The Black Diamond Trap and the Starlight Bracelet

The starlight from the Astronomy Tower still lingered on her lips and teeth. Hermione unconsciously rubbed her lower lip with her fingertips, the heat on her ears not fading even as she entered the Potions classroom. Linley walked beside her, his expression as usual, only the Star Stone under his collar pulsed more steadily and warmly than before, silently announcing the return of his original power.

The cold dungeon classroom was filled with the bitter scent of herbs. Snape, his black robes billowing like a bat, was "commenting" on Neville's cauldron of scab-removing potion, which was emitting strange green smoke, in his characteristic voice laced with venom: "Mr. Longbottom, congratulations on successfully brewing a... new cleaning agent potent enough to corrode the cauldron?"

Hermione habitually pushed the processed dittany root towards Linley's side, focusing on cutting the Glimmerworm herself—this was her least favorite step. Linley took the root, his fingertips moving slightly. Silvery starlight, like the most precise carving knife, instantly sliced it into evenly sized thin slices, its medicinal properties undiminished. His movements were natural, as if he were merely brushing away dust.

"Before the end of class," Snape's icy voice interrupted their work, "place your Shrinking Potion samples and theoretical analysis parchments on the silver-plated tray to the left of the podium."

The students began tidying up their assignments. Hermione carefully poured the pearlescent blue potion into a small crystal vial and rolled up the parchment. Just as she stood up to walk towards the podium, a short boy in a Slytherin robe (Crabbe) rushed past her with his head down, "accidentally" bumping her shoulder!

"Ah!" Hermione's hand shook, and the crystal vial flew out of her grasp!

A hand with distinct knuckles moved like lightning, steadily intercepting the falling crystal vial in mid-air. Linley had appeared beside her at some point, his gaze coldly sweeping towards Crabbe's stumbling, fleeing back.

"Are you alright?" Linley handed the bottle back to her.

"I'm fine." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, taking the bottle. Her fingertips, however, touched an unusual stickiness at the bottom of the vial. She looked down closely—a Black Diamond Brooch, no bigger than a button but emitting an ominous dark glow, had somehow firmly attached itself to the bottom of the crystal vial! Inside the diamond, a wisp of viscous black energy slowly writhed like a living thing!

Hermione's pupils contracted sharply! Last night on the Astronomy Tower, the dark resonance that Linley's Star Power had locked onto was exactly the same as this Black Diamond!

"Don't touch it!" Linley's voice held a rare urgency. His fingertip instantly condensed a point of pure starlight, precisely piercing the Black Diamond—

Buzz!

The Black Diamond suddenly exploded with a circle of invisible mental shockwaves! An icy, slippery whisper, full of temptation, instantly flooded Hermione's mind:

"Come... into the wall... only there is safe... they are looking for you... run..."

Hermione's eyes instantly became vacant, her body stiffened, and her hand, holding the crystal vial, uncontrollably lifted, the opening aimed at her own lips—it contained concentrated Shrinking Potion! Once drunk, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"Imperius Curse?!" Harry, in the front row, exclaimed in shock, recognizing the characteristics of this evil spell!

"Hermione!" Ron was also terrified.

In a flash, Linley's left hand clamped down on Hermione's wrist like a vise, preventing her from drinking the poison. At the same time, the starlight from his right hand, which had pierced the Black Diamond, did not retract. Instead, its radiance surged, transforming into a condensed silver-white chain that instantly coiled around the agitated Black Diamond!

"Sizzle--!"

A piercing corrosive sound rang out! The starlight chain and the viscous black energy emanating from the Black Diamond clashed fiercely, like ice water poured onto boiling oil! The black energy writhed and struggled madly, emitting a resentful shriek that could only be perceived on a mental level! Hermione's body trembled violently, and her vacant eyes struggled with pain and confusion.

"Look at me, Hermione!" Linley's voice was deep and powerful, carrying the unique resonance of Star Power, directly penetrating the evil whisper and striking the depths of Hermione's chaotic consciousness, "Starlight Unextinguished!"

This familiar call was like a lighthouse! Hermione's unfocused pupils suddenly sharpened, reflecting Linley's face, so close, filled with worry and determination. She gasped for air, cold sweat soaking her temples. The crystal vial in her hand fell to the ground with a "crack" and shattered, blue potion splashing everywhere. The Black Diamond, tightly bound by the starlight chain, also rolled onto the floor. Its dark glow dimmed, and the black energy inside stopped moving, as if temporarily sealed.

The entire classroom fell silent. Snape had appeared at the edge of the podium at some point, his dark eyes fixed on the Black Diamond on the floor and Hermione's wrist still entangled with the starlight chain. His face was so grim it looked like it could drip water.

"Professor Snape!" Harry reacted, pointing at the Black Diamond and the shaken Hermione, "Someone used the Imperius Curse on Hermione! With this Black Diamond!"

Snape ignored Harry. With a wave of his wand, a transparent magical shield instantly covered the Black Diamond on the floor along with the starlight chain. His sharp gaze, like a scalpel, swept over Linley's hand gripping Hermione's and the starlight chain that had yet to dissipate. Finally, it landed on Linley's face, his voice cold and slippery: "Exquisite... resistance, Mr. Stone. It seems you have quite the 'talent' for resisting dark magic?" The word "talent" was heavily emphasized, filled with scrutiny.

Linley met his gaze calmly, the starlight chain slowly dissipating. "An instinctual reaction, Professor." He still held Hermione's cold, trembling wrist, not letting go.

Snape snorted coldly and asked no further questions. He carefully used magic to levitate and collect the Black Diamond within the shield. "Miss Granger, go to the Hospital Wing after class. The rest of you," his sinister gaze swept over the terrified students, "continue completing your... potions."

***

The smell of disinfectant in the Hospital Wing couldn't dispel the chill in Hermione's heart. Madam Pomfrey examined her and confirmed she was merely frightened and had suffered a minor mental shock. She prescribed a bottle of calming potion with a bubblegum flavor.

"It was Lucius Malfoy... it must have been!" Hermione sat by the bedside, wrapped in a blanket, her face still a little pale, but her eyes had regained their sharpness. "That Black Diamond... it's from the same source as the Diary! He wanted to control me... and lead me to the Basilisk!" She recalled the cold, seductive whisper, and her body involuntarily trembled.

Linley sat by the bed, silently placing a cup of hot cocoa in her hands. The warm ceramic cup dispelled the chill in her fingertips.

"It won't happen again," his voice was not loud but carried the weight of a boulder. He opened his palm, and a wisp of flowing silver starlight hovered in his palm. The starlight coiled and shaped itself on his fingertips, finally condensing into a slender, exquisite bracelet. The chain was woven from fine starlight, with a small Star Core Crystal at its center, constantly emitting a soft, warm glow.

"Give me your hand," Linley said.

Hermione dazedly extended her left hand. Linley lowered his gaze and gently fastened the starlight bracelet onto her slender wrist. The moment the Star Core Crystal touched her skin, a gentle yet firm warmth surged through her limbs, dispelling