Chapter 64: Who's to Blame
Chapter 64: Who's to Blame
Above Sherlock's head, the portrait of a gaunt old man grumbled a few complaints before disappearing into the Headmaster's Office.
Ginny arrived quickly, looking bewildered as she entered the Headmaster's Office. Seeing the four professors and Malfoy standing inside, she was visibly nervous.
"Don't be too nervous, Miss Weasley. We just have a few questions for you", Dumbledore said gently.
His voice was kind, and his expression was soft, which helped to calm Ginny, who had been as frightened as a rabbit.
"Since arriving at Hogwarts, have you come into contact with anything unusual?"
Dumbledore's blue eyes met Ginny's gaze, and Sherlock, standing to the side, maliciously wondered if the old headmaster might secretly use Legilimency on a trusting young girl at this moment.
Hearing Dumbledore's question, Ginny shook her head vigorously and said carefully, "No, Professor. I haven't come into contact with anything unusual."
Dumbledore's brow furrowed again, while Malfoy's reaction was much more intense.
"You're lying!"
Ginny was startled by his sudden outburst and blushed, trying to defend herself. "I'm not lying."
Dumbledore nodded gently at Ginny. "I believe you, Miss Weasley. Could you wait outside the office door for a moment? Don't worry, it won't take long, and I'll call you back soon."
Hearing Dumbledore's words, Ginny's anxiety visibly eased. She nodded quickly and hurried out of the Headmaster's Office.
After Ginny left, Dumbledore turned to Malfoy calmly.
"This child is not lying. She genuinely knows nothing, and there are no signs of any magical items on her."
Malfoy clearly found this hard to accept, muttering, "It's impossible. She can't be innocent."
Dumbledore continued to stare at him, and after a few seconds of silence, he suddenly asked, "What should be wrong with her?"
"She should—"
Malfoy abruptly fell silent, his face darkening, and his eyes meeting Dumbledore's like a still, lifeless pool.
"What do you mean by that?" he said coldly. "I only told you that the girl might be involved, which was just a guess. Your question makes it sound like the incidents at Hogwarts are somehow related to me."
Dumbledore remained silent, but Professor Mcgonagall, who had been listening, couldn't hold back any longer.
"If you're not involved, how did you know the problem was with Weasley?"
"That was just a guess!" he said coldly, his tone a stark contrast to his earlier pleading with Dumbledore.
"I'll do my best to keep the situation at Hogwarts under wraps. I also hope you can save my son as soon as possible."
He looked at Dumbledore, and Dumbledore met his gaze.
"The school is cultivating some mandrakes. Once these plants mature, the students who were attacked will recover."
"Since that's the case, I'll be leaving now. Narcissa is waiting for my news."
Malfoy turned and walked out of the Headmaster's Office, and Dumbledore made no move to stop him, allowing him to leave.
After he left the room, Professor Mcgonagall finally couldn't hold back her questions and asked Dumbledore.
"Did you know from the beginning that the attacks were connected to Malfoy?"
Dumbledore didn't evade her question.
"At first, it was just a guess. After all, only a few people are qualified to possess something related to that person. But now I'm certain that the root of this matter lies with Lucius."
Professor Mcgonagall was puzzled.
"Then why didn't you force him to confess everything? His son was also attacked. To save his own son, he should have—"
Dumbledore shook his head, interrupting her.
"You still don't understand these people, Minerva."
"He won't talk. If he does, he'll be handing us the means to bring him down. Once that happens, his power, wealth, and status will all be lost. Even if his son is saved, what will be left of the Malfoy family?"
"Lucius does care about his family, just as they value their bloodline. But they also know that if they lose what he has, everything they value will be threatened."
"Besides, he knows the situation hasn't reached that point yet. Confessing everything won't help save his son."
Dumbledore looked distractedly toward the entrance of his office, as if deep in thought.
"Moreover, the information he can provide is limited to what he knows. Initially, his target was Miss Weasley, but something went wrong, and she wasn't the one behind all of this."
While Dumbledore was thinking, Sherlock was also pondering.
He was considering the original plot, where the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets was likely Ginny.
But something must have gone wrong.
What could it have been?
"Sherlock, could you bring Miss Weasley in from the hallway? I'm sure she's been waiting anxiously."
Upon hearing Dumbledore's request, Sherlock left the Headmaster's Office and brought in Ginny, who had been waiting nervously outside.
Dumbledore always showed great patience with his students.
"Would you like a small snack, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny clearly had no appetite and shook her head.
"I just had dinner, Professor."
"I know it's not a good time to disturb your rest", Dumbledore interlaced his hands, "but I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
"The last time you met Mr. Malfoy, when was it?"
After Malfoy left, Ginny felt much more at ease. In the Headmaster's Office, apart from Snape, whom she feared, the other three professors made her feel comfortable.
Hearing Dumbledore's question, the young girl thought carefully.
"It was in August, Professor. My parents were taking us to Diagon Alley to buy supplies for the start of the school year. We met Malfoy and his father at the Leaky Cauldron Bookstore, and—"
At this point, she glanced at Sherlock.
"My father and Mr. Malfoy had a confrontation. They started fighting, and Professor Forrest was there."
(End of Chapter)
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