bioinnovel Chapter 117 The Importance of Choice
Chapter 117 The Importance of Choice
Chapter 117 The Importance of Choice
Saying it was a sudden realization might sound like flattery, but Dumbledore's speculation and the clues provided by Harry gradually brought the reason for the disappearance of the Chamber of Secrets to the surface.
Salazar Slytherin may not have built the Chamber of Secrets to raise monsters, but rather to have a secret base that only he or authorized persons could enter.
As the rift between Slytherin and the other three founders widened, leading to his eventual departure in anger, the secret base may have become a lair of monsters at that point.
The existence of monsters may be to protect Slytherin's secrets, or it may be, as the legends suggest, to eliminate those unworthy of learning magic.
Belvina couldn't understand or agree with the latter view: eliminating those unworthy of learning magic.
It wasn't because Belvina was close to Muggles, but because she felt that monsters couldn't accomplish such a grand "concept," that monsters couldn't do it.
Fifty years ago, the locked room was opened, and several students, like Colin Creevey, were petrified. The last victim...
A Muggle-born girl died.
The headmaster at the time, Armando Dippet, was at a loss. He could neither find the Chamber of Secrets nor catch the murderer, and Hogwarts was forced to face the predicament of being closed to prevent more students from being killed.
If the "murderer" hadn't been exposed, the three major magic schools in Europe would have become two.
Fifty years later, Colin Creevey and a cat have been petrified, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again, and the Ministry of Magic in London is already discussing whether to close the school.
If it weren't for Dumbledore, the students would probably be on holiday and going home by now.
This is what Belvina finds unreasonable: the monsters can only cause limited damage to the school, and the plan to eliminate all those unworthy of learning magic is almost impossible to succeed.
The Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin was opened twice, and the monster began to roam the school, looking for a target.
The monster's attack caused panic at the school and resulted in student injuries and deaths. But before the monster could expand its gains, Hogwarts was forced to close. How could the monster continue its elimination plan?
Even if the monster in the Chamber of Secrets didn't resort to sneak attacks and instead chose to attack the Muggle-born students head-on, it still didn't treat the Hogwarts professors as human beings!
It's important to know that Hogwarts is the only magic school in Britain, and its professors are all leaders in their respective fields (Lockhart, ...).
(Except for Quirrell), Slytherin's big monster might be difficult to deal with, but as long as you're willing to pay the price, killing the monster shouldn't be a problem.
That's why Belvina was puzzled; Salazar Slytherin's perplexing behavior made it impossible to understand his true motives.
Rather than believing it's about eliminating those unworthy of learning magic in the school, Belvina prefers to believe that the monsters exist to protect Slytherin's secrets, or rather, to protect Slytherin's legacy.
Of course, the above are all just Belvina's personal speculations without any responsibility. Only when the truth of the Chamber of Secrets is revealed will Salazar Slytherin's true thoughts be known.
"Professor Dumbledore, do you mean only Parseltongues know the secrets of the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione Granger asked, the young girl a little nervous and excited. She continued, "So even if Ron and I were standing next to Harry, we wouldn't hear anything."
Sitting behind the huge table, Dumbledore nodded, his fingertips touching, as if he had already thought of a solution.
"But I didn't hear any secrets. I only heard it talking about killing people, tearing people apart, and things like that," Harry said sullenly. He didn't seem very interested, probably because he had unknowingly become the most special one again.
Dumbledore remained silent, his gaze shifting from Harry to his forehead, focusing on the distinctive lightning bolt-shaped scar.
The scarred boy raised his hand in confusion and touched the scar on his forehead. He didn't understand why Dumbledore was staring at this ugly scar, which wasn't cool at all.
Belvina, who was secretly trying to figure out Slytherin's intentions, also noticed the anomaly. She looked at the lightning bolt-shaped scar, which was said to have been left by Voldemort. The Killing Curse had failed to kill Harry, leaving only a scar on his forehead.
