We don't need a password

"Th-the Chamber of Secrets? Th-that's just a l-legend. I-I'd rather n-not."

Quirrell gradually calmed down and said dejectedly,

"I-I still have to p-prepare my lessons-the students have been a bit m-mischievous lately. I-I need to put more thought into them."

"Thank you for your hard work, Quirinus. I believe you're fully capable of serving as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Dumbledore said kindly,

"When you taught Muggle Studies, all the students loved you."

"I-I'll do my best."

Quirrell seemed reluctant to bring up his past teaching career. He averted his eyes and said bashfully,

"Th-then I'll take my leave. Goodbye, B-Brian."

Quirrell's stammered farewell jolted Brian out of his thoughts-Dumbledore's sudden invitation had left him rather bewildered-

Did this wise old man really trust Quirrell, or was he testing him?

Brian couldn't read anything from Dumbledore's expression. After a moment's thought, he added a word of encouragement:

"Goodbye, Professor Quirrell. The students have faith in your abilities. I heard them myself. Keep it up."

That wasn't a made-up lie. He had merely cut out part of the students' conversation and extracted a small snippet-

A male Ravenclaw student had said:

"Quirrell? Poor fellow. That Defense Against the Dark Arts post ruined him! My sister told me that when Quirrell taught Muggle Studies, he was witty and entertaining, and could deliver three long passages in one breath!

"And now? He's practically an old radio that keeps cutting out! But you have to admit, that old radio is pretty capable-have you heard the rumor? Vampires! Quirrell actually got away from several vampires all by himself without a scratch!

"That's incredible. Who do you think is stronger, Quirrell or Gilderoy Lockhart? They're both outstanding Ravenclaw graduates."

Another Ravenclaw student, a girl, had said with a hint of admiration:

"Lockhart, of course. He can do absolutely anything! If only he could replace Quirrell and teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts. I bet Lockhart definitely wouldn't be as fragile as all the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professors-he could last at least three years... no, five!"

Brian had seen Gilderoy Lockhart's books at Flourish and Blotts. The most famous was "Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests"-

He had considered buying a copy at the time, but the Hogwarts house-elves had their own effective pest-control methods. His room was spotless, and its only beetle was one he had transfigured from a button.

"Th-thank you." Quirrell nodded gratefully at Brian and headed toward his office.

Once he was out of earshot, Brian couldn't help asking Dumbledore:

"What were you thinking when you invited Professor Quirrell just now?"

He would bet that Dumbledore was still keeping something important from him.

With a smile, Dumbledore answered him with a question:

"Chet, suppose Voldemort has already infiltrated Hogwarts. Why hasn't he sought the basilisk's help?"

"Perhaps he already has, and we simply haven't noticed."

Brian thought for a moment, then added,

"It's also possible that Voldemort has become too weak to control the basilisk."

After saying that, he shook his head, clearing away his tangled thoughts:

"At the end of the day, we don't even know whether Voldemort was the one controlling the basilisk back then. We're not even sure the basilisk and the Chamber of Secrets really exist-it's all built on air. You're taking your speculation much too far."

Dumbledore nodded and said unabashedly, "Old people tend to overthink things. Do make allowances for me, Chet."

"I've never met an old man who could drink as much as you, let alone cheat with a sobering charm."

Brian teased him, then cleared his throat and knocked twice on the door to the third-floor girls' bathroom.

"Myrtle, are you there?"

No reply came from Moaning Myrtle. Brian waited a while and asked again, but still received no response.

He leaned close to the crack in the door and peered inside-it was empty. Perhaps Moaning Myrtle was visiting a bathroom where some handsome boy was taking a bath.

"Er, Professor Dumbledore, Mr... Brian, good evening. What are you... doing?"

A clear, slightly hesitant female voice came from behind them. It wasn't Moaning Myrtle's-Brian turned and saw a familiar face-

Harry's close friend, the diligent first-year Professor McGonagall so often praised: Hermione Granger.

The young witch looked from him to Dumbledore with a complicated expression, seemingly unsure what to say.

Dumbledore greeted her with a beaming smile. "Good evening, Granger. Welcome to our castle exploration."

Brian felt that Dumbledore could be a little too playful sometimes. Naturally, he couldn't tell a student about the Chamber of Secrets, but he didn't want to be mistaken for a suspicious adult either, so he found an excuse and said:

"Good evening, Granger. We're looking for Moaning Myrtle. Have you seen her?"

"No, I haven't."

Hermione seemed to have accepted this explanation, which was a hundred times more plausible than exploring the castle. Her hair swayed as she shook her head, and she asked curiously,

"She's usually not here at this time. What do you need her for?"

"Some matters concerning repairs to the bathroom."

Brian picked up on the hidden information in Hermione's words.

"It sounds as though you know Moaning Myrtle quite well?"

"Er... no, not really. I just wash my hands here sometimes when I'm passing by. That's all..."

Hermione's eyes flicked unnaturally to the left as she said guiltily,

"Oh, speaking of which, this place really does need repairs. It's falling apart, and there's a copper faucet that never runs! If there's nothing else, I'll be going! I still have three inches of my essay left to write! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" Dumbledore waved her off.

Hermione did her best to make her departure look natural, but her nervousness still made her steps alternate between quick and slow. Brian noticed something odd about the conspicuous bulge in the pocket of her wizarding robes-unless he was mistaken, it was a cauldron.

Good. He had probably found the culprit who had left half a piece of Flobberworm Dung in the bathroom.

At last, Brian and Dumbledore stood before the copper faucet engraved with a little snake.

"It really doesn't run." Brian tried turning the faucet. "Have you found anything?"

Dumbledore gently stroked the little snake and said thoughtfully,

"This is a password-operated magical mechanism. Its creator showed some ingenuity, but the methods used aren't particularly sophisticated. If this is Salazar Slytherin's work, it's rather crude."

"So the Chamber of Secrets isn't necessarily underneath? We still need to open this mechanism and see."

Brian put his mind to work.

"What could the password be?"

Dumbledore smiled and patted Brian on the shoulder, motioning for him to step farther away, then raised his oddly shaped wand:

"Chet, we don't need a password."