"However, as Harry said, this Parkinson is indeed suspicious enough," Principal Fitzgerald pondered for a moment before speaking. "I'm more inclined towards one possibility: she stood out intentionally to be easily defeated by Miss Granger due to an internal investigation within Slytherin, thus completely clearing herself of suspicion."
"Then why would she reveal such means?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"Because mixing truth with lies makes it more convincing, Harry," Vivi smiled and agreed with Principal Fitzgerald. "Perhaps the internal investigation within Slytherin had already pointed to this Miss Parkinson, prompting her to put on such a mixed act—perhaps it was even advised by that Voldemort. Based on how you and I describe Voldemort, he is indeed such... an oddly-minded person."
An oddly-minded person?
Harry pondered for a moment. It wasn't entirely inaccurate, considering who would ever make so many Horcruxes?
But then again, was it really that Melop version of Tom who did it?
In his impression, this young version of Tom, the boy-girl, seemed much more brainy than the noseless Voldemort, not someone who would pull off such a stunt.
If it were that Tom, he would likely be lurking in the school causing trouble, rather than blatantly sending a basilisk for open attacks.
"So I suggest you should discuss this with Dumbledore," Vivi concluded. "After all, as the headmaster, he does have certain powers—at least enough to examine a particular student—and you, Harry, being only a second-year student, do not have such authority."
"I understand, Vivi." Harry acknowledged Vivi's words.
He thought for a moment and then said to Vivi, "I came up with two methods a few days ago..."
"What methods?" Vivi asked.
"The first method is to find the Secret Chamber and eliminate the basilisk... I think the benefit of doing this is that it can quickly extinguish the threat within Hogwarts... But the downside is obvious, with Voldemort discovering the basilisk dead, he'll certainly continue lurking, secretly causing trouble."
"The second method is to lure the snake out, making the hidden Voldemort believe that Dumbledore has left the campus and lifted the lockdown—but the downside is that I'm worried Voldemort might use the basilisk to wreak havoc..."
Vivi thought briefly, then raised her head with a smile and asked, "So, why don't you combine these two plans?"
"Eh?" Harry was stunned. Could these two methods... be combined?
"I'm saying you could first impose stricter control on Slytherin," Vivi said. "If you can quickly find the basilisk and kill it, you can make Voldemort believe Dumbledore has left the campus before he realizes it, and then you and the professors can hide at the entrance of the Secret Chamber, waiting for the student under Voldemort's control to enter the Secret Chamber…"
"This method is indeed good." Harry nodded hesitantly. "But the problem is, we don't even know where the Secret Chamber is now—perhaps just as Professor Bin said, the Secret Chamber might be nothing more than an elusive legend."
"Professor Bin is just a ghost playing dumb—" Professor Luke Wood suddenly commented sharply, his chubby face full of disdain for Professor Bin: "Watch, he knows everything; he just doesn't want to say it—because he finds it troublesome."
"Is that true?" Harry asked in confusion.
Professor Luke Wood snorted and didn't reply.
"Perhaps Professor Bin really doesn't know about this, after all, he has no reason to hide it, Voldemort isn't some relative of his," Professor Lachham mused for a moment and then said, "So Harry, have you learned about the Secret Chamber from anywhere else?"
"It's said the Secret Chamber was opened fifty years ago," Harry replied.
"Said?" Vivi frowned, "I don't want hearsay, I want a definitive answer—was the Secret Chamber actually opened fifty years ago?"
"I've seen Professor Dumbledore's memories in the Meditation Basin," Harry answered quickly. "In those memories from fifty years ago, when Amendo Dipet was headmaster, the Secret Chamber was indeed opened. The mastermind was Tom Riddle, which also led to the death of a student named Tao Jin Niang Elizabeth Warren—after which he framed Hagrid, accusing him of causing Warren's death with the Eight-eyed Giant Spider he was raising in the school."
"I must say," Professor Luke Wood suddenly remarked sharply, "even if it wasn't Hagrid's Eight-eyed Giant Spider that killed 'Elizabeth Warren,' that Eight-eyed Giant Spider is not something that should be raised in a school—Heavens, has Hogwarts gone so wild? Allowing students to raise such terrifying creatures as the Eight-eyed Giant Spider in school?"
"What else can I say, Professor?" Harry answered helplessly.
"Hmm..." Vivi pondered for a moment before asking Harry, "Then do you know where Elizabeth Warren's body was discovered?"
"I don't know," Harry shrugged, "that detail wasn't mentioned, but even if I knew, what good would it do? Perhaps Tom moved Tao Jin Niang's body elsewhere as well."
"I think you should ask Dumbledore," Principal Fitzgerald suggested, "after all, he was a firsthand witness to the event. If he doesn't know, the difficulty of finding the Secret Chamber will increase—unless you can use the Resurrection Stone to locate Tao Jin Niang's spirit, otherwise, this is your only option."