Time goes back to dozens of minutes ago.

Harry walked quickly to Gryffindor Tower, picked up his Nimbus 2000, and joined the stream of people moving across the grounds, but his mind was still in the castle, following the voice. As he changed into his bright red robes in the dressing room, his only consolation was that everyone was outside watching the match.

The players walked onto the field to thunderous cheers. Oliver Wood took to the air and flew around the goalposts in a warm-up. Madam Hooch released the ball. The Hufflepuffs, in their canary yellow uniforms, gathered together to discuss tactics at the last minute.

Harry looked towards the audience, and Malfoy, with his white hair, was very conspicuous. He was pushing his way through the crowd towards Ginny and Ron. But Harry didn't see Hermione.

Cyrus panted and sat next to Ginny, asking knowingly, "Finally I found you, where's Hermione?"

"Went to the library," Ginny said immediately, and she told him everything that had happened since she and Cyrus separated.

"She's alone? You shouldn't have let her go by herself. What if she's in danger?"

"No way? How come the heir just happened to know Hermione's location?" Ron didn't quite believe that it was such a coincidence.

But just as Harry was about to get on his broomstick, Professor McGonagall suddenly ran across the field with a huge purple microphone in her hand.

His heart sank like a stone.

It is feared that the attack has occurred again.

Sure enough, what happened just now was the sign that the monster had started to take action.

Ron's face turned pale, he stood up in a panic and started to squeeze towards the playground: "It can't be true..."

Cyrus and Ginny hurried to follow.

"The match is cancelled," Professor McGonagall said into the packed bleachers through the microphone. There were boos and shouts of disapproval from the crowd. Oliver Wood looked crestfallen. He landed on the ground and, without getting off his broom, ran towards Professor McGonagall.

"But Professor!" he cried, "we have to play... the Quidditch Cup... Gryffindor..."

Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout with the microphone: "All students must return to the common room of this college. There, the head of the college will tell you more about the situation. Please leave as soon as possible!"

Then she put the microphone down and motioned Harry over.

"Potter, I think it would be best if you came with me..."

Harry was very puzzled. Why did he always get caught in trouble? He couldn't figure it out. Now he was playing Quidditch, how could this attack be related to him?

On the other side, nearly a thousand students made a noisy sound. In the bustling crowd, Cyrus, Ron and Ginny struggled to separate the torrent and ran towards this side.

"Well, maybe you'd better come too, Ron Weasley." McGonagall looked at Ron and finally agreed, but Cyrus and Ginny were not so lucky. "As for the two of you, hurry back to the common room of your college! Especially you, Malfoy!"

After saying that, she left with Harry and Ron, who were confused.

Harry looked back and saw Cyrus and Ginny standing alone on the green grass field, with a crowded crowd behind them.

He felt as if the world was divided into three parts. The noisy noises were suddenly far away from him, and the angry Wood was like a silhouette performing a pantomime.

"I'm afraid there was an accident." Cyrus hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's go back first. I believe that when Harry and Ron come back, they will tell us what happened."

"Well," Ginny could only nod, "I hope Hermione is okay..." - "Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

Their bad premonition came true.

This time, Professor McGonagall did not take Harry and Ron to someone's office, but went directly to the school hospital.

Hermione lay there motionless, her glazed eyes unnaturally open.

"She was found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I suppose neither of you can explain this?"

"Someone forced her to open her eyes." Madam Pomfrey noticed the strangeness in Hermione's expression at a glance. She obviously wanted to close her eyes tightly, but her eyelids were roughly pried open.

"This means that the attacker most likely cast the spell through his gaze."

This clue made it easy for McGonagall to associate it with the basilisk. However, the other victims could be explained, but there seemed to be nothing on Hermione that could prevent her from seeing the basilisk. But she was still petrified instead of being killed.

"I'll escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor McGonagall, with a heavy heart, "I have to go speak to the students anyway."

"All students must be in their house common rooms by 6pm. No student may leave their dormitories after this time. Each class will be escorted by a teacher. No student may use the bathroom without a teacher. All Quidditch practices and matches are postponed. No activities will be held in the evening."

The Gryffindor students huddled in the common room, listening in silence to Professor McGonagall's speech. She rolled up the parchment she had just read, and said in a choked voice, "Needless to say, I have seldom been in such pain before. The school may well be closed unless the perpetrators of these attacks are caught. I urge anyone who thinks they know anything to come forward."

She climbed awkwardly through the portrait hole, and the Gryffindor students immediately began to chatter.

"Two Gryffindors are down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, there's a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff," the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan counted on his fingers. "Did any of the teachers notice that all the Slytherins are still okay? Isn't it obvious that all these things came from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the Monster of Slytherin - why don't they just kick all the Slytherins out?" he shouted, and the audience nodded frequently and burst into sparse applause.

But Harry wasn't really listening.

He couldn't seem to get rid of the image of Hermione lying in the hospital bed, frozen as stone. If the criminal wasn't caught soon, he would be back to live out his life with the Dursleys. Tom Riddle had turned in Hagrid because he faced the prospect of returning to the Muggle orphanage once the school closed. Harry knew exactly how he felt now.

"What should we do?" Ron whispered in Harry's ear as he, Ginny and the other two huddled in a corner. "Do you think they suspect Hagrid?"

"We have to go talk to him," Harry said, making up his mind. "I can't believe it's him this time. But since he let the monster out last time, he must know how to get into the Chamber of Secrets. This is a breakthrough."

"But Professor McGonagall said we must stay in the tower unless we are in class -"

"I think," said Harry, more quietly, "that now is the time to get out my dad's old cloak again."

"Then let's go find Mr. Riddle and go together."

(End of this chapter)