Chapter 26 Office Argument

The crowd was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xia Ran watched Dumbledore take off Mrs. Norris from the torch holder. His blue eyes looked at the stiff cat in his hand, and his face looked a little solemn.

Dumbledore said to Filch: "Come with me, Mr. Filch." He looked at the three Harrys again and said: "And you, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Granger. Miss."

At this time, Lockhart passed Xia Ran and hurriedly walked forward and said: "My office is closest to here, principal, you know, it's upstairs. You can..."

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore, without refusing.

The silent crowd once again parted to both sides, making way for a few people. Lockhart was very proud, and he hurriedly followed Dumbledore, looking very proud.

Professor McGonagall and Snape followed.

Xia Ran thought about it for a while. He was familiar with the specific inside story. Even if he didn't want to reveal his biggest secret and would not tell the inside story directly, he could always remind everyone in a subtle way. Moreover, he was the combat professor at Hogwart. An accident happened in Cizhong, and he could not stay out of it.

He glanced at the crowd as he walked by, but did not see Ginny. He didn't know if she was still in the auditorium, or if she was blocked by other people in some corner.

Other professors urged the students to return to the lounges of their respective colleges and told the prefects to maintain order and not allow the little wizards to run around.

Percy straightened his back proudly.

Xia Ran and others walked into Lockhart's office at this time. The light was slightly dim, and there was a commotion on the four walls. Lockhart hid in a hurry in several photos, and their hair was There is also a hair curler on it.

Real Lockhart lit the candle on the table, and the light in the office suddenly became brighter, and he stepped back.

Dumbledore placed Mrs. Norris on the smooth table and began to examine it carefully.

Xia Ran clearly saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchange nervous glances. They also sat on the chairs, but in a dark corner where the candlelight could not reach.

Although Xia Ran knew the situation, he still pretended to be confused and stepped forward, looking at Mrs. Norris next to Dumbledore. The three Harrys watched them closely.

Lockhart excitedly recounted his opinion: "It must have been killed by a curse, the Transformation Torture Curse? It's very possible. I've seen others use this spell many times. It's a pity that this cat was cursed. I wasn't there when it happened, and I happened to know the relevant unspelling and counter-spellings. I could have saved the cat..."

His boastful words were interrupted by Mr. Filch crying sadly. Xia Ran knew that Lockhart must be bragging again. Except for the knowledge related to the Oblivion Curse, it was best not to listen to Lockhart in other aspects.

Well, book writing and marketing hype, Xia Ranxin said that Lockhart is also good at these aspects!

Mr. Filch cried without tears, but his relationship with this cat, Mrs. Norris, was very deep, and even Xia Ran had to be moved by it.

Lockhart was still talking about his past experiences, saying that he encountered something equally terrible, and how he was brave and brave enough to solve the incident properly. The Lockharts in the photo couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Professor McGonagall and Snape frowned slightly.

At the same time, Dumbledore recited a spell in a low voice, took out his wand, and gently tapped and knocked the stiff Mrs. Norris, but the cat did not react at all. Just like a specimen in a laboratory.

"Professor, what do you think is caused by this? A curse? Or some magic item? Or a magical creature?" Xia Ran asked, and pretended to tap Mrs. Lorris with her wand.

Dumbledore looked very serious and said: "I don't know, Xia Ran, but I think we need to make sure first, is Mrs. Norris really dead?"

Mr. Filch cried louder and louder, and Harry and the other three seemed more and more restless.

Finally, Dumbledore straightened up and said, "Mrs. Norris is not dead, Filch."

Lockhart's voice while he was counting his great events suddenly stopped, and Filch's eyes widened in surprise and joy, and he choked out: "Not dead? Sir, then why is it all over - all stiff, as if Is it like being frozen by a block of ice?"

He couldn't bear to look at Mrs. Norris, and felt as if he had seen a ray of sunshine in his heart.

"It is petrified!" Dumbledore said. "Being petrified does not mean that Mrs. Norris is dead."

"Ah, I think so too!" Lockhart added, with an expression as if he had thought of it a long time ago.

Dumbledore ignored Lockhart and continued: "But I'm not sure why it turned out like this?"

"Ask him!" Filch suddenly became angry and pointed at Harry Potter, as if he had witnessed Harry casting a spell on Mrs. Norris.

Dumbledore shook his head and said: "The Petrification Curse is a very advanced spell. The requirements for both magic and spell knowledge are very high. I don't think a second-year student can do this!"

Filch still didn't want to believe Dumbledore's explanation. He seemed to have decided that Harry Potter was the murderer and held on to Harry tightly.

Harry naturally defended loudly. They had just come out of Nearly Headless Nick's death anniversary party. He didn't know why, but he heard a strange sound. He followed the sound and finally came to the second floor of the castle. Suddenly he saw the man who had been killed. The petrified Mrs. Norris, they are completely innocent, as innocent as Ron's pocket.

What's more, they don't understand the principle of the petrification spell at all. In this case, how can they cast the petrification spell on Mrs. Norris?

"Nonsense! What a load of nonsense! You are the murderers! You killed my cat!" Filch insisted on identifying the three Harrys, and no matter what he said, he could not change his mind.

"Please allow me to say something, Headmaster." Snape said from the shadows, and the ominous premonition in the hearts of the three Harrys suddenly doubled.

But fortunately, Xia Ran also spoke, and he said: "It shouldn't be the spell that caused Mrs. Norris to become petrified."

"Ah, I've thought of it a long time ago." Lockhart said, but no one paid attention to him. Everyone looked at Xia Ran. Harry and the other three suddenly looked surprised, and Snape's face turned ugly. .

"Tell me what you think, Sharon." Dumbledore said.

"The petrification characteristics of Mrs. Norris are somewhat different from the petrification spell..."

Xia Ran went on to talk about some of his findings. In fact, he had known for a long time that the murderer was the basilisk in the Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets, and it was definitely not caused by the petrification curse. Under the premise of knowing the results, he would work backwards to deduce the process and anomalies. He is not a Muggle who knows nothing about magic. On the contrary, he is still the combat professor of Hogwarts. He deserves the title. How could he not find some strange situations?