Fawkes's Nirvana, Newt Arrives to Support

"You wouldn't happen to be the heir to the Chamber of Secrets, would you?"

Malfoy's question suddenly echoed in the Room of Requirement, freezing the air instantly.

These words sent a shockwave through Harry, his ears ringing. He had been trying to find the real culprit all these days, and now he was the heir?

"I..."

Harry was so angry he was speechless for a moment, his cheeks turning bright red, while Ron spoke first.

"Malfoy, relax. If Harry were really the heir, wouldn't you be lying in the Hospital Wing by now?"

Upon hearing Ron's words, Malfoy turned and glared at him, saying in a low voice:

"Weasley, I'm not kidding!"

But the atmosphere in the classroom suddenly relaxed because of Ron's words.

"Alright."

Lucien's calm voice rang out. He looked at Harry, who was still seething with anger, and began to guide him:

"Harry, calm down and think back. You mentioned earlier that you heard strange 'whispers' or 'voices' outside Lockhart's office, and at the locations of several later attacks, right?"

Harry paused, frowning as he tried to recall those memories.

After a few minutes, he said somewhat uncertainly:

"You mean... that might also be... a snake talking?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Hermione turned sharply to look at Lucien and blurted out:

"I specifically went to the Restricted Section to check some information a while ago, Lucien, do you already know...?"

However, before she could finish speaking, the air in the center of the classroom suddenly distorted and heated up!

A blazing crimson flame suddenly ignited out of thin air.

The next second, a bird flapped its wings and flew out of the flames.

It flapped its slightly immature wings, its flight posture still a bit awkward, like a fledgling bird that had just learned to fly, yet it was able to glide precisely to Lucien.

Lucien naturally reached out and let the little bird perch in the crook of his arm.

Its body is covered in orange-red down, making it look fluffy, like a chick that has just molted and is in an awkward stage.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp--"

The bird chirped urgently, successfully drawing everyone's attention away from the debate over "Parseltongue" and "successor".

The swarm of snakes on the ground scrambled to the farthest corner of the classroom and coiled up the moment the little bird appeared.

Lucien understood what the bird meant and nodded gently.

"The principal urgently needs to see me? Hmm... and he said an old friend is visiting? Who is it?"

"Chirp!"

The little bird nodded its head vigorously.

Lucien stroked its soft fur.

"Surprise?"

"Alright, a surprise it is then. Please take me there, Fawkes."

Fawkes!

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief.

When school started, they "parked" the Flying Ford Anglia in the Headmaster's Office. At the time, they thought they had accidentally scared the principal's Phoenix to death, and they felt guilty and scared.

Phew, it seems Lucien was right after all; it was just a normal rebirth.

Perhaps sensing their thoughts, Fawkes, nestled in Lucien's arms, suddenly turned his head, his little head facing Harry and Ron, and let out a series of rapid chirps:

"Chirp! Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp chirp!"

The two were stunned and looked at Lucien in confusion.

"Lucien, by the way, you... you can understand Phoenix?"

What is Fawkes talking about?

His question made the others realize the problem as well—how could Lucien communicate with the Phoenix so smoothly?

Is there such a thing as a "Phoenix voice"?

Under the curious gazes of everyone, Lucien's expression became somewhat subtle, carrying a hint of helpless strangeness.

Because Fawkes just swore... well, he used pretty foul language...

"Yes, Fawkes, greetings to your family."

"?"

Before Harry and Ron could fully grasp the subtle expression, a burst of brilliant flames erupted around Fawkes again, instantly engulfing Lucien as well.

The flames flickered and then dissipated, and the man and the bird vanished without a trace.

Harry paused for a few seconds before snapping out of his daze and looking at Hermione:

"Um, Hermione, what were you going to say? About the monster in the Chamber of Secrets..."

He absolutely did not want to bear the terrible titles of Heir of Slytherin, the mastermind behind it all, and the cruel descendant of Slytherin.

