Hermione had been Petrified, and Lynn felt waves of sharp pain in her brain.
The mention of Petrification easily brought the Basilisk to mind. The location where she had previously escaped the Basilisk with Ginny was the corridor outside Gryffindor Tower.
Thus, it was highly likely that Hermione had encountered the retreating Basilisk at that time and was subsequently Petrified.
Hermione had encountered the Basilisk that had attacked her and was Petrified; this was all because her skills were insufficient. She hadn't eliminated the danger of the Basilisk while protecting herself and Ginny.
Furthermore, Hermione had clearly already reached the Gryffindor Common Room, so why did she come back out?
Lynn's mind instinctively muddled through the thoughts. It was because she... because she hadn't returned to Ravenclaw in time to let Hermione know she was safe. So Hermione, worried about her, ran out to find her and encountered the Basilisk.
Lynn's face didn't show any change despite her thoughts, but her mind was currently a mess, like stirred concrete.
It was all her fault... all because her skills were lacking, causing Hermione to be Petrified by the Basilisk.
She should be punished... because her mistake had brought harm to Hermione.
But Hermione wouldn't let her punish herself, yet Hermione was Petrified because of her mistake.
The two different ideas clashed violently, making Lynn feel as if her brain was about to be torn in half.
"Child, child, are you alright?"
A gentle voice sounded in her ear, and Lynn snapped back to her senses. The surrounding scene had completely changed.
She was sitting in the Hospital Wing. The injuries on her right arm, right shoulder, right leg, and side had already been treated by Madam Pomfrey.
Now she was sitting on the hospital bed wearing only her innermost shirt, surrounded by Maranhao, Marietta, and Penelope.
The three males—Harry, Ron, and Headmaster Dumbledore—were blocked outside by a curtain.
"I'm fine, thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Lynn spoke mechanically.
Her eyes were filled with dead silence and indifference. Slowly closing her eyes, Lynn couldn't stop thinking about Hermione.
She should be on a hospital bed near her right now, turned into a stone statue, only able to be saved once the Mandrakes matured.
Even though she could be saved, how scared must she have been when she encountered the Basilisk?
How much fear did she feel as she sensed herself being Petrified bit by bit?
It was all because of her... because she didn't do well enough. If she could have defeated the Basilisk while protecting herself and Ginny, if she could have returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room on time to tell Hermione she was safe, if... "Lynn, relax," Maranhao reached out and gently stroked Lynn's forehead. "Get some good sleep, don't think about anything else. You've already done great."
Looking into Lynn's deep, soulless eyes, the four young witches present, including Madam Pomfrey, felt a pang in their hearts.
Maranhao and the other two, who knew Lynn deeply, could guess that this young girl—who cared for others and the majority to her very core—was absolutely condemning herself in her heart.
She was reflecting on herself, but this clearly wasn't her fault.
Reaching out to pull the covers up for Lynn, the curtain was opened, and Harry and Ron walked in cautiously.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!