Zhang Feng and Hermione were elected to represent Ravenclaw, Gryffindor was Ginny Weasley and her brother Fred Weasley, and Slytherin and Hufflepuff representatives Zhang Feng did not know. There were no prefects among the delegates, as the prefects had to organize the students back to their own house lounges.

"My office is closest to here, Headmaster... It's upstairs... You can..."

"Thank you, Gildero. Dumbledore said.

The silent crowd parted to both sides and let them pass. Lockhart was very excited, and he hurried after Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall and Snape followed.

As they walked into Lockhart's dimly lit office, there was a sudden commotion on the wall. Lockhart is shown in several photos hiding in a panic, with curling irons in their hair. At this moment, the real Lockhart lit the candle on the table and stepped back. Dumbledore placed Lady Loris on the polished table and began to examine it carefully. After exchanging nervous glances with the students, he sat down on a few chairs that were not illuminated by candlelight, and watched closely.

The tip of Dumbledore's long, hooked nose almost touched the fur on Lady Loris. He scrutinized it through the lenses of his half-moon glasses, his slender fingers poking and poking here and there. Professor McGonagall squinted over the cat, her face almost touching the cat. Snape stood behind them, half of his body hidden in the shadows, looking eerie. The expression on his face was strange: as if he was desperately trying to restrain himself from laughing. Lockhart wandered around them, incessantly giving advice.

"It must have been a spell that killed it?? Most likely a Transfiguration Torture Spell. I've seen people use this spell many times, and I regret I wasn't there, I happened to know the spell and could have saved it."

Lockhart's words were interrupted by Filch's tearless crying. Filch slumped in a chair at the table, covering his face with his hands, not daring to look at Mrs. Loris. Looking at Filch's expression, although everyone didn't like Filch, they couldn't help but feel some sympathy for him at the moment.

Dumbledore whispered something strange and tapped Lady Loris with his wand, but there was no response: Lady Loris lay there stiff, like a freshly made specimen.

“.. I remember something very similar in Ouagadougou," Lockhart said, "and a series of attacks that I have detailed in my autobiography." At that time, I provided all kinds of amulets to the common people, and the problem was solved at once.."

He was still pretending to be crazy and stupid, and his exaggerated expression made the students who came with him think that he was not very reliable.

Finally, Dumbledore straightened up.

"It's not dead, Filch. He whispered.

"Not dead?" Filch choked up, looking at Lady Loris through her fingers, "Then why is it all over??" The whole body stiffened, as if it was frozen?"

"It's petrified," Dumbledore said, "but what the hell is going on, I don't know."

"Ask him!" Filch screamed, turning his mottled, tear-stained face to Harry.

"It's impossible for a second-year student to do that," Dumbledore said firmly, "and it requires the deepest dark arts..."

"He did it, he did it!" Filch said with a spit of his face, his fat and sagging face turning purple.

"You saw his writing on the wall! He found... In my office... He knew I was a... I'm a—" Filch's face twitched horribly. "He knew I was a squib! the day he soiled the hallway floor. ”

"I didn't touch Lady Loris!" Harry exclaimed, uneasy at realizing that everyone was watching him, including all the Lockharts on the wall. "I don't even know what a squib means. ”

"Nonsense!" Filch growled, "He saw my letter with a quick incantation!"

"Allow me to say a word, Headmaster. Snape said in the shadows.

"Perhaps, Potter and his friends just shouldn't have been in that place at that time," Snape said, his lips twisting into a sneer, as if he were deeply skeptical, "but we did encounter a series of suspicions. Why on earth did they go to the hallway up there, why didn't they go to the Halloween party?"

Harry and Ron scrambled to explain that they had gone to the death party. “.. Hundreds of ghosts have come, and they can prove that we are there??"

"But after that, why don't you come to the banquet?" Snape said, dark eyes glistening in the candlelight. "Why did you go to the hallway up there?"

Ron looked at Harry.

"Because?? Because??" Harry said, "Because we're tired and want to go to bed early." He said.

"Skipping dinner?" Snape said, a smug smile flashing across his thin face, "I don't think the food the ghosts served at the party was probably suitable for the living." ”

"We're not hungry. Ron exclaimed, his stomach rumbling as he rattled.

Snape's ugly smile became even more pronounced.

"My opinion is, Headmaster, Potter isn't exactly telling the truth. "We should probably revoke some of his privileges until he tells us what it is." Personally, I think it's best to let him go out of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and wait until he's honest. ”

"Honestly, Severus," Professor McGonagall snapped, "I see no reason why this kid should not be allowed to play. The cat wasn't hit in the head with a broomstick. And there is no evidence that Potter did anything wrong. ”

Dumbledore glanced at Harry with an inquiring eye. A gleam flashed in his blue eyes.

"Hey, Dumbledore is using the Dementor Charm again!" Zhang Feng sighed secretly.

"As long as you are not proven guilty, you are innocent, Severus. He said firmly. Snape looked annoyed. It's the same with Filch.

"My cat is petrified!" He screamed, his eyes bulging outward. "I'd like to see someone get some punishment!"

"We can cure it, Filch. Dumbledore said patiently, "Lady Sprout recently got some mandrakes. Once they have grown and matured, I have a medicine that can bring Lady Loris back to life. ”

"I'll make it," Lockhart interjected, "I've made it a hundred times, and I can dream while making a mandrake resurrection potion??"

"I beg your pardon," Snape said coldly, "I think I'm the Potions teacher at this school. ”

There was an embarrassing silence.

"It seems that this matter should be over for the time being, please inform the children of this academy about our investigation. Alright, let's go back!" Dumbledore said after looking at all the students who came.