After seeing off Spencer and Cadogan, Dumbledore frowned deeply in thought. Harry, with nothing else to do, idly observed the hospital wing: Penelope and Colin lay in the innermost cubicle; Madam Pomfrey was forcing a seemingly horrid-tasting potion down a wizard suffering from a cold; and an unknown drink sat on a nearby table...
After a long silence, as Harry once again looked at the decorations on the ceiling, Dumbledore finally spoke. "Harry, I'm afraid you'll have to go see Severus tomorrow."
Harry didn't immediately respond. Instead, he looked towards the young wizards eavesdropping with pricked ears. Madam Pomfrey, seeing this, promptly shooed them into the corridor. "Fenwick, you'd best stay here and not wander off. Wait for the professors to send you back to..." As the hospital wing door closed, Madam Pomfrey's voice was muffled.
Only then did Harry speak. "Professor Dumbledore, I don't think the attacker will come looking for me as bait anymore."
Dumbledore seemed a little surprised. "Harry, being bait is merely a secondary purpose. Your main objective is to systematically learn Legilimency."
Harry raised an eyebrow. He had thought Dumbledore... but this was even better. He certainly wanted to learn some advanced magic. "In that case, I have no objections."
Seeing Harry agree, Dumbledore promised to have Snape pick Harry up from the Gryffindor Tower. Just then, the hospital wing door opened, and Snape and Professor McGonagall returned. Professor McGonagall stated that all the young wizards wandering the castle had been safely returned to their common rooms.
Snape then said, "I asked Creevey's friends, and they said Lockhart had asked Creevey to help take some photos."
At this, Professor McGonagall gasped, and Harry was also a little surprised. "Albus, could it truly be Lockhart?" Professor McGonagall asked incredulously.
Dumbledore's brows furrowed even deeper when he heard Lockhart's name involved. How could it be Lockhart...? No, it couldn't be him.
Snape then suggested, "Should we apprehend Lockhart first?"
But Dumbledore was quite certain Lockhart didn't possess such profound magic, nor could he be the Heir of Slytherin. Ultimately, he concluded it was merely a coincidence. "Gilderoy doesn't have that kind of ability," Dumbledore stated.
"What if Lockhart is putting on an act?" Snape retorted. "Even if you're unwilling to apprehend Lockhart, you should at least ask him what he asked Creevey to do."
"I might know what Lockhart wanted Creevey to do," Harry suddenly interjected.
Everyone turned their gaze to Harry. "Lockhart likes taking photos, and Creevey has a camera," Harry said concisely.
Dumbledore's face immediately registered enlightenment. He quickly added, "In that case, it seems Mr. Creevey might have photographed something the culprit didn't want us to see while taking pictures for Gilderoy, which is why he was attacked."
"But that doesn't explain why Creevey isn't dead," Snape said. Hearing Snape's words, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but glare at him. But Snape was unmoved. He continued, "If our previous conjecture holds, then Creevey should be dead."
Dumbledore understood Snape's implication: if it was truly a Basilisk, how had Creevey survived?
The author wants readers to remember the domain 101kan.com here.
Could it not be a Basilisk? Dumbledore hesitated, but quickly reaffirmed his belief. "Severus, our deduction is sound," Dumbledore stated emphatically.
Just then, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but ask, "What conjecture? Albus, are you hiding something from me?"
"Ah, I forgot to tell you," Dumbledore said, looking apologetically at Professor McGonagall. He then explained that he and Snape had deduced that the petrifications must be the work of a Basilisk.
"A Basilisk?" Professor McGonagall's voice was filled with confusion. She had no recollection of a Basilisk, as such creatures hadn't appeared for centuries. Dumbledore then described the Basilisk's characteristics, while Harry stood nearby, deep in thought.
After hearing Dumbledore's explanation, Professor McGonagall exclaimed in shock, "Albus, are you saying there's a Basilisk in the castle?"
"Minerva, you must listen to me—"
"Albus, then we should immediately notify the Ministry of Magic and close the school! We can't put the students in danger!"
Hearing Professor McGonagall say this, Dumbledore fell silent. This was why he hadn't told Professor McGonagall about the Basilisk. Minerva would never agree to his plan. He was too eager to uncover the true nature of that black diary. If he could use this opportunity to understand why Voldemort couldn't die, Dumbledore was willing to accept the risk of putting the students in danger.
(This isn't me fabricating Dumbledore's character; he didn't choose to close the school in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" either.)
Seeing Dumbledore didn't respond, Professor McGonagall tightened her brow and demanded, "Albus, what exactly are you thinking?"
Facing Professor McGonagall's interrogation, Dumbledore simply said, "Minerva, trust me."
Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she merely sighed. Dumbledore watched as the older 'cat-woman' was temporarily convinced, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
After pondering for a moment, Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, would you mind notifying the students that the Quidditch match is back on? The first match is scheduled for tomorrow. We can use this opportunity to conduct a thorough search of the castle."
Professor McGonagall agreed promptly, stating that she would lead the castle search tomorrow.
As Professor McGonagall turned to leave the hospital wing, Dumbledore remembered he hadn't yet told Snape that Legilimency lessons would begin tomorrow. "Severus, I just told Harry that Legilimency lessons would begin tomorrow night—"
"I know!" Harry suddenly exclaimed loudly.
Before Dumbledore could ask, Harry excitedly said, "The night Creevey was petrified, I heard a voice in the castle walls! Thinking back, that must have been the Basilisk!"
Dumbledore's expression immediately turned serious. "Can you be certain, Harry?"
"At the time, the voice said it was very hungry and wanted to eat something. If it wasn't a ghost, it had to be the Basilisk."
Hearing Harry say this, Snape and Dumbledore exchanged glances, both simultaneously thinking of the Chamber of Secrets. "If Potter isn't lying, that Basilisk must be Slytherin's legacy. It just woke from its slumber, which is why it's so hungry," Snape said.
"There are many pipes within the castle walls; it must usually move around in there, which is why the portraits haven't seen the attacker," Dumbledore added.
Harry was about to ask what the Basilisk had to do with Slytherin, but Dumbledore announced it was time to send him back. "Harry, it's very late. Hermione must be quite worried about you."
---