Last time, when they stopped Quirrell from stealing the Sorcerer's Stone, it was the same.
He fainted the moment he saw Voldemort.
When he woke up, he was told in a muddle that everything had already been sorted out.
But last time, it was Hermione who'd sorted it out. He hadn't doubted that for a second.
This time it was Lockhart. How was he supposed to believe that?
If he was going to believe Lockhart had that kind of ability, he might as well believe Voldemort had tripped over his own feet, fallen flat on the ground, and impaled himself on the basilisk's fang.
But Luna said that was exactly what happened. He'd been unconscious at the time, didn't know the truth, and had no way to argue.
Ron chimed in. "That Lockhart guy can't even cast a decent Levitation Charm on a good day. How could he possibly defeat a basilisk? And he destroyed Voldemort's whatchamacallit — the Horcrux? That's just insane!"
Harry had the same feeling. The whole thing felt eerily familiar.
Arrive. Faint. Wake up. It's over.
"Don't overthink it, you two."
Hermione's voice was calm.
"It's done. What matters is that Hogwarts is safe, the villain is gone, and the petrified students can be saved. Does it really matter who gets to be the hero?"
"But..."
Harry couldn't shake the feeling that Hermione was hiding something.
The sense of wrongness was strong. But what could he do? He had no choice but to trust her.
It was Hermione, after all.
"Alright." He finally nodded. "I get it."
Beside them, Ginny's gaze drifted to Hermione.
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Said nothing.
She had given that strange diary to Hermione. She had. So why had the petrification incidents still happened? And why had the diary ended up in Malfoy's hands , with him cast as the Slytherin heir who opened the Chamber?
What unsettled her even more was that her good friend Luna could corroborate every bit of it.
Throughout the entire incident, Hermione had seemed completely untouched. No trace of her anywhere.
The more Ginny thought about it, the colder she felt.
She had walked away from this whole thing as a victim, completely in the clear. She should have felt relieved.
She didn't. She was more afraid than ever.
She edged closer to Harry without quite meaning to. Only standing near him, feeling the warmth radiating off him, could settle the unease crawling through her chest.
The noise in the Great Hall gradually died down.
Professor McGonagall stood at the front, announcing that given recent events, the school would be suspending classes temporarily. With Dumbledore absent, she had the authority as Deputy Headmistress to make that call.
Students drifted out in twos and threes.
Hermione moved through the crowd and walked straight to Professor McGonagall. Since classes were suspended, she explained, she had no teaching assistant duties to fulfill. She'd like to apply for leave and go home for a while.
Professor McGonagall considered it briefly, then gave a small nod.
"Professor McGonagall, one moment."
A voice cut in.
Lockhart strode over, smiling broadly. "Given the many dangerous incidents of late, and since a student is leaving the school grounds, I feel it is my duty as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to ensure her safety."
"I'd like to request to accompany her."
You?Protecting Hermione? Professor McGonagall's expression went distinctly strange.
She nodded anyway.
"Very well, Professor Lockhart. Since you insist, you may escort Miss Granger."
Lockhart drew himself up immediately, chest out, expression solemn with conviction. "Rest assured. With me here, Hermione's safety is absolutely guaranteed."
Professor McGonagall's mouth twitched.
...
Malfoy Manor.
Heavy curtains sealed the drawing room against the daylight. A few thin shafts of light slipped through, casting broken patterns across the expensive carpet.
The whole room sat under a leaden quiet. The air felt thick, pressed down, hard to breathe.
Lucius sat at the table, his face dark. A piece of parchment lay beside his hand , a notice from Hogwarts.
Delivered alongside it: Draco, unconscious.
The notice stated that Draco was the Slytherin heir. That he had opened the Chamber. That he was the culprit behind the petrification incidents.
Lucius stared at it.
What?
Draco had managed to defend himself , claimed he'd been controlled, that none of it was his own doing , but given his well-known contempt for Muggle-born students, not a single person was willing to believe him.
Unless someone could testify on his behalf and prove he'd been acting under another's control, the Ministry would investigate. An incident this serious, with this much attention on it , they would dig until they hit the bottom.
Even Lucius couldn't smooth this over. Not this time. His usual connections, his usual methods , none of them would be enough to make something this large disappear quietly.
The thought made his chest tight with frustration.
His plan had been meticulous. Ginny Weasley would take the blame. The Muggle-born students would be driven out. Dumbledore's standing at Hogwarts would be shaken. Three goals, one scheme.
In the end, only one had landed: Dumbledore had been temporarily removed for poor management of the school. The other two? Nothing.
Ginny hadn't taken the fall. The Muggle-born students were still there. And somehow his own son had ended up as the scapegoat.
He couldn't work out where it had gone wrong.
"Lucius."
Narcissa's voice broke the silence.
Her gaze was fixed on the bedroom door, her eyes full of worry.
"What are we going to do about our son?"
Lucius looked up at her and slowly shook his head.
The color drained from Narcissa's face. She grabbed his arm.
"Lucius, you have to save Draco!" Her voice cracked. "He's just a child. He can't be convicted!"
Draco had woken up just long enough to say one sentence in his own defense before slipping under again. His age had counted for something — he'd been sent home to the Manor rather than held elsewhere — but the Ministry had already issued an order: he was not to leave the estate.
He was still unconscious.
As his mother, Narcissa was coming apart at the seams. Terrified for his health. Terrified of the charges waiting for him when he woke.
"I know." Lucius's voice softened slightly at the sight of her distress. "I'll think of something."
He said it. He had no idea what that something was.
Narcissa looked at him, and the resentment building inside her was close to overwhelming.
She knew parts of the story that others didn't.
She had argued against it from the start , when Lucius had given that diary to Ginny Weasley, she had told him it was too dangerous. That if it ever came to light, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Lucius had ignored her. He'd been certain he could control it. Certain he had everything in hand.
And now the plan had collapsed, and their son was buried in the wreckage.
In the corner of the room, Dobby was curled into a small, trembling ball.
His eyes were wide, fixed on his masters, his mind spinning in frantic circles.
The plan he'd overheard , the one he'd been so desperate to stop , was supposed to make Ginny Weasley the culprit who opened the Chamber.
So how had it ended up being Young Master Draco?
He couldn't make sense of it.
If he'd known it would turn out like this, why had he gone to such lengths to keep Harry from going to school? Why had he done any of it?
Dobby clutched his own ears, screwing up his face in misery. He'd done so much. Caused so much trouble. Almost gotten Harry killed.
And it had all been for nothing.
➤ Next: Draco: Woke Up Too Abruptly, Opened My Eyes to Find Hermione Causing Trouble ...
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