not bad.

Thinking of this, Puni's thoughts drifted to the more distant and hidden origins of magic. He clearly remembered that the basilisk, this man-made magical creature that defied the laws of nature, was not created by Salazar Slytherin. Its original creator was the infamous and despicable dark wizard Helbo, who lived a thousand years ago.

This name carries an even more terrifying label in the history of magic: he is recognized by all magical historical records as the original inventor of Horcruxes, the first dark wizard to split his soul, preserve his life through artifacts, and achieve the vain pursuit of immortality.

When these two identities overlapped, an indescribable sense of eeriness instantly enveloped Puni. On one hand, he was the instigator who cultivated the basilisk, and on the other hand, he was the creator of Horcrux magic. These two points seemed unrelated, but in fact, they were strangely connected in every way, which was really intriguing, because the entire magical world recognized that the basilisk's venom was the simplest, most direct, and most effective way to destroy Horcruxes.

This puzzled Puni, and the more he thought about it, the more contradictory it seemed. The despicable Helbo had created the basilisk and pioneered the immortality method of splitting souls and creating Horcruxes. Logically, he should have tried everything to protect his Horcruxes and eliminate any possibility of destroying them. Yet, he had allowed the ultimate monster he created to possess the ability to easily destroy his ultimate means of survival.

What is this? Was it a deliberate act of leaving a fatal backdoor in his creation? Or did he simply not foresee future developments when he created the basilisk?

Puni leaned towards the former, yet he couldn't completely convince himself. The despicable Helbo was cunning and treacherous, capable of creating Horcruxes—dark magic that defied the laws of nature. It was impossible for him to have made such a fatal oversight. But if it wasn't a mistake, then what was his ego? He himself was a user of Horcruxes. Would he willingly leave future generations with a shortcut to easily destroy his own Horcruxes?

He thought and thought, but could not find a reasonable explanation. The more he pondered, the more confused he became. Countless questions blocked his mind and could not be resolved. Following this clue, Puni thought of Voldemort. Perhaps it was not a coincidence that Tom Riddle came into contact with Horcrux magic back then.

His path was most likely as follows: first, he entered the Chamber of Secrets and came into contact with the Basilisk left behind by Slytherin; then, following the origin of the Basilisk, he traced it back to its creator, the despicable Helbo; and finally, from the information left behind by this Dark Progenitor, he learned about the existence and manufacturing method of Horcruxes. The timeline also perfectly matches the fact that Tom Riddle was in his sixth year at Hogwarts, around sixteen years old, and under the guise of asking about magical knowledge, he repeatedly tested Professor Slughorn, gradually extracting the core secrets about Horcruxes.

That age was also the crucial period when he found the Chamber of Secrets, controlled the Basilisk, and committed his first crime. All the clues were interconnected, and all the timelines fit together perfectly. Penny looked at the reflection of the Black Lake slowly swimming by outside the window and remained silent for a long time. One clue after another was precisely connected in Penny's mind. All the events corresponded perfectly, forcing him to admit an established fact: all of Voldemort's later madness and ambition originated from the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts.

Going back to Tom Riddle's time as a Hogwarts student, he was single-mindedly searching for clues to the Chamber of Secrets. In the process, he constantly deciphered the will left behind by Salazar Slytherin, and gradually became entangled in the extreme ideology of "pure-blood supremacy," becoming paranoid and fanatical, valuing the purity of blood above all else. It was this twisted obsession that pushed him step by step into darkness, ultimately transforming him into the fearsome Voldemort.

Puni couldn't help but mutter to himself that Salazar Slytherin, that old guy, really left behind a huge scourge for future generations. Whether it was the Chamber of Secrets itself, the basilisk inside, or his extreme pure-blood ideology, in every sense, it brought endless disasters and turmoil to the wizarding world.

