Chapter 48: Could Professor Forrest Be a Jinx?
Chapter 48: Could Professor Forrest Be a Jinx?
"Basilisk? But its true power lies in causing immediate death upon direct eye contact, not petrification."
Professor Mcgonagall, puzzled, responded to Sherlock's words.
Sherlock pointed to the camera in Dumbledore's hand, which was completely burned out.
"The attacked students likely did not make direct eye contact with it. Colin saw it through the camera, and Justin, the previous victim, saw it through the reflection in a puddle."
Dumbledore's gaze was filled with admiration.
"Very astute observation, Sherlock. I'm still puzzled as to why, when you joined the Aurors, they said you were unsuitable for the combat department."
He looked at the camera in his hand and said softly,
"The possibility that the attacker is a basilisk is significant, but the key issue is not who the attacker is, but who released it."
His last sentence was spoken in a low voice, and neither Sherlock nor Professor Mcgonagall could quite make out what he said.
Then Dumbledore shook his head.
"If it really is a basilisk, defeating it should be straightforward. The crow of a rooster is fatal to it. I remember Hagrid has quite a few chickens, which we can use for defense."
However, things were not that simple.
Hagrid's chickens were all strangled to death last night, apparently by someone who had prepared for this natural enemy.
But regardless, thanks to Sherlock's warning, Dumbledore and the professors were now better prepared.
Roosters are not rare magical creatures; they can be bought anywhere. Knowing the danger makes it easier to deal with, and the informed professors felt more confident.
But the students did not share this confidence.
To keep the information confidential, the discovery that the creature attacking the students was a basilisk was not disclosed to any of the students.
So the young wizards were still living in fear of an unknown danger.
All the wizards from Muggle families were on edge, and even the usually timid Neville's face grew paler each day, his eyes filled with unhidden terror and fear.
"What are you afraid of, Neville? You're a Pureblood. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets wouldn't target you."
Ron tried to reassure Neville in the Gryffindor common room, but his words had little effect. Neville, looking lost and distressed, left the common room, heading towards the library.
"His bravery has always been lacking. Let's not worry about him", Harry said, his mind heavy with other concerns. He had no time to question Neville's unusual reaction.
"Professor Forrest blessed Colin yesterday, and then Colin was attacked today. This can't be a coincidence!"
Hermione looked equally puzzled.
"But Professor Forrest can't possibly be the culprit. We discussed this before; he's a half-blood, and the heir of Slytherin must be a Pureblood, right?"
"Not necessarily", Ron said seriously. "Remember what I told you before? There are very few truly pure-blooded wizarding families left. If they didn't marry Muggles, wizards might have gone extinct long ago. The heir of Slytherin could have forgotten their ancestral lineage. After all, none of the existing pure-blood families are known to have any connection to Slytherin."
Previously, the evidence that had cleared Sherlock's name had now been overturned by Ron. At this moment, Hermione was shocked to realize that, based on the current evidence, Professor Forrest's suspicion was no less than Malfoy's.
She stammered, "B-but I still can't believe it. If Professor Forrest is really the murderer and he truly despises muggle-born wizards so much, why would he be so willing to help me with my questions? Although his tone is often cold and his attitude is generally indifferent, we all know that Professor Forrest is a very good person. He even got into a fight with Mr. Malfoy to help Mr. Weasley in Diagon Alley."
Hermione's words left Ron and Harry feeling heavy-hearted.
When they first met Sherlock, his cold demeanor had not left a good impression on them. However, as they got to know him better, they realized that the real Sherlock was not as aloof as he appeared. The genuine Sherlock was polite and gentle, never speaking harshly to students, even those who were not particularly bright. His classes were humorous and engaging, and he even conjured characters from cartoon animations to serve as teaching assistants, all to spark their interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
By now, after almost half a semester of learning and interacting with him, Harry and the others had truly accepted this professor. They found it hard to imagine that Sherlock could be the cold-blooded killer intent on "cleansing" the entire school.
After a long silence, Harry suddenly spoke up.
"Do you think Professor Forrest is not the murderer, but he's just naturally jinxed?"
Hermione and Ron were stunned by this hypothesis, which seemed neither magical nor scientific.
"Harry, I know you don't want Professor Forrest to be the murderer, and we don't want that either. But you can't just dismiss his suspicion with such baseless claims. That's irresponsible to others."
"I'm not dismissing it; I'm serious!"
Harry interrupted Ron, his expression earnest. He carefully explained to Ron from the beginning.
"Do you remember the day we started school, when we arrived in a flying car and crashed into the Whomping Willow, getting injured?"
Ron was taken aback for a moment before nodding.
"Of course I remember. That tree seemed to go crazy, trying to kill us."
"Then we went to Madam Pomfrey for treatment. On our way back to the Gryffindor common room, we met Professor Forrest. Do you remember what he said to us?"
"He said... he didn't want anyone to take leave from his first class."
Ron only remembered this because he and Harry had been planning to skip class the next day and were caught red-handed by Sherlock.
Harry shook his head.
"That's not what I'm referring to. When he saw us, he said, 'I thought you would eventually land safely.'"
Ron and Hermione looked stunned.
"What kind of evidence is that? Professor Forrest might have just said it casually. Our injuries could have been a coincidence."
(End of Chapter)
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