Harry Potter and the Way of Reason

A boy was waiting in a small clearing on the edge of the non-forbidden forest. Beside him was a dirt path that led to the gate of Hogwarts on one side and stretched into the distance on the other.There was a carriage nearby, and the boy stood at a distance from it, staring at it intently.

In the distance, a figure was coming along the dirt path: a man in professorial robes, shoulders slumped, walking slowly, dress shoes kicking up little clouds of dust as he walked.

Half a minute later, the boy cast a quick glance at the man, and turned back to spy on their carriage; from that glance he knew that the man's shoulders were straight, his face was no longer slack, and his shoes were now moving briskly. Stepping on the dirt road will no longer leave traces of flying dust in the air.

"Hello, Professor Quirrell," said Harry, without taking his eyes off the direction of their carriage.

"Greetings," said Professor Quirrell in a calm voice, "you look like you're keeping your distance, Mr. Potter. You don't notice something strange[2] about our transport?"

"Odd [2]?" Harry responded, "oh no, I can't say I saw anything odd. Everything seemed to be even. Four seats, four wheels, two giant skeleton-like flying horse……"

A skinned skull turned its head to look at him, baring its strong and white teeth in the dark cave-like mouth, as if implying that it didn't like him much either.Another horse-bone skeleton in black skin shook its head as if neighing, but made no sound.

"They're thestrals, they've always been the ones pulling the wagon," said Professor Quirrell very calmly, as he climbed into the front seat of the wagon, sitting as far as he could on the right, "and they can only be seen by creatures who have seen and understood death." See, a useful defense against the vast majority of animal predators. Hmm. I guess the first time you faced a dementor, your worst memory is the night you met You-Know-Who ?”

Harry nodded heavily.The guess was correct, though for the wrong reasons.Those who have seen death...

"Did you think of anything interesting because of this?"

"Yeah," said Harry, "I remember," and that was all he said because he wasn't ready to start accusing.

The professor of defense gave a dry smile, and gestured impatiently with his fingers.

Harry stepped forward, climbed into the carriage, and grimaced.The sense of impending doom had grown stronger since the days of the Dementors, though it had been slowly fading before then.The maximum distance the carriage would allow between him and Professor Quirrell now seemed entirely insufficient.

Then the skeleton horse trotted on, and the carriage began to move, taking them towards the outer boundaries of Hogwarts.At this time, Professor Quirrell slumped back to the zombie state, and the feeling of imminent disaster faded away, but it still lingered on the edge of Harry's consciousness that could not be ignored...

As the carriage moved forward, the forest rolled up like a scroll, and the speed of the trees retreating was much slower than that of a broom or even a car.There was something about this slow way of traveling, Harry thought, that gave it a strange relaxation.This clearly relaxed the Defense Professor, who curled up in a ball, drool snaking from his slack mouth, soaking his robes.

Harry still couldn't decide what he could have for lunch.

His research in the library turned up no sign of wizards being able to talk to non-magical plants.Or any non-magical creature other than snakes, except that Paul Breedlove's Spells and Languages ​​describes a possibly mythical story about a witch named Lady Winged Squirrel.

Harry wanted to ask Professor Quirrell.But the problem is that Professor Quirrell is too smart.Judging by what Draco had said, the Heir of Slytherin affair would be a bombshell, and Harry wasn't sure he wanted anyone else to know about it.And the moment Harry asked about Parseltongue, Professor Quirrell would stare at Harry with his light blue eyes and say, 'I see, Mr. Potter, you taught Mr. Malfoy the Patronus Charm, Accidentally talked to his snake. '

The evidence that Professor Quirrell has should not be enough to find a hypothesis corresponding to the real explanation, let alone overthrow the prior impossibility, but this does not bother him at all.I don't know why, but the defense professor will figure it out anyway.Sometimes Harry suspects that the Defense Professor knows more background knowledge than he claims, his prior information is too good.Sometimes, even when his reasons were wrong, he was still able to draw surprisingly correct inferences.The problem was that Harry couldn't figure out how Professor Quirrell had managed to cram one more clue into half the things he guessed.Harry hoped that one day he too would be able to surprise him with something astonishing about Professor Quirrell's words.

