Get comfortable, turn the page, and let’s see what this story has been hiding 🔥 ✦ Filch seemed to relax a little after hearing that.
He hurriedly picked up his cat from the desk, afraid Snape might pluck out more fur, and held Mrs.
Norris with aching care even though she was stiff as a board.
Seeing Filch in such a state, Dumbledore could only wave his hand and allow him to leave the office to look after her.
Once Filch was gone, the professors all turned their attention to the three students.
Snape stood in the shadows with his arms folded.
His gaze swept across their faces like a knife, as though he were trying to cut out some clue.
“Sit down first,” Dumbledore said.
He waved his hand, and three chairs floated over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The three sat down uneasily.
“I need you to tell me exactly what happened today,” Dumbledore said, looking into Harry’s eyes.
The three students began describing the day’s events all at once.
When they reached the part after Nearly Headless Nick’s deathday party, however, they all stopped at the same time.
Then Harry stiffly explained that after the party, they had wanted to return to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, and had happened to stumble upon the scene.
That was where his statement ended.
“But, Mr.
Potter,” Snape said slowly, “as far as I know, that corridor is not on the way to the Great Hall, is it?” His eyes remained fixed on Harry, as though he intended to dig the truth from the boy’s mind.
“Oh.
We wanted to walk off dinner, so we took the long way.” The instant Harry said it, he regretted it.
Miserably, he realized how stupid the excuse was.
Ghosts did not eat.
Snape’s face immediately filled with mockery.
“Yes.
A ghostly party must have left you very full indeed.
Naturally, you needed a walk.” Then Snape turned to Dumbledore.
“These students are lying.
They are hiding something.
I believe they should be given detention until they are willing to tell the truth.” “Absolutely not!” Professor McGonagall said at once, defending her House students.
“They have broken no school rule, and that cat was not harmed by them.
There is no reason to give them detention.” Dumbledore raised a hand, stopping McGonagall from continuing.
He looked deeply at Harry, then finally spoke.
“Mr.
Potter, Mr.
Weasley, Miss Granger, you may go.” The three students froze for a moment, then sprang from their chairs as if they had been pardoned and quickly left the office.
“But Professor Dumbledore, they are clearly concealing something important,” Snape said anxiously as he watched them go.
“I have my considerations, Severus.” Dumbledore interrupted what Snape had been about to say.
“Can someone explain the Chamber of Secrets to me?” Elias asked.
He was trying to draw out whatever hidden information the professors knew.
Flitwick gave Elias an explanation.
According to legend, Slytherin had hidden a secret chamber inside Hogwarts.
Within it was a monster that only the true heir of Slytherin could release.
After Flitwick finished, Dumbledore spoke again.
“For the next period of time, I ask every professor to search the castle carefully and see whether anything can be found.” That was Dumbledore’s final instruction, and then he asked everyone to disperse.
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor common room, they were surprised to find that the suspicion they had expected was not there.
More than a hundred ghosts had appeared to provide Harry with an alibi.
The three gathered in a corner of the common room and began discussing the matter in low voices.
Because of Harry’s terrible performance in Lockhart’s office, they clearly understood that Dumbledore and all the professors had begun to suspect them.
The three now disagreed.
Hermione believed there was no longer any point in hiding Harry’s Parseltongue.
They should tell Professor Dumbledore as soon as possible.
Harry and Ron, however, felt that since Harry had already been cleared of suspicion as the heir of Slytherin, there was no need to expose this matter.
They argued for a long time.
Then Hermione suddenly stopped and lowered her voice.
“Perhaps we could ask Professor Vale for help.” Ron’s eyes lit up at once.
He had turned out to have an unexpected talent for boxing.
In Magical Close-Quarters Defense, he often received praise and points from Professor Vale, so he had an excellent impression of the new professor.
Ron agreed with Hermione’s plan.
Harry was still hesitant.
Ever since learning that Voldemort had also been a Parselmouth, he had been very afraid of others discovering that he had the same gift.
Hermione persuaded him.
Professor Vale was an experienced witcher, someone who specialized in dealing with monsters that harmed people.
Asking him for help with this kind of thing could not be more appropriate.
Under their persuasion, Harry reluctantly agreed to the new plan.
Then Ron suddenly thought of something and ran into his room.
Not long afterward, he returned with a large bag containing the three hundred Galleons the Weasley family had finally gathered to compensate Elias.
Ron suggested using the repayment as an excuse to visit Professor Vale together.
At that moment, Elias was sitting in his office, happily reading a collection of jokes about the British Ministry of Magic.
He had confiscated it from the Weasley twins.
One joke in particular was so funny that Elias burst into loud laughter.
Cornelius Fudge was about to visit the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic, so the Bulgarian Ministry ordered a famous painter to create a large oil painting titled Cornelius Fudge in Bulgaria as a gift.
Under pressure, the reluctant painter accepted the commission.
When the painting was finished, a Bulgarian Ministry official came to inspect it and was shocked by the result.
The canvas showed a man and a woman lying together on a luxurious bed, while Big Ben could be seen through the window.
“What is this?
Who is that woman?” the official demanded angrily.
“Cornelius Fudge’s wife,” the painter replied.
“And the man?” “Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office.” “Then where is Cornelius Fudge?” “Cornelius Fudge is in Bulgaria,” the painter replied.
Reading the joke again, Elias laughed so hard he nearly folded in half.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Elias quickly hid the joke book in a drawer, arranged his expression into something serious, and invited the visitors in.
The ones who pushed the door open were Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The three looked around curiously.
They had clearly heard laughter from inside just now.
Ron eagerly handed the large bag of Galleons to Elias.
Ever since the money had arrived from his family by owl, Ron had been worrying about how to give it to Elias.
Now, thanks to accompanying Harry, the matter was finally resolved.
Elias did not refuse.
He smiled and accepted the compensation.
Recently, he needed a great deal of money to forge armor and publish the journal.
Then Elias warmly invited the three students to sit down.
He brought out his treasured Cockroach Clusters and invited them to try some.
Harry and Ron fearfully refused the terrifying sweets, which looked far too much like moving cockroaches.
Hermione, however, thanked him, picked one up, and tossed it into her mouth.
As long as one ignored their horrible appearance, Cockroach Clusters were genuinely delicious.
Ron and Harry, who did not know the truth, stared at Hermione in astonishment as she chewed the Cockroach Cluster with obvious enjoyment.
✦ ✦ ✦ Ready for more?
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS EmberHollow Thank you for reading.
I hope this chapter pulled you deeper into the story.
Stick around, because there’s still a lot waiting just ahead.