Ch. 243Why Is a Tomato a Fruit?

Lynn sought the next Hogwarts relic by asking the enchanted fruit painting at the kitchen entrance for the honor. The fruit challenged him to explain why he thought tomatoes were fruit, and Lynn told them about teaching the children at his orphanage with an unripe tomato.

  • Lynn went to the kitchen entrance and asked the fruit painting to grant him the honor.
  • The enchanted fruit argued over the forgotten procedure and chose the apple to question Lynn.
  • The apple asked Lynn why he thought tomatoes were fruit.
  • Lynn explained that he had stolen an unripe tomato to teach the younger children at his orphanage what fruit looked like.
  • The children believed tomatoes were fruit after tasting the tomato, and Lynn said he had kept that belief as well.

Ch. 244Loyal and Steadfast Hufflepuff

Lynn gained Hufflepuff’s recognition and a clue that might help him locate the basilisk, then asked the Ravenclaw knocker eagle for the honor of receiving Ravenclaw’s recognition. The eagle agreed to test him by answering up to three riddles, and Lynn prepared to begin.

  • The fruits accepted tomatoes as fruit and entrusted Lynn with a great responsibility on behalf of Helga Hufflepuff, granting him a permanent title and one free attribute point.
  • Apple told Lynn that 8 and 7 were his lucky numbers, giving him a clue to combine with the Sorting Hat’s hint about a place where knowledge was acquired.
  • Lynn considered classrooms and the library as possible locations, then went to Ravenclaw’s entrance after curfew under a Disillusionment Charm.
  • Lynn asked the knocker eagle whether he could receive the honor, and it challenged him to ask three riddles that it might fail to answer.

Ch. 245Ravenclaw's Foolish Eagle

Lynn challenged the Eagle Door Knocker with riddles and eventually stumped it with a modern math problem. The knocker refused to recognize his victory until it personally verified his answer, a process it expected to take five days.

  • Lynn tested the Eagle Door Knocker with a trick question, and it answered that 5 equaled 1.
  • Lynn asked whether the knocker's mind worked like a human brain, and it said it was like Rowena Ravenclaw's.
  • Lynn asked how many five-digit numbers could contain three odd digits and two even digits, and the Eagle Door Knocker could not solve it within five minutes.
  • Lynn gave the answer as 11,040, but the knocker said it would verify the result by listing the numbers itself, which would take about five days.
  • Lynn agreed to wait, noting that the five days would end on September 19, the day he was supposed to visit Dumbledore.

Ch. 246What Is a Chicken? And What Is Lotus Root?

A Ravenclaw door knocker began asking students a Muggle mathematics question, leaving them confused about digits and odd and even numbers. Ian Campbell explained the basic concepts, and the students began working together to find the answer.

  • A fourth-year Ravenclaw hurried back for his forgotten Potions book but could not answer the door knocker's question about five-digit numbers.
  • Ian Campbell told his classmates he had finished his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework and had worked with Lynn Belloc and Cedric.
  • The door knocker asked Lynn and the Ravenclaw group how many five-digit numbers had three odd digits and two even digits.
  • Ian explained odd and even numbers, and the students reasoned that zero was even.
  • The Ravenclaws gathered at the entrance and started looking for a quick way to solve the problem.

Ch. 247Great Mathematicians (Heavy Sarcasm)

Ravenclaw students were trapped outside their common room by a mathematical riddle, and their Strategy Group failed to solve it despite Ian identifying the subject as permutation and combination. The students planned to form a Math Club, while Lynn and Umr remained unaware of the riddle’s broader significance.

  • Penelope Clearwater and the Ravenclaw students gathered outside the common room after no one could answer the door knocker’s question.
  • Ravenclaw prefects formed a Strategy Group, whose members argued over which areas of mathematics might solve the problem.
  • Ian reminded the group that the riddle involved permutation and combination, but admitted he did not know how to work it out.
  • The students planned to rely on a sick fifth-year to open the door from inside and let them in.
  • The Strategy Group decided to start a Math Club and obtain mathematics textbooks for interested students.
  • Lynn prepared to explore the Chamber of Secrets, while Umr spent time with Hermione and dismissed Ian’s report of the riddle as amusing.

