Killing Wasn't Enough-He Had to Break His Spirit Too!

From a psychological and physiological perspective, death is always the greatest fear of humankind.

A cold, lifeless corpse lying in front of you will amplify that fear...

But the fact that the other side only chose to attack without killing Filch is particularly strange.

Especially according to "Hogwarts (Hogwarts, A History)":

Slytherin built a secret room in the castle until his true heir came to the school.

Only the heir can open the Chamber of Secrets, release the terrifying thing inside, purify the school, and eliminate all those unworthy to learn magic.

If the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets believes this statement, then Filch among those to be eliminated?

certainly,

Because he was Squib!

They face even greater discrimination against Pure-blood wizards than Muggle-born wizard.

Therefore, choosing Filch as the target was probably also due to this consideration.

William didn't believe that the attacker, at the moment of the attack, would have a struggle between his inner demons and angels, ultimately letting his maternal instincts kick in and sparing Filch's life.

This is neither science nor magic.

"William, I'm glad you've noticed that," Dumbledore said softly.

"When analyzing a person's behavior patterns, I first judge their character, habits... and even intelligence by looking at what they have done."

William nodded in approval.

Different people think differently... Geniuses and idiots are different, and ordinary people and freaks are worlds apart.

Of course, to make an accurate judgment requires sufficient experience and a thorough understanding of human nature, and the ability to easily put oneself in the shoes of a smart person, a fool, a reckless person, a cunning person, a pervert, or a gay person.

Dumbledore was always adept at playing his role, which gave him a knack for understanding and manipulating people.

"The attackers knew Filch hated the castle getting dirty, so they stole Nicolas's rotten food and deliberately lured him in."

"My first thought is that the attacker is a very intelligent person," Dumbledore said.

Indeed, to be able to launch an attack right under Dumbledore's nose without leaving a single trace demonstrates considerable intelligence.

Dumbledore had sensed something was wrong with Tywin and Quirrell beforehand, but this time he was completely unaware.

"This was a clever attacker who deliberately left a message to alert us that the Chamber of Secrets was open."

He is very confident.

"I'm confident that even if we know, he can still succeed in attacking next time."

Dumbledore quickly identified two tags for the attackers.

"Such a clever and confident attacker, he's clearly a Pure-blood, so why not kill Filch?"

William thought for a moment and guessed, "It can only be that he can't kill him, or rather, it's not the right time to kill him yet?"

"William, I prefer the second point." Dumbledore's gaze lingered on the window.

"A wizard who chooses to open Chamber of Secrets will not hesitate to kill... If he doesn't kill, there must be a reason for not killing."

Everyone has a reason for doing anything, and all of these reasons serve the ultimate goal.

William nodded and asked, "So what is his goal?"

"It's not entirely clear yet," Dumbledore shook his head, "but we can be certain of one thing—"

"This won't be his last attack!" William said seriously.

"Yes, we can be sure of that!" Dumbledore said gravely.

He will launch another attack, but for some same reason, he will not kill the next victim.

"But this kind of attack won't last forever... As we just said, instilling fear isn't his real purpose, otherwise he would have just killed Filch."

All his actions served a single goal, and I believe these attacks must have been limited in number.

William fell into deep thought. "Is there any evidence to support this view?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and whispered a reminder:

"I think you noticed the mark written in blood on Filch's right hand, didn't you?"

"Graphorn?"

"Yes, judging from the outline of the pattern, it is indeed Graphorn."

The Graphorn is a Magical Creatures with a large body and a bulging back. Its grayish-purple skin is even tougher than that of Dragon Hide.

The Graphorn has two very sharp, long golden horns on its head and its body shape resembles that of a Sabretooth.

"Is he implying we should send Graphorn? I remember Graphorn are extinct," William said doubtfully.

"That's not accurate. Decades ago, Newt found the last pair of Graphorn that were still capable of breeding."

He personally bred the animals, saving them from extinction.

I initially thought they were implying this, but after thinking it over, I'm more convinced that the Graphorn is just a number.

"Two?" William raised an eyebrow.

In Ancient Runes, the Graphorn symbolizes the number two.

"Yes, I think he's telling us that Filch was the second person he attacked."

A clever and confident attacker, clearly a bit arrogant, who thought it would be boring if no one knew what he had done.

Therefore, this is a way of reminding me.

Who will be the first one?

"A very good question, but we have no way of knowing." Dumbledore sighed.

"That's the tricky part. Don't forget, Filch's chest wound will heal quickly."

This means that even if the first person was attacked, we would have no way of knowing unless he came forward voluntarily.

Dumbledore crossed his arms and continued, "You just asked me if I had any evidence, and this is the evidence. The fact that they left behind numbers shows that they had already decided on the number of attacks."

As for how many times...

William blurted out, "Seven times?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully, "Why do you think it's seven?"

"... Seven is the most magical number... Professor Vector did Arithmancy for me before, and she said that danger might come seven times."

William quickly recounted what he had discovered in the Arithmancy.

After listening, Dumbledore said, "The Divination is much more complicated than I imagined. I myself have never taken this course, but I think Professor Vector is right."

"Merlin!" cried Armando Dippet in the portrait, "Seven times! Wasn't attacking one person enough? Now you have to attack... seven..."

The other principals were also discussing the matter animatedly, appearing extremely angry.

"Although this attack is evil, I believe we have plenty of time to deal with it," Dumbledore said softly.

"Everyone was safe until the seventh person was attacked."

"Harry?!" William exclaimed suddenly.

"That's right!" Dumbledore said approvingly. "I think the attacker's target from the beginning was Harry, but he didn't want to kill Harry outright. Instead, he was like a hunter, patiently toying with his prey."

William took a deep breath; he understood what Dumbledore meant.

There was a reason why the attackers controlled Filch and identified Harry.

In other words, all subsequent victims will identify Harry perpetrator.

What will happen when all the students believe Harry is the attacker?

Leaving aside school violence, the seventh attack might not even require the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets to actually carry out the attack; a slight incitement of the students behind the scenes could easily trigger a mass attack.

First, they'll smear your reputation, making you the sole scapegoat, then use public opinion to kill you?

To kill someone, you also need to... destroy their spirit!