The Third Attack

Great Hall.

Harry didn't leave right away after finishing breakfast. He pulled Ron to sit at the Gryffindor table and kept glancing at the Hufflepuff table, which scared the young wizards there so much that they couldn't eat.

According to Hermione, he wanted to find Justin and talk things out with him.

Harry didn't look around again and didn't find Justin. Instead, he saw a lot of terrified Hufflepuff kids.

"They can rest assured, at least I won't suddenly summon Basilisk while I'm eating breakfast and turn them all into Basilisk breakfast!" Harry bit off a piece of bread from his fork, gritting his teeth, as if he were chewing not bread, but the flesh and blood of those who doubted him.

Ron glanced at him and shrugged. "Perhaps Justin is too scared to leave his dorm. We won't find him here."

"What am I going to do? I can't just barge into Hufflepuff's Common Room," Harry said, annoyed.

Ron said helplessly, "When our two colleges start classes together—"

"Harry! Ron!" Rolf suddenly slipped over and sat down beside them, glancing cautiously left and right. "I have something important to tell you."

Rolf's grandfather studied all sorts of Fantastic Beasts, and it was with his help that Harry and Ron discovered the monster in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets was Basilisk.

Rolf found him, could it be...?

Harry's eyes lit up, and the thought that had been on his mind immediately popped out, "Have you found a way to deal with the Basilisk?!"

Upon hearing this, Ron's eyes lit up.

But Rolf's face showed no joy; instead, it was grave. He lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Do you remember Hagrid and my grandfather?"

Hagrid and Newt Scamander?

I vaguely recall that Scamander, while traveling through Hogwarts, gave Hagrid an egg of an Acromantula. Hagrid hatched the Acromantula, Aragog, in the school's storeroom. Later, the Ministry of Magic discovered this, and Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts, his wand broken, and banished from the school.

Harry always felt that the punishment was too harsh and unfair to Hagrid.

Fortunately, Dumbledore helped Hagrid repair his wand and took Hagrid in as Gamekeeper.

"My grandfather felt very guilty about this, and he wrote to a friend who worked in the Ministry of Magic Education Department, hoping to help Hagrid clear his name. You know, the judge has a lot of discretion when it comes to charges like keeping dangerous animals."

"Praise be to Mr. Scamander!" Harry pressed on. "And then, did it work?"

Rolf gave him a deep look and shook his head. "My grandfather's friend checked the files from back then, and the matter is not as simple as raising dangerous animals."

For some reason, these words suddenly made Harry's heart clench, and he vaguely guessed what was going on.

"The records state that Rubeus Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets and released the monster Chamber of Secrets, which led to the death of Moaning Myrtle Warren. Hagrid was not imprisoned only because the evidence was insufficient."

Harry's breath caught in his throat; he had known all along that Hagrid unfortunately had a peculiar fondness for enormous monsters.

Last year at Hogwarts, Hagrid had tried to raise a Fire Dragon in his Wooden House, and if it weren't for the help of Lord Loren and Sir Nicholas, they might have had their wands broken and been banished from the Castle. Perhaps this was a good thing for Hagrid; he might have a few more helpers guarding the Forbidden Forest. And that three-headed dog he called "Fluffy" had also left a deep impression on them.

Harry believed that the kind-hearted Hagrid would never intentionally kill anyone, but he also believed that if 13-year-old Hagrid heard that there was a "cute" big guy hiding in some room of the Castle, Hagrid would definitely do everything he could to see it.

Hagrid might think that the adorable big guy has been imprisoned for thousands of years, it's too pitiful, it should be given a chance to come out and move around.

Harry is deeply troubled... What should he do? The murderer he's been searching for might be his friend.

"To be honest, I still don't think Hagrid will be Heir of Slytherin." Ron's little face was scrunched up, he was so conflicted that he was questioning his existence. "Hagrid, Slytherin ... Oh! I really can't connect these two people."

Rolf took a sip of milk and caught his breath. "My grandfather thought so too. It involves another person, Tom— "

Just as he was about to continue, Dumbledore appeared beside them, interrupting their conversation with a smile, "Ah, news from Newt. Rolf, has your grandfather mentioned me?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore!" Rolf paused for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "Yes, my grandfather often mentions you, and he asked me to give you my regards."