Hermione was about to speak when Daphne whispered a reminder, pointing to a lurking shadow in the corner of the classroom:

"I think we should deal with these snakes first. Lucien seems to have forgotten to turn them back before he left."

Helpless, everyone turned their gaze to the snakes that had begun to wriggle again and raised their wands.

"Potter! Since you can talk to them, can you use your 'talent' to make them leave quickly?"

"Ha, where are you rushing off to? To your Slytherin Common Room, to be your bedtime pet?"

"Damn it, Potter! You want to duel me again?! Weasley, you're not allowed to use dirty tricks later, this is a fair one-on-one duel between men!"

Seeing the three boys start arguing and pushing each other again, Hermione and Daphne exchanged a glance and suddenly realized they had something in common.

Meanwhile, Lucien had been taken to the Headmaster's Office by Fawkes.

As the flames subsided, he steadied himself and the first thing he saw was Dumbledore sitting behind a huge desk with a smile on his face.

Hearing the noise, the person who had been facing away from Lucien slowly turned around.

Although the other person looked a little younger than he remembered, Lucien recognized him immediately, his tone filled with surprise:

"Mr. Scamander?!"

Headmaster's Office.

Good afternoon, Principal, Mr. Scamander.

Lucien nodded to the two elders in the room.

He gently placed the baby Fawkes in his arms on the perch, then sat down next to Newt.

Newt looked much better than when they last met; the wrinkles around his eyes seemed to have smoothed out.

Lucien thought to himself that the "Revitalization Potion" potion he had sent earlier was quite effective, as it could gently and persistently replenish the user's vitality.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded, getting straight to the point:

"Blaise Zabini, who had been petrified, has awakened after taking the Mandrake Restorative Draught. Like Penelope Clearwater Clearwater before him, the last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was a 'huge yellow light.'"

"Furthermore, Zabini added a crucial detail—he caught a fleeting glimpse of shimmering green scales."

"So, I invited Newt."

Dumbledore gestured to his old friend beside him.

"He's the person in the world who knows the most about Magical Creatures. We've just exchanged initial opinions and narrowed it down to a few possibilities..."

Newt continued, picking up where Dumbledore off.

Several Magical Creatures are known to be capable of petrification, such as Medusa and the Duergar.

He frowned slightly, then changed the subject.

"But in this case, the victim's physical body did not show any tendency to transform into a stone statue; it was more like his life state was forcibly 'frozen,' and even the long-deceased ghost— the Bloody Baron— was severely affected... This situation is extremely rare."

Suddenly, Lucien added:

"By the way, I just confirmed with Harry that he can understand Parseltongue. Near several attack sites, he heard intermittent 'whispers' that were inaudible to others."

"Parseltongue?"

Dumbledore and Newt spoke almost simultaneously.

Newt looked at Dumbledore and spoke a little faster:

"Dumbledore, didn't you mention before that there were several instances of standing water, mirrors, or other objects that could reflect light at the scene?"

After receiving Dumbledore's affirmative reply, Newt's expression turned serious.

"I think the monster hidden in the Chamber of Secrets is Basilisk, also known as the Serpent King."

Dumbledore repeated the name "Basilisk" softly, his blue eyes narrowing slightly, his long fingers clasped together.

Newt explained in detail:

According to records, any creature that makes direct eye contact with the Basilisk's yellow eyes will die instantly. However, if the victim sees its eyes "indirectly" through a medium such as water or a reflection, the instant death effect is greatly weakened, and instead, the victim will exhibit a state of suspended animation, which is now known as "petrification."

He continued his analysis, his thoughts becoming increasingly clear:

"As for the Bloody Baron... he's already a ghost, unable to 'die' again. So even the Basilisk's gaze can't make him disappear again, resulting in his current strange state."

Lucien: "Mr. Scamander, I read in the book that the Basilisk is afraid of roosters, right?"

