Chapter 159: “A Theory”

Professor McGonagall’s brows were furrowed, and she didn’t even notice that her hat almost fell off.

“Filius, is this dark magic or ancient magic? Can you tell which one?”

The type of magic is important. Ancient magic is rare, but there are still ways to break it, and black magic often means one thing, there are no counterspells.

Flitwick stood on his feet on the edge of the hospital bed. The wand in his hand was shaking back and forth gently on Filch, but no matter how many spells he used, he still couldn’t judge the real situation.

Sean leaned against the stone wall of the infirmary alone, frowning as he thought about all this. All of this doesn’t make sense. Since the Chamber of Secrets needs to be opened by the heir of Salazar Slytherin and Tom Riddle had died right now.

The most important thing is that Tom was killed by Dumbledore and Grindelwald last year. Wouldn’t that mean the diary somehow got into Hogwarts? But the possibility of that happening should be low.

So who opened the Chamber of Secrets again? Could it be that besides Tom, there is another unknown heir?

In the scene where Filch and Edmund are petrified, the writing on the wall is full of hostility.

Just from the handwriting, you can see how aggressive and violent that person is, which is the main reason why Sean prevented the students from leaving the hall.

“Professor McGonagall, what should Edmund do?” Hagrid walked into the infirmary.

Hagrid held a huge fan in his hand, and he fanned Edmund all the way to the infirmary.

“Thank you, Hagrid. Please put Edmund on the hospital bed.” said Professor McGonagall.

The expressions of the professors became more serious. After all, even ghosts turned like this.

Sean walked over and asked softly, “Professor, what do you think about the culprit?”

Professor McGonagall and the others looked at each other. Normally, these things are not something that a second-year wizard needs to get involved in. But with Sean here, it seems that they can talk about it.

“No clue, for now, Mr. Wallup. But what do you think?”

Sean nodded and said, “I think the culprit is a Parselmouth, and they manipulated the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets.”

“We saw that line of writing too, but the Chamber of Secrets is just a legend.” Professor Flitwick said, but he didn’t sound very confident.

“There is a saying it is better to believe something than nothing. But at present, the basilisk is the most reasonable explanation.” Sean said.

“Good one, Sean. But the Chamber of Secrets is just a legend,” Lockhart interjected, “I’m sure it’s the effect of a Transfiguration Torture. I’ve seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn’t there. I know the very counter-curse that would have saved Filch.”

“He’s not dead. He’s just petrified.” Newt said.

“I thought so too!” Lockhart said.

Newt ignored him and turned to look at Sean, “Sean, how do you know the reason behind Mr. Filch and Edmund’s condition? According to legend, there is indeed a monster in that room, but no one knows what it is. How can you be sure that it is a basilisk? According to the records, if the basilisk really exists, the person who looks at it will die directly.”

“I happened to see a book in the library a few days ago,” Sean lied, “it covers the topic of the basilisk. Herpo first hatched this horrible creature, and Herpo is a Parselmouth. So does Salazar Slytherin.”

“Obviously, because of the terrifying characteristics of the basilisk, those who look directly at it will die immediately. Only the Parselmouth can become its master, all of which align with the characteristics of Salazar Slytherin.”

Sean looked at Hagrid again, “Hagrid, you moved out of the hut because of the Forbidden Forest, right?”

Hagrid patted his head, “Oh, yes, I moved out from there.”

“I can find a few people to look around the Forbidden Forest tomorrow. I think there is a high probability of roosters being there because the rooster’s crowing is the basilisk’s weakness. You can find it in another place. Also, look for spiders that were fleeing from the scene because they are basilisk’s natural enemy.”

“Sounds reasonable, but you still haven’t explained why Mr. Filch didn’t die directly.” Newt asked. He already believed it, and now Sean needs to convince the others than using this reason.

Sean glanced at them on the bed, “What if it’s an indirect contact? For example, Filch saw the eyes of the basilisk through Edmund’s translucent body, which counts as indirect contact. So he didn’t die and was petrified. Edmund saw the basilisk’s eyes, but obviously, he was a ghost and couldn’t die again.”

“Of course, this is just a theory. But judging from the handwriting that the Chamber of Secret was opened and the legend, this theory sounds reasonable.”

“But how does the basilisk move in the castle? It’s not a bird or snake and can’t shrink its body freely.” Professor McGonagall asked. She felt that Sean’s statement was a bit whimsical, but it sounded reasonable.

“Water pipe,” Sean said, “The Chamber of Secrets is obviously built in an unknown corner of the castle. Although the basilisk has an extremely long lifespan, it still needs something to eat. No one has found it for so many years and which is strange. This proves that it has been able to move in hidden places, and Hogwarts pipes lead to the Black Lake, which is a good place for it to eat.”

The professors looked at each other, and Sean’s reasoning seemed very reasonable, and everything made sense.

“A reasonable guess. This reminds me…” Lockhart wanted to brag about his experience in Ouagadougou, but Professor McGonagall interrupted him mercilessly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“This is not the time for that, Professor Lockhart.”

There was an awkward silence, and Lockhart took a shy step back.

Professor McGonagall pushed her glasses and said seriously, “Even though it’s just theory, Mr. Wallup. I will tell Dumbledore about it.”

Dumbledore hadn’t shown up until now and seemed to have been absent from school lately.