Morris took out his wand and waved it at the paper on the drawing board, creating an exact copy. He handed it to Harry, saying, "Take this to Dumbledore; perhaps he'll recognize who it is."
The answer is right in front of you, but you can't touch it; this feeling is truly unbearable.
Harry put the portrait away and turned to leave the Hospital Wing.
Morris looked at the portrait in his hand, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
A sparse beard, high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and that cold, aloof gaze...
Familiar, very familiar.
Suddenly, something flashed through his mind.
He knew who the old man was!
Half an hour later, in Chamber of Secrets.
Morris stood before the enormous stone statue, his expression growing increasingly solemn.
The face of the stone sculpture bears a striking resemblance to the old man in the portrait.
No, it should be said that they are completely identical.
If he wasn't blind, the person in the portrait was Salazar Slytherin, one of the Four Founders of Hogwarts and the owner of this Chamber of Secrets of Secrets.
According to Harry, Voldemort was talking to Slytherin himself...
What kind of Merlin joke is this?
Morris fell into deep thought.
There are too many suspicious points in this matter.
Can Slytherin still be alive?
Ah, wait a minute.
This is a magical world.
Nicolas Flamel could live for hundreds of years with the help of the Philosopher's Stone, and Voldemort could extend his life indefinitely with Horcrux, then it doesn't seem entirely impossible for Salazar Slytherin to find some way to prolong his life.
Ultimately, Salazar Slytherin was just a person from a thousand years ago.
A thousand years is neither a short nor a long time; it's still a number that's barely conceivable.
Morris thought it was very likely.
If this hypothesis is true, then another question remains: why would Voldemort meet with Slytherin?
Recognizing one's ancestors and returning to one's roots?
Hmm... unlikely.
He immediately dismissed the idea.
Morris folded the portrait and put it in his pocket, then turned and walked out of the Chamber of Secrets, intending to go and talk to Dumbledore.
The Order of the Phoenix has been operating for some time now; they might have some news about Voldemort.
A few minutes later, Morris followed the pipes upwards and returned to the girls' restroom.
" Professor Dumbledore?"
To Morris's surprise, Dumbledore was standing at the entrance to the chapel, with Harry beside him.
They clearly didn't come to the restroom together.
Moreover, Dumbledore was holding the portrait he had just copied for Harry.
It seems Dumbledore also guessed the true identity of the portrait, so he came to confirm it himself.
Dumbledore, as if he had expected this, asked, "You've already seen it?"
Morris knew exactly what he was asking and nodded.
"That man was indeed Salazar Slytherin. The face of the statue in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets is exactly the same as the old man in the portrait; it can't be a coincidence."
Harry glanced at Dumbledore beside him, then at Morris, his eyes filled with confusion.
" Morris, what are you saying?" he asked.
Morris briefly explained to Harry that the old man he saw through Voldemort's vision was Salazar Slytherin himself.
" Slytherin... is still alive?" Harry's voice echoed in the bathroom, his face filled with disbelief.
This is the normal reaction a person should have.
"I'm not sure." Morris shook his head and asked, "What do you think, Harry?"
As someone directly involved, he is the one closest to the truth.
Harry lowered his head and pondered for a long time, seemingly in recollection.
Morris didn't urge him, Dumbledore didn't say anything either.
"It's possible Voldemort only saw a ghost," Harry finally spoke, "But I think it was a living person. Slytherin is really alive? That's too... too..."
He stammered, seemingly unsure how to describe his thoughts.
Dumbledore rubbed his temples.
"I'll investigate this matter." He paused, looking at Morris, "And, Morris, you Parseltongue?"
As is widely known, Parseltongue is required to open the Chamber of Secrets.
Morris shrugged. "I used a different method."
Of course, he wouldn't reveal that Voldemort himself opened the door for him.
Dumbledore and did not ask any further questions.
When Morris and Harry walked out of the chapel, it was already completely dark.
It was just dinnertime.
"To the restaurant?" Harry asked.
"Go ahead." Morris nodded.
The two walked towards the restaurant.
Harry was distracted the entire way.
That's understandable, given how astonishing the news we just received was.
They entered the Great Hall, greeted by the aroma of food and the cacophony of conversation.
Dinner time was more than halfway over, and there were only a few students scattered around the tables, with many others still leaving.
What's concerning is that a large group of students were gathered on the open space next to the dining table, seemingly watching something.
Pull his hair!
"Go! Go!"
"Give him another punch!"
Morris and Harry exchanged a glance and squeezed into the crowd.
The scene before them startled them slightly.
Ron and Draco Malfoy were wrestling. Ron was on top of Draco, one hand gripping Draco's collar, the other clenched into a fist, ready to strike. Draco wasn't going to back down either, kicking Ron in the shin, and the two rolled around in a heap.
Morris was momentarily at a loss for how to react.
It's one thing for first-year students to be fighting, but for fifth graders to still be fighting in the cafeteria is really childish.
And it was close-quarters combat.
Where are your wands?
He didn't intend to go up and help; even if the two of them exchanged punches, they couldn't kill each other.
Someone will likely take care of it soon.
"Stop!"
Sure enough, a few seconds later, a familiar voice rang out.
The crowd automatically parted to make way, and Professor McGonagall strode in, her face ashen.
Ron and Draco stopped what they were doing and got up from the ground.
Both of them were in a sorry state; Ron's mouth was bleeding, while Draco was in a worse condition, with both of his eyes swollen.
But strangely, their expressions were completely different.
Ron looked furious, while Malfoy, though more seriously injured, had a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, revealing a faint smile, looking very relaxed, as if he had thrown away a heavy burden.
Morris noticed that Ron was staring intently into Malfoy's eyes.
He immediately understood.
Ron is using Legilimency!
And Draco hasn't discovered it yet.
Professor McGonagall's cold gaze swept over the two men before she spoke, " Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, come with me. I need to know what happened."
However, Ron did not look away. Only when Professor McGonagall walked up to him did he lower his head and follow behind her.