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"I'll have a green lentil soup with soy sauce," Professor Quirrell said to the waitress, "and Mr. Potter, a Tenorman's home-style chili soup."

Harry hesitated in his sudden panic.He'd made up his mind to stick to vegetarian food for now, but in doing so he forgot that Professor Quirrell was the one who actually ordered it - and it would be embarrassing if he protested now -

The waitress bowed to them, turned to go—

"Uh, sorry, is there any snake meat or flying squirrel meat in there?" The waitress didn't even blink, just turned to Harry, shook her head, bowed politely to him again, and continued walking towards the door.

(The rest of Harry is laughing at him. Gryffindor makes sarcastic comment that a little social awkwardness is enough for him to accept cannibalism! (Hufflepuff screams) That, Slytherin pointed out that it is wonderful that Harry's morality has shown flexibility in the face of such an important goal as maintaining his relationship with Professor Quirrell.)

After the chambermaid had closed the door behind him, Professor Quirrell locked the door fork with a wave of his hand, said four of the usual incantations used for privacy, and said, "Interesting question, Mr. Potter. I wonder if you Why do you ask that?"

Harry kept his expression impassive. "I did some research on Patronus Charms," ​​he said, "According to Patronus Charms: Wizards Who Can and Can't Cast Godric, but Salachan can. I Quite surprised, so I looked up the reference, Lestrange. Then I found out that Salazar Slytherin was said to be able to talk to snakes." (Chronology is not the same as causality, but if Quirrell It's not Harry's fault if that's overlooked.) "More research points to an old story where a mother goddess was able to talk to flying squirrels. doubt."

Then Harry took a casual sip of water——

At this moment, Professor Quirrell said, "Mr. Potter, I guess you are also a Parseltongue, am I right?"

After coughing, Harry put the glass back on the table, stared at Professor Quirrell's chin instead of his eyes, and said, "So you can cast Legilimency through my Occlumency barrier."

Professor Quirrell grinned. "I would take that as a compliment, Mr Potter, but it isn't."

"I don't believe it," said Harry. "You couldn't have guessed that conclusion from the evidence."

"Of course not," Professor Quirrell said calmly, "I originally planned to ask you that question today, but I just chose that coincidental timing. In fact, I have been suspicious since December—"

"December?" said Harry. "I just found out yesterday!"

"Ah, so you didn't realize that the message the Sorting Hat gave you was Parseltongue?"

The Defense Professor timed it again, saying this just as Harry took a swig of water to clear his throat from his first cough.

Before this moment, Harry hadn't realized it.Of course, once Professor Quirrell said it, it became obvious.Oh, and Professor McGonagall even told him not to talk to snakes when someone could see him, but he thought she meant not to be caught talking to any statues or architectural decorations that looked like snakes inside Hogwarts .Two-way clairvoyance [4], he thinks he understands her, she thinks he understands her—but how the hell—

"So," said Harry, "in my first Defense class, you took Legilimency on me, to find out what happened with the Sorting Hat—"

"Then I wouldn't have discovered it in December." Professor Quirrell leaned back and smiled, "This is not a puzzle you can solve yourself, Mr. Potter, so I will reveal the answer. During the winter vacation , I was informed that the Headmaster had applied for a secret review panel to reopen the case concerning a Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, known to you as Hogwarts Keykeeper and Warden of the Forbidden Forest, accused of murdered Abigail Myrtle in 1943."

"Ah, of course," said Harry, "so obviously I'm a Parseltongue, for the sake of sweet meandering snakes—"

"Another suspect in that murder was the Slytherin monster, the legendary occupant of the Slytherin Chamber. That's why I was informed of this fact by certain sources, and why it caught my attention enough, Made me pay a large bribe to learn the details of the case. Now actually, Mr. Potter, Mr. Hagrid is innocent. Ridiculously innocent. The Confusion Charm on Neville Chamberlain in Grindelwald After being planted on Amanda Knox[5], he was the most apparently innocent outsider to be convicted by the British justice system. Headmaster Dippitt had a student puppet accuse Mr. Hagrid because Dippitt needed to defend Myrtle Miss's death seeks a scapegoat, and our wonderful judicial system agrees that the likelihood of such a scenario is enough to warrant Mr. Hagrid's expulsion and broken wand. Our current Headmaster just needs to provide some new evidence sufficient to reopen the case; and When Dumbledore puts the pressure, not Dippitt, the outcome is foregone. Lucius Malfoy has no particular reason to be afraid of Mr. Hagrid being proven innocent; objected at a price, in order to make Dumbledore pay, and Dumbledore was clearly willing to reopen the case anyway."

