bioinnovel Chapter 116 Dumbledore's Speculation
Chapter 116 Dumbledore's Speculation
Chapter 116 Dumbledore's Speculation
Belvina led the three Gryffindors away, heading towards the headmaster's office.
Belvina, draped in a cloak, walked at the front, with Harry following behind her, looking dizzy. Ron and Hermione stood on either side of Harry like guardians.
None of the three children spoke until they stood in front of the incredibly ugly, giant, dripping stone beast. Only then did Belvina stop, and Harry and his two companions quickly followed suit and braked.
"Lemon ice cream," Belvina said the command.
The dripping stone beast jumped aside, and the wall behind it split in two, leading to a spiral staircase that led upwards.
Belvina went up the stairs first, followed closely by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The spiral staircase slowly ascended like an escalator, and the wall behind it slammed shut with a loud bang.
At the top of the stairs, the gleaming oak door swung open with a loud knock, and the office owner eagerly awaited their arrival.
The three naive Harry and Meghan were once again astonished; the headmaster's office was arguably the most interesting office at Hogwarts.
Whether it's the strange and unusual silverware or the old principals hanging on the wall, everything makes the principal's office stand out from the crowd.
Headmaster Dumbledore was standing in front of a huge table, on which were placed scrolls and parchment that looked very old. The Sorting Hat was on a shelf behind Dumbledore.
Belvina stopped at the door. Behind the door, on a tall, gilded perch, stood the old phoenix Fox, its ugly appearance resembling a plucked turkey, its eyes lifeless, its cries mournful.
Suddenly, Phoenix Fox burst into flames, instantly transforming into a bright fireball.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione backed away in alarm, staring at each other in disbelief.
They had just entered the headmaster's office when Dumbledore's bird suddenly caught fire, which seemed a bit like a staged accident.
The flame came quickly and went quickly. With Phoenix Fox letting out a final scream, the fireball disappeared, leaving only a pile of ashes that had not yet been completely extinguished.
Dumbledore walked over from the table, saying as he went, "Fox is a phoenix. When a phoenix is about to die, it spontaneously combusts and rises from the ashes."
"To be honest," Belvina's words turned venomous again, "the scene of Fox's phoenix rising from the ashes is quite different from what I imagined."
Dumbledore chuckled softly as a tiny fledgling peeked out from the still-warm ashes. Its bald, wrinkled appearance was quite ugly, making it hard to believe that this fledgling was a phoenix.
"It's a shame you've only seen it in Nereus," Dumbledore said to Harry and his friends. "It's been quite beautiful most of the time." As he spoke, Dumbledore walked back to the enormous table.
Dumbledore's gentle demeanor, coupled with witnessing the phoenix's rebirth firsthand, relaxed Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They looked around curiously, captivated by every piece of furniture in the room.
The old headmasters in the portraits hanging on the wall also opened their eyes and curiously looked at the Gryffindor trio. Belvina, who often came and went, also felt the mournful yet ardent gaze of her ancestors.
"Is this the construction plan for the castle?" Belvina walked to the table and picked up a large, square piece of parchment. "Those people should really see how much chaos Hogwarts would be in without a Muggle drainage system."
Before Hogwarts adopted the Muggle-style design, wizards would simply relieve themselves anywhere and then destroy the evidence. As long as they didn't lose their heads, anywhere could be a toilet.
The castle's sanitation, comparable to that of the Middle Ages, was not improved until the arrival of flush toilets and sewers. By the 18th century, the castle's plumbing had become extremely complex.
After a while, Belvina frowned and respectfully put the drawings back in their place; she couldn't understand them.
In just a few minutes, she felt as if centuries had passed, and her mind was about to explode.
Even Belvina's gaze toward Dumbledore grew increasingly reverent; he was truly brilliant.
Drawings with and without dates, densely packed pipework diagrams—all this messy stuff, yet Dumbledore actually managed to look through it all! And he did so with great interest!
Albus Dumbledore, who researched this thing?
At this point, Dumbledore slowly spoke, saying, "For centuries, every thorough investigation of the castle has only led to the conclusion that the Chamber of Secrets is just a legend—I think there must be a crucial factor that has been overlooked."
