Dumbledore's Troubles

Hospital Wing.

A hospital bed was partially hidden by curtains hanging all around, separating the patient from the rest of the Hospital Wing. It seemed as if they didn't want anyone to see the patient.

On the hospital bed, a large blanket covered the entire bed, and a large bulge in the middle indicated that there was another patient in the bed.

A fluffy cat ear peeked out from under the covers, twitching occasionally. This indicated that the cat's owner was intently eavesdropping on the sounds from next door.

This was a private cubicle that Madam Pomfrey had specially set up to appease Hermione's sense of shame, and she was somewhat grateful to her and Loren for their help. The others were unaware that she had become like this.

Loren was also hiding in this small cubicle, watching the cat ears swaying incessantly, and he couldn't resist reaching out and pinching them.

"Hmm!" Hermione groaned from under the covers, her body stiffening and her ears turning red and hot.

Hermione, her face flushed, gritted her teeth and, estimating the location of the people outside, delivered a swift cat-like straight punch right to the bad guy's chest, making him cough twice.

Loren clutched his chest and chuckled softly, "It was an accident, not intentional."

A muffled voice came from under the covers. "Don't speak, don't disturb me while I'm listening to the news."

Outside the cubicle, Justin and Colin lay comfortably on the floor, their expressions unchanged and their eyes unwavering, even after the major ordeal of being kidnapped. Lockhart lay beside them, still unconscious.

Snape wasn't in the Hospital Wing; he was in the Chamber of Secrets cutting up the Basilisk's carcass and processing the collected materials. Dumbledore gone to deal with Crabbe's matter.

Professor Sprout pulled Professor Flitwick aside and huddled in a corner, whispering questions about the situation.

"Voldemort spat out a breath... which sent Lockhart flying... the Basilisk... the sword..." Professor Flitwick recounted excitedly.

"Oh! Really... So... Slytherin ..." Professor Sprout was also very excited, her face beaming with the joy of watching a spectacle unfold.

Sprout regretted it a little. If she had known that what was going to happen next was so exciting and without any danger, she would have just stayed behind the stone pillar and watched the show. She would have insisted on going down with them.

Harry and Ron were placed on adjacent hospital beds, where Madam Pomfrey manipulated their hands and feet, applying medicine to their various bruises and sprains.

Professor McGonagall's hair was slightly disheveled, and her expression was a mixture of agitation and anger. Her gaze followed Madam Pomfrey's movements. "Poppy, are you really alright?"

They had already learned of the attack on Madam Pomfrey, and Professor McGonagall was worried that Pomfrey herself wouldn't be able to treat her injuries. Anyway, it was holiday time, so everyone could go to St. Gomans for treatment.

"I was just accidentally hit by a Stunning Spell. Mr. Morgan's antidote was perfect, and I'm fine now."

Speaking of this, Madam Pomfrey was furious. Even during the Wizarding Wars, she, as Healer, was not attacked, but in peacetime she was ambushed.

That despicable Voldemort, and that wretched Crabbe.

Madam Pomfrey shook Harry's arm, feeling the lines of his muscles and bones. "How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"

Harry relaxed his arm, felt it carefully, and said softly, "It's a little stiff, but otherwise it's fine."

"That's normal. After all, it's a wound that went through your arm, so it needs some time to heal. Thanks to Fawkes, it cleared the snake venom from your body in time." Madam Pomfrey nodded.

Just then, Dumbledore entered through the door. He was wearing a long robe, a purple cloak that trailed on the ground, and a pair of buckled high-heeled boots, and looked like he had just returned from a long trip.

"Hmm, I heard some good news as soon as I came in. It seems that Nirvana has not affected Fawkes's Magic Power."

His deep blue eyes were hidden behind crescent-shaped spectacles. Dumbledore deliberately avoided Professor McGonagall's gaze, hoping that if he pretended not to know anything, Minerva might not scold him.

"Headmaster Dumbledore!" Harry and Ron exclaimed in surprise.

Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout, who had been gossiping in the corner, got up and gathered around the front of the ward.

"When visiting a patient, one should always bring something." Dumbledore placed the basket of snacks he was carrying on the small table at the foot of the bed, then pulled up a small stool and sat down. "Also, I have some good news."

"What good news?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Vincent Crabbe has handed him over to one of my Aurors friends at the Ministry of Magic. The evidence is solid, and he assures me that Hagrid will be back at the Castle for Christmas soon," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Great!" Harry exclaimed.

Dumbledore looked at them with a gentle gaze. "I'd like to know how you discovered the Chamber of Secrets and Voldemort's trail?"

"That's what we all want to know," Professor McGonagall said, still shaken.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and then began to tell them the whole story.

Early on, with the help of his friends, Harry confirmed through Parselmouth that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was Basilisk.

This morning, they received a mysterious message and rushed to Hagrid's Hut. Following Hagrid's instructions, they entered the Forbidden Forest, found Aragog, and after interrogation, learned that the Basilisk was lurking in the water pipes.

At this point, Harry belatedly realized, "The pipes! The washroom! The sink! Moaning Myrtle died in the washroom! We should have known the entrance to the Chamber of Chamber of Secrets was in her washroom!"