Professor Quirrell took a sip of his water. "But I digress. The new evidence the Headmaster promised was to show a previously undiscovered charm on the Sorting Hat, which the Headmaster claimed he personally judged only reacted to Slytherins who were Parseltongues. Headmaster Extrapolating this further, this tends to support that the Chamber of Secrets was indeed opened in 1943, which is around the time You-Know-Who, a known Parseltongue, was attending Hogwarts. While this logic is questionable, the review team It may be decided that this is enough to shake the case and make Mr. Hagrid's guilty verdict dubious, if they can say it with all seriousness. Now we come to the crucial question: How did the headmaster discover the magic hidden in the Sorting Hat? cursed?"

Professor Quirrell smiled slightly now. "Now, let's assume that this year's class includes a Parseltongue, a potential heir to Slytherin. You must admit, Mr. Potter, that your odds always stand out when it comes to extraordinary people. And if I further asked myself, which Slytherin freshman's brain privacy is most likely to be violated by the headmaster, especially in the search for sorting memories, ah, you are more likely." The smile disappeared, "So you see, Bo It is not that I violated your mind, Mr. T, but I will not ask you to apologize. It is not your fault that you believed Dumbledore's statement of respecting the privacy of your mind."

"I sincerely apologize," Harry said, keeping his face deadpan.The stiff grip was a confession in itself, as was the sweat on his brow; but he didn't think the Defense Professor could draw any evidence from it.Professor Quirrell would simply think that Harry was nervous about being found out as Slytherin's heir, not that he'd spilled Slytherin's secrets on purpose...now that didn't seem like a smart move.

"So, Mr. Potter. Any progress in finding the Chamber of Secrets?"

No, Harry thought.But in order to keep the prevarication plausible, you need an overall strategy of sometimes avoiding answers even when you have nothing to hide. "No offense, Professor Quirrell, if I've made any progress, I'm not quite sure I should tell you."

Professor Quirrell took another sip from his water glass. "Well, then, Mr. Potter, I will tell you without reserve what I know or what I guess. First, I believe the Chamber of Secrets is real, and so are the Slytherin monsters. Miss Myrtle died several years ago. It was only discovered hours later, and the Ward should have informed the Headmaster immediately. So her murder was either carried out by Headmaster Dippitt, which is unlikely, or some kind of Salazar Slytherin was in the Ward The level setting is higher than that implemented by the headmaster's entity. Second, I suspect that, contrary to popular rumor, the purpose of Slytherin's monsters is not to eliminate the Muggle-born in Hogwarts. Unless the Slytherin's monsters are so powerful that Can defeat Hogwarts headmaster and all professors, it can't win by force. Multiple secret murders could cause closure of the school, which almost happened in 1943, or introduction of new enchantments. Therefore Why is there a Slytherin monster, Mr Potter? What is it for?"

"Ah..." Harry lowered his eyes to his water glass, thinking, "Kill everyone who enters the Chamber of Secrets and doesn't belong there—"

"A monster strong enough to defeat a team of wizards who broke the most powerful enchantment Salazar could put on his chamber? Not likely."

Harry felt some pressure. "Well, it's called the Chamber of Secrets, so maybe the monster has a secret, or is itself a secret?" For that matter, what kind of secret is hidden in the Chamber of Secrets?Harry hadn't looked into it, partly because he didn't think anyone knew at all—

Professor Quirrell smiled. "Why don't you write the secret down?"

"Ah..." said Harry, "because if the monster speaks Parseltongue, that guarantees that only the true descendants of Slytherin will hear the secret?"

