Chapter 33
"The Basilisk is no longer here." Lucian stood up and began assessing the situation.
Soon, he spotted the target—hanging from a torch bracket was a cat, its body stiff as a board, eyes wide open, staring straight ahead.
"It's Mrs. Norris!" Harry's voice rang out, and everyone's faces turned grim.
Just as Lucian was about to do something, a low rumble of noise suddenly arose, like distant thunder; He frowned slightly, stepped past his two assistants, and moved to the front of Harry and the others.
Soon, the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs echoed from both ends of the corridor. First came the professors leading the way, followed by a crowd of disobedient troublemakers.
When the people in front saw the hanging cat, the lively chatter abruptly ceased. The students fell silent and crowded forward to witness the horrifying scene.
Lucian stood alone in the middle of the corridor, facing the professors and students, shielding them from the chill that seemed to drain all warmth from their bodies.
"Professor Lucian," Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall stepped to the front of the group. "Can you explain to me whathappened here earlier?"
Her expression was tense, her tone carrying a hint of hostility—no one could harm her students under her watch.
Harry and the others swallowed nervously at Professor McGonagall's frighteningly stern face, silently grateful that Lucian had stepped forward at this moment.
One wave had barely settled when another rose. Before Lucian could speak, Filch's voice rang out again, likely drawn by the earlier noise from the students.
"What happened here? What happened?"
He shoved through the crowd with his shoulders, and then he saw Mrs. Norris. He stumbled back a few steps, clutching his face in horror.
But the person standing before him was Lucian—even though Filch was furious beyond measure, he didn't dare direct even a fraction of his anger toward Lucian when he needed his help.
"Calm down, Filch. She's not dead—just petrified. I promise she'll be restored to normal, alright?"
"You mean she's not dead—but she's already like this—how can she be saved..." Filch looked utterly terrified.
"A potion made from mandrakes will do it. So calm down. We still need to find the culprit, don't we?" Lucian patted Filch's shoulder reassuringly.
During this time, whispers of discussion rippled through the onlookers, while Professor McGonagall and the other professors regarded him with suspicious uncertainty.
Lucian frowned slightly and decided to take charge—he disliked the current chaos and wouldn't allow it to escalate further "Prefects of each house, take your students back to their dormitories immediately."
"Yes, Professor!"
Led by Percy, the prefects gradually snapped out of their daze and, under Lucian's command, urged the students to leave.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You're next! Mud—" Draco Malfoy, mixed in the crowd, shouted the slogan, his face beaming with smug pride, as if he were boasting about knowing some secret history.
With the professors present, he didn't finish the word, but Professor McGonagall's expression grew even darker.
The students departed amid the uproar, and at that moment, Dumbledore finally arrived, late to the scene. He stood between Lucian and the professors, waved his wand, and gently lowered Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.
Lucian watched his actions indifferently, saying nothing.
"Professor—" Hermione and the other two peeked out from behind Lucian, looking at him uneasily. They didn't understand why this had happened—or what deeper meaning it held.
"You three go back first. Take the other route." Lucian instructed them to leave, his gaze still fixed on Dumbledore.
He was a bit puzzled about what this old man was thinking "Dumbledore—you're here—these naughty students actually dared to—"
Filch had calmed down somewhat, but upon Dumbledore's arrival, he couldn't help but start complaining again.
"It's impossible for students to have done this," Dumbledore firmly rejected his assumption. "This requires the most profound dark magic—" His gaze turned to Lucian, deliberately ignoring Harry and the others who were leaving behind him.
His eyes appeared very calm, the look he cast carrying no emotional undertone, but anyone who met his gaze understood 'Please cooperate with me for now. I will definitely give you an explanation afterward.'
Lucian read the meaning in Dumbledore's eyes but couldn't figure out what he truly intended.
"Allow me to say something, Headmaster." Snape suddenly emerged from the shadows. "This incident clearly has something suspicious about it. We need to judge cautiously."
"I'm glad you're being so reasonable, Severus." Dumbledore gave Snape a somewhat odd look—he had thought the man would seize the opportunity to attack Lucian.
"Everyone, I will thoroughly investigate what happened here. Please return to your duties for now." Dumbledore dismissed the group of professors.
Professor McGonagall left with a furrowed brow; she was clearly deeply dissatisfied with the threat to Hogwarts' safety. But because she trusted Dumbledore, she ultimately departed.
In an instant, only Lucian and Dumbledore remained in the dimly lit corridor. "I thought you would handle this matter properly, Headmaster." Lucian looked at Dumbledore and took the initiative to confront him.
Just from McGonagall's and Snape's reactions, he knew the two had misunderstood something. That aligned with expectations—after all, he had been brought in as a professor precisely because of his research into dark magic.
Continuing that research at the school and accidentally causing a magical incident, or cruelly experimenting on a pet cat—it all seemed perfectly plausible. But that didn't mean Lucian enjoyed being scapegoated without reason.
"I'm sorry, Lucian. For things to develop like this, I bear the primary responsibility that cannot be shirked." Dumbledore's attitude was extremely sincere from the start.
"I hope you'll give this old man some time to explain the whole matter clearly." He gestured, inviting Lucian to speak elsewhere.
"Of course. You'll also need to explain things clearly to Professor McGonagall for me. I don't want her to have any misunderstandings about me."
"I promise you, I certainly will."
The two made their way to the stone gargoyle guarding the spiral staircase.
"Sherbet lemon." Dumbledore spoke the password, leading Lucian upward.
"This is the current password. I probably won't change it for a long while. If there's anything urgent next time, you can come directly to the Headmaster's office to find me." He was likely hinting at the time Lucian had sent him a letter via owl but at this moment, Lucian had no mind to dwell on such things.
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