"Furthermore, Zabini provided an important detail. He caught a glimpse of green scales with a dazzling sheen."
"That is why I invited Newt here."
Dumbledore gestured toward his old friend seated nearby.
"He is the foremost expert on Magical Creatures in the world. We have already exchanged some preliminary opinions and have tentatively narrowed the possibilities down to several candidates…"
Newt continued where Dumbledore left off.
"There are several magical creatures known to cause petrification, such as Medusas, Grey Dwarfs, and others."
He frowned slightly before changing direction.
"However, in this incident, the victims' bodies showed no signs of actually turning to stone. Instead, it is more as though their state of life was forcibly 'frozen.' Even the long-deceased ghost, the Bloody Baron, was severely affected… A situation like this is extremely rare."
At that moment, Lucien added another point.
"Oh, and I just confirmed something with Harry. He can understand Parseltongue, and near several of the attack sites, he heard intermittent 'whispers' that nobody else could hear."
"Parseltongue?"
Dumbledore and Newt spoke almost at the same time.
Newt immediately looked toward Dumbledore, his speech becoming noticeably quicker.
"Dumbledore, didn't you mention earlier that every attack scene contained standing water, mirrors, or other reflective surfaces?"
After receiving Dumbledore's confirmation, Newt's expression turned serious.
"I believe the monster hidden within the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk, also known as the King of Serpents."
Dumbledore softly repeated the word.
"Basilisk…"
His blue eyes narrowed slightly as his long fingers intertwined together.
Newt continued explaining in detail.
"According to historical records, any creature that directly meets a Basilisk's yellow eyes dies instantly. However, if the victim only sees its eyes indirectly through water, mirrors, or reflections, the instant death effect is greatly weakened, resulting instead in a state of suspended animation, which is what we are currently calling 'petrification.'"
His analysis became increasingly clear as he continued.
"As for the Bloody Baron… he is already a ghost and therefore cannot truly die again. Even the Basilisk's gaze could not kill him a second time. That is why he ended up in his current abnormal state."
Lucien spoke again.
"Mr. Newt, I once read in a book that Basilisks are afraid of roosters. Is that true?"
"Yes. The crowing of a rooster can cause severe harm to a Basilisk and may even kill it."
The moment Newt finished speaking, Lucien took out a small cage containing a rooster that was currently dozing off.
"Hagrid mentioned earlier that several of his roosters had been killed. He believed vampires or foxes were responsible, but I thoroughly inspected the area around the coop and found no traces of either creature."
This final clue was like the last missing piece of a puzzle.
Newt became completely certain and turned to look at Dumbledore.
"Fear of roosters, a gaze capable of causing indirect petrification… every clue points toward a Basilisk."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Thank you for your help, Newt. You've resolved a great deal of trouble for us."
Newt smiled shyly and waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't say that, Dumbledore. You already provided enough clues, and this just happens to be a field I know quite well. Being able to help Hogwarts is a good thing."
Dumbledore suddenly turned his gaze toward Lucien.
"Lucien, do you have any suspicions regarding the true culprit?"
Lucien answered as though he had already prepared the response beforehand.
"Headmaster, Professor Snape and I have actually discussed this matter privately before. Based on Hogwarts' recent… well, 'tradition,' the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is undoubtedly the biggest suspect, isn't he?"
Dumbledore gently adjusted his spectacles, helplessness flickering through his eyes.
"I know Severus has always held considerable resentment regarding that position, so this year I did not 'ask' him again."
Clearly, the old bat had already figured things out and begun quietly avoiding trouble.
"Then what about you, Headmaster?" Lucien immediately followed up. "Have you never suspected Gilderoy Lockhart, or conducted any necessary 'investigations' into him?"
"I certainly did."
Dumbledore's answer came surprisingly directly.
"But I did not see any memory fragments related to the Chamber of Secrets or the attacks."
Lucien's thoughts stirred slightly.
So Dumbledore really had used Legilimency on Lockhart.
But with Lockhart's actual abilities, there was no way he could possibly master Occlumency well enough to resist Dumbledore.
Memories…
Could Lockhart have used a Memory Charm on himself?
Not to erase memories completely, but to apply it in a subtler manner, temporarily "deleting" or "concealing" crucial memories?
Given Lockhart's mastery of Memory Charms, that was entirely possible.
Of course, young Tom may also have assisted him.
"I see…"
Lucien nodded thoughtfully before suddenly asking a seemingly unrelated question.
"Headmaster, speaking of which, have you found anyone willing to take over the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?"
At that question, Dumbledore's expression instantly became indescribably complicated, as though he wanted to sigh.
"That position… truly isn't easy to fill with someone both suitable and sufficiently 'brave.'"
As he spoke, Dumbledore's gaze involuntarily drifted toward Newt, who was currently doing his absolute best to make himself invisible nearby.
Newt immediately looked uncomfortable and hurriedly waved both hands, speaking so fast he was nearly stammering.
"No, no, no! Teaching… teaching really isn't suitable for me! I have absolutely no idea how to interact with so many students…"
"And… and Tina would absolutely never agree to me teaching this subject!"
Watching Newt's panicked reaction, Lucien silently chuckled to himself.
Not only would Tina disapprove of him teaching at Hogwarts, she probably would not even want Newt setting foot inside the castle again.
As far as Tina was concerned, nothing good ever came from getting involved with Dumbledore.
Speaking of which…
Did Madam Tina even know that her husband had once again been urgently summoned to Hogwarts by a letter from Dumbledore?
Dumbledore looked at Newt's flustered state and could not help chuckling as he reassured him.
"Relax, Newt. I'm not trying to put you in a difficult position. I simply wanted to ask whether, with the extensive connections you've made while traveling the world, you happen to know anyone who is… well, both capable enough and willing to serve as Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
Newt finally relaxed somewhat, though he soon frowned deeply again.
The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was notoriously "ill-fated" throughout the magical world. Finding someone both suitable and sufficiently "brave" was indeed an extremely difficult task.
Newt thought quietly for a long time, unconsciously fiddling with the corner of his coat, before suddenly seeming to remember something.
"Uh… if there really is someone suitable, I can think of one person. It's just that their identity is a little… special. Or rather, not very convenient to reveal publicly."
He looked up at Dumbledore and added,
"Actually… Dumbledore, you know this person too."
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