Chapter 162. Going to the Chamber
At the same time, inside Wesson's office.
"You're saying there's a monster in the courtyard? And it attacked Professor Lockhart?"
Wesson took off his dragon-hide gloves, frowned, and looked at Luna.
Just now, Wesson had happened to come out of the plantation when Luna pushed the door open without even knocking, her face tight with urgency.
"Yes, I'm certain," Luna said nervously.
Wesson asked in a low voice, "Have you reported this to any other professors? Or to Professor Dumbledore?"
Luna shook her head. "I only know how to find your office, Professor Wesson."
"All right," Wesson went to the door and took down his heavy robes. "Take me there, Luna."
It had been a while since Luna wore such a plainly anxious look; she clearly wasn't joking.
Her mind might work in unusual ways, but she absolutely wasn't someone who joked at random.
As they walked along the cold corridor, Luna described to Wesson exactly what she had seen in the courtyard.
"It was a very large, black tail," Luna said, gesturing with her hands for emphasis. "About the size of the tree in the courtyard. It didn't make a sound when it moved. Professor Lockhart walked up beside it, and then he fell down."
"What about the eyes, Luna," Wesson slowed his pace so Luna could keep up. "Did you see its eyes?"
Luna shook her head. "No. When I was about to, Mimi-gugu covered my eyes."
"Mimi-gugu?"
"Yes. That's the name I gave it."
As she spoke, Luna let a length of Devil's Snare vine slip out from her sleeve.
Wesson nodded thoughtfully. It looked as though the culprit who had Petrified Lockhart in the courtyard was very likely a Basilisk.
A Basilisk's gaze would be useless against Devil's Snare—after all, Devil's Snare has no eyes.
As they reached the corridor beside the courtyard, Harry suddenly appeared in front of Wesson.
"Professor!" He looked anxious. "Lockhart…"
It seemed Harry, like Luna, had discovered Lockhart Petrified in the courtyard.
Wesson raised a hand to cut him off, signalling for calm. "I already know, Harry. Go and tell Professor Dumbledore."
Harry froze for a moment, then nodded and turned to sprint away.
Wesson went into the courtyard.
The piercing, damp wind bored through Wesson's robes—a chill that suggested a blizzard might be on its way in a few days.
He had no time to care about that. He looked around and quickly found Lockhart lying under the tree.
The panic on Lockhart's face was a touch theatrical; his mouth was slightly open as if he were saying something, both hands spread—Wesson couldn't tell what he'd been doing at the moment he was Petrified.
Perhaps… he'd been giving a speech to the air?
He reached out and touched Lockhart. The feeling was hard and unyielding.
As expected, Lockhart had been Petrified.
Fortunately, he didn't seem to have looked directly into the Basilisk's eyes—there were no signs that his life had been lost.
"Lucky…" Wesson murmured.
Then he began to search the area for clues.
There were indeed several faint drag marks on the ground, like the trail left by a great serpent as it passed; but these tracks vanished abruptly upon reaching the corridor.
Clearly, the Basilisk had already gone and hidden itself again.
Before long, hurried footsteps echoed along the corridor.
Harry arrived with Dumbledore, with Professor McGonagall following close behind.
Because Harry didn't know the password to the Headmaster's office, he had gone to Professor McGonagall first.
Dumbledore had thrown on a robe at random, his beard still uncombed; it was obvious he had rushed here.
They gathered around the Petrified Lockhart.
"Ah, Professor Wesson," Dumbledore's voice was as gentle as ever as his sharp gaze fell on Lockhart lying on the ground. "It appears something we would rather not see has happened."
He pondered a moment, then stepped forward, waved his wand over Lockhart a few times, and finally looked at Wesson, saying gravely, "It's the same magic that was used on Rai last time."
Professor McGonagall's face darkened. She clutched her shawl tight, her voice sharp. "Albus, does that mean the attacker was the monster from the Chamber of legend?"
"I'm afraid so, Minerva," said Dumbledore.
"This is absurd," Professor McGonagall drew in a breath and looked at him. "It's dangerous! We must evacuate the students at once!"
"Calm yourself, Minerva," Dumbledore's tone remained steady. "It hasn't come to that. We would do better to find the Chamber—or the culprit who attacked Lockhart—first."
Wesson stood there, lost in thought.
"Professor Wesson," Dumbledore suddenly turned to him. "Do you have any leads regarding the Chamber?"
Wesson came back from his reverie.
"Roughly…" he said, "I know where the Chamber is."
Professor McGonagall and Harry looked up at him almost at the same time.
"Take us there," Dumbledore ordered simply, his expression still calm.
In truth, Wesson hadn't wanted to reveal the Chamber's location so soon.
Doing so would surely alert the "Heir" behind the scenes.
The Basilisk wasn't the point. The "Heir" was.
He still needed the Basilisk as bait to catch the person who had released it.
That "Heir" very likely carried a fragment of Lord Voldemort or possessed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes—hence their ability to command the Basilisk.
Voldemort was Wesson's ultimate target.
But now, after weighing the pros and cons again, Wesson decided that safeguarding Hogwarts came first.
If the Basilisk continued to roam the castle, last time it had been Rai; this time it was Lockhart—who knew who it would be next?
A Basilisk's eyes really could kill.
If some innocent student were to lose their life because of it, that was a consequence he could not bear.
With Dumbledore's order given, Wesson nodded and said to the others present, "Come with me. It should be on the first floor."
At this, Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Luna and said sternly, "Mr Potter, Miss Lovegood, you will return to your respective common rooms at once."
Luna, of course, nodded obediently.
Harry opened his mouth to argue, but when he saw Professor McGonagall's taut expression, he finally just nodded. "Yes, Professor."
With Wesson and the professors here, this truly wasn't something he could take part in.
Just as Harry turned to leave, Wesson raised a hand. "Wait. Professor McGonagall, I think Mr Potter should come with us."
Professor McGonagall objected at once. "That's far too dangerous! Students absolutely must not be involved—"
"Minerva," Dumbledore clapped his hands lightly, "there will be no danger."
Seeing this, Professor McGonagall had no choice but to nod.
Wesson had his reasons for asking Harry along: he was the only one present who could open the door to the Chamber.
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