Gilderoy Lockhart had barely slept a wink. The moment dawn broke, he practically sprinted towards the Headmaster's office. As he went, he was carefully planning what to say to Dumbledore to avoid raising any suspicions.
Thud!
It sounded like something heavy had fallen on a stairwell landing. Lockhart immediately froze, on high alert.
I remember Dumbledore saying the attacker in the castle was some kind of magical creature... Surely I'm not unlucky enough to stumble right into it, am I? Lockhart thought, trembling slightly. But he wasn't about to turn back just yet. He pricked up his ears, trying to catch any sound carried on the air ahead.
He thought he heard some kind of creature slithering along the floor. The sound was getting closer. Lockhart immediately spun around and fled. Years of con artistry had taught him one valuable lesson: curiosity can truly be the death of you.
Soon, a colossal dark shadow appeared where Lockhart had just been standing. The shadow had a pair of enormous yellow eyes, almost as big as lamps. It let out a hiss, as if communicating with someone, then slowly slithered away.
Lockhart initially kept his composure, but as soon as he reached the next floor down, he broke into a frantic sprint.
"Professor Lockhart?" a sudden female voice called out.
"Aah!"
Lockhart instinctively shrieked, fumbling to pull out his wand. "Don't come any closer! I'm a most formidable demon-hunter! I warn you—" Lockhart yelled, eyes squeezed shut.
Professor McGonagall watched Lockhart's comical display with a frown. She didn't understand what was happening, but it was clear Lockhart was utterly terrified.
"Put down your wand, Gilderoy, it's me." Professor McGonagall tried to calm him.
Lockhart found the voice familiar. He bravely opened his eyes just a crack to peek. Oh, it was just Professor McGonagall! Lockhart immediately sighed with relief. But then he remembered something else and quickly ducked behind McGonagall.
"Minerva, he's just upstairs!" Lockhart shrieked, nearly deafening McGonagall.
"Gilderoy, calm down! What on earth is upstairs?"
"The attacker! He's right up there! I heard him—"
McGonagall immediately pulled out her wand, cast a charm on her eyes, and cautiously peered up the staircase. But she saw nothing.
"Gilderoy, are you certain the attacker is upstairs?" McGonagall asked, double-checking, clearly uneasy.
"I am absolutely, positively certain! I heard something slithering on the floor! Just like a snake!"
At this, McGonagall's heart leaped. Albus had only told her and Severus about the attacker being a Basilisk. The other professors might have suspected something, but they weren't certain. Yet now, Lockhart had accurately described something slithering, which made McGonagall completely believe him.
McGonagall asked, her words tumbling out quickly, "Have any students been harmed?"
"What?" Lockhart said, looking bewildered.
"I asked, did you see any students harmed?" McGonagall had to slow her speech and repeat the question.
"I don't know, I ran down as soon as I heard the sound," Lockhart said, shaking his head.
Seeing Lockhart clueless to every question, McGonagall nearly laughed with exasperation. She simply couldn't believe someone like him was a professor at Hogwarts, only caring about his own escape in the face of danger, not at all concerned if students had been hurt. While Snape had privately called Lockhart useless more than once, McGonagall always defended him when Snape was present.
"Severus, Gilderoy might have been traumatized during his adventures, which is why..."
But now, McGonagall wholeheartedly agreed with Snape's assessment.
"Minerva, you always think the best of people. Lockhart is just a big bag of hot air..."
McGonagall shook her head, banishing the irrelevant thoughts. She decided to go up and check the situation herself. Even if there was danger, she had to quickly confirm whether any students had been attacked, because not every attacked student was lucky enough to be unharmed.
With that thought, McGonagall instructed Lockhart, "You go and notify the other professors. I need to go up and see if there are any students there."
"How about this, we go notify the professors together, and then—" Lockhart suggested, clearly not wanting to be alone.
McGonagall ignored Lockhart's plea. She simply conjured her Patronus to notify Dumbledore, then walked up the stairs herself. Lockhart stood there, watching McGonagall ascend, then pouted and walked in the opposite direction.
Notify professors? Whoever wants to go can go. I'm just going back to my office. If McGonagall wants to get herself killed, then... Lockhart thought indignantly.
Suddenly, a clanking sound came from a suit of armour ahead, making Lockhart jump. "Who's there?" Lockhart stammered, trembling.
"Meow~"
Mrs. Norris emerged from the armour, giving Lockhart a disdainful look before hopping away.
Lockhart stood in the empty corridor, feeling an inexplicable shiver run down his spine. He now felt like the attacker could appear anywhere.
I'd better stick with Minerva. At least she's a powerful witch; it's much safer than being alone. Thinking this, Lockhart quickly headed upstairs.
Hearing footsteps behind her, McGonagall immediately turned around, wand raised, on alert. Seeing the wand pointed at him, Lockhart instantly put his hands up.
"Why are you here?" McGonagall asked, frowning.
"Minerva, I thought about it, and I simply couldn't let you face the danger alone. After all, I am a demon-hunter," Lockhart explained with a sheepish grin.
McGonagall sighed, lowering her wand. She guessed Lockhart was just scared and had followed her.
As they continued up the stairs, a sticky liquid gradually began to appear. "This is where I heard the commotion," Lockhart whispered as a reminder.
McGonagall narrowed her eyes, tracing the liquid's trail, carefully following it. They didn't find any signs of harm to students along the way. The liquid trail disappeared at a lavatory.
Thump, thump, thump.
McGonagall immediately raised her wand, pointing it towards the source of the sound. A moment later, Dumbledore's figure appeared.
McGonagall and Lockhart both let out a collective sigh of relief. Lockhart immediately abandoned McGonagall and scurried over to Dumbledore's side.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, you're finally here..." Lockhart said enthusiastically.
But Dumbledore ignored him, asking sternly, "Minerva, is this it?"
Seeing McGonagall nod, Dumbledore pulled out his wand, pushed open the lavatory door, and walked inside. There was nothing there but water stains on the floor.
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