An Unexpected Pure-blood Victim, Potter is the Heir of Slytherin?

Great Hall.

Warmth and the aroma of delicious food intertwine.

The young wizards were excitedly discussing the upcoming Christmas holidays, exchanging plans to go home or stay at school.

Thanks to Lucien providing Mandrake to make a sufficient amount of antidote, all the previously petrified victims have recovered and awakened, which has greatly reduced the shadow that shrouded the castle.

The atmosphere was most relaxed, especially at the Slytherin table.

Because most of the students here come from Pure-blood families, they are more or less indifferent to the rumors that the Heir of Slytherin must eliminate the "Mudblood," and some even secretly agree with it.

However, this peace was shattered by the sudden arrival of Slytherin Prefect Gemma Farley.

Her face was pale, and her voice trembled almost imperceptibly as she announced yet another shocking piece of news:

"Blaise Zabini, along with the ghostly the Bloody Baron, were attacked in the corridor and petrified."

With a sudden "buzz," the Great Hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a cacophony of voices.

This time, the most intense reaction came from the Slytherin, who had seemed indifferent just moments before.

"Zabini? He's Pure-blood!"

"How could... how could it be Pure-blood?"

Panic spread like a plague among the long tables of Slytherin.

I thought I was safe and a bystander, but now I find myself a potential victim.

The previous sense of security collapsed instantly, replaced by a climate of fear and insecurity.

Various sounds intertwined:

"I need to write a letter to my father; I must go home early!"

"Dumbledore and the professors must find the murderer immediately!"

"This is too dangerous! My Mother is School Governor; the school must give us an explanation for this!"

At the long table, Malfoy's face was also very gloomy.

Blaise Zabini, the guy whose mother is known for her seven deceased husbands and her large inheritance.

Not long ago, Malfoy had shown off a custom map to Zabini.

How could someone I was somewhat familiar with be petrified so quietly?

Malfoy subconsciously looked up and gazed at Daphne Greengrass not far away.

Sure enough, worry was written all over the other person's face.

Their eyes met in the air; no words were needed, but the meaning was clear and unanimous:

Go and discuss it with Lucien.

Just then, the Prefect of each college stood up, striving to maintain order, and announced loudly:

"Remain calm! All students, immediately follow your Prefect to your respective college's common room! Do not linger outside!"

Filled with unease and confusion, the young wizards surged in different directions from the castle.

In a deserted corridor at Hogwarts.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood tall and still, his blue eyes behind his Half-moon Spectacles sharply scanning the scene.

The professors also gathered around, their faces solemn.

The victim, Blaise Zabini, sat leaning against the cold stone wall, his mouth slightly open, his face filled with horror and paleness.

He held one hand in front of him, as if trying to block something.

But what was even more unsettling was the Bloody Baron floating not far from him.

The Slytherin ghost, whose translucent body had now turned black and stiff, remained in a forward-floating posture.

Barrow's face bore the same look of terror as Zabini's.

The ghost was petrified—this was beyond everyone's comprehension.

Even ghosts...

Professor Flitwick's high-pitched voice was filled with disbelief.

The professors surrounded the two victims, exchanging opinions in hushed tones, their voices filled with confusion and disbelief.

Why can't even ghosts escape this fate?

Suddenly, a confident voice rang out.

"Please allow me to say a few words, Principal, Professors."

Lockhart straightened his ornate robe embroidered with gold thread, stepped forward, and wore his signature smile.

He cleared his throat to make sure everyone's eyes were on him.

Lockhart strolled over to the petrified Zabini and elegantly pointed his wand at the frozen terror on Zabini's face.

"Look at Mr. Zabini's expression; it's so real. Before he was petrified, he must have seen what the attacker looked like, and that look was enough to instill extreme fear in him."

"We possess the Petrification Antidote. Once Mr. Zabini is successfully awakened, he will be able to tell us himself who the murderer is!"

Lockhart's initiative in speaking out positioned him as a reliable professor who was calm, analytical, and caring towards his students.

It didn't really matter whether Zabini woke up sooner or later, since he had only seen the Basilisk's appearance in a fleeting moment.

As the controller, Lockhart doesn't need to be constantly by the Basilisk's side, so there's little chance of him being witnessed by anyone.

Why would a mastermind expect the victim to speak up?

Anyway, according to Tom, the plan will be completed soon.

Once Lockhart defeats the Basilisk and saves Hogwarts, there will be even less to worry about.

Few people would doubt a "hero".

The professors all looked thoughtful, but only Snape glanced coldly at Lockhart and let out a barely audible snort.

Dumbledore's gaze moved slowly between Lockhart and Zabini, his eyes behind his Half-moon Spectacles still deep and unfathomable, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

The Room of Requirement.