"It's easy to set the code to enter the ward into a word spoken in Parseltongue. Why bother creating Slytherin monsters? It's not easy to create a creature that lives for centuries. Please, Bo Mr. Te, this should be obvious; what is the secret that can only be passed from one living mind to another, but cannot be written down?"

Harry figured it out now, a rush of adrenaline that made his heart pound and his breath quicken. "oh."

Salazar Slytherin is indeed very witty.Clever to the point of figuring out a way around Merlin's ban.Powerful magic cannot be transmitted through books or ghosts, but if you can create a creature that lives long enough to be self-aware and remembers well enough—

"I think it's quite possible," said Professor Quirrell, "that You-Know-Who began his climb to the heights of power by using the secrets he had learned from the monsters in Slytherin. Salazar's lost knowledge was the result of You-Know-Who's particularly powerful magic. Source. That's how I got interested in the Chamber of Secrets and Mr. Hagrid's case."

"I see," Harry said.And if he, Harry, could find Salazar's Chamber of Secrets... then all the lost knowledge Voldemort had had would be his too.

Yes.This is exactly where the story should go.

Add in Harry's superior intellect, some original magical research, and some Muggle rocket launchers, and the final battle will be completely one-sided, which is exactly what Harry had hoped for.

Harry was grinning now, a very evil grin.New priority: Find anything in Hogwarts that even remotely resembles a snake, and try to talk to it.Start where you've already tried, this time in Parseltongue instead of English - let Draco help you into the Slytherin quarters -

"Don't get too excited, Mr. Potter," said Professor Quirrell.His own face was now expressionless. "You must keep thinking. What was the Dark Lord's farewell to the monsters in Slytherin?"

"What?" said Harry. "How could we possibly know?"

"Imagine that scene, Mr. Potter. Let your imagination fill in the details. The Slytherin monster—probably some gigantic snake so that only a Parseltongue could speak to him—ends all knowledge of it The process taught to You-Know-Who. It conveyed to him Salazar's last blessing, warning him that the Chamber must be closed again until the next of Salazar's descendants proved clever enough to reopen it. And that would be the Black The devil king nodded and said to it—"

"Avada Kedavra," said Harry, feeling a sudden nausea in his stomach.

"Rule No. 12," said Professor Quirrell quietly, "never leave your source of strength where others can find it."

Harry's eyes fell on the tablecloth, which had changed to a mournful pattern of black flowers and shadows.For some reason it seemed... unimaginably sad, that the Slytherin snake was only trying to help Voldemort, and Voldemort was just... unbearably sad, what kind of person would be so devoted to him Creatures of friendship do that... "You think the Dark Lord would—"

"Yes," said Professor Quirrell flatly, "You-Know-Who has left a lot of corpses behind, Mr. Potter; I don't think he would have ignored that. If there was anything left that could be moved, the Dark Lord would have Take them all. There may still be something worth seeing in the Chamber of Secrets, and finding the Chamber of Secrets will prove you are the true Heir of Slytherin. But don't get your hopes up too high. I suspect you'll only find out in The remains of Slytherin monsters resting in their graves."

They sat quietly for a while.

"I could be wrong," said Professor Quirrell. "At the end of the day it's only conjecture. But I do wish to warn you, Mr. Potter, so that you won't be too disappointed."

Harry nodded briefly.

"Your triumph in infancy may even be a pity," said Professor Quirrell, his smile twisted. "If You-Know-Who is alive, you may be able to persuade him to teach you something that is rightfully yours, from a Slater Lin's heir to another." The smile twisted even more, as if mocking the apparent impossibility, even if the premise was true.

Memorandum, Harry thought, with a tinge of cold and sharp rage, must take my legacy out of the Dark Lord's mind, no matter what method is used.

There was another silence.Professor Quirrell looked at him as if waiting for Harry to ask a question.

"Well," said Harry, "now that we're here, may I ask what you think of the Parseltongue thing—"

At this time, the door was knocked.Professor Quirrell held up a finger in warning, and opened the door with a wave of his hand.The waitress walks in, holding up the huge tray of their food as if the entire tray was featherweight (and probably is).She gave Professor Quirrell green soup, a glass of his usual Chianti; then set down in front of Harry a plate of little meatloaf covered in a rich sauce, and a glass of his customary treacle soda.Then she bowed, with what appeared to be genuine respect rather than perfunctory courtesy, and left.

