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Harry nervously watched the thoughtful Amostas, his hands on his knees tightly gripping his robes. The courage he had so painstakingly mustered vanished the moment he asked the question.
What would Mr. Brain say?
Deep down, Harry thought this investigator, who felt very unusual to interact with, wouldn't readily believe the school rumors. But what if he couldn't withstand the pressure from the school board and desperately needed to produce a culprit...?
"If you're asking for my personal opinion, Potter—"
Amostas began to speak, and Harry's tightly clenched fists turned white at the knuckles.
"I personally believe you are not the culprit who opened the Chamber of Secrets, Mr. Potter."
Harry's eyes widened instantly. His heart in his chest pounded as effortlessly and joyfully as the first time he rode a flying broomstick, soaring through thin, cold clouds. Even the somewhat dim office suddenly became bright and spacious.
"But why, sir?"
Still, Harry subconsciously pressed on, "My Parseltongue... because of that, they... I mean, people all know that Salazar Slytherin himself was the most famous Parseltongue speaker."
Amostas chuckled. He secretly glanced at Harry's scar, a relaxed expression on his face.
"What does Parseltongue represent, Mr. Potter? In the thousand years from Salazar Slytherin's era to now, there have been at least dozens of Parseltongue speakers recorded in the wizarding world. I can't possibly conclude that you have some unclear relationship with the great founder of Slytherin House just because of that—"
Looking at Harry's brightening expression, Amostas teased playfully,
"And there are many other facts I cannot ignore. For example, I can't understand why Salazar Slytherin would choose an heir from Gryffindor House if he were to pick one.
"Another example: how could Harry Potter, 'the Boy Who Lived,' who defeated the most evil dark wizard in history at the age of one, saving the people of the British wizarding world from despair, fear, and the shadow of death, and who is considered a favored student by the greatest and wisest wizard of our time—Albus Dumbledore—attack his own classmates at school?"
Harry grinned. He found that he was starting to like this Mr. Amostas Brain.
Since entering the wizarding world, many had made a big deal out of his defeat of Voldemort. Some worshiped him, while others saw him as just a publicity-seeking little wizard. Some loathed him, others were indifferent. But no matter the attitude, Harry always felt heavy pressure when the topic came up.
Only Mr. Brain was an exception. You could hear a completely non-malicious and respectful teasing in his tone, as if he was simply discussing an interesting little curse.
To be honest, before meeting Mr. Brain, Harry had never expected to have such a pleasant conversation with a wizard from Slytherin House.
"—If you are worried because of that notice I posted, Mr. Potter, you really don't have to be."
Amostas got up and walked to the fireplace, refilling his cup with strong tea. Seeing that Harry's tea hadn't been touched at all, he didn't try to be overly considerate. The sky outside the window had turned completely dark, and now, only the light from Hagrid's hut remained in the Forbidden Forest.
"From beginning to end, I never expected to get any useful information from people's denunciations."
Amostas leaned against the fireplace. Harry had to twist his body to see him. Before he could ask, Mr. Brain began to explain himself.
"To be frank, previously, I thought that as soon as the news of me, an investigator, entering Hogwarts to investigate the Chamber of Secrets spread, the person acting in the shadows would inevitably react in some way. Because someone who dares to stir up trouble under Dumbledore's nose is unlikely to tolerate an unknown investigator dispatched by the meddling school board, do you understand what I mean, Mr. Potter?"
Harry frowned and thought carefully, then his brows relaxed, and he nodded.
Mr. Brain's meaning was probably that if Slytherin's heir didn't respond to the investigator's presence, people would likely believe he was intimidated by the investigator's name. As someone who dared to launch two attacks on young wizards while Headmaster Dumbledore was on high alert, he was unlikely to tolerate such 'insult.'
Amostas blinked contentedly and continued,
"I thought he might be eager to act again, and that way I could catch him off guard."
Staying in the office all day, not even patrolling, how can you catch anyone off guard? Harry secretly rolled his eyes.
"—The ideal situation would be for the attacker to directly seek me out to prove his abilities. In that case, I could eliminate him and claim the reward... Ahem, I mean, put an end to the terror."
Amostas subtly showed annoyance.
"But I didn't expect him to be much more cautious than I imagined. I've been monitoring the castle for a week, but I haven't found anything unusual. This makes me a little anxious, so I had to take some action to provoke that patient infiltrator."
Harry understood. Mr. Brain's act of posting the notice was merely a test. He hoped the heir would see the notice as a provocation, thereby continuing his great work as Slytherin's heir.
Understanding this, Harry felt incredibly relieved!
Since Mr. Brain believed he was innocent, then the school rumors would lose at least half of their destructive power on him, because his biggest worry was that Mr. Brain would believe the rumors.
"Since that's the case,"
Harry stood up excitedly, "Mr. Brain, if you don't believe I did all this, then, could you please... I mean, perhaps you could issue another notice to explain to everyone..."
"Explain that you're innocent?" Amostas smiled. "Is that your purpose for coming to me, Mr. Potter? Heh heh, I thought you, like Filch, were also here to report someone."
Harry was greatly embarrassed. He had anticipated that his request would not be granted, but he still braced himself and continued,
"You must already know that because of Parseltongue, the young wizards have all concluded that I attacked Colin, Finnegan, and Mrs. Norris. Wherever I go, everyone... In short,"
Harry couldn't continue, because he had already seen Mr. Brain's smile fade, and he was shaking his head.
"I understand your current difficult situation, Mr. Potter, but I cannot grant your request."
Amostas's tone was calm. He didn't make an exception because the person in front of him was the protagonist, or because he was linked to the mysterious memory fragment that he hadn't yet processed.
"Just as I wouldn't conclude you're the attacker based on rumors, I also cannot tell everyone that you are definitely not suspicious without undeniable evidence. That would be irresponsible, Mr. Potter. I hope you can understand me."
Amostas's deep gaze carried an indescribable pressure, preventing Harry from continuing his request. And then, Mr. Brain's words made Harry tense up again,
"Furthermore, there are some things you do need to provide a reasonable explanation for. For example, that night of Halloween last year, I mean, when the first attack occurred, the reason you, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger appeared in the third-floor corridor after the Deathday Party is indeed very puzzling—"
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