"Very good," Professor McGonagall encouraged him to continue. "So you discovered the Basilisk, and how it lurked —Crabbe I should add that you broke over a hundred rules along the way—but then how did you find Voldemort and Basilisk, and follow them into the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets?"

In the small cubicle enclosed by a curtain, Hermione, the cat hiding under the covers, heard all this and her ears drooped down in embarrassment. She was also an accomplice, or even a principal offender.

Although Professor McGonagall didn't scold her in front of her, Hermione automatically put herself in the role and had an immersive experience.

But when she noticed someone was tickling her ear again, the disappointment of being criticized vanished instantly, and she gritted her teeth and threw another cat punch.

"Hey, you can't hit me!" Loren's cheerful voice came from outside the blanket.

Hermione clenched her fists even tighter.

Harry continued, starting with the Polyjuice Potion they had been brewing for a month, and how they infiltrated the Slytherin Common Room in an attempt to extract information from Malfoy, only to inadvertently follow Crabbe and discover that he had kidnapped Colin and Justin.

Ron added, looking aggrieved, "I don't know the password to the Headmaster's office. I searched all the professors' offices, but Lockhart was the only one there. I had no choice but to take him with me to chase after Harry."

The professors were quite moved, realizing that they almost missed something important while holding a meeting during the holiday.

After Hagrid was taken away by the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore convened a meeting of the four Head of House to review the curriculum reforms and financial issues of the previous semester. He also wanted to prepare everyone for the possibility that the Board of Governors might retaliate.

Harry angrily patted the blanket, then stopped, noticing the pain in the bone where he was injured. "How can someone like Lockhart become a professor!"

Facing Voldemort was incredibly stressful. When Lockhart stepped forward with his wand in one hand, he thought his savior had arrived.

He arrived, only to be instantly defeated. What kind of teammate is this? What kind of professor is this?

Ron muttered, "Although he was a bit of a bum before, he wrote so many amazing things in his books... My mother admires him so much... I thought he had some talent."

"Well, my dear children, books can be forged." Dumbledore glanced meaningfully at Loren, who was with Hermione in the curtained compartment, before turning to the sleeping Lockhart and saying,

"Compared to an ugly old United States wizard who rid a village of Werewolf, or an old witch with a hairy chin who drove away Banshee... people are more inclined to believe that a handsome young wizard who won the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award five times did these things."

Although he had some suspicions, Sprout was still shocked to hear Dumbledore, covering his mouth in surprise. "So, he's putting all the things other people did on his own account?"

"Not only that, Pomona. He tracked down those heroes, found out the details of the events, carefully investigated how they did those things, and finally cast Memory Charm on them, completely stealing these heroic deeds and great adventures for himself," Dumbledore said.

Harry and Ron looked at Lockhart in disbelief. Ron asked, "But... Headmaster Dumbledore, how do you know these things? And if you know his true nature, why did you make him a professor at Hogwarts?"

Faced with everyone's questioning gazes, Dumbledore replied, "I happen to know two wizards whose memories he stole. You know, as you get older, you always make friends from all over the world."

"I believe that in a school environment, his lies will be easily exposed by the children's true feelings. Everyone can learn a lot from a bad teacher, about what not to do and what kind of person not to be."

Madam Pomfrey glanced at the unconscious Lockhart, and calmly added, "His Memory Charm was very successful. Voldemort's magic and the Memory Charm mixed together, messing up his brain. I can't handle this kind of injury; he needs to be transferred to St Mungo's's for treatment."

"They reaped what they sowed..." Although no one said it aloud, their eyes revealed the same thought. Only Dumbledore's attention was on Loren behind the curtain, his thoughts a complex and unfathomable mix.

Lockhart's case was temporarily closed, and they all knew what happened after the Chamber of Secrets, so Harry didn't recount it.

Only Sprout was unwilling to give up. The Herbology professor screamed in his heart like Mandrake Root root: I don't know!

But no one paid attention to the obscure Herbology professor; she could only savor Professor Flitwick's explanation, hoping that Filius would explain it in more detail a few more times later.

"That's Voldemort, that's a thousand-year-old Basilisk! How... how dare you... how dare you..." Professor McGonagall muttered, her blood rushing to her head and feeling dizzy at the thought of the Basilisk biting through Harry's arm.

Although she knew that things were going according to Dumbledore's plan and that the two would not be harmed, Professor McGonagall still couldn't help but worry.

Back at the Hospital Wing from the Chamber of Secrets, she was worried about the two of them and refrained from criticizing them. Only now did she feel relieved and could finally discipline the little ones.

No one dared to offend the Deputy Headmaster's authority. Even the headmaster Dumbledore, had to avoid him, fearing that Minerva might notice him and scold him as well, which would jeopardize the headmaster's authority.

"... Under no circumstances should you act on your own! Prepare Polyjuice Potion and disguise yourselves to enter the Slytherin Common Room! You..." Professor McGonagall even felt a toothache when she talked about this. Are all the young wizards these days so troublesome?

Once Professor McGonagall had calmed down, Sprout asked in a low voice, "That's... that's the famous the Dark Lord. I mean, how come two little wizards could defeat him so easily?"

