Confrontation in the Office

Upon entering Lockhart's office, one finds numerous Magical Photo of Lockhart hanging on the walls, depicting him in various poses, including one taken before bedtime, where he sports a head full of curlers.

The poses in these Magical Photo are all unified, all converging on Harry.

Harry felt a chill run down his spine; he'd rather attend another Deathday Party than endure such stares.

Ron glanced at Lockhart and, seeing his golden, wavy curls, couldn't help but curl his lip.

Hermione's attention was Dumbledore, and when she saw Mrs. Norris being placed on the desk, she gasped.

Harry and Ron instinctively straightened up and exchanged glances with Hermione, both able to see the tension in each other's eyes.

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were both bent over, examining the body with utmost care.

Looking at their serious expressions, Harry and his friends felt not only nervous, but also deeply uneasy.

Lockhart's gossip, in particular, added to Harry's unease and made him even more irritable.

"The magic that tortured this cat is most likely a Torture Curse. I actually know how to break the spell, but the interval between treatments was too long, so I couldn't save it. What a pity..."

Upon hearing Lockhart "knows how to break the curse," Filch looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. However, upon hearing the restrictions, he cried even more bitterly.

Hearing Filch's cries, Harry sighed softly, feeling a pang of sympathy for the doorman.

But he felt more sorry for himself; if Filch's accusations were accepted, this would be his last night at Hogwarts.

Just as Harry was daydreaming and Lockhart was rambling on, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Snape and Filius Flitwick entered the room, Dumbledore straightened up and asked, "How is it?"

"Nothing was found." Flitwick shook his head. "I checked with magic, and found no trace."

Snape shook his head, his eyes glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing Harry shrinking his neck and looking uneasy, a hint of schadenfreude appeared in his eyes.

He walked straight behind Harry and looked at Mrs. Norris lying on the desk from a distance.

Harry shuddered, feeling a chill run down his spine, and his unease intensified.

Dumbledore walked up to Filch and said gently, "Thankfully... Filch, Mrs. Norris was only petrified, she is not dead."

"This petrification magic is extremely powerful, probably a very profound form of Dark Magic... somewhat elusive... at least for a second-year student..."

He paused for a moment, "At least Harry and the others couldn't do that."

"I knew something was strange!" Lockhart exclaimed in sudden realization. "It really is petrification! Just as I suspected."

Ron stared wide-eyed at Lockhart, who was beaming with confidence, and muttered to himself, "How does he manage to be so confident?"

Normally, Hermione would definitely have argued back, but what happened tonight was serious enough that she didn't have much of a desire to argue.

Filch breathed a sigh of relief, but continued to be suspicious of Harry, even going so far as to reveal that he was Squib.

As Harry confronted Filch, claiming he "didn't know what Squib was," Snape, standing at the back, smiled—a natural, heartfelt, joyful smile.

"I think Mr. Potter has a point. He just happened to be...that's all!" Snape said sinisterly, drawing out the last syllable with great pleasure.

"Coincidentally, I discovered Filch's secret a week ago; coincidentally, I appeared in that corridor before everyone else... and coincidentally, I didn't attend the Halloween Feast..."

Hermione and Ron broke out in a cold sweat as they listened, and together with Harry, they explained that they had attended the Deathday Party.

"Professor McGonagall, are you aware of this?" Snape asked. "They don't seem to have learned their lesson, just like last year's Halloween Feast ..."

Professor McGonagall shook her head slightly, couldn't help but sigh softly, and couldn't help but think of Wizet who had just submitted the report.

Harry seemed to realize something and quickly said, "Wizet and the others can testify... we really did go to the Deathday Party!"

"Wizet ..." Snape narrowed his eyes, his voice becoming much lower, "In that case, shall we end the dinner?"

"Why didn't you come back? Maybe you could have... caught a few candies that fell from the sky... to fill your stomach a little."

"We're not hungry!" Ron's voice was loud, almost a shout.

Unfortunately, the protests from his stomach were even louder, the gurgling sounds drowning out his voice.

"Heh..." Snape chuckled coldly, "So you're not hungry... then you should go back to the Common Room, right?"

"As far as I know... getting from the basement to the Gryffindor Tower doesn't necessarily require going through that corridor..."

Ron muttered, "How does he know more than we do?"

Snape's face twitched, as if he had remembered something bad. "Headmaster, it's obvious that Potter is hiding a lot of things."

Even setting aside the matter of the Deathday Party, he couldn't explain... why he was in that corridor.

Upon hearing this, Professor McGonagall interrupted curtly, her face stern. "Headmaster Dumbledore said that Harry and his friends cannot perform such Dark Magic."

"Furthermore, if Professor Snape has real evidence, he should present it instead of relying on vague speculation."

"Besides, Hogwarts Castle is so big, with so many corridors, they can choose how to get back to Gryffindor."

Harry and the others all looked up, their eyes filled with boundless emotion as they gazed at Professor McGonagall.

Dumbledore asked, "Do you have any other details to add? For example, when you got there, did you see any strange figures?"

Hermione and Ron both turned their heads, but then immediately turned back and began shaking their heads back and forth.

Harry did the same, "No... Headmaster Dumbledore."

Seeing the three of them move in almost unison, Dumbledore half-smile, "In that case, you can go back and rest."

Harry and the others all breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if they had escaped a disaster.

Filch shrieked, "They're gone, but what about my Mrs. Norris?"

Dumbledore said unhurriedly, "We recently planted a batch of Mandrake. Once they mature, we can concoct a Potions to remove petrification."

Lockhart raised his hand like a spring and said cheerfully, "Mandrake Restorative Draught! I know this all too well! Nobody knows more about resurrection potions than me!"

Filius Flitwick, Sprout, and Professor McGonagall raised their eyebrows, somewhat surprised that Lockhart knew the name of the Potions.

Snape, his face grim, said, "It seems I'm the Potions Class Professor... Perhaps you'd like to switch places with me?"

"Or perhaps you could offer your wand? Add it to the cauldron? After all, it doesn't seem very obedient... it always seems to fall to the ground..."