My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 257, Section 254: The Wicked Witch in Fairy Tales

After listening to Lynn's analysis, Dumbledore pondered for a long time before speaking.

"The first question may only have one reasonable explanation. The reason why the mastermind chose you as the basilisk's first target is because he discovered that you were tracking him. If this is confirmed, then the second and third questions will also be clear. The person who knows that you are tracking him must be someone who has lived in Hogwarts for a long time. And the most likely person who lives in Hogwarts and has the ability to use Apparition is a house-elf."

Lynn had naturally considered this possibility as well. He hadn't forgotten that back in his first year, Kira had used her ability to Apparate freely at Hogwarts to carry out two acts of revenge for him. Even when the Aurors came, they couldn't catch her, because no one could have imagined that a house-elf would do something to harm a wizard.

"But we can't rule out the possibility that Professor Hubert, as you said, could control others if he could control Hubert, and it's not impossible that he might have manipulated a house-elf."

"So this matter needs to be investigated carefully. Tomorrow I will have Filch go to the kitchen to ask the house-elves in the castle if anyone is still awake tonight. Would you like to go with him?" Dumbledore asked.

Lynn was somewhat tempted, but he ultimately shook his head: "Never mind, I have two long classes tomorrow, one for fifth graders and one for sixth graders, so I don't have time to go."

He finished the last sip of his tea, not asking for a refill, and asked, "So, what are your plans for Hogwarts after that?"

"We can't reveal the secrets of the Chamber of Secrets to the students for now, but we must also ensure that those children are not harmed," Dumbledore stated the fundamental principle. "I will inform Minerva and the others to be on guard, and we will also have people keep watch in the castle tonight. We can't turn a blind eye to nighttime excursions anymore."

Lynn shrugged, revealing Dumbledore's current predicament: "There are too few professors, and most of them have classes during the day, so they can't stay up all night. Besides, there's no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days when you're already a thief."

"There's nothing we can do. We don't know why the mastermind wanted to take the Basilisk away, or what kind of malice he harbored towards Hogwarts. There's no better way than to take precautions."

"Professor, you don't know anything about the entrance to the Hogsmeade Vault? Don't you have complete control of this castle?"

Dumbledore shook his head: "So, I said you're looking in the wrong direction, Lynn. It's true that I can completely control the castle, but that doesn't mean I know every part of it. Besides, Hogwarts is not just the castle; the surrounding Black Lake, the playing fields, and even the Forbidden Forest are all part of Hogwarts."

Hearing him say that, Lynn was stunned.

Only then did he realize that he had actually fallen into a misconception.

Dumbledore was right. Hogwarts is a school, and it's not just a castle; it has other locations, just not as prominent as the castle.

But it is precisely because it is not conspicuous that it is the best place to hide things.

"Simply sitting and waiting for death is definitely not going to work. We still need to continue searching for the treasure's location at the exit of Hogwarts."

"If you have some free time, try to investigate this matter. Hopefully, you'll make some good discoveries."

Lynn looked at him strangely: "And what about you, Professor?"

Dumbledore blinked; he looked slightly tired.

"While I love my role as an educator the most, my other roles also take up most of my time. The international wizarding federation is needed to mediate and communicate the relationships between the various national ministries of magic. The Knights of Merlin need to select wizards who have made significant contributions to the wizarding world and vote to award them medals. My friend Nicolas Flamel also hopes that I can spend more time with him discussing alchemy before he dies. Things at Hogwarts are also important, but I need to complete other tasks before the Basilisk incident fully erupts."

"Hogwarts is indeed short-staffed right now. If the draft reform you showed me last semester had gone smoothly, we probably wouldn't have this problem." He looked up and asked, "Now that things are like this at the school, has it affected your original plans?"

Lynn smiled wryly, "The impact is significant, but that's not the most important thing. The key is that we still need to eliminate the potential dangers at Hogwarts."

"We can't rush these things; we have to wait for the enemy to show a weakness first. Alright, it's already past midnight. You have class tomorrow, so go get some rest." Dumbledore stood up, indicating that Lynn could leave.

Lynn had no reason to stay any longer. He had said everything he needed to say. Dumbledore was right; they were now in the open while the enemy was in the shadows. They could only wait patiently until the enemy revealed a weakness.

Lynn left the headmaster's office, leaving Dumbledore alone once again.

After Lynn left, Dumbledore didn't change into his pajamas to rest. Instead, he sat back down in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table as he pondered for a long time.

After a long time, he beckoned to Fox, who was dozing on a branch, and the phoenix flapped its wings and flew to his shoulder.

"Go to the Owl Post Office in Hogsmeade."

A fiery red light appeared, and Fawkes led Dumbledore away from the headmaster's office, disappearing while their figures reappeared in another place.

It was a small wooden cabin, clean and tidy, but it was permeated with a lingering smell of owl droppings.

The lights in the cabin were bright, and even at this hour, the owner showed no sign of going to sleep.

Two teacups were placed on a small wooden table in the center of the room, with wisps of white steam rising from their rims, indicating that the hot tea had just been poured out.

The homeowner seemed to have known of Dumbledore's arrival and had prepared hot tea in advance.

Grandma Danielle lay peacefully in the rocking chair, her eyes half-closed and covered with a thin blanket.

"What a rare guest! Headmaster Dumbledore, it's been so long since you've come to visit your old classmate, and you haven't even brought a gift."

Dumbledore sat down at one end of the wooden table and smiled helplessly.

"I just finished chatting with a student and didn't have time to prepare a gift for you."

Grandma Daniel laughed out loud, but her laughter was anything but kind; it sounded more like the laughter of a wicked witch from a fairy tale.

(End of this chapter)