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Chapter 631: Blacklist
Chapter 631: Blacklist
It came as no surprise to Albert that Riddle's diary had been stolen; in fact, he had anticipated this turn of events. When Ginny entered Harry's empty dormitory to take the diary, Albert gave her a gentle nudge, encouraging her to make the decision.
Now was not the time for Albert to come into contact with Riddle's diary. With his abilities and caution, he knew that he wouldn't be able to ignore the suspicious nature of the diary once he touched it.
Returning the diary to Ginny Weasley's possession was beneficial for the "return" of the plot, or rather, he couldn't directly hand over Riddle's diary to Dumbledore, otherwise how would he complete the upcoming panel tasks? Those were experience and rewards he didn't want to miss out on! The only problem was the hidden dangers and uncertainties. No one knew what Tom Riddle, manipulated by Lockhart, or rather, Albert, would do. Would he fly into a rage and do something irrational?
The danger was likely to fall on Lockhart's head.
Albert didn't care about Lockhart's life or death; he just didn't want the situation to spiral out of control. He had made so many preparations precisely to keep the situation under his control as much as possible, hence his actions, instead of naively believing that the inertia of history would bring the plot back on course.
Although most of the danger was focused on Lockhart, Albert wasn't foolish enough to believe he was already safe.
After Riddle's diary returned to Ginny, Albert became extremely cautious. He rarely acted alone anymore and limited his movements to just three places: the library, the Great Hall, and the common room. Moreover, he avoided going near the second-floor girls' bathroom, staying as far away as possible from any potential dangers.
With only a few months left, he predicted that Riddle would make his move at the latest during the next Quidditch match. Albert didn't want to collapse mysteriously before reaching the finish line, even though the possibility was low. But Albert was afraid of death and didn't want to die, so he felt it was necessary to lie low and regarded it as a top priority in life.
Isabelle, as his girlfriend, immediately sensed that something was amiss with Albert.
"That person is planning another attack?" Isabelle understood the reason as soon as she received the detection ball, realizing that Albert had prophesied something once again.
"Yeah, it's not very safe lately, so don't run around," Albert whispered, "But I'm sure that guy won't be able to last much longer."
"You take care of yourself, too," Isabelle said, feeling that Albert was hiding something from her, but she didn't ask. She guessed that it had something to do with the Chamber of Secrets.
Isabelle was a bit angry that Albert was keeping secrets and doing adventurous things behind her back, so she decided to give him the cold shoulder for a few months, using the ready-made excuses.
Albert also didn't have much heart for intimacy with his girlfriend, as his life was more important. There would be plenty of time for that after this issue was resolved.
However, neither Ginny nor Tom Riddle were aware of Albert's precautions against them. They didn't pay much attention to him either.
The first thing Ginny did after stealing Riddle's diary from Harry was to re-establish contact with Tom Riddle and indirectly inquire if he had revealed her secret to Harry.
Ginny knew that Harry was searching for the heir of Slytherin, and she didn't want her secret to be discovered, nor did she want to be expelled from school because of it.
Tom Riddle was infuriated to discover that the person writing in his diary was not Harry Potter as he had hoped, but Ginny Weasley.
Despite his anger, Tom had to suppress it and use his words to soothe Ginny's emotions, assuring her that he hadn't revealed her secret to Harry.
After all, he still needed to regain control of Ginny, and it was clear that she no longer trusted him as she used to.
"Tom, I can't remember how I lost the diary," Ginny wrote hesitantly, mustering up her courage to confess to Tom Riddle.
Tom Riddle, too, was hesitant about whether to tell Ginny about Lockhart. Lockhart was indeed a serious problem. If he found out that the diary had returned to Ginny's possession, who knew what other tricks he might pull?
For example, he could tell Dumbledore that it was Ginny Weasley who had opened the Chamber of Secrets and attacked Mrs. Norris and Colin.
Tom would never allow himself to fall into Dumbledore's hands. If that happened, he knew he wouldn't have a chance to turn the situation around.
Indeed, it was better to take the initiative and eliminate this potential threat.
Tom began to play the role of a kind and understanding confidant, listening to an eleven-year-old girl's childish worries, patiently responding to her, and calming the emotionally agitated Ginny.
Tom needed Ginny to open up her soul to him, so he could gradually consume her and regain his strength, attempting to control her once more.
As for Lockhart, who had dared to disrespect him, he would naturally find an opportunity to dispose of him.
He, Voldemort, never forgot a grudge! ...
"What's wrong with you lately?" George asked, ignoring Lockhart's boasting and Lee Jordan's pretend werewolf performance on stage. He turned to Albert, curious about his recent unusual behavior.
Albert lowered his voice and replied, "I prophesied that something unpleasant might happen soon."
"What kind of unpleasant thing?" Sandra turned to look at Albert, who sat behind them, clearly uninterested in the onstage performance as well.
"Another attack?" Fred immediately guessed Albert's meaning. "Is the heir of Slytherin planning another attack?"
"I don't know, but it's always better to be cautious lately," Albert said. In truth, he had used the crystal ball to prophesy about this matter, but either due to his insufficient skill or another reason, the crystal ball had shown nothing. So, for now, he could only make up an excuse to fool them.
After all, another attack was definitely going to happen.
Their whispers caught Lockhart's attention, and unfortunately, George was called upon to answer a question.
"Professor, can you demonstrate the Human Restoration Spell for us?" George asked, following Albert's instruction and seizing upon a spell mentioned in the book.
Many students had noticed that Lockhart never taught them the spells from the textbook. Each Defense Against the Dark Arts class turned into a storytelling session.
Maliciously, some students suspected that Lockhart didn't actually know the magic from the book and that everything in it was made up by him.
"Professor, we want to learn the Human Restoration Spell, too," Fred added, providing a timely assist. "That way, if we ever encounter a real werewolf, we can use this spell to turn it back into a human and avoid the threat of a werewolf attack."
"Yes, yes, you make a good point," Lockhart agreed smoothly, ever the seasoned liar. "But I can't take away from Professor McGonagall's job, or she might come after me with complaints. Besides, I recall Mr. Anderson asking me about this spell. If you want to learn it, you can go to him."
"Sorry, Professor, I haven't mastered the Human Restoration Spell either," Albert admitted honestly.
"Well, there you have it," Lockhart said, satisfied with this small victory. "Even Mr. Anderson hasn't mastered it, so there's no point in getting ahead of yourselves."
If Lockhart knew that his name was now on the Dark Lord's death list due to someone's meddling, he would not be in such high spirits, and he certainly wouldn't continue boasting about his fictitious achievements in class.
(End of Chapter)
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