On the way to dinner, Hermione glanced at the two carefree boys in front of her and quietly sidled up to Kai Adler.
"What did you really see?"
Kai raised an eyebrow, amused. "Didn't I already tell you?"
The girl puffed out her cheeks and jabbed his side with her finger. "You can lie to those two idiots, but you think you can lie to me? Don't I know exactly how capable you are?"
Kai chuckled and gently caught her hand, his fingers curling around hers in mock surrender. Hermione's face flushed crimson, and she quickly pulled away.
"Although I didn't have much time," Kai said casually, "I can say with confidence—he's not the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets."
"Really?" Hermione's eyes widened, her gaze fixed on his profile.
"Really. What would I gain from lying to you?"
"Hmph. You're too cunning for your own good. I never know which part of your story is true and which part is just… one of your games."
Despite his gentle, polished demeanor—the air of a noble young gentleman from an old European family—Hermione knew better than most: Kai Adler was sharper and more calculating than he let on.
"That said," he added, lowering his voice, "the Chamber's opening may still be connected to him."
"What exactly did you see?" she asked.
Snape had arrived too quickly earlier, and there hadn't been time for a deep dive. Legilimency wasn't a neat extraction of memories, after all—it was more of a dive into the other person's mental impressions, surfacing moments that left deep marks on their psyche.
If Draco had truly been the Heir of Slytherin, Kai would have seen it the moment their minds connected.
But even with the brief contact, he'd seen something interesting.
"Do you remember when we ran into Draco and his father in Diagon Alley over the summer?"
"I remember," Hermione said with a small grin, "You humiliated them both. They left covered in soot and outrage."
She recalled that day well—how he had stood up for them, unflinching, even though it meant nearly revealing his Obscurus. The memory stirred a small warmth in her chest.
"When they left, I tossed something into their belongings—a black notebook."
"Oh right, I remember now. Is there something wrong with it?"
Kai's gaze darkened slightly. "I couldn't discern its full function, but I sensed an extremely strong aura of Dark Magic surrounding it. And in Draco's mind, I saw that his father explicitly instructed him to bring that notebook to school at the start of term."
Hermione's eyes widened. "He brought a Dark object to Hogwarts? Why? What are they planning?"
Kai shook his head. "I didn't have enough time to see more—Snape interrupted. But it's clearly not some harmless trinket for academic study."
Hermione gave a dry laugh. "Somehow I don't think Lucius Malfoy has any interest in scholarly pursuits involving cursed notebooks."
"Exactly. And I didn't see if Draco still has it now, but I suspect it may have something to do with the Chamber of Secrets. The timing is just… too convenient."
"And your timing isn't?" Hermione teased, narrowing her eyes. "You show up, completely unprecedented, as a second-year transfer, and suddenly the Chamber is opened again? If we hadn't been attacked together, I might have suspected you myself."
Kai smirked. "Why not go ahead and suspect me anyway? Adds to the mystique."
Hermione crossed her arms. "Plenty of students are already whispering about you, you know. Your arrival was too unusual—no Sorting Ceremony, and you didn't even appear on the school rolls until the very last minute. And let's be honest… you don't exactly scream Gryffindor."
Kai glanced ahead at Harry and Ron, who were racing each other to the stairs like overexcited terriers. "If Gryffindor means wild energy with no outlet, then no. I'm not one of them."
In truth, if not for the Obscurus in his body requiring magical stimulation to remain stable, he wouldn't even bother practicing magic daily. A comfortable chair, a stack of books, tea and pastries—that would be his ideal life.
Honestly, he thought to himself, maybe I should have been in Hufflepuff.
Hermione looked up at the two boys again, suddenly finding their antics a little exhausting. She pouted slightly. "Not all Gryffindors are like that…"
She was about to defend her House further when Ron came running back. "Why are you two so slow? Dinner's about to start!"
"…Never mind," Hermione sighed, letting it go. She tugged on Kai's sleeve. "Come on. I didn't realize how hungry I was until he said something."
Kai let her pull him forward, though his mind lingered on Draco's memories. There was resentment in the boy, clearly—hostility that had become increasingly personal. He'd seen glimpses of it being acted on, too…
When the four of them arrived at the entrance to the Great Hall, they found a crowd gathered around the notice board, chattering excitedly.
Harry and Ron pushed through to get a look.
"Duelling Club?" Hermione repeated.
"Yeah!" Harry's eyes were gleaming. "It says the Duelling Club is being reopened, and the first meeting is this afternoon!"
As the name implied, it was an extracurricular activity where students practiced spell duels under supervision—usually one of the Professors. For students like Harry and Ron, often harassed by Slytherins but restrained by school rules, this sounded like a dream come true.
"But we've got Defence Against the Dark Arts this afternoon…" Hermione frowned, then turned to look at Kai.
Sure enough, he was utterly unsurprised.
"That's what Snape meant earlier, isn't it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Harry perked up as well. "Wait—Snape said Lockhart was looking for you. You don't mean…"
Kai folded his arms and leaned casually against the stone wall. "Yes. Lockhart is hosting the Duelling Club."
"Oh no…"
Harry and Ron groaned in unison. Whatever excitement they'd had evaporated instantly. What were they going to learn from him? How to faint gracefully?
Kai smirked. "You think he scheduled it during class time for no reason? He wanted a captive audience—he couldn't risk nobody showing up to witness his 'dazzling spellwork.'"
"Bai," Ron muttered, looking over his shoulder like he was about to suggest something criminal. "Where's Luna? Can she scare him unconscious again?"
"No way," Hermione said sternly, stepping in front of Kai like a knight shielding her squire. "Last time was already pushing Professor Dumbledore's patience. Do you want them expelled?"
Luna, awakened by the noise, popped out from the folds of Kai's coat and landed on Hermione's shoulder, glaring at Ron in solidarity.
Ron raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, it was just a thought."
"Do we really have to put up with Lockhart's nonsense all afternoon?" Harry muttered.
"Actually…" Kai said, eyes glinting, "…not necessarily."