The sickly, iron-fisted beauty in Harry Potter

"If we get into conflict again, I just hope that such a conflict won't turn us into enemies."

Dolly nodded, acknowledging Dumbledore's statement.

Simply put, the two of them set a bottom line.

Most of the time, they can cooperate with each other with the goal of preventing more people from getting hurt.

However, they would inevitably clash on certain occasions, and although Dumbledore didn't explicitly say so, the point of conflict was undoubtedly Harry.

Dumbledore couldn't possibly explain to Dolly everything Harry was going through, a fact Dolly already knew, but she understood Dumbledore's thinking.

So Dolly said, "In that case, there's no need to mention last year's dangers again. Let's discuss this year's dangers instead."

Dumbledore sat up straight and said, “Go ahead and tell me, Miss Dursley, I’ll be listening.”

Dolly considered her words carefully before getting straight to the point: "I don't think I need to explain why Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts after his wand was broken."

“You were there firsthand, while I found the news from back then in the Daily Prophet.”

Dumbledore's eyes widened instantly as he realized what Dolly meant by danger.

He had a sudden urge to pry into everything, but he held back and said, "Please continue, Miss Dursley."

"The mystery of opening the Chamber of Secrets remains unsolved to this day. We all know Hagrid doesn't have that ability; he's Slytherin's heir, so it's a miracle."

Hagrid is a hybrid of giant and wizard. If such a hybrid in a species sense is the heir of Slytherin, then it can only mean that Slytherin is far too extreme.

"And this year, someone is going to open the secret room."

After Dolly finished speaking, Dumbledore couldn't help but hold his breath.

The principals in the portraits couldn't help but gasp in surprise, clearly aware of the immense danger that would ensue if the legend of the secret room were to become a reality.

“Miss Dursley, this is a very serious warning. Can you be sure what you’re saying is true?”

Dumbledore asked another question seriously, and Dolly shrugged and said, "That depends on whether you believe in abilities like prophecy."

"A prophecy..."

Dumbledore scrutinized Dolly, remaining noncommittal about the word.

Then he said, "Many people in the magical world have some degree of prophetic ability, but very few can actually fulfill their fateful prophecies."

"Most people's predictions are worthless, and only a very few people can glimpse a corner of the future. So which one are you, Miss Dursley?"

Dolly rested her chin on her hand and said calmly, "It should be the second one. Anyway, what I foresaw has nothing to do with what is happening now."

"As I had predicted, Lucius Malfoy would give a diary to Ginny Weasley."

"Then Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets and released the Basilisk, and several students died."

“But now, Ginny hasn’t gotten the diary at all. It seems to have gone to Lockhart. I thought I got it, but then it disappeared again.”

Dumbledore paused for a moment and said, "I'm a little confused, Miss Dursley. Could you please repeat that more accurately?"

Dolly didn't refuse and recounted her entire month-long search for the diary, from obtaining information from Dobby using Polyjuice Potion to finally getting the diary from Lockhart.

This was her way of showing sincerity in seeking cooperation with Dumbledore. As for how Dolly knew all this, that was Dolly's bottom line.

Just like the secret that Dumbledore hid—that Harry was actually another Horcrux—it was a bottom line that no one else could cross.

Clearly, after more than a year of spending time together, Dumbledore had mastered the normal way to communicate with Dolly.

At least for now, Dumbledore appears calm.

Although some of the principals in the portraits were already quite agitated.

"Little witch, do you know how many school rules and regulations you've broken?"

The speaker was another male headmaster. Dolly hadn't heard of him before, but he looked very dignified, giving off the vibe of a male version of Professor McGonagall.

“I know, sir,” Dolly replied in a slightly mischievous tone.

"But I didn't really cause any trouble. For everyone's safety, how about we just ignore my little mistake for now?"

The other person muttered something and then shut up amidst the glares of many principals.

Of all the headmasters at Hogwarts, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw have the most, so even in a vote, there are definitely more people who like Dolly than those who dislike her right now.

In fact, Dumbledore was also startled.

Although he had observed what Dolly was doing in secret, he hadn't expected her to have accomplished so much without making a sound.

What surprised him even more was that Dolly could even brew Polyjuice Potion. If he gave Dolly a few more years, what level of excellent wizard would she become?

It can only be said that everyone at Hogwarts, including him, underestimated Dolly, the little witch who originally only knew how to use her fists.

This further solidified Dumbledore's resolve to avoid any further irreconcilable conflict with Dolly.

Of course, all of this is on the premise that it does not affect Dumbledore's plan to destroy Voldemort.

"So, the diary that was supposed to be the key to unlocking the secret room has now disappeared, contrary to your prediction."

"What we need to do is find this diary and prevent the secret room from being opened?"

Dolly nodded, but didn't feel relieved just because Dumbledore understood everything.

Unlike the trial of the Philosopher's Stone in the first book, in the second book, at least before Harry opened the Chamber of Secrets, the situation at Hogwarts was out of Dumbledore's control.

