Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

Harry felt a chill run down his spine; he'd rather attend another death anniversary dinner than endure such stares.

Ron glanced at Lockhart and, seeing his golden, wavy curls, couldn't help but curl his lip.

Hermione's attention was entirely on Dumbledore, and when she saw Mrs. Norris being placed on the desk, she gasped.

Harry and Ron instinctively straightened up and exchanged glances with Hermione, both able to see the tension in each other's eyes.

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were both bent over, examining the body with utmost care.

Looking at their serious expressions, Harry and his friends felt not only nervous, but also deeply uneasy.

Lockhart's gossip, in particular, added to Harry's unease and made him even more irritable.

"The magic that tortured this cat is most likely a transfiguration torture spell. I actually know how to break the spell, but the interval between treatments was too long, so I couldn't save it. What a pity..."

Upon hearing Lockhart "knows how to break the curse," Filch looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. However, upon hearing the restrictions, he cried even more bitterly.

Hearing Filch's cries, Harry sighed softly, feeling a pang of sympathy for the doorman.

But he felt more sorry for himself; if Filch's accusations were accepted, this would be his last night at Hogwarts.

……

Just as Harry was daydreaming and Lockhart was rambling on, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Snape and Flitwick entered the room, and Dumbledore straightened up and asked, "How is it?"

“Nothing was found.” Flitwick shook his head. “I checked with magic, and I didn’t find any trace.”

Snape shook his head, his eyes glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing Harry shrinking his neck and looking uneasy, a hint of schadenfreude appeared in his eyes.

He walked straight behind Harry and looked at Mrs. Lorris lying on the desk from a distance.

Harry shuddered, feeling a chill run down his spine, and his unease intensified.

Dumbledore walked up to Filch and said gently, "Thankfully... Filch, Lady Norris was only petrified, she is not dead."

"This petrification magic is extremely powerful, probably a very profound form of dark magic... somewhat elusive... at least for a second-year student..."

He paused for a moment, "At least Harry and the others couldn't do that."

"I knew something was strange!" Lockhart exclaimed in sudden realization. "It really is petrification! Just as I suspected."

Ron stared wide-eyed at Lockhart, who was beaming with confidence, and muttered to himself, "How does he manage to be so confident?"

Normally, Hermione would definitely have argued back, but what happened tonight was serious enough that she didn't have much of a desire to argue.

Filch breathed a sigh of relief, but continued to be suspicious of Harry, even going so far as to reveal that he was a Squib.

As Harry confronted Filch, claiming he "didn't know what a Squib was," Snape, standing at the back, smiled—a natural, heartfelt, joyful smile.

“I think Mr. Potts has a point. He just happened to be…that’s all!” Snape said sinisterly, drawing out the last syllable with great pleasure.

"Coincidentally, I discovered Filch's secret a week ago; coincidentally, I appeared in that corridor before everyone else... and coincidentally, I didn't attend the Halloween banquet..."

Hermione and Ron broke out in a cold sweat as they listened, and together with Harry, they explained that they had attended the anniversary dinner.

“Professor McGonagall, are you aware of this?” Snape asked. “They don’t seem to have learned their lesson, just like last year’s Halloween dinner…”

Professor McGonagall shook her head slightly, couldn't help but sigh softly, and couldn't help but think of Vizet who had just submitted the report.

Harry seemed to realize something and quickly said, "Vizet and the others can testify...we really did go to the Death Anniversary Feast!"

“Vizet…” Snape narrowed his eyes, his voice becoming much lower, “In that case, shall we end the dinner?”

"Why didn't you come back? Maybe you could have... caught a few candies that fell from the sky... to fill your stomach a little."

“We’re not hungry!” Ron’s voice was loud, almost a shout.

Unfortunately, the protests from his stomach were even louder, the gurgling sounds drowning out his voice.

"Heh..." Snape chuckled coldly, "So you're not hungry... then you should go back to the common room, right?"

"As far as I know... getting from the basement to the Gryffindor Tower doesn't necessarily require going through that corridor..."

Ron muttered, "How does he know more than we do?"

Snape's face twitched, as if he had remembered something bad. "Headmaster, it's obvious that Potter is hiding a lot of things."

Even setting aside the matter of the death anniversary banquet, he couldn't explain... why he was in that corridor.

Upon hearing this, Professor McGonagall interrupted curtly, her face stern: "Headmaster Dumbledore said that Harry and his friends cannot perform such dark magic."

