Hogwarts: A Chinese-Style Professor

Chapter 42 Professor Li Wei Has a Big Problem
"I see, I understand."

After hearing the whole story of the Basilisk incident from Hermione, Cedric's handsome face became as stiff as a wax sculpture.

"First, have you confirmed that Professor Levy has informed Dumbledore about this?"

"Of course, we saw it with our own eyes."

Ron said without hesitation.

But Harry immediately rejected his words.

“No! Professor Levi only wrote a letter asking the house-elf to deliver it. Do you remember what Barton said to him at that time? There might be something wrong with that; he might not have actually delivered the letter!”

Cedric and Hermione suddenly turned their heads sharply at that moment, staring intently at Harry.

"W-What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Hermione looked very regretful, while Cedric shook his head and said:

“No, you’re right. We can’t completely rule out the possibility that Professor Levy was just pretending to inform Headmaster Dumbledore.”

“But—” His thick, straight eyebrows furrowed, like two sharp swords, revealing not only his heroic appearance but also a strong sense of justice, “I absolutely do not believe that Professor Li Wei would be that kind of person.”

“That’s right, Harry, why do you always have to doubt Professor Levy?”

"What are you talking about? Why can't we doubt him?"

Seeing that both of them were questioning Harry, Ron decisively stood by his side.

"Hermione, you're too superstitious about authority! Is Professor Levi always right? Have you forgotten about Professor Quirrell?"
We were fooled by his appearance; we thought he was an honest, simple person. And what happened?

"This is different!"

Hermione's voice wavered slightly, but she still stuck to her own ideas.

“You haven’t been in Professor Levi’s study group, so you won’t understand how remarkable he is.”

If you knew how profound his understanding of magic was, and how skilled he was at teaching, you would never think he was like Professor Quirrell!

"Okay, now it's time for the bragging and contempt segment? We two aren't good enough to get into the study group, so we're not worthy to be in your company, are we?"
"Lady from Gryffindor, do I need to remind you that the professor you admire comes from the evil Slytherin?"

That's not what I meant at all! Why are you saying that?!

Hermione was absolutely furious with Ron.

Harry watched their argument with unease and shame—he also wanted to join Professor Levy's study group, but Quidditch training was too demanding, and he couldn't possibly surpass Hermione's academic excellence.
No, now is not the time to think about these things.
"Stop arguing."

Cedric stepped forward, sandwiching himself between Ron and Hermione.

“Ron, you’re right, we just don’t want to think of Professor Levi that way.”

Cedric turned back and gave Hermione a wink.

"It doesn't matter if we can't reach a consensus on this issue. Lights out is just around the corner, so we need to come up with a solution quickly and take immediate action!"

"Does it have to be now?"

"If Professor Li Wei is truly untrustworthy, it means that Principal Dumbledore is completely unaware of this matter and might even be fooled by Professor Li Wei tonight."

We must find a way to notify the principal, or at least Vice Principal McGonagall.

Now is a race against time. Since you chose to give me this information, it means you've chosen to trust me. At least for now, let's unite and stop fighting amongst ourselves, okay?

Cedric's exceptional demeanor, coupled with his rational words, made Ron and Harry unable to help but admire him.

The two were immediately convinced.

"how do you want to do it?"

"First of all, this is something we can't solve on our own; we have to rely on the professors—we'll go to Professor McGonagall's office now to inform her."

"Wait, if Professor McGonagall finds out about this, she'll definitely suspend classes immediately!"

Harry's face showed a look of panic.

"So what! Which is more important, everyone's safety or going to class?" Cedric didn't know about Harry's family or how badly the Dursleys had treated him, so he didn't understand Harry's hesitation.

But Hermione and Ron understood.

Seeing Harry's expression and Cedric's immediate readiness to act, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration, remembering a detail she had previously overlooked, and hurriedly said:

"Wait! We need to confirm that the basilisk does indeed exist."

"Hermione, are you crazy? Didn't we already see Mrs. Lorris petrified?"

Ron looked at her with a headache.

"No, I am more clear-headed than ever."

Hermione looked at the three of them solemnly and calmly said:

“Listen, although I don’t want to suspect Professor Levi of having a problem, but—let’s assume that Professor Levi really is the mastermind behind all this.”

Therefore, this incident is very likely unrelated to the Basilisk and was fabricated by him to deceive us—remember, Professor Dumbledore said that what could cause such a phenomenon must be extremely profound dark magic.

Besides, none of us actually saw the basilisk, did we?"

"What about the basilisk's voice I heard?"

Harry asked, bewildered.

“You forgot? Professor Levi also speaks Parsley, and he wasn’t with us that night.”

Everyone suddenly realized what was happening, and Ron excitedly exclaimed:

"Do you remember the first time we met him? We felt something was off about him. He was too calm when Harry heard the Basilisk's voice!"
And after confirming it was a basilisk, he neither personally informed Dumbledore nor took the basilisk seriously, as if he was certain it wouldn't harm anyone. If Harry hadn't confronted him, he wouldn't have even considered going out to investigate.

"And think about it, who can be that smart? Hermione only asked him one question, and he guessed what Hermione wanted to know, and coincidentally told her the answer?"

"You mean, he deliberately led us to think that way?"

Harry also began to feel that something was wrong—what made him feel even more out of touch was that he actually had the leisure to think about something else at this time.

If Professor Li Wei is indeed a henchman of the mysterious figure, then is Jia Meier one too? Does this mean I have to become her enemy?
Why did fate play such a cruel joke on him?

"Therefore, we must confirm this first!"

Hermione drew a conclusion.

"Even if we find Professor McGonagall now and tell her the legend of the Chamber of Secrets, do you think she'll believe it?"
Remember what happened last semester? Once she finds out we're planning something adventurous, she'll become even more protective of us, and then we won't be able to do anything about it!

“I stand by my opinion,” Cedric shook his head, “Professor Levy could not be that kind of person.”

"However, what you said is not entirely without merit."

Cedric knew that Hermione and the others must have missed some seemingly unrelated but very important information—such as what she mentioned about the previous semester, or Harry's panic when he found out that the school was going to close.

Although he firmly believed that telling Professor McGonagall was the best option—and he had one more hurtful thing to say—Professor McGonagall might not believe Harry and his friends' 'nonsense,' but if it came from his own mouth...
Cedric was confident that Professor McGonagall would take his words to heart and consider them carefully. If all else failed, he could ask Professor Sprout, the dean of his college, to vouch for him.
However, since the three of them chose to tell him this important information, it would seem ungrateful of him to ignore it and insist on his own way. Besides, Hermione's words also made some sense.

If such a crucial matter is handled incorrectly, the consequences could be fatal, and the students would be unable to recover from the damage.

Cedric, with a serious expression, discussed the future course of action with the three of them.

"My bottom line is that we must get results before the basilisk attacks again."

Otherwise, even if I can't convince Professor McGonagall, I'll still tell her about it—I'll try to sound her out after tomorrow.

Next, we need to do three things.

1. Find out the truth of the Chamber of Secrets legend, whether the so-called Slytherin successor actually exists, and who it might be.

2. Observe Professor Li Wei and see what he does on a daily basis, especially when he suddenly disappears.

3. Promote awareness among students, urging them to prepare glasses or other necessary items, and especially to avoid going out alone.

(End of this chapter)