The Chamber of Secrets was opened, the students were petrified, and Dumbledore was dismissed—a series of conspiracies that caught Dumbledore completely off guard.

Of course, Dumbledore quickly regained control of the situation and returned. If he had used magic, he could have broken the deadlock even more powerfully. In the end, he calmly let Harry face the Basilisk to hone himself and sent a phoenix to deliver the Sword of Gryffindor to Harry.

But Dumbledore is not an omniscient and omnipotent god. He largely accepts and enjoys adventure, after all, he is also a Gryffindor.

Of course, Dumbledore had his reasons for doing so, such as his belief that the prophecy surrounding Harry would come true and that Harry would not die in the confrontation with the Basilisk.

Dolly, however, did not want to take the risk. It was not that Dolly did not believe in the power of magical prophecy, but rather that she always held a certain degree of skepticism towards fatalism.

In this sense, Dolly and Dumbledore are actually very similar; neither of them would patiently wait for their prophecies to come true.

Dumbledore chose to toughen up Harry, but Dolly chose to minimize the dangers faced by Harry and those around him.

Ultimately, Dumbledore did not find death unacceptable; having lived for over a hundred years, he even found it endearing.

But Dolly could not calmly accept that death was coming now; she still had beautiful hopes for the future.

The headmaster's office fell silent as Dumbledore and the other headmasters pondered.

The portraits of the headmasters reflect a part of their personalities, so these portraits are essentially advisors to each current headmaster of Hogwarts.

Gradually, they began to discuss.

"A diary can open the secret room, something seems off."

"That's right. According to the legend, only the heir of Slytherin should be able to open the Chamber of Secrets. A diary can't be the heir, can it?"

"It seems that the diary contains the location of the secret room and how to open it. Little witch, do you know any related information?"

Dolly didn't hide anything, saying, "The location is in the second-floor washroom, the same room where Myrtle died. The way to open it is in a language I can't understand."

Dumbledore caught the key phrase and said, "Parsleyan?"

A few low gasps came from the portrait, and someone sighed, "It seems that the snake voice is the key."

"So, only someone who can speak Parsley can get the diary and open the secret room? What about Hagrid back then? He didn't seem like someone who could speak Parsley."

Once the murmurs subsided, Dolly spoke up, "Professor, do you speak Parsley?"

Dumbledore shook his head and said, "I can understand Parseltongue, but I'm far from being able to understand Parseltongue, which is a magical language."

Dolly nodded. This wasn't the key question, because: "But even if you don't speak Parsley, you can easily break down the entrance to the secret chamber with your magic, right?"

"Why don't we just go into the secret room and deal with the hidden dangers inside?"

Dolly's words made the principals in the portrait nod in agreement; it was clearly the most reasonable solution.

Although the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is sealed by a seal designed by Slytherin, who was undoubtedly a more powerful wizard than Dumbledore.

But Dumbledore can find others to help him, and he can spend time arranging and planning little by little; he will always find a way.

To Dory's disappointment, Dumbledore remained silent.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Since the secret room is safe now and hasn't been opened, I don't think we should open it easily."

"You may not know that Hogwarts has a dense network of underground waterways, which has become like a maze after hundreds of years of renovation."

"If we let the monster inside escape and roam the maze, we might not be able to catch it."

However, Dumbledore's answer did not receive Dolly's support.

Dolly simply looked at Dumbledore calmly, sensing that he was planning to train Harry again.

Dumbledore gave a slight smile, a smile that looked more like the embarrassment of being seen through, or perhaps it was intentional.

"In short, I will use magic to seal the entrance first."

"Then we'll look for the diary together. That way, it won't matter if we don't find it, unless the diary itself is very dangerous?"

Dumbledore asked the question as if nothing was wrong, but his eyes were sharp at that moment.

Can a diary unlock a secret room?

So, besides the diary recording the method to open it and the entrance to the secret room, there is another possibility: the diary itself can open the entrance to the secret room using Parseltongue.

The latter possibility is indeed not high, but it perfectly matches one of his guesses!

That's Voldemort. He has created more than one Horcrux, and this diary is one of them.

The remaining question is whether Dolly knows this, and whether she is willing to say it.

The answer is obviously no.

Dolly had used prophecy to appease Dumbledore earlier, and she wasn't sure if he would believe her.

If Dolly really reveals even the secrets of the Horcruxes, then she might face Dumbledore's scrutiny.

Dolly shook her head, indicating she wasn't sure.

Dumbledore didn't press the matter, but accepted the answer for the time being, because he also didn't agree to Dolly's suggestion to bring out the Basilisk and kill it.

As expected, the two disagreed on the specific approach, which was exactly what Dolly had anticipated.

"So, Principal, what methods or plans do you have for finding this diary?"

Dumbledore flicked his fingers twice in the air and said, "I will go to your dormitory immediately and try to use magic to investigate if there is any trace of the diary."

"Next, I plan to meet with you and your companions, as well as Professor Lockhart. If there is still no news, I may go see Dobby."