The day was just like any other day at Hogwarts for Moaning Myrtle, except that she had nothing more exciting than ghostly duties to look forward to. She could hear her moans echoing off the stone walls as she floated through the stalls. Suddenly, her attention was caught by a flash of red hair in the girls' bathroom. It was a girl she didn't recognize; her walk was unusual as if she were fighting against every step. Tears streamed down her cheeks, yet her expression remained stoic. Myrtle, curious despite her perpetual melancholy, floated closer, attempting to engage the girl in conversation.
"Why, hello there," Myrtle wanted to say, but what she shouted was an angry "Who's there?!" and her voice echoed off the tiled walls.
Without looking at Myrtle, the girl answered in a grave voice that sounded unnatural for the girl, "Mind your own business, ghost." The voice was somehow familiar to Myrtle. The redhead girl had red pupils, which made Myrtle wonder.
Undeterred by the girl's hostility, Myrtle persisted. "I only wished to offer some comfort, dear. I know what it's like to feel lost and alone." Or was what she wanted to say, but her voice yelled, "You are in my bathroom!"
But the girl's response was almost demoniac, "Get lost!"
With a sigh, Myrtle withdrew, drifting away to the far end of the bathroom. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. Something wasn't right.
Restless, Myrtle decided to explore the other bathrooms in the castle, hoping to find solace in some students' scared screams. Yet, to her surprise, each bathroom she visited was eerily empty. It was as if the entire student body had vanished into thin air.
She visited every bathroom, even those exclusively for the Perfects. The only ones she did not go to were the bathrooms in the Common Rooms, as the other ghosts banned her from them. Puzzled and more than a little unnerved, Myrtle hurried back to her own bathroom once again, only to find it empty. It had already passed some couple of hours, so she supposed that it would be empty again, but as she entered, her eyes widened in astonishment.
There, in the center of the bathroom, a girl materialized. She was unlike any other girl she had ever seen before. Then she was a mesmerizing sight, her appearance striking and her demeanor poised with an air of quiet authority. Her red-gold, straight, long hair. She wore a Ravenclaw uniform and an eyepatch over her left eye, while her right eye was in emerald color and a pupil in the shape of a target mark. Her face looked very delicate as if it had been artificially crafted by hand.
Myrtle hovered closer, her curiosity piqued. But before she could do anything, the bathroom door burst open, and from it emerged two Slytherin boys, judging from their robes. One of them had black hair, and the other blonde, both quite handsome in Myrtle's book. Then, out of thin air, the girl in Ravenclaw uniform took what appeared to be a muggle weapon and pointed it at the blonde boy.
The blonde boy was still gasping for air after the running, but when he looked up, he saw a muggle gun pointing at his face. "Aaah" yelled the blonde boy and fell on his ass.
"Wait Chizu. He is Draco, he is with us," said the black hair boy.
The girl put down her weapon and turned to the black-haired boy, "understood." Then, just as suddenly, the weapon appeared, and it disappeared. "A suggestion, Ry-chan. You should give proper information about our allies and also suggest a better place to meet. Currently, this place is under the vigilance of an undead, more specifically, a ghost."
"That would be Moaning Myrtle, I believe. And I would take your suggestion. Unfortunately, this was more like a sudden change of plan," replied Harry before turning and helping Draco stand up.
Draco took his hand hesitantly but kept his distance from the Ravenclaw girl. "Who is that, Suzuki? Why was she pointing at me with a muggle weapon? Why..."
"There is not much time to explain, Draco. We just have to know that we need to receive the girl," cut Harry. Then he raised his wand and said, "Verdimillious." After that, he started to look around until he found one of the taps glowing golden.
Draco was furious, desperate, and angry. He wanted to go back, and that was what he was going to say when he heard something that made his spine chill.
Harry was closely looking at the tap, and he was moving it, but it seemed it did not work, as not even water was flowing. Then he looked at it more closely and saw a tiny snake on one of the sides. He cleared his voice, and in a hissing voice, he said, "bex."
The snake from the tap started to contort, and the tap glowed in a vibrant White glow, brighter than before. There was a sound, and before they knew they were looking, the sink started to move out of the way.
Draco was in disbelief. He saw how Harry turned with a smirk, and then the Ravenclaw girl gave Harry a pair of big, weird black eyeglasses. Harry then gave the glasses to Draco, but he refused to grab them and instead asked, "What was that hissing?"
"That was parseltongue. Haven't you heard it before?" asked Harry with genuine curiosity.
"Parseltongue? You are saying that you are a Parselmouth?"
"Well, yes."
Draco's icy grey eyes lingered with skepticism, "And you've been keeping your little talent hidden all this time?"
Harry shrugged, "we are Slytherins, Malfoy. It's stupid to go around showing your cards early on in the game."
Draco, confused, only muttered, "What?"
"It is a non-magical expression. It means that you keep your secrets that way, as secrets, unless you need to use them. And I never thought it was that big of a deal. I've met other people who can speak Parseltongue, too." What Harry left out of the conversation was that the other Paeselmouths were from Nazarick, especially some of the minor demons that work under Demiurge.
Draco frowned, but before he could say anything, Harry took his hands and put the strange black eyeglasses in his hands.
"Now, take them, and let's go," Harry said. He then turned to where the sink used to be and where now there was a big pipe hole. The hole was big enough for a normal adult to pass through, but Hagrid could not pass through it. Harry then jumped into the hole.
Draco looked at Harry's disappearance in that black hole. He hesitated for a second and was about to turn back when he felt a gentle push from his back. He tried to put his foot at the edge of the pipe, but it slipped and fell inside.
A rush of adrenaline made his screams echo through the void. The darkness enveloped him in a suffocating shroud as he plummeted into the abyss, his heart pounding like a frantic drumbeat. The air rushed past him in a deafening roar, whipping his hair into a frenzy as he descended further into the unknown depths below. Fear clenched at his chest, its icy fingers tightening with each passing second.
The fall seemed endless, a never-ending descent into the void, and the sense of dread gnawed at his very core. His mind raced with visions of jagged rocks and unforgiving surfaces, each imagined impact sending shivers of terror down his spine. He braced himself for the inevitable collision, his muscles tensing with anticipation as the ground loomed ever closer.
"Spongify."
Suddenly, a yellow light appeared from below, hitting him. He felt nothing different, but then, with a bone-jarring thud, he struck solid ground, his body recoiling in pain as he crumpled to the unforgiving surface below. Agony, pain, fear, all of that was what he was expecting, but instead, when he landed, he fell to the front, but no pain was on his body, even when his body twisted in a rather dangerously way, but his body then went back to normal right away.
