The Dismissed Headmaster

"Every student must return to their own House's common room before six o'clock in the evening."

"No student may leave their dormitory after that time."

"At least one teacher must escort every class; without a teacher accompanying them, no student may leave places such as the common rooms, classrooms, or Great Hall."

"All Quidditch training and matches are postponed indefinitely."

"No activities may be held or attended after dark..."

With the fourth attack, a string of notices was posted on the walls.

Professor Sprout, who had always been mild-tempered, gave them an exceptionally stern order this time: they had to obey these rules.

Yet even this could not stop countless letters of protest, or even Howlers, from being sent to the school.

This attack on the eve of Valentine's Day was completely different from the previous ones. The first three victims had been Muggle-born students or other creatures... Though the impact had been terrible, it had not caused much panic among wizarding parents.

After all, the legend of Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets was there, and it was said that his monster would not harm young pure-blood or half-blood wizards.

But this time was different. One of the victims, Penelope Clearwater, was Muggle-born; while Percy Weasley came from the Weasley family, the sort whose ancestors had been pure-bloods for generations...

Though the Weasley family was called a disgrace to pure-bloods, they were undeniably an ancient wizarding family.

This bombshell undoubtedly threw many wizarding households into an uproar.

Even with Dumbledore's high standing in the wizarding world, he could not stop those parents from protesting to him.

More and more students were being taken home by their parents, who believed that Hogwarts was no longer the safest place in the British Isles...

Susan Bones was taken away by her aunt, Blaise Zabini went home with his elegant mother, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seemed to be preparing to take all their children still studying at Hogwarts back home...

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry seemed to be on the verge of falling apart!

During this time, the entirety of Hogwarts Castle was filled with an oppressive atmosphere.

Fear spread at an unprecedented pace. The warm sunlight outside the castle seemed unable to reach its corridors; most faces in the school looked anxious and unsettled, and every burst of laughter echoing through the hallways sounded harsh and strange...

The students stayed only in classrooms, the Great Hall, and the common rooms... After class or dinner, they hurried away. Even the common rooms no longer held their usual laughter and cheer.

The day after Percy and Penelope were attacked, Jon went to the Hospital Wing under Professor Sprout's escort... He claimed that he had fallen on his right hand and seemed to have injured it.

After examining him carefully, Madam Pomfrey concluded that Jon's right hand was merely fractured and not seriously injured. However, to be safe, she suggested that Jon stay in the Hospital Wing overnight.

That single night of "disappearance" sparked much speculation among the students, who thought that he too had been attacked by Slytherin's monster.

Astoria Greengrass was so frightened that she secretly slipped out of the Slytherin common room that night and ran to the Hospital Wing.

However, after staying in the ward for only a few seconds, she was driven out by Madam Pomfrey.

Before leaving, Astoria told Jon that her mother planned to come to the school in the next couple of days to take her and her sister home.

Only when Madam Pomfrey had Hagrid escort her back to the Slytherin common room did Jon remember that today was February 14th.

So perhaps Percy and Penelope had arranged to meet atop Ravenclaw Tower on the eve of Valentine's Day. Penelope had caught the Basilisk's attention and was attacked first, followed by what happened in the corridor.

Fortunately, they had only been petrified. If they had died, the subsequent plot would have faced even bigger problems.

A few hours after escorting Astoria back to the Slytherin common room, Hagrid also left the school.

It was said that Ministry of Magic officials had found him, taken him away, and brought him to Azkaban.

During Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart announced to everyone that Rubeus Hagrid was the true culprit behind the Chamber of Secrets incident.

"Remember my words!" he declared grandly. "From what I understand, Hagrid was the culprit behind the attacks when the Chamber was opened last time... I imagine it is the same this time... The culprit has already been taken away, so there is absolutely no need for so many security measures!"

Unfortunately, it was no longer the beginning of the school year, and few people were willing to believe Lockhart.

The panic continued spreading rapidly through the school.

Under such circumstances, the first to bear the brunt was undoubtedly Hogwarts Headmaster.

On the morning two days after Percy and Penelope were attacked, two uninvited guests appeared in the Headmaster's Office at the top of Hogwarts Castle.

Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts Headmaster, was dressed formally that day: an exquisite dark green robe embroidered with countless stars and moons. His expression was extremely solemn.

Before him stood a middle-aged man wrapped in a long black travelling cloak, elegant in manner, with a cold yet satisfied smile on his face; beside him was another strange-looking man in a messy pinstriped suit.

"What exactly do you want with me, Cornelius, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked. "I heard that last night, you took away my Keeper of Keys and Grounds and sent him to Azkaban?"

His tone was quite polite, yet it carried a faint undercurrent of anger.

"I am sorry, Dumbledore... but Hagrid's prior record is against him. The Ministry of Magic had no choice but to take certain measures!" Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, said somewhat helplessly.

"And there is worse!" Mr. Malfoy said lazily, pulling out a long roll of parchment. "The Board of Directors thinks you should go, Albus."

He paused, then continued, "This is an order of dismissal. You will see that all twelve governors have signed it."

"How many attacks have there been by now? There were two the night before last, weren't there? At this rate, there will not be a single Hogwarts student left. We all know what a terrible loss that would be for the school!"

"Ah... what are you saying... Lucius..." Fudge cried out in alarm. "Dumbledore being dismissed... no... we absolutely do not wish to..."

Lucius Malfoy ignored the Minister of Magic and stared straight into Dumbledore's eyes.

"If the Board of Directors wishes me to leave, Lucius, then of course I shall give up my position," Professor Dumbledore said calmly.

Yet his blue eyes seemed lost in thought.

"Very good, Albus... Let us only hope that your successor can put a complete stop to these attacks!" Mr. Malfoy replied with obvious delight.

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