Inside the Headmaster's office, almost all the professors were gathered.
Dumbledore explained the current situation to them. "I'm truly sorry for keeping this from you all for so long… The petrifications must be the work of a Basilisk, but I haven't found the attacker yet."
"It's quite alright, Albus, we all understand. And even if you didn't explicitly say it, most of us had already guessed something was amiss," Professor Sprout said reassuringly.
"Precisely! I'd wager everyone's checked out 'A Thousand Monstrous Serpents' from the library at some point," Filius Flitwick agreed readily.
Professor Kettleburn, however, shook his head. "I certainly haven't borrowed that book. I figured it was a Basilisk the moment Pomona told me what happened."
Lockhart offered an awkward chuckle; he hadn't managed to guess it was a Basilisk himself.
Suddenly, Professor McGonagall interrupted their chattering. "Alright, alright, this isn't the time to discuss when everyone figured it out. The crucial point is that the Basilisk has reappeared."
"Minerva, look on the bright side. At least no students were harmed this time," Professor Sprout offered.
"Will we be so lucky next time?" Professor McGonagall retorted, pausing before continuing, "Albus, I propose we close Hogwarts temporarily until we find the attacker or the Basilisk."
At her words, the professors fell silent, their gazes turning to Dumbledore.
However, Dumbledore simply sat in his chair, deep in thought.
"Albus! What in Merlin's beard are you hesitating for?!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, her voice rising when Dumbledore remained silent.
"I'm waiting for Severus," Dumbledore explained calmly.
Just then, Snape pushed the door open and entered. Meeting their expectant gazes, he stated, "I've compared it. The liquid Minerva saw was likely a mixture of water and waste. Such a substance is typically found only in the sewers."
Flitwick immediately caught on. "Meaning the Basilisk moves through the castle's plumbing?"
Dumbledore looked at Professor Kettleburn. "To your knowledge, can a Basilisk live in pipes?"
"No, it can't. A Basilisk needs to shed its skin, and there's nothing rough enough in the pipes to help it do so," Professor Kettleburn stated with certainty.
"So, the Basilisk normally stays in the Chamber of Secrets and uses the pipes to move around when it's out and about," Snape mused, a frown on his face.
Dumbledore thought for a moment before saying, "In that case, perhaps we should pretend everything is normal to draw out the attacker."
"What about the Basilisk, then? Should we deal with it beforehand?" Snape asked, his eyes practically gleaming at the thought of the valuable potion ingredients a Basilisk could provide.
"We mustn't scare it off. Simply hang enchanted canvases over the exits of all the sewers, like in the bathrooms and washrooms, to keep an eye on the Basilisk," Dumbledore instructed.
"Albus, you still don't want to close the school?" Professor McGonagall pressed, her tone sharp.
Dumbledore hesitated, then nodded.
"Minerva, trust Albus. He surely has his reasons," Flitwick interjected, trying to soothe Professor McGonagall, who looked as though she was about to erupt.
"Thank you for your faith, Filius," Dumbledore said gratefully.
Finally, Professor Sprout couldn't resist asking, "Albus, are you certain the Chamber of Secrets truly exists?"
"I am, Pomona. I simply haven't found its entrance yet."
Even hearing Dumbledore's confirmation directly, Professor Sprout still found it difficult to believe that Slytherin had actually left behind a Chamber of Secrets to purge Muggle-born wizards.
"Alright, alright. I'll keep a close eye on my Hufflepuffs, then. After all, everyone knows Hufflepuff has the most Muggle-born witches and wizards," Professor Sprout said with a wry smile.
"I'll help you with that," Flitwick offered enthusiastically.
"No wonder I couldn't find the culprit; it was in the Chamber all along," a portrait hanging on the wall suddenly piped up.
"This is Armando Dippet, a former Headmaster of Hogwarts," Dumbledore introduced to the gathered professors.
"It seems I wrongly accused that boy back then, as a half-giant could never be the Heir of Slytherin," Armando Dippet said with regret.
"I'm sure he doesn't hold it against you," Dumbledore said soothingly.
"Really? Because of me, his wand was snapped by the Ministry of Magic," Armando Dippet said, sounding doubtful.
"Ahem! He… he found other ways to cast spells," Dumbledore said vaguely.
Armando Dippet fell silent for a moment, then continued, "Albus, you must find the Chamber and destroy it. You can't leave this problem for the next Headmaster."
"I will," Dumbledore promised.
By this time, Professor McGonagall had calmed down. She said, "Are we just going to do nothing, then? The students could be attacked at any moment, and we can't keep an eye on every single one of them! And many of them can't even cast a proper defensive spell!"
Hearing Professor McGonagall's words, everyone's gaze drifted to Lockhart, as he was the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
Lockhart simply offered an awkward smile, pretending not to have heard Professor McGonagall's comment.
Dumbledore thought for a while, then hesitantly began, "Perhaps… we could restart the Dueling Club?"
"That's an excellent idea! Many fifth and seventh years are always badgering me about casting defensive spells in private, leaving me no time to myself!" Flitwick was the first to agree enthusiastically.
"Why not simply allow yours truly to take over the Defence Against the Dark Arts position directly?" Snape interjected.
Lockhart immediately looked overjoyed, eagerly expressing his full support for Snape to take his place.
"Severus, I can't find another Potions Master on such short notice," Dumbledore said, rejecting Snape's proposal.
Then, Dumbledore looked at Lockhart and said in an unmistakable tone, "Gilderoy, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the end of this term to leave. And the Dueling Club will require you to lead it."
Professor McGonagall looked as though she'd misheard him. Dumbledore was actually going to let Lockhart be in charge of the Dueling Club? How would that be any different from his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes?
"Albus, I think—" Professor McGonagall began, unable to hold back.
"Severus and Filius will be busy ensuring the safety of their respective house students; they simply won't have enough time," Dumbledore explained.
"Then why can't it be you?" Professor McGonagall challenged.
"I'm afraid Cornelius wouldn't be pleased with me personally teaching so many students," Dumbledore said with a wry smile, referring to the Minister of Magic.
Seeing that Professor McGonagall still wanted to argue, Dumbledore quickly added, "Not all students are willing to join a Dueling Club, but Gilderoy… Gilderoy can use his charm to get all the students involved."
Professor McGonagall thought of the students in class who barely paid attention to spell-casting and grudgingly accepted Dumbledore's reasoning.
"Even so, Lockhart will still need assistance from other professors," Professor McGonagall insisted, now unwilling to even call him Gilderoy.
Flitwick quickly volunteered, "While I haven't dueled in decades, I was a Dueling Champion, after all!" Flitwick said confidently.
Snape also wanted to step forward, but Dumbledore gave him a look that clearly said, "Patience."
Just then, Lockhart suddenly said, "Can I decline? I have a prior engagement—"
"Gilderoy, if you can get all the students to join the Dueling Club, then I can overlook your 'prior engagement'," Dumbledore said with a smile.
However, Lockhart saw no humour in Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes.
"Alright, alright, I understand," Lockhart said, his voice trembling.
After parting ways with the other professors, Snape returned to the Headmaster's office.
"Dumbledore, what do you want me to do?" Snape asked directly.
"Severus, I need you to start brewing the Mandrake Restorative Draught ahead of schedule. I've managed to acquire some mature Mandrakes from a friend."
"But you previously forbade me from buying ingredients from outside," Snape asked, puzzled.
Dumbledore simply smiled, offering no explanation.
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