Chapter 62: Four Signatures

“I think we still can’t avoid the issue—the question of motive,” Harry ventured. “What do you think the attacker’s purpose is?”

Harry had learned beforehand of a conspiracy, so he had assumed from the start that these attacks were meant to distract Dumbledore. But as Professor Hype had said, different viewpoints must be allowed, so he decided to ask the professor’s opinion.

“I believe the attacker’s motive has two possibilities,” Professor Hype said without hesitation. “The first is hatred among students—the attacker hates someone who happens to be a Muggle-born, so he uses the legend of the Chamber to clear his own name. That’s still a manageable case.”

“The less manageable case might be that someone wants to drive Headmaster Dumbledore out of Hogwarts,” Professor Hype declared loudly, startling Harry. “If students keep getting attacked, they’ll have grounds to accuse Dumbledore of failing to ensure the school’s safety and force him to resign.”

Harry had always assumed Voldemort’s plot was to keep Dumbledore tied up at Hogwarts, so he blurted out: “But why would anyone want to drive Dumbledore out of the school?”

“Harry, you must understand that childhood education profoundly shapes a person,” Professor Hype said solemnly. “Whoever controls the school can freely implant their ideas into young witches and wizards. That is terrifying.”

“Then who do you fear is plotting to take control of the school?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know—it may not even be the Death Eaters; they haven’t even clarified their own beliefs,” Professor Hype said casually. “But one thing is certain: we need freedom of thought. Whoever tries to impose indoctrination, we will never accept.”

“Hey, Harry!” someone called. Harry turned and saw Zhang Qiu; she seemed well-rested.

“Oh, I need to go prepare my lesson,” Professor Hype said offhandedly, and vanished in an instant.

“Who were you just talking to? Was that Professor Hype?” Zhang Qiu asked.

“Yes, he’s a fascinating person—his way of thinking is unlike ours,” Harry said, still mulling over the new hypothesis. “I heard some other theories from him—I think we need to consider them.”

After hearing Harry’s recount, Zhang Qiu dismissed it: “Even if someone drove out Headmaster Dumbledore, who would replace him? Just Professor McGonagall or Professor Snape—what indoctrination could there be?”

“True. I actually came here just to see the scene,” Harry said. “I don’t know why I ended up talking to Professor Hype.”

“Ancient Runes only has one class a week—four classes total for all four years,” Zhang Qiu sneered. “These elective professors are all idle, wandering around chatting every day.”

“By the way, do you remember what Colin looked like when he was petrified?” Harry changed the subject. “The scene’s been cleaned up—nothing left. The only clues are the victims’ conditions.”

“Why don’t we sneak back in wearing the Invisibility Cloak?” Zhang Qiu suggested. “I heard Madam Pomfrey say yesterday she has no cure for Colin’s petrification—it can only be reversed when Mandrake roots mature.”

“Mandrake roots? You don’t mean the ones we grow in Herbology class?” Harry exclaimed. “They’re barely grown—by the time they mature, it’ll be March at the earliest. Colin will miss almost the entire school year!”

“It does seem to be the case,” Zhang Qiu said, resigned. “Stay optimistic—at least we’ll have the whole year to repeatedly investigate his condition.”

“You’re awfully compassionate,” Harry said, half-laughing, half-exasperated.

They returned to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was absent, so the two were able to examine Colin’s petrified body closely once more.

Harry remembered his foot was bent backward while the other was extended—again, it was the same. This suggested he was descending stairs when attacked.

Colin’s gaze was slightly downward, fixed on his right hand—he must have been holding a bunch of grapes, as Professor McGonagall mentioned. His left hand rested lightly on his chest, touching his favorite camera. His expression was perfectly calm, which was why McGonagall deduced he was ambushed from behind while walking—he clearly had no warning before being petrified.

But Colin was found on the eighth floor, on the stairs leading down from Gryffindor Tower. Harry had already asked the Fat Lady; she saw nothing. The eighth floor has no hiding spots except the Headmaster’s office and Gryffindor Tower itself—just a long corridor, plus the Fat Lady’s portrait and the tapestry of the Troll Bludgeoning Baruffio. There’s barely any space at all—how could the attacker hide here?