The little snake statue had previously mentioned to him that even though the basilisk was currently at its hungriest and most ferocious, it wouldn't hunt indiscriminately within Hogwarts Castle. Instead, it would secretly travel through the castle's underground tunnels to the depths of the Forbidden Forest to hunt, thus accumulating the energy needed for molting. What intrigued him most, however, wasn't the basilisk itself, but the potential connection between it and Voldemort. He knew that Regulus was secretly pushing forward a plan. If this plan succeeded, then when the new Hogwarts school year began this September, Voldemort, who had been hiding deep in the Romanian forest, barely surviving, would leave his hiding place, possess someone, and return to England.

If Voldemort were to choose Professor Quirrell as his former ally, he would most likely infiltrate Hogwarts again and regain control of the castle's secrets. In that case, the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets would undoubtedly become Voldemort's ally once more, since the Basilisk was a creation left behind by Slytherin, and Voldemort, as Slytherin's successor, could control it through Parseltongue.

Penny maintained the curiosity typical of Ravenclaw students, bombarding the snake statue with questions about Hogwarts' hidden history—from the details of the castle's construction to the conflicts between the four great masters, and the hidden secrets of each house. Each question was perfectly timed, neither seeming deliberate nor revealing anything, while simultaneously allowing the snake statue to maintain its previous misunderstanding that he was simply interested in Hogwarts' secrets.

This black jade snake statue was already extremely talkative. It had been holding back its words for decades and had nowhere to vent. Now that Puni was willing to patiently chat with it and listen to its past, it became even more active. Its upper body kept shaking and its forked tongue flicked in and out. Almost every time Puni asked a question, it would launch into a long, rambling monologue, as if it wanted to spill all the secrets it knew without any intention of hiding anything.

During the conversation, the snake statue emphasized its "seniority" and boasted to Puni, "I'm an elder who has been in this castle since the very beginning of Hogwarts' founding, several years earlier than the Sorting Hat, which was later created by the four great masters! Although I didn't stay in the castle for many years before that Slytherin guy moved me to this desolate place, just from those early days in the castle, I know a lot of Hogwarts' secrets that are unknown to others, more than many professors who have taught at the school for decades."

Upon hearing this, Puni's face lit up with curiosity, and he took the opportunity to ask a few questions about the early days of Hogwarts. The little snake statue immediately began to recount the story with great enthusiasm, from the original intention of the four great masters in building the castle to the initial settings of each house. It spoke vividly and in great detail. But just as it was about to talk about Salazar Slytherin's past, when it mentioned "Slytherin back then—", it suddenly shut its mouth as if something had choked it, and its previously active and swaying upper body instantly froze.

The next second, the snake statue began to struggle frantically, its upper body twisting violently, its head shaking forcefully, its mouth opening and closing repeatedly, making a muffled "hoarse" sound from its throat. It clearly wanted to continue speaking, but it couldn't open its mouth no matter what, as if an invisible force was tightly sealing its throat, preventing it from making any sound.

Puni frowned, carefully sensing the magical fluctuations on the little snake statue. He quickly realized that it had been gagging. He could sense that the little snake statue was still conscious, had a strong desire to confide, and was desperately resisting the restraint. However, the gagging spell was too powerful, and it could not break free. It could only struggle in vain.

Puni pondered to himself, could it be that the veil-sealing curse was triggered because it was about to discuss Slytherin's secrets? It seemed that Salazar Slytherin truly loathed people talking about his past, and had deliberately placed such a curse on this statue so that the veil-sealing curse would be triggered immediately if anyone mentioned his secrets, preventing the information from being leaked.

Seeing the little snake statue struggling in vain, Puni couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth and slowly said, "Judging from your appearance, you probably won't be able to open your mouth for a while, right? That's perfect, so I can rest quietly for a while. Even if you can open your mouth later, don't bother me. I don't want to have a headache from your noise again."

Upon hearing Puni's words, the little snake statue struggled even more violently, wanting Puni to help it remove the gagging spell. But Puni had finally managed to get rid of the little snake's noise and rest quietly for a while. How could he easily give up such a good opportunity? He had been talking to it for so long just now.

Puni ignored the snake statue's struggles, turned around happily and walked to the sofa, plopped down, and then lay down, sinking into the soft silver silk sofa again. He couldn't help but marvel at how soft the sofa was, even more comfortable than his bed in his Ravenclaw bedroom. He didn't want to get up once he lay down, and most of his fatigue disappeared.

