Chapter 117: Scarborough Fair

Tom observed for a moment and decided to return to the castle, but his peripheral vision caught a glint.

Curious, he approached and found a simple tiara. Half of it was buried in the soil, and the rest was covered with mossy vines. A necklace was entwined in the tiara, and the earlier glint was the sunlight reflecting off the necklace.

Tom gently brushed away the vines on the tiara and unearthed it from the ground.

\[Double Player Instance: Scarborough Fair unlocked. Two individuals meeting the requirements can enter the instance by touching the cross pendant together.

Task Objective: Fulfill the wishes of Elaine and Ben.

Instance Reward: Divination Talent +1\]

"A double-player instance..." Tom murmured this unique term. He sensed something unusual and Scarborough Fair seemed like a place name, vaguely familiar, but he couldn't recall.

Following the secret passage, Tom returned to the Slytherin Chamber at Hogwarts.

This time, Tom's exploration of the chamber was fruitful. He resolved a significant risk, gained knowledge of a secret passage leading outside the school, and replicated the abilities of the snake creature. These were the advantages he obtained; he hadn't even entered the two rooms left by Slytherin.

Tom flew back to the bathroom of the Room of Requirement. Moaning Myrtle was nowhere to be found, but that suited Tom's preferences.

It was dinner time, and students gathered in the Great Hall. Tom hurried back to the common room, took a bath, thoroughly cleaned off the dirt, and disposed of the stinky robe.

After dinner, Ravenclaw's young wizards gathered in the common room, chatting to pass the time.

Tom sat quietly in a corner, waiting for Hermione to return. Soon, she entered the room, glanced around, and her eyes lit up when she saw Tom. She walked briskly towards him.

Some young witches, seeing this scene, showed ambiguous smiles and exchanged suggestive glances with their friends. However, no one noticed that amidst the bustling crowd of chattering witches, a lone figure walked in.

"Where were you this afternoon? I couldn't find you." Hermione sat across from Tom, took out a small package, and Tom, after sniffing it, knew it contained some good things.

"Dinner tonight has grilled chops. I remember you liked them before, so I brought a few pieces for you."

Just thinking about the succulent and juicy grilled chops at Hogwarts, Tom's mouth watered—he had just finished bathing and changing clothes, missing dinner time.

"Let's go somewhere else to chat," Tom suggested, knowing that eating with girls in the common room would incur public wrath.

"It's a bit late now, and if we miss curfew..." Hermione began.

"We'll be breaking the rules!" Tom finished her sentence, surprising Hermione. Then she smiled, "Yeah, we'll be breaking the rules indeed."

Tom, with Hermione in tow, left Ravenclaw Tower, taking advantage of the time before curfew. He led her to the second floor.

"Are you going to the library? Are you crazy? Eating in the library, Madam Pince will kill you," Hermione said anxiously. She couldn't imagine the consequences if they angered Madam Pince and were banned from the library forever.

"Not the library, but here." Tom opened the door to the Charms classroom and walked in.

He unpacked the food Hermione brought, spreading it on the table: bread, sausages, and grilled chops. Hermione also considerately included some vegetables in the bread.

Watching Tom enjoy the food so happily, she couldn't help but reach out and pat Tom's head. "Good boy, eat more."

Tom: ...

This phrase sounded familiar, and something felt odd.

Hermione took out a bottle of drink from her bag.

"Try this, a new drink in the hall tonight, it's called Apple Vinegar."

"Apple vinegar?" Tom was puzzled. The name sounded like vinegar made from apples, a condiment he was quite familiar with. Could such a thing be used as a beverage?

"Try it; it's excellent." Hermione handed the exquisite small kettle to him.

Tom took a sip, and to his surprise, the taste was fantastic. It was sweet and sour, completely lacking the vinegar taste he had imagined. There was even a fruity sweetness from the apple juice, making it very refreshing. After the somewhat greasy chops, a sip of this cleared away the greasiness.

What Tom didn't know was that apple vinegar wasn't really vinegar. It referred to a beverage made from apple juice through fermentation and then mixed with apple juice and other ingredients. It wasn't the kitchen condiment he was familiar with. Fruit vinegar had a long history; in the 10th century, grape vinegar was already prevalent in France.

"Actually, there's something I want to tell you," Tom swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, then handed one to Hermione, "It's about something I've been investigating recently..."

