great-warnovel Chapter 36 The Shadow
Chapter 36 The Shadow
The dark corridor was illuminated by candles lit from the forbidden room. Hermione and her two companions tried to huddle in the darkness of a corner, but also tried to eavesdrop on the professors' conversation.
The bald phoenix uttered a weary voice: "Wait a little longer, don't push him too far."
Both the two professors and the three children who were eavesdropping looked puzzled. It seemed that Dumbledore was deliberately letting it go.
"Was this ambush actually intended to alert the enemy?" Hermione thought to herself, as another idea gradually surfaced in her mind.
Just then, hurried footsteps came rushing down the stairs from the other end. The three quickly huddled together, wrapping their invisibility cloaks tightly around themselves, afraid of revealing any flaws.
As the visitor was illuminated by the candlelight, it was Professor Sprout.
With a serious expression, she nodded to Phoenix, then said to the other professors, "I came down first because I saw that Ghost was not making any unusual moves, but Quirrell is still guarding over there."
"This isn't a solution. We can't always have a professor assigned to act as a bodyguard with the Ghost Sleeping Agent," Lily said, frowning.
"He almost pulled out the bell just now; we're in a very passive position."
Hermione and her two companions exchanged glances under their cloaks. The professors had indeed made meticulous arrangements; even if the shadowy figure rang the bell again, the situation wouldn't spiral out of control like it did on Halloween.
However, the fact that even Professor Quirrell from the History of Magic class was brought in shows that Professor McGonagall was indeed not at Hogwarts.
Perhaps it is precisely because the act has to be played out completely that the deeply lurking shadows can't help but move.
"From another perspective, is Professor McGonagall really that intimidating? The moment she left, the mastermind dared to act," Hermione wondered to herself.
At this point, Dumbledore spoke up: "In fact, we have achieved our goal. This is enough for him to learn his lesson, and we don't need to be on guard for the time being."
Lily frowned, wanting to say something more, but Flitwick stopped her: "At the moment, this is indeed the best way. We're not at that point yet."
"Yes, now is not the right time." Sprout nodded in agreement.
"You're right, for Hogwarts," Lily sighed.
Just then, another series of footsteps came from the stairs, this time heavy, accompanied by the sound of a cane hitting the wooden planks.
It's Lucius!
The three people under the cloak exchanged glances, unable to hide their surprise. This despised and hated defense professor had actually participated in the ambush?
In the darkness, the newcomer's smooth, long platinum hair, paired with his gloomy face, gave off an indescribable eeriness. However, he seemed to have injured his leg, limping as he went upstairs, and his cane played an important role at this moment.
"I knew it! From the moment you announced Professor McGonagall's departure from the school during the day, I knew you were planning to ambush that unfortunate guy." Lucius sneered.
"It seems he wasn't involved in the professors' ambush plan, but rather stumbled upon it on his own?" Hermione thought to herself.
"I'm sorry, Lucius, this plan was a last-minute decision, and I only informed a few professors nearby," Dumbledore said through the phoenix.
Lucius limped to the entrance of the restricted area, glanced inside, and continued to sneer: "Yeah, I was patrolling on the first floor when I suddenly heard a lot of banging upstairs, and then a dark figure rushed down and started throwing spells at me randomly."
Pointing to his injured leg, he questioned, "If you had used your rotten brain earlier, I wouldn't have been caught off guard and injured by him, and tonight's ambush wouldn't have failed."
He shook his hand, and everyone could see that he was holding a twisted and discolored metal badge. In the dim candlelight, they could barely make out the surface of the badge, which depicted a skull spitting out a venomous snake.
"The Dark Mark! Clearly, they're from the Green Flame Party!" Lucius said, suppressing his rage. "This badge contains the Death Curse cast by Voldemort himself, it just grazed my nose!"
"It's clear now that Voldemort's bastards have infiltrated the school, and thanks to your foolish arrangements, this threat is now even harder to uncover!"
His anger was almost palpable: "Perhaps I should seriously reconsider the extent of Malfoy Castle's support for Hogwarts. Under your leadership, the school is utterly unsafe; the students are still shrouded in the fear of death. Perhaps Beauxbatons or Durmstrang would be more suitable to nurture the seedlings of the withering wizarding world!"
Faced with his threat, Phoenix remained calm and composed: "We all know you won't, Lucius. Hogwarts is still the best magic school in Europe, and that will never change."
"I'm sorry you were put in such unexpected danger this time, but I promise it won't happen again." Phoenix's voice was gentle and slow. "The other professors will handle things here. Your injuries can't be delayed, go find Poppy for treatment."
Lucius sneered: "Also, the plan to save the children cannot be changed because of this. You know, among the kidnapped children are several offspring of pure-blood families, and they have a lot of influence in Malfoy Castle."
"Of course, that's why Minerva left the school. When the time is right, other professors and I will also get involved. This operation will not fail."
"That's for the best!" Lucius said coldly, swaying his cloak as he limped away.
"Alright, that's enough for tonight. I'm sure everyone is tired. But remember to fix the door before you leave, so the students don't get in." Phoenix said to the remaining three professors, but his last sentence seemed to have a hidden meaning.
Hermione, in particular, clearly saw the phoenix wink in their direction.
The next moment, the phoenix disappeared in a burst of fire. The professors nodded to each other and prepared to leave. Only Flitwick still needed to wave his wand and repair the shattered door.
Hermione was about to pull the two away when Harry suddenly grabbed her instead.
Looking at the other person with suspicion, I found that they were staring straight at the broken doorway.
Hermione followed the gaze and her eyes widened in shock.
When everyone stepped aside, the three little ones could clearly see what was happening inside the door, and they discovered that behind this forbidden zone door that Dumbledore had repeatedly warned against, there was an enormous spider lying there!
Its neatly arranged compound eyes reflected the candlelight, constantly surveying all directions. Its huge, hairy limbs lay on the ground, like a forest.
It lay quietly in the room, without making a sound, but the three of them now knew where that sharp, brain-shaking cry had come from.
The three of them stared blankly until the two professors walked past them, and after Fritsch repaired the door and the giant spider was no longer visible, they came to their senses and quietly retreated upstairs.
Under the dark cloak, Ron was about to speak when Hermione stopped him: "We'll talk about it when we get back."