A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

“Maybe it was just a coincidence both times?” Hermione said uncertainly. “Besides, his purpose in going to the crime scene might be the same as ours.”

“It could also be evidence that was accidentally left behind,” Ron said calmly. “That’s how it’s written in detective novels.”

"I still don't believe that Aaron has ever looked down on half-bloods or Muggle-born wizards."

He didn't know Filch was a Squib and had no reason to harm Mrs. Lorris.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with helplessness.

“I don’t want to doubt him either,” Harry said in a low voice, “but there are just too many coincidences. Apart from Malfoy, he’s the most suspicious person.”

Ron nodded; he shared the same thought, and he added another reason in his mind for Aaron.

Aaron gets along very well with Malfoy, who despises half-breeds and Muggle-borns. Birds of a feather flock together, and this is an insurmountable obstacle.

Hermione chuckled. "In short, I don't believe it was him."

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, they were just guessing, they had no way of proving it.

“Let’s put that aside for now. We don’t need to waste time on unrealistic speculation.” Harry sighed softly. “Let’s investigate in other directions!”

Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room.

Aaron sneezed several times in his dorm room, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

After all, he is only twelve years old. Although his physique is far superior to that of an adult, it does not mean that he will not catch a cold in November.

Aaron opened his notebook, looked at the clues he had pieced together, and pondered for a moment.

He turned the page, tore off the blank paper from the back, and laid it on the wall.

Then, using a magic wand, he transferred the clues from the notebook to a blank sheet of paper, creating a simple clue wall with words but no pictures.

"There are currently two leads that we can investigate."

First, there's the identity of the heir; second, there's the identity of the monster within the secret chamber. Aaron stroked his chin, his mind racing.

Finding an heir is difficult, especially since the heir is a newborn.

There are quite a few people, but any one of them could be involved.

Moreover, the other party would not easily reveal any flaws. How could someone be so timid as to open a secret room at the age of eleven and release the monster inside to commit murder?

However, it's possible to check the student who was expelled fifty years ago, but that would be quite difficult.

Fifty years ago, that's a huge time span. Even the professors at the school might not know much about it. I estimate that apart from Headmaster Dumbledore, no one knows about that period of history.

But Aaron had no desire to deal with Dumbledore. The old man seemed kind and amiable, and in the eyes of most students, he was a competent headmaster.

But for some reason, every time Aaron saw him, he felt that the other man was deep and scheming, and he had a feeling that he might be betrayed by him if he was not careful.

Thinking of the depth in Dumbledore's eyes, Aaron suddenly shivered, then immediately turned his thoughts to the monster's identity.

A magical creature with terrifying petrifying abilities, existing since Salazar Slytherin's time, possessing an extremely long lifespan, and possibly a natural enemy of spiders...

call!

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief. With these clues, confirming the other party's identity wasn't too difficult.

The next day after class, Aaron took Abe outside the castle.

When they arrived at Hagrid's cabin, Abe, whom he was holding, reluctantly turned her face away.

“Let’s go! He’s the only one in this school who knows anything about magical creatures!” Aaron said, knocking on the door.

"Who?"

Hagrid opened the door and was somewhat surprised to see Aaron.

"This is truly a rare guest!"

Why did you decide to come here? Is Abe sick?

"Can't you think of something better?"

"My dragon cub is incredibly healthy and has a great appetite." Aaron rolled his eyes at him, then went inside and casually found a place to sit. "I came here specifically because I have some questions, and I reckon you're the only one in all of Hogwarts who can give me the answers."

Upon hearing this, Hagrid raised an eyebrow, his thick beard trembling slightly, revealing his inner smugness.

"You go first, but I can't guarantee I can answer it."

"It's about the secret room," Aaron said calmly. "I discovered..."

Aaron stopped mid-sentence when Hagrid, sitting opposite him, trembled slightly, his smile vanishing and replaced by fear.

"Are you OK?"

"It's nothing." Hagrid forced a bitter smile and said in a forced tone, "I'm perfectly fine."

"You don't look like you're alright."

"I'm just asking some questions, don't be nervous." Aaron tried to keep his tone calm. "Hagrid, I've found some clues about the secret room."

"Really?" Hagrid asked, somewhat uneasy. "What did you discover?"

"Many, including the status of heirs..."

“It wasn’t me, it really wasn’t me!” Hagrid stood up agitatedly. “I’ve been framed. I’m really not the heir to Slytherin.”

