"What's going on here, what's going on?"
Filch, no doubt attracted by Malfoy's shout, shouldered his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris, and staggered back a few steps, clutching his face in horror.
"My cat! My cat! What's wrong with Mrs. Norris?" he screamed, almost fainting.
"It's you!" Filch suddenly walked over and grabbed Ivan, screaming, "You killed my cat, killed it! I'm going to kill you, I'm going to... "
"Let me go!" Ivan knocked off Filch's hand, "I didn't touch a hair on that cat, no one touched him, it was already like this when we came here."
"Lie, you're lying!" Filch screamed loudly. "Someone saw you do it, didn't they?!"
"Filch!"
Dumbledore arrived on the scene, followed by many other teachers. In the blink of an eye, he walked to Ivan, Harry, Ron and Hermione, and untied Mrs. Norris from the torch holder
"Come with me, Filch," he said to Filch, "and you, Mr. Mason, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."
Lockhart hurried forward and said, dancing, "My office is the closest, Headmaster! It's upstairs, you can go there."
"Thank you, Gilderoy!" Dumbledore nodded.
The silent crowd parted to let them pass.
They entered Lockhart's dark office one after another, followed by Professor McGonagall and Snape. There was a commotion on the office wall, and Ivan saw Lockhart in the photo hiding in a panic, with curlers in their hair.
Then the real Lockhart lit a candle on the table and stepped back. Dumbledore put Mrs. Norris on the clean table and began to examine it carefully.
He looked very carefully, the tip of his long hooked nose almost touched the fur on Mrs. Norris's body, and his slender fingers poked here and there gently. Professor McGonagall bent over, almost touching the cat with his face, squinting his eyes and watching carefully.
Snape stood behind them, half hidden in the shadows, looking eerie, with a very strange expression on his face, as if he was desperately trying not to laugh. Lockhart hovered around them, constantly scheming.
Ivan, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances nervously, and sat down stiffly on a few chairs out of candlelight. Filch stood behind them, staring at Ivan, as if he had already decided that he was the murderer of the cat.
"A spell must have killed it, probably the Transfiguration spell. I've seen it used so many times, it's a pity I wasn't there, I just happen to know the cure that would have saved it. "
Hearing what Lockhart said, Filch, who was standing behind Ivan, twitched sadly.
Then, suddenly, he sank down on a chair by the table, covered his face with his hands, and did not dare to look at Mrs. Norris, looking very pitiful.
At this moment, Dumbledore muttered something strange and tapped Mrs. Norris with his wand, but there was no response. Mrs. Norris was still lying there stiffly, like a freshly prepared specimen.
"Headmaster, the cat is dead!" Lockhart said. "I remember something similar happened in Ouagadougou, a series of attacks, which are well documented in my autobiography. At that time, I told the people A variety of amulets are provided, and the problem is solved in one fell swoop.”
"Professor, it's not dead, it's just petrified."
Ivan felt that he had to say something, otherwise he would let Lockhart continue to stimulate Filch so much, and the latter would probably jump over to find him desperately.
"Nonsense, you killed him!" Filch screamed.
"Mr. Mason is right, it's not dead, Filch." Dumbledore said softly, "It's been petrified, a profound black magic, and it's impossible for a first-year student to do that."
"He did it, he did it!" Filch spattered, his fat, sagging face turning purple. "You saw what he wrote on the wall, my Mrs. Norris He must have held a grudge for preventing him from entering the girls' bathroom on the third floor many times."
"I didn't, I didn't touch the cat at all!"
"Then, why did the famous Mr. Know-it-All try to enter a girls' bathroom?" Snape glanced at Ivan gloomily, "Is there anything there that can be published in your nonsensical newspaper?"
"I, I am looking for the ghost in the castle to provide news sources for my newspaper. I think it is necessary to talk to Moaning Myrtle. She is very familiar with Hogwarts, and many girls like her." Ai Wen stammered and explained that he didn't even believe what he said.
"I have serious doubts about it." Snape's lips twisted into a sneer, and his eyes turned to Harry sitting aside, "The whole thing is full of a series of doubts, why did you bother at that time? In that place, why did you go to the corridor above, why didn't you go to the Halloween party?"
Snape asked a series of questions, which made Ivan feel like he was in a book with a hundred thousand whys.
Luckily he didn't have to answer him, as Harry, Ron and Hermione scrambled to explain that they were going to the Deathday Party.
"Hundreds of ghosts have come, and they can prove we're there."
"But after this, why didn't you come to the banquet?" Snape's dark eyes sparkled in the candlelight. "Why go up the corridor?"
"We're going to apologize to Ron for having a little misunderstanding with Moaning Myrtle at the Deathday party."
"Apologizing to a ghost and skipping dinner?" A smug smile flashed across Snape's skinny face. "I don't think the food provided by the ghost at the party is probably not suitable for living people."
"We're not hungry," Ron said loudly, as his stomach rumbled and Snape's ugly smile became more apparent.
"My opinion, Headmaster, is that they haven't been telling the whole truth," he said. "We should perhaps revoke some of their privileges until they're willing to tell us the whole story. Personally, I think it's best for Mason to stop his share." Ridiculous newspaper, tell Potter to leave the Gryffindor Quidditch team until they're honest."
"Honestly, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason for these children to stop their favorite extra-curricular activities, and the cat wasn't hit on the head with a newspaper or a broom, and there's no evidence They did anything wrong."
Dumbledore glanced at the four people with probing eyes, staring at them with bright blue eyes, as if he had seen through everything.
"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly.
Snape looked exasperated, as did Filch.
"My cat got petrified and I want to see someone get some punishment!"
"We can cure it, Filch," said Dumbledore patiently. "Mrs. Sprout has acquired some mandrakes recently, and once they are grown I have a cure that will make Lori Mrs. Si is back from the dead."
"I'll make it," interposed Lockhart. "I've done it a hundred times, I could dream of making a mandrake resurrection potion at the same time."
"Excuse me!" said Snape coldly, "I thought I was the Potions teacher at this school."
There was an awkward silence, and Lockhart twisted uneasily.
"You can go." Dumbledore said to Ivan, Harry, Ron and Hermione.
They walked as fast as they could, almost running. Once upstairs in Lockhart's office, they entered an empty classroom and closed the door softly.
In the dark, Hermione squinted at Ivan, Harry and Ron.