"Yes, the crowing of a rooster can cause great damage to the Basilisk, even death."

As soon as Newt finished speaking, Lucien took out a small cage containing a dozing rooster.

"Hagrid mentioned to me earlier that several of his roosters had been killed. He thought it was done by vampires or foxes, but I carefully searched around the henhouse and found no trace of those creatures."

This additional clue, like the final piece of a puzzle, convinced Newt of everything. He looked at Dumbledore.

"Fear of roosters, their gaze can indirectly cause petrification... all clues point to the Basilisk."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Thank you for your help, Newt. You've solved a lot of trouble for us."

Newt smiled shyly and waved his hand:

"Don't say that, Dumbledore. It's because you've provided enough clues, which happens to be an area I'm quite familiar with. It's a good thing if it can help Hogwarts."

Dumbledore suddenly looked at Lucien.

"Lucien, do you have anyone in mind who you suspect is the real culprit?"

Lucien seemed to have been prepared in advance as he replied:

"Headmaster, Professor Snape and I have actually discussed this matter privately. Judging from Hogwarts ' recent... well, 'tradition', the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts is undoubtedly the most suspicious, isn't he?"

Dumbledore gently adjusted his glasses, a hint of helplessness in his eyes:

"I know Severus has always harbored resentment about this, so I didn't 'ask' him again this year."

That's right, the Old Bat has already figured it out and started to "lay low."

"And what about you, Principal?" Lucien countered, "Didn't you ever suspect Gilderoy Lockhart, or... conduct any necessary 'investigations' about him?"

"I did try."

Dumbledore's answer was surprisingly straightforward.

"But I didn't see any memory fragments related to the Chamber of Secrets or the attack."

Lucien's heart skipped a beat; Dumbledore had indeed used Legilimency on Lockhart.

However, given Lockhart's skill level, there is absolutely no way he could have mastered such a profound spell as Occlumency to resist it.

memory...

Did Lockhart cast Obliviate on himself?

It's not about truly erasing, but rather a more subtle approach, temporarily "deleting" or "hiding" certain key memories?

Given Lockhart's expertise in the Obliviate, it's possible.

Of course, it's also possible that it was young Tom who helped.

"I see..."

Lucien nodded thoughtfully, then asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Headmaster, have you found someone willing to take over as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Upon hearing this question, Dumbledore's face was filled with a sense of "it's hard to explain," and he seemed about to sigh:

"This position... is indeed not easy to find a suitable, and 'brave' enough candidate."

As he spoke, Dumbledore's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Newt, who was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Newt instantly felt extremely uncomfortable, waving his hands frantically and speaking so fast he was almost stuttering:

"No, no, no! Teaching... I'm really not suited for teaching! I have absolutely no idea how to get along with so many students..."

"And besides, Tina would absolutely never agree to me teaching this course!"

Seeing Newt's panicked appearance, Lucien chuckled inwardly. It wasn't just that she wouldn't agree to him teaching here; Ms. Tina probably wouldn't want Mr. Scamander to set foot in Hogwarts again at all.

Tina believed that anything related to Dumbledore could be bad.

Speaking of which...

Did Ms. Tina know that her husband had been summoned to Hogwarts again by an urgent letter from Dumbledore?

Seeing Newt's flustered state, Dumbledore chuckled and reassured him:

"Relax, Newt, I don't mean to put you in a difficult position. I just wanted to ask, with the extensive network you've built through your travels around the world, do you know any... well, friends who are both capable enough and willing to come to Hogwarts as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Newt breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned deeply.

The position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts is notorious in the Wizarding World, and finding a suitable and courageous candidate is indeed a difficult problem.

Newt pondered for a while, his fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the hem of his clothes, when suddenly he seemed to remember something.

"Um... if I had to name someone, I could think of one. However, that person's identity is... well, rather special, or rather, it's not convenient to disclose."

He looked up at Dumbledore and added,

"Actually, that person... you know Dumbledore too."