Chapter 35. A Matter Left Unresolved
"Of course,"
Professor Fawkes said, drawing his wand and handing it to Kingsley.
Kingsley held the rather worn wand and remarked with a sigh.
"I remember its material: willow, phoenix feathers, 11 inches long. I was completely terrified when I used it to cast the Flashback Charm."
"That's not a glorious history," Professor Fawkes said calmly.
Kingsley nodded. He could tell Fawkes didn't want to dwell on the past, so he picked up his own wand and joined it with Professor Fawkes's, casting the Flashback Charm.
"Incisor Swelling Charm, Bat Spirit Charm, Stinging Charm, Sticky Foot Charm, Hard Tongue Charm, Sleight of Hand Charm… You've used so many different poisonous spells recently?"
The examination results puzzled Kingsley; these spells were rarely used by adult wizards.
"For experimental purposes," Professor Fawkes replied simply.
Kingsley had heard about his experimental research, but although it was somewhat borderline, it was still within the legal bounds, so he couldn't say much.
Professor Fawkes shrugged. "Since there's no problem, can I have it back?"
Kingsley handed the wand back to him, his face showing neither regret nor disappointment, but rather relief.
Then he turned to Professor McGonagall and said,
"Professor McGonagall, could you please arrange a meeting with the students who were the first to arrive at the scene? I have some questions for them."
They then left Professor Fawkes's office and went to Professor McGonagall's office, the vice-principal's office.
Lynn and Cedric were quickly summoned there, along with the Slytherin girl who had been the first to see Hubert.
On the way here, Cedric secretly told Lynn about what had happened in the Great Hall.
"Someone reported Professor Fawkes to the two Aurors from the Ministry on the spot, and Professor McGonagall was reportedly furious."
Lynn nodded. "I know. On my way here, I saw a group of people surrounding him in the common room, listening to him recount his glorious deeds."
"So, do you think Professor Fawkes is the murderer?" Cedric couldn't help but ask.
Lynn had never expressed her opinion on this matter when they practiced spells together.
"I never jump to conclusions about anything," Lynn said softly, "especially when most people are prejudiced."
Cedric scratched his forehead, as if pondering his words.
When they arrived at the Vice-Headmaster's office, Kingsley's primary questioning target wasn't the two of them, but the Slytherin girl.
"When you saw that boy, did you notice anything unusual about his surroundings?"
The girl was clearly nervous, looking into Kingsley's eyes and stammering.
"Sir, I… I don't quite understand what you mean by unusual?"
Kingsley paused for a few seconds before speaking.
"Well…did you have this feeling, like there was an invisible person watching you next to Hubert?"
Hearing his words, the girl shuddered, becoming even more nervous.
"I…I don't know, sir. I was just…I was so scared, I didn't notice anything."
Kingsley looked somewhat disappointed; this girl was too timid, he couldn't get any information out of her.
"And what about you?" He turned his gaze to Lynn and Cedric. "Did you notice anything suspicious or anyone at the time?"
Lynn and Cedric both shook their heads, indicating no.
Just as Kingsley was feeling quite disappointed, Cedric suddenly remembered something.
"When Lynn and I were practicing spells by the Black Lake, we saw a young wizard returning to the castle looking very disheveled."
Instantly, Kingsley perked up and asked urgently,
"What time? Which direction did he come from? What's his name?"
"Around 6 a.m., he came along the Black Lake, the direction the professor usually tells us to stay away from the Whomping Willow. His name... I don't know him, I don't know his name."
At the same time, with Cedric's reminder, Lynn also recalled this.
"His name is Ian Campbell, a first-year Ravenclaw student."
Kingsley now looked extremely excited!
He suddenly stood up from his chair, seemingly preparing to personally go find the young wizard named Ian.
However, Professor McGonagall's expression changed repeatedly after hearing the name.
"Let's go find him now. I have a feeling that even if this young wizard isn't the murderer, the murderer must be connected to him..."
"Sit down! Kingsley!"
Just as Kingsley was rubbing his hands together in anticipation, Professor McGonagall's shout startled everyone present.
Whether Aurors or young wizards, they all stared in disbelief at the extremely excited Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall, trying to calm herself, ordered Lynn and Cedric,
"You can leave now, but remember! Don't tell anyone about what you saw Campbell that day. Nobody!"
Lynn and Cedric, though somewhat confused, knew the situation was beyond their control. They nodded quickly and left the vice-principal's office.
Kingsley also realized things weren't simple.
He sat back down, his brow furrowed.
"Is there something wrong with that student, Professor?"
Professor McGonagall didn't speak; her emotions seemed to have gradually calmed. She said to Sevi, who was standing beside her,
"Could you please excuse me for a moment? I need to discuss something rather personal with Kingsley Shacklebolt."
Sevi nodded hastily and left as well.
Only Kingsley and Professor McGonagall remained in the office.
Professor McGonagall stared intently at Kingsley.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt, I can assure you that the child has nothing to do with this attack. You can't continue investigating him!"
Kingsley seemed puzzled. "Can you tell me why?"
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and remained silent for a long while before speaking.
"You are one of ours, Kingsley Shacklebolt, but without Albus's permission, I can't explain this to you too clearly. Do you remember Remus?"
…
The Aurors ultimately returned empty-handed.
After they left, Professor McGonagall announced in the Great Hall that the Aurors had proven Professor Fawkes' innocence; the Dark Arts attack was not his doing.
Although some junior wizards still believed Professor Fawkes was a Dark Wizard, most students were quite convinced by Professor McGonagall's words.
The attack seemed to be fading away, and Hogwarts gradually relaxed its guard over time.
For the next two months, until after Halloween, Hogwarts remained peaceful.
This was not only because the culprit hadn't committed any further crimes, but more importantly, because Professor Dumbledore had returned to Hogwarts before Halloween.
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(End of Chapter)