Dudley's voice was firm and carried an inexplicable sense of oppression, directly causing the previously arrogant smiles on Malfoy's trio to instantly fade.
"It wasn't me! I didn't..." Malfoy stammered in clear panic.
"This is slander!" Crabbe protested loudly.
"You have no right to interrogate us," Goyle added, though you could see their legs trembling slightly. The pressure Dudley had just exerted was quite intense.
"Dursley! Don't go too far!" Snape said coldly.
"Professor Snape, this is the authority Professor Dumbledore granted me. The Chamber has been opened; caretaker Mr. Filch and over a dozen ghosts have been petrified. Under such circumstances, I cannot miss any clue," Dudley replied with unwavering determination.
"Unless Professor Snape has already found the perpetrator of this incident and can guarantee such things won't happen again, otherwise interrogating them is something I must do tonight!"
An Interrogator should look like an Interrogator.
Previously, when Dudley didn't have sufficient certainty, he could choose not to use this authority, but now, to uncover the truth, he couldn't retreat.
Standing here now, he represented the law and represented order!
"You..." Snape's expression darkened. Under Dudley's commanding pressure, he actually involuntarily took a step back.
That unquestionable momentum and authority was something even Snape couldn't resist. Every word Dudley spoke seemed to become an order from someone he couldn't defy, making him dare not argue back and only submit.
"You three, come with me!" Dudley directly commanded the three Slytherins.
The three were silent as cicadas, not daring to show the slightest resistance, fearfully following Dudley's pace.
"Professor McGonagall, let's go," Dudley said.
"Alright," Professor McGonagall looked deeply at Dudley and nodded.
The scene just now, falling in McGonagall's eyes, made her marvel at Dudley's imposing presence. She believed that if she were in Snape's position, she wouldn't have done better than Snape.
Dudley truly had a naturally convincing authority. Perhaps this was why Dumbledore trusted him.
Professor McGonagall thought so.
When they were almost at the office, McGonagall stopped and looked at Harry's trio following beside Dudley.
"You three..." Professor McGonagall frowned, wanting to send the three away. It was enough for Dudley to know about this matter. There was no need for Harry and the others to get involved.
"Let them follow, Professor. Otherwise, I'll have to tell them again when I get back," Dudley said reasonably.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly nodded.
They were more curious than anyone about what the Chamber was. Making them go back now would be worse than torture.
"Alright," Professor McGonagall ultimately nodded.
At the same time, she glanced at the three Slytherins trembling as they followed behind Dudley and didn't stop them either.
In Professor McGonagall's office, Dudley and his friends sat on the comfortable sofa, while the three Slytherins could only stand aside nervously.
Professor McGonagall sat behind her desk, thought for a moment, then spoke: "Regarding the Chamber, it has always been just a legend. Many people don't believe in the Chamber's existence. Hogwarts has also invited the most learnt wizards to investigate but still found no clues, so for now, you only need to treat it as a story."
"Those words on the wall... my current judgement is that someone is using this legend to confuse the situation!"
Professor McGonagall first stated her viewpoint and position clearly.
"I understand your meaning," Dudley nodded.
"Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by four of the greatest wizards of their time. The four Houses bear their names: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin."
"For the first few years, the four founders worked together harmoniously, seeking out young people who showed magical talent and bringing them to the castle to train. But disagreements soon emerged."
Professor McGonagall paused here.
"Let me guess... it was probably Slytherin who disagreed with the other three?" Dudley speculated.
Professor McGonagall nodded.
Dudley thought it was indeed so.
"Slytherin believed that Hogwarts should be more selective in choosing students, accepting only children from wizarding families... that is, pure-blood wizards. But the other three founders believed that all children with magical talent should have the opportunity to receive education."
"Later, it's said that Slytherin had a big argument with Gryffindor, then left the school."
"The legend begins from here. It's said that before Slytherin left, he built a chamber in the castle that only his heir could open, to release the terrible thing inside to cleanse and purify the school... that is, those whom Slytherin believed were unworthy of learning magic," Professor McGonagall said gravely.
Hearing this, Hermione's breathing became much heavier, and her face also grew somewhat pale.
Dudley patted Hermione's hand, comforting her emotions.
The three Slytherins, hearing this, couldn't help but glance at Dudley and Hermione, their eyes full of contempt and disdain. However, they didn't dare show it too obviously, but they were very pleased inside, wishing they could see the Chamber's monster deal with Dudley and Hermione right now.
"I see," Dudley nodded thoughtfully.
This Chamber seemed quite complex, especially since Dudley had been at Hogwarts for a year without discovering that place.
"Perhaps those few places I marked before might be passages to the Chamber."
Having wandered Hogwarts for so long, Dudley hadn't been without discoveries. There were some abnormal places in the school that he remembered. For example, that wall in the eighth-floor corridor. Besides that, Dudley had also discovered several secret passages, but he hadn't investigated them thoroughly.
Now that there was this matter of the Chamber, Dudley began planning to thoroughly investigate those secret passages and problematic places.
"Professor, did the legend mention what monster is kept in the Chamber?" Harry asked with obvious concern.
"No, it's not even certain that what's inside is a beast. It might be an object, something that can identify children from Muggle families and..." McGonagall stopped here without continuing.
But Dudley's heart suddenly stirred, secretly speculating: "If it's not a beast, could it possibly be a living magical artefact... no, it should be called a living magical item, like something similar to the Sorting Hat."