"Before you can enjoy the culinary delights, you have to listen to the chatter of this old man." Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"First of all, it's good to see you all back lively around the school, happily sharing your experiences with your peers. But it must be mentioned that we have just had a tough time during the last term ..."
The young wizards stared at Dumbledore's face, trying to see what he had to say.
"... There were two attacks, and a little wizard is still in a clinic bed, right now, in the special ward." Dumbledore paused and suddenly raised the tone of his voice, "But thanks to the efforts of few people, who found out what happened with their own efforts, and also very bravely, tackled the monster in the chamber of secrets."
"Yeah, we shouldn't forget their names - Harry Potter! Ron Weasley! And, Hermione Granger!"
Everyone's blazing eyes turned towards Gryffindor's table as they looked at the trio incredulously.
"You're kidding right!" One of the twins shouted, his voice echoing through the Great Hall and bringing the solemn atmosphere to life.
Dumbledore laughed, and he said amiably, "Of course not, Weasley. But speaking of jokes, I'm reminded of a very funny troll and dwarf joke -"
"Ahem!" Professor McGonagall next to him coughed heavily.
"Ah~ Well, let's get back to the point. They have received unanimous praise from several professors for their courage, and for that, I'm going to award them each two hundred points!" Dumbledore said.
Snape couldn't help but grunt.
The Gryffindor House table already boiled over as they applauded violently, the Weasley twins rushed over to hug Harry and Ron, and Percy exclaimed from one corner, "That's my brother! My brother! And they also share the school's special contribution trophy!"
Hermione looked at a dumbfounded Hannah Abbott and said cheerfully, "See, I told you there wouldn't be any danger, right?"
There was a lot of noise in the Great Hall for a few minutes before the noise died down.
However, half of the eyes were still on Harry and Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table, clacking his plate with a silver fork.
Potter! It's Potter again, everything is Potter!
I also contributed to the ... he looked at Harry indignantly.
"Headmaster Dumbledore," a seventh-year Gryffindor student stood up, "can you be specific? Did Salazar Slytherin really put a monster in the Chamber of Secrets to purge all those he deemed unworthy of learning magic?"
The accusation of these words was extremely clear, and the eyes of the wizards at the Slytherin table glared at him in unison, eager to inflict a vicious jinx on him. However, the expressions of the young wizards from the other three houses looking towards the Slytherin House became quiet and complicated.
"I don't think so, Mr. Xavier." Dumbledore's expression looked very serious as he glanced at the young wizards present to calm the commotion before saying calmly, "The monster in the chamber, the Basilisk, has been around for a thousand years, but there have only been two recorded attacks which this year and one from fifty years ago. "
"Before that, it had been quietly dormant for nearly a thousand years. It is reasonable to assume that it was not Salazar Slytherin's intention to launch an attack."
Dumbledore quickly leaped ahead: "I will place the Basilisk in the yard of the school castle tomorrow, and some journalists will also be invited into the school at that time. Please also regulate your words and actions, you can observe, but do not try to touch it, the professors will also cast special wards on it."
"Now, let's enjoy the meal."
Dumbledore sat back in his chair, he waved his wand, and various foods began to appear on the table.
However, the young wizards' minds were not here, Dumbledore's speech was so informative that they were all "buzzing" about everything from the good and bad aspects of Salazar Slytherin himself, to the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, to discussing how the trio had defeated it.
" How did Basilisk look like?" A young Gryffindor wizard asked Harry.
"Uh, a giant snake that has eyes that can kill people."
"Cool! How big is it, is it bigger than the one Professor Lockhart conjured up that time in Dueling Club?"
Ron interjected with his mouth full and slurred, "Hey man, it's a lot bigger than that."
The young wizard looked at Ron sceptically, "You actually helped with that?"
" Dion, I played a much more important role than you can imagine!" Despite the fact that Ron's mouth is stuffed to the point of explosion, he still can't help but justify himself.
On the other side, Hermione Granger sat quietly and did not say anything.
"Hermione, aren't you hungry?" Hannah Abbott looked at the little witch with the mask and asked her curiously.
"... not hungry," Hermione said stiffly, but she quickly pulled out two sheets of parchment from her pocket and wrapped the beef pie on the plate in front of her.
Hannah Abbott stared at her blankly, the fork in her hand stopped in midair.
The student table was buzzing, and the faculty table was not quiet either, as some uninformed professors poked around for specifics.
Felix finished dealing with Lockhart, who kept asking questions, and went past Professor Flitwick to inquire with Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, about the pressure from some pure-blood families ..."
" Do you mean this!" Dumbledore put down his knife and fork and said with great interest, "I have been in contact within the last few days with most of the board members, and they agreed that it would be better for me to sit in this position."
"What about the Malfoy?"
"Lucius ... unfortunately, he is now facing no less trouble, as the other school board members are unhappy with his previous threats and want to kick him out of the board. I heard that he has now approached Fudge."
"That Minister of Magic?"
"Yes, and if nothing else, you will see him tomorrow," Dumbledore said sagely.
Felix nodded knowingly.
The dinner was soon over, and the young Gryffindor wizards flocked the trio at the common room, eager to ask exactly what had happened.
This was something Ron excelled at, and he began to describe it in graphic detail.
As far as Harry could see, except for the parts that he was asked to keep secret - like the existence of the professor, like the Gryffindor sword - the rest of the story was exaggerated to the extreme by Ron.
Hermione quietly returned to the dormitory, sneakily finished two pies, and returned satisfied.
"... So that's why I was punished with detention before, I actually didn't expect Lockhart to fall with just a nudge," Ron said with a spiteful and regretful face.
Hermione hid in the crowd, just in time to hear a small wizard ask Ron: "So, there is no need for you to be detained?"
Ron opened his mouth, like a deflated ball, became sad all of a sudden.
It was true that he had won honour for the House, but he couldn't escape the punishment of attacking an innocent professor.
In fact, Professor McGonagall has told him the details of the detention and the time, in a circle, he had the misfortune to fall into the hands of Lockhart.
He had heard Harry describe the details of the detention - writing replies to Lockhart's fans - as seemingly easy, but the length of the tasks, four hours each session, is enough to make one wonder about life.