Thus, the revised hypothesis: the attacker used some form of invisibility. Under this assumption, the attacker need not strike from behind—if the spell leaves no visible trail, a frontal attack wouldn’t alert Colin.

Moreover, from Madam Pomfrey’s blunt admission that she couldn’t cure it, Harry speculated the attacker might not have used a spell at all. Zhang Qiu thought it might involve potions, since she’d once read of a petrifying potion.

Professor Hype suggested ancient Runes might be involved, but he found no anomalies. Harry thought potions were plausible—any effect achieved by a spell can usually be undone by a spell. The attacker is unlikely to know a spell Dumbledore doesn’t.

If investigating potions, Harry thought it best to ask Snape. He knocked on Snape’s office door. Snape seemed in good spirits, so Harry dared to ask about the petrifying potion.

“Generally, we don’t recommend second-year students study such controversial potions,” Snape said darkly. “But given your talent, perhaps a little knowledge won’t hurt.”

He quickly wrote a note and handed it to Harry, then ushered him out. The note permitted Harry to borrow the book *Powerful Potions* from the Restricted Section.

Harry suddenly remembered—he’d tried to borrow this book last year and failed. It was his first time hearing of Hogwarts’ Restricted Section. Now, with Snape’s special authorization, he could finally see why this book was banned.

For the next week, Harry spent all his time in the library—besides homework, he read *Powerful Potions*. The book described several “controversial” potions and their recipes, including a petrifying potion: a single sip would fully petrify the drinker, reversible only by Mandrake root.

This matched the victims’ conditions, but from the crime scene, Harry doubted Colin drank the potion—he appeared petrified suddenly, without awareness.

The book also described Polyjuice Potion, which transforms the drinker into another person’s appearance; Amortentia, which causes obsessive love; and Thinking Accelerator Potion, which enables rapid thought for a short time, followed by extreme exhaustion.

Harry returned the book after reading it. Back in his dorm, he discussed its contents with Neville, noting the Thinking Accelerator Potion resembled Neville’s Time-Turner spell. He joked half-seriously that the book’s recipes were so detailed he’d almost consider brewing them—if only the ingredients weren’t impossible to find.

The next day, as Harry and Ron played wizard’s chess while continuing to deduce the attacker’s method and motive, Neville, Hermione, and Hannah gathered in an empty classroom to discuss Malfoy.

“We found nothing concrete, but everyone knows Malfoy has a grudge against Muggle-borns,” Hannah whispered. “I think we should investigate him further.”

“But how do we catch him in the act?” Hermione looked puzzled. “I mean, I don’t want to break school rules.”

“We’ve tried all the easy ideas,” Neville said. “Now there’s only one left: sneak into Slytherin’s common room, question Malfoy, and make sure he doesn’t recognize us.”

“That seems impossible,” Hannah said, worried.

“It’s possible—if we have Polyjuice Potion,” Hermione said. “But the problem is we don’t know its recipe.”

“There’s a book called *Powerful Potions* in the Restricted Section,” Neville said, repeating what he’d just heard. “It contains complete potion recipes. The only problem is how to borrow it—you need a professor’s signed note.”

“Let’s each think of a way,” Hermione nodded. “That’s settled then.”

Eventually, they successfully borrowed the book and began planning to steal ingredients from Snape’s cabinets.

In Librarian Mrs. Pinch’s drawer lay four signatures.

“Permit Harry Potter to borrow *Powerful Potions* to enhance his Potions proficiency. —Severus Snape”

“Permit Hannah Abbott to borrow *Powerful Potions* to investigate recent petrification cases. —Poppy Pomfrey”

“Permit Neville Longbottom to borrow *Powerful Potions* to expand his Herbology knowledge. —Pomona Sprout”

“Permit Hermione Granger to borrow *Powerful Potions* to aid in understanding the slow poison of the Ghoul. —Donald Fontroy”