Dumbledore wore a loose grey robe, his kind and gentle eyes partially obscured by crescent-shaped spectacles, giving him an air of mystery. His light blue gaze possessed an extraordinary penetrating power. "Perfect timing. I have a letter that I need you to deliver to him. Could you wait for me in the Headmaster's office? I'd like to speak with Harry."

"Of course, Headmaster Dumbledore." Rolf gave Harry a look, signaling him to behave himself, then quickly turned and left.

"By the way, today's password is Butterbeer," Dumbledore added, before sitting down next to Harry and Ron.

"Look, look! Headmaster Dumbledore is definitely vetting Harry Potter!"

"He'll be thrown into Azkaban soon!"

"We are safe."

"That's great, that's great..."

The sounds coming from the other long tables buzzed into Harry's ears like annoying mosquitoes in summer, making him feel irritated.

Annoyed, heartbroken, indignant, wronged...

Harry suppressed the various emotions welling up inside him, recalling Snape's flat, emotionless voice, and wanted to speak in that tone, but the stinging in his nose reminded him that he might burst into tears as soon as he opened his mouth.

Ron shifted uncomfortably on the stool, and after a long pause, he finally spoke, "Headmaster Dumbledore, do you also believe that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin?"

"Ron!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "I do not believe that Harry attacked those people."

Harry noticed that Dumbledore deliberately raised his voice so that many of the young wizards in the Great Hall could hear him. His heart slowly settled, and his breathing became much easier.

"You don't think it's me, Professor?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Yes, Harry, I don't think so."

Harry and Ron both smiled easily.

Dumbledore took a clean plate and began to fill it with food: bread, bacon, roasted mushrooms...

"Remember what I told you? Believe in yourself, believe in your friends."

After filling the plate, Dumbledore picked up the knife and fork and clinked them together, the metal giving off a clear, metallic tinkling sound. "But I still want to talk to you. I have to ask you, Harry, is there anything you'd like to tell me? Anything at all."

Of course there are: Malfoy's connection to the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets 50 years ago, Hagrid and the Basilisk...

Harry remembered the Polyjuice Potion simmering slowly in Myrtle's Bathroom, still weeping. Harry opened his mouth and said, "No, nothing at all, sir."

Ron's eyes widened in astonishment.

Dumbledore sighed deeply, looking at the food on his plate with some regret. He had thought that the conversation would have given him enough time to slowly eat it all.

Harry pulled Ron up and nodded Dumbledore: "Professor, please enjoy your meal. Ron and I will be leaving now."

The two quickly ran out of the Great Hall, their figures disappearing around the corner of the corridor, leaving only a few words behind:

Why not tell Headmaster Dumbledore?

"Don't tell him. Once we find out the real heir, everything will come to light."

On a rare sunny winter day, the bathroom window was wide open, letting in clear sunlight that brightened the entire room. The sun slowly rose higher, its rays growing ever more brilliant. The dim light filtering through the windowpanes only intensified the drowsiness.

Loren can fall asleep anywhere, but he doesn't sleep soundly. He slowly wakes up after replenishing his energy.

He felt as if he were leaning against a soft backrest, surrounded by the scents of hair, laundry detergent, and shower gel, as well as a faint milky fragrance.

Loren found himself leaning against Hermione's back, the girl supporting him like a backrest as he slept. Loren wanted to close his eyes and continue sleeping, but the room was too bright, and once he woke up, he couldn't fall back asleep.

"You're awake?"

Hermione noticed the movement behind her, turned around to meet his gaze, and spoke calmly, but the blush on her cheeks revealed that the girl was not so calm inside. "You were sleeping so shakily, always wanting to lie on the floor. I thought the bathroom floor was dirty, so I let you sleep leaning against me."

The soft touch and the girl's scent were like clear sunshine, completely dispelling the gloom in Loren's heart.

"Thank you." Loren grinned, stood up, and stretched his limbs, feeling a pleasant soreness in his muscles and joints.