"I didn't say it was you!" Aaron chuckled awkwardly, but then he seemed to realize something, and his expression changed slightly.

According to Draco's clues, the person who opened the secret room fifty years ago was dismissed, and Hagrid apparently became the forest ranger after being dismissed.

Fifty years is nothing to a giant, and it matches his current appearance.

Gulu!

Aaron swallowed hard, and asked nervously, "You wouldn't happen to be that wizard who was expelled fifty years ago, would you?"

“But I was truly innocent.” Hagrid looked dejected, his eyes squinting with grievance. “However, almost no one believed me back then.”

If it weren't for Dumbledore's protection and the lack of sufficient evidence, I probably would have remained imprisoned in Azkaban indefinitely.

"It is quite pitiful, but I am willing to believe you."

"You believe me?"

“Of course.” Aaron nodded very seriously.

Rupert Hagrid is the heir to Slytherin? Are you kidding me?

Even if Salazar Slytherin lowered his standards for his successor, he would still choose a normal wizard, not a giant; this is too far-fetched.

Moreover, Hagrid has no sense of propriety when it comes to his words; he's overly honest and upright, and has absolutely no connection to Slytherin.

"Alright, let's get back to the point. What I want to ask you is whether you know the identity of the monster in the secret room?"

"I don't know," Hagrid said apologetically.

"Of course I know you don't know, but I have clues that might help me figure it out," Aaron said calmly. "Fantastic creatures, with the ability to petrify, and extremely long lifespans, may be natural enemies of spiders."

Chapter 159 The Monster's Identity, the Basilisk

After hearing Aaron's clue, Hagrid shook his head in surprise, "I'm sorry, I don't know."

“Are you kidding?

No one in all of Hogwarts knows more about magical creatures than you.

“That’s true, but…” Hagrid hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, “That’s only relative.”

I am very familiar with the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest, but the magical world is vast, and the variety of magical creatures is countless, far too large for the Forbidden Forest to contain.

To give a simple example, there are no fire dragons, thunderbirds, phoenixes, or qilin in the Forbidden Forest.

I've been a forest ranger for nearly fifty years, so my perspective is only slightly broader than this forest itself, but even so, I consider myself an expert in the field of magical zoology.

Aaron looked thoughtful, then sighed regretfully, "I thought I could get something from you!"

"Hagrid, you were a victim fifty years ago. I need you to tell me any clues you know."

Don't try to fool me; you definitely know something.

Hagrid's eyes flickered, his face showing some panic, and he chuckled awkwardly, "I might really not know anything."

Seeing his reaction, Aaron immediately knew the answer.

He stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and looked directly into Hagrid's eyes. "Hagrid, in my heart you are the most honest and kindest wizard."

You must have your own reasons for not telling me, but the secret room has been reopened.

Last time, one student died. Nobody knows how many people will die this time, and the consequences will be severe.

However, we can absolutely prevent all of this from happening before the tragedy occurs, or at the very least minimize the damage.

So, for the sake of Hogwarts, I believe you know what to do.

Hagrid swallowed hard and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Actually, I don't know much either."

A smile spread across Aaron's face as he calmly picked up the teacup on the table. "It's alright, just tell me how much you have."

“The monster in the secret chamber is definitely the spider’s natural enemy, not possibly,” Hagrid stammered. “That’s what Aragok told me.”

It's a giant eight-eyed spider I keep, the kind that's fifty years old.

puff!

Aaron sprayed a mouthful of tea onto Hagrid's face, leaving a large amount of water stains on his thick beard.

"What did you say?" Aaron stood up in astonishment, speechless as he looked at Hagrid, who was bowing his head and remaining silent like a child who had done something wrong.

He used to keep a three-headed dog, which was understandable, since he needed it to guard the trapdoor, and it was always chained up.

Keeping a dragon was not a big deal, at least it was sent away by Dumbledore before Norbert grew up.

But this time it's an eight-eyed giant spider! A ferocious carnivorous animal with extremely potent venom, a fifty-year-old eight-eyed giant spider would probably be as big as a small mountain.

"Don't tell me this eight-eyed giant spider is at Hogwarts."

“They’re kept in the Forbidden Forest!” Hagrid said weakly. “But don’t worry, Aragog is very obedient to me and hasn’t harmed any humans all these years.”

And Dumbledore knew of its existence, so I think... things aren't that serious.

Upon hearing this, Aaron slowly sat back down.

Dumbledore is a very reliable headmaster; the fact that he knows this means that Aragog is not that dangerous.