"Mr. Creevey, could you lend me these alchemical glasses for a while? I think they might help us defeat the Basilisk," Dumbledore said kindly to Colin.
After sensing the immense power contained within these alchemical glasses, Dumbledore realized that Colin must have escaped the Basilisk's deadly gaze because of these glasses, which shielded him from its petrifying spell.
Colin hesitated, thinking about the ten signed photographs of Harry Potter that Irina had promised him.
At this moment, Professor McGonagall spoke solemnly, "Colin, you must understand that these glasses could potentially save many students' lives!"
Hearing Professor McGonagall's words, Colin understood the gravity of the situation and nodded heavily, "Professor Dumbledore, then please keep these glasses with you for now!"
Dumbledore smiled gently, then said to Professor McGonagall, "Thank you, Mr. Creevey. Minerva, would you please escort Mr. Creevey back to the Gryffindor common room?"
Since he had borrowed Colin's alchemical glasses, Dumbledore naturally wanted to ensure Colin's safety, preventing him from encountering the Basilisk right after leaving the Headmaster's office.
Professor McGonagall nodded slightly and left the Headmaster's office with Colin.
"The young are truly formidable!" Dumbledore put down the alchemical glasses in his hand, shaking his head in self-mockery. He stood up, looked at the phoenix on the shelf, and called out, "Fawkes!"
Dumbledore summoned the phoenix Fawkes, who flew onto his arm. Accompanied by a flash of fire, Dumbledore and the phoenix vanished from the Headmaster's office.
In the next moment, Lynn and Irina were surprised to see the sudden burst of flames a few meters ahead in the corridor, and Dumbledore and Fawkes appearing in the hallway.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Lynn and Irina greeted Dumbledore.
Dumbledore smiled in response, glancing at Lynn and Irina, but his gaze finally rested on Lynn. "Lynn, Irina, may I invite you to my office for a chat?"
Hearing this, Lynn and Irina were stunned for a moment, looking at each other in confusion. They didn't understand why Dumbledore sought them out so late at night.
However, the two agreed to accompany him.
Lynn and Irina each grabbed one of Dumbledore's hands, and with another flash of fire, they appeared in the Headmaster's office.
"This is..." Lynn noticed the alchemical glasses on the desk.
Upon seeing these alchemical glasses, Lynn immediately understood Dumbledore's purpose in seeking them out.
Noting Lynn's gaze, Dumbledore sat down on a chair with a slight smile, "Colin told me that Irina gave these to him, but I suspect they are your handiwork, Lynn. Would you like some tea or honey water?"
"Tea, please," Lynn said.
"Honey water," Irina said.
Dumbledore waved his wand with a smile, and two cups appeared before them, filled with their chosen drinks.
Dumbledore looked at Lynn and Irina and asked, "I can understand that through some clues before Halloween, you learned about the Chamber of Secrets and the possible existence of a Basilisk, and therefore created equipment to protect yourselves. However, I don't understand why you chose to give it to Colin, and why specifically Colin?"
Although Colin had previously claimed that Irina gave him the alchemical glasses because he was a fan of Harry, Dumbledore naturally would not be as naive as Colin to believe such an obvious excuse.
Lynn's lips moved slightly, about to say something, but Irina quickly spoke up, taking responsibility for the situation. "It's like this: last night, I dreamed that Colin was petrified by the Basilisk. When I woke up this morning, I felt that the dream was very real, so I suspected it was some kind of special prophecy. That's why we decided to lend the glasses to Colin, hoping to prevent the scene from my dream from happening."
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully and said, "A dream prophecy? But... a prophecy that can be changed, can it still be called a prophecy?"
It's well known that Dumbledore has always believed in prophecies; otherwise, he wouldn't have devoted so much effort to nurturing Harry, striving to make Professor Trelawney's prophecy a reality.
However, Irina's words made Dumbledore doubt himself. If Irina's dream was truly a so-called dream prophecy, then her actions undoubtedly changed the content of the prophecy, causing events to deviate from their foretold path. This contradicted Dumbledore's beliefs entirely.
Dumbledore's brow furrowed slightly.
Seeing that Dumbledore seemed to doubt Irina's intention, Lynn immediately interrupted Dumbledore's train of thought, "Professor, these alchemical glasses were indeed crafted by me, and Colin's experience proves that they can indeed resist the Basilisk's deadly gaze and petrifying spell. Shouldn't we take action immediately and capture or kill the Basilisk?"
Dumbledore snapped out of his thoughts, looking deeply at Lynn. "Your idea is good, Lynn, but we don't know where the Chamber's entrance is or how to open it. All we can do now is warn the students to be vigilant and prevent further attacks."
"I'll have the professors take turns patrolling the castle to eliminate any suspicious threats. Lynn, can you make more of these alchemical glasses? If the professors have them, they'll have a means of self-defense even if they encounter the Basilisk."
Dumbledore inquired of Lynn.
Lynn thought for a moment and said, "I can, but my efforts are limited. With sufficient materials, I can produce five more sets of alchemical glasses! I'm willing to provide them to the four Heads of House and you, Professor Dumbledore."
Dumbledore nodded slightly and asked Lynn about the materials needed for alchemy.
Lynn, well-prepared, handed Dumbledore a slip of paper listing various materials.
After glancing at the materials on the paper, Dumbledore gave Lynn a meaningful look, then allowed Lynn and Irina to leave with the alchemical glasses on the desk.
"Lynn, Professor Dumbledore looked at you so strangely just now... did you do something?" Irina asked curiously after leaving the Headmaster's office.
Hearing Irina's words, Lynn chuckled, "He saw through me, huh? Actually, the materials I listed on the sheet are five times the amount needed to make five sets of alchemical glasses."
Irina exclaimed in shock, "My goodness, Lynn, you were planning to fleece the school from the start!"
Lynn spread his hands innocently, "What do you mean by 'fleece'? I'm contributing five pairs of alchemical glasses I crafted myself to protect five professors from the Basilisk. Isn't it reasonable for me to receive some compensation? It's a win-win situation!"
Irina scoffed, "No wonder they say you're a Slytherin!"
(End of chapter)