Chapter 629: Ginny's Concern
Chapter 629: Ginny's Concern
"Harry, why didn't you attend the Dark Magic Defense class this afternoon?"
As Harry rushed into the Great Hall and located his friends, Hermione put down her cutlery and looked up at him sternly.
"Wait..." Harry took a deep breath and, after regaining his composure, lowered his voice. "Never mind that for now. I have something more important to tell you both."
"What is it?" Ron asked, but Hermione silenced him with a glance.
"Come with me," Harry gestured for Hermione and Ron to follow him to a secluded spot; some things were not meant to be discussed in the middle of the hall.
Both Ron and Hermione noticed the intent in Harry's eyes and, realizing that he must have discovered something, they didn't waste time with idle chatter. They left their half-eaten dinners and followed Harry out of the Great Hall.
"Hey, Harry!" Wood called out as he spotted Harry, intending to inform him about the early morning practice the next day, but Harry cut him off.
"It can wait, Wood!" Harry replied offhandedly as he hurried away with Hermione and Ron.
"What's up with him?" Wood scratched his head, watching as Harry's hurried figure disappeared from view, then turned to Fred, who was stuffing a sausage into his mouth.
"Must be something urgent," Fred mumbled through his mouthful of food.
"Just came by to let him know about the morning practice," Wood explained to Fred and George.
"Why do we have to train so early in the morning?" Fred and George frowned in unison. The thought of having to drag themselves out of their cozy beds at the crack of dawn was torturous.
Albert paid no heed to the twins' complaints; after all, he wouldn't be the one enduring the early morning practice.
Undoubtedly, his plan had worked.
He withdrew his gaze from the retreating figures and felt a sense of relief.
Harry Potter had indeed encountered Tom Riddle and learned the "truth" about the opening of the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago.
Albert's scheme had succeeded beyond his expectations, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Now, it was time for the next phase...
His eyes inadvertently drifted towards Ginny Weasley, who looked slightly pale, and he believed that Tom's diary would soon find its way back into her possession.
If all went well, it wouldn't be long before Tom and the Basilisk were on their way.
"Make sure to remind Harry about this later," Wood said, ignoring the twins' sullen looks. He waved and turned to leave.
"I'll go tell Harry!" Ginny jumped up, her dinner forgotten, using this as an excuse to hurry away.
Almost no one noticed the strange expression on Ginny Weasley's face, except for Albert, who had been secretly observing her from the start.
At that moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had made their way through the entrance hall and out into the courtyard, stopping beside a secluded flower bed. Harry, making sure they were alone, proceeded to share the information he had gleaned from Riddle's diary.
Hermione and Ron listened intently as Harry recounted his experiences within Riddle's memories, and their faces reflected their surprise.
Ron was astonished that Riddle's diary had concealed such a secret.
"Riddle might have accused the wrong person," Hermione said, her face composed. "As Albert told me, the student who was expelled was merely a scapegoat. I'm certain he's figured out that Hagrid was the one expelled fifty years ago, which is why he didn't want to discuss it with me."
"You mean..." Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "...Albert already knew about this?"
"Yes, he did," Hermione said, impressed by Albert's capabilities.
"Why does he think Hagrid is innocent?" Ron asked, noticing the looks from Harry and Hermione. "I mean, he must have found some evidence."
"He didn't say, only that Hagrid was framed," Hermione thought for a moment. "But I can guess why he believes Hagrid is innocent."
"Why?" Ron and Harry turned to Hermione, eager for an explanation. The idea that Hagrid might have been falsely accused would be a great relief to Harry, who couldn't fathom Hagrid being responsible for the attacks.
"If Hagrid wasn't being framed, do you think Professor Dumbledore would have let him stay at the school?"
Although she was reluctant to admit it, Hermione actually didn't think Hagrid could have found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and according to Albert, opening the chamber might require the use of Parseltongue. Hagrid obviously wasn't a speaker, and more importantly, he didn't fit the profile of a Slytherin heir at all.
If pressed for reasons, Hermione could come up with plenty, and she could also understand why Albert was so adamant that Hagrid was being set up.
However, trying to convince Harry with these arguments might not be the best approach, so she borrowed a line from Albert.
"With Professor Dumbledore's wisdom, if Hagrid was indeed the culprit, would he have kept such a dangerous person at the school?"
Obviously not.
"If Hagrid had truly opened the Chamber of Secrets, he would probably be rotting in Azkaban by now!" Hermione couldn't deny that communicating with Albert from time to time did have its benefits, as it helped broaden her perspective.
Hermione's intellect continued to impress, outshining Harry and Ron's more rigid thinking.
"But... who's framing Hagrid, could it be Riddle?" Harry frowned.
"I don't know," Hermione replied.
"To be honest, I think there's a good chance it's Tom Riddle," Ron said jokingly. "That guy is just like Percy - if sending his whole family to prison would make him the Minister of Magic, I bet he'd do it without blinking."
"Ron, I think your bias against Percy is showing," Hermione said, eyeing Ron with surprise, as if seeing him for the first time.
"No, he would. Besides, the person who reported it was a stranger like Hagrid, I have no doubt about it. And let's not forget, he got a gold medal, didn't he?" Ron continued, "If I were the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets, Percy would definitely rat me out without a second thought and have me sent to Azkaban."
Ron's poor opinion of Percy caused Hermione to furrow her brow.
"Actually, I can kind of understand why Riddle would do it," Harry suddenly said. "If they closed down Hogwarts, Riddle would have to go back to the Muggle orphanage, and I can understand why he'd want to stay here."
After all, Harry didn't want to return to the Dursleys either, so he could empathize with Riddle's desire to remain at Hogwarts.
"Someone's coming."
Hermione noticed someone sneaking towards them and quickly spoke up to alert the others.
"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Ron asked, surprised to see his sister.
"Umm..." Ginny, looking pale, stammered, "Wood said... tomorrow morning... practice, so I came to... "
She ran off quickly.
"What was that about?" Harry looked at Ron, confused.
"She probably came to let you know about the early morning Quidditch practice tomorrow," Hermione said, raising her hand to her head as if she had a headache, feeling that Harry could be a bit slow on the uptake at times.
Of course, it could be attributed to his age as well.
"Should we go and ask Hagrid about all this?" Harry suggested, watching Ginny's retreating back.
He felt that Hagrid might be able to provide them with some useful information.
"Maybe we should go and talk to Albert instead, I think he might have more clues." Hermione preferred the idea of seeking out Albert over Hagrid.
"Never mind, let's forget about it." Harry reconsidered, "Maybe the attacker has given up by now."
After all, Harry hadn't heard any more hissing, and it had been a while since the last attack. If the whole thing just blew over, he could live with that.
Furthermore, Professor Sprout had recently mentioned that the Mandrakes would be mature soon, and once they were ready, they could brew a strong restorative draught to heal Colin and the other petrified victims. Then everyone would know about the ugly Basilisk lurking in the school, and Harry trusted that Professor Dumbledore would find a way to deal with it without his help.
(End of Chapter)
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