The alleyway where Dobby had vanished was left with only the pungent mixed smell of ink and cake, along with the curse, "The evil within the walls is breathing," echoing through the cold air. Hermione's hand trembled slightly in Lynn's palm, her fingertips icy. Without drawing attention to it, he pulled her closer and used his body to shield her from the dim alley, his gaze like a tempered steel blade aimed toward the unseen castle at the end of Diagon Alley. The Star Stone at his chest sent out a heavy, icy throb, like a warning of snake scales scraping against stone walls deep underground.
"What... what did he mean by that?" Hermione's voice carried suppressed terror. Her fingers unconsciously tightened, nearly digging into Lynn's arm. "The evil within the walls... what could possibly be inside Hogwarts' walls?"
The Star Mark on Lynn's chest faintly burned after he had forcibly driven his magic, while the Star Stone's feedback was cold and chaotic. He withdrew his gaze and looked at Hermione's pale face. Rather than directly answering that dangerous truth—the Basilisk, the Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin—he said in a low voice, "The danger does exist. Dobby's master... doesn't want Harry to return, and doesn't want us getting involved." He deliberately stressed the word "master," guiding her train of thought.
Hermione's brown eyes contracted sharply. Thinking of the M-shaped brand deeply carved into the skin beneath Dobby's ragged sleeves, a chilling name rose to her lips. "Malfoy! Lucius Malfoy sent him! He's afraid of Harry... or afraid we'll uncover something?" The chain of logic rapidly assembled itself in her mind, temporarily suppressing her fear.
"Mm." Lynn tacitly accepted her deduction. "So, protective equipment." He nodded toward the list in Hermione's hand, which included "Dragonhide Gloves" and "Anti-Curse Heartguard." "We need everything." More than anyone else, he knew what the Basilisk's gaze meant.
Hermione took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, gripping Lynn's wrist even tighter. "Let's go to Madam Malkin's first! You need those robes with protective magical patterns!" Her voice regained its usual clarity, as though forming a battle plan could drive away the unease in her heart.
Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions was warm and dry. Dark velvet curtains shut out the noise from outside, and the faint fragrance of new cloth and insect-repelling herbs drifted through the air. Lynn stood on a low stool while an icy metal tape measure automatically coiled around him to take his measurements. When it tightened across his chest, a faint stab of pain from magical backlash made him frown almost imperceptibly.
Hermione, who had been watching him closely, immediately caught the tiny change. "Careful!" she cried instinctively, stepping forward with her hand already raised, as if she wanted to ward off the invisible tape measure for him.
Madam Malkin looked at her in mild surprise, then gently explained, "Don't worry, dear. It's only measuring. It won't touch his wound."
Hermione's face reddened, and she awkwardly lowered her hand. Yet her eyes remained fixed on Lynn, her anxiety undisguised. He lowered his eyes to meet her gaze and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, signaling that he was fine. The Moon White Stone around her neck gave off a warm, soothing pulse, strangely calming her suddenly racing heart.
"Thick Scottish Highlands wool," Madam Malkin said, directing a bolt of dark green, dense, resilient fabric toward them with her wand. "It can effectively withstand the cold winds of the Scottish Highlands and the splash energy from low-level curses. At the cuffs and collar..." The tip of her wand glowed faintly as it traced intricate, hidden silver runes along the fabric's edges. "Protective magical patterns of 'Stability' and 'Deflection' will be woven in. They provide a slight increase in resistance against petrification magic." She deliberately glanced at the faint outline of bandages beneath Lynn's school robes.
"Thank you, Madam," Hermione said gratefully, carefully examining the faintly gleaming silver runes as though they were another protective charm for Lynn.
When it was Hermione's turn to be measured, she stood on the low stool, her skin looking even fairer against the dark green, heavy wool. Lynn sat in an armchair in the corner, holding the copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Hermione had just bought, though his gaze drifted past the edge of the pages and settled on her. She tilted her head slightly to cooperate with the measuring tape, her profile focused and gentle, while her fluffy brown curls glowed warmly beneath the soft lights. An unfamiliar, soft emotion spread slowly through his quiet heart like honey dropped into clear water. As if sensing his peaceful gaze, the Star Stone sent out a steady, warm pulse, and even the faint pain in his chest seemed to lessen.
Then, an extremely faint yet intensely distorted dark pulse abruptly pierced through the warm barrier of the robe shop and swept over Lynn like a stone thrown into a still lake!