"My dear Pomona, someone as sensible as you can call him by his full name. All this talk about the Dark Lord the Dark Lord utter nonsense. I've been trying to convince everyone to call him by his real name: Voldemort."

Although Dumbledore was speaking to Sprout, he had been watching Harry's reaction closely. Seeing that Harry showed absolutely no fear, Dumbledore's smile grew even more satisfied.

"So, God—I mean Voldemort, why are you so weak?" Sprout shuddered.

"He has died once, and now he is just a broken Wraith. I dare say any adult wizard could make him suffer. I think that's why he doesn't dare to go after the Death Eater —his loyal servants."

Dumbledore opened a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and handed them out to everyone. Several professors waved their hands and shook their heads in refusal, but Harry and Ron took the candies and happily put them in their mouths.

His gaze toward Harry held a deep expectation. "Just as I said, fear can never conquer the heart; love is the greatest power."

Now that everything was cleared up, the professors were all returning to their posts. Professor McGonagall had to deal with the numerous letters from parents and clarify the truth for them. Professor Flitwick was clamoring to go back and decorate the Christmas Great Hall, Sprout wanted to visit the Chamber of Secrets to make up for missing it.

Although Ron kept insisting that he was not injured and did not want to be hospitalized, he silently swallowed his protests under the combined pressure from Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall.

"Loren, I want to talk to you." Dumbledore called out to someone who was engrossed in petting his cat as he left.

Loren initially thought the principal wanted to know more details, but his silence throughout indicated otherwise.

In the Headmaster's office, the silverware on the desk spun, emitting wisps of white smoke. Fawkes bobbed his head back and forth, drowsily resting on a gilded perch.

The walls were covered with portraits of the former headmasters. The sound of their footsteps shattered their snoring, and the former headmasters woke up, casting their scrutinizing glances at them.

"Ha, it's that kid again!" Headmaster Black laughed heartily.

Dumbledore took off his cloak, casually hung it on a perch, and went behind his desk to sit down. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the voice of Old Headmaster Black, and a few wrinkles appeared on his forehead. He turned around decisively and waved his wand, flipping over all the portraits of the headmasters to prevent them from making jokes like last time.

The atmosphere eased a bit after Principal Black made a scene.

"Lockhart's appearance in the Chamber of Secrets seems to be your arrangement." A calm, emotionless voice echoed in the office.

Dumbledore's eyes were deep and unfathomable. He didn't object to punishing bad people, but this method of using others to do the dirty work was too insidious, involving almost everyone in the scheme: Lockhart, Voldemort, and even Harry and Ron.

He gathered the other professors in the Headmaster's office for a meeting. If he hadn't noticed the trace of Loren's Magic Power remaining on Lockhart, he would have been fooled into thinking that Lockhart's appearance in the Chamber of Secrets was a result of Ron's inability to find the other professors.

Even with nearly a century of experience and having witnessed countless ruthless villains, the fact that young Loren orchestrated an almost flawless incident still sent chills down the spine of this white-bearded old wizard.

Loren gave a soft "hmm": "His manuscript contains a lot of information about Grandpa Bates, and he also said that he would visit another bestselling author at Christmas. I can't let him leak this information."

Dumbledore had a vague idea of the reason, and Loren's words confirmed it, which made him feel a little better. At least it showed that Loren cared about family ties. "How did you do that?"

"Remember that Unicorn Horn? I used it to repair an ancient mirror that reflected people's consciousness. Lockhart craves fame and fortune and is arrogant. I used these traits to create an illusion that, when Lockhart encounters anything related to the Chamber of Secrets, he will be driven by fame and fortune to actively participate in it."

Loren forced himself to finish speaking without stammering. Dumbledore scold him if he wants; he wouldn't regret it anyway.

So it wasn't the Imperius Curse after all... Dumbledore little more at ease, but another question arose, "Was it just to get him involved willingly?"

Loren blinked. "Otherwise what?"

Dumbledore's mind was extremely complicated, so Lockhart's decision to deliberately run into Voldemort and recklessly attack him was his own idea.

The white-bearded old headmaster looked at the black-haired, black-eyed child before him. He possessed many admirable qualities, but also many dangerous traits.

Dumbledore was amazed by the boy's extraordinary talent, but also troubled by it.

Whether it was magic or strategy, Loren didn't intend to manipulate everyone; he simply exerted subtle influences under the influence of some kind of intuition, thus guiding everything along a specific trajectory toward the outcome he desired.

Dumbledore sighed. He sincerely hoped that the child would grow up healthy and become a kind and strong person.

He rubbed his temples wearily, took a large stack of papers from the drawer and handed them to Loren: "All of Lockhart's manuscripts are here. Take them and get rid of them."

Loren's face lit up with joy, and he secretly glanced at Dumbledore. So... this matter is over?

"Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore!" Loren happily picked up the manuscript and was about to leave the Headmaster's office.

Just as he reached the door, he suddenly heard Dumbledore's aged voice:

"When Madam Pomfrey takes Lockhart to the St Mungo's Sanatorium, you go with them and come back to tell me the results."