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As is well known at Hogwarts, if a secret is known by more than one student or professor, then depending on the sensational nature of the news, it will spread to the point where even Hagrid's dog, Fang, knows about it within one to three days.
That evening, Harry, who had spent the entire day on his broomstick except for bathroom breaks, and whose lunch consisted of a few beef pasties brought by Ron, also heard the astonishing news. "Mr. Blaine is going to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Is that true, Ron?"
In the common room, almost everyone was discussing it. Harry limped quickly past several cheering senior students and went straight to the sofa where they usually discussed problems. Only when he got closer did he realize that besides Ron and Neville, Seamus and Dean were also there.
"Just the professor's assistant, Harry." Ron squeezed closer to Neville, making room for the exhausted Harry. "This news first came from Hufflepuff. At first, I thought it was a joke, but on my way back from bringing you lunch, I overheard Brohe from Ravenclaw and Dupin also discussing it in the common room. They say Malfoy has already gone to Snape to confirm it." Ron frowned, looking incredulous. "Honestly, I still can't figure out how this happened!"
"But it's a good thing, isn't it?" Neville cautiously offered his opinion. When he noticed everyone looking at him, he immediately shrank his neck and his voice became hesitant. "I mean, he's an investigator. When it comes to dealing with Dark Arts, he should know more than Lockhart!"
Harry and Ron exchanged glances without speaking. In terms of teaching ability, it was hard to say, as they hadn't seen him teach yet. But in terms of dueling, judging by Lockhart's performance in dueling class last year, Lockhart, no matter how good he was at flattering, probably couldn't catch up to Mr. Blaine when he was a first-year.
At this moment, the twin brothers, who had also just entered, upon hearing this news, happily high-fived each other, warmly celebrating that their great adventure was about to set sail again. Neville seemed confused, but Harry and Ron knew what this meant. If Mr. Blaine became the assistant professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, it meant he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on his magical surveillance every night. For Fred and George, this was like seeing the light after a long struggle.
Thump! Hermione, who had walked over unexpectedly, dumped the several large books she was carrying onto the coffee table, almost breaking it. She unceremoniously squeezed next to Harry, forcing Neville, who took up the most space, to stand up.
"Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day?" Ron asked, frowning at Hermione, who seemed to be in a very good mood.
"Where else, Ron? Of course, the library. I've missed an entire month of classes; I have to make up for lost time," Hermione rolled her eyes, as if she thought Ron had asked a very foolish question. "Speaking of which, what were you all just talking about?"
"About Mr. Blaine becoming a professor's assistant," Harry said cautiously. "We're discussing why this happened. Wasn't his purpose in coming to Hogwarts to catch the Heir of Slytherin? Why is he suddenly involved with this class?"
"Perhaps he has already secretly dealt with the Heir," Seamus guessed, his eyes wide. This kind of speculation was groundless. Everyone knew that if the investigator truly resolved the Chamber of Secrets incident, the school would certainly publicize it with great fanfare.
"It's also possible he's given up that idea. Think about it, something Headmaster Dumbledore couldn't solve, how could a young wizard who appeared out of nowhere be capable of solving it? Perhaps he wants to make some money before the Headmaster kicks him out of school.
As far as I know, professors' salaries are quite generous." This equally absurd guess came from Dean. Dumbledore wasn't someone easy to fool. If Amostart Blaine truly had such a shameful plan, then Headmaster Dumbledore would surely see through it—at least, Harry thought so.
"What do you all think..." Harry was pleased to see that, at least in this circle, no one still regarded him as the Heir of Slytherin. He rubbed his numb crotch, hesitantly guessing, mainly afraid that his opinion would anger Hermione. "I've dealt with Mr. Blaine once before. He's a powerful wizard. He chose to become the professor of this class. Hmm, could it be that..."
Hiss! Aside from Hermione and Harry, everyone gasped. Ron stared at Harry in horror, muttering falteringly, "Are you saying Quirrell... but his power... oh, Harry, I remember you first heard that..."
"You overestimate his strength, Harry!" The first to object was Dean, who said sharply, "I can't see him having such ability!" Except for some die-hard fans, it was almost a consensus among young wizards that Gilderoy Lockhart was best at fabricating stories and flattering. The Heir of Slytherin was not an easy role. Ron, who had always disliked Lockhart, simply couldn't convince himself to believe Lockhart had such ability.
"...I know, it's indeed hard to believe," Harry wasn't entirely sure about his own opinion. "But what if it's just a disguise, like Quirrell? He tricked everyone at first. Otherwise, I can't figure out why Mr. Blaine would take on this hard job. He's also a Hogwarts student; there's no reason he wouldn't know that being the professor for this class usually doesn't end well. I mean, perhaps he discovered some clues, but he didn't..."
Harry couldn't continue, because his voice was stifled by Hermione's heavy cough. Everyone looked at Hermione, whose face had turned from pleasant to grim. Ron asked in surprise, "Do you have any brilliant insights, Hermione?" Hermione glared fiercely at Ron, then proudly raised her chin. "This morning, I went to Professor Lockhart's office..."
"You went to Lockhart's office?" Ron immediately interrupted Hermione. "Didn't you already get his autograph? Do you need another one?" Harry immediately kicked Ron, reminding him to shut up quickly. Whether Lockhart was a suspect or not didn't matter.
Why Hermione went to his office didn't matter. What mattered was that for the next few years, they would rely on Hermione's help to complete their Potions and History of Magic homework. If they completely angered Hermione now, they would be doomed!
Late at night, Harry lay on his soft four-poster bed, his eyes half-closed, his mind filled with the murderous voice, his Parseltongue, Dobby's warning, and Malfoy's mention of the Chamber of Secrets opening fifty years ago.
He was probably the one in this school who was most obsessed with this matter. Unless the culprit was caught and the Chamber of Secrets incident was completely resolved, he wouldn't be able to truly relax.
"...But how could that be, Harry?" Ron, lying next to him, turned over and whispered. "How could a wizard like Blaine be Lockhart's fan, becoming his assistant just to get close to Lockhart? Oh, Hermione's idea is too ridiculous. Could it be that what he wrote in his books is all true? Oh, no, I absolutely don't believe that!"
"I don't know either, Ron." Harry also turned to face the window. He gazed at the brilliant galaxy, letting the hazy sleepiness erode his consciousness. Before falling into complete slumber, Mr. Blaine's overly young face flashed before his eyes. He recalled the impressive gentle smile and the pale purple eyes on that handsome face, and mumbled, "But at least, we can have some expectations for this class."
He still had a fever.
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