vncnus Chapter 104 Exploring the Caves: Harry, the Three Musketeers
Chapter 104 Exploring the Caves: Harry, the Three Musketeers
Chapter 105 Exploring the Cave: Harry and His Two Friends
Upon hearing the house-elf's words, Lucius flew into a rage, wishing he could stuff the elf's pointed ears into the oven and roast them.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Who dares to expel my son?!"
Harry sneered, "It was me who did it, so what?"
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore felt a headache coming on again. He took a sip of the potion and said, "Harry, expelling a student is a very serious matter."
"You should know that in the past fifty years, only Hagrid has been expelled."
Snape scoffed, "Ha, you don't have to be so conservative, Dumbledore."
"Mr. Potter didn't just expel one student; haven't you noticed that the Slytherin Serpent no longer favors these students lying on the ground?"
Dumbledore was stunned for a moment, stared intently for a moment, and then felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and a sharp pain in his heart.
How many students did he actually expel?
Have any students been expelled from Hogwarts in its thousands of years as many as he expelled in one night?
Fearing that Harry would expel all the Slytherin students, Dumbledore hurriedly asked Snape, "Severus, where are the other Slytherin students?"
"They were given sleeping pills and then put under a sleeping spell after they went to bed. I've already sent Lockhart to wake them up."
Harry gestured to the group of people on the floor of the lounge, gripped his knife hilt, and said to Snape, "If the professor is having trouble multitasking, it's understandable that some of these little birds have gotten away."
"But now they've let Draco, the culprit, go free. Was it intentional or unintentional?"
Snape did not respond, but simply rolled up his sleeve, revealing dozens of crooked, bloody scars on his forearm, which formed a sentence on their own.
Come to the Chamber of Secrets and meet me, Harry.
Lucius's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. "This was Draco's?"
"No, it's the Dark Lord."
Snape pulled his sleeves back and said coldly, "He has already taken over Draco's body, and he's using these idiots on the ground as leverage, saying that he also has followers in the other three houses. I have no choice but to let him go."
Lucius suddenly felt as if his bones were being pulled out of his body; his limbs and bones became unresponsive, and he collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless, like a lump of mud, unable to struggle any longer.
Fudge muttered to himself, going through all thirty-six possible guesses, but stubbornly refused to utter the name "mysterious man," saying it was just an ordinary black magic item incident.
"How about it, Lucius?" Snape sneered. "I bet you didn't expect your precious son to be bewitched before you got that thing to Hogwarts, did you?"
"...I don't understand what you're saying."
"Let me handle this." Scrimgeour took a breath. "If... it really is Mysterio, then it's definitely not something Mr. Potter can handle."
"Don't jump to conclusions, Scrimgeour. None of us have ever seen the true form of that dark magic artifact!"
Ignoring Fudge's words, Scrimgeour looked at Harry and said, "Mr. Potter, please tell me where the Chamber of Secrets is."
Harry shook his head repeatedly, cupped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "You don't know, my friend. The more extravagant and secretive a person is, the less likely they are to go to this secret chamber."
As everyone knows, Voldemort commanded the Basilisk to roam the school, only petrifying students and not killing them, because he wanted to devour their magical power.
The same method was used on the students of the Serpent's Den. First, they were taught to cultivate abundant magical power and grow strong and healthy. When the time came, they were skinned, bones removed, marrow extracted, and essence drained from each of them before being disposed of.
This fellow has consumed the energy of dozens of people over several months, and has long since recovered much of his strength. If a hero like Scrimgeour were to go, he would likely become his prey.
As soon as he finished speaking, Scrimgeour was astonished. He had lived for decades, yet he had never heard of absorbing the magic of others.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Lucius struggled to his feet. "You must save Draco!"
Snape took a vial of potion from his robes and poured it on his wound, saying to himself, "Ah, Lucius, then you're probably going to be disappointed."
"Before leaving, the Dark Lord gave some special instructions, saying that he did not wish to see any professors, especially Dumbledore."
"Between all the students at Hogwarts and your precious son, I think anyone knows how to choose."
"Then let me go!"
Lucius suddenly turned his head, his blood-red eyes staring straight at Harry. "Mr. Potter, I'm willing to go with you to the Chamber of Secrets to see the Dark Lord."
Harry thought to himself: "The enemy is in the shadows while I am in the light. That cunning Voldemort must have already set a trap in that secret room, waiting for you to fall in."
If I were to venture in alone, I would surely be killed. I need to find a scapegoat to scout ahead, so that even if the deadly curse comes flying, it can at least block a few blows.
Having made up his mind, Harry immediately put on a smile, helped Lucius up with both hands, and said, "He is truly a loving father. With such a deep love for his son, it would seem heartless of me not to grant his request."
"Oh, thank you, Mr. Potter—when shall we depart?"
"That's not urgent. I need to find another one."
Seeing that Harry was headed toward the Chamber of Secrets, Snape knew that persuasion was useless, so he simply took two vials of potions from his robes and threw them at him.
"A potion that allows you to see through things. After drinking it, you can see the outlines of living creatures even with your eyes closed. It's especially effective against basilisks."
As the ancients said, "Listen to their words and observe their actions." Snape, who usually spews vicious words, is now offering timely help at this crucial moment, like lighting a fire in the dark, warming people's hearts.
Harry accepted the potion, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said solemnly, "Harry thanks the professor. I will repay this kindness in the future."
Snape's face twitched, and he looked away, shouting, "I didn't give it to you for free!"
Just then, a figure suddenly darted out of the corridor leading to the dormitory and exclaimed triumphantly, "Severus, I've settled the children in."
"Oh, don't blame me for taking so long; they insisted on hearing why I resigned. You know, I find it hardest to refuse these little wizards..."
The frivolous man emerged from the shadows, revealing his face; it was Lockhart, the very man Snape had summoned to help him.
Harry was delighted when he saw this.
This fellow's arrival was truly opportune; he was destined to be bait for that snake monster!
He jumped forward and called out, "Professor, would you like to go with me to a nice place?"
Lockhart's heart skipped a beat when he saw Harry, and he hastily took a step back. Then, as he began reciting the timeless bestseller, he couldn't help but take two steps forward.
"Uh, good evening, Harry. Where do you want me to go with you?"
"That is the secret chamber."
"Wait! What are we going there for?" Lockhart's face turned pale, and he retreated repeatedly. "No, why should I go there?"
Harry grabbed him by the collar and hissed, "You charlatan, you think you can live a peaceful life? Today is the perfect day for you to be skinned alive and forced to pay for your debt!"
Harry is no ordinary man; evil lurks in the Chamber of Secrets, and he cannot be confronted alone. Lockhart, a figure of great prestige and empty fame, deserves to pay for his sins. His past debts remain unpaid, his spirit trembles; today, he speaks of vanquishing evil in the snake's den. To find out what happens next, please listen to the next chapter.
(End of this chapter)