"I know you're capable of a lot, but remember: your safety comes first. Investigating from the shadows isn't the same as directly facing the evil lurking out there. Once you discover something, let me know immediately so we can prepare. Seriously, I'm worried about you." I tried to convey the gravity of the situation and my genuine concern. "Can you promise me you'll let me know before doing anything?"
The girls exchanged glances, noticing how serious I was being. However, after a few seconds of hesitation, they managed to promise me that they wouldn't act recklessly. And no, this wasn't just because I wanted to see my hermipussy, but because I truly cared about them.
"Well, I think I've delayed the gifts long enough. Here you go." Saying this, I pulled out several small rectangular boxes and handed them to everyone present.
Curious, the girls took the boxes and opened them one by one. However, soon their faces filled with confusion as they saw what was inside. Each box contained a pair of dark, iridescent-colored contact lenses—not too flashy, but still noticeable. They held them in their hands, inspecting them with intrigue. In the magical world, contact lenses didn't exist, and if they had, few people would have had access to them. In fact, even in the Muggle world of this era, they weren't exactly common.
"What's this?" Parvati asked, leaning down to pick up one of the lenses she had dropped.
"Lenses." (Red)
My words only confused them more. They looked at me incredulously, wondering why they didn't have frames. I clarified further:
"They're contact lenses. You place them directly on your eyes, and they adhere to them under your eyelids. They won't fall off or interfere with your vision, and above all, they won't come off unless you intentionally remove them… though I'd prefer you didn't." (Red)
Several girls exchanged glances, shivering at the thought of putting something directly on their eyes. The discomfort on their faces was evident.
"Why would we want to put these on our eyes?" Tracey asked, grimacing at the imagined sensation.
"To protect you." I replied.
Their faces reflected even more confusion. However, some began to sense my intentions. Daphne and Hermione, for their part, started taking notes quickly, analyzing the information.
"These lenses are, so to speak, alchemical artifacts." I tried to reassure them. "They've been designed to be comfortable, so you won't feel pain or discomfort. Moreover, they have special protections against certain types of magic and abilities. That's why I hope you'll wear them."
A tense silence followed as they processed the information.
"Once you put them on, you can forget about them. They're magical enough to become part of your eyes, almost as if they've always been there. And don't worry, their effect only lasts six months. After that, they'll disappear completely, leaving no trace or causing any repercussions." (Red)
It took some convincing to get some of the girls to understand, but they eventually realized this wasn't optional—it was an imperative safety measure. I pleaded with them to use them. In fact, I was so determined that I planned to stay there until I made sure everyone had put them on.
I couldn't risk things going wrong because of a simple oversight and losing one of them. I know I can heal almost any wound or illness, but death… I'm still studying that. I've only made small advances thanks to that mission on the board. The necropolis was infested with undead and interesting material for my research, though unfortunately, I couldn't collect much. Even so, I won't take the risk.
After my persistent persuasion came the hard part: actually putting the lenses on each of them.
Pansy, in a display of courage, stepped forward even before the Gryffindors to be the first to try them. Yes, I had to put them on myself because most of them didn't dare to do it on their own. Only Penelope, Padma, Daphne, and Luna had the courage to do it without help.
The process wasn't exactly easy. Some girls instinctively resisted: holding my hand, squeezing their eyes shut, or pulling away at the last second. I had to apply a bit more firmness to get it done. Oh, and then there was Lavender…
"Come on, just put it in. Don't worry if it hurts; don't stop until it's all the way in," she exclaimed with more excitement than necessary.
Only a few caught the double meaning in her words. But well, setting that aside, everything went quite well. Hermione, as my girlfriend, asked me to be more careful with her. Ginny, although capable of putting them on herself, insisted I do it for her. And after that, there were no more incidents.
It took a bit of time, but in the end, everyone blinked several times, trying to adjust to the sensation of the lenses. At first, the dark iridescent colors slightly obscured their vision, causing a bit of discomfort. However, after a few seconds of blinking and focusing, poof, everything went back to normal. Just as I had said.
The sensation was so natural that they doubted whether they were really wearing them. Some, in a burst of skepticism, began touching their eyes clumsily, as if trying to confirm that they were still there.
With my mission accomplished, I said goodbye, wishing them the best before leaving. I left them engrossed in a heated discussion about the lenses and their possible implications in the magical world.
…
Shortly after I left, and after the brief excitement over the strange lenses now protecting their eyes, the group gradually calmed down. The chatter subsided, and the room fell silent.
"Well, now that he's gone, we can get back to our research," Hermione said as she and Penelope reorganized the table and the board, revealing several notes and diagrams that hadn't been there before.
"Shouldn't we have told him about the rest of the investigation?" Susan asked with some hesitation. "We didn't tell him everything…"
"In a way, what he said… he's right. It's our research. So, it's not wrong to keep a few small things hidden," Parvati replied, though she didn't sound entirely sure.
