Chapter 78: Even If This Result Is Wrong
Chapter 78: Even If This Result Is Wrong
On a quiet night, a Flame Charm exploded in the narrow space, the sound of intense heat suddenly breaking the silence!
The floor beneath Sherlock and Dumbledore's feet trembled slightly, but the commotion quickly subsided, only to be replaced by another sound.
It was the sound of frantic running, coming from the floor below. By the time the noise reached Sherlock and the others, it had become quite faint, but they could still clearly detect its abnormality.
This was not a bipedal creature!
Soon, a much clearer sound of running came from the stairs. The young Dumbledore, who had just ascended, hurriedly ran back down, his expression grave.
Sherlock and Dumbledore followed closely behind, and they quickly arrived at the corridor where the underground classroom was located.
As they emerged from the stairs, a large, furry figure suddenly darted past them!
In that brief moment, Sherlock caught a full view of the fleeing creature.
It was an enormous spider!
The young Dumbledore clearly recognized the escaping creature as well, and his movements were swift.
Sherlock barely had time to see where he drew his wand from before he suddenly swung his right arm!
A red streak exploded in the air, like a crimson bolt of lightning spreading in a web-like pattern through the narrow stairwell!
"Screech!!!"
A low, agonized scream echoed as green blood splattered on the steps. However, the fleeing figure did not slow down and vanished without a trace in an instant!
Having lost the target, the young Dumbledore frowned deeply, but instead of chasing the escaping spider, he continued to run towards the Potions classroom where the commotion originated.
The classroom was in a chaotic mess, devastated by the sudden explosion of the powerful Flame Charm. The boy Prefect, Tom, whom the young Dumbledore had greeted earlier, was being pinned down by a burly boy.
"Hagrid! Professor Dumbledore, it was Hagrid who released the monster from the Chamber of Secrets! I almost caught them, but Hagrid stopped me and let the monster escape!"
Although Tom was restrained by Hagrid, his face remained composed as he calmly recounted the entire incident.
However, the young Hagrid was in a state of panic. His face was flushed, and he desperately tried to explain, though his words sounded feeble.
"No! Professor Dumbledore, it wasn't it! It wasn't Aragog! It hasn't left its cupboard since it was born! It couldn't have killed anyone! It really wasn't it!"
The young Dumbledore's gaze remained calm, but it was clear that he couldn't determine who was telling the truth.
"Stand up, Hagrid. You need to release Tom."
As they spoke, a commotion of footsteps sounded, and several older male wizards hurried to the scene. These were clearly the professors currently teaching at Hogwarts.
Sherlock recognized two of them: the young Professor Slughorn and the former Headmaster of Hogwarts, Armando Dippet, whose portrait he had seen in the Headmaster's office.
This old headmaster appeared to be very advanced in age, looking even older than Dumbledore would be fifty years later.
"What happened, Albus?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
“I just arrived as well, let them explain it themselves.”
There wasn't much to say about the arguments between Hagrid and Tom.
As a Prefect, Tom was almost perfect in the eyes of the professors. Apart from Dumbledore, almost no one believed he would lie.
Hagrid, on the other hand, was in a much worse situation. Due to his bloodline, his magical talent was quite ordinary, even considered dull. He only showed exceptional talent in the subject of Magical Creatures.
Moreover, he had just been injured by Dumbledore's spell, and the monster that ran away in front of him made the situation overwhelmingly one-sided.
Dumbledore gently waved his wand, and the scene finally froze on Tom's composed yet slightly cold expression and Hagrid's nearly despairing eyes.
Everything around them turned into silver specks of light, swirling and dancing around Sherlock and Dumbledore.
"His superb acting is almost innate", Dumbledore's steady voice echoed. "Even when I first met him, I knew his true nature, but later, seeing his performance at school, I thought he had truly reformed. The incidents from his childhood were simply due to lack of guidance and naivety."
"You mean the student named Tom?" Sherlock asked.
The student had displayed maturity and composure far beyond his age throughout the scene, indicating that he was a highly capable wizard.
Dumbledore did not answer his question, as the silver specks of light around them reassembled, forming a new scene.
This time, it was in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts.
However, there was no phoenix Fawkes, no humming and buzzing silver trinkets, and the portraits of past headmasters on the walls were dozing. One portrait, in particular, was missing—that of Armando Dippet, who had retired in 1956.
Because the old man was currently sitting in the headmaster's chair.
"I believe we shouldn't rush to conclude that Hagrid is guilty. This matter requires a more thorough investigation. At the very least, we need to catch the monster that attacked the students!"
In the headmaster's office, the young Dumbledore was desperately trying to persuade Dippet to change his mind.
But Dippet only shook his head in response.
"We don't have time to drag this out, Albus. The Ministry of Magic needs a result, the school board needs a result, and the parents of the deceased girl need a result. We must show them something to prevent Hogwarts from being shut down."
"Even if that result is wrong?"
"It won't be wrong", Dippet's voice carried a sense of powerless old age.
"Hagrid admitted that he had a monster friend. We asked him to bring it out, but he refused, not trusting us, thinking we would kill his monster friend. If no one can prove his innocence, how can that result be wrong?"
The young Dumbledore said nothing more. He silently turned and left the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore watched his younger self leave, his broad and sturdy yet somewhat weary back, and spoke softly.
"At the time, I knew that even if Hagrid had brought out his monster friend to prove his innocence, it wouldn't have changed the outcome."
"Just as Headmaster Dippet said, others needed a result, even if that result might be wrong."
(End of Chapter)
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