Ch. 248The Studious Ravenclaw

Lynn and Hermione traced the goblins’ likely treasure cache in Hogsmeade to their plan to fund wand research, confirming that Lynn was searching in the right place. After solving the eagle knocker’s riddle, Lynn earned Ravenclaw’s recognition and received the permanent title The studious Ravenclaw.

  • Hermione found that Siron had proposed a goblin wand research laboratory, and Lynn inferred that the unspent funds would have needed a hidden vault.
  • Lynn and Hermione concluded that the goblins likely hid their treasure cache in Hogsmeade, supporting Granny Daniel’s account and the possibility that its entrance lay in Hogwarts.
  • Lynn visited the eagle knocker after their agreed time, and it asked how he had solved its question so quickly.
  • Lynn offered to provide the knocker with Muggle mathematics textbooks, and the knocker accepted his answer and acknowledged his wisdom.
  • The knocker entrusted Lynn with Ravenclaw’s recognition, granting him the permanent title The studious Ravenclaw.

Ch. 249Forbidden Section

Lynn searched Hogwarts for the goblins’ hidden place, following the clues about knowledge, the numbers 7 and 8, and the password “I am the heir.” After finding nothing in the classrooms or most of the library, he noticed an extra book on the seventh shelf in the Forbidden Section.

  • Lynn ruled out the Room of Requirement and searched three classrooms for clues linked to the numbers 7 and 8, but found nothing.
  • Lynn entered the library at night and checked the seventh and eighth rows and shelves, but the password had no effect.
  • Lynn searched the Forbidden Section and inspected the shelves from the back of the library.
  • Lynn spoke the password at the seventh shelf of the eighth row from the end, and then noticed that the shelf seemed to have gained an extra magical book.

Ch. 250The Extra Magic Book

Lynn discovered an ancient Hogwarts book containing three spells and a mysterious metal rod, though it was not the object he had expected to find. He showed the book and rod to Grey Lady, who recognized them as proof that he had gained the founders’ recognition.

  • Lynn found an extra ancient book bearing a Hogwarts crest and read its three spells, then examined the black metal rod hidden inside it.
  • Lynn left the library with the book and decided to confront Grey Lady for misleading him about what he would find.
  • The following evening, Lynn approached Grey Lady outside the Ravenclaw common room and told her he had found the object.
  • Grey Lady reacted with disbelief when Lynn showed her the book, then asked to see the scepter inside.
  • Lynn opened the book and showed Grey Lady the metal rod.

Ch. 251Scepter

Lynn learned that the goblin-built cellar entrance he sought could not be found, while Grey Lady explained that the scepter he had discovered was created by three Hogwarts founders to represent the authority to rule the castle. The scepter’s intended heir ceremony had never been completed because Slytherin disappeared, and Grey Lady said Albus Dumbledore was now Hogwarts’s true master.

  • Lynn told Grey Lady he was searching for a goblin-built entrance to an underground cellar, but she insisted no such place existed at Hogwarts.
  • Lynn accepted that his lead to the basilisk’s hiding place had failed and asked Grey Lady about the scepter.
  • Grey Lady explained that she, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor had created the spellbook, and that the scepter represented authority over Hogwarts.
  • Grey Lady said the scepter required recognition from all four founders, but Slytherin vanished before the heir ceremony could be completed.
  • Grey Lady told Lynn that Hogwarts chose its own suitable master and that Albus Dumbledore was now the true master of the school.

Ch. 252The Emperor and Crown Prince of Hogwarts

Lynn learned that the scepter marked him as Hogwarts’s heir after Dumbledore, though he could not yet use it. Back in the Room of Requirement, he studied the Founders’ spells as the time loop’s return point approached.

  • The Grey Lady explained that Hogwarts recognized Dumbledore as its current master and that Lynn would inherit after him, while the scepter remained unusable without Slytherin’s recognition.
  • Lynn left the Grey Lady with the scepter, the Founders’ spellbook, and rewards for earning the Founders’ recognition, then planned to tell Dumbledore that someone had taken the basilisk.
  • Lynn noted that September 21 at 10:16 would bring the time loop back to its proper place.
  • In the Room of Requirement, Lynn studied the Violent Disarming Charm, Food Enchantment, and Connection Spell, finding the Connection Spell most useful but learning he could support only five people with his current abilities.

Ch. 253The Beginnings of the Hogwarts Forum

Lynn spent the day improving the magical forum he shared with Hermione before preparing to meet Dumbledore. On his way to the Headmaster’s office, he encountered the basilisk and warned Filch to flee with his eyes closed.