He breathed in relief, but then he realized he could not stand up again. His arms bend as he tried to stand up, which gave Draco another kind of fear.
"Stand still for a moment; don't support your arms," said Harry's voice before casting "Finite Incantatem."
Draco then felt strength come back to him and stood up. He was disoriented and heard a thud as if something big had fallen to the ground. Harry then cast "lumus," and light appeared from his wand. Draco then felt something on his chest.
"Your wand and the visors," said Harry while handling the objects to Draco.
Draco took them, surprised that the 'visors' did not break. He then turned and saw that the Ravenclaw girl was there with them already but with the eyepatch in the other eye. Draco felt a need to lash out at her, but he decided it was too dangerous to do so.
"Put the visors on; I need to put down the light; we don't want to alert whoever took the Weasley girl," said Harry.
Draco looked at Harry as if he had grown up a second head, so Harry only sighed, finished his lumus casting, and put the visors on. Draco's vision went dark, and then he grabbed Draco's visors and forced him to wear them, and then he pressed a button on the left side. Suddenly, Draco saw everything around with more precision, but the colors were all wrong. All around, look in deep blue, almost purple, except for Harry, who was in a golden red. He then looked at his hands, and he was in with the same color. The Ravenclaw girl was also in a golden red, but she was lighter, almost blueish.
"What? What is this?"
"They are heat vision visors. This can help you even in the deepest night." Said Harry, starting to walk through the dungeon. Draco then started to walk behind him and the Ravenclaw girl.
"Heat vision?"
"Yes. It allows you to see heat signatures, like the ones emitted by living creatures. We need to know if the Basilisk is nearby, and these goggles will help us do that."
"A basilisk? What is that?" asked Draco, who stood for a moment. When he saw that Harry was not stopping, he started to walk again.
"Big bad snake. It kills if you see it to the eyes or petrified in this case. I guess Medusa's story was about a basilisk like this one, or maybe her hair was made of tiny basilisks. Anyway, the visors should help you as you won't be able to see its eyes, as the heat vision doesn't reflect that. But just to be on the safe side, if you see the shape of a giant snake, don't see it to the eyes."
"How do you know about that?"
"The spiders told me."
To Draco, they were in a maddening long tunnel. To Harry and CZ2128, it was just a couple of turns. Until they arrived at the end of the tunnel. There was in front of them a solid blue wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting blue. Or maybe the colors were different, and the visors were just tricking them.
Harry turned to them, "Be ready. Stay back and cover me. I want to check first if I can take charge of the Basilisk." Then he turned to the wall with the snakes and hissed in a low but firm voice, "bex" (open).
The serpents parted as the wall cracked open; the halves slid smoothly out of the way, showing a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness. CZ2128 ran right away to put herself behind one of the pillars on the left. Draco copied the girl and went to the right side of the chamber with his wand in hand.
Harry walked into the center of the chamber and got a smell that he could not name. At the end of the chamber, Harry saw a body lying. He could see that she was alive, but barely, if the heat vision was a good indication. Weird enough, he could see a thin line of heat going directly to what appeared to be a book. Once close, he then removed the visors, leaving them hanging from his neck. Then he saw a black-haired teen boy in Slytherin robes leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was blurred around the edges as if he were a hologram, "... and you are?"
"My name?" said the mysterious boy. "Well, it is quite interesting that YOU ask that. Quite indeed, your first question to me was about my identity, Harry Potter". Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance while the boy looked at him.
The spectral boy looked at him with his piercing eyes. "Disappointed," said the boy, leaning closer. "Perhaps. Your mother may have been a Mudblood, but your bloodline once belonged to one of Britain's oldest and most respected families. To throw away such heritage for some half-baked Japanese surname..."
Harry crossed his arms and scoffed. "And what does it matter to you?" he challenged.
Riddle frowned. "It matters," he hissed. "Your lineage holds weight here in England, where the purest of bloodlines are revered. Yet, you choose to embrace the commoners' customs."
Harry shook his head. "How simple-minded, how idiotic you can be. Let me guess, you have never left Europe, correct?" Harry laughed mockingly.
"What does it matter what's important in an island like England when I'll be important in the entire world?"
The boy looked at Harry as if he was crazy, with a mixture of incredulity and disdain. "You've turned your back on England, on your heritage. Do you not care for the legacy of our wizarding world?"
Harry's lips curled into a wry smile. "The wizards who hide away in secret, giving their backs to England, are hardly in a position to lecture me on loyalty. If you were a real patriotic English man, you would have professed loyalty to the Queen, but no, you seem to be one of those who believed in the circus called the Ministry of Magic."
The boy's expression darkened. "Hide?" he snorted. "We do not hide! We guard our legacy against those who would taint it!"
Harry sighed. "Then why do you hide from the Queen, who rules over you?" he pressed. "She doesn't threaten you; she doesn't understand magic. She is no threat to your 'legacy.'"
The boy's eyes narrowed. "Do not mock the mysteries of our kind," he warned. "They are sacred to the real wizards."
"Sacred?" Harry repeated skeptically. "To real wizards, you say? Wizards who are unable to produce real magic without a wand."
The boy remained silent for a moment and then chuckled darkly, the sound reverberating through the chamber. "I've had to admit that you exceed my expectations, Potter. I've been waiting for the opportunity to converse with you."
Harry's frown, a glint of malice in his eyes, and a dark smirk answered. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but Harry Potter is not here. But you have the privilege of speaking with a better version of him, with Harry Suzuki."
The boy smiled and passed around, giving his back to the entrance of the chamber, "If what you said is true, then I still need to congratulate you on your ambitions. They are high, maybe too high. Haven't you heard about Grindelwald?"
"Oh, I heard about his failure. I see his mistakes. The difference is that unlike him, I follow the Supreme Beings," Harry's icy voice made the boy smile.
"Full of surprises," said the boy. You see, I have been waiting to talk to you. The little I know about you is thanks to the little girl there, Ginny Weasley," the boy was again walking from one side to the other. I have many questions for you. How is it that you managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"
Harry genuinely snorted, and it turned into laughter. "The greatest wizard? I have maids more powerful than Voldemort," Harry said, then composed himself and smirked as if he were talking with a little boy, "and what does it matter how I defeat that Dark peasant?"
"How dare you call Voldemort a peasant!? I AM THE GREATEST WIZARD EVER LIVE. I AM LORD VOLDEMORT." Yelled the boy and the sound of his voice echoed throughout the chamber.
