Chapter 577: What Tom Doesn't Know
Chapter 577: What Tom Doesn't Know
"Albus, what are you doing here?" Professor McGonagall asked instinctively upon seeing Dumbledore.
"I was just coming downstairs for a cup of hot chocolate. What's going on here?" Dumbledore inquired, immediately noticing the change in Professor McGonagall's expression.
"I heard a strange noise... and I just found Mr. Creevey, who is most likely... petrified," Professor McGonagall said as she glanced toward the end of the corridor, as if expecting something to be there.
"What did you find?" Dumbledore followed Professor McGonagall's gaze.
"I think the sound I heard earlier... was most likely made by whoever attacked Mr. Creevey and Mr. Argus's cat," Professor McGonagall hesitated for a moment before sharing her thoughts. "The sound wasn't footsteps, but more like something being dragged along the ground."
"Let's go take a look..."
Dumbledore drew out his wand and strode forward swiftly. Professor McGonagall immediately followed, but as they reached the corner, the corridor was eerily silent, with no strange noises to be heard.
"It hid itself?"
Professor McGonagall listened intently, lowering her voice. "But how? Could it be through a secret passage?"
"Now, now, Minerva. Calm down." Dumbledore gazed into the deep darkness at the end of the corridor and said calmly, "Since the attacker has fled, I think we'd better take Mr. Creevey to the school hospital first. Where is he?"
"He's over there, by the stairs."
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and followed Dumbledore toward the staircase. They quickly found the petrified boy.
Dumbledore squatted down to examine the boy and, upon realizing he had only been petrified, heaved a sigh of relief. "He's been petrified. Let's take him to the school hospital."
With that, Dumbledore reached out to lift Colin by the shoulders, while Professor McGonagall lifted his feet. They carried the boy up the stairs and made their way toward the school hospital, which wasn't far from their location.
On the other side of the castle, Tom Riddle had successfully recalled the Basilisk.
Professor McGonagall's appearance had caught him a little off guard.
Fortunately, she hadn't pursued him immediately, otherwise, things could have taken a turn for the worse.
After all, as the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall was not to be underestimated. If the Basilisk had failed to kill or petrify her instantly, it would have set off a chain of problems.
The aftermath of the battle would likely have awakened every student in the school, especially with Dumbledore so close by.
Tom Riddle wasn't ready to expose himself just yet.
However, things were proceeding smoothly.
The Basilisk had returned to the Chamber of Secrets, and by the time the two of them came chasing after it, it was too late.
Only Parseltongue could open the Chamber of Secrets.
After losing track of the Basilisk, Dumbledore and McGonagall immediately gave up their search and headed to the hospital wing instead.
Tom Riddle had already taken control of Ginny Weasley and was leading her toward the Room of Requirement. He intended to keep her there for the night.
After all, returning to the Gryffindor common room in the middle of the night would appear highly suspicious, and the portrait guarding the entrance would surely have questions.
As for spending the night away from the dormitory, Tom had already taken care of that. Before leaving, he had cast a spell on Ginny's roommates, ensuring they would sleep through the night without waking up and noticing Ginny's absence.
After confirming that Dumbledore and McGonagall had indeed gone to the hospital wing, Tom Riddle made his way through a secret passage to the eighth floor and stood before the Room of Requirement.
"Dumbledore is as annoying as ever."
Tom stared at Dumbledore's footprints on the map, his expression growing more sinister. "But you can't stop me, neither fifty years ago nor now."
With that, Tom closed the diary and prepared to enter the Room of Requirement, only to feel as though someone was watching him.
He spun around abruptly, scanning his surroundings, but found no one. The quiet darkness was almost suffocating.
As Tom opened the door to the Room of Requirement, he suddenly sensed magical light shining from behind him.
Before he could react, a spell struck Ginny Weasley from behind, causing her to stumble forward a few steps before falling to the ground.
Who attacked me?
Tom had specifically used the Human Presence Spell to confirm that no one else was around.
How did they manage to hide from that...
Even as Tom struggled to resist the Stunning Spell, he lost control of Ginny Weasley's body. Until the very end, he had no idea who had attacked him.
As Ginny Weasley fell to the Stunning Spell, Albert suddenly appeared out of thin air. He stepped forward, nudging Ginny's wand aside with his foot, and took the Tom Riddle diary from her hand, placing it into the box that Nicolas Flamel had sent him. He began to don the dragon-hide gloves, ensuring he left no traces behind.
"Things are going even smoother than expected."
Albert hummed in delight as he stepped into the Room of Requirement, closing the door behind him. "Now, let's see how you're going to cause trouble for me."
He waved his wand, casting the Disillusionment Charm on Ginny Weasley, temporarily sending her out of the Room of Requirement.
Then, Albert took the box containing Tom Riddle's diary and placed it back into the trash pile within the Room of Requirement.
It was quite amusing, to be honest.
Initially, Albert had manipulated events to have Dumbledore take away Voldemort's crown Horcrux, and now he was personally hiding Voldemort's diary Horcrux in the same place.
He needed time to prepare and devise a plan to deal with the diary properly.
Albert was confident that with careful management, Tom's Horcrux would be a golden goose, providing him with ample task experience and rewards while minimizing risks—an even better asset than the puppet, Quirinus Quirrell, from last semester.
Yes, and it would also reduce the impact of the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets on Hogwarts.
I truly am a good person.
After leaving the Room of Requirement, Albert immediately escorted Ginny Weasley back to the Gryffindor common room.
The Fat Lady had yet to return, but someone had already opened the entrance for them.
As Albert entered the common room, that familiar voice suddenly spoke up, "You should leave now. Go to the bathroom, the second to last stall."
"What about her?" Albert asked.
"I'll take care of it," the voice replied calmly.
"Thanks," Albert said as he made his way upstairs. As he disappeared at the top of the stairs, another Albert appeared out of thin air, looking down at the unconscious Ginny Weasley. "You should be thankful to me," he murmured.
(End of Chapter)
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