"Lucien, do you think we should go home early?"

Malfoy's voice was filled with unease and worry.

"Even Pure-blood like Zabini has been attacked, what if the next one...?"

He didn't finish speaking, but the fear in his words was obvious.

Although Daphne was much calmer than Malfoy, there was still a hint of bewilderment in her beautiful eyes.

The attack on Zabini was indeed a heavy blow to these wizards from Pure-blood families who prided themselves on their noble lineage.

How long has it been?

The so-called "Heir of Slytherin" was originally advocating the expulsion of Muggle-born students, but now he's actually targeting a Pure-blood student!

Lucien listened patiently to their story; his current feeling could be summed up in one word—"urgency."

Lockhart, or rather, the young Tom Riddle hidden in his diary, is in a hurry!

They are eager to create even greater panic and stir up a more violent storm.

Lockhart's thinking is easy to understand; he simply believed that "the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish."

The more victims there are, the more chaotic and uneasy the students become. When this "hero" finally makes his grand entrance and resolves the crisis in one fell swoop, the praise and fame he receives will naturally soar.

As for Tom...

Lucien's gaze swept discreetly to the other corner of the room, where Harry was explaining the Disarming Charm technique to Hermione and Ron.

Tom has Harry in mind as his ultimate goal.

Saying something like helping Lockhart gain fame is something only Lockhart blinded by vanity would believe.

The one truly controlling the Basilisk from behind the scenes must be Tom himself; Lockhart had long been fooled by his smooth talk.

Lucien had previously sneaked into Lockhart's office multiple times to observe him secretly. Lockhart prepared rare materials such as dragon blood to help Tom, whose diary contained the information, regain his strength.

Regardless of how Tom deceived Lockhart, he must have been planning to be resurrected and have his physical body restored.

Once he reappears in the world as a young man, he will certainly not leave Hogwarts quietly; he will most likely stir up a bloody storm.

Commanding Basilisk kill?

Lucien composed himself, drawing his attention back to the conversation before him, and asked:

"Draco, Daphne, have you written to your family about this?"

Upon hearing this, the two nodded in unison.

Malfoy spoke very quickly, with a hint of complaint:

"I did tell him! But my father only told me to avoid acting alone as much as possible, saying that Headmaster Snape would keep an eye on me. He also said that the Board of Governors must be talking about it Dumbledore for a while now."

Daphne's voice was even calmer:

"I also wrote to my Mother. She said she has reported the situation to the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors, hoping to put pressure on them."

Dumbledore was mentioned, the cold and distant tone in their voices was almost identical.

For most long-established Pure-blood families, it is really difficult for them to have a good impression of this greatest wizard of our time.

In their view, Dumbledore was too "harsh" on the Pure-blood families.

Lucien had several conversations with Dumbledore and knew that Dumbledore was not deliberately biased towards Muggle-born or suppressing Pure-blood; what he sought was a more macro-level "fairness."

The so-called "targeting of Pure-blood" may simply be because Pure-blood families have occupied too many resources and privileges that they should not have had exclusive access to over the long years.

Once the established pattern of interests is broken, those who have benefited will naturally feel dissatisfied and hold a grudge against Dumbledore pushed for change.

If you think about it carefully, if Dumbledore really intended to mistreat Pure-blood, then Slytherin wouldn't have won the House Cup for six consecutive years.

Dumbledore...

Tom, in the diary, was fifteen or sixteen years old when his soul was split apart, and his memories remained at that time.

During his student days, filled with ambition and darkness, the person who left the deepest impression on him was probably his professor at the time— Dumbledore.

It was Dumbledore who brought Tom to Hogwarts, it was Dumbledore who used magic to force Tom to apologize to his orphanage friends, and it was Dumbledore who was always wary of Tom...

A youthful spirit, inherently wicked, coupled with a deep-seated hatred for Dumbledore...

Tom definitely intends to take revenge on Dumbledore, but he won't choose a direct confrontation unless he wants to be forced back into his original form immediately after gaining a physical body.

Hmm, to manipulate the Basilisk to commit more killings in the school, ruining Dumbledore's reputation as headmaster?

But there is one crucial prerequisite: Dumbledore must not be at the school.

Otherwise, with Dumbledore's abilities, a Basilisk would be easy to subdue.

Lucien's thoughts raced.

Both Malfoy and Daphne mentioned their parents' attitudes, so other Pure-blood families who are also dissatisfied with Dumbledore probably have similar thoughts.

They will inevitably put pressure on the Ministry of Magic either through the Board of Governors or directly.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, is someone who is accustomed to imposing rules and constraints on himself.

He respects Hogwarts ' governance structure and will also consider the Ministry of Magic's opinions.

