Chapter 62: You Suspect Me, I Suspect You
Chapter 62: You Suspect Me, I Suspect You
"When did Professor Forrest bless Malfoy?"
This was the first thought that popped into Ron's head as he snapped out of his shock. Without hesitation, he voiced it aloud.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, both seeing the disbelief in each other's eyes.
The three of them quickly squeezed out of the crowd and hurried down the corridor, with no particular destination in mind, just wanting to get as far away from the crowd as possible.
"This isn't right!"
Once they were sure no one was around, Hermione pursed her lips and said.
Ron nodded in agreement.
"It's not right. If Malfoy is the Heir of Slytherin, why would he petrify himself?"
"That's not what I mean!" Hermione paced back and forth, agitated. "Since Malfoy was attacked, it proves he can't be the mastermind we suspected. The key issue is—"
Harry picked up on her train of thought, his face serious.
"The key issue is that he is a pure-blood wizard."
After hearing this, Ron finally caught on, his eyes wide as he muttered to himself.
"Right! Malfoy is a pure-blood wizard! He shouldn't be a target for the Heir of Slytherin's cleansing!"
Hermione suddenly stopped pacing and turned to look at them.
"If the attacks on students are indeed orchestrated by the Heir of Slytherin using the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, then there are only two possibilities for Malfoy's attack."
"Either the monster released from the Chamber of Secrets has lost control and is no longer following Slytherin's wishes, attacking everyone in the castle indiscriminately."
"Or the Heir of Slytherin among us has gone mad, no longer caring about the ancestral wishes, and wants to kill us all!"
After Hermione's explanation, Harry and Ron both felt a chill run down their spines.
Ron swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke.
"This means everyone is in danger!"
Harry, lost in thought, pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Before, we tested Professor Forrest's jinx, which increases the probability of certain events happening. What if Malfoy had a small chance of being attacked, and Professor Forrest unknowingly said something to him, which then increased the probability to the point where it happened?"
Hermione seriously considered Harry's suggestion, finding it plausible.
"Worrying here won't help. The key is to see what the professor has to say."
Meanwhile, as Harry and the others discussed the three possible scenarios for Malfoy's attack, Dumbledore, Professor Mcgonagall, Snape, and Sherlock had also arrived at the scene of the attack.
The four professors, who could easily foresee the consequences of Malfoy's attack, were as concerned as Hermione had been.
"What do we do now, Albus?"
After dispersing the gathered students, Professor Mcgonagall's brows furrowed deeply as she asked, worried.
Dumbledore's gaze was fixed on the petrified and terrified face of Malfoy lying on the ground, but he remained silent.
Snape's expression remained cold, his usual scowl in place as he said.
"The situation is dire. If word gets out, Hogwarts might have to close."
Sherlock remained silent, appearing from an outsider's perspective to be deep in thought, trying to figure out who the murderer was.
In reality, he was recalling whether the attack on Malfoy had ever happened in the original story.
He wasn't sure exactly where the timeline of the original story stood at this point.
But Sherlock had a hunch that the attack on Malfoy was not something that was supposed to happen normally.
Things were starting to get more complicated.
As Professor Mcgonagall anxiously pondered how to seek Dumbledore's advice, Snape stood coolly in place, and Sherlock contemplated which of his actions had led the story to this point, Dumbledore, who had been silent, suddenly spoke softly.
"Find some students to take Malfoy to the hospital wing, and then inform Lucius. Tell him to come to Hogwarts; his son is in grave danger."
Both Professor Mcgonagall and Snape looked at Dumbledore with shock.
"Have Lucius come to Hogwarts? Tell him his son was attacked? Albus, do you know the consequences of that?"
Dumbledore turned and walked towards the stairs. At the corner where the corridor met the stairs, he stopped and looked at Professor Mcgonagall with his enigmatic blue eyes.
"What do you think he will do once he knows everything?"
Professor Mcgonagall spoke urgently.
"He has long wanted to remove you from the position of Headmaster. If he learns about everything that has happened in the castle, especially that his son was also attacked, he will use his influence to close Hogwarts and have the Board of Governors vote to dismiss you!"
Given the current situation at Hogwarts, it truly was the best time to act against Dumbledore.
But upon hearing Professor Mcgonagall's words, Dumbledore simply shook his head.
"I believe Lucius will do the opposite of what you suggest, Minerva. Once he is informed, he will come to Hogwarts immediately. When he arrives, bring him to my office."
With that, he turned and left.
Professor Mcgonagall, Snape, and Sherlock were left to ponder his words.
Snape was the first to take action, heading out of Hogwarts.
"I'll bring Lucius here."
Professor Mcgonagall summoned some students to carry the petrified Malfoy to the hospital wing.
As Sherlock, with nothing else to do, was about to head to Dumbledore's office to wait for Malfoy's father, Harry and his two friends cautiously approached him.
Sherlock glanced down at them.
Lately, these three had been acting very strangely. Knowing their role as main characters, he had good reason to suspect that the attack on Malfoy might be connected to them.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who had mustered the courage to approach Sherlock, never imagined that while they were suspecting their beloved Professor Forrest, Sherlock was also suspecting them.
"Do you need something?" Sherlock asked coolly.
Harry and Ron tensed, ready to interrupt Sherlock if he suddenly cast a spell, while Hermione took a deep breath and asked.
"Have you seen Malfoy recently, Professor?"
(End of Chapter)
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