  • Lynn chatted with Hermione through his Connection Spell forum while she attended Charms, and she earned Gryffindor five points by answering Professor Flitwick’s question.
  • Lynn tested his Food Enchantment on a sandwich and reflected on the gains he had made during his three weeks in the past, including an increase in his Constitution.
  • After Hermione visited him in the Room of Requirement, Lynn transformed into Professor Lockhart and set out to meet Dumbledore at 10:16 p.m.
  • Lynn encountered Filch and Mrs. Norris on the sixth floor, where Tom warned him that the basilisk was approaching.
  • Lynn told Filch to shut his eyes and run with Mrs. Norris, then faced the basilisk as it hissed from the ceiling.

Ch. 254A Balanced Fight? A One-Sided Slaughter!

Lynn confronted the Basilisk in a classroom, keeping his eyes shut to avoid its petrifying gaze and using sound and airflow to track it. When it lunged, he struck it with his bare fist and sent it crashing through a wall, leaving it badly hurt and unable to escape quickly.

  • Lynn spotted the Basilisk on the ceiling and closed his eyes to protect himself from its petrifying gaze.
  • The Basilisk held its position for five minutes, then lunged at Lynn to swallow him before he could react.
  • Lynn judged the Basilisk’s position by the wind and punched at its eyes, but struck one of its fangs instead.
  • Lynn’s punch broke the Basilisk’s fang and sent its body crashing through the classroom wall.
  • Lynn entered the wrecked classroom and used the Basilisk’s pained hisses to locate it.

Ch. 255Doubts

Lynn fought a basilisk that attacked him in Hogwarts, crippling it and knocking it unconscious, but an unknown person Apparated away with its main body. He and Dumbledore were left to consider why the basilisk attacked Lynn and how anyone had Apparated inside the castle.

  • Lynn tore into the basilisk and used an Explosion Curse to sever its body, leaving it unconscious so Dumbledore could examine its memories.
  • Someone Apparated into the classroom and took the basilisk's unconscious main body, leaving part of its tail behind.
  • Professor McGonagall arrived, and Lynn explained that a basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets had attacked him and been taken away.
  • Dumbledore and the other professors confirmed the basilisk's presence, then sent the Heads of House to reassure the students.
  • Lynn told Dumbledore that the basilisk had attacked him without provocation and that someone had Apparated inside Hogwarts.

Ch. 256Those Toyed with by Time

After the battle, Lynn returned the Time-Turner to Dumbledore and explained why he would never use it again. He then began recounting everything he had experienced during the past three weeks.

  • The Heads of House reassured the awakened students and sent them back to bed without revealing the truth about the Chamber of Secrets.
  • Lynn and Dumbledore repaired the ruined classroom, and Lynn kept the snake tail as his spoils of war.
  • Lynn returned the Time-Turner to Dumbledore and reflected on the danger of encountering another version of himself.
  • Dumbledore explained that the Ministry allowed students to use restricted Time-Turners because repeated use gradually wore them out.
  • Dumbledore provided food, and Lynn told him everything that had happened during the past three weeks.

Ch. 257The One Behind It All

Lynn told Dumbledore how he had found the scepter, and Dumbledore explained its connection to Hogwarts and the founders’ trials. They then assessed the hidden mastermind’s possible whereabouts and abilities, leaving several questions unresolved.

  • Lynn recounted his search for the treasure and the events that led him to obtain the scepter, and Dumbledore said Rose Daniel’s prophecy pointed to Hogwarts.
  • Dumbledore revealed that Rose was a natural seer and that he had once failed the Ravenclaw bronze eagle’s trial while searching for the scepter.
  • Dumbledore explained that the scepter could command Hogwarts when activated and made Lynn the castle’s designated heir.
  • Lynn and Dumbledore discussed the mastermind’s control over Hubert and the basilisk, then considered why the basilisk had attacked Lynn and how its rescuer had entered the castle.
  • Lynn suggested that the mastermind’s lair might be in the goblins’ old Hogsmeade vault and questioned whether the culprit was inside Hogwarts and what identity they were using.

