A Conversation in the Headmaster’s Office

"Of course, Professor Dumbledore."

Adam was led away by Professor Dumbledore, and the curious young wizards around them immediately dispersed in disappointment.

"So… Adam really dealt with the monster in the Chamber of Secrets?"

Klon wore an expression that was three parts bewilderment, three parts doubt, and four parts enjoyment.

Well, he was still eating cornflakes.

"I’m afraid so. If Harry Potter had been lying, Adam would have said so just now."

Eugene recalled how Adam had always periodically vanished without a trace and said:

"And if it weren’t true, Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t have come just now either."

"Adam actually ditched us and went into the Chamber of Secrets to adventure on his own!"

Bernard looked deeply regretful.

"I’m afraid that isn’t the sort of adventure story worth sharing…"

Recalling the records of those secret chambers in the pyramids, Uther narrowed his eyes before glancing around.

"Let’s finish eating and head back to the dormitory to wait for Adam. It looks like they might not be able to hold back their curiosity and come ask us soon."

Adam followed Professor Dumbledore to the Headmaster’s Office, where Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Sprout were all waiting.

Eh? Why hadn’t they invited Professor Flitwick to join them?

Then Adam spotted Harry, who had his head lowered and did not dare look at him.

"Adam! Is everything Harry said true?"

The moment Professor Sprout saw Adam arrive, she hurried over, took his hand, and carefully looked him over from head to toe.

"I’m sorry, Adam. I didn’t know…" I would cause you so much trouble.

Harry’s voice had not been loud to begin with, and it grew softer and softer as he spoke.

At the time, he had blurted it out in his rush to prove his innocence. Only when everyone had gone to find Adam for confirmation did he realize the consequences of saying it.

Adam did not hear Harry. He first needed to reassure the anxious Head of House before him.

"Er, Professor Sprout, it’s true, but it’s all been dealt with."

"Oh, yes. Our Mr. Reed can deal with even the monster in the Chamber of Secrets. He defeated a professor last night as well. Is there anything in this world that could possibly make him afraid?"

Professor Snape’s voice made Adam want to retort.

Professor, defeating a professor last night was a job you pushed onto me!

But Adam also knew that this was Professor Snape’s roundabout way of showing concern, warning him not to recklessly throw himself into danger. So he swallowed the retort that had reached his throat.

"Severus, don’t say that!"

Professor McGonagall had been standing beside Harry, but now she walked over to Adam.

"Adam, I don’t mean to suggest that you are lying, but… what exactly was the monster you dealt with? I mean, perhaps it was some other magical creature, and you merely mistook it for…"

"It was a basilisk, Professor."

Adam’s answer made Professor McGonagall’s remaining words catch in her throat.

"…A basilisk?"

"Also known as the Serpent King. Its venom can kill a person instantly, and meeting its gaze results in immediate death…"

Professor Snape narrowed his eyes and offered Professor McGonagall, who had failed to recall basilisks for the moment, a reminder.

Unlike little Potter, based on what he knew of Adam’s personality, even though this sounded as absurd as Merlin coming back to life, Adam would not make something up casually.

But if it was a basilisk, why had that cat only been petrified…

"I see… Mrs. Norris saw the basilisk’s reflection in a suit of knight’s armor, which was why she was only petrified."

Professor Dumbledore, whose presence had faded into the background after they entered the Headmaster’s Office, suddenly understood. At the same time, he resolved everyone’s doubts.

Only Harry was still completely lost.

"But… there hasn’t been a basilisk in Britannia for more than four hundred years…"

Professor Sprout was still somewhat doubtful.

"The basilisk had been hibernating in the Chamber of Secrets. It didn’t appear within the last four hundred years—it has lived for a thousand years."

Adam explained.

"But… how did you manage it? And how did you know it was a basilisk?"

Professor McGonagall finally found her voice.

"And why didn’t you tell us? Why did you go up against something so terrifying by yourself?"

"Professor McGonagall, please let me answer your questions one at a time."

Adam raised his hand and, under the astonished gazes of everyone in the Headmaster’s Office, summoned the Wand of Darkness.

"First, how did I manage it… with this, a magical artifact passed down by my ancestors."

A flicker of confusion passed through Professor Dumbledore’s eyes. How had he never known that Nicolas Flamel possessed such a magical artifact?

But as Adam explained, the confusion in Professor Dumbledore’s eyes vanished. So it had come from Adam’s ancestors in Huaxia…

Though he did not hide the existence of the Clow Cards, Adam did not explain them in detail either. After using the magical artifact inherited from his ancestors as an excuse for his combat abilities, he continued:

"As for how I discovered it… Professors, do you know Moaning Myrtle?"

Professor Dumbledore’s eyes flickered.

Moaning Myrtle… she had once been his student.

Adam explained how he had connected several factors: hearing from his classmates that the Chamber of Secrets had once been opened, the story of Moaning Myrtle that he had also heard from others, and the spider corpses he had found around the castle. Together, they had formed a hypothesis—the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk.

"…How did you even guess that?"

Harry muttered with wide eyes.

The professors knew the characteristics of basilisks, but Harry did not. He simply could not understand how those clues had led to that conclusion.

Ignoring Harry’s question entirely, Adam continued:

"Lastly, why didn’t I tell the professors… as I said earlier, it was only a guess. And since I was confident that I could handle even a basilisk, I went by myself."

After hearing the entire explanation, the professors fell silent.

The sequence of events Adam described was somewhat outrageous, yet there seemed to be nothing wrong with it.

"Then, setting aside for now how you ultimately defeated the basilisk so heroically—who opened the Chamber of Secrets?"

Professor Snape folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes.

"That person must have known the Chamber of Secrets extremely well. They must also have known long ago that there was a basilisk inside, and known how to deal with it…"

Professor Sprout seemed to understand something. She immediately glared at Professor Snape and pulled Adam into her arms.

"Severus, what do you mean by that?"

Knowing that Professor Snape never meant what he said, and that even if he believed Adam, he would still habitually criticize him out of worry and lingering fear, Adam sighed inwardly. Then, from within Professor Sprout’s embrace, he gave Professor Dumbledore a meaningful look. Professor Dumbledore immediately understood and spoke up.

"Severus, stop your speculation. We should indeed remain vigilant, but we cannot baselessly suspect a student."

As he spoke, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"Very well, it seems that most of the matter is now clear. Let Adam and me discuss the remaining details over lunch… please return to your duties, everyone. You may have afternoon classes to prepare for."

Though the professors were not particularly willing, since Professor Dumbledore had said so, they left the Headmaster’s Office one by one. Professor McGonagall even took Harry along with her.

"Good. Now it is just the two of us."

Professor Dumbledore winked at Adam.

"What would you like for lunch?"

"How about I make it again?"

With a wave of the Wand of Darkness, Adam conjured a steaming plate of brownie pizza on the table. Then he looked at Professor Dumbledore, whose eyes had lit up, and asked:

"Professor, what would you like for lunch?"