Potter truly is someone destined to face the Dark Lord. While others might not find the hidden strings behind the scenes, he did, and he found them with pinpoint accuracy.
The notebook was taken out and brought to Zhao Lun.
"Hello, Tom Riddle."
On this day, Zhao Lun held a notebook and began writing in it.
"..." The ink soaked into the pages, staining the notebook black, which seemed like a perfectly normal reaction.
"Did you think that staying silent would keep you safe? I already know all about you!"
Zhao Lun sneered, continuing to write with his quill.
"..." Still, there was no response.
"I wonder if you can withstand the flames?"
Zhao Lun raised his wand, summoning a roaring fire.
"I am Tom Riddle; do you know me?"
Finally, words began to appear on the pages of the notebook.
"Yes, I know you. I also know you've been up to no good lately…"
Zhao Lun smiled, recalling the gains from this encounter.
He knew this notebook was no ordinary object, but he hadn't expected it to possess a certain ability to avoid danger, always sensing his presence and escaping just in time, causing him to miss it at crucial moments.
Earlier, in Diagon Alley, Zhao Lun had tried to find it but to no avail. Later, upon arriving at school, he searched again, feeling it was right there, only for it to vanish once more as soon as he got close.
Since then, nothing had occurred, leading Zhao Lun to believe the situation had changed, so he stopped paying attention. Little did he know, the events were still unfolding.
The storms brewing within the school were orchestrated by it, causing the students to be on edge, which was also its doing.
Whenever Zhao Lun tried to find it, this creature would always hide. If the situation affected his friends, Zhao Lun would nearly forget about it; if his friends were in danger, he felt compelled to step in.
"You used the Malfoy family to bring it here, quickly manipulating a little girl into revealing her secrets, then controlled her to release the basilisk…"
"Then petrified a cat and a boy with a camera…"
"Recently, you've harmed two girls, one from Gryffindor and one from Ravenclaw…"
At this point, Zhao Lun felt a surge of anger, as he knew both of them—one was Hermione, and the other was Penelope.
Although they had been careful, they couldn't withstand the attack from the basilisk lurking in the shadows. Fortunately, they had taken precautions, and while petrified, they had not lost their lives.
"In the end, you hoped to revive yourself through that little girl's life and emerge to defeat your destined enemy, Harry Potter!"
Zhao Lun recounted each incident, each revelation striking a chord.
"..." The notebook fell silent, showing no signs of life. It seemed to be taken aback that someone had uncovered its final secrets, including plans that had yet to be implemented. It felt as if it had been seen through, leaving it uncomfortable, as if it were an unclothed person.
Buzzing! The notebook trembled violently, almost wanting to flee, but was restrained by an unseen force, unable to break free.
The notebook transformed, revealing a grotesque face that struggled angrily, but it could not escape; the face roared, casting a venomous curse at Zhao Lun.
*Smack!* Zhao Lun delivered a swift slap, silencing the notebook and the entire room.
"Hiss!"
At that moment, the surrounding students gasped, including Potter and his friends.
They looked as if they had swallowed something sour, their faces pale yet filled with relief.
"Is this the murderer?"
"Shouldn't we turn it in to free Hagrid and ensure Malfoy gets what he deserves?"
"We must destroy it!"
The two were both angry and bewildered; they were furious that their friends had been harmed, yet confused about the contents of the notebook. They knew how significant it was, leaving them feeling unreal and fearful, wanting to destroy it to rid themselves of that fear.
"We should destroy it!"
"But that's not the main issue; the priority is to eliminate the basilisk and close the Chamber of Secrets so it can't harm anyone again!"
"Of course, but this notebook holds many secrets; let's first uncover what they are."
Zhao Lun wanted to learn about the powerful magic within; he hoped to discover something unexpected here.
He didn't expect to gain anything precious because the risks were too high. Although the power was indeed formidable, the emotions were unstable, and witnessing it could lead to insanity at any moment. For instance, the memories within the notebook reflected its reckless behavior, showing no restraint and arrogance, which was unwise.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, I'm sure, but let's discuss how to deal with the basilisk first."
The basilisk was a dangerous creature; its gaze was the most perilous weapon: any being meeting its eyes directly would die immediately, and those who saw it indirectly (like through a mirror) would be petrified.
Its powers and scales were equally terrifying; even avoiding its gaze could lead to being crushed by its strength.
"Here! This is your equipment."
Zhao Lun produced three pairs of cool-looking glasses and handed them out.
"These are glasses?"
"So cool!"
The glasses looked stylish, resembling sunglasses, but they had a reflective layer that could mirror light. If they encountered a basilisk's attack, these glasses would save their lives. Additionally, the glasses were adjustable, offering several models.
"Do you like them? They're a gift for you!"
Zhao Lun smiled as he distributed the items.
"Oh! Thank you!"
The two girls were thrilled, playing with their new glasses.
The action wouldn't commence immediately; instead, they would wait until tomorrow, preparing today.
They all separated to make various preparations.
The next day, Zhao Lun arrived at the meeting point, the girls' restroom where Moaning Myrtle had died.
Zhao Lun looked at the person following them and asked, "Ron, why did you bring someone along?"
Trailing beside them was none other than Professor Lockhart, who at that moment lacked his usual elegance and looked rather disheveled, resembling a clown.
Upon seeing Zhao Lun, he rushed over as if he had found a lifeline, only to be stopped by someone pointing a wand at him, rendering him immobile.
"You can't treat me like this! Alan, have your friends lower their wands! I'm your professor! You can't attack a professor! That's not right…"
He wore a bewildered smile, trying to persuade Zhao Lun, hoping he would act as he did in class and give him a break.
"You're just a fraud!"
Potter rudely interrupted him.
"Well, I'm sorry, sir; they all know about you, so unfortunately…"
Zhao Lun shrugged, feeling powerless.
"Children—"
"Shut up!"
The passageway opened with Parseltongue, and Lockhart, acting as a pathfinder, was pushed into it, landing safely as Zhao Lun and the three others followed suit.
What greeted them was a giant snake shed, and they had never seen one so massive before, which left them all astonished.
"The adventure ends here. Children!"
Lockhart brandished Ron's broken wand, triumphantly pointing at the three of them, the wand wrapped in tape, emitting a brilliant spell that instantly rebounded onto himself, breaking the wand and causing Lockhart to faint.
Zhao Lun grimaced, regretfully stating, "Just like his class, that was utterly terrible!"
Potter glanced at Ron, who was empty-handed: "Ron?"
Ron picked up the broken wand, his face full of despair. "He took my wand! It's broken!"
Just a moment ago, Lockhart had snatched it while Ron was in shock.
With his wand broken, Ron might not have a wand to use next semester.
"Let's go; forget about your wand for now. We need to solve the problem first."
"Huh? Didn't you just worry about it?"
"What's there to worry about Ron's broken wand? Don't you know that every time he casts a spell with it, he ends up getting hurt?"
"Uh, I suppose that's true."
His wand had been unreliable since it broke; when it worked, he should be thankful, but when it didn't, he'd be in trouble. He had already had his fair share of misfortune, the last time being the incident with the bogeyman that embarrassed him immensely.
Today, Lockhart had indeed been unfortunate, and moving forward, he wouldn't be able to use his notes to sneak into the restricted section anymore.
"By the way, Ron, your wand is broken; you might as well stay behind."
"Alan is right; Ron, you should wait here." (To be continued.)
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