Harry and Ron finally came to a plan after discussing some things.
"We'll just keep an eye on him," he said. "If Victor really is the heir of Slytherin, he's bound to do something suspicious."
Harry still looked uncertain, but Ron's confidence made the plan sound simpler than it probably was.
"Fine," Harry said after a moment. "But we're only watching. We're not accusing him of anything."
Ron nodded quickly.
"Right. Just watching."
The next day they began their plan.
They kept their distance in the corridors and followed Victor between classes whenever they could without being noticed. It wasn't easy.
Victor walked calmly through the castle most of the time, reading books or heading to lessons like any other student.
Nothing about his behavior looked unusual.
They followed him from the Slytherin common room corridor to breakfast, then to his morning classes, keeping far enough behind that he wouldn't notice them.
Hermione wasn't involved in any of it.
Both Harry and Ron had agreed that bringing her along would only result in a long lecture about trust, logic, and why spying on their classmate was a terrible idea.
So the two of them continued their quiet surveillance alone, waiting for Victor to do something that might prove Ron's theory correct.
That afternoon they finally noticed something unusual.
From the corridor balcony overlooking the courtyard, Harry and Ron spotted Victor sitting on one of the stone benches below.
He wasn't alone.
A first-year girl sat beside him.
Ron leaned forward slightly, squinting down into the courtyard.
"Who's that girl?" he whispered.
Harry followed his gaze.
The girl had long pale-blonde hair and wore Ravenclaw uniform. She sat beside Victor quite comfortably, smiling faintly as they talked.
"I don't know, Ron," Harry said quietly.
Ron frowned.
"Why's he talking to a first-year?"
Below in the courtyard, Victor sat relaxed on the bench while the girl beside him swung her legs slightly.
"So, Luna," Victor asked casually, "how is school?"
Luna looked up toward the sky for a moment as if thinking about the question very carefully.
"It's fun," Luna said dreamily. "The castle has lots of interesting corners. I think some of them move when you aren't looking."
Victor gave a small, amused smile. That did sound like Hogwarts.
"I wouldn't be surprised," he said.
For a moment they sat quietly on the stone bench in the courtyard while the autumn breeze moved through the trees.
Then Victor spoke again.
"So, Luna," he asked calmly, "is everything going well in the dormitories? Any problems with classes… or with other students?"
He asked the question casually, but he already knew Luna's reputation among the Ravenclaws. Her unusual way of speaking and seeing the world often made other students treat her differently.
Luna didn't answer immediately.
She simply smiled in her distant way and looked up at the sky as if she were watching something only she could see.
Victor exhaled quietly.
That silence told him enough.
Ravenclaw House was filled with sharp minds and competitive students. Someone as unusual as Luna rarely fit comfortably into that environment.
"Well," Victor said after a moment, "if anything ever bothers you, you can tell me."
Luna's smile brightened slightly.
"I like Charms," she said suddenly, beginning to talk about the classes she enjoyed.
Victor listened patiently while she explained her thoughts about lessons, teachers, and strange creatures she believed lived around the castle.
As she spoke, Victor's eyes drifted across the courtyard.
Not far away, three first-year Ravenclaw girls stood near the fountain. They were whispering to each other while glancing toward Luna and laughing quietly.
Victor watched them for a moment.
The expression on his face changed slightly.
The amusement faded, replaced by a colder, quieter look.
For a brief moment his gaze sharpened like a snake observing movement in tall grass.
Across the courtyard, the girls suddenly stopped laughing.
One of them glanced around uneasily.
Another rubbed her arms as if a sudden chill had passed through the air.
Without another word, the three of them turned and walked away quickly.
Victor looked back at Luna as if nothing had happened.
She was still happily explaining why the Ravenclaw common room ceiling reminded her of floating clouds.
From the balcony above the courtyard, Ron watched the scene carefully. His eyes had followed Victor's gaze when he looked toward the group of Ravenclaw girls.
"Did you see that?" Ron whispered sharply.
Harry looked back down into the courtyard.
"What?"
"The way he looked at those girls," Ron said, leaning closer. "He looked like he wanted to kill them."
Harry hesitated.
For a brief moment earlier, Victor's expression really had changed. It had been cold and sharp in a way Harry hadn't seen before.
Still, Harry wasn't convinced.
"Maybe he was just annoyed," Harry said quietly.
Ron shook his head immediately.
"No way. That was not a normal look."
Below them, Victor was still sitting on the bench while Luna talked cheerfully beside him, completely unaware that she had been the center of attention a moment earlier.
Ron folded his arms with growing confidence.
"Now we just have to prove it," he said.
Harry glanced at him. "Prove what?"
"That Victor Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin," Ron said, a satisfied grin appearing on his face. "And once we prove that, we'll get him expelled."
If Victor had heard that plan, he probably would have clapped and encouraged them to continue.
Expelling him was not something Hogwarts could do lightly. Even the thought of it would bring immediate attention from his father. Lucius Malfoy would not simply accept a decision like that; he had enough influence to cause serious trouble for the school itself if he chose to intervene.
Ron, however, was not thinking that far ahead. In his mind the matter was simple. If Victor truly was the heir of Slytherin, then exposing him would solve the entire mystery of the Chamber.
*****
A/N : 🔥 On Patreon, the story has already been updated up to Chapter 85🔥
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