Ravenclaw Tower.

The morning light shines through the tall stained-glass windows at the top of the tower, casting a soft glow on the spiral staircase and casting its long, thin shadow like a winding ribbon that extends downwards, eventually connecting to an exquisite covered walkway. This walkway is the only way to enter the Ravenclaw common room; without it, one cannot reach that space filled with intellectual atmosphere.

Puni was sitting on a stone bench by the covered bridge, bathed in the warm morning sun, quietly turning the pages of a book. Sunlight fell on his hair, gilding it with a faint golden light. He was focused as he gently turned the pages.

Beyond the covered bridge lay Hogwarts' infamous, unpredictable staircases—or so he'd call them for now. After all, almost no student who had experienced the torment of these stairs had any fondness for them. These stairs never played by the rules, always changing direction and adjusting their angles without warning, making it easy to slip and fall if you weren't careful.

Professor Flitwick had told him about the history of these staircases. They had been modified into a spiral staircase, originally intended to make it easier for students to go up and down the stairs and reduce crowding. However, after the modification, problems arose one after another. The steps would often suddenly retract, and many students would fall because they were not prepared. Although they were not in danger of losing their lives, they were often injured. It was because of these frequent accidents that the school finally decided to change the spiral staircase back to its current form. Although it is still somewhat cumbersome, it has greatly reduced the danger.

Ultimately, Hogwarts is an ancient castle with a history of over a thousand years. It is not static, but has been continuously maintained and renovated over the long years. Many places have also added some modern facilities that are more suitable for wizarding life. Of course, most of these new facilities are basic daily necessities, such as more convenient toiletries and more comfortable chairs.

At this moment, the book that Puni was flipping through contained interpretations and speculations about various kinds of magic. As the oldest and most prestigious wizarding school in the world, Hogwarts' origin story has always been a topic of great interest to many wizards. Naturally, the book also devoted a lot of space to recording in detail the original intentions and past of the four great wizards in building the castle.

Besides the origins of Hogwarts, another key point in the book is the "Curse of the Mysterio." Since the disappearance of the Mysterio, many wizards have devoted themselves to researching how to decipher this curse. This curse is known as "the most difficult curse to break in the history of the wizarding world." Most wizards believe that this curse was set up by Voldemort himself, in order to strike at the wizarding forces that opposed him and consolidate his rule.

However, another group of wizards firmly denied this claim. After repeated investigations, they found no trace of the curse in Hogwarts classrooms, professors' offices, or any corner of the castle. They proposed a completely new view: this so-called "curse" was actually Voldemort's deliberate claim that it existed, and many wizards, out of fear, chose to believe it, thus making it truly effective. Furthermore, the more people who believed in the existence of this curse, the stronger its power became. The only way to completely break it was to kill Voldemort himself.

This viewpoint has become the core basis for many wizards to believe that Voldemort is merely missing, not dead. As long as the source is not eliminated, the curse will not dissipate. However, what is frustrating is that the Ministry of Magic has been deliberately denying this matter and desperately covering up the truth that Voldemort may return. This is very much in line with the style of the British wizarding world. As a widely circulated joke goes: "The Ministry of Magic's reports are never to protect secrets, but to protect themselves."

Puni understood that the Ministry of Magic was doing this to protect itself. Even if Voldemort returned in the future, they could still pretend to be blind and deaf, pretending to know nothing about everything. In this way, they would not be retaliated against by Voldemort, but might even be rewarded by Voldemort for "inaction," thus preserving their position and life.

Thinking of this, Puni shook his head helplessly, gently closed the book in his hand, and put it in his pocket. Sure enough, no matter where you are, the Ministry of Magic's operations are an art of manipulating possibilities. In the end, the ultimate goal is to serve people's selfishness and desires, and the magical world is no exception.

At this moment, the sunlight outside became even brighter, and the warm light shone on his body, making him feel comfortable all over. Puni stood up, stretched, and a thought came to his mind: instead of getting entangled in these complicated conspiracies and curses here, he might as well take a walk near Hagrid's cabin, breathe in some fresh air, and then stroll around the edge of the Forbidden Forest to relax.

