Chapter 53: Lies and Truth
Chapter 53: Lies and Truth
The next day, a Saturday morning.
Harry and Ron staggered out of the dormitory to find Hermione already seated in a chair in the common room.
As soon as the two of them sat down next to her, Hermione slammed a newspaper on the table with a loud thud.
"I knew it!" the young witch said angrily.
Harry and Ron immediately snapped to attention. They exchanged a glance, and Harry asked, "What happened, Hermione?"
"Remember the book Professor Hup showed us? The one about Headmaster Dippet. At the time, there was a copy of the Daily Prophet on his desk, and I felt something was off. This morning, I found the recent newspapers... That woman, Rita Skeeter! She dared to slander Headmaster Dumbledore..." Hermione's body trembled with rage.
Harry quickly picked up the newspaper, and Ron plopped down beside him, leaning in to read.
It was yesterday's Daily Prophet. The most prominent feature was a photo of Dumbledore, his head of white hair looking both aged and menacing. The headline read, "Dumbledore's Great Blunder."
Harry had a bad feeling and started reading quickly—
"Special correspondent Rita Skeeter reports: Hogwarts' Headmaster, the eccentric Albus Dumbledore, has long been a highly controversial wizard."
"Recognized as one of the greatest wizards of our time, Dumbledore defeated the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 1945 and has since hidden away in Hogwarts Castle, rarely appearing in the public eye."
"Many praise him for guarding the hope of the British magical community, consistently nurturing a steady stream of magical talents. But is this the truth?"
"Recently, I received letters from several parents of students, reporting a horrifying attack at the school, with the perpetrator still at large. Mrs. Filch of Tipton wrote: My child lives in constant fear at school, fearing for his life, and the professors are helpless and inactive! I had no choice but to bring my child home for Christmas."
"Filled with indignation, I interviewed this concerned parent. The situation is even worse than imagined—the attack is not the first. Over a month ago, an attack occurred, but this time the victim was a cat, and the news was strictly suppressed!"
"To minimize the impact and avoid public scrutiny, this Headmaster fabricated a sensational lie—blaming it all on the thousand-year-old legend of Hogwarts, the Chamber of Slytherin."
"Amusingly, he did something similar fifty years ago, when he was a Transfiguration professor. A poor Ravenclaw witch tragically lost her life. Hogwarts had a suspect, but Dumbledore, who had significant influence over then-Headmaster Armando Dippet, intervened, and the matter was quietly dropped, with the suspect merely expelled from the school."
"Three days before I wrote this article, the second student attack had already been two weeks in the past, but the public remains unaware, and the perpetrator remains at large. We must question whether the all-powerful Dumbledore is truly getting old."
"I will continue to follow this story and uncover the truth. In the next issue, we will delve into this Headmaster's work to reveal a more authentic Dumbledore."
The main article ended there, but at the bottom of the page was a small line previewing the next report:
Dumbledore has always been willing to hire controversial staff, such as this year's Gilderoy Lockhart and Felix Hep. But are they really suitable? Stay tuned (tips and information are welcome. Contact: Rita Skeeter, Chief Editor of the Daily Prophet, author of twelve bestsellers, and record holder for bestseller sales).
"How can she say such things about Dumbledore!" Harry said, livid with anger. "And the Chamber incident, we saw it with our own eyes. How can it be a lie!"
"You can't trust a word from Rita Skeeter. She often fabricates celebrity scandals", Ron said knowledgeably. "A few years ago, she and Lockhart had a huge public feud in the newspapers, and Mum really dislikes her."
"Looks like we have a clear picture of this woman's character", Hermione said sarcastically.
Ron picked up the newspaper. "Did you notice that she plans to do a series of articles? The next one is about Professor Lockhart and Professor Hup. How will she spin their stories?"
Hermione sighed. "Headmaster Dumbledore has already been painted as a conspirator. I doubt the two professors will escape unscathed."
"I don't care about Lockhart; he's just a fraud. But do you think Professor Hup might storm into the Daily Prophet building and cast a Bat-Bogey Hex on that woman?"
"Ron! That's illegal, and a professor wouldn't do that!"
The three of them discussed the matter, but their conclusions were rather pessimistic.
Harry pointed to a sentence in the newspaper. "She says they caught a suspect fifty years ago. Who is she referring to?"
"Forget it, Harry. Do you really believe that woman's lies?"
"Of course not, but—"
Harry's eyes fixed on Hermione. Her face quickly turned pale. "Fifty years ago, expelled... The suspect was Hagrid?"
Ron nervously licked his lips.
Harry quickly said, "I trust Dumbledore. Hagrid couldn't be the killer! But if he was listed as a suspect, he must know something!"
The three of them prepared to brave the snow and head to Hagrid's cabin in the Forbidden Forest. As they stepped out of the castle, they collided with a large, sturdy figure. It was Hagrid, his face covered in snow, his thick beard encrusted with ice, and a dead chicken in his hand.
"Hagrid, oh—" Harry bumped right into him.
"Watch out, little ones", Hagrid gruffly said, waving the limp chicken, a few feathers floating in the air with his movements.
That evening.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had just returned from the abandoned classroom, where the Polyjuice Potion was progressing smoothly.
Harry carried the magic scroll given to him by Professor Hup, translating the Parseltongue language word by word. In the empty, abandoned classroom, a hoarse, eerie voice echoed from time to time.
This kept Ron from getting any sleep—half-asleep, half-awake, he always saw a witch brewing a potion that looked like mud, and a wizard making snake-like hissing sounds.
Earlier that afternoon, they had finally heard firsthand information about the Chamber from Hagrid.
Now, they were huddled in a corner of the common room.
"It all fits!" Hermione suddenly said.
"What do you mean?"
"The monster in the Chamber! Give me a moment—" Hermione clearly had a well-thought-out idea. She rushed back to the dormitory and returned with a piece of parchment.
The three of them gathered around, reading the text, which described a terrifying magical creature called a Basilisk.
After Harry and Ron finished reading the information, Hermione laid out the clues she had gathered over the past few days. "A Basilisk can hibernate for long periods, its eyes are deadly, it is the natural enemy of spiders, and it fears the crow of a rooster... What do you think?"
"So, the monster in the Chamber is a Basilisk?" Ron asked excitedly.
"Can't be wrong!" Harry slammed his fist on the table.
The main pieces of information they had from Hagrid were that his chickens kept dying mysteriously, and fifty years ago, he had an Acromantula, which was extremely afraid of the Chamber's monster, refusing to speak a single word about it.
Everything fit together!
"But there's still one major issue: the Basilisk can't petrify people. I initially overlooked it because of this, but now the indirect evidence is very strong", Hermione said with great precision. "Perhaps I should ask Professor Hup if there's a way to reduce the Basilisk's gaze's lethality..."
She angrily pounded her head. "It's strange, I feel like the answer is right in front of me, but I can't see it..."
Harry swallowed hard. "Hermione, I think I know."
(End of Chapter)
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