From the perspectives of both psychology and physiology, death is humanity's greatest fear.
A cold corpse lying in front of you magnifies that fear to its utmost.
But the attacker merely chose to assault Filch without killing him, which was particularly strange.
Especially considering the account in Hogwarts: A History:
"Slytherin built a secret room in the castle that could only be opened by his true heir. Only the heir could unleash the horror within to purge the school of those unworthy of learning magic."
If the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets believed this, would Filch be among those to be "purged"?
Of course, because he was a Squib.
Even more discriminated against than Muggle-borns by the pureblood supremacists.
So targeting Filch might have been a calculated decision.
But William didn't believe that the attacker had some internal battle between good and evil and ultimately had a change of heart, sparing Filch's life out of compassion.
That would be neither logical nor magical.
"William, I'm glad you noticed this detail," Dumbledore said softly.
"When I analyze someone's behavior patterns, I start by examining their actions to infer their character, habits... even their intelligence."
William nodded in agreement.
People think differently, geniuses and fools, ordinary people and maniacs. The gap between them is immense.
Of course, to make accurate judgments, you need experience and an understanding of human nature. You have to be able to easily imagine yourself as clever or foolish, impulsive or cunning, insane or even gay.
Dumbledore was always adept at role-playing, which was why he was so skilled at understanding human nature.
"The attacker knew that Filch hated seeing the castle dirty, so they stole Nick's rotting food to lure him.
"I conclude that the attacker is very clever," Dumbledore remarked.
Indeed, being able to stage an attack right under Dumbledore's nose without leaving any evidence required a sharp mind.
When it came to others like Tom Riddle or Quirinus Quirrell, Dumbledore had sensed something wrong early on. But this time, he was left in the dark.
"This is a clever attacker who deliberately left a message about the Chamber being opened.
"They are confident.
"Confident that even if we know the Chamber is open, they can strike again."
Dumbledore quickly attached two labels to the attacker: clever and confident.
"For someone this clever and confident, who is clearly a pureblood supremacist, why didn't they kill Filch?"
William pondered and ventured a guess: "Perhaps they couldn't kill him… or it wasn't time yet?"
"William, I lean toward the latter," Dumbledore said, his gaze fixed on the window.
"A wizard who chooses to open the Chamber of Secrets wouldn't hesitate to kill. If they didn't kill, there must be a reason.
"Every action serves a purpose, and that purpose always aligns with their ultimate goal."
William nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Then what's their goal?"
"We're not entirely sure," Dumbledore admitted, "but we can be certain of one thing—"
"This won't be their last attack!" William declared seriously.
"Exactly. We can be sure of that," Dumbledore replied gravely.
"They will strike again, and for some reason, they won't kill their next victim either."
"But this string of attacks won't last forever... We've already established that spreading fear isn't their primary objective. If it were, they would have simply killed Filch.
"Everything they've done so far serves a specific goal. I believe there's a set number of attacks they intend to carry out."
William frowned in contemplation. "Do we have any evidence to support that?"
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and gently reminded him:
"I assume you noticed the mark written in blood on Filch's right hand?"
"The Graphorn?"
"Yes. From the way the symbol was drawn, it does resemble a Graphorn."
The Graphorn was a magical creature with a large, humped back and tough, grayish-purple skin even stronger than dragonhide.
It had two sharp, golden horns on its head and a body reminiscent of a saber-toothed tiger.
"Is he suggesting we send in a Graphorn? I thought Graphorns were extinct," William said, puzzled.
"That's not entirely true. Newt Scamander found the last breeding pair decades ago.
"He personally ensured the species was saved from extinction.
"At first, I thought the symbol might be referring to that, but after some thought, I believe the Graphorn represents a number."
"Two?" William raised an eyebrow.
In ancient runes, the Graphorn symbolized the number two.
"Exactly. I believe the attacker was telling us that Filch was their second victim.
"A clever, confident attacker, perhaps even a bit arrogant, often feels bored if no one knows what they've done.
"So, they leave clues like this to taunt me."
"Who was the first victim, then?" William asked.
"A very good question, but one we can't answer," Dumbledore sighed.
"That's the tricky part. Don't forget, Filch's chest wound healed quickly.
"This suggests that even if there was a first victim, unless they come forward, we may never know who they are."
Dumbledore crossed his hands and continued, "You asked if there was evidence, this is it. The attacker left a number, indicating that they've already decided how many times they'll strike.
"As for how many times…"
William blurted out, "Seven?"
Dumbledore's eyebrow arched meaningfully. "Why do you think it's seven?"
"… Seven is the most magical number. Professor Vector did a numerology reading for me and mentioned that danger could strike seven times."
William quickly recounted what had happened during his Arithmancy class.
After listening, Dumbledore said, "Arithmancy seems more intricate than I imagined. I've never taken the class myself, but I believe Professor Vector may be correct."
"Merlin's beard!" Armando Dippet's portrait exclaimed, "Seven times! Isn't attacking a student once enough? Seven times…"
The other headmasters in their portraits began to mutter angrily, clearly upset.
"Though this kind of attack is sinister, I believe we still have time," Dumbledore said calmly.
"Until the seventh person is attacked, everyone is relatively safe."
"Harry?!" William suddenly asked.
"Indeed." Dumbledore nodded approvingly. "I believe the attacker's ultimate target is Harry. But they don't want to kill him outright, they want to toy with him, like a hunter playing with their prey."
William drew a sharp breath as he realized what Dumbledore meant.
The attacker had controlled Filch to accuse Harry, this wasn't random.
In other words, every subsequent victim would also point their fingers at Harry.
What would happen if every student in Hogwarts believed Harry was the attacker?
Never mind the bullying, by the seventh attack, the attacker wouldn't even need to lift a finger. A little nudge, and the students would riot.
First, they would destroy his reputation and make him the sole scapegoat. Then, they'd use the weight of public opinion to crush him.
Killing the body alone wasn't enough, this was a plan to destroy Harry's very soul!