Chapter 382: Is Suspicion Correct?
Chapter 382: Is Suspicion Correct?
It wasn't just the Boggart; the students were unfamiliar with most of the magical creatures.
These puppets were actually based on weak and small monsters, and Hogwarts students should have learned how to deal with them in their second year.
However, due to Lockhart's influence, the students wasted half a year performing plays. When Professor Abigail took over, she assumed they had already learned it and didn't emphasize this knowledge.
Indeed, the students had read about these creatures in books, and the professors had mentioned them in class, but that was different from having the actual skills to face danger.
Almost everyone was initially flustered and panicked, their screams filling the air, causing Professor McGonagall's expression to turn grim.
But after a few minutes, the battle skills honed in the maze challenges and the adaptability nurtured by Professor Abigail's strict discipline began to show.
Then, some clever students thought of a way to regroup with their friends, and as they gathered in small groups, they managed to defeat the first monster.
It was at this moment that Professor Snape hurriedly arrived, his body still carrying a strong scent of potions.
He silently stood behind the other professors, and with a glance at the mirror, he saw Draco Malfoy using a Disarming Charm to knock the Red Hat away with a swift and decisive action, successfully casting the spell.
Professor Snape lifted his lips, revealing a satisfied smile. He looked left and right and said in a feigned reluctant tone, "Well, Malfoy's spell wasn't bad. How are the Ravenclaws doing?"
The crowd: "..."
Professor McGonagall lowered her head and exchanged a glance with Professor Flitwick. Both of them struggled to hold back their laughter and said, "Well, indeed... they are getting better and better."
Their attitude was a bit odd, but Professor Snape assumed they were just jealous of his boasting and paid no mind to it. He simply stood there with his arms crossed, quietly observing.
In comparison to Ravenclaw, the Slytherin students were indeed performing better at this moment, and the battles were concluding more swiftly.
Finally, the last puppet was defeated, but the students inside the room remained unaware of this fact. They maintained a high level of vigilance, and any slight movement of the curtains would immediately put them on high alert.
Suddenly, all the curtains were drawn, and the students could see their classmates nearby, as well as the professors standing at the front of the classroom.
Seeing their own Head of House, the Ravenclaws greeted Professor Flitwick warmly, who smiled and nodded in response.
The Slytherins, however, reacted differently. Upon seeing Professor Snape, their faces paled in unison as they desperately tried to recall their previous inappropriate behaviors.
The Slytherins remembered how their Head of House had harshly mocked and scolded them for their poor performance in the maze, and the painful memory of the extra assignments was still fresh in their minds.
Strangely, this time, Professor Snape's gaze towards them was gentle, and for the first time, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
The Slytherin students became even more flustered.
Draco Malfoy, however, kept his eyes moving around the classroom, even looking up at the ceiling as if suspecting that his parents were hiding there.
"Vold!"
Professor Abigail nodded at Vold, who then enlarged a Flowing Mirror to cover the entire blackboard. With a wave of his hand, images began to appear on the mirror's surface.
Professor Abigail, ignoring the three other Heads of Houses beside her, started commenting on the students' performances one by one.
"Butter, how did you handle the Kappa? You had already seen it in the corridor, why was your first reaction to run away when you encountered it?"
"Godstein, the Red Hat will sneak attack passersby with a club in the pitch-dark night, but it can be easily banished with a simple spell..."
"The Hinkypunk appears fragile and harmless, but the most important thing is not to be deceived by it. Parkinson, did you mistake the Hinkypunk for your companion? Why are you so unguarded?"
"Malfoy—"
Professor Abigail was about to criticize Draco Malfoy for being scared and running away from the Boggart several times, but she suddenly remembered that she had never taught the 'Comical' spell before. She swallowed her words.
"Hmm... Using the Disarming Charm to temporarily repel the Red Hat was a good idea, but the follow-up attack was lacking..."
Malfoy's tense expression relaxed slightly as he realized that the 'parents' he had seen earlier were all illusions created by the Boggart.
He wasn't a Mudblood, and his mother wasn't dead either; everything was still as he was used to.
This made Malfoy feel saved, and even though he was being criticized by the professor, his mood was relaxed.
Beside him, Pansy, on the other hand, noticed Professor Snape's face darkening, his head lowering more and more.
...
The video edited by Vold was taken by Professor McGonagall, and after some time, the school began the transformation of the Basilisk's dungeon.
For wizards, this task was much easier than building a Muggle house.
If the pipes were too narrow, they could easily be widened several times over with the Invisibility Expansion Charm.
