In the silence, someone spoke loudly.

"Those who are enemies of the heirs, be on the lookout! You're next, Mudblood!" It was Draco Malfoy. He had already crowded to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes were alive, and his normally bloodless face was flushed. He looked at the still, stiff cat hanging there, and a grim smile appeared on his face.

"Shut up," Charon stood up to defend his little friend, "you idiot, if you talk nonsense, I'll let you know it's amazing!" ”

Malfoy knew how powerful Charon was, and immediately shut up and didn't dare to say anything. However, this did not stop others from being suspicious of the trio, especially the Bitter Lord himself.

Filch was undoubtedly drawn to Malfoy's shouts, and he squeezed his shoulders through the crowd. Then he saw Lady Loris, who stumbled back a few steps and grabbed his face with his hand in horror.

"My cat! My cat! What's wrong with Lady Loris?" He screamed.

At this moment, his bulging eyes saw Charon.

"You!" He screamed, "You! You killed my cat! You killed it! I'm going to kill you! I'm going to-"

"Filch!"

Dumbledore arrived on the scene, followed by many other teachers. In the blink of an eye, he walked past the three of them and untied Lady Loris from the torch holder.

"Come with me, Filch." He said to Filch, "And the three of you, come along." ”

Lockhart stepped forward anxiously. Hermione followed.

"My office is the closest to here, and the 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 looked alive, and hurried after Dumbledore; Professor McGonagall and Snape followed.

As they walked into Lockhart's dimly lit office, Lockhart lit the candle on his desk and stepped back. Dumbledore placed Lady Loris on the polished table and began to examine it carefully. Harry, Ron, and Hermione nervously exchanged glances, then sat down on a few chairs that weren't lit by candlelight, and watched closely. Charon stood aside, also patiently awaiting Dumbledore's conclusion.

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—probably a Transfiguration Torture Spell. I've seen people use this spell many times, and I'm sorry 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.

At this point, 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......"

As he spoke, the pictures of Lockhart on the wall all nodded in agreement. One of them forgot to remove his hairnet.

Finally, Dumbledore straightened up.

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

"Not dead?" Filch choked up, looking at Mrs. Loris through his fingers, "Then why is it all over—all body stiff, as if it was frozen?"

"It's petrified," Dumbledore said, "but what happened, I don't know ......"

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

"There's no way a second-year student can do that," Dumbledore said firmly, "it requires the deepest dark arts—"

"He did it, he did it! He's the Necromancer's heir! Filch said with a spit on his face, his fat and sagging face turning purple.

"You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found out—in my office—he knew I was—I was—" Filch's face twitched horribly. "He knows I'm a Squib!"

"I didn't touch Lady Loris!" Charon defended, "I went to the ghosts' death party, and all the ghosts can testify for me!" Besides, I didn't even know you were a Squib! ”

"Nonsense!" Filch snarled, "He's seen my letter with a quick incantation!"

"Allow me to say a word, Headmaster." "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 corridor above? Why didn't they attend the Halloween feast?"

Charon, Harry, and Ron scrambled to explain that they had gone to the death party. “…… Hundreds of ghosts have arrived, 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?"

Charon explained: "I just finished a banquet and saw that the time was almost up, so I didn't plan to go!" And we're a little tired! ”

"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." Harry 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," he said. 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.

"As long as you are not proven guilty, you are innocent, Severus." He said firmly.

Snape looked annoyed.

"Well, I'll be honest!" Charon interjected, "I know how to get to the kitchen, the elves there are familiar with me, and they will make us a meal!" ”

"I see!" Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's also problematic to run around at night and go to the kitchen without permission!" Professor Snape still charged the trio, and he didn't have a problem with Charon, except for Harry, trying to disqualify him from Quidditch.

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 has gotten some mandrakes lately. 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 and make a mandrake resurrection potion—"

"I beg your pardon," Snape said coldly, "I think I'm the Potions teacher at this school. There was an awkward silence.

"You can go." Dumbledore said to the four. Harry and Ron picked up their pace, almost running. Charon saluted the professors and pulled Hermione away.

After leaving Lockhart's office, Charon stopped Harry and Ron, squinted at the faces of the two friends in the dark, and asked, "Harry, is there something you haven't told me?" ”

Harry hesitated, describing to Charon that he had always heard a strange noise.

"I told him not to say it," Ron explained, "and it's not a good sign to hear voices that no one else can hear, even in the wizarding world. ”

When Harry finished speaking, he asked uneasily, "You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I believe it," Caron reassured, "but it doesn't sound like a good thing." ”

Ron added, "And it's bizarre to admit......"

"I know it's bizarre," Harry said, "the whole thing is bizarre. What's going on with those words on the wall? The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before...... What does that mean exactly?"

"Oh, that reminds me of something," Hermione remembered, "as if there was a Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets written about it......"

"What's a Squib?" Harry asked. To his surprise, Ron actually covered his mouth and giggled.

"That's so—not ridiculous, actually—but on Filch'......" he said, "a Squib is a man who lives in a wizarding family and doesn't have any magical abilities." Squibs are the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, though Squibs are rare. If Filch wanted to learn magic through a correspondence course in quick mantras, he would be a Squib. That would say a lot about why he hates students so much," Ron smiled with satisfaction, "he's jealous." ”

Somewhere the bell rang. "It's twelve," said Charon, "let's go to bed first, and I'll leave this matter to me, and I'll find out who is behind it." ”