114: Chapter 114 The Warning from the Void

"It is moving."

As soon as Peter's gag was removed, he pressed his face against the edge of the cage, his voice distorted.

Beside the ebony box, Void, the entire snake, tensed into a black line, its silver slit pupils fixed on the golden patterns to the north.

The blue light from the cracked pocket watch stretched outward, as if a hand were pulling it upward from the Second Floor Girls Lavatory of Hogwarts.

Allen stood in the center of the Portable Space, the seven knut anchor points heating up simultaneously.

The mist at the edge of the space retreated, and the golden patterns on the north side came to life. Lines crawled from the ground into mid-air, piecing together the partial outline of the Castle's pipes.

The Second Floor Girls Lavatory, the shaft, the bent drainage pipes, and the main passage leading to the underground hall—several nodes lit up one after another.

Draco sat on the edge of the bed in the outside world, unable to hear the sounds within the space; he only saw Allen leaning against the bedpost with his eyes closed, his complexion looking worse than when he was asleep.

He nudged Nott, "How long has he been like this?"

Nott checked the time on his watch, "Twelve minutes. It's deeper than usual."

Zabini leaned against the window, "If he wakes up and tells us to run, don't ask why."

Crabbe held the mirror, "Where to?"

Goyle thought seriously for a moment, "Stay away from water."

Inside the space, Peter continued, "It used to sleep for a long time, only moving when its master summoned it. Now that it's patrolling, it means the diary can control it, or at least provide it with a route. Tom will first let it familiarize itself with the Castle, finding pipes with fewer people, looking for places where it can strike and then return."

Allen stared at the golden map, "Speed?"

"The Basilisk is fast in the pipes. In the narrow waterways within the walls, it slows down. In large pipes, old flues, and underground canals, it can slither along."

Peter swallowed hard, "Don't trust the sounds. It can pass over your head, while the sound comes from beneath your feet."

The tip of Void's tail suddenly lashed out at the golden patterns. A corner of the map lit up; in the shaft below the Second Floor Girls Lavatory, a thin, long shadow slowly ascended. Halfway up, it turned into a horizontal pipe, bypassed the corridor below the Charms Class, and moved towards the Trophy Room.

Allen marked the time on a piece of parchment, "8:17 PM, departed from the main shaft of the Girls Bathroom. 8:23 PM, the old fireplace interlayer next to the Charms Class. 8:31 PM, below the maintenance hatch of the Trophy Room. Has not exited the pipes."

Peter said with a trembling voice, "It's testing the exits. The diary might not dare to let it out yet; there are too many people in the Castle, and the Professors patrol too much."

"Next time it will choose a more chaotic moment," Allen said.

Peter nodded too quickly and bumped his forehead against the cage, "Yes, between classes, during mass movement, or when Gilderoy Lockhart holds some ridiculous event. Tom likes to have others create noise for him."

Void suddenly raised its head, its silver pupils fixed on another branch pipe. On the golden map, a section of the pipe lit up and then went dark. That was below the empty classroom on the Third Floor, where water had seeped through in previous chapters.

Allen circled that spot, "A feint."

Peter froze, "How can you tell?"

"The Castle's protective wards didn't respond," Allen pointed to the main line, "A real load would bend the space. False sounds of water only deceive the ears."

Peter looked at him, the remnants of luck on his face completely suppressed. For the first time, he realized clearly that the boy who imprisoned him hadn't reached this point by luck. Lord Voldemort could deceive, Dumbledore could investigate, and Snape could interrogate, but Allen was watching the paths, the structures, and the rebound of space after every instance of stress.

In the outside world, Allen opened his eyes. The few people in the dormitory looked over simultaneously. Draco stuffed the mirror into his pocket and stood up, "Tell us."

"The Basilisk is patrolling," Allen spread out the parchment, "It hasn't left the pipes; it's testing four exits. The old fireplace, the Trophy Room, the damaged drainage outlet on the second floor, and the main shaft of the Girls Lavatory."

Draco stared at the map, "Right now?"

"It just withdrew from below the Trophy Room."

Nott immediately copied the route into a small notebook, "Should we have people avoid the Trophy Room tomorrow?"

"Too obvious," Zabini shook his head first, "If all the Slytherins avoid a certain place, the Professors will ask, and the Gryffindors will follow."

Allen tapped the time on the map, "Change the patrol advice. After dinner, don't go to the second floor or the Third Floor side corridors, and don't walk alone near the Trophy Room. The excuse will be that Filch is catching students wandering at night."

Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle, "Did you hear that? Especially don't take detours just to find food."

Crabbe whispered, "There's no food in the Trophy Room."

Goyle added, "There might be some near Filch's office."

Draco grabbed a pillow, and Crabbe immediately shrank back to the bedside. Pansy stood at the door, her expression tense, "I'll tell the girls. Using Filch and Madam Norris as an excuse, no one will ask too many questions."

Nott looked up, "What about Granger?"

Allen circled Hermione's name, "She has remedial lessons after the Hospital Wing, and will be going to the Library and the Girls Lavatory soon. Let the portraits see her, don't let the Basilisk see her first."

