Dumbledore watched the scene with a smile.
"Fawkes seems especially fond of you."
Lucien raised a hand to scratch the phoenix's fluffy little head and joked,
"Perhaps I simply have a constitution that attracts magical creatures?"
The amusement in Dumbledore's eyes deepened.
He understood very well that this was one of the reasons Newt valued Lucien so highly.
After the brief moment of levity, however, the Headmaster's expression gradually turned serious again.
"Lucien, I'm afraid that over the coming period, I will become extremely busy, and the school's day-to-day supervision will inevitably weaken."
"I have always been concerned about Harry, and I have a premonition that this year's crisis will ultimately target him, so…"
He left the sentence unfinished, but Lucien already understood.
The familiar role of protector once again.
But Dumbledore wasn't actually planning to use the Basilisk to "temper" Harry again, was he?
Speaking of which… the legendary Sword of Gryffindor…
Lucien's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the Sorting Hat resting inside its glass case.
The hat was swaying slightly while faintly humming some strange little tune.
"I understand."
Lucien withdrew his gaze, his tone calm.
"If anything goes wrong, I'll look after Harry."
And when the Basilisk appears, I'll eliminate it directly.
He needed the Basilisk's heart as a key material for the Magic Weaving Technique so that he could complete the final optimization of Norbert's magical circuits.
Once this matter was resolved, he could ask Dumbledore about gaining access to the magical core of Hogwarts Castle.
If he could "borrow" some of the emotional energy accumulated from generations of students, then once he reached the minimum requirement for creating a Philosopher's Stone through alchemy, he could attempt to make one himself…
A relieved expression appeared on Dumbledore's face.
"That puts my mind at ease. However, Lucien, although your abilities far surpass those of your peers, you must not overexert yourself."
"Your priority should be informing the professors and allowing them to handle matters. Confronting a Basilisk is extremely dangerous. The professors are more than capable of protecting the students, and Hogwarts itself still possesses certain defensive measures as a final safeguard."
"Defensive measures?"
Hearing this, the very first thing that flashed through Lucien's mind was Professor McGonagall's animated statue spell.
Piertotum Locomotor.
That magic could awaken the countless statues and suits of armor throughout the castle and command them to defend Hogwarts in battle.
"No problem. I'll keep that in mind."
After nodding in acknowledgment, Lucien asked,
"Headmaster, are you planning to deal with the pure-blood families personally?"
"More or less."
Behind the half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore's gaze appeared slightly weary.
"The earlier attacks received a relatively lukewarm response from them. But Zabini's attack caused a tremendous uproar."
"So I must address the many 'concerns' now coming from both the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic."
Lucien was not surprised in the slightest.
When an issue did not affect them personally, those people preferred to keep their distance. It was already considered merciful if they refrained from kicking someone while they were down.
Over the years, the pure-blood families had long since figured out Dumbledore's nature. They knew this immensely powerful old wizard was willing to operate within established rules.
Otherwise, could a handful of votes from the Board of Governors truly force Dumbledore out of the Hogwarts he was so devoted to?
Old Dumbledore was simply too "reasonable."
Precisely because he understood the extent of his own power, he insisted on restraining himself through rules, preventing the magical world from ending up with another Dark Lord.
Lucien offered no opinion on this.
He simply wanted to study in peace.
Whether problems were solved through wisdom or through force made little difference to him, whichever method saved more time was the better choice.
Hmm, as long as Dumbledore temporarily left Hogwarts, that would become the perfect opportunity for Tom to make his move…
...
The next day.
The atmosphere inside the Headmaster's office was unusually solemn.
The professors of Hogwarts had all gathered there.
When Dumbledore announced that the monster hidden within the Chamber of Secrets, responsible for the recent attacks, was the legendary Basilisk, several sharp gasps immediately sounded throughout the room.
"Merlin…"
McGonagall's face instantly turned pale as she tightly clutched at her chest.
Even the usually cold and aloof Snape could not hide the trace of gloom that flashed through his eyes.
Sitting in an inconspicuous corner, Lockhart flawlessly pretended to be terrified and uneasy. His eyes widened dramatically while he dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief.
Yet inwardly, he remained perfectly calm.
At this stage, whether the Basilisk's identity had been exposed or not no longer mattered to either him or Tom.
The script of the "hero" had already been written. All that remained was for the final act to begin.
"Dumbledore, we must immediately implement the strictest measures possible!"
"There is no need to become overly anxious, Minerva."
Dumbledore's voice remained calm and steady.
"Not anxious?! That is a Basilisk! Looking directly into its eyes kills people!"
It was rare for McGonagall to display such open anger toward Dumbledore.
The other professors present all maintained a tacit silence.
Everyone understood that although Dumbledore was the Headmaster, the one who had truly managed the countless affairs of Hogwarts over the years, and whose sense of responsibility toward the students resembled a lioness protecting her cubs, was actually McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress.
In some respects, she seemed more like the true "Headmaster" of Hogwarts than Dumbledore himself.
At that moment, a professor with a silver-grey magical prosthetic replacing his left arm, along with several scars still visible across his face, slowly raised his hand.
It was Silvanus Kettleburn, the former Care of Magical Creatures professor.
"Forgive me, Dumbledore," Professor Kettleburn said in a rough voice, "but the Chamber of Secrets has supposedly existed for more than a thousand years. Even if it truly was the Basilisk left behind by Salazar Slytherin himself, could it really survive for that long?"
Several professors who were knowledgeable about Basilisks also revealed doubtful expressions.
Dumbledore calmly explained,
"Regarding that question, I consulted Newt Scamander. If special hibernation methods were involved, then considering that Basilisks normally possess lifespans of eight or nine hundred years, it is entirely possible for one to have survived from Salazar Slytherin's era until today."
Professor Kettleburn quietly repeated Newt's name under his breath, and the doubt on his face immediately disappeared.
Within the field of magical creatures, that name itself represented authority.
Professor McGonagall quickly returned the discussion to the main issue and proposed,
"We must immediately implement strict restrictions on student movement. Wandering around at night must be absolutely forbidden!"
"But the fact that the monster is a Basilisk must not be revealed to the students for now, otherwise widespread panic will break out."
"I completely agree, Minerva," Dumbledore praised before sweeping his gaze across the room.
"Next, we must work together to locate the Basilisk's exact hiding place."
With a turn of his hand, a pair of ordinary-looking glasses appeared in Dumbledore's palm.
"Naturally, both the students and ourselves require additional protection. These glasses are Lucien's invention. They can partially block the Basilisk's gaze."
As he spoke, Dumbledore Transfigured another small box, which contained various styles of glasses frames along with several thin, invisible contact lenses.
"Lucien was very thoughtful and prepared multiple styles."
The professors stepped forward one after another to receive their glasses from Dumbledore.
After everyone had selected a pair, only one set remained in Dumbledore's hand.
A pair of rather… uniquely designed glasses.
They were "little bee" glasses decorated with tiny wings.
Several professors struggled to suppress their laughter while desperately maintaining serious expressions.
Snape's face, meanwhile, had darkened considerably.
He had been slightly too slow and ended up with an outrageously dramatic pair of bat-wing framed glasses.
Almost immediately, Snape rose to his feet and swept out of the office without saying a single word, looking exactly like an enormous bat taking flight.
The other professors gradually departed as well.
Dumbledore's gaze lingered briefly on Lockhart's retreating figure.
It had to be said that Lockhart was unusually quiet today, completely lacking his usual long-winded theatrics and grandstanding.
________
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