Hermione nodded, her eyes widening. She leaned forward, eager to hear him speak.

"The Chamber, have you heard about it?"

Hermione shook her head, then paused, "I think I've heard that name somewhere—yes, in 'Hogwarts, A History.' I should have come across it there, but I can't recall."

Fortunately, this wasn't an exam, and she didn't need to jump up to check the information. Tom gradually shared what he knew about the Slytherin Chamber with Hermione.

"So, you've been busy searching for Slytherin's Chamber these days?" Hermione understood.

"Exactly."

"For centuries, no one has found this chamber. How could you—"

"I found it."

Hermione: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a "For centuries, it remained undiscovered because there was always someone from the Gaunt family concealing it. They are descendants of Slytherin, but now there's no one to conceal it. The last living heir of the Gaunt family is a mysterious person who personally killed his uncle's family to ensure Slytherin's bloodline ended."

Hermione: I don't understand, but I'm deeply shocked.

"So, are you inviting me to open the chamber together? But according to legend, after opening it, all young wizards from Muggle families will be killed—" Hermione was urgent, her face reddened with excitement, "We should find Professor Dumbledore; he will definitely solve this."

Tom thought for a moment. If Dumbledore encountered the snake creature unexpectedly, it might pose some risk? After all, the terrifying aspect of the snake creature was in a direct encounter: see it, and you die—quite an unsolvable situation.

However, wizards of Dumbledore's caliber are challenging to kill by surprise. Maybe he had some hidden tricks or backup plans.

"Listen to me slowly..." Tom began to recount his experiences over the past two days to Hermione, who listened with wide-eyed astonishment. A lot had happened during this short weekend, and Tom had even found time to take a stroll with her in between!

"This is too dangerous! Do you know the Ministry of Magic rates the danger of snake creatures? You shouldn't be so reckless!" Hermione stood up, "I should have informed Professor Dumbledore earlier. And, didn't I say, if there's anything, you can call me; I might be useful!"

Tom shrugged. Facing a snake creature without a means of resurrection was not a good idea.

"Anyway, the chamber is safe now. Do you want to take a look?" Tom presented an enticing option.

Hermione was conflicted. Her rational side told her she should report this to Professor Dumbledore, and it was too late now—going to the chamber and returning would definitely take too much time. However, her emotional side confronted her rationality, saying, "Why hesitate? Let's go!"

"Sure, sure." Hermione agreed with Tom's suggestion. After all, the chamber was on the second floor, and they were on the second floor—it was convenient.

So, Tom and Hermione arrived at the bathroom of the Room of Requirement, where Moaning Myrtle was this time.

Hearing footsteps, she darted out.

"Oh? It's the cute boy from last time~" Myrtle smiled and flew towards them, "And you've brought a little girl this time!"

She circled around Hermione, giggling.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk—"

"I heard there's a crybaby who does nothing all day in here, so I brought her to have a look." Tom interrupted Myrtle's words directly, preventing her from saying anything unpleasant.

Myrtle, covering her face, angrily floated away, "Get out of this bathroom! Even after you die, I won't share this restroom with you!"

Myrtle left. Tom, with Hermione, went to the faucet at the entrance of the chamber.

"I thought you needed Parseltongue to open it? Where did you learn Parseltongue?" Hermione was puzzled, but when she saw Tom instantly transform into the beautiful bird-snake he kept, everything became clear.

Tom was quite proud. Who would think of mastering Parseltongue in this way?

Tom opened the chamber, then transformed into Fawkes, carrying Hermione as they flew into the pipes.

"I never expected there to be such a place underground at Hogwarts." Inside the chamber, Hermione sighed at the immense engineering effort it must have taken, "I really wonder how Slytherin built it. Even in modern society, constructing such a passage would take at least a year, right?"

Tom thought about the pitiful construction speed of the London Underground and felt that Hermione's estimation of a year was giving too much credit to the British. In Western Europe, taking five or six years to build a railway was quite normal: the government discussed proposals, there was wrangling in parliament, and finally, after managing to secure the funds, construction would begin. Then there would be disputes involving the construction company, workers, environmental protection groups, and more.

The only good thing about this inefficient process was that it ensured workers' welfare: no overtime, good pay, and a strike every other day. Life was quite enjoyable.

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(End of this chapter)

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