After leading the students away from the Quidditch pitch, Dumbledore met Professor McGonagall at the castle entrance. Professor McGonagall subtly shook her head at Dumbledore, who understood immediately; the Basilisk hadn't been found within the walls.
*Right, if it were that easy to find the Basilisk, previous Headmasters would have dealt with this hidden danger long ago...* Dumbledore stood there, lost in thought.
Just then, the young wizards shook the rain from their cloaks and collectively called out, "Goodbye, Headmaster Dumbledore!" Hearing this, Dumbledore quickly shook off his thoughts, smiling and waving enthusiastically in response to the students.
---
That evening, Dumbledore left the Ravenclaw Tower empty-handed. The Grey Lady still refused to admit she was Helena Ravenclaw. "Headmaster, don't waste your time here. I am not Ravenclaw's daughter," the Grey Lady said stiffly. Dumbledore felt a headache coming on just thinking about the unyielding Grey Lady.
"Helena certainly hasn't moved on from what happened back then, Albus. You won't get anything out of her this way," Valentina Longbottom, hanging on the wall, suddenly interjected. Valentina didn't know Helena had become a ghost, but she remembered the misunderstanding between Helena and Ravenclaw.
"I know, but one must try—" Dumbledore was halfway through his sentence when the Headmaster's office door was rudely pushed open, and Lucius Malfoy entered with Snape. Snape's face was unreadable, but Lucius looked rather smug.
Before Dumbledore could even speak, Lucius impatiently demanded, "Dumbledore, I hear there's been an attack in the castle? And prefects have been Petrified? The Board of Governors is very concerned about Hogwarts' safety, so they've sent me to see if there's anything we can do to help."
Dumbledore was privately puzzled how Lucius knew, but he showed no sign of it on his face. "Lucius, I don't know where you heard such rumors, but Hogwarts is perfectly safe," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Nonsense! If there hasn't been an attack, then why are you restricting student activities?" Lucius challenged.
"I assure you, Hogwarts is quite safe," Dumbledore reiterated, still smiling.
The smug expression on Lucius's face froze. He looked at Dumbledore in disbelief. "There have already been two attacks, and you're telling me Hogwarts is safe?"
After the first attack, many people had noticed Prefect Clearwater's disappearance, and with Dumbledore's sudden announcement of restrictions, many had connected the dots and realized something had happened to Prefect Clearwater. However, what puzzled Dumbledore was how Lucius had found out about the second attack, which occurred just last night, so quickly.
---
With too little information at hand, Dumbledore couldn't deduce the answer, so he decided to directly test Lucius. "Lucius, could you tell me who informed you that there have been two attacks?" Dumbledore asked, trying to make eye contact with Lucius. But Lucius was prepared for this; after all, Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of the century, and everyone knew he was a master Legilimens.
Seeing Lucius avoid his gaze, Dumbledore couldn't help but frown. He had to ask again. "Lucius, I sincerely hope you'll tell me who said Hogwarts has had two attacks?"
Facing Dumbledore's inquiry, Lucius stood silently, realizing now that he had been tricked. Lucius had received a letter that morning. It claimed that due to a second attack, Hogwarts was in turmoil, which was why he had rushed to Hogwarts to question Dumbledore. But from the current situation, Lucius was sure that Hogwarts remained firmly under Dumbledore's control.
*Damn it, if it weren't for the Master's magical trace on the letter, I wouldn't have believed it so easily...* Lucius cursed the letter-writer repeatedly in his mind.
Just then, Dumbledore pressed again. "Lucius, are you quite alright? Can you tell me who spoke to you about the second attack?"
Facing Dumbledore's persistent questions, Lucius couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his brow. Snape had initially stayed out of it, observing the situation with a detached air. He, too, was curious about who had tipped off Lucius, as very few knew about the second attack. But when he saw Lucius's pleading glance, Snape knew he had to help.
"Headmaster, perhaps Lucius merely meant to express his concern that Hogwarts *might* experience a second attack," Snape slowly interjected.
Lucius immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Exactly, that's precisely what I'm worried about, you know, many parents are also..." Lucius trailed off as he calmed down. Dumbledore wasn't the Dark Lord; he wouldn't forcibly use Legilimency on him. He had just panicked. "...If there's nothing else, I should be going. Minister Fudge is waiting to meet me."
Dumbledore, seeing he wouldn't get any more information, allowed Lucius to leave. However, as Lucius turned, Dumbledore gave Snape a subtle look, instructing him to follow and see if he could find anything out. Snape followed Lucius out.
---
After leaving the Headmaster's office, Lucius resumed his arrogant demeanor. *Thump, thump, thump...* The two walked side-by-side through the empty castle. Since the Basilisk hadn't been found, the students had been forcibly confined to their common rooms by the Heads of House, leaving the castle eerily quiet.
As they reached the Great Hall, Snape asked, "Want to go see Draco?"
"No, I heard he lost quite badly in today's Quidditch match," Lucius declined Snape's suggestion.
The rest of the journey was silent between them. Snape was patient; he knew Lucius would eventually speak on his own. Indeed, after they exited the castle, Lucius casually remarked, "Severus, have you heard any news of the Dark Lord lately?"
"Why do you ask?" Snape replied coldly.
"You know... the Dark Lord left... what if..." Lucius's words were fragmented, clearly indicating he had reservations and couldn't speak freely. Snape didn't know if Lucius was testing him, so he simply said, "The Dark Lord has his plans. We only need to carry out his will."
Lucius evidently misunderstood something, as he anxiously said, "But this morning, I received a letter from the Dark Lord!"
*A letter from the Dark Lord?* Snape's heart jolted, and he secretly began to activate his Occlumency.
"Don't overthink it. Just do as it says," Snape said. Hearing this, Lucius fell silent.
They continued walking. Upon reaching the station, Lucius suddenly whispered, "I suspect that letter wasn't written by the Dark Lord himself."
"Don't presume to speculate on the Dark Lord's thoughts," Snape said coldly.
Lucius turned around and quietly watched Snape for a moment, finding nothing in his expression. Finally, Lucius could only say, "I hope all goes well," and without waiting for Snape's reply, he Disapparated.
Once Lucius was gone, Snape quickly headed back to the Headmaster's office. Inside, after Snape's report, Dumbledore fell into deep thought. Both knew clearly that, according to Lucius, the informant must be connected to the Dark Lord, which narrowed the attacker's scope to pure-blood wizards.
After a long while, Dumbledore finally said, "Notify the professors to return things to normal. We shall observe and wait."
Snape: "?"
---