Dumbledore felt a headache coming on. Fifty years ago, when he was still a Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened once before. The monster within the Chamber escaped and began its attacks.
During that incident, a young witch named Myrtle Warren lost her life, and the attacks continued to escalate.
Fortunately, no one else was killed after that, but the frequency of the attacks brought Hogwarts to the brink of closure.
The crisis was finally resolved when a young wizard provided evidence and clues to then-Headmaster Armando Dippet, leading to the identification of the so-called "culprit."
Hagrid.
The young wizard accused Hagrid of secretly raising a monster and using it to attack Muggle-born students at Hogwarts. He even presented substantial evidence directly implicating Hagrid as the mastermind.
And indeed, the monster Hagrid was raising existed.
It was none other than Aragog, the current leader of the Acromantula colony in the Forbidden Forest.
The kind-hearted and simple Hagrid was rendered speechless in the face of the accusations and evidence. The headmaster at the time believed the young wizard's claims and expelled Hagrid.
That young wizard was none other than Tom Riddle.
For his actions, young Riddle was awarded the Special Award for Services to the School, and his trophy still resides in the Trophy Room to this day.
At the time, nearly all the professors accepted this conclusion, believing the Chamber of Secrets would remain sealed and the monster would no longer pose a threat.
But Dumbledore did not think so. He never trusted Tom Riddle's version of events, even though Riddle was a student he had personally brought to Hogwarts.
In the years that followed, Dumbledore kept a close watch on Tom. However, the Chamber of Secrets remained undisturbed, and the matter eventually faded into obscurity.
Now, fifty years later, the Chamber had been opened again. The deadly monster within had reappeared, and Dumbledore had finally learned the creature's true identity from Glenn.
A basilisk.
This confirmed Dumbledore's suspicions: Hagrid was never the real culprit.
The person controlling the basilisk to attack students was someone else entirely.
And that person was most likely Tom Riddle, the same boy who had falsely accused Hagrid. His current identity as Voldemort and his goals only further validated this theory.
The reopening of the Chamber now was undoubtedly a contingency left behind by young Tom. He intended to use the basilisk to continue the attacks from fifty years ago.
Thoughts raced through Dumbledore's mind, and his headache worsened.
Fortunately, now that he knew the identity of the monster, he could ensure the safety of the professors and students. However, he could not allow Tom's contingency plan to wreak havoc at Hogwarts unchecked…
This was an opportunity—a chance to train Harry.
Dumbledore rubbed his temples, his piercing blue eyes glinting with determination.
As for Glenn and Hermione?
"Those two will naturally keep moving toward the truth without my guidance," Dumbledore thought.
Under his watchful protection, this crisis would merely serve as an experience booster for them.
Dumbledore hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to assist Glenn and Hermione directly.
After all, comparing Glenn and Hermione to Harry and Ron, the former duo was undoubtedly far stronger than the latter.
The former were prodigies who constantly strove to grow stronger, while the latter were destined, as per prophecy, to defeat Voldemort.
"Sigh… Let's see which side solves this first," Dumbledore mused, his mental scales tipping ever so slightly toward one side.
Even if the gap between the two sides remained significant.
---
The next morning, Glenn was already seated at the Gryffindor table, waiting for Hermione to arrive.
"Good morning, Glenn—yawn," Hermione greeted, her face adorned with dark circles as she yawned and sat down beside him.
Glenn frowned. Had the little girl stayed up all night?
"I haven't memorized Hogwarts: A History completely yet, so I kept flipping through it over and over. But the information about the Chamber of Secrets is sparse—practically nonexistent," Hermione reported, oblivious to Glenn's disapproval. She plopped down in her seat, rubbed her eyes, and shared her progress on researching the Chamber.
To work more efficiently, the two had divided their tasks. Hermione had taken on the responsibility of researching the Chamber of Secrets, while Glenn focused on information about the basilisk.
Glenn extended his hand.
"Give me Hogwarts: A History," he said.
Hermione, still groggy, handed over the book without question.
"Confiscated."
Glenn coldly took the book and put it away.
"?!"
Hearing that her beloved book had been confiscated, the sleepy Hermione instantly snapped awake.
"No, you can't do that! Please don't!" she exclaimed, reaching out to grab the black ring on Glenn's left hand. "Without Hogwarts: A History, I'll die!"
This time, Glenn didn't indulge her. He raised his hand to hold Hermione back by her forehead.
"No. If I give it back to you, you'll just stay up all night again," Glenn stated firmly, making it clear he disapproved of her late-night habits.
Glenn's right hand engaged in a tug-of-war with the Hermione-shaped missile.
"Ahhh! I hate you! I hate you, hate you, hate you!" Hermione, unable to reach Glenn's left hand, grew increasingly frustrated. Her fluffy head transformed into a five-speed fan, spinning furiously in Glenn's right hand as she pouted and whined.
"Here's the deal: I'll give you Hogwarts: A History during the day, but at night, when you return to your dormitory, you have to leave it with me for safekeeping," Glenn relented slightly under Hermione's relentless attack. "Can you do that?"
The Hermione fan stopped spinning, and she muttered under her breath, "Tch…"
"Hmm?"
"Fine~ I promise you~" she replied sweetly, though her tone carried a hint of reluctance.
"Good." Only then did Glenn retrieve Hogwarts: A History and hand it back to her. Hermione, as if receiving a treasure, hugged the book tightly and stuck her tongue out at Glenn.
"Hmph, when he asks for it tonight, I'll just sneak away!" Hermione thought mischievously.
"When I ask for it tonight, don't even think about sneaking away," Glenn warned, seeing through her plan instantly.
"Uh, I wouldn't do that," Hermione replied, her expression stiffening as a hint of guilt crept into her voice.
Glenn said nothing more. He didn't need Legilimency to know what Hermione was thinking.
That little girl was definitely planning to sneak away tonight!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
"9 amazing fanfics available on my Patreon.
Support for 350 + advance chapters:
patreon.com/DarkGolds"