112: Chapter 112 Barrier Summoning

"Don't tell me you're going to the Second Floor again."

Draco stood blocking the dormitory door, wrapped in his bathrobe, clutching silver cufflinks in his hand. The cufflinks were polished to a shine, clearly the reflective items Allen had requested.

Crabbe and Goyle sat on the edge of their beds, one hugging a pillow, the other holding a biscuit tin; upon hearing the words 'Second Floor,' they both stopped eating.

Allen stuffed *Hogwarts: A History* into his old suitcase, which was mostly empty save for a few standard textbooks. "I'm going to the Library."

Draco looked at him. "Going to the Library at midnight? The last time you went to the Library at midnight, a page went missing from the Restricted Section. The time before that, you followed Potter into the Third Floor. And the time before that, there was a bleeding Unicorn in the Forbidden Forest."

Zabini leaned against the bedpost. "A very complete summary."

Nott tucked his notebook into his sleeve. "The route will likely pass by the Second Floor."

Draco pointed at Nott. "See? Even he says so."

Allen latched the suitcase. "I'm not entering the Girls Lavatory."

"You said you'd only take a look last time too." Draco slammed the cufflinks onto the table. "And then Quirrell died, Potter passed out, and Dumbledore investigated for the entire summer."

Allen paused and looked at him. "Do you want to come along?"

Draco shut his mouth immediately. The dormitory went quiet for half a second. Crabbe raised his hand. "I can not come."

Goyle nodded. "Same here."

Allen picked up the suitcase. "So, go to sleep."

Draco suppressed his anger and shoved a small round mirror at him. "At least take this. If you really get targeted by the Basilisk, don't expect me to visit you in the Hospital Wing. I'll tell Madam Pomfrey you fell into the pipes yourself."

Allen took the mirror. "The excuse is stupid enough to be believable."

Draco gritted his teeth. "You really should thank me."

"Thanks."

"If you're going to be dismissive, at least use a different word."

Allen didn't respond, pushed the door open, and left. In the corridor, water vapor clung to the stone crevices, and the lights in the Dungeon were dimmed low by the Black Lake. He moved up the stairs, his footsteps avoiding the line of sight of the patrolling suits of armor. At every corner, he would slide a knut out first to confirm if the portraits were awake.

The Fat Knight in the portrait dozed off, half a sentence of dream-talk stuck in his throat. Allen used Spatial Displacement to flick the knut to the opposite alcove. The knight's attention was drawn by the soft sound, and by the time he turned his head, Allen had already slipped through the shadows.

The closer he got to the Second Floor, the more restless his Portable Space became. The golden patterns on the north side, suppressed by seven anchor points, still arched thin lines out from beneath the mist. The cracked pocket watch glowed blue inside the ebony box; the Void slithered from beside the box to the edge of the space, the entire snake tensing up, its tail pointing toward the upper levels of the Castle.

Allen whispered, "Open."

The entrance to his Portable Space opened an inch in his palm, and golden threads visible only to him extended from the edge of the space, pressing against the Castle's stone walls. The next moment, the spatial structure inside the walls unfolded in his Spatial Perception. Stairs, lavatories, abandoned pipes, old drains, and a vertical shaft plunging deep underground—like layers of folded parchment.

The golden threads crossed beneath the sinks and dropped straight into the ground. There was a sealed space there, its boundaries thick, ancient, and secured with a Parseltongue lock. Around the perimeter of the sealed space was another, even older set of protective runes. Those runes overlapped at three points with the fragmented lines recorded in the Potter Family crest archives.

Allen stood in the shadows outside the Girls Lavatory, not entering. He tucked the small round mirror into his cuff, face down, confirming that the water stains showed no abnormal reflections. Moaning Myrtle was sobbing inside, cursing as she splashed water at the stall doors.

"Everyone comes to ask me where I died, what I saw when I died. Nobody asked me when I was alive, but now that I'm dead, they're all so busy. Hate it, I hate it so much."

Outside the door, Allen pressed his wand against the wall, his Spatial Perception sinking down along the brick seams. The sealed space at the bottom of the pipes transmitted a low resistance, as if someone had bolted the door from the inside. The blue light of the cracked pocket watch surged half an inch along his palm, pulling at the golden patterns on the north side, and the boundary of the Portable Space expanded slightly before being pulled back by the anchor points.

He spoke, for his own ears only: "The coordinates are clear. Second Floor Girls Bathroom, vertical pipe, underground hall. The entrance depends on Parseltongue. There is an additional monitoring structure on the outer layer, with a key slot reserved for the branch of the Potter Family."

The family crest archives opened on their own within the space. On the yellowed parchment, the originally blurred handwriting was illuminated by the blue light, revealing a fragmented record.

Hogwarts eastern waterway surveillance, branch key slot reserved, not for opening, not for control, only as a seal verification.

Allen stared at the line of text. "Verification. In other words, the Potter Family didn't participate in building the Chamber of Secrets back then; they participated in the subsequent surveillance."

The Void suddenly flicked its tail, pinning down the lid of the ebony box. The blue light of the cracked pocket watch shrank, and a subtle vibration came from within the Castle walls. The vibration traveled from the ground upward, climbing a section along the pipes before stopping halfway. It wasn't the Basilisk moving; it was more like some sealed structure had detected an external key slot and was trying to confirm his position.

