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Chapter 49: The Jinx Test
Chapter 49: The Jinx Test
"Once might be a coincidence, but what about the second time?"
Harry continued.
"During our first Quidditch practice at the start of the school year, Malfoy got into a conflict with us. Professor Forrest happened to pass by, punished Malfoy, and then said, 'Have a good game.'"
Ron, prompted by Harry's words, recalled that day and murmured.
"Then it started raining, and it has been raining in the Hogwarts area ever since. Almost every Quidditch practice has been in the rain!"
Seeing Ron starting to waver, Hermione still refused to believe that these events were connected to Professor Forrest's words.
"It's still just a coincidence. After all, Britain's weather is unpredictable, and it's common for it to suddenly rain on a sunny day."
Harry's face remained calm. He wasn't in a hurry to argue with Hermione, as the more he thought about it, the more evidence he found that Professor Forrest was the ultimate jinx.
"Once or twice might be a coincidence, but what about the third time? You should remember when I was punished by Professor Forrest and what happened that afternoon. I was hit by a Bludger and fell into the mud on the pitch, and my performance during the entire afternoon's training was off. When I returned to the castle, Filch caught me for bringing mud inside and punished me to clean the first-floor corridor for a week. When I got back to the dorm, Ron's rat even left droppings on my bed."
As Harry spoke, his expression became increasingly strange. He looked at Ron and Hermione with a peculiar expression and asked.
"Do you know what Professor Forrest said to me before I left his office?"
Ron felt a sudden tension and swallowed hard.
"Did he wish you a good game?"
"No, he wished me good luck for the day!"
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, whose expressions were now wide-eyed and stunned.
"Then there was the attack on Justin and Colin, which you both know about. At first, we could say it was a coincidence, but with one thing after another, can we still call it a coincidence?"
The air suddenly grew quiet, and the three of them seemed to forget to breathe.
After a long pause, Hermione finally shook her head.
"I don't believe it! I still can't believe it! Both science and magic have their patterns. Even the most unreliable prophecy has wizards who can see something in tea leaves, crystal balls, or astrology. But what you're saying about Professor Forrest's jinx is completely inexplicable!"
"If you say Professor Forrest is a prophecy master who can accurately predict the future, we could consider it a natural talent. But what about a jinx? I've never read about any such talent in any book!"
Ron was starting to believe, convinced by the evidence Harry presented. He argued.
"Whether you've read about it in a book or not, it's a fact supported by evidence! Magic doesn't always make sense. Can you explain why our spells work when we wave our wands? All the signs point to the fact that whenever Professor Forrest blesses something, it goes in the opposite direction. So it's very likely that Harry's judgment is correct!"
Their voices had grown louder, and people in the common room were starting to notice. Hermione had to calm herself and lower her voice.
"But it's still unbelievable!"
Harry, who had been quietly contemplating, now spoke up.
"Actually, it’s quite simple to verify whether my suspicions are correct."
Ron and Hermione’s gazes turned to him. Harry stared into their eyes, his expression serious.
"Professor Forrest is right here at Hogwarts. Why don’t we conduct a test?"
Ron’s expression now betrayed a hint of excitement.
"You mean test the professor’s jinx?"
"Exactly. We can easily do that. It doesn’t require any preparation, and even if we’re wrong, it won’t expose anything. It will just prove that these are coincidences."
Hermione looked somewhat conflicted.
"Isn’t that a bit inappropriate? We haven’t even apologized to Professor Forrest for the book borrowing incident yesterday."
"Once we catch the Heir of Slytherin, we’ll definitely apologize to Professor Forrest. Besides, this isn’t about disrespected the professor; it’s about getting to the bottom of things."
Harry’s words eventually convinced Hermione.
Of course, while they were planning to test Sherlock’s jinx, their suspicion that Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin had not been dispelled.
The Polyjuice Potion required over a month to brew, and they were making it in the first-floor girls’ bathroom.
Meanwhile, as Harry and his friends discussed testing a certain professor’s mouth, Sherlock was also grappling with the Chamber of Secrets in his office.
Today, he had informed Dumbledore that the monster released from the Chamber was a basilisk, but this didn’t seem to address the core issue.
The basilisk was indeed the attacker, but it was merely the weapon in the murderer’s hands. The real problem was to find the mastermind who opened the Chamber of Secrets and directed the basilisk to wreak havoc.
However, Sherlock had no idea who the Heir of Slytherin was.
He only knew that in the Harry Potter series, every mastermind behind the events was somehow connected to Voldemort, the ultimate antagonist.
The Chamber of Secrets incident was likely no exception, but Sherlock couldn’t figure out how it was related to the Dark Lord, who had only recently resurfaced.
He shouldn’t be so troubled by the Chamber of Secrets.
After all, even if the basilisk was rampant, it only attacked students and didn’t affect him.
But Sherlock couldn’t remain indifferent to it all.
If the story had proceeded as it did when he wasn’t at Hogwarts, no one in the castle would have died because of the Chamber of Secrets.
But now that he was here, everything had changed. Sherlock wanted to keep the situation under control and prevent anyone from losing their life due to the changes caused by his presence.
He was a person with normal feelings.
Teaching at Hogwarts for half a semester had made him develop a sense of care for the students in the castle.
Even if it was forced, as their teacher, he hoped for their bright futures, their integrity, and their happiness.
He didn’t want anyone to lose their life in the chaos of the Chamber of Secrets.
As Sherlock slowly analyzed the current situation in his office, trying to find a clue, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Then, Neville, looking extremely pale and listless, cautiously entered the office.
(End of Chapter)
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