Draco understood, "You want to create eyewitnesses for Granger?"

"If she gets caught wandering at night by a Professor, at most she'll lose points. If she runs into the Basilisk alone, she could be petrified, or she could die," Allen folded the map, "If the Professors see her investigating, they will increase patrols. Tom will be forced to change his timing."

Zabini nodded slightly, "Using the Professors as a shield."

Nott wrote down "Portraits", then suddenly asked, "Which one?"

Allen said, "The knight next to the armor on the second floor; he's gossipy and afraid of Snape. Give him a knut, and he'll exaggerate the students he sees at night by three times."

Draco looked at him, "You even bribe portraits?"

"I have."

Zabini let out a laugh, "The underground finance of Hogwarts."

Allen ignored him and continued with the arrangements, "Zabini, ask your mother when the next inquiry from the Board of Governors is expected to arrive. Draco, do not write to Lucius, do not probe, and do not hint that you have discovered the diary."

The smile on Draco's face vanished, "I know."

Allen looked at him.

Draco corrected himself, "I understand."

"Nott, keep an eye on Adrian Pucey and Flint. If they approach the second floor while the Basilisk is patrolling, record their location, and if necessary, let them get caught by Filch."

Nott's pen tip paused, "Using Filch to save people?"

"It can also save us."

That night, the knight portrait on the second floor received a knut. The knight in the portrait weighed the coin, puffed out his armor's chest plate, "I have never accepted bribes from students."

Allen stood in the silhouette of the frame, "That's a patrol assistance fee."

The knight looked down at the knut, "Assistance with what?"

"If you see a Gryffindor girl carrying books to the second floor at night, call Filch. Don't yell about a snake, don't yell about the Chamber of Secrets."

The knight muttered, "Calling Filch is even more embarrassing than calling for a snake."

"If Professor Snape asks, just say you were doing your duty."

The knight immediately tucked the knut into the painting, "Deal."

In the middle of the night, Hermione indeed came down the stairs carrying books. She held a mirror in her hand, and a piece of paper with "Basilisk" written on it peeked out of her pocket. Harry and Ron were left by her outside the corner; Ron's complaints were kept very low, "I still think we should go in together."

Hermione looked back, "You stay where you can hear me shout. Don't enter the Girls Lavatory, especially you, Ron."

Ron's face turned red, "I wasn't planning on going in anyway!"

The knight portrait immediately shouted, "Filch! Night wandering! A Witch with books! Second floor!"

Hermione was so startled that she nearly dropped her books. Harry grabbed her and ran, with Ron following behind, cursing, "Which portrait takes money?!"

Filch rushed up from the bottom of the stairs; Madam Norris was not there after being petrified, and he was holding his lamp alone, panting like a broken bellows as he ran, "Stop! I saw you!"

The three escaped back up the stairs in a sorry state. Hermione looked back once at the direction of the Girls Lavatory; a glint of water flashed through the crack in the door. She gripped the mirror tightly and didn't insist any further.

In the shadows, Allen withdrew his Spatial Perception. Deep in the main shaft within the walls, the massive snake shadow, which had been climbing upward, paused for two breaths after hearing Filch's shouting, then slowly sank back down. The sound of water retreated, and the stress on the pipes returned to normal.

In the Portable Space, the tip of Void's tail tapped a point on the map. Patrolling after eight o'clock, if disturbed by noise, it will withdraw.

Allen finished writing the record and was just about to leave when Snape's voice came from above the stairs.

"Standing behind portraits at night, Mr. Potter, is this your new hobby?"

Allen turned around. Snape stood in the shadows, his black robes almost blending into the wall. His wand was not lit, yet it was already pointed at him.

"I heard Filch," Allen said.

"Filch was chasing Gryffindors; you were hiding here to enjoy the show?" Snape took a step closer, "Or are you waiting for something else?"

Allen revealed a bit of the mirror from his sleeve, "I was afraid there might be water in the corridor."

Snape's gaze rested on the mirror, "Who told you there was a problem with the water?"

"There was water on the ground when the cat was petrified."

"Granger's deduction?"

"The whole school is talking about it."

Snape stared at him, as if trying to extract the source from every word. Allen kept his head down, sleepiness written on his face, but his hand was pressed against the wand in his sleeve. The two were two steps apart; the sound of water within the walls had retreated far away, leaving only Filch's cursing on the second floor.

Finally, Snape said coldly, "After class tomorrow, come to my office."

Allen looked up, "Detention?"

"A conversation," Snape turned and left, his black robes sweeping across the stone steps, "If you can still call it a conversation."

Allen watched his back and put away the mirror. In the Portable Space, the blue light of the cracked pocket watch had not yet extinguished; Void was staring at the second-floor pipes, and Peter was huddled in the corner of the cage, his hands covering his mouth.

Allen whispered, "The Basilisk's route has been obtained, and Snape has upped the ante."

He folded the parchment and wrote the final line. Professor's surveillance upgraded. After Potion Class tomorrow, probability of Legilimency is high.