Dumbledore looked up, his blue eyes gleaming behind his half-moon spectacles, and continued, "I've been thinking..."
Since it's Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, shouldn't his descendants know something about it? Haven't the headmasters and historians ever considered this?
"Maybe they don't want to deal with Parseltongues?" Belvina said sarcastically. "What respectable wizard talks to snakes, right, Harry?"
The old headmasters in the portrait all frowned, clearly displeased with Belvina's statement, except for Phineas Nigelles Black, who looked smug.
Dumbledore gave Belvina a deep look, her face contorted with sarcasm. She had always addressed Harry as "Mr. Potter," and their teacher-student relationship seemed to have taken a leap forward today, becoming quite different.
The three little ones, who had been visiting the principal's office, finally remembered their business. They all stood in front of the desk, their previous ease gone, replaced by awkward expressions, their hands unsure of what to do.
"There are Parsleyans among great and good wizards; we can't generalize," Dumbledore said. "My guess is that they didn't receive help from the Slytherin descendants. The Gauntlets not only didn't offer help, but they also concealed the secret of the Chamber of Secrets."
Gunter, who is that?
Harry and Ron's eyes had a clarity untouched by the taint of knowledge.
Hermione, standing to the side, was quite helpless; she had lost count of how many times she had felt helpless that day.
Hermione whispered to her two friends that Gaunt was a descendant of Slytherin, as Professor Black had mentioned in class.
Harry and Ron suddenly realized that their eyes, untouched by knowledge, were no longer as clear and pure as they had been before.
"You're right, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore. It was clear the headmaster was pleased with Hermione Granger's intelligence and studiousness.
Hermione was overjoyed to receive the principal's praise, feeling as happy as if she had just eaten a big piece of sweet cake.
Dumbledore bluntly stated, "The Gaunt family is very old and known for its restlessness and violence, a trait that becomes more pronounced with each generation due to their practice of inbreeding."
Belvina interjected at the opportune moment, picking up where Dumbledore left off, saying, "The Gaunts also love to boast about everything they know, but hardly anyone believes them. Isn't that right, dear, beloved Phineas?"
As she spoke, Belvina turned her head to look at the portrait of her ancestor, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed her gaze.
The portrait depicts a seemingly intelligent wizard with black hair, dark eyes, sparse eyebrows, a goatee, and wearing silver and green clothing, very characteristic of Slytherin.
"Oh, let me introduce you to my ancestor, Phineas Nigellus Black," Belvina said. In the portrait, Phineas is silent, but his frequent stroking of his beard suggests he is quite pleased.
However, Belvina changed the subject and continued, "Professor Black, the most unpopular headmaster in the history of Hogwarts, without a doubt."
"Shut up! You unfilial descendant!" Phineas roared in the portrait, closing his eyes angrily.
Harry and Ron were shocked again; it was the first time they had learned that Hogwarts had a headmaster who was originally from Slytherin.
Fortunately, Dumbledore was still in the office, and the current headmaster brought the veered topic back on track, bringing up the long-vanished Gaunt family again.
Dumbledore said, "Suppose the Gaunt family knew of the existence of the Chamber of Secrets, and they used it as a source of pride to tell others about it, but few were willing to believe them, and the Chamber of Secrets gradually became a legend. But when the Chamber of Secrets was truly at risk of being exposed, the Gaunt family chose to keep it a secret and cover up the truth about the Chamber of Secrets."
Therefore, no matter how thoroughly the principals investigated, they could not find the secret room.
In other words, there are bad people among the crowd. The Gaunt family has been obstructing the school's search for the secret room.
"They boast about the secret of the secret room to highlight their uniqueness," Belvina said. "They protect the secret room from being discovered to maintain their distinctiveness."
"I think so," said Dumbledore. "The reason why Gaunt's boasts are not believed is because of Harry. Only they can hear the sounds coming from the Chamber of Secrets, and no one else can hear anything."
.
After saying that, Dumbledore's gaze fell on Harry, and the tips of his ten long fingers touched together.