Construction materials were sent into the underground dungeon using Levitation Charms, and Ministry officials designed various pipe layouts.
The construction work was entirely left to the students, with the sixth and fourth years as the main workforce, while the fifth and seventh years only participated occasionally due to their exam preparations.
The third years and below were also very enthusiastic about participating, finding this far more interesting than attending classes and writing papers.
Most of the younger students' magical abilities were more of a hindrance than a help, and even the first-years needed guidance when riding broomsticks to deliver materials, lest they crash into walls.
However, the school did not exclude these students. Professor Sprout led them to the dungeon, where they transplanted relatively safe plants, crafted magic torches, and set up simple decorations.
Interestingly, various tasks were never assigned to a single house but involved students from all houses, resulting in frequent arguments during work.
Several more severe injury incidents occurred in the dungeon, angering Madam Pomfrey, but Dumbledore did not separate the students because of this.
"Don't you see, Poppy?" Dumbledore said, "Compared to the initial maze challenge, the number of student injuries has decreased significantly."
"But the severity of the injuries has increased!" Madam Pomfrey said sternly.
"That's because their magical abilities are stronger than before," Dumbledore replied.
Dumbledore smiled with a complex expression, "I used to believe that maintaining competition among the houses would better promote student growth, but they taught me that cooperation yields better results."
Madam Pomfrey was taken aback, "Who?"
Dumbledore did not elaborate further.
Sometimes, he would participate in the dungeon's transformation, occasionally witnessing Vold guiding Colin Creevey and Rolf Scamander as they recorded these precious scenes.
Both were photography enthusiasts with ample filming experience, and Vold entrusted them with controlling the two mother mirrors.
Colin couldn't resist pointing the lens at Harry Potter, and Rolf often unconsciously mingled with the Ravenclaw group, prompting Vold to correct him several times.
At times, Dumbledore would see Professor Abigail discussing the transformation plans with Ministry of Magic designers, requesting the dungeon to mimic various environments—jungles, grasslands, deserts, cities, and villages.
The designers vigorously shook their heads, indicating it was impossible—how could they create such complex settings with the limited expansion space approved by the Ministry of Magic?
Professor Abigail compromised, asking for a sufficiently complex environment with ample opportunities for hiding or ambushing, as well as various traps.
After rejecting an outrageous suggestion, the designers found the next one much easier, and the two reached a pleasant consensus.
Professor Abigail dedicated a lot of effort to the dungeon's transformation, being the only professor who would rush there whenever she had free time, ensuring every detail was perfected.
Naturally, the words that came out of her mouth often left nearby students pale-faced, imagining how they would defend themselves if faced with such sudden attacks.
Professor Abigail also requested the addition of more dangerous puppets—vampires, werewolves, Venomous Tentacula, Quintapeds, Eight-Eyed Spiders, and Banshees, among others.
This time, Vold's production speed was much slower, taking about a week to create each puppet.
Furthermore, Professor Abigail suggested involving all students in this construction, mixing up the houses, especially ensuring that most groups included at least one Slytherin.
"I know most students dislike Slytherin, and these young ones do have sinister personalities, with a significant portion skilled in Dark Arts," Professor Abigail said.
"But Professor Dumbledore, haven't you noticed? When Slytherins bully others, they are also subtly bullied in return. They are isolated because other houses isolate them."
Professor Abigail spoke earnestly, "And you, Professor Dumbledore, your attitude is absolutely one of the most crucial reasons."
"In a school of just a few hundred students, having a quarter of them alienated, as enemies rather than partners to the others, is a significant gap for Hogwarts!"
"If a student is treated as a Death Eater's reserve simply because they were sorted into Slytherin, facing unexplained dislike and blame, then perhaps their only path in the future is to truly become like a Death Eater."
"Is this what you want to see, Professor Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore was speechless.
He couldn't say how much effort he had put into this—because he didn't like Slytherin either.
Because of Voldemort, their admiration for purebloods, and the fact that most Death Eaters came from Slytherin.
In the end, Dumbledore tacitly approved Professor Abigail's leadership in this event, supporting her decisions throughout.
Bloodshed and conflict were inevitable, but he did witness a general attempt at mutual understanding and tolerance among the students.
Privately, Dumbledore confided in Vold, "Sometimes I even question my judgment—was our suspicion of Professor Abigail correct? She appears upright and dedicated."
Vold replied, "The vampire puppet is ready, and I've made it very powerful."
One more chapter tonight.
(End of Chapter)
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