"Harry, I must ask you, is there anything else you want to tell me, or Professor Black?" Dumbledore said gently. "Anything."
Harry frowned in thought, while Ron and Hermione kept urging him on, kicking his foot or tugging at his sleeve.
After a moment, Harry, having sorted out his thoughts, began, "Professor Dumbledore, everyone at school says I'm the heir to Slytherin, and the Sorting Hat even told me I'd be better off in Slytherin—and now I know I can speak Parsley—"
Harry became increasingly less confident as he spoke. He couldn't accept that he was more like a Slytherin, and the bad impression he had of Slytherins couldn't be reversed in a short time.
"I think Professor Black will be pleased; she always complains that Slytherin's students aren't good enough," Dumbledore said with a smile, kind, gentle, and almost childlike. "Don't you think so, Belvina?"
"Oh, of course, I can't wait," Belvina said. "I wouldn't even mind killing Severus and becoming the Head of Slytherin myself."
As she spoke, Belvina suddenly burst out laughing and continued, "Forget it, let Severus continue as headmaster. I'm really curious to see what kind of sparks he and Harry will create!"
Severus Snape, Headmaster of Slytherin House, and Harry Potter, a Slytherin student—just thinking about it is thrilling.
Dumbledore looked helpless, smiling as he lightly tapped Belvina with his finger. Because of her words, Ron and Hermione even began to imagine the scene of thunder striking fire.
"Harry," Dumbledore said, his smile fading and his expression turning serious, "I have always believed that Slytherin is an excellent house, and you happen to possess the qualities that Slytherin values: resourcefulness, strong will, and contempt for the law."
Belvina raised her hand to cover her mouth, trying to keep her gaze from falling on Dumbledore's trembling silver beard, afraid she wouldn't be able to resist.
Resourcefulness and wit haven't been found in Harry yet; all we've seen is the recklessness typical of Gryffindor.
Harry's strong will is undeniable; his willpower far surpasses that of ordinary people, and not everyone can withstand those rumors.
I also strongly agree with his disregard for laws and regulations. Last school year, the principal repeatedly forbade Harry from approaching the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor, but he still went there, and more than once.
Although Harry has many qualities that do fit Slytherin’s admission criteria, he is more like Lanffindor at heart, at least for now, and the Sorting Hat did not pull any dirty tricks last year.
"Harry, the Sorting Hat ultimately placed you in Gryffindor," Dumbledore continued.
"But that was my request, because I said I wouldn't go to Slytherin," Harry said, head bowed. "I said I wouldn't go to Slytherin, anywhere but Slytherin."
Ron and Hermione stared at Harry in astonishment. Could they really say that now?!
Then Ron and Hermione looked at Belvina, while Professor Black still covered his mouth with one hand, his expression unreadable.
"That's the key, Harry." Dumbledore's tone remained gentle, showing no displeasure at Harry's pickiness. He continued, "You bravely told the Sorting Hat your choice."
Harry instinctively looked at Belvina; he was asking a Slytherin for help.
At that moment, Belvina really didn't want to respond to Harry's plea for help, but she couldn't argue with the child. She felt wronged and frustrated.
"The key is your own choice. You chose to be a Gryffindor, not to follow orders and become a Slytherin," Belvina said, glancing sideways at Dumbledore, who was watching the spectacle.
Ever since becoming close to Dumbledore, Belvina, with her open-mindedness, has become increasingly disrespectful, almost defying the established order. Among all the teachers and students in the school, she's practically the only one who dares to openly show Dumbledore any disrespect.
However, Dumbledore never corrected Belvina's disrespectful behavior towards her elders, nor did he show the slightest displeasure.
Harry nodded knowingly, all his doubts dispelled. He belonged to Gryffindor and would always be a brave Gryffindor.
Dumbledore, sitting behind the table, smiled with satisfaction. Harry's doubts and panic disappeared, and the secret of the Chamber of Secrets gradually came to light. Everything was moving in a positive direction.