Sean's 'Simple' Method

The search within the castle continued, but just as Sean had predicted, the professors found nothing. Hogwarts held far too many secrets, more than anyone could imagine.

Panic gradually spread, and the students who had been trapped in the Great Hall began to discuss various topics.

Questions arose such as, "Will I die?", "Will Hogwarts close because of this?", and "How many people does the monster in the Chamber of Chamber of Secrets need to eat each day to be full?". Even the Slytherin students were somewhat frightened; after Sean's words, the Little Snakes were all a little uneasy.

Could that tiny bit of Muggle blood in his ancestors be the reason for his elimination? Would the heir to the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets feel that being sorted into Slytherin was an insult to his honor?

Even Sean, who had been running around the Great Hall, was no longer challenged. Bulstrode's fate had proven that the kid was ruthless enough, and judging from his appearance, he probably didn't take Galleon seriously at all.

Nobody wants their family's secrets exposed with a bounty on their head in the Daily Prophet.

Sean naturally didn't take these trivial matters to heart. The psychological changes of the Slytherin students were not within his scope of attention. The Little Snakes ' various behaviors were all rather unacceptable—he wondered what Salazar Slytherin would think if he saw this group of people in his house.

Sean kept going back and forth among the professors to get information, and according to Professor Flitwick, his idea of Basilisk had been confirmed.

"All the roosters in the school are dead," Professor Flitwick said, clutching his wand with a few chicken feathers still stuck to his head. "It must have been done by the same person; all the roosters had their throats slit."

He looked at Sean: "And just like you said, the spiders in the castle are migrating; there are hardly any left in the broomhouse."

"My guess has been confirmed..." Sean said softly.

Professor Flitwick glanced at him with admiration. "Sean, you are so perceptive. In such a short time, you deduced the correct answer. You really are Ravenclaw."

Sean blinked. "Oh, not bad luck. I was just making a bold assumption."

In fact, he simply deduced from the existing answer, which was very simple.

As the two were talking, McGonagall and Professor Scamander walked in, both looking exhausted.

"Minerva, any new discoveries?" Professor Flitwick asked.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, shook her head with a troubled expression, and said with a headache, "Back then, Slytherin was able to build the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets right under the noses of the other three leaders, and a thousand years later, we still can't find any trace of Chamber of Secrets."

Newt added, "Over the years, Hogwarts has undergone many renovations—including the pipes. We can't go into a pipe to look for the Basilisk; that would be too dangerous. We'll have to wait for Dumbledore to come back."

Sean could only shrug helplessly; this was the downside of not leaving design blueprints during the renovation.

Professor Flitwick looked somewhat agitated. "Then how are we supposed to teach? We can't just keep the students in the Great Hall all day, can we?"

"This is a big problem..." Professor McGonagall was also unhappy. "The School Board and the Ministry of Magic have already written to inquire about the situation, but we cannot allow students to act alone while the danger has not been eliminated, and the number of professors to guard them is simply not enough."

Sean had been listening to the professors' conversation when he suddenly spoke up, "I have a question."

The group all looked at him. Dumbledore had praised the ingenious ideas that were emanating from Sean's little head, and it was he who had proposed the Basilisk conjecture. The professors were very curious about what new ideas this little wizard had come up with.

"I'd like to know, are there any Magical Item in the Wizarding World that can record audio?" He blinked.

"Magical Item?" Newt nodded subconsciously. "Of course I have them. I can even contact a few alchemists, if you have any special requirements..."

"The requirement is very simple: the sound must have enough penetrating power to travel as far as possible."

Newt rested his chin on his hand. "This shouldn't be too difficult... Although I don't know much about alchemy, a few amplification Ancient Runes seem to be enough... Wait, Sean, you mean...?"

"That's right," Sean nodded. "Record the rooster crowing and play it continuously through the inlets and outlets of the water pipes. That sound is deadly to the Basilisk, right?"

"Of course, I don't know if it will work. Maybe it would only work if a live rooster crowed or something," he added.

The professors were stunned for a moment, then their eyes lit up.

"A very clever idea..." Professor McGonagall murmured. "It might directly harm that Basilisk if the recording can get through the entire pipe."

Newt nodded. "It's worth a try... but as Sean said, the recorded sounds might not cause any harm, after all, no one has ever tested it on a real Basilisk. Also, the castle has a network of pipes, and there might be a hidden entrance or exit in some corner we don't know about, which is something we need to be careful about."

Sean blinked. "I actually have another idea, although it's not very popular, but I think it should still be useful."

"What?"

When Sean revealed his idea, the professors' expressions turned strange—how could this kid have so many tricks up his sleeve?

Sean glanced towards the Great Hall, where the students were chatting anxiously. He said in a low voice, "Since Professor Dumbledore hasn't returned yet, let's start by protecting ourselves. You can decide on the specific arrangements..."

"But there's a problem: Diagon Alley probably doesn't have enough people to accommodate that many," Professor Flitwick said sharply.

"That's too easy," Sean said, looking at Professor McGonagall. "Professor McGonagall, can you contact Charlotte?"

"Miss Hawke? Of course, she's preparing for her Auror training at the Ministry of Magic. We've been in frequent contact lately."

"That makes things simple. You can take Miss Hawke to my father—no offense, Professor, my father is rather, well, sensitive. If he knows Charlotte, he'll believe you're a professor at Hogwarts."

He continued, "Of course, it would be better if Professor Scamander went—I will write a letter and give it to my father, and he can help prepare everything."

"Oh, Sean, wouldn't this be too much trouble for your family?" Professor McGonagall was somewhat tempted, but as the Vice Principal of Hogwarts, she felt a little embarrassed to ask a student to take on such a burden.

"This is the most urgent matter, and for my father, it's a very simple matter," Sean said with a smile, completely unaware that he was trying to embarrass his father.