Lynn's body instantly tensed! The Star Stone beneath his robes sent a sharp, icy stab of warning through him! The pulse was cold, slick, and filled with malicious temptation—it was Tom Riddle's Diary! It was nearby, and it had been activated!
He suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze like a tangible probe as it pierced through the gap in the curtains and locked onto a red-haired figure amid the bustling crowd outside—Ginny Weasley! She was clutching a battered black-covered notebook tightly to her chest. Her face was abnormally pale, and her eyes were somewhat vacant as the excited Weasley Twins jostled her forward. Strands of dark energy from the diary were curling around her!
"What is it?" Hermione immediately sensed the change in his presence. Following his gaze, she saw only the noisy backs of the Weasley family. "Is it Ron and the others?"
"...Mm." Lynn forcibly suppressed the turmoil inside him, along with the urge to destroy the diary at once, and looked away. The timing was wrong, and the location was even worse. Looking at Hermione, he said in a low voice, "Keep an eye on that red-haired girl, Ginny Weasley. She may have been... affected by something." That was the most subtle warning he could give.
Hermione frowned in confusion, carefully looking in the direction Ginny had disappeared before solemnly nodding. "I'll remember." She had an almost instinctive trust in Lynn's judgment.
After leaving the robe shop, the evening sunlight painted the cobbled street a warm orange-gold. Hermione carried the bag containing their school robes in one hand, while the other naturally hooked around Lynn's little finger, as though this were the safest kind of connection. "Do you want to go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour?" she suggested, trying to dispel the gloom Dobby had left behind. "They've got a new raspberry nut crumble..."
"Hermione! Lynn!" Ron's loud voice interrupted her. He and Harry squeezed through the crowd and ran over, both flushed with excitement. Harry was also carrying a stack of Lockhart's glittering books.
"Did you see that idiot?" Ron jerked his chin toward Flourish and Blotts, where the crowd was still packed tight. "He's been signing books until his hand's nearly fallen off! And he insisted on dragging Harry into a photo, saying it was 'a meeting between The Boy Who Lived and the greatest wizard of the age'! Honestly!"
Harry awkwardly scratched his hair. "He even 'gave' me a complete set of his books..." His tone was filled with helplessness.
Hermione's attention was immediately drawn to the stack of books, with a hint of barely concealed longing in her eyes. "Gilderoy Lockhart? His improved theory on banishing charms in Break with a Banshee is quite insightful..."
"Insightful?" Ron yelped. "Oh, come on, Hermione. He's a fraud who steals other people's stories with Memory Charms! Other than that face on the cover, his books are full of..." Under Hermione's disapproving gaze, Ron's voice gradually weakened.
Lynn did not join in their discussion of Lockhart. His gaze swept over Harry and Ron before finally landing on Lucius Malfoy, who was speaking with Arthur Weasley a short distance away. Lucius leaned on his snake-headed cane, his gray-blue eyes cold and arrogant, a false smile on his lips. When his gaze seemingly idly swept over Lynn, it carried undisguised scrutiny and a deep trace of wariness—clearly, the results of the Ministry of Magic's questioning and the rumors about the Son of Stars had already reached this Hogwarts governor.
At that moment, Lynn clearly saw Lucius make an extremely subtle movement with his fingers while "cordially" shaking Arthur Weasley's hand. An unremarkable black leather notebook slipped into the pile of cauldrons and textbooks in Ginny's arms! The motion was as quick as a snake flicking its tongue!
Ginny seemed completely unaware, her face still pale as she kept her head lowered.
"Look," Lynn whispered so quietly that only Hermione could hear, squeezing her little finger.
Hermione's pupils shrank sharply! She had seen the black notebook slip into Ginny's arms! Thinking of Lynn's warning in the robe shop—"She may have been affected by something"—an icy chill instantly crawled up her spine! Dobby's warning, the evil within the walls, Lucius Malfoy's furtive action... the fragments formed a horrifying picture!
"It was Malfoy..." Hermione's voice trembled with anger. "He gave Ginny something! That was probably..."
"Part of the source of danger," Lynn calmly finished, his gaze sharp as a blade. He knew that the gears of the Chamber of Secrets had been coldly set into motion by Lucius's hand, while Ginny remained entirely unaware.
King's Cross Station on the first of September was always filled with both the sorrow of parting and a lively bustle. The Hogwarts Express stood like a massive red steel beast, billowing thick white steam as it waited to carry young wizards northward toward mystery.
