Chapter 117: The Theft (Patreon)

After a dizzying whirl, Harry, Ron, and Hermione emerged from the diary and landed heavily in their chairs.

They had just witnessed Tom Riddle's memory from June 13, fifty years earlier, and it took them quite a while to recover from the shock.

"I can't believe it," Ron muttered. "How could Hagrid have been the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts fifty years ago," Harry replied. "We should've realized that sooner."

"No." Hermione shook her head with certainty. "Hagrid isn't Slytherin's Heir. Have you forgotten what we've been investigating?"

"The monster's natural enemy is a spider, and Hagrid's pet was a spider. Personally, I think Tom Riddle accused the wrong person."

Harry fell silent for a moment before answering.

"If the monster had caused Hogwarts to close, Riddle would've been sent back to the orphanage. I can understand why he suspected Hagrid."

"The girl really was killed by a monster, and... well, you know Hagrid's taste in pets."

"The bigger, fiercer, and more dangerous they are, the more Hagrid likes them," Ron said helplessly, counting them off on his fingers. "Dragons, a three-headed dog, hippogriffs... and that's only the ones we know about."

"Should we ask Hagrid?" Hermione suggested cautiously. "He might know something."

"Ask him why he was expelled?" Harry shook his head. "That's not a good idea, Hermione."

"And with attacks happening one after another, if Hagrid really knew anything, he would've told Dumbledore already."

After a long silence, the three of them agreed not to question Hagrid for the time being—unless another attack occurred.

"Harry, what are you going to do with the diary?" Hermione asked.

"Keep it in the dormitory," Harry replied. "Ron and I will look after it and see if we can uncover any more clues."

During the Easter holidays, Wade worked in the secret room on the eighth floor, crafting equipment for Griffin.

Although the Greengrass family had supplied a fair amount of mithril, Griffin's enormous size meant there was only enough material to forge a pair of claw blades.

"So this is the equipment you made for Griffin?"

Daphne looked curiously at the two silver blades resting before Wade.

"What do they do?"

"Besides protecting its claws, they make them sharper and more powerful."

"Like a saddle, I've enchanted them with the Engorgement Charm and the Shrinking Charm, so they'll automatically adjust to Griffin's size as it grows."

"I've also engraved them with the Severing Charm. That allows Griffin to release long-range slashing attacks."

"Long-range slashes?" Daphne blinked. "How?"

"Once they're finished, come with me to see Griffin. I'll let it demonstrate."

"How much longer will it take?"

"About another month. In some ways, these are even more complicated than the Floating Cloak."

Daphne nodded, only half understanding.

Her knowledge of alchemy was superficial at best. She had tried reading Wade's notebooks before, but every one of them felt like an incomprehensible ancient text.

"Oh, right." Daphne suddenly remembered something.

"Have you looked at the third-year course selection forms yet?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"You have to choose two electives from Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies."

Wade was briefly stunned before laughing.

That might trouble other second-year students, but not him.

He immediately crossed Divination and Arithmancy off the list.

After all, he was already a professional diviner. There was a good chance the professors knew less about divination than he did.

Muggle Studies was equally unnecessary.

He had grown up in the Muggle world.

There was hardly any point taking a class just to relearn what he already knew.

That left the remaining two.

Ancient Runes would improve his alchemical knowledge and expose him to forgotten magical lore.

Care of Magical Creatures would make gathering potion ingredients far more convenient.

"Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures."

"That's an easy choice."

"I was thinking the same thing," Daphne replied with a smile.

A few weeks later, the Quidditch season resumed with Gryffindor facing Hufflepuff.

Wade finally had the secret room on the eighth floor entirely to himself.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth bag.

The moment he opened it, a rooster flapped its wings and flew out.

He had secretly raised it for several months.

Now it was healthy, well-fed, and in excellent condition.

As long as the Basilisk remained alive, this rooster was his greatest source of reassurance.

"I know you're hungry, but wait a moment."

Wade reached into his pocket again and took out a white sack of rice.

Scattering a handful across the floor, he watched as the rooster eagerly pecked at the grains, clucking happily.

After feeding it, he returned the bird to the bag and carefully erased every trace of its presence.

Only then did he take out a Galleon and flick it high into the air.

Ever since giving Tom Riddle's diary to Harry Potter and his friends, he had performed this divination every single day to confirm that the diary was still in their possession.

Clink!

The Galleon spun through the air before landing steadily in his palm.

Looking at the reverse side of the coin, Wade rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

Sometimes, all you could do was laugh at your own bad luck.

The diary was gone.

Maybe it had been stolen today.

Maybe yesterday.

Either way, he had to recover it immediately.

If it ended up manipulating another student into reopening the Chamber of Secrets and unleashing the Basilisk once again...

The consequences would be catastrophic.

"Seriously..."

Wade muttered through gritted teeth.

He tore off a sheet of parchment and wrote:

Who currently possesses Tom Riddle's diary?

Holding the parchment tightly, he closed his eyes and silently repeated the question over and over.

Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't enter a meditative state.

"It failed?"

"Well... it is a Horcrux. Without the proper medium, it's nearly impossible to divine its location directly."

After thinking for a while, he changed the question.

Who entered Harry Potter's dormitory yesterday despite not belonging there?

This time, his consciousness slipped smoothly into meditation.

Within moments, he drifted into a dream.

In the dream, he saw Ginny Weasley.

The red-haired girl hurried into the dormitory, her face filled with anxiety.

She frantically pulled apart the four-poster bed, tossing aside the pillow, sheets, and blankets before opening a trunk and throwing all its contents onto the floor.

Finally, she searched through the bedside drawer.

The instant she saw something inside, her expression froze.

Excitement and panic flashed across her face at the same time.

The scene shifted.

Neville rushed into the dormitory with Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

All four stared at the room, now completely ransacked.

Wade's eyes snapped open.

The divination had revealed two names—

Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger.

But it was obvious that Ginny was the one who had stolen the diary.

If the diary had fallen into anyone else's hands, Tom Riddle would have needed time to manipulate them.

But if its owner was Ginny Weasley...

There would be no need for a gradual process.

Riddle could seize control almost immediately.

"What is she thinking?"

Wade couldn't help but curse under his breath.

She had finally escaped that nightmare once before.

Instead of learning from it...

She had willingly jumped straight back into the same pit.