Harry raised his eyebrow with a petulant expression, "You look quite young for that."
Voldemort furiously pointed at the book next to Ginny Weasley. "My diary," said the hologram. "Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes. Her stupid family problems with her brothers teased her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and how Potter was able to give her new books, how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her. And little by little, she was falling into my trap."
Harry thought for a moment that he had never given free books to anyone. Then he turned to see the black book Voldemort was pointing at. He grabbed it from the floor and read aloud the name engraved in it: "Tom Marvolo Riddle?"
Voldemort smirked, "We are not that different; I also changed my name. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? No, Harry, I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world! It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, only to my most intimate friends, of course."
Harry's eyes went wide open, "wait... when you were at school? I thought that this was your human form, but then you are, what? Are you some kind of spirit? Wait, a teen spirit? So that's the smell. And here I thought this whole thing was 'Domination.'"
Draco was hearing everything and would question the whole Domination thing Harry was talking about.
"What are you babbling about?" asked Voldemort, his anger returning.
"Well, you are a half-blood, just as I am, so we can both be the Mulato. But the Weasley girl is a redhead, not an albino... Maybe Malfoy?" Harry started to think aloud, scratching his head without caring about the present circumstance.
"You think this is a joke?" Voldemort yelled.
The room became quiet as Voldemort's body was getting more solid. He will see his hand, and as if that was the only thing he needed to calm himself, he smiled and turned at Harry. "Well, no matter. What I want to know is how you survived. Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."
Harry shrugged, "La Santa Muerte thought it was not my time."
"So, mere luck? No, there should be something else." Voldemort started to walk again as if looking for the answer. He frowned and then smiled, "But there is no matter because now I'm going to teach you the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against the famous Harry Potter."
Harry frowned, getting deeper every time he was called 'Potter,' but he refrained from attacking, mainly because he did not know how to attack spirits. 'If I had known this was going to happen, I would have asked Lupu to come with Chizu. As a cleric, she should have a spell that helps with spirits' Harry thought.
Voldemort then turned to the high pillars in the end wall and looked up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Then he hissed in a loud, clear voice, "Tinvaak wah zu'u, Viidostvith, zok do fin hofkahsejun." (Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the castle.)
The jaw of the stone face started to move, opening its mouth. Then Harry felt vibrations from his feet as if something big was coming. Without wasting more time, Harry put on his visors and turned them on.
"Krii mun," (Kill him) hissed Voldemort while pointing at Harry.
At the sound of the Basiliks approaching, Harry put some distance, getting ready with his wand in hand. As the serpent emerged from the shadows, its body coiled and swayed like a stormy sea. Harry looked curious if his plan of with the heat vision would work; he stupidly turned to see the Basilisk's eyes, and what he could see was a deep and piercing red that seemed to burn even more fiercely under the heat-visors. Harry did not know if the color was because of the deadly properties of its eyes or if it was maybe for another reason, but it mattered not, as it seemed to be working.
Harry conjured up a bombarda spell, sending an explosion toward the beast. However, the Basilik's scales deflected the flames with ease. Undeterred, he tried expelliarmus, hoping to disarm it of its fangs, but it remained unfazed. Stinging hexes were next, aiming directly at the eyes, but the snake easily moved its head to protect itself.
The Basilisk lunged its head with its jaws open, but Harry ducked in time to one side. The snake was about to attack again, but suddenly, CZ2128 stepped out of the pillar where she was hiding and held her Assault Rifle, firing it wildly at the Basilik head, creating loud cracks and flashes of light that echoed off the chamber walls, startling Draco. Her aim was true, yet she might as well have been shooting at a mountain; the bullets bounced harmlessly off the Basilik's skin. But it does what she was aiming for, distracts the snake, which hissed loudly, "Volaan!" (Intruder!), something that only Harry and Voldemort could understand.
CZ21278 turned just in time, her movements fluid and graceful, avoiding the direct gaze of the serpent. She hid behind a pillar, watching Harry.
Voldemort frowned and hissed loudly, "Ni dahmaan vahdin, nos mun!" (Forget the girl, attack the boy!)
Harry used that moment to think, ' OK. It's a giant snake; what snake doesn't like, or what do snakes need?' Heat? Yes, the cold would lower its speed, cold-blooded as it is. Suzuki stood up and pointed the wand around the snake's floor. Glacies area," yelled the Suzuki heir, freezing the floor around the Basilisk.
The snake was about to attack Harry again, but again, a rain of bullets distracted him. Harry used the moment to put some distance. "Bad idea. The cold would take time to slow the snake. Time for improvising", murmured Harry. Then he put two of his fingers in his temple, "Chizu. Take cover and close your eyes until I am done with my next spell."
"Roger," was the reply he received. Harry then breathed deeply and approached the snake to get its attention.
Harry put his wand in his left hand and raised his right hand, pointing at the snake's eyes and casting [Sunlight]. A blinding light that illuminated the entire chamber appeared. For a fleeting moment, Harry could hear the snake hissing in pain. The Basiliks' eyes were obscured, leaving them disoriented and vulnerable.
Seizing the opportunity, CZ2128 left her hiding place and started to aim at the giant snake while Harry cast [Lightning], summoning a bolt of lightning with a sharp incantation from the point of his fingers. Both attacks made a thunderous sound that echoed through the room as the lightning bolt and the bullets struck Basilik's eyes, causing it to cry out in agony.
Draco was watching the whole battle without knowing why he was there in the first place. Was he asked by Suzuki to be there as his accomplice or witness, or maybe it was something darker.
Panting still for the constant dodges, Harry thought for a moment, how could he kill the snake? How could he pass the snake's skin? Then he remembered one of his father's spells. Suzuki turned to the snake and waited until he could see the mouth open of the snake, and then he cast [Maximize magic Obsidian Sword]. Immediately, a circle of light full of runes appeared in front of Harry's hand, and a pitch-black sword appeared from it; it flew directly to the Basilisk's mouth, piercing the beast's skull from inside the mouth.
The head of the snake fell, while its body still moved in weird contortions. The sword disappears soon after making it work. Harry smiled, but a small line of blood ran from his nose.
For a second, there was silence. Tom Riddle's face was red, with anger apparent, but he was still impotent to do anything. To Harry's surprise, his body was getting more solid.
Harry looked at CZ21285 and nodded, then looked to the other side. "You can come out, Draco!" yelled Harry. Draco cursed Harry in murmurs. Once Draco was closer, Harry told him to remove the visors, and he obeyed, leaving them haggling in his neck.
