As the crowd dispersed, the Great Hall was left with only three professors in discussion, Gilderoy Lockhart unconscious and bound on the floor, and Glenn and Hermione lingering at the back, their steps unmoving.
Dumbledore glanced at them, nodding slightly to signal them to come forward.
The two approached without hesitation.
Dumbledore's smile carried a hint of solemnity. Snape looked on with disdain, his cold eyes sweeping across those present, especially Lockhart. Professor Flitwick appeared troubled, his pale face fixed on his former student sprawled on the ground, lost in thought.
It seemed they had already heard about Lockhart, either from the young wizards or through Hermione's quiet revelations.
However, Dumbledore's expression suggested the matter was far from simple—there was evidently more to uncover.
"Glenn, you may now share what you withheld from the young wizards earlier."
Dumbledore's tone was calm, yet it invited the truth Glenn had been interrupted from revealing.
Nodding, Glenn recounted everything he had discovered in the dungeons, leaving no detail unspoken.
"... Is that so? Just the thought of countless spiders carrying bits of flesh through Hogwarts' cracks every day gives me the shivers—and I'm not even afraid of spiders..."
"And that sinister curse—it's just too..."
Hermione's face was pale, her reaction stemming from disgust and revulsion.
Even though such grotesque acts hadn't been inflicted on humans, the idea of cannibalism—forcing a species to devour its own kind—would make any decent person feel profoundly disturbed.
"This appears to be a combination of cannibalism and... the Imperius Curse. Acromantulas are an orderly species; the Imperius Curse wouldn't need to control too many of them, just the most dominant individuals."
"The rest would simply follow orders to transport the flesh into Hogwarts. Cannibalism within the group would handle the rest."
"As for the source of the flesh... Hmph, I suspect it was violently produced by that unnaturally large and mentally unstable Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest."
Snape's cold snort punctuated his agreement with Glenn's analysis. With the information now complete, he could connect the dots between the events in the two separate areas.
"What is that?"
Glenn asked. He hadn't ventured into the Forbidden Forest for training—or rather, to seek out Acromantulas—in some time. But after gaining strength, he had infiltrated the Acromantula nest multiple times to observe and select suitable training targets.
For Snape to describe an Acromantula as "unnaturally large," it must be far bigger than a typical adult Acromantula. Yet in Glenn's memory, even the largest Acromantula, their leader Aragog, was only slightly larger than average—hardly warranting such a description.
"An average adult Acromantula is over fifteen feet long. That creature, however, is at least four or five times that size."
Responding to Glenn's question, and Hermione's silent curiosity, Snape, ever terse, replied with a grim expression.
"Such size is not achievable through natural growth. Someone cast spells on it, turning it into a puppet."
"The spellcaster used this method to create a monster, killed the original leader of the Acromantulas, and violently forced the others to obey their will and accept the curse."
Snape's voice was icy and deliberate as he shared the conclusion reached by the professors.
Glenn nodded. Enhancing an individual Acromantula through magic, then using it to seize control of the group and carry out subsequent commands—it made logical sense.
Professor Flitwick finally couldn't hold back and interrupted their discussion.
"I don't believe Gilderoy Lockhart is the mastermind behind this operation or the spellcaster."
"As his former Head of House and professor, no one knows his true abilities better than I do."
"Although he was as eager to learn as other Ravenclaw students, his talent for spellcasting was... less than satisfactory."
"He couldn't even perform the simplest Levitation Charm reliably. All the heroics and magical genius described in his autobiographies are complete fabrications."
"His performance at the Dueling Club... is the real him."
"Therefore... I believe he couldn't possibly have mastered the advanced Dark Magic involved in this incident."
Professor Flitwick looked visibly distressed. Though he was aware of Lockhart's "true abilities," he had always kept this knowledge to himself. Revealing it now was a last resort, given the severity of the situation.
Compared to spending a lifetime in Azkaban, losing his reputation seemed trivial. Besides, such false honors hardly counted as "honors" at all.
But even this revelation would make little difference. The use of Obliviation—powerful memory-altering spells—against young wizards alone was enough to ensure Lockhart's imprisonment.
"Filius, calm yourself. I share your view, but Gilderoy Lockhart's crimes extend beyond this. We'll discuss those later."
Dumbledore's calm words carried an intangible wave of reassurance, soothing Professor Flitwick's agitation. The latter took a deep breath and fell silent.
"Glenn, Hermione, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
Glenn shook his head, allowing Hermione to voice their shared opinion.
"We agree with Professor Flitwick. Lockhart is not the spellcaster."
The doubts were too numerous. Even though Lockhart's behavior strongly resembled that of a mastermind, the ease with which two young wizards subdued him was baffling.
Hermione had deliberated for a long time after Glenn left, her thoughts oscillating between two opposing conclusions.
Ultimately, after hearing Professor Flitwick's testimony and the exposure of Lockhart's true nature, she settled on this conclusion.
Glenn thought the same. A significant part of his reasoning came from the absence of the dark aura he usually sensed from those corrupted by Dark Magic.
In other words, it was highly likely that Lockhart had never used Dark Magic.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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