Allen immediately retracted the golden threads, and the entrance to the space in his palm closed. The wall returned to silence, and the sound of water slowly receded. Inside the Girls Lavatory, Moaning Myrtle suddenly stopped crying.

"Who's out there?"

Allen remained still, leaning against the shadows. Moaning Myrtle passed through the door, poking half of her transparent head out. Water droplets hung on her glasses lenses. She looked left and right, saw no one, then frowned and retreated back inside.

"It's the pipes again. Even the pipes are bullying me."

Allen turned to leave. Just as he passed the corner, footsteps sounded ahead. Snape's black robes glided down from the top of the stairs, a lantern in his hand. The light pressed across the wall, stretching his shadow long.

"Mr. Potter." Snape stopped at the top of the stairs. "The Library is in the other direction at this hour."

Allen lifted the suitcase slightly. "I'm lost, Professor."

Snape walked closer step by step, the lantern light illuminating Allen's face. "A second-year student, after living at Hogwarts for a year, still gets lost near the Girls Lavatory. Do you expect me to believe that?"

"If the Professor is willing to deduct points for getting lost, the excuse is sufficient."

Snape stared at his cuff. A corner of the small round mirror was exposed, pressed down by Allen's fingers. Snape saw it but didn't point it out immediately.

"You all seem fond of carrying reflective objects lately." Snape's voice lowered. "Silver spoons, lenses, polished badges. Is the first year of Slytherin collectively superstitious?"

Allen said, "Someone in the Castle has been Petrified; walking with a mirror is safer."

Snape's face tightened further. "Who taught you that?"

"Mr. Filch's cat."

The lantern light flickered. Anger pressed behind Snape's eyes; his wand raised half an inch. "You had best distinguish between being clever and courting death."

Allen lowered his head. "I will remember."

Snape didn't let him leave. He looked toward the Girls Lavatory, then at the old suitcase in Allen's hand. "Open it."

Allen placed the suitcase on the ground, and the latches popped open. Inside were only textbooks, parchment, a copy of *Hogwarts: A History*, and half a spare quill. Snape flipped through the pages, his fingertips stopping at the chapter on the Castle's pipes.

"You are very interested in the pipes."

"Hufflepuff takes too many detours; I wanted to find a shortcut."

"Liar."

"The Professor already has the answer."

Snape's wand tapped lightly, and the *Hogwarts: A History* in the suitcase closed automatically. He stepped half a pace closer, his black eyes bearing down on Allen. "Stay away from the Second Floor. Stay away from Granger. Stay away from anything related to the Chamber of Secrets."

Allen looked up. "Does the Professor also believe the Chamber of Secrets is real?"

Snape's eyes tightened. "I believe students should keep their mouths shut."

Filch's shouts and Mrs. Norris's slow footsteps came from the stairs. Snape put away his wand and said coldly, "Three points from Slytherin. Reason: wandering at night. Now, go back."

Allen picked up the suitcase and headed down the stairs. Snape stood where he was until Allen's back disappeared, then turned toward the Girls Lavatory. Moaning Myrtle screamed inside, "Another one! You all love staring at my bathroom!"

Snape didn't go in. He looked at the water stains on the wall, the tip of his wand glowing with a faint light. A fleeting silver-green reaction emerged in the water stains, then dissipated. His expression darkened further.

At the entrance to the Dungeon, Draco was indeed not asleep. He was leaning against the wall, and upon seeing Allen return, he straightened up immediately. "Did you run into Snape?"

"Three points deducted."

Draco closed his eyes. "I knew it. Did you take the mirror?"

Allen tossed the small round mirror back. "It was useful."

Draco caught the mirror, his anger half-dissipated. "Did you really see something?"

Allen walked into the dormitory and set the suitcase down. "The Second Floor leads directly to the underground. There is a sealed space at the bottom of the pipes. The Castle's barriers recognize the Potter bloodline."

Nott sat up from behind the curtain, pen already in hand. "Recognizes you?"

"Recognizes the key slot."

Zabini opened his eyes. "That word sounds even dirtier than 'Heir'."

Allen copied the fragmented page of the family crest archives onto a piece of parchment and handed it to Nott. "The Potter ancestors may have participated in the outer surveillance of the Chamber of Secrets. The records were deleted, leaving only the verification."

Draco stared at the words "branch key slot," his voice catching. "So, can you open the Chamber of Secrets?"

"No." Allen took the parchment back. "I can be treated by the Castle as part of the seal record. Opening the door still requires Parseltongue."

"Harry." Nott wrote down the name. "Granger checks the entrance, Potter opens the door, and the Weasley girl brings the diary."

Allen closed his eyes. "The order is about right."

Crabbe poked his head out from under the covers. "Then what do we do?"

Goyle followed up, "Bring mirrors?"

Draco glared at them. "Shut up and go to sleep."

Allen leaned against the headboard, his consciousness sinking into the space. The golden patterns on the north side slowly stabilized under the seven anchor points, and the cracked pocket watch still glowed blue toward the Second Floor. The Void coiled in front of the golden patterns, its silver eyes unclosed.

Allen whispered, "The Castle provided the coordinates, Tom provided the entrance, and Hermione will provide the evidence."

Peter in the cage looked up, his mouth sealed, his eyes full of fear.

Allen looked at the golden patterns on the north side and finished the second half of the sentence. "Next, the diary should make an appearance."