"So," Suzuki began, looking at Voldemort. "How's it going to be? Do you want to be fully resurrected only to be killed right away with a 'muggle' weapon? Or would you rather stay as a book?"
Voldemort scoffed, and Harry looked around and saw the Weasley girl still on the floor. He remembered the thin line that he saw with the heat visors and then pointed at the black book with the palm of his hand, but before he could do anything, he coughed, and some blood came from his mouth.
"Are you all right, Ry-chan?" asked the pleiade.
Harry nodded and smiled, "Yes. Maybe I am still not fully prepared for Maximize magic, but I am ok." Then he again put his attention to the book and cast [Appraisal Magic Item], and in front of Harry appeared the information:
Name: Tom Marvolo Riddle Cursed Diary
Harry nodded and breathed deeply, then cast [Magic Destruction]. The book glowed in white, but then nothing happened. Harry frowned, and the small trim of blood from his nose fell while Tom Riddle started to laugh. "I don't know from where you got those spells, but you would not be able to destroy it. Even as a student, I had already managed to do what many Wizards would wish to do in all their lives!"
Harry then tried again and cast [Break Item], but again, the book glowed without removing whatever spell it used. While Voldemort was laughing in a cold tone, Harry cleaned the blood from his face and turned to see his partners. "The object is magic resistant. Maybe with a tier 5th tier or higher spells, we could do something, but I can't cast any of them yet, and I don't think that my body can support another Maximize magic without fainting and not knowing if it worked," declared Harry to the other two then he coughed some more blood again.
Harry's body then fell to his side, but CZ2128 cached him. "Your MP is too low. I suggest abstaining from casting," said the Pleiade, and Harry nodded.
Draco did not understand completely; he assumed that this 'Maximize magic' does, as the name implied, boost the power of your spell at the expense of the caster's health. He thought that they would now just wait for the spirit to materialize so the Ravenclaw girl could kill him. He wondered what they should do after all was done and then turned to the death basilisk and said, "What about the snake?"
Harry looked at the snake and shrugged, "Sure, we don't lose anything by trying. Chizu, could you bring us a fang? If it has some venom, it would be better."
CZ nodded and walked to the snake. Without much effort, she took one of the fangs and brought it to Harry. Instead of taking the fang, Suzuki turned to Draco and said, "You do it, Malfoy. It was your idea, after all."
Draco's eyes went wide. He looked at Harry, who smiled at him, and then at the strange girl who handed him the fang. His hands were trembling, and then he turned to see the spirit behind them. If what he heard was right, that was Voldemort when he was young. Voldemort... the dark lord, the greatest wizard who ever lived according to his parents' tales. He turned again to see Harry, a young boy who, according to his father, can become greater than Voldemort. Suddenly, Harry's and Chizu's gazes became heavier. Without knowing he had already kneeled next to the book, he gripped the basilisk fang with all his strength and plunged it straight into the heart of the book.
There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Draco's hands and flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing, and then he was gone.
Draco exhaled deeply while Harry grabbed the book. Almost automatically, the breath of the Weasley girl started to get stronger, with her getting more and more color. Harry looked at the girl and then at CZ2128.
"OK, we need to leave, Draco. Take the Weasley girl to the hospital wing," Harry said as he walked towards the entrance, leaning on Chizu to avoid falling.
"Wait!" yelled Draco. Harry turned around but continued walking out of the place.
"If someone asks, you saved her, you did everything, you arrived, and the chamber was already open, and you just walked into it. I am sure you can come up with an excuse..." Harry replied at the entrance.
Draco was about to yell again, but Harry was gone. A soft moan sounded, and Draco realized that he was still on his knees, and in front of him was no book but a girl.
Ginny opened her eyes, and everything was blurry. Suddenly, she felt a hand helping her to sit. Everything was dark except for a small light, almost yellow, like blonde hair. Her body felt colt, but the hands helping her sit felt warm and comforting.
She blinked once, twice, three times, and her vision improved. Then, she could recognize who was helping her. Her eyes went wide, and she tried to move away from his hands, only for her body to fail her. She almost fell to her side when she tried to support herself with her arms.
She looked around, and her breath went frantic at the sight in front of her, a room full of statues of snakes, and on one side was a giant death snake. Her memories came back, including what she had done and what she didn't want to do but was forced to do.
"Malfoy... I didn't want... I swear... I"
Draco sighed and frowned. "Didn't your parents teach you not to trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain?"
Ginny looked away while Draco stood up. He was about to walk away and leave her there. It was simple really, he didn't know why Harry left, but he could always try to catch him and then report the teacher about where the Weasley girl was. Yes, that was simple, but his problem was that he looked back at the girl. Too much education to be a proper gentleman, maybe that was the problem, because before he knew he was already extending his hand to her, "Can you stand up?"
Ginny looked at his hand, and without looking at his face, she grabbed his hand and tried to stand up. The problem was that she was unable to stand still, as her body felt too weak and unresponsive. She tried to stand still, but then she only saw how everything went to one side as if the world had jumped under her.
Draco caught her before she hit the floor. "Damm it, Suzuki," murmured Malfoy between teeth, something Ginny did not hear, and then he carried her with her arms.
"Don't! Put me down", protested Ginny, but Draco did not give importance as she was too weak to do something.
"Put me down, leave me here. Please... please," Ginny stopped complaining and started sobbing. Her eyes were closed, and her cheeks flushed with the effort of suppressing tears, yet they flowed freely. She then hid her face in Draco's robes, and with trembling hands, she grabbed his robes and covered her side of the face.
Draco cast "lumus" to see through the place. He felt Ginny's body still trembling. He did not know if it was because of fear or cold. He remembered seeing her with a pale yellow color when Harry was fighting the snake. He continued his walk and heard her sobbing, and he sighed, "Now what? Why are you crying? You are alive, aren't you?"
Without showing her face, Ginny answered, not caring if it was Malfoy who was listening, "I'm going to be expelled! I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came, and now I'll have to leave. What'll Mum and Dad say?"
Draco opened his mouth to reply, but another voice spoke first, "Oh, kids, you are safe. I am glad of it."
Mr Gilderoy Lockharth was standing there. Wird enough, his cape was waving even though there was no wind down there. "I will help you out, BUT first, I'll need to check what happened. Just so you can have another WITNESS", he stopped mid-sentence and then continued with almost a whisper, "of your heroic deeds." He then walked inside the chamber. Meanwhile, Draco continued walking until he reached where he came from. Then a new problem appeared, 'how are we going to reach the top?'