"Furthermore, if Professor Snape has real evidence, he should present it instead of relying on vague speculation."

"Besides, Hogwarts Castle is so big, with so many corridors, they can choose how to get back to Gryffindor."

Harry and the others all looked up, their eyes filled with boundless emotion as they gazed at Professor McGonagall.

Dumbledore asked, "Do you have any other details to add? For example, when you got there, did you see any strange figures?"

Hermione and Ron both turned their heads, but then immediately turned back and began shaking their heads back and forth.

Harry did the same, "No... Headmaster Dumbledore."

Seeing the three of them move in almost unison, Dumbledore nodded with a half-smile, "In that case, you can go back and rest."

Harry and the others all breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if they had escaped a disaster.

Filch shrieked, "They're gone, but what about my Mrs. Lorris?"

Dumbledore said unhurriedly, "We recently planted a batch of mandrakes. Once they mature, we can concoct a potion to remove petrification."

Lockhart raised his hand like a spring and said cheerfully, "Mandelabra resurrection potion! I know this all too well! Nobody knows more about resurrection potions than me!"

Flitwick, Sprout, and Professor McGonagall raised their eyebrows, somewhat surprised that Lockhart knew the name of the potion.

Snape, his face grim, said, "It seems I'm the Potions Professor... Perhaps you'd like to switch places with me?"

"Or perhaps you could offer your wand? Add it to the cauldron? After all, it doesn't seem very obedient... it always seems to fall to the ground..."

Chapter 154 The Rumors of the Secret Chamber

Snape continued coldly, "Do you need me to notify the Daily Prophet? Oh, and there's one more thing I need help with..."

“I want to clearly label the crucibles to make sure that what appears on the furnace fire is a crucible… and not a hair curler.”

Lockhart's smile seemed glued on, and his raised hand was as stiff as a Spanish ham.

A moment of silence that was both amusing and endearing.

Dumbledore stroked his beard, intending to tie a bow on it.

Professor McGonagall, who had been keeping a straight face, relaxed, and her pursed lips curled up slightly.

Flitwick looked around and noticed that the magical photos around him all had the same expression: embarrassment and awkwardness.

He could only lower his head and watch his toes tremble slightly as his shoulders shook.

Sprout coughed several times before finally calming down.

Upon hearing Snape's words, Harry puffed out his cheeks as hard as he could to keep from laughing out loud.

Ron looked much the same, but he couldn't help making a "pfft pfft" sound.

Hearing Ron's movement, Snape raised an eyebrow and said, "It seems Mr. Weasley has something he hasn't said yet..."

Harry and his friends didn't dare linger. They immediately pulled the doorknob and ran out, leaving behind only one sentence: "Goodnight, Professor!"

……

In the office, only Filch was truly heartbroken, and the other professors realized it as well.

Sprout spoke first: "I should go back to the greenhouse and take good care of the mandrake to ensure Mrs. Lorris recovers as soon as possible."

Professor McGonagall picked up Mrs. Lorris. "Filch, I'll take it to Mrs. Pomfrey."

Filch nodded somewhat blankly. "Professor McGonagall... I'll go with you."

Dumbledore nodded to Lockhart. "Professor Lockhart, thank you for your office. We should be leaving now."

Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Snape turned a corner and went upstairs via another staircase.

As Dumbledore went upstairs, he asked again to confirm, "Didn't you find anything?"

Flitwick nodded. "I tried to gather sounds from there, but all I heard were ordinary noises. I even used a tracking spell, but I couldn't find any trace of magic."

Snape added coldly, "There's also no trace of dark magic."

"Could it be because of the Animagus?" Flitwick speculated, frowning.

“Vizet has inscribed a lot of magic on that 'siphon,' but no one has ever done it before.”

"Based on my understanding of Animagus, Vizette is currently at a stage where she can sense abnormalities."

"Usually, this abnormality will be the second heartbeat, but it cannot be ruled out that he will hear some unusual noises."

“Why don’t we just ask him?” Snape raised an eyebrow and said. “He’s not like Pott; he won’t hide anything from us.”

“That’s true.” Flitwick laughed, with a hint of relief. “Apart from not liking to rest, he’s incredibly easy to take care of!”

“In that case… let’s pick a time tomorrow!” Dumbledore nodded. “Felius, how far has Vizet progressed in his weather charm?”

Flitwick replied, "We need to grasp the basic principles and solidify our foundation before we can further influence the weather..."