Ch. 258The Wicked Witch in Fairy Tales

Lynn and Dumbledore discussed how the basilisk's hidden mastermind might be operating and agreed Hogwarts needed further searches and night watches. After Lynn left, Dumbledore used Fawkes to visit Granny Daniel in Hogsmeade, where she had seemingly prepared for his arrival.

  • Dumbledore suggested the mastermind may have targeted Lynn because he was investigating and said a house-elf might have been involved.
  • Lynn warned that the mastermind could also have controlled a house-elf, and Dumbledore planned to have Filch question the kitchen elves.
  • Dumbledore said he would put Hogwarts staff on guard and watch the castle at night, while Lynn pointed out that the grounds and other locations could also conceal the treasure site's exit.
  • Dumbledore asked Lynn to investigate the exit when he had time, then sent him to rest before his classes.
  • After Lynn left, Dumbledore summoned Fawkes and traveled to the Hogsmeade Owl Post Office to visit Granny Daniel, who greeted him with tea.

Ch. 259The Second Cup of Tea

Dumbledore met Granny Daniel to discuss Lynn, fate’s backlash, and the coming crisis, while Granny Daniel warned him that Lynn had changed the original course of events. The next morning, Lynn learned that Ravenclaw had formed a Math Club because of his influence.

  • Dumbledore asked Granny Daniel what she thought of Lynn, and she compared him to a venomous snake while accusing Dumbledore of acting from guilt over Gellert.
  • Dumbledore asked where the entrance Hogwarts had built was, but Granny Daniel said she could not foresee its location and warned that fate’s backlash was beginning.
  • Granny Daniel reminded Dumbledore that he had chosen to nurture Lynn rather than remove him from the wizarding world, and refused to predict whether they would win.
  • Lynn returned to his Defense Against the Dark Arts office and slept in his familiar bed.
  • The next morning, Umr rushed into Lynn’s office and admitted she had not completed his homework or learned enough to write her essay.
  • Umr explained that Ravenclaw had started a Math Club and bought Muggle textbooks, and Lynn realized the club had formed because of him.

Ch. 260Professor Lockhart's True Colors

Lynn met with George and Fred to help plan a prank against Professor Lockhart, despite secretly knowing that Lockhart was himself. The twins explained their grievances and began outlining their scheme, with Lynn agreeing to photograph it.

  • Lynn told Umr that he would meet the Weasley twins and reminded her to keep up with her homework.
  • Lynn reflected that the basilisk’s severe injuries should keep Hogwarts peaceful for at least another month.
  • Lynn brought a mechanical camera to meet George and Fred on the lawn.
  • George and Fred complained that Lockhart assigned excessive homework and had punished them for copying.
  • Lynn agreed to help the twins prank Lockhart and take pictures of their plan.

Ch. 261Hermione Had Changed!

Lynn helped Fred and George plan to ambush Lockhart with both an Aging Bomb and a Dungbomb, intending to teach the twins a lesson. Harry and Ron then told Lynn that Hermione had suddenly become more lenient about their studying, leaving him to explain her change in behavior.

  • George and Fred argued over whether to use an Aging Bomb or a Dungbomb on Lockhart.
  • Lynn suggested using both bombs in a two-sided ambush and taking pictures of Lockhart.
  • Fred and George agreed to meet on Monday to carry out the prank.
  • Harry and Ron stopped Lynn and said Hermione had changed.
  • Harry explained that Hermione had started encouraging them to rest and enjoy their childhood instead of studying constantly.
  • Lynn understood that Hermione had softened her rules because she thought he had been pushing Harry and Ron too hard while pretending to be her.

Ch. 262Thank You, Professor Lockhart

Lynn warned Umr to stay close to friends while using his identity, then spent his free time studying Apparition and the Patronus Charm. When Bessild Fontana asked for access to the Restricted Section, Lynn refused and offered to teach her more advanced spells himself.

  • Lynn told Harry and Ron he could give them more work, and they hurried away to avoid studying with him.
  • Lynn instructed Umr to stay with Ian, Cedric, and the others, promised to reimburse her for Hogsmeade snacks, and reminded her he would buy her a game console.
  • Lynn studied Apparition and the Patronus Charm, though he could produce only silver threads with the latter.
  • Bessild Fontana asked Lynn for permission to borrow books from the Restricted Section because she wanted to learn stronger spells.
  • Lynn refused to give Bessild access to dangerous books and offered to assess her abilities and teach her advanced spells on weekends.
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