Lockhart came back almost immediately. "I must say, Mr Malfoy, if you intend to publish what happened here, I can give you the contact information for my editorial," The professor winked and then went close to the teens.
"NOW!" exclaimed Lockhart. "Come here, my dear pupils, that I WOULD TAKE YOU up," the professor declared in a tone as if he were singing. Suddenly, he stood in front of Draco and embraced the two students in a tight hug with his left hand. "Brace yourselves." Then he pulled his wand and pointed to the pipe's big hole and intoned, "[Fly]."
With a rush of wind, Draco and Ginny felt how they were flying up. Incredulous of the resourcefulness of the professor, whom both thought to be a buffoon at the beginning of the year, now, they were in awe.
Once the three reached the bathroom on the second floor, Draco let Ginny stand by herself. She could stand, but her legs were still too weak to move, so she leaned on Draco to walk as he was closer to her height. They walked in silence and slowly as the two men kept pace with Ginny.
Inside the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was still packing some potions in slow motion, unable to think of other things but the fate of the school closing. Even when Professor Dumbledore returned a few minutes earlier, he could not assure them that the school would remain open. The only hope was Gilderoy Lockhart... the charlatan con man. She looked around and saw the petrified children who would be sent to Saint Mungo's if the school was going to close.
BANG
The sound of the hospital wing's door opened, and she turned to see who was making so much noise. There he was, Gilderoy Lockhart, with his open arms and, to Pomfrey's surprise, a smile.
"Ah, MADAM! It is a pleasure to be in your presence. I wished we could talk over tea, but TIME, TIME is of the essence at the moment!" said Lockhart as if singing opera. Meanwhile, the Matron looked at him with one eyebrow up.
"Would you please," continued the DADA professor, "check the health of these two youngsters?" Lockhart then put his arms down and stepped to one side, revealing the kidnapped girl, Ginny Weasley, leaning on Draco Malfoy's shoulder.
The Matron's eyes went wide, and she walked fast to Ginny's side. She guided her to the nearest available bed.
"Mr Malfoy, you too need to be checked. Go and take the bed next to her," said the professor. Draco was about to say something, but the professor cut him off, "I KNOW that you want to downplay your role. BUT... your heroics also took your stamina."
The Medi witch then turned to Lockhart and asked, "Heroics?"
"Well, yes," answered Lockhart. "IT WAS HIM who saved the damsel in distress," intone Lockhart.
The Medi witch turned to see Draco, gave a warm smile, and asked him to sit on the next bed to Ginny. Draco protested that he was fine, but Madam Pomfrey had not of that and made him stay. She gave a Pick-me-up potion to Draco and a calming potion to Ginny Weasley, who looked agitated.
After a moment, both teens were in their beds, and Madam Pomfrey asked the DADA professor to take care of the students while she went to call for the Headmaster, who had just arrived.
Ginny heard her say that she was going to bring the Headmaster, and she started to sob. Lockhart looked at her, and instead of asking her to drink the calming potion again, he looked at her from the end of the bed and said. "Fear not, young lady. The whole situation will be handled. You are in no danger of being controlled anymore."
Ginny turned to see her professor with watery eyes wide open. The professor then continued, "Yes, I do recognize the symptoms of possessions. Of course I do," he smirked and then shook his head. "Why would that impress you? Didn't you read my book 'Voyages with Vampires?'" Ginny looked down and shook her head.
"That's... disappointed. It's nearly the end of the year... but I won't spoil you further from the book. Just so you know, Vampires have hypnotizing powers, strong enough to make a possession," the professor thought for a moment and turned to see Draco and then to Ginny again. "It is like the imperious curse. AND, just like that dark curse, IT WILL EXONARATE YOU OF ANY GUILT."
Ginny nodded and somehow smiled at her professor's theatricals. She had laughed at his expenses before, but now she is looking at him as the great wizard everyone says he is. 'Maybe', she thought, 'it was Tom who was making look at him as a clown, because he was really jealous of him'.
"Now," said the professor again. "Before the other professors arrived. I want to confirm something," the professor then turned to see Draco. "I saw some black marks on the ground. Am I correct in assuming that you destroyed whatever was possessing Miss Weasley? Incinerated it to ashes, perhaps?"
Before Draco could answer, the door of the hospital wing swung open again, and the person who emerged first was Molly Weasley, who looked around and then walked as fast as she could to hug her daughter with a tight embrace. Suddenly, the calming potion failed, and Ginny sobbed in her mother's embrace. Behind her appeared Arthur Weasley, who also went next to his daughter and hugged her.
The next person to enter was Professor McGonagall, followed by Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape. McGonagall looked at the picture of the embrace and smiled fondly.
After the embrace, Molly Weasley turned and saw Lockhart still standing at the end of the bed. She walked to him and hugged him. "Thank you very much for saving her," she said between sobs.
Gilderoy patted Molly's back and said, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I did not do such a thing. The HERO of the day is sat in the other bed." Lockhart pointed at Draco and continued talking, "HE is the ONE, taking the risk of his own life to SAVE Miss Ginevra Weasley."
Draco started to hate being pointed at as the hero when suddenly, a tight hug surprised him. It was Ms Weasley sobbing and saying, "You saved her! You saved her! Thank you, thank you! How did you do it?" And for a moment, Draco remembered his own mother's embraces.
"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly under Professor Lockhart's gaze. Meanwhile, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, expecting Draco's answer.
Mrs. Weasley let go of Draco, and he hesitated weakly to speak, "I heard that the-she was missing. And although our parents may not like each other..." Draco hesitated, thinking about what he was going to say next without looking at the Headmaster or his Head of house eyes. Arthur also looked the other way as he remembered the scene he caused the last time he saw Lucius. Dracon then continued, "But she is still pure blood. And as Malfoy, I was told that we must protect our own."
McGonagall was about to say something about the pure-blood fanatism, but Gilderoy spoke first, "How? How did you know where to look, Mr Malfoy?"
Draco remembered what his parents told him about the attacks and what Harry said before leaving. "I was told that the last time these happened, a girl died. And the time of those attacks and the time of Myrtle's death were close, so I decided to check on her... only to find the chamber opened."
Lockhart smiled and nodded. "I understand now. I did not know that bit of information. Please continue."
Draco nodded, "When I arrived at the chamber, there was the spirit of a boy next to Weas-her." Ginny started to shiver while trying to stop herself from crying.
