Harry and Ron stood there, jaws hanging open, staring at the scene before them.
"Let's go." Hermione's voice was flat.
Harry and Ron snapped out of it and hurried after her.
"Your magic... how did you—"
"Just a basic Freezing Charm." Hermione's tone was casual. "I just... amplified it a bit."
Ron swallowed hard. "A bit?"
"You two head back," Hermione said suddenly.
"What about you?" Harry asked.
"I've got something to take care of."
"Be careful, then."
Seeing that Hermione didn't want to elaborate, Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Neither wanted to stay in the forest any longer. They turned and left.
The moment they were out of sight, Hermione mounted her broom.
Time to grind. Let's farm some mobs.
She'd been wanting to do this for ages.
Before, she couldn't—Dumbledore was still around, and she had to keep a low profile. Plus, back then she didn't have any wide-area spells, and her level wasn't high enough. Trying to clear the forest would've exhausted her before she made a dent.
But now? Things were different. For some reason, Dumbledore clearly didn't want to interfere with her anymore.
And with her Level 4 magic, she could take on anyone at Hogwarts except Dumbledore himself.
Not to mention the Wand of Destruction in her hand. If she went all out with Freezing Charms, the entire castle would turn into an ice sculpture.
Hermione flew low over the Forbidden Forest, beginning her "carpet bombing" run.
Everywhere she passed, nothing survived.
Eight-eyed spiders, trolls... didn't matter what they were.
Everything in her path became ice.
After a while, a massive section of the Forbidden Forest had been transformed into a frozen wasteland.
The Mushroom Queen was finally satisfied.
Sure, individual Acromantulas didn't yield much Soul Energy. But there were so many of them.
This harvest netted her several thousand more points.
The castle corridors were thick with tension.
"It has to be Malfoy! He's the Heir of Slytherin!"
After learning the Chamber had nothing to do with Hagrid, Detective Harry immediately drew his conclusion based on all the evidence.
He'd suspected Draco all along. Now that Lucius had forced Dumbledore out, he was even more convinced this was a Malfoy plot.
Dumbledore's removal left both boys deeply uneasy.
Just then, they ran into Professor McGonagall.
"Harry! Ron!"
McGonagall looked frantic, her face tight with worry.
"Ginny... Ginny's missing!"
"What?!"
Both boys shouted at once.
"The Heir of Slytherin has taken her."
McGonagall led them to a wall.
Written in blood were chilling words: "Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever."
Harry and Ron felt the world spin.
"Malfoy! It has to be Malfoy! He's the only one with a grudge against Ron's family!" Their suspicions solidified.
Malfoy was the one who'd opened the Chamber.
They spun around and ran. They had to find Malfoy and force him to tell them where Ginny was.
But no matter where they looked, he was nowhere to be found.
Malfoy had vanished like smoke.
"Find Hermione!" Harry suddenly remembered.
"Right! Hermione will know what to do!"
They immediately ran toward the Forbidden Forest, hoping she was still there.
But when they reached the forest's edge, they froze.
The once-dense woods had become a frozen tundra.
"What... what happened here?"
"Where's Hermione?"
Harry looked around frantically, but there was no sign of her.
Just as they stood there, lost, an unexpected voice spoke up.
"Are you looking for Hermione?"
Luna's voice was dreamy, detached.
"Do you know where she is?" Harry asked urgently.
Luna shook her head.
"I don't."
She paused, then added: "But I know who attacked the students."
"Come on. Follow me."
The Girls' Bathroom.
"Sss... sss..."
Harry spoke in Parseltongue. The sink slowly shifted aside, revealing a dark, bottomless opening.
Luna held her wand steady, pointed directly at Lockhart.
Ron stood beside her, equally wary of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"What... what are you doing?" Lockhart's face was pale.
"Shut up. Get in." Luna's voice was cold.
Earlier, at the forest's edge, Harry and Ron had run into Luna.
She'd told them the attacks were caused by a basilisk from Slytherin's Chamber. She'd already figured out the entrance and how to access it.
She'd also suggested bringing Lockhart—he was the Defense professor, after all.
Harry thought Lockhart was useless, but he'd listened to Luna anyway.
And so the poor Defense professor found himself held hostage by two second-years and a first-year.
One by one, they jumped into the passage.
After landing, Harry and Ron immediately ran deeper into the Chamber.
Luna followed slowly, wand trained on Lockhart.
The Chamber was dark and eerie. Massive stone pillars carved with serpents lined the path. At the far end loomed a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin.
Two figures lay on the ground.
Malfoy and Ginny.
Both were pale, motionless—lifeless.
Harry rushed over.
He checked Ginny first, shaking her body, but she didn't respond.
He turned to Malfoy.
Also unconscious.
Just then, the black diary slipped from Harry's pocket.
A young man's figure began to materialize.
He wore Hogwarts robes. A sinister smile played on his lips.
"Good evening, Harry Potter."
His voice was soft but chilling.
"Tom? You?" Harry's stomach dropped.
Following classic villain protocol, the young man began explaining everything.
Fifty years ago, he'd been a Hogwarts student.
After opening the Chamber, he'd framed Hagrid to avoid suspicion. But Dumbledore had grown suspicious anyway.
So he'd sealed the Chamber and preserved his sixteen-year-old self's memories in the diary.
All so that one day, he could complete Slytherin's work—purify the wizarding bloodline.
Malfoy? Just a pawn. A fool who thought he was the Heir, when really he'd been nothing but a puppet.
Opening the Chamber, releasing the basilisk—all part of the plan. Once he drained Malfoy and Ginny's life force, he'd gain a physical body and escape the diary's prison.
He was Tom Marvolo Riddle—also known as...
Lord Voldemort!
Limited Young Edition.
"You won't get away with this!"
Harry roared, raising his wand at Tom Riddle. But Riddle flicked his hand lazily. A spell hit Harry before he could react.
Harry collapsed, unconscious.
Seeing Harry fall, Ron moved to help—but a red flash shot from behind him.
"Stupefy!"
Ron crumpled to the ground.
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
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