My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 35. The Matter Ends Unresolved.

"sure."

Professor Fox drew his wand and handed it to Kingsley.

Kingsley held the rather old wand and sighed.

"I still remember its material: willow wood, phoenix tail feathers, and 11 inches long. I was completely stunned when I used it to cast the Flashback Charm."

"That's not a glorious chapter in history," Professor Fox said calmly.

Kingsley nodded. He could tell that Fox didn't really want to talk about the past, so he picked up his wand and connected it with Professor Fox's wand, casting a Flashback Charm.

"Incisor swelling curse, bat spirit curse, stinging curse, sticky foot curse, hard tongue curse, illusion curse... You've used so many different poisonous curses recently?"

The results of the examination puzzled Kingsley greatly, as these spells should be rarely used by adult wizards.

"It's necessary for the experiment," Professor Fox replied simply.

Kingsley had also heard about his experimental research, but although it was somewhat borderline, it was still within the legal range, so he couldn't say much.

Professor Fox shrugged. "Since there's no problem, can I have it back?"

Kingsley returned the wand to him, his face showing neither regret nor disappointment, but rather a sigh of relief.

Then he turned to Professor McGonagall and said.

"Professor McGonagall, could you please arrange a meeting with the students who arrived at the scene immediately? I have some questions for them."

They then left Professor Fox's office and went to Professor McGonagall's vice-chancellor's office.

Lynn and Cedric were quickly summoned here, along with the Slytherin girl who was the first to see Hubert.

On the way here, Cedric secretly told Lynn what had happened in the Great Hall.

"Professor Fawkes was reported to the two Aurors from the Ministry of Magic on the spot, and Professor McGonagall was reportedly very angry."

Lynn nodded: "I know. On my way here, I saw a group of people gathered around him in the lounge, listening to him recount his glorious achievements."

"Then do you think the killer is Professor Fox?" Cedric couldn't help but ask.

Lynn never commented 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-principal's office, Kingsley's main target for questioning was not 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, and she looked into Kingsley's eyes and stammered.

"Sir, I... I don't quite understand what special phenomenon you're referring to?"

Kingsley paused for a few seconds before speaking.

"It's like...do you ever have this feeling, like there's an unseen person watching you, right next to Hubert?"

Upon hearing his words, the girl shivered and became even more nervous.

"I...I don't know, sir. I was so scared at the time that I didn't notice anything."

Kingsley looked somewhat disappointed; the girl was too timid, and he couldn't get anything out of her.

"And what about you guys?" He turned his gaze to Lynn and the others. "Did you notice anything suspicious or anyone at the time?"

Lynn and Cedric both shook their heads to indicate no.

Just as Kingsley was feeling very 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."

Kingsley immediately perked up and asked urgently.

"When? Which direction did he come from? What's his name?"

"Around 6 a.m., he walked along Black Lake, in the direction of the willow tree that the professor usually told us to stay away from. His name... I don't know him, I don't know what his name is."

At the same time, Cedric reminded Lynn of the incident.

"His name is Ian Campbell, and he's a freshman at Ravenclaw."

Kingsley looks incredibly excited!

He suddenly stood up from his chair, seemingly preparing to go find the little wizard named Ian himself.

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 is definitely connected to him..."

"Sit down, Kingsley!"

Just as Kingsley was getting ready, Professor McGonagall's loud shout startled everyone present.

Both the Aurors and the young wizards stared in disbelief at Professor McGonagall, who was displaying great excitement.

Professor McGonagall, struggling to calm herself, gave orders to Lynn and the others:

"You can leave now, but listen carefully! Don't tell anyone about what you saw Campbell that day—remember, nobody!"

Although Lynn and Cedric were somewhat confused, they knew that the situation was beyond their control. They quickly nodded and then left the vice principal's office.

Kingsley also realized that things were not so simple, and he sat back down in his chair, his brow furrowed.

"Is there a problem with that student, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall remained silent; her emotions seemed to have gradually calmed down. She then spoke to Savage, who was standing to the side:

"Could you please excuse me for a moment? I need to discuss something rather personal with Shakel."

Sevic hurriedly nodded and then left as well.

Only Kingsley and Professor McGonagall remained in the office.

Professor McGonagall stared intently at Kingsley.

"Shakel, I can assure you that the child has nothing to do with this attack. You can't continue investigating him!"

Kingsley looked 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, Shakel, but I can't explain this to you clearly without Albus's permission. Do you remember Remus from before?"

……

The Aurors ultimately returned empty-handed.

After they left, Professor McGonagall announced in the Great Hall that the Aurors had proven Professor Fawkes' innocence and that the Dark Magic attack was not his doing.

Although some young wizards had already concluded that Professor Fox was a dark wizard, most students still believed Professor McGonagall's words.

The attack seems to be slipping away unnoticed, and Hogwarts has gradually relaxed its guard over time.

For the next two months, until after Halloween, Hogwarts remained peaceful.

This was not only because the murderer was not committing any further crimes, but more importantly because Professor Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts before Halloween.

(End of this chapter)