Hogwarts - Era of Darkness

We got to work immediately. Our first job was to confirm everything Quincy had learned about. We scoured the old newspapers that we could get our hands on, and surprisingly, we found more info in them than from any other sources. It seemed as if HE totally forgot or just looked down on the so-called 'press' and didn't pursue the matter after it was hushed away to fade from the public's mind. There were mentions of the Chamber of Secret incident many times in the Daily Prophet, throwing all the blame at Armando Dippet, who was the Headmaster at the time. The fact he couldn't stop the increasing attacks against the students was a big blemish not just on his career but on Hogwarts itself. They were even threatening to shut the school down after Myrtle's death. Only then was it discovered who was the real culprit; Rubeus Hagrid and its pet arachnid monster. After that, a few issues did expand on the story, how he was expelled, how his wand was broken, and how he was expelled from the magical community in a way... yet remained at Hogwarts, living there.

"And it was another reason why Dumbledore was clearly behind the attacks. At least... going by the papers that were printed right after he escaped and left Hogwarts. Harkening back on the old news... It said he planned it all out, to chase out Dippet and replace him as the new Headmaster. A complete smear campaign, it seems."

"Who knows? He could have been behind it!" I shrugged as we were walking along the giant lake, having a discussion out in the open, breathing in the cold January air to freshen our minds. "It did work a little, no?"

"You don't believe that!" He looked at me sideways, making me grin.

"Nope! I do not! Not after all the dots are connected. It is hard to ignore the facts. Also... isn't it weird that this information, even if subtly, got suppressed and slowly removed from access? Nobody is talking about it, yet it happened. What? 50 years prior? In a wizard's life, that is not even half!"

"Hmmm, so..." She pulled out two flasks from her winter coat, tapping them with her wand, "Incendio!" she voiced before opening them, and the next moment, we were drinking hot chocolate milk from it while we were continuing to crunch the snow below our feet. "We know that an ancient snake is living under the castle. One that is immensely old! Maybe even more than a thousand years old! Who knows when it was hatched? Do basilisks live that long?"

"I... I think I read they can live up to... 800? 900 years?" I answered while sipping on my drink. "But if it is that old, it can mean three things. One, it has to be extremely powerful. Two, it is feeble as it is already way too old. Three, it hibernates or is kept young by magic. I don't know which I would prefer."

"Hmm... My bet is on the first one. I had a talk with Professor Slughorn after our discovery. I was inquiring subtly if there is anything that could give protection against the gaze of a basilisk."

"Let me guess... The answer is a resounding... no."

"Yep!" She giggled, watching my face fall, although I expected it to be the case. "Not a direct contact, at least!"

"Oh?"