Chapter 63 Chapter 63

"Thank God!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley as she approached Harry and Evan, "You saved Ron, you saved him! How did you do it?"

"Eso es lo que todos queremos saber," said Snape as he stared at them intently.

Evan and Harry looked at each other in silence. Evan gestured to Harry to recount what had happened. Harry hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Dumbledore's desk and placed the Sorting Hat, the silver sword, and Riddle's diary on it.

He then began to narrate the story to everyone.

He spoke for about a quarter of an hour, everyone listened intently, and the room fell silent.

He explained how he had heard the voice of the basilisk, and after investigating, they discovered that the monster was a basilisk, hiding in the water pipes, lurking around the school, and attacking the students.

He then spoke of the battles, the one that took place in the common room and in the Chamber of Secrets, how he and Evan were taken to the Chamber of Secrets by the basilisk, how Evan was struck by Riddle's spell, how the Sorting Hat gave him the sword, and how he used the sword to kill the basilisk.

But his voice faltered.

He avoided mentioning Riddle's diary and Ron's involvement in the plot.

When they heard him utter Voldemort's name, the room fell into a strange silence. The Weasleys, Hagrid, and Fudge shuddered, Snape's expression was also somewhat peculiar, and Lucius Malfoy, who had been huddled in a corner, had an unnatural expression.

"You mean all this was done by the one who must not be named? Wasn't it Hagrid who did it fifty years ago, was caught, and wrongfully accused by that person, even given a reward for his contributions to the school?" said Fudge.

"Cornelius, as I told you before, Hagrid was wrongly accused, he was innocent all along," said Dumbledore calmly.

"Yes, yes, you've said it, but the student who caught Hagrid..." Fudge said uncertainly.

"His name was Tom, the student was Voldemort, he orchestrated a series of attacks within the castle, but Harry and I thwarted his plot," Evan said.

Upon hearing Evan's words, Fudge recoiled. Though he listened to Harry, he could not fathom how two young persons, even underaged, could defeat the most powerful dark wizard and a basilisk.

This entire tale sounds like a fairy tale.

"Minister, since we have thwarted Voldemort's plot and saved Hogwarts," said Evan, looking at Fudge with a smile, "Could Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I receive a Special Award for Services to the School?"

"What?!" Fudge paused for a moment and said, "Well, since you defeated the one who must not be named, it shouldn't be a problem, but it must first be approved by the Board of Governors, so it may take a few days."

"That's great, thank you, Minister!" exclaimed Evan happily, "If you allow me, I would like you to present the award to us personally and have the news published in the Hogwarts Magical Magazine and the Daily Prophet. I believe everyone will appreciate the ministry's work."

"No problem, my dear boy! I will probably visit Hogwarts tomorrow with your award and Hagrid's pardon."

Fudge was very pleased to hear that the ministry's reputation would not be affected. "Albus, now that everything is resolved, I must be off. You know, there are many things waiting for me to do."

He bid farewell to everyone, turned, and left the headmaster's office, with Snape following him.

"Although we all know that Voldemort planned this, we still do not know how Ron encountered Voldemort and fell under his control in the first place,"

"What?!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley with an alarmed voice, "Are you saying that the one who must not be named controlled Ron, but Evan just said that it was them who defeated Voldemort together..."

"Professor, the diary is to blame."

Harry hesitated to say something, he took the diary and showed it to Dumbledore, "It was written by Riddle when he was sixteen."

Dumbledore took Harry's diary and stared at it for a long time, noticing the damp and charred pages.

As Dumbledore observed the pages, he knew that Dumbledore must have realized what it truly was.

"This is incredible!" said Dumbledore softly, "Needless to say, he was probably the most talented student Hogwarts has ever produced."

He turned and told the Weasleys some details about Voldemort's school days.

"But I don't understand, what does Ron have to do with all this?"

"It's because of the diary," said Ron, "I've had it for a whole year, he's been talking to me. Evan is right, I'm a fool, I trusted a diary more than my friends."

"Ron, haven't I taught you better?" exclaimed Mr. Weasley. "Don't trust things that can think independently. That suspicious diary apparently was filled with dark magic!"

"Don't blame Ron, Mr. Weasley," Evan said hastily, "when the snake attacked in the common room, Ron saved Ginny."

"Very few wizards can free themselves from Voldemort's control," Dumbledore added, "Arthur, you should be proud of Ron and I believe you have taught him a lot about this matter."

"How touching!" just when everyone thought it was all over, Lucius Malfoy suddenly stood up from the corner with a sneer, "Dumbledore, don't you remember that the board suspended you? You should worry more about your position than a ridiculous diary and a child's self-esteem."

Before he could finish his words, a letter suddenly appeared on Dumbledore's desk.

"I just wanted to inform you about that, Lucius," said Dumbledore calmly, "I have just contacted the other governors and they told me they think I am the best person for the job."

"So it goes..." said Lucius, narrowing his eyes.

"Furthermore, they told me something fascinating, it seems that someone in particular was threatening to curse their families if they did not agree to my suspension," Dumbledore said while smiling at Lucius.

"What a good joke!" Lucius's face was paler than usual, his eyes brimming with anger, "In that case, I withdraw, I hope this attack does not happen again! Otherwise, as the school governor, I will be very concerned."