Lynn and Hermione said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Aunt Monica hugged Lynn tightly, her eyes faintly red. "Make sure you take your medicine on time and look after yourself. If you feel unwell at all, go straight to Madam Pomfrey, and write to tell us..." Uncle Wendell gave Lynn's shoulder a firm pat, saying everything without words.
Standing beside Lynn and seeing the worry in her parents' eyes, Hermione took his hand first and interlaced their fingers. She lifted her face with a bright smile. "Don't worry, Mum and Dad! I'll make sure he takes his medicine, and I'll take care of myself too!" Sunlight fell across her fluffy curls and Lynn's calm profile, gilding them with warm edges. The scene was as lovely as an oil painting.
The Moon White Stone and Star Stone sent clear, warm synchronized pulses through the fabric between their tightly clasped hands. Watching this, the worry in Monica's eyes finally melted away, replaced by a gentle smile.
After boarding the train, they found an empty compartment. They had barely put down their luggage when Harry and Ron squeezed inside. Ron was still carrying Scabbers, his restless rat, who was trying to bite through his cage.
"Merlin's stinking socks! We finally made it aboard!" Ron collapsed into a seat and set the cage aside. "I don't know what's gotten into Scabbers lately. He keeps trying to run away, like Hogwarts has a ghost out to catch him."
Lynn's gaze swept over the rat with its missing toe, and a cold understanding flashed through his eyes—Peter Pettigrew. Of course he was afraid. Voldemort's shadow was gathering over Hogwarts once again.
The train began to move, and the city scenery beyond the windows gradually gave way to lush green fields and rolling hills. Hermione took out the lunch basket Aunt Monica had prepared. Inside were neatly cut sandwiches, fresh fruit, and Hermione's favorite Orange Cake, carefully packed in an insulated box. She divided the cake into four portions and naturally placed the largest piece before Lynn.
"Here. Replenish your energy." Her tone held a commanding sort of concern.
Lynn picked up his fork and took a bite. The sweet, fresh orange flavor melted across his tongue like concentrated sunlight. When he looked up, Hermione was eating her own portion in small bites, with a little white frosting at the corner of her lips.
"Here." Lynn reached out and naturally brushed his finger across the corner of her mouth, his fingertips wiping away that soft trace. The movement was as gentle as brushing dew from a flower petal.
Hermione froze instantly, a rosy flush spreading visibly across her cheeks like a ripening apple. She stared at Lynn with wide eyes, her brown eyes glistening with disbelief, embarrassed shyness, and a hint of sweet panic. The compartment instantly fell silent except for the rhythmic clatter of the train. Harry pretended to focus on the scenery outside, though the corners of his mouth could not help curving upward. Ron, meanwhile, gaped with a piece of cake stuck in his throat, nearly choking.
Lynn acted as though he had merely done something perfectly ordinary. He withdrew his hand and continued eating his cake in silence. Only the faint redness at the tips of his ears and the slightly hurried warm pulse from the Star Stone betrayed the unrest beneath his calm exterior.
The atmosphere was delicate and sweet. Hermione lowered her head and ate her cake in tiny bites, not daring to look at Lynn again. She only lightly tapped the toe of his shoe with hers, a silent mixture of reproach and response.
At that moment, the compartment door was gently pulled open a crack. Ginny Weasley's pale little face peered inside. The warm atmosphere in the compartment—blinding to her, perhaps—seemed to sting her. Her eyes darted away, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "Ron... Mum asked me to ask if you've seen her... her..." She faltered incoherently, her gaze shifting until it landed on Ron's old suitcase beside the seat—the corner of that black leather diary was sticking out through a gap in the unfastened lid!
Ginny's face instantly turned even whiter, as though she had seen something terrifying. Her breathing quickened. "N-no, nothing!" She suddenly withdrew her head, slammed the door shut, and hurried away with panicked footsteps.
The warm mood was shattered. Ron looked baffled. "What's wrong with Ginny? She's acting weird."
Harry also shook his head in confusion.
Only Hermione and Lynn exchanged a grave look. Beneath the table, Hermione took Lynn's hand again, her fingertips slightly cold. He clasped her hand in return, silently passing strength to her. He looked out at the rapidly retreating scenery, where the faint outline of the castle's towers had already appeared on the horizon.
Within the walls of Hogwarts, Ancient Evil had already awakened and silently attached itself to an innocent girl. As the train rolled onward, the undercurrent of protection and resistance moved soundlessly toward that ancient castle, soon to be shrouded in gloom. The Star Stone sent a deep, steadfast warmth through his chest, like starlight guiding the way through darkness.
Before you continue