"He said that his name was Tom Marvolo Riddle, but he, in reality, was..." Draco stopped talking and sighed as if getting strength. This was the point of no return, the point where he could never be a Death Eater like his father, but if Suzuki was able to defeat the Slytherin Monster, it meant that he was destined for greater things. He then finally continued, "He said that he was You-know-who."
A round of gasp around happened.
Draco then continued, "He then hissed loudly, and a basilisk appeared."
Professor Snape was the one who now stepped up. "A basilisk, you say? May I inquire how you were able to not only survive his gaze but also defeat it?"
Draco then looked down at the visors that Harry had given him. "I happened to still be using this gift from Suzuki. It let me watch everything without looking at the real thing."
"Excuse me?" asked Snape. Draco took the visors from his neck when Gilderoy asked for them with his hand.
"This should be one of the Ainz Ooal Gown products. Amazing, simply amazing! I know that this kind of thing is used only by military propurses in the muggle world. But to use it against a Basilisk. GENIUS, simple Unglaublich! "exclaimed Lockhart.
Molly, not knowing what the last word meant, asked, "Excuse me, but what is that thing? "
"This, Ms Weasley, is a heat visor," said Lockhart as he presented to everyone. "Heat visors are technological marvels that allow one to perceive thermal radiation, which is invisible to the naked eye. They function much like your own eyes do, but instead of detecting visible light, they detect infrared radiation or IR. This IR radiation is emitted from objects due to their temperature; hotter objects emit more IR than colder ones. The goggles have sensors that convert this energy into electrical signals, which are then processed and displayed as images or patterns of color on a screen. These colors represent different temperatures, with warmer areas appearing redder and cooler areas appearing bluer." Ms Weasley nodded slowly, not understanding everything, while Arthur Weasley looked at the visors with awe.
He then looked at the visors closely, "Ah, that's a real marvelous idea. This way, you won't be able to see the eyes of the Basilisk, not even its reflection, defending yourself from the whole killing or petrification."
Mr Weasley was about to extend his hand to ask to see the visors closely, but his wife stopped him. Gilderoy Lockhart then returned the visors to Draco.
"So," Snape interjected. "You are telling us, Mr Malfoy, that you found the entrance of the Chamber open by mere coincidence and decided to rescue her because... she is pure-blood?"
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to stand idly by," echoed Lockhart. "WHEATHER driven by altruism, racial solidarity, or personal ambition, our protagonist acted decisively, which is what truly matters. HIS DEEDS speak louder than any motivation could ever hope to articulate." With a twinkle in his eye, Lockhart added, " Sehr gut gemacht, Mr Malfoy."
"True. Very true," Dumbledore said with a warm smile. "But I need to inquire, Miss Weasley," the Headmaster said in a grandfatherly tone. "Could you tell us how you ended up in there?"
Ginny looked at Dumbledore's eyes, who twinkled for a moment. She nodded and said, "I have been writing into a diary, an enchanted one... He listened to me and helped me with... with everything," she started to sob. "But then, there were times I did not know what I did hours ago... I thought that Tom was my friend, but he was using me. I-I," Ginny could not continue, and Pomfrey went to her side and asked her to drink the calming potion while looking with frown eyes to the Headmaster. While Gilderoy was pensive about what Ginny said.
Dumbledore then nodded, "this has been a terrible ordeal for her. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort."
"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything? You should never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!'
McGonagall looked at Snape and the Headmaster, "What kind of dark spell have been used, and for what purpose?"
Ginny, after drinking the potion, said, "He wanted to become alive again. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me. It was a living hell."
Draco listened to everything and remembered what Harry said in the chamber, which now made sense. 'The Weasley girl was being possessed, so someone was acting some kind of,' thought Draco, but the last part he murmured was, "domination spell."
Only Snape looked at him, but it was Lockhart who spoke, "Of course! You are correct, Mr Malfoy. It was the 'Domination' curse. How could I not remember? It was all there, the Writings in the wall."
"Professor Lockhart," said Dumbledore. "Could you explain?"
"Headmaster, don't tell me that you haven't heard about the Domination curse," the DADA teacher asked.
"I am afraid that the information of the spell eludes me," replied Dumbledore.
"Very well," said Lockhart. "The Domination curse was used by the native Americans, particularly those dwelling within the territories now known as Texas. Historical records date back to the era when Texas was under Mexican rule, referred to as Nueva España in those years. Accounts from this period, such as those found in the annals penned by the Spaniards, detail the employment of this curse by the indigenous sorcerers and enchantresses. To learn more about those texts, one must look to the hallowed halls of the Calmecac Library, the grandest repository of arcane knowledge spanning both North and South America."
Lockhart started to cress his chin and then continued, "If I correctly remember the translation, the information should be something like:
'Domination consumes you then calls you a friend.
In a twisted fall.
Binds are like steel and manipulate the will to be,
and it's hard to see.
And soon you'd forget when there's nothing else left to destroy."
Ms Weasley gasped in horror and hugged her daughter, "Is it like the imperious?"
Lockhart shook his head, "Oh. Lot worse. Once the spell is completely done, death will await you. The rest of the passage should be:
A blacked heart will reach out to divinity,
as a penalty.
And razors and chains will mark the demise of your life,
forcing you to bend.
Your eyes will see the dawn of the day.
And the writing on the wall.
Those words that stare into your soul,
and to yourself, you will befall."
Wide eyes spread across the room. It was again Ms Weasley who spoke with fear, "You mean that if completed, you know who would have resurrected using my Ginny's body?" She held Ginny's hand tightly.
Dumbledore calmly said, "It is fortunate that that was avoided. Of course, nobody thinks you are responsible for what happened, Miss Weasley." Then he turned to Draco, "but I must insist on hearing how the basilisk was defeated and where this diary is."
"I-I," said Draco, turning to see Ginny, who was looking at him with an expression he could not understand. He then mixed the truth, "I transfigured a junk of rock into a sword and stabbed the basilisk from the inside." He said this and then remembered what Lockhart said to him when they were coming back: "And the diary... I burn it to ashes to stop it from working."
Dumbledore nodded with a twinkle in his eyes and a small smile. "Very good. I won't lie; I wished the object was here to study it, but it is for the best if that was necessary to stop the curse."
Then, the Headmaster turned to see everyone in the room. "I believe that both students are tired enough, and we should let them rest."
/***********/
The Great Hall was full of energy and noise. The students were talking loudly, and some were trying to get an update on what had happened in the school. Some students were still reeling from the recent events and watched the Headmaster with anticipation for his announcement.
"Silence, please," Dumbledore's voice cut through the chatter like a knife. Instantly, the Hall fell into a hush, every eye trained on the venerable wizard.