"I think so too." Hermione nodded slightly, without looking up too much. "He said it was dangerous, and I get it. Maybe hiding it wasn't the best, but…"
"But nobody here wants to miss the chance to solve it," Penelope interjected from the back, sighing. She understood the situation herself.
"Still, maybe we should have told him," murmured Hannah.
"If you think that, why didn't you say anything when he was here?" asked Pansy, arms crossed. In her case, if Red had asked her directly, she would've told him everything without hesitation. But if he didn't... she also wanted to solve this mystery herself.
"I... well, since no one else said anything..." replied Hannah, slightly embarrassed.
"And what do the rest of you think?" Hermione asked, scanning the group with her gaze.
"I didn't say anything for the same reason. I figured that if we were going to tell him, someone would've done it," answered Parvati.
"Same here. I didn't want to be the first to bring it up and risk it being a secret," added Padma.
In the end, they all came to the same conclusion: none of them had shared that part of the investigation simply because no one wanted to be the first to speak. It wasn't that they wanted to keep it from Red, but they didn't want to risk sharing something they weren't supposed to and ending up offending the others.
This realization left them all a little surprised, but deep down, it also made them feel relieved. They trusted Red. They appreciated the sense of security he gave them. But at the same time, they wanted to maintain some independence, solve the mystery on their own, and claim their own share of the glory.
"Alright, so this is what we'll do. We won't tell Red anything unless it's absolutely necessary or dangerous, okay?" Hermione asked. Seeing the group's general agreement, she continued, "Perfect. Now, let's move on. Red was right—his gift has already revealed a lot."
"The attacker uses some sort of magic or ability related to sight," said Padma confidently. "That rules out plants and poisons, leaving us with spells and creatures."
"It could still be a poison… one applied directly to the eyes," suggested Hannah, though even she didn't fully believe it. She didn't want to completely dismiss her line of investigation.
"Sorry, Hannah, but we can only revisit that possibility if you find a plant that specifically affects the eyes," Daphne replied with a shake of her head, though she softened her tone to be kind.
"The Ravenclaw girls can continue searching for spells with those characteristics that can petrify," suggested Hermione.
"The problem is the same as before," said Penelope, pointing out the difficulty. "We know about some curses thanks to the tomes the Slytherin girls brought, but if we really want to investigate dark magic that can do something like this, we'd need access to the Restricted Section."
A murmur rippled through the group. It wasn't a simple option.
"I guess that's one thing we could ask Red for help with," suggested Tracey after thinking for a moment.
"Yes, there aren't many alternatives… at least not without drawing attention," Hermione agreed, crossing her arms. Then, looking at the others, she asked, "Who's in favor of asking Red for help to get into the Restricted Section?" Everyone raised their hands. "Alright. Penelope, can you handle that?"
"Don't worry, I'll reach out to him soon," Penelope replied, trying to hide the faint blush on her face. She knew this favor might cost her something.
"Now, about the creatures… From our list, the ones that fit the criteria and are likely present here are two: a gorgon and a cockatrice," Hermione said, reviewing their list of magical beings, where several had already been crossed off. "We need to study them further."
"We can help now that the plants have been ruled out," said Hannah, with Susan nodding beside her.
"Perfect." Hermione marked something in her notebook and then looked up. "Astoria, did you confirm it?"
All eyes turned to the petite blonde.
"Yes," she replied timidly. "That's why I was late. It's true... The victim from fifty years ago was Moaning Myrtle."
A brief silence fell over the group. They had progressed further than it seemed at first glance. Following the trail of the Chamber of Secrets, they had investigated the events from half a century ago and uncovered two crucial figures: a victim and a suspect.
The victim was Myrtle, now a ghost haunting the second-floor bathrooms. And the accused… Hagrid.
None of them believed Hagrid was truly responsible. He didn't seem like that kind of person, and if he were, he'd be in Azkaban, not working at Hogwarts as the gamekeeper. Still, they couldn't dismiss any possibility, so some of the girls had already prepared to investigate him.
"Alright. We need to talk to Myrtle and get as much information as possible. If we can identify the creature or magic used in the attacks, we'll have solved half the mystery," concluded Hermione.
"I can talk to her," Lavender offered without hesitation. "In fact, I've already set up a meeting for the day after tomorrow."
The others looked at her curiously.
"How did you get her to agree?" Susan asked.
Lavender smiled mischievously.
"Let's just say… Myrtle and I have a couple of things in common. We've gotten along pretty well since we were introduced."
"Good. I think that covers everything for today," said Hermione, checking her notes one last time. "Meeting adjourned."
The others nodded in approval.
"The next person to lead the meeting will be..." She flipped a page in her notebook before reading the name aloud. "Luna."
Everyone turned toward the wide-eyed girl, who beamed back at them with a radiant smile.
This group had already established a rotating leadership system. And now, it was Luna Lovegood's turn to take the reins of the investigation.
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