After she left, Professor Quirrell raised his finger again to silence him, and drew his wand.

Then Professor Quirrell began casting a series of spells Harry recognized, which made him gasp.That series and sequence of spells is what Mr. Best used, the full set of 27 spells to cast when you want to discuss something really important.

If the importance of discussing the secret room does not reach this level——

When Professor Quirrell finished—he cast thirty spells, three of which Harry hadn't heard before—the Defense Professor said, "Now we won't be disturbed for a while. Can you keep a Secret, Mr Potter?"

Harry nodded.

"An important secret, Mr. Potter," said Professor Quirrell.His eyes were focused and his face was serious. "A secret that could send me to Azkaban. Think twice before answering."

For a moment, Harry didn't even think it was much of a problem, considering how many secrets he had collected.but--

If this secret can send Professor Quirrell to Azkaban, it means he has done something illegal...

Harry's brain was doing some calculations.Whatever the secret, Professor Quirrell didn't think his illegal actions would make a bad impression in Harry's eyes.It will do no good not to hear the secret.And if that did reveal something wrong with Professor Quirrell, it would be good for Harry to know it, even if he promised not to tell anyone.

"I've never had much respect for authority," said Harry, "law and government authority included. I'll keep your secret."

Harry didn't bother to ask if revealing the secret was worth the danger it would pose to Professor Quirrell.Defense professors are not stupid.

"Then I must verify whether you are a true descendant of Salazar." Professor Quirrell said, and then stood up from his chair.Harry, more by reflex and instinct than calculation, rose from his chair as well.

A blur, a deformation, a sudden movement.

Harry stopped his terrified backward jump halfway through, flailing his arms trying not to fall, a rush of adrenaline rushing through him.

Across the room, a meter-tall snake sways from side to side, strips of white and blue delicately dotted against a bright green base.Harry hadn't studied snakes enough to recognize them, but he knew that "bright colors" meant "venomous".

Ironically enough, the ever-present sense of impending doom disappeared after the Hogwarts Defense professor turned into a viper.

Harry swallowed heavily, and then said, "Regards—ah, no, ah," he said in Parseltongue, "Regards."

"So," the snake hissed in Parseltongue, "I can understand you. Can you understand me?"

"Yes, I understand," Harry hissed in Parseltongue, "are you an Animagus?"

"Of course," the snake hissed, "Rule 37, No. 30 Four: Become an Animagus. All sensible people do so if possible. Therefore, very rare." Placed flat, sharp black eyeballs embedded in dark gray whites. "It's the safest way to talk. Get it? No one else can understand us."

"Even if they're snake Animagus?"

"Unless the Heir of Slytherin wishes so." The snake let out a series of short hisses that Harry's brain translated into sarcastic laughter. "Slytherins aren't stupid. A snake-like Animagus is not the same as a Parseltongue. Otherwise it would be a huge hole in the plan."

Well, this definitely means Parseltongue is personal magic, not snakes as self-aware beings with a language they can learn—

"I'm not registered," the snake hissed.The black holes in its eyes stared at Harry. "Animagus must be registered. The penalty is two years in prison. Will you keep my secret, boy?"

"Yes," Harry hissed in Parseltongue, "never break a promise."

The snake appeared to stop, as if startled, and then began to wobble again. "We'll come back here in seven days. Bring a cloak that can't be seen, and an hourglass that can travel through time—"

"You know?" Harry hissed in shock, "how—"

Again, a brief series of hisses translated into a sarcastic laugh. "You got to my first class when you were in other classes, knocking out enemies with pies, two memory balls—"

"Never mind," Harry hissed, "stupid question, forget you're smart."

"It would be foolish to forget that," said the snake, but his hiss did not seem offended.

"The hourglass is restricted," said Harry in Parseltongue, "and cannot be used until the ninth hour."