"First, I want to thank those who welcome me in my return," Dumbledore began, his gaze sweeping over the sea of faces before him. "As most of you can already see, the next thing I wanted to say is about the good news."
"Although it took a bit of time to confirm the properties of the potions, our stem Potion Master, Professor Snape, was able to confirm that the potions were safe for consuming, and as you may already see, your schoolmates and friends are back with us."
A round of applause followed. "Now," the Headmaster continued, "I want to announce that the culprit of the attack has also been stopped. More details will be presented in due time, but I believe that it is time to celebrate." Dumbledore sat, and a feast was showing while the students dug into the food.
/***/
The rest of the year went smoothly. But in the end, Harry was left with a disjunctive regarding which elective classes to take.
Harry sat in front of a table in the Slytherin Common Room with a list of the pros and cons of each elective class. Meanwhile, Pansy was sitting reading a book. 'Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies, Study of Ancient Runes? Except for Muggle studies, all the others looked productive.' Turning to Pansy, Harry asked, "What do you say, Pansy?"
Pansy left the book, looked at the list for a small moment, and then shrugged. "You should ask Snape, not me. He is our head of house, after all. If not, wait to be back home and ask your parents."
Harry nodded as he thought that her answer was correct. 'Who better to decide than Momonga-sama?' But then he thought that he was told that he needed to decide by himself because this was his mission. So he approached a prefect and asked if he could help Harry talk with Snape.
The next day, Harry was called by his head of house. He entered, and Professor Snape was grading some papers. In front of him was a student cleaning cauldrons. Harry got closer to the Professor of Potions, "thank you for your time, professor."
Snape only moved his eyes from the parchment he was grading and then continued. Harry took that as a 'continue' or 'speak,' so he spoke, "I asked of your time for some advice regarding el electives next year. I want to know if I can take all the electives except for Muggle Studies."
Snape raised one eyebrow while the student only shook his head. "Mr Suzuki," Professor Snape began, "the electives are called that way because you have to select them... by yourself."
Harry nodded, "I understand. I just want to confirm whether there won't be any kind of indication or restriction that can stop me from doing it."
Snape would put his will down and look to Harry for a moment to comprehend if he knew anything. Then he finally spoke, "The timetables are done before the next school year begins. The class periods are scheduled depending on the number of students who decide to attend. Due to the... current affairs in the school, there will be school years in which some classes won't be available, and in case they are, normally some will overlap."
Harry nodded in understanding, and Snape looked at him. He wanted to hate him; he was sure that he would be the one going to save the Weasley girl. Like his father, he would want the attention; maybe his ambition for recognition was the only Slytherin thing from James Potter. But Snape's prediction ended up wrong, with Draco being the one doing the rescue due to an absurd vision of his father's words.
The professor then said, "Create your list in priority order; that is how we normally decide the order of the classes."
Harry nodded and thanked him before leaving the classroom.
He rewrote the electives and accommodated them in priority order: Divination, Arithmancy, Study of Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures.
/****/
It was the last feast of the school year. Harry was walking along with Pansy when they saw a small ball of brown hair among the students moving toward them. Then they recognized Hermione Granger approaching them really fast, and before Pansy could do anything, Hermione went and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, thank you!" said Hermione while hugging Parkinson.
Hermione was unaware of who had given the potion. The heads of every house instructed all the students to not discuss it to ensure they could focus on their upcoming exams. On that same day, when the exams finished, Dean gave Hermione information about who had given the potion. Dean was very interested in Hermione's reaction when he told her that Pansy had been very desperate when she saw her petrified. Other students then confirmed Dean's words, and Hermione felt grateful and blamed herself for doubting Pansy's friendship.
A group of other students also appeared to thank Pansy. All of this was happening before she even entered the Great Hall, and it took great effort for Pansy to thank everyone for their words. She turned to see Harry, and she blamed him for it. Instead, Harry mistook Pansy's gaze for one of help, so he grabbed her arm and helped her walk to the Slytherin table.
Once the Great Hall was full, Dumbledore stood up. "Another year has passed, and I have to bore you again with another farewell speech. But before that, I want to make a special mention of two special students. Mr Draco Malfoy, could you please stand in the front for a moment".
Draco stood up and walked to the front of the Hall. Dumbledore rose from his seat and stood up between the teacher's table and Draco, watching all the students present. "Draco Malfoy," started the Headmaster. "For your valiant efforts in aiding our beloved institution by bravely facing the basilisk that threatened our students, displaying remarkable cunning and shrewdness in the face of danger, it is with great honor that we bestow upon you the trophy for Services to the School."
The Hall erupted into applauses, some students rising to their feet in a chorus of admiration. The Headmaster gestured to Draco, and he walked back to the Slytherin table. Seated once more amongst his peers, Draco surveyed the scene with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction. Though he had initially sought this recognition as proof of his worthiness in Slytherin, he found himself oddly moved by the genuine appreciation emanating from those around him. Even the twins, Fred and George, seemed to acknowledge his accomplishment with enthusiastic cheers.
The Headmaster moved his hands to calm the students and then proceeded,
"Now, onto our next esteemed individual, none other than Miss Pansy Parkinson," announced the Headmaster, his commanding presence resonating through the Great Hall. "Would you kindly grace us with your presence at the forefront?"
Pansy tried to walk as elegantly as possible, which she was able to do, but her mind was full of doubts. She thought that the whole situation was already being dealt with. She is still unable to understand why the Suzukis decided to make her the heroine instead of letting Harry have the credit. She reasoned that something should be at play but could not find what.
When she finally stood in front of the Headmaster, he began speaking, "Miss Pansy Parkinson. In recognition of your invaluable assistance in procuring the Mandrake Restorative Draught, a potion vital in aiding your fellow students in their time of need, you have exemplified, especially to me, the importance of resourcefulness, leadership, and determination. In recognition of these traits and helping the school in its time of need, it is my pleasure to present you with the trophy for Services to the school."
The applause that followed was nothing short of thunderous, echoing throughout the chamber as if to reverberate the collective appreciation of all those present. Among the cacophony, the sound of Hermione Granger's applause rang out.
Once the claps died down, Dumbledore continued, "Now, I believe that we need to reward them with house points. So, I think that it is only fair to award the Slytherin House with 50 points for Mr Malfoy and Miss Parkinson's actions, respectively."
