[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wizard-war-at-hogwarts":3,"chapter-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-84":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Wizard War at Hogwarts",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2358057,4612,"Chapter 84: The Colin Case","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-84",84,"\u003Cp>Just as Harry was beginning to suspect that Colin’s card might be connected to some conspiracy, a voice echoed in his mind: Could it be that Colin has recovered?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked around the common room but didn’t see the cheerful boy who always carried a camera; with a flicker of hope, Harry went to the hospital wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Colin sitting on his bed, absorbed in a book, which filled Harry with excitement—he hurried forward to greet him, only to notice Justin still frozen in petrification, and his spirits sank at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Harry, sir!” Colin exclaimed in delight. “Did you get my card?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did,” Harry smiled awkwardly. “Are you recovered?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only my upper body can move for now,” Colin said. “Madam Pomfrey says the petrification is slowly fading. Actually, my head recovered around Christmas, but at this rate, I might not be discharged until April.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry glanced at the camera on Colin’s bedside table, wondering if it still worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, since you’re already half better,” Harry remembered Filch’s cat, “what about Mrs. Norris?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still completely petrified,” Colin said. “Maybe it was my longing for you, Harry sir, that caused a miracle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry didn’t believe in such miracles—he now leaned toward the idea that the attacker who struck Colin and the one who opened the Chamber were not the same person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, do you remember seeing or hearing anything when you were attacked?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. I was leaving the dormitory, going downstairs, when suddenly I felt a tingling numbness in my back. When I woke up, I was in the hospital wing,” Colin strained to recall. “If I have to say anything, there might have been faint footsteps behind me—but I probably didn’t pay attention.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you investigating the true culprit behind the Chamber attacks, Harry sir? I’m sorry I couldn’t help you…” Colin looked disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry glanced again at the camera. Colin might have been attacked because he’d photographed something he shouldn’t have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember the Quidditch match? Did you take any interesting photos?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course! I captured the exact moment you caught the Snitch, several of your high-difficulty moves, and even a few shots of you and your team strategizing during halftime,” Colin said, then grew somber again. “Too bad I can’t find them now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry felt disappointed—this meant he’d gained no new leads from Colin. Still, as long as Colin recovered, it was at least something to be glad about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his way back to the dormitory, Harry couldn’t stop thinking about the “other attacker.” The eighth-floor corridor was always empty, since there were no other rooms, and only a few Gryffindor students passed by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Colin said he hadn’t noticed anything unusual that night, and Fat Lady hadn’t seen the attacker either—and yet the attack came from behind. Harry could only guess the attacker was invisible, or had hidden somewhere else on the eighth floor…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing again before the dormitory door, Harry viewed the scene from the Fat Lady’s perspective: behind him was the Gryffindor dormitory, and ahead, only the tapestry of Sir Bartholomew and the Headmaster’s office. The tapestry was so thin that anyone hiding behind it would be instantly visible—so was the attacker coming from the Headmaster’s office?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry was reluctant to accept this conclusion. He stood before the stone statue, frowning as he pondered the newly discovered clues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the wall between the statues split open, and Harry heard Dumbledore’s gentle voice: “Come in, child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry walked up the stairs to the Headmaster’s office and noticed that Fawkes on the perch looked ancient—last year he had been a radiant bird, now he resembled a plucked turkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What troubles you, Harry?” Dumbledore sat behind his desk, his mirrored spectacles hiding his expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was wondering—between eight p.m. on November sixth and one a.m. the next morning, was anyone in your office?” Harry finally decided to speak plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I regret to tell you, no one,” Dumbledore said. “I was alone here that night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then perhaps the attacker was invisible,” Harry said. “Fat Lady saw nothing, and there’s nowhere on the eighth floor to hide. I believe you yourself aren’t the attacker.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Harry, that makes perfect sense,” Dumbledore blinked. “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me? Anything at all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry recalled the analyses of Dumbledore from past meetings—he’d begun to believe himself that everything was part of Dumbledore’s plan. Perhaps, as the one Dumbledore trusted to succeed him, even if he didn’t actively assist, he shouldn’t undermine the old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All for the greater good. Harry couldn’t remember where he’d read that phrase, but it fit Dumbledore perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Professor, you know we love exploration and adventure,” Harry carefully said. “We’re investigating the monster in the Chamber.