The snake's head twisted a bit, making a snake-like nod. "A lot of restrictions. Can only be used by you, can't be stolen. Can't transport other humans. But a snake in a pocket, I doubt it can. I think that when you turn the hourglass, keep the hourglass without disturbing the protection charm It's possible to stay still in the shell. We'll experiment in seven days. Not much more to say about the plan. You don't say anything to anyone. Don't give away expected performance, not at all. Got it?"

Harry nodded.

"Answer in words."

"Ok."

"Will you do as I say?"

"Yeah, but," Harry said with a fluttering fricative that was the result of his brain translating a hesitant "ahh" into Parseltongue, "I'm not promising to do anything you haven't said— —”

The snake shuddered, which Harry's brain translated into a serious stare. "Of course not. The details will be discussed at the next meeting."

Blur and motion reversed once again, and Professor Quirrell stood there again.For a moment the Defense Professor himself seemed to wobble, as if a snake wobbled, and his eyes looked hard and emotionless; then his shoulders straightened, and he was human again.

And the sense of impending doom returned.

Professor Quirrell's chair moved back for him, and he sat down. "There's no reason to waste this," said Professor Quirrell, picking up his spoon, "though I'd prefer a live mouse these days. A man can't quite get his mind out of the body he's in, you see..."

Harry slowly returned to his seat and began to eat.

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"So, Salazar's lineage didn't end with the mysterious man," Professor Quirrell said after a while, "It seems that among our outstanding student groups, rumors that you are a dark wizard have begun to spread; I Wondering what they'd think if they knew about that."

"Or maybe they know I killed a dementor," said Harry, shrugging. Wondering what advice you have for her."

The Defense Professor quietly drank a few spoonfuls of soup; when he spoke again, his voice was oddly flat. "You really care about that girl."

"Yes." Harry said quietly.

"I guess that's why she was able to wake you from your lost soul?"

"Probably," said Harry.The statement was true in a way, it was just not accurate enough; his captured self didn't care, but was confused.

"I didn't have friends like that when I was young," the voice remained emotionless, "I wonder what you would be like if you were lonely?"

Harry couldn't help shivering.

"You must be very grateful to her."

Harry just nodded.Not exactly, but fact.

"Well, if I had anyone worthy of me when I was your age, here's what I might do—"

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[1] Prior information: refers to the experience and historical data obtained before the test of the sample, see: baike.baidu/view/3935034.htm

[2] Odd is a pun in English, which can refer to "strange" or odd numbers.

[3] "Tenorman's family chili" (Tenorman's family chili) is a stalk about cannibalism in the famous American cartoon "South Park".In the fifth season episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die", the teenage Tenorman taunts Cartman, and in revenge, Cartman plots to kill Tenorman parents, and tricked Tenorman into eating chili soup containing his parents' remains.

[4] The illusion of transparency refers to the illusion that people tend to overestimate the degree to which they are understood, see: en.wikipedia/wiki/Illusion_of_transparency

[5］这里边有两个梗。纳威·张伯伦（NevilleChamberlain），或译内维尔·张伯伦，是1937-1940年的英国首相，以对希特勒实施绥靖政策，容忍对方吞并捷克斯洛伐克，养虎成患而备受批评。这里将二战中的这一史实解释成了格林德沃的混淆咒。关于张伯伦，参见：baike.baidu/view/559361.htm?fromtitle=%E5%86%85%E7%BB%B4%E5%B0%94%C2%B7%E5%BC%A0%E4%BC%AF%E4%BC%A6&fromid=1954838&type=search

And Amanda Knox (Amanda Knox) ​​is one of the heroines of a recent high-profile international case.She is a U.S. citizen accused of killing her British roommate Meredith Kercher in 2007, along with her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and German bar owner Rudy Guede, while studying in Italy.Her case has been tossing a lot in the Western media. She was first found guilty, and after an appeal, she was released back to the United States. Now the Supreme Court of Italy has convicted her again.The American media generally called for her grievances, and she naturally would not go to Italy to serve her sentence in the United States.One of the reasons why this case aroused international repercussions is naturally that Amanda is a beauty, she is called "the murderer with an angel face", her murdered roommate is also a beauty, her boyfriend is a handsome guy, and the people involved in this case nationalities are particularly numerous.For Amanda Knox, see: en.wikipedia/wiki/Amanda_Knox