While he slept, Hermione had already made up her mind. If Loren didn't want to bring it up, she wouldn't either. Pretending not to know anything about it, she spoke about the Polyjuice Potion's progress, "It should be ready before the Christmas holidays. I've decided, I'll stay at school this Christmas. What about you?"

"Then I'll stay at school too." Loren squatted down and stirred the potion in the crucible with a stirring spoon. "Remember to write home in advance."

"Write it when you get back tonight, and you write it too, so that Hānhan can take it back with us."

"Um."

Sunny days were rare; after that day, endless dark clouds quickly covered the sky again, the clouds grew thicker and thicker, and the weather grew colder and colder. Soon, the first snow of the winter of 1992 blanketed Hogwarts, and it never stopped.

Surprisingly, even though the first event met the definition of failure in every way, the Duel Club still went ahead and even successfully held a second and third event.

For the second event, Lockhart invited Professor McGonagall to demonstrate the application of various ingenious Transfiguration in duels. Carpets, wine glasses, and even ordinary pebbles on the ground could Transfiguration various ferocious beasts, becoming key factors in determining the outcome of the duel.

In the third event, Lockhart enlisted Professor Flitwick, and the young wizards witnessed a different style of combat. They effortlessly wielded various spells, none particularly powerful, but the timing and angle of their release were exquisitely precise, perfectly maximizing the effect of each spell.

Of course, the most exciting part was the sparring between young wizards of the same grade. The young wizards from Gryffindor and Slytherin were determined to beat each other up. If it weren't for the professors watching over them, every match would result in a young wizard being sent to the Hospital Wing.

But none of this concerned Loren, Harry, and the others. They waited quietly for the Polyjuice Potion to be ready and did not participate in Duel Club's activities.

It wasn't until the second week of December that Professor McGonagall began compiling a list of students who would stay on campus instead of going home for Christmas.

Most of the young wizards chose to go home for the holidays. After Harry publicly announced that he would stay at school during the Christmas break, some of those who wanted to stay changed their minds to their respective Head of House.

Fred, George, and Ginny decided to stay at school instead of going to Egypt with the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to see Bill. Percy also stayed, having arrogantly told them that he was only staying for Christmas because, as Prefect, he felt it was his responsibility to support the teachers' work during this turbulent time.

Thick, gray snowflakes danced in the sky, sealing every window and making the Castle incredibly dark. The young wizards loved to go outside for some fresh air during Castle.

Loren and his group stood on the pavilion in the center of the garden watching the snow. Because Harry was in the group, most of the young wizards passing by would carefully avoid this area.

Ron blew on the blue flame in the glass bottle and saw a Hufflepuff wizard, looking frightened, hurriedly bypass the pavilion and darted into the corridor to escape.

He shrugged and nudged Harry: "If only this atmosphere could last until the next Quidditch Match, they'd be flying around you, afraid you'd petrify them, hahaha..."

Harry didn't react at all, digging his fingers back and forth in the snow on top of the railing until they were red with cold.

Hermione was reciting her Animagus class notes when she exhaled a puff of white smoke and questioned Harry, "What are you thinking? Letting them spread rumors and doing nothing. And you haven't seen Hagrid for almost a month. Do you really think Hagrid is the heir?"

Loren, who was engrossed in the mirror, looked up and said, "Didn't I already say that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets is Basilisk? Hagrid keeps Acromantula, and the Basilisk is the natural enemy of the Acromantula. Given Hagrid's affection for Aragog, he couldn't possibly have any connection with the Basilisk."

He had been trying to create illusions for others these past few days, but he could never achieve the same effect as in the Dean Forest.

Hermione patiently advised Harry: "If you really care about this, go and explain it to Justin. Tell him that you did it to save him, not to incite the Giant Serpent to bite his neck!"

"He wouldn't believe me even if I told him. As long as the headmaster and professors believe me, everything will come to light once we catch the true heir," Harry said somberly.

"Harry, whether they believe it or not is their business. Just do your job."

After much persuasion from his friends, Harry reluctantly agreed to go and explain things to Justin.