After being notified by the prefects, Dumbledore arrived at the scene, followed by a group of professors.
He examined the writing on the wall, then waved his wand, causing Filch's body to float into the air.
"Come with me, William. I need your assistance," he said softly. "Oh, and you too, Mr. Potter."
Lockhart rushed forward eagerly.
"My office is the closest, Headmaster—it's just over there—you could—"
"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore shook his head, "but your office won't do. I believe Filch needs a bed."
"Ah, you're right, Headmaster. My office is filled with dangerous magical artifacts, not suitable for preserving a body," Lockhart nodded excitedly, as though he had just stumbled upon a brilliant plot for his next novel.
Professor McGonagall and Snape followed along, while the other professors ushered the students away.
Hermione didn't leave. After handing Boba Tea to Annie, she stuck close behind William.
Mrs. Norris trailed behind Filch's floating body, her eerie cries filling the corridor.
The group arrived at the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey gasped in shock, covering her mouth.
"By Merlin, what happened here?!"
"An attack. I suspect a dark wizard targeted poor Filch. But don't worry, the danger has passed. After all, I'm here," Lockhart declared dramatically, fully absorbed in his role as the hero of his own story.
Madam Pomfrey, William guessed, would probably become a panicky, indecisive, and rather unlikable head nurse in Lockhart's next book.
Dumbledore gently laid Filch on a bed and began a careful examination.
Harry instinctively shrank back, mouthing silently to William and Hermione, "It's got nothing to do with me."
Harry quickly shut his mouth as Snape's dark eyes locked onto him, staring so intently that Harry felt a chill down his spine.
Harry's intuition screamed that Snape wanted to gouge his eyes out.
What kind of grudge was this?
Does he really hate my eyes that much?
Harry recalled William once saying that Snape's hairline was in a perilous state… Maybe Harry should offer Snape his hair for a nice wig instead of his eyes.
Dumbledore bent over Filch's body, his long, hooked nose nearly touching the wound on Filch's chest.
In the short time they'd taken to arrive, the wound had already fully closed, and the blood clotted around it had dried completely.
He lightly touched it, and the dried blood crumbled into reddish-brown dust.
Dumbledore's pupils contracted sharply.
Strange…
He peered closely at Filch through his half-moon glasses, his long index finger poking and prodding different parts of Filch's body.
Lockhart paced around them, chattering incessantly with his unsolicited advice.
"It must have been an Unforgivable Curse, like, Avada Kedavra! I've witnessed it countless times! I'm an expert on the Killing Curse.
"It's such a pity I wasn't there. If I had been, Filch could've survived just like Harry—though he'd probably have a lightning bolt scar on his chest…"
"...I recall something quite similar happening in Ouagadougou," Lockhart continued. "A series of attacks like this, I've described them in detail in my autobiography.
"I handed out protective charms to Muggles, and just like that, the problem was solved…"
"Filch isn't dead," Dumbledore interjected.
Lockhart, who had been counting how many murders he'd prevented, abruptly froze mid-count.
"He's… not dead?"
"He's merely unconscious. He'll wake up shortly," Dumbledore said.
"Ah! Just as I suspected!" Lockhart proclaimed proudly.
Snape stood half-hidden in the shadows behind them, his gaze finally drifting away from Harry and landing on Lockhart.
The expression on Snape's face was peculiar, he was struggling to suppress a laugh.
Perhaps…
Having a colleague like this wasn't so bad after all.
At least it provided some entertainment.
"Harry, what did you do to Filch?" Lockhart asked, attempting to deflect attention away from his blunder.
"I didn't touch him!" Harry said loudly. "When I arrived, he was already lying on the floor!"
"Ho ho, but I remember Filch reporting you a few days ago, for colluding with Peeves and breaking the Vanishing Cabinet. Maybe you held a grudge…"
All eyes turned to Harry again.
Lockhart wasn't entirely wrong, Harry did seem like a prime suspect.
"I didn't! I'd just finished Quidditch practice and was covered in mud and water.
"Filch dragged me into his office and tried to handcuff me! He even pulled out a whip, then Nick saved me."
Harry quickly explained everything.
Apparently, Nick had asked Peeves to smash a cabinet to distract Filch and help Harry escape.
That was also the day when Nick invited Harry to his Deathday Party.
What surprised William the most was the mention of a Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts.
He immediately thought of the Vanishing Cabinet in Borgin and Burkes.
Could the two be connected?
If so, how had the other one ended up in Borgin and Burkes?
William decided to investigate this further at some point.
"May I interject, Headmaster?" Snape spoke up.
"Of course," Dumbledore nodded.
"Perhaps Potter was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time," Snape said with a twisted smirk, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"But we must ask ourselves, why was he in that corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween Feast?"
"I was at Nick's Deathday Party… There were hundreds of ghosts there, they can all vouch for me!" Harry defended himself.
"And after the party? Why didn't you return to the feast?" Snape asked, his black eyes gleaming in the candlelight. "Why did you go to that corridor?"
"Because—because—" Harry stammered, "I was tired and wanted to go to bed."
Dumbledore looked at Harry with disappointment.
That wasn't the answer he had hoped for.
William shook his head slightly, Harry's lying skills were terrible.
Cedric could probably out-lie him a hundred times over.
At this rate, Cho was bound to be swept away by Cedric. Harry didn't stand a chance.
A guy who couldn't even lie convincingly… how could he hope to get a girlfriend?
Snape sneered, he was a master at deception.
"It's clear that our Boy Who Lived refuses to tell us the truth. I suggest administering a little essence of truth—Veritaserum, perhaps.
"Then we could even ask him who he fancies."
Before Professor McGonagall could object, Lockhart jumped in.
"By Merlin, using Veritaserum without permission is illegal! We can't do that!"
Dumbledore spoke gently. "Indeed, I never condone the use of Veritaserum.
"And unless Harry is proven guilty, he remains innocent, Severus."
Snape snorted but said nothing.
Dumbledore pondered for a moment before asking the crucial question.
"Mr. Weasley… Harry, where is he? I noticed that Ron wasn't with you tonight.
"You two…
"Are usually inseparable, aren't you?"
Harry's eyes widened in realization, he had completely forgotten that Filch had taken Ron away.
If Filch had been attacked… had something happened to Ron as well?