At that time, the pressure from all sides will inevitably consume a lot of his energy, and may even force him to temporarily leave the school...

That was the perfect opportunity for Tom to act.

Will Dumbledore ask me to keep an eye on things again, like last year?

Lucien thought that if that were the case, he should ask Dumbledore for some "pay," like a chance to see the magical core of Hogwarts Castle.

Perhaps we can borrow some of the little wizard's emotional energy from it; the amount we've accumulated is still far from the minimum requirement for crafting Sorcerer's Stone.

"Okay, don't be too nervous. Here, I wear these all the time."

Lucien pulled out several pairs of glasses of different styles.

Malfoy and Daphne exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion, wondering why Lucien had suddenly pulled out those seemingly ordinary glasses.

"Lucien, what is this?"

"In critical moments, it can block your view and prevent you from seeing things you shouldn't see."

Lucien gave a brief explanation, then called Harry and the other two to his side and handed each of them a copy.

"Oh, by the way, if you really can't get used to wearing glasses, there are also contact lenses..."

As he spoke, he took out a small, rectangular, exquisite box containing neatly arranged thin contact lenses.

These lenses are alchemical tools crafted by Lucien using Thestral Tail Feather as the primary material. Their function is quite simple: to blur and shield things directly related to "death."

If you look directly into the Basilisk's deadly eyes, the lens will automatically create a barrier.

To everyone else, the lenses were colorless and transparent, but to Lucien, who had witnessed death, they resembled deep black sunglasses.

"Also, if you're really worried, you can carry a rooster with you—provided, of course, that you don't mind the trouble."

"Rooster?"

The young wizards exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding the meaning behind this sudden suggestion.

Lucien said no more, clapped his hands, and drew everyone's attention back.

"Alright, let's begin today's lesson. We'll practice how to deal with biological attacks."

He waved his wand lightly, and instantly more than a dozen slithering snakes appeared out of thin air in the classroom.

"Ah--!"

This caused Hermione and Daphne to cry out in surprise, and they quickly shielded Lucien in front of them.

Harry and his friends weren't much better off; their faces were pale and filled with fear.

"Malfoy, isn't your house emblem a snake? Are you scared?"

Seeing this, Ron couldn't resist giving Malfoy a nudge.

Provoked by him, Malfoy immediately tried to remain calm, straightened his back, and retorted:

"Don't call for help when you get swallowed whole by a snake!"

Harry turned his head and couldn't help but ask Lucien:

Why a snake of all?

Lucien smiled slightly.

"Do some 'desensitization training' beforehand."

Although the group was still puzzled, they tried to use the spells they had learned to repel or control the snakes.

However, for some reason, there were a particularly large number of snakes swimming towards Harry.

Harry waved his wand so high it almost smoked, yet he still couldn't keep up.

In desperation, he blurted out:

"Get away from me!"

Harry was unaware that his voice had become hoarse and low, no longer uttering human words, but a series of unsettling hissing sounds like those of a snake.

In an instant, the entire Room of Requirement fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone else stopped what they were doing, their eyes fixed on Harry, filled with disbelief and astonishment.

"Parseltongue!?"

The first to cry out was Malfoy, his gaze towards Harry filled with a complex mix of shock, doubt, and a hint of fear.

Harry, however, looked completely bewildered.

He looked around and found that apart from Lucien, who remained calm, everyone else looked as if they had seen something terrifying, their expressions changing drastically.

"Parseltongue? What's that?"

"You mean I was talking to a snake just now? Can't wizards do that? I once chatted with a giant python at the zoo, and it said it had never been to Brazil... At that time, I knew nothing about the Wizarding World, nor did I know I was a wizard."

Miss Know-It-All stepped in to explain:

"Talking to snakes... Parseltongue is extremely rare among wizards, especially those who are born with it. Harry, I don't think you've ever formally studied Parseltongue, have you?"

Harry shook his head, confused.

How could he possibly learn the language of snakes? That's a foreign language that transcends species!

Hermione took a deep breath and continued:

"Legend has it that Salazar Slytherin, the builder of the Chamber of Chamber of Secrets and Founders of Slytherin, was himself a famous Parseltongue."

Harry was struck dumb, completely stunned.

He suddenly remembered that during the Sorting Ceremony in his first year, the Sorting Hat had insisted that he was a perfect fit for Slytherin, and that he had only been sorted into Gryffindor after desperately pleading for it.

Could it be...?

Malfoy seemed to have made a connection as well. He glanced quickly at Lucien, then at Harry, who was surrounded by snakes but remained unharmed. He swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly:

"Potter... you... you wouldn't happen to be the Heir of Slytherin, would you?"