52 Eavesdropping Lockhart

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Harry and Ron stealthily navigated the dark hallway toward the medical wing concealed beneath the Invisibility Cloaks.

Finding Hermione fast asleep, the excited Harry impulsively patted her to wake her up, removing the Invisibility Cloak without a second thought.

Startled, Hermione jumped from the bed, her hair standing on end. It seemed that Madam Pomfrey's treatment was still incomplete, and Hermione retained some cat-like habits.

"Hey," Hermione, suddenly frightened, hunched her back and peered forward vigilantly. "Who's there?" she demanded.

"It's us, Hermione." Harry quickly unveiled himself, and Ron hid under the cloak.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, and her hair returned to normal. "Merlin, look at the time. It's past curfew. What are you doing here? Do you want Gryffindor to lose more points?"

Hermione complained a little embarrassedly, remembering her initial fright, "Don't startle people with an invisibility cloak. Do you know how scary it was just now?"

Apologizing for sticking out their tongues, Harry couldn't wait to share what he had heard from Dobby about Ethan with Hermione and Ron.

"Evil things around Professor Ethan? Are you suggesting Professor Ethan might have opened the Chamber of Secrets?" Ron's eyes widened in surprise. "That can't be true. Professor Ethan is practically my favorite professor. In Close Combat, he awarded me bonus points and encouragement. After giving me a new wand, he topped my list."

Hermione concurred, "Indeed, Professor Ethan can't be the Heir of the Chamber of Secrets. If he wanted to harm Muggle students, I would have been in danger countless times."

"But Dobby earnestly warned me to stay away from Professor Ethan. He seemed genuinely concerned." Harry was perplexed, torn between conflicting information. He didn't want to believe Professor Ethan could be behind something sinister.

"If I say that the elf must be completely insane, just think about him attacking you with a Bludger in a Quidditch match," Ron complained.

"You want us to believe that Dobby has been helping us all along? Would Professor McGonagall trust a house-elf causing trouble?"

Hermione nodded in agreement. She spent the most time with Ethan among the three, and judging from Ethan's daily behavior, she believed he wasn't someone who discriminated against Muggle wizards. Therefore, Hermione considered the idea of Professor Ethan being the heir to Slytherin nonsensical.

Cautiously glancing at Hermione, Harry swallowed and said, "Hermione, I remember you told us that Professor Ethan gave you the key to his office, right?"

As a diligent and curious wizard, Hermione often consulted Ethan when she had questions about her assistant work. All the books and notes were kept in his office, and Ethan had given Hermione the key to access them whenever needed. Of course, Hermione was respectful and only touched the books in the office, nothing else.

"Of course, I have the key," Hermione replied casually, still deep in thought about Ethan. Soon, she realized something was amiss, saying, "I absolutely can't take you to search Professor Ethan's office! I can't betray his trust in me! Don't even think about it!" Hermione's hair stood on end again, resembling a little lion.

"I was wrong; I didn't say we were going to search," Harry quickly reassured her, startled by Hermione's reaction.

The now calmer Hermione was a bit embarrassed but explained, "We can't violate the school rules. We'll be expelled again," Ron agreed, and the punishment had left an indelible mark on his memory. He had no desire to make the same mistake again.

"If you ask me, we should focus on being honest students and studying hard. Dealing with the Slytherin heir shouldn't be our responsibility at all," Ron said seriously, earning strange looks from his two friends.

"Look who's saying this." Hermione couldn't help but laugh after her initial complaint. After a moment of surprise, Harry joined in, and even Ron found the situation amusing.

The atmosphere in the medical room lightened. After a consensus discussion, Harry, Hermione, and Ron decided not to interfere in the affairs of the Slytherin heir. Perhaps not meddling was Professor McGonagall's original intention in punishing them.

After chatting with Ron and Hermione, Harry's mood improved. He began to feel that doubting Professor Ethan was a bit extreme. They shared the sentiment.

Harry and Ron bid farewell to Hermione, donned their invisibility cloaks, and prepared to leave the infirmary. Hermione, in her parting words, emphasized the need for them to stay hidden and avoid getting caught to prevent further point deductions. Percy had suffered enough, and Harry and Ron acknowledged her instructions before departing.

Unnoticed behind the layered curtains in the medical room lurked a tall figure – Lockhart. Once a renowned wizard, Lockhart had become a joke, losing even his core group of admirers. His various inept performances had exposed him as a fraud. Despite his prior experience in handling such situations, Ethan's brilliance disrupted Lockhart's plans.

Due to Ethan's overshadowing competence, students began to ignore Lockhart. They attended his classes but treated him like Professor Binns, the ghost professor in the history of magic class. Students either slept or busied themselves with other matters. Any house points Lockhart deducted were promptly added back by their respective heads for various reasons. In essence, Lockhart found himself marginalized.

This situation was more unbearable for Lockhart, who thrived on fame. Rather than reflecting on his shortcomings, Lockhart blamed Ethan, believing Ethan had stolen his spotlight.

Today, Lockhart had burned his hand due to the uncontrollable magic he cast in class. Too embarrassed to seek treatment during the day, he came to Madam Pomfrey after curfew for medicine to treat the burn. While hiding behind the curtains, he overheard Harry and Ron's conversation with Hermione.

"Heir of the Chamber of Secrets? Ethan's evil plan?" Lockhart's eyes gleamed behind the curtain.

"Ethan must have found a way to enhance his strength from Salazar Slytherin to steal my limelight."

Lockhart thought excitedly, "I need to find evidence that he is the heir of the secret room! Exposing Ethan's true nature will make me a hero in uncovering the heir of the secret room! I can write a legend that truly belongs to me." Lockhart clenched his fists in excitement, envisioning fame, fortune, and fans awaiting him after becoming a hero.

After forcibly calming his excitement, Lockhart stayed behind the curtain for a while. Once assured that Hermione was asleep, he quietly left the medical room.