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, but I suppose you’ve also investigated Avalon, haven’t you?” Dumbledore smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, yes,” Harry replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And what did you gain from Avalon?” Dumbledore asked casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Love and courage, the magic of friendship, trust among companions,” Harry answered without hesitation. “Those are the most precious gains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes… trust among companions,” Dumbledore mused. “A truly meaningful experience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed Dumbledore didn’t want to discuss the Chamber. Harry wisely said no more, instead briefly describing Ron’s armor, Neville’s sword, and the new spell he’d learned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent gains—you’ll be able to protect yourselves even in danger,” Dumbledore smiled, swallowing a licorice wand. “Care for one, Harry?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Harry reached out, the office suddenly blazed with light—he was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Fawkes,” Dumbledore gazed toward the perch. Harry noticed the phoenix had turned to ash, and a wrinkled hatchling poked its head out from the pile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m curious, Professor,” Harry couldn’t help asking. “Last year he was so beautiful—why did he suddenly undergo rebirth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phoenixes are bound to their masters. When I feel weary and sorrowful, he ages quickly,” Dumbledore’s expression changed. “I must thank you, Harry—you’ve brought me too many good tidings today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But nothing’s happened recently,” Harry frowned. “What did I say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your growth, your courage, your determination—I’m deeply pleased, Harry,” Dumbledore patted Harry’s shoulder. “If I must leave, I can trust you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Professor,” Harry said happily. “I’ll solve the Chamber mystery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t feel pressured, child. Go to sleep now—you’re still growing,” Dumbledore smiled, escorting Harry out of the office, then sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the thick wooden door, Harry strained to hear what Dumbledore was muttering—but heard nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps Dumbledore’s mention of “leaving” meant more than just a temporary absence due to the Chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Qiu had confirmed that the reward given to Ron in Avalon was crafted by a Chinese alchemist found by Donald Fontroy; Harry’s own spell might also have been specially invented by someone; and Gryffindor’s sword must be tied to Dumbledore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Dumbledore made a decision, Fawkes—bound to his emotions—was reborn. Perhaps Dumbledore intended to let him make his own choice, even to entrust the remaining tasks to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Harry left the office, the truth remained unclear—but he was mentally prepared for what came next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the attacks ceased, fine. But if they continued, he would have to find and kill the Basilisk to calm the unrest that had begun since Halloween. If he couldn’t find the hidden Basilisk, he thought, he’d have to clear out the spiders in the Forbidden Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he returned to the dormitory, Ron had just come back from Donald Fontroy’s private dueling club. He looked bruised and swollen, but his spirits were decent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa, what did you do today?” Harry couldn’t help asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I trained with Donald, getting used to Gao Wen’s armor,” Ron said. “He’s speeding up the lessons—he seems anxious, and told me to prepare myself mentally. I don’t know what he meant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe he’s also part of Dumbledore’s plan to handle the Chamber,” Harry sighed. “If the attacks happen again and Dumbledore is forced out of the school, we’ll have to resolve the Chamber mystery ourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?” Ron gripped his sword tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Either we find the Basilisk hidden somewhere in the school and kill it,” Harry said, “or we go deep into the Forbidden Forest and eliminate every spider we saw last time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not necessary, is it?” Ron’s voice trembled. “I heard looking directly at a Basilisk kills you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, if the attacks stop, we won’t need to worry about any of this,” Harry said bleakly. “But ‘preparing yourself’ means being ready for the worst-case scenario.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s even possible we’ll have to deal with both monsters,” Harry suddenly remembered Colin, an unusual victim—the attacker might have been a smaller but venomous spider, which would perfectly explain “no place to hide” and “a tingling numbness in the back, then unconsciousness.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1432,"2026-06-21T04:54:27.874Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","425047244b5e101edf214e0d746e6ec18e1dcd8cc9d6a8606a9c19ca16cf7366","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-85","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-83",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwizard-war-at-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]