EFB Chapter 168 Details and Suggestions
Chapter 168 Details and Suggestions
Chapter 168 Details and Suggestions
Lynch's gaze lingered on Hagrid's sweaty forehead for a moment, and in his mind, he had already pieced together the truth from fifty years ago—Hagrid was nothing more than a scapegoat pushed out to take the blame.
Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together, her fingers unconsciously rubbing against each other; a knowing glint flashed in Snape's dark eyes, before he regained his composure; even Lockhart abandoned his usual smile, revealing a rare moment of seriousness, clearly having noticed this as well.
Lynch continued, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion: "Do you remember the exact date the incident occurred?"
Hagrid's thick fingers unconsciously and forcefully twisted the tough edge of his dragon-skin apron: "The weekend of the first week of October, 1943."
"Victim's name?"
"A Ravenclaw girl—" Hagrid's voice choked, "...her name is Maitl Elizabeth Warren—"
"The exact location where the body was found?"
"Second-floor corridor—right at the entrance to the shower room that the girls often go to."
Lynch's eyes flickered slightly: "Was that dead lady the bathroom ghost now known as 'The Weeping Myrtle'?"
Hagrid's massive body trembled slightly, and he bowed his head deeply: "...Yes. It's her."
The questions kept coming, meticulously peeling away the dusty past.
Hagrid answered honestly and painfully, each response revealing the scars of his past.
It wasn't until Lynch asked this question: "Back then, what made them so focused on you first?"
Hagrid's broad shoulders hunched over as if trying to dodge an invisible blow, his voice saying, "They—they say—someone reported it."
"Who?"
Hagrid's face turned deathly pale instantly.
His massive head lifted slightly, his fearful gaze sweeping over the four professors in the room, finally lingering for a moment on Lockhart's face.
Lockhart seemed a little surprised, but he quickly got into character, straightened his back, and smiled back with a carefully calibrated, radiant smile that could grace the cover of The Wizarding Weekly.
Hagrid seemed stung by that smile, quickly averting his gaze and looking back at Lynch, his lips tightly pressed together. Then, as if he had made a huge decision, he shook his head violently.
"No--"
The air inside the cabin seemed to freeze instantly.
His voice trembled: "I can't say. Unless—unless Professor Dumbledore is present. I must speak in the Headmaster's presence."
Hagrid pressed his lips tightly together, breathing heavily, indicating that there was absolutely no room for negotiation.
Lin Qi did not speak again.
He turned his head slightly, his gaze briefly meeting Professor McGonagall's—Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and shook her head slightly; he then looked at Snape, his black eyes completely calm.
"I've already sent the letter. Professor Dumbledore will be back first thing tomorrow morning," Professor McGonagall's voice broke the silence.
Lin Qi nodded, ending the inquiry: "Then let's wait until tomorrow."
Professor McGonagall rose and nodded to Hagrid. She sighed heavily, her voice tinged with weariness and disorientation: "Thank you, Hagrid. We—…we're so sorry."
After saying that, she took one last look at Hagrid, who was almost slumped against the wooden table, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and then turned and walked out.
Lockhart was the least willing to leave. He lingered at the back, his eyes gleaming with the light of someone who had discovered a gold mine, his mind racing as he considered the book's title—"The Chamber of Secrets and the Half-Giants: Face to Face with Hogwarts' Deepest Secrets?" Or perhaps something more concise and powerful—
"Hogwarts Castle: Half a Century of Lamentation"? He had even already decided on the melancholy violet color for the cover.
He was about to get closer to Hagrid to see if he could squeeze out some more "personal" sad memories, but when he turned around, he almost bumped into a black "wall".
Snape had silently appeared behind him like a black shadow, looking down at him with an expression on his sallow face as if he were examining a particularly sticky potion ingredient.
"Let's go, Lockhart." Snape's voice slid through the air like cold silk.
Having said that, he didn't wait for Lockhart's reaction. He flicked his black robe and strode towards the door. Lockhart, who was in front of him, had no choice but to jog to follow him out the door.
Lin Qi deliberately lagged behind a few steps and stopped at the threshold.
He turned around and faced the huge, distraught figure inside the room.
"Hagrid." Lynch's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Hagrid's ears.
Hagrid looked up, his bloodshot eyes still misty with tears, staring blankly at the professor who had returned.
Lynch's gaze swept quickly across the darkening night outside the window, confirming that the others had already headed towards the castle, before he spoke again, his tone steady: "Your 'little secret' hidden in the Forbidden Forest is safe. I won't tell anyone about its existence."
Hagrid's eyes widened suddenly; the surprise and joy instantly overshadowed his previous sadness and fear.
He opened his mouth, wanting to thank Lynch, but only a short, indistinct syllable came out of his throat.
Lin Qi didn't give him time to react, and continued, "With the locked room reopened, the fifty-year-old case will inevitably be brought up again. You are still a suspect on the record."
He paused for a moment, his gaze landing squarely on Hagrid's face. "Go see Dumbledore tomorrow when he returns. Ask for a job abroad—purchasing or biological exchange. You can come up with the excuse yourself. Leave Hogwarts legitimately and avoid this storm for now."
A faint, yet chilling smile curved his lips: "I know all too well the ways of those officials in the Ministry of Magic. They don't need the truth, they just need a scapegoat to quell the storm."
Hagrid listened blankly, his huge hands rubbing together unconsciously, making a rough friction sound.
"But—but Professor Dumbledore is here—" he said in a muffled voice, his tone a mixture of gratitude and an almost obsessive trust. "With him here—I—I am safe. I trust him."
Lin Qi looked at him quietly for a few seconds, his gaze lingering for a moment on that rugged face that was full of innocent trust.
"It's just a small suggestion," he finally said, his tone returning to its usual calm.
He gave Hagrid a barely perceptible nod, turned and stepped out of the hut. The wooden door clicked shut behind him.
The door shut out the warm light inside and the bewildered, enormous figure.
Lin Qi stood under the dim night sky, a barely perceptible ripple flashing across his eyes before finally falling silent.
I have said what I needed to say.
I have done all the effort I could.
This can be considered a belated reward for the old spider that lurks deep in the forbidden forest, its venom still flowing despite its dwindling size, and for its loyal but perpetually unlucky keeper.
He turned and walked toward the castle.