He had just taken a step when two identical, energetic voices came from behind him, tinged with urgency: "Puni! Hey! Wait for us!"

Penny didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. Apart from the Weasley twins, Fred and George, no one had such a vibrant and slightly cunning voice. As soon as he finished speaking, two figures rushed to his sides like a gust of wind, grabbing his arms on either side with enthusiastic smiles on their faces.

Fred spoke first, a sly smile on his face. He gently poked the book in Puni's arms and asked cheerfully, "Puni, would you be interested in learning about our latest formula? It's guaranteed to be novel and interesting."

Puni raised an eyebrow slightly: "Your new formula? It's not the kind of candy that can send someone to the infirmary, is it? If so, please don't try to get your hands on me."

He knew all along that the twins had been researching how to incorporate potions into candies, resulting in a constant stream of Gryffindor students being hospitalized in Hogwarts' infirmary after eating their candies. After receiving a stern warning from Professor McGonagall, the two of them had obviously set their sights on students from other houses.

"Oh, what a pity. We thought everyone would enjoy trying this novel experience," Fred and George said in unison, deliberately feigning disappointment and letting out a soft sigh, but their excitement was undisguised.

Puni, having observed their actions, saw through their trickery and said calmly, "Perhaps you could try it with Filch; he might really like your new formula. As for me, I plan to spend the whole day leisurely strolling and reading in the sunshine; I don't want to be disturbed by your new invention."

During this time, he went to the Chamber of Secrets every day and stayed in that dark and damp place almost every night. Over time, he felt that his body was about to mold and he felt uncomfortable all over. He couldn't imagine how Professor Snape could stay in such a dark and damp place as the cellar for so many years and still maintain a cold and aloof appearance.

Upon hearing the name "Filch," the twins' smiles vanished instantly. They complained, "You know that old geezer. Now, he sees us like we're his enemies, as if he wants to pounce on us and chew us up. How could we possibly go to him?"

During this time, their conflict with Filch deepened, and they would almost always start fighting whenever they met, with Filch chasing them all over half of the castle each time.

Puni couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth: "Wouldn't that be perfect? ​​If he can be sent to the medical room by your new formula, won't you be much more relaxed afterward? At least, he won't be chasing after you anymore, nor will he bother me while I'm strolling along the edge of the woods."

Upon hearing Penny mention the Forbidden Forest, Fred's eyes lit up instantly. He quickly grabbed Penny's arm and deliberately lowered his voice, "The Forbidden Forest! That's a really great place! Listen, if you see any mushrooms in the Forbidden Forest that glow with an eerie purple light, pick some for us and bring them back, okay? We've been researching this for a long time and suspect that these mushrooms are the most crucial missing ingredient for our psychedelic mushroom bubble gum. If we can find it, the bubble gum will be a success!"

George immediately leaned over, winked at Penny, and quickly added, "Our reward for you will be absolutely generous! Don't worry, after it's done, we guarantee that during the next Potions test, we'll make Professor Snape's nose look like a glowing strawberry, making him look like a fool in front of the whole class. How about that?"

"What are you talking about?" Penny stared at the twins in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief, as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable. "Do you know you're breaking the law? Psychedelic magical products are strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. Take that infamous love potion, for example. Just one drop can make someone fall head over heels in love with a complete stranger. The Ministry of Magic has long prohibited the sale and distribution of such things to Hogwarts students. Are you planning to bring this psychedelic mushroom bubble gum to school and sell it to other students? I advise you to abandon that idea immediately. Have you even read the Ministry of Magic's regulations on penalties for such illegal products? If you're caught, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Upon hearing Penny's words, Fred and George exchanged a glance, their excitement instantly freezing, replaced by confusion and hesitation. They had been so focused on developing new magical candies, single-mindedly trying to create something novel, that they hadn't paid any attention to the Ministry of Magic's regulations. They were even unaware that such hallucinogenic products were strictly controlled. In their minds, the Ministry of Magic hadn't explicitly prohibited the development of such potions, so they hadn't taken it seriously.