The Hall clapped, not with the same enthusiasm, but there was no student who was against the decision. "So, the house points this year ended up as follows: In fourth place, Ravenclaw, with three hundred and fifty points. In third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and ninety-two. Gryffindor, in second, has four hundred and twenty-six. And Slytherin, in first, with five hundred and thirty points."
Banners above the tables displayed the emblem of the Slytherin house. "Congratulations on your 8th victory in a row," said the Headmaster, and soon after, the feast was presented to the students.
/****/
The day when Harry was going to leave, he received a message, so he moved to the closest bathroom. After he made sure he was alone, he replied, [Message] "Did you call, mother?"
"Be a dear, and invite your friends home. I am talking about your usual friends, and also the Malfoy boy and his group. Your father already invited Mr Lucius Malfoy to your 13th birthday party," said Albedo in a sweet voice.
Harry's eyes went wide. "Understood," said Harry eagerly.
Harry could hear Albedo sighing, "Just make sure you don't tell anyone about your party. It should be a surprise, and only Momonga-sama is permitted to invite people to it."
Harry rolled his eyes, even when he knew that his mother wouldn't see him, "I know, I know."
"Do you? Well, I can only believe in you," said Albedo.
"I'll see you at the station, Mom," said Harry with a smile.
"Oh, about that. Lupusregina and a maid are going to recollect you because I am currently in America with Momonga-sama. Tell me, would you prefer a little brother or a little sister?" asked Albedo in a sweet voice.
"MOM! I am going to end the Message. See you at home," said Harry with his face red.
Harry left the bathroom, grabbed his belongings, and went to the common room to wait for Pansy's arrival.
When the pair was walking outside the common room, Harry noticed that Zabini and Bultrode were again behind them. They were not openly speaking, but they walked close enough to them to give the illusion that they were walking together.
In the waiting line for the carriages that would take them to the train Station, Harry saw Draco together with Crabbe and Goyle. He then went closer, and using the people around him as a method to pressure him, he greeted him, "Oh, by the way. I will be taking Pansy and other friends from Hogwarts on a small tour for a few days. It would be grand if you could accompany us."
Draco had no reason to say no, and with all the students looking at him, he ended up accepting the invitation. But just as he agreed, Ron Weasley appeared out of nowhere. Hermione and Dean were trying to make their way to stop him as they believed that Ron was about to have another confrontation with Harry or Pansy. Even Neville tried to reach him, but Ron turned to Draco before anyone could stop him and extended his hand, "Thank you. For saving Ginny."
Harry and the rest would be with his eyes wide, and just as people put the social pressure on Draco to accept Harry's invitation, now that pressure was even higher, so Draco ended up accepting Ron's hand.
After such a show, the students finally ride the train back home. Hermione was hugging Pansy's arm in the same cabin as Harry. Dean and Seamus were talking about the upcoming match, which was to qualify for the World Cup.
Harry then started to talk with Luna about wanting to get a Thestral, and Luna enthusiastically started to talk to him about the reserves of thestrals. Suddenly, she gave him some concerning information. It seems that wizards found a Muggle-isolated city and decided to live there, a city in the east of Europe, close to Russia, and close to where now is known as Ucrania for the Muggles. What the wizards don't know is the reason why the place was desolated, but they thought it was because of the great number of Thestrals.
Intrigued, Harry decided to give the information to his father and maybe Demiurge. It would be quite easy to fake the deaths of those wizards, especially thinking that they were living in the most radioactive place in the world, 'Chernobyl.'
Meanwhile, they are talking about different themes. Pansy is looking out the window and thinking about the school year. She started to connect dots, Harry insistent on her working under the Herbology teacher, only for her mother to corner her into giving her Mandrake seeds. Plants were used to create the Mandrake restorative draught. She looked at him and realized that he had planned that before the first attack happened. She looked at her arm to see Hermione talking with Luna Lovegood about some strange creatures, but Pansy was then realized. 'They were willing to sacrifice Granger only to demonstrate something,' thought Pansy, but the big question in her mind was still the same: Why? 'Maybe,' she reasoned, 'was to make her look Muggle-friendly.' It was a valid point because Muggle-borns and half-bloods looked at her now with adoration. "What are they playing at?"
The train finally arrived at King's Cross Station, and the students left the train searching for their families. Harry looked around and found Lupusregina, along with another maid with silver hair, blue eyes, and light skin. On her neck was a moonstone pendant.
/****/
The first thing Harry did when his father went back was to report to him together with CZ2128. "Welcome back, Momonga-sama," said Harry while he kneeled at the same time as CZ2128. Suddenly, the door opened, and Professor Lockhart emerged from it.
"Oh, It is a delight to see you again, mein Meister und Schöpfer," said Lockhart while kneeling before the Supreme Being.
Momonga, in his true form, nodded and waved his hand in a very elegant way, "Well done, Harry-chan, CZ, Pandora's Actor."
Lockhart started to shift his features in a grotesque way until the image of his charming smile disappeared, replaced by an egghead with no real facial features except for the three holes that replaced the eyes and mouth.
"Any new information that we need to follow up?" asked the Supreme Being.
"Yes, Momonga-sama," said Harry, taking a book from his pocket. "This book seems to be resistant to magic from tier 3 and below. I would use Maximized magic, but..."
"Your body is not ready, yes. I've read your health report. I am concerned about it, and I want you to continue to check your health with Lupusregina. You should take care of yourself more," said Momonga solemnly, trying to be fatherly.
"Yes, Momonga-sama. I will take care of my health so that I can carry out your mission!" Harry said, misunderstanding the words.
Momonga only nodded, "Please do. Now, Harry, you have to prepare yourself for your birthday party. And remember that you still have until then to change your opinion. If you wish, we can always see if we can work something out about your parents."
"I am sure, Momonga-sama. You, Albedo... and Shalltear..., and Nazarick are the only family I need."
Momonga nodded while creating one of his rings that had three gems, "Very well."
After that, the three left the room, leaving the Supreme being alone. Once they left, Momonga used [All Appraisal Magic Item], and the information he got made him wonder:
Name: Tom Riddle Diary (Horcrux 1/6)
Magic: The diary used its dark magical influence to bewitch its user. It does this by allowing a writer to communicate with the memory of the sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle merely through writing on the journal's blank pages. The diary can transport the reader into a realm of memories and is also able to siphon the life force from a reader and transfer it to Riddle's stored memory. This act was an endeavor to create a physical body for the sixteen-year-old Soul of Tom Riddle.
The closer a writer became to Tom Riddle's memory emotionally, the more power the diary acquired over him or her.
Creator: Tom Riddle (also known as Lord Voldemort)
