Chapter 38: Trip to the Secret Chamber
Dumbledore's action was swift and decisive.
He walked through the corridor of the castle and came to the girls' bathroom on the second floor. The light was dim here, and there was a faint damp smell in the air.
His eyes were as sharp as a falcon, scanning every inch of space, not missing any details. Soon, he caught the emblem of Slytherin under a faucet.
However, the problem in front of him was how to open the hidden chamber of secrets.
Dumbledore may be the only wizard in the history of magic who has mastered the language of snakes without relying on blood and only by self-study.
However, his mastery of snakes may be limited to understanding, not speaking.
After several attempts, the entrance to the chamber of secrets was still closed.
Weiss observed for a while and made a bold suggestion: use the Imperius Curse to control Tom and force him to open the chamber of secrets with Parseltongue.
This proposal made Dumbledore fall into a brief contemplation.
But soon, he shook his head and rejected the proposal.
He had a more far-reaching consideration in mind. He wanted to invite officials from the Ministry of Magic to witness the killing of the basilisk. He hoped to clear Hagrid of the charges in this way.
But Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, was a man known for his caution, or rather, a coward.
It was not difficult for Dumbledore to foresee that once he knew that Voldemort had created a Horcrux and was gradually regaining his strength, the minister would probably make some decisions that would displease everyone.
It was better not to let others know about Voldemort's imminent return, so as not to cause unnecessary panic.
Although Dumbledore was old, his mind was still very flexible and his thinking was agile.
He quickly found a recording device and recorded Tom Parseltongue's voice.
After everything was ready, Dumbledore sat at his desk and carefully wrote two letters, which were sent to Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and Amelia Susan Bones, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
The letter described in detail the discovery of the basilisk at Hogwarts and the murder case decades ago related to it.
At this time, Fudge almost responded to Dumbledore's requests.
The two communicated frequently through letters, and they finally decided on a date, which was set for a weekend half a month later.
On the appointed weekend, Cornelius Fudge came to Hogwarts with a Ministry of Magic official and Amelia Susan Bones.
As soon as Fudge saw Dumbledore, he couldn't wait to open his arms and gave Dumbledore a big hug.
His face was full of smiles, and that smile never stopped.
He acted very close to Dumbledore, holding Dumbledore's hand tightly, and even didn't let go when he greeted Lucius.
As for Weiss, he was too young to attract Fudge's attention.
Weiss didn't mind it, and he was too lazy to deal with politicians like Fudge.
Amelia looked like a very serious person, and there was no extra expression on her face.
According to Dumbledore, she was one of the few officials in the Ministry of Magic who did practical things.
"Albus, you scared me." Fudge covered his chest exaggeratedly, with a hint of exaggerated surprise in his voice. "How could a horrible creature like a basilisk appear in Hogwarts?"
"Fudge..." Dumbledore just started.
"Call me Cornelius, our friendship..."
Fudge quickly interrupted Dumbledore with a friendly smile on his face.
"Okay, Cornelius..."
Dumbledore patiently told the truth about the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets, the basilisk, and Hagrid's wrongful accusation.
"Well... So that's it..."
"Oh... Merlin's beard..."
Fudge seemed to listen very seriously, and sighed from time to time.
After listening, Fudge turned to his deputy Umbridge: "Dolores, will solving this matter improve my approval rating?"
Umbridge had an overly sweet smile on her face, as sticky as syrup. She was short, but her mouth was big, and her eyes were slightly protruding, giving people a sense of disharmony.
She was wearing bright pink, from hat to hairpin, all pink, her bad appearance and inappropriate dress made her look like an uncoordinated pink toad.
She spoke in a sweet girlish voice, which made people feel uncomfortable.
"Get rid of the basilisk and protect the safety of students. I hope your office will be filled with letters of praise, Minister."
Umbridge's voice was full of flattery.
Ms. Bones looked at Umbridge with disdain, and then closed her eyes, obviously not wanting to see Umbridge's disgusting look again.
Fudge smiled, this smile was very bright and genuine.
"Great!" Fudge said excitedly.
Fudge only cared about his approval rating, not the safety of students. As for Hagrid's innocence, he thought it was a waste of his time.
No mistakes in one post, one content, one book, one bar!
Fortunately, there is Ms. Bones, who is known for her fairness.
"If the case was committed by the basilisk, it proves that Rubeus Hagrid was wrongly accused, and the Ministry of Magic will clear Mr. Hagrid's name."
Ms. Bones' voice was firm and powerful.
"Yes, Bones is right." Fudge quickly agreed.
As long as he could keep his position as minister and win Dumbledore's favor, Fudge was very happy to do this kind of thing that would kill two birds with one stone.
However, when he heard that he had to go to the Chamber of Secrets to face the basilisk, the Minister of Magic backed off again.
"Umbridge will represent me. She is my assistant."
Fudge did not hesitate to push the dangerous things to his subordinates.
Umbridge's smile was slightly stiff, and her fingers were tightly holding the purse, and her knuckles were white.
But she quickly adjusted her expression and showed her signature sweet smile again.
Umbridge was an ambitious person. She was willing to seize any opportunity to climb up, even if it meant taking some risks.
Weiss had a new look at this woman.
Dumbledore just wanted someone from the Ministry of Magic to be a witness, and it didn't matter who it was.
After explaining some precautions, Dumbledore led everyone to the bathroom.
He took out the recording device and played the recording.
With a "hissing" sound,
the mechanism started, and the sink slowly moved away, revealing a passage leading to the bottom.
Dumbledore's wand emitted a soft light, and he jumped down first without hesitation.
Seeing this, Lucius followed suit.
Umbridge was next. Although she was a little nervous, she still jumped down bravely.
Ms. Bones wanted to go down last, but Weiss stretched out her hand and said, "Ladies first."
Ms. Bones did not refuse Weiss' gentlemanly move. She nodded slightly and jumped down.
The four of them had no obstacles all the way and arrived at Slytherin's secret room.
