Chapter 126 My Summer Vacation? Traveling, visiting relatives, raising animals—it's quite fulfilling!
Even though Harry's speech was somewhat disjointed, Dumbledore didn't interrupt or ask any questions.
He just listened kindly, which made Harry feel less and less pressured.
It seemed that Professor Dumbledore didn't suspect them.
"A house-elf named Dobby said this matter concerns Voldemort and a Hogwarts student, is that right?" Dumbledore inquired confirmingly. "But he didn't give a specific name, and he would punish himself from time to time while explaining."
"Yes, Professor—" Harry tensed up immediately. "Do you think he's lying?"
"I don't think so, Harry," Dumbledore said softly. "House-elves are bound by magic; they cannot disobey their masters' orders, nor can they reveal their masters' secrets. That's why Dobby couldn't say anything when trying to tell you the truth and began to punish himself uncontrollably."
"That's cruel!" Hermione exclaimed, looking furious. "That's pure slavery! Why do wizards—"
She suddenly stopped, realizing she was in the Headmaster's office.
"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore…"
"There's no need to apologize for acts of justice," Dumbledore said with a smile. "People must first point out the problem before they can solve it; constantly running away only makes the mistake worse."
Hermione lowered her head, pondering Dumbledore's meaning—the topic had returned to the Chamber of Secrets.
"Now that you know there might be a secret chamber left by the founder within the school, and a possible monster, you must also be aware of the dangers it poses, right?" Dumbledore's gaze swept over the four, his voice rising slightly. "Then please allow me to offer some advice from an elder: do not attempt to search for the secret chamber or the monster within, and try to avoid nighttime outings in the near future to prevent unnecessary harm..."
Dumbledore winked at Harry,
but not at Cohen—well, that meant Cohen could go out at night.
"Alright, that's enough of the Headmaster's interruption," Dumbledore said goodbye. "Very helpful news, thank you." "But Cohen,
could you stay a moment? I have something I'd like to discuss with you—don't worry, it's not about academics or leave." *If only
it were academics or leave*
Cohen thought to himself.
Before leaving, Harry and the others gave Cohen three looks that said, "We feel sorry for you, but you'll have to bear it, we're leaving."
"What is it?" Cohen, who had also stood up, sat back down.
"How was your summer vacation?" Dumbledore asked Cohen like an ordinary old man. "I heard from Hagrid that the dragon you two raised together is thriving."
"Summer vacation?" Cohen raised his eyebrows. "It was very fulfilling. First, my dad booked me a tour, then I went to visit relatives, and then my dad and I set up a sheep farm for Norbert—though Norbert has a habit of hoarding food. One night, he dragged all three hundred-plus sheep I was raising into his burrow, which made me so angry that I didn't buy him new sheep until before school started..."
Listening to Cohen's endless description of his wonderful summer, especially the time spent with family, Dumbledore was very pleased—Cohen's life was full of love, so naturally he wouldn't...
Wait a minute.
What did he mix into all that? Visiting relatives?
"It was certainly fulfilling—excuse me, what you meant by visiting relatives earlier…" Dumbledore asked.
"Didn't you all talk to me about my background last semester?" Cohen selectively revealed some information to Dumbledore. "I found some information about that laboratory, so I took advantage of my trip to Burke Manor and met a man named Herbert Burke."
Cohen spoke with remarkable ease, and Dumbledore felt that Cohen didn't seem to have any negative feelings about it.
After all, if Cohen really had any ulterior motives, he certainly wouldn't have chosen to tell others so openly about his trip to Burke Manor.
"He said he was the father of the former 'Cohen'," Cohen looked into Dumbledore's eyes. "Although I don't remember, he was so happy to see me again. He hugged me and cried for a long time…"
"Herbert was the only survivor of that experiment," Dumbledore said. "But he didn't say a word about his role in it, silently taking the blame and remaining as a lifeguard at the ruins of Burke Manor."
"Because he felt he was indeed guilty," Cohen said. "And he felt he had let down his sister Rose—my mother. Let him do what he wants…"
"And what's your opinion, Cohen?" Dumbledore asked. "What do you think of him?"
"I can feel his love for me is real, especially when he hugged me and cried," Cohen said. "But he did do a lot of wrong things, so serving his sentence is reasonable. But the law doesn't say I can't give him a Christmas present, right?"
"Of course there's no such rule," Dumbledore chuckled. "Even prisoners in Azkaban are entitled to Christmas presents, though most people don't bother to give them any—out of curiosity, I'd like to ask what you plan to give him this year?"
"He said he wanted wool socks," Cohen replied. "I've already bought them, and I'll have my owl deliver them to him before Christmas—it's probably cold there in winter."
Dumbledore's deep blue eyes seemed to moisten slightly.
"A very nice gift, Cohen," Dumbledore said with satisfaction. "It's clear your life is quite fulfilling."
"It's just that my homework isn't quite fulfilling," Cohen complained. "I almost forgot to do my summer homework—you don't handle summer homework, do you?"
"That's not my responsibility—oh, and one last thing."
Dumbledore wiped his eyes.
"I remember Harry mentioning something about a mysterious creature breaking into your dormitory? I'd like to hear your thoughts on that, since it seems to have gotten into your bed."
Here comes the crucial point!
The basilisks' survival hinges on this.
"I felt like some kind of scaly creature," Cohen mused. "And it was cold, moved very fast, and gave me a very strange feeling…"
"What kind of feeling?" Dumbledore asked, perking up.
"Like the feeling of Herbert holding me,"
Cohen said.
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(End of Chapter)