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"For the soul, our understanding is still insufficient, but I will try my best."
"I have informed St. Mungo's of this and they will provide adequate support."
Cassandra nodded.
If St. Mungo is involved, then this is probably the best healing power in the magic world.
"Then only Madam Pomfrey has the Mandrake?"
If Cassandra remembers correctly, it will take several months for the Mandrake to mature.
She didn't want to wait so long.
"Mandrake is a plant controlled by the Ministry of Magic. It is very dangerous and poisonous."
"Only people who have undergone strict training or have sufficient ability can breed them."
"Professor Sprout is the only one I know."
Madam Pomfrey answered very cautiously.
Mandrakes may be bought from other sources, but those who can handle this plant are all very dangerous guys among the dark wizards.
They are proficient in herbalism, which means they are likely to be proficient in poisons and potions.
Madam Pomfrey naturally didn't want Cassandra to deal with these people.
But Cassandra had already taken it to heart.
Later she would unleash the power of the Abstergo Corporation and go all out to buy the Mandrake.
Whatever the price, whatever the price.
Every second that Luna was lying here was a torment for Cassandra.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Madam Pomfrey dipped some purple potion on a cotton swab and rubbed it on Luna's forehead every once in a while.
This made Luna's forehead always maintain the last bit of softness.
This is probably one of the ways Madam Pomfrey said to maintain the soul.
Seeing all this, Cassandra's heart tightened even more.
It seemed that Luna had already entered the ICU, her whole body was filled with tubes, and her life was being maintained by machines.
Finally, the door of the school hospital opened and Dumbledore walked in.
This time it was just him.
"Madame Pomfrey, may I speak with Miss Malfoy alone?"
"Of course, Mr. Principal."
Madam Pomfrey was a little embarrassed. Is there anything she, a doctor, can't listen to?
But she agreed immediately, quietly walked out of the school hospital, and closed the door.
Dumbledore came over, eyes full of sadness behind the half-moon glasses.
The fact that Luna was attacked by the basilisk was completely beyond his expectations.
If Luna really died, Dumbledore believed, Hogwarts would have another terrifying enemy.
And the scariest thing about this enemy is that she is not a dark wizard.
"Miss Malfoy, I'm sorry about Miss Lovegood."
"Professor, if the apology is useful, the Ministry of Magic can be disbanded on the spot."
Cassandra spoke calmly.
She was very angry, and Dumbledore accounted for at least [-]% of the reasons for this anger.
So even if Cassandra calmed down, she didn't have a good tone for Dumbledore.
"I understand your urgency to bring the murderer to justice, but this matter is not that simple."
"It's not that simple? It couldn't be simpler in my opinion."
Cassandra and Dumbledore looked at each other: "Who can open the Chamber of Secrets and release the Basilisk, is there any other possibility besides Harry Potter?"
Parseltongue is required to open the Chamber of Secrets.
To make the basilisk obedient, it needs to be a descendant of Slytherin.
Plus the need to know the secrets of the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk.
Although the Chamber of Secrets has been opened more than once in the past 1000 years, Voldemort is the only one who fully meets the above three conditions.
Therefore, only after the Chamber of Secrets was opened last time, Voldemort manipulated the basilisk to kill Myrtle, and there were no similar murders in the other times.
"You don't mean to say that Voldemort himself came back and opened the Chamber of Secrets to murder a little first-year witch?"
Dumbledore did not answer Cassandra's words directly, but looked at Cassandra with deep eyes: "I didn't expect, Miss Malfoy, that you know so much."
The specific process of opening the secret room last time is still an unsolved case.
Hagrid was cast as the culprit, and he was fired for it.
Dumbledore doesn't believe Hagrid did all this, he suspects Tom Riddle.
But it wasn't until Harry proved in the original book that only the Parseltongue could open the Chamber of Secrets that Hagrid was able to get his grievances cleared.
That is to say, before Harry opened the Chamber of Secrets, only Dumbledore and Voldemort in the world may know the reason behind the last opening of the Chamber of Secrets.
Dumbledore may also rely on guesswork and inference.
But now, Cassandra has become the third insider.
In the past, Dumbledore's suspicion was enough to make Cassandra hesitate, wondering if she had exposed too much.
But now Cassandra just narrowed her eyes slightly: "I thought Professor Snape and you had already reported that my father and I destroyed a Horcrux."
Dumbledore suddenly realized: "Tom wrote the matter of the Basilisk and the Chamber of Secrets in the diary Horcrux?"
"He also tempted me to open the Chamber of Secrets, kill all Muggle wizards, and become the heir of Slytherin."
Dumbledore hooked the corner of his mouth: "Then you are also one of the suspects, Miss Malfoy?"
Cassandra didn't smile or make a statement, just looked at Dumbledore quietly.
Dumbledore slowly put away his smile. He liked the habit of joking, so he had to learn to restrain himself a little in front of Cassandra.
"Just let your Harry Potter prove to you that I'm not a Parseltongue."
"Or use Veritaserum again to test if I'm a Parseltongue?"
Dumbledore shook his head slowly: "I trust you, Miss Malfoy, just as I trust Mr. Potter."
"You have enough reasons to doubt Mr. Potter, I can understand. But you don't have conclusive evidence, maybe someone else meets the above conditions?"
Cassandra frowned.
She wanted to say it was impossible, but this is not the original work after all.
Could it be that someone she has never heard of will jump out?
"I believe Mr. Potter is not lying, nor is he the type to do that."
"The prejudice between you may be a bit deep, but I hope that it is better for the students not to have so much suspicion."
Cassandra sneered: "Professor, is it time to care about the relationship between students?"
"I just want to find the murderer and have the dementor give him a French kiss."
Dumbledore pursed his lips: "That's terrible..."
He understood that it was impossible for him to dispel the killing intent in Cassandra's heart.
After Cassandra personally killed Quirrell, Dumbledore understood that Cassandra was no longer a child who resisted killing, but a tested warrior.
"We'll find the murderer."
"I need a deadline."
"For this kind of thing, no one can guarantee how long it will take to find the murderer."
"Don't make any guarantees, wait for the next student to die?"
Cassandra stared at Dumbledore dissatisfied: "I don't know what your plan is, but do you really not feel guilty about risking the lives of your students?"
"Harry Potter is your student, but not the others?"
"His growth is important, but the life and death of other students is not important?"
"Professor, you are too partial."
This made Dumbledore dumbfounded.
How many years had it been since he had been so vehemently accused?
Oh no, not a lot.
For example, Cassandra's father, Lucius, or some officials of the Ministry of Magic who are confused.
But for these people's accusations, Dumbledore would not take it to heart at all.
But Cassandra's words made him unable to refute.
He believed that Harry Potter would not murder others, but in case his guess was wrong, even if there was a slight fallacy.
And because a few more students died unexpectedly, could he really accept all this?
If it was Dumbledore when he was young, he might not have thought so much. At that time, using words to make others act was one of his favorite things to do.
From this point of view, Dumbledore and Greenwald have many similarities.
But as he got older and closer to death, Dumbledore thought more and more about death.
He realized more clearly that he was not qualified to decide who to die.
That was one of his biggest motivations for deciding his attitude towards Harry.
However, Cassandra's words also reminded him.
When he put all his thoughts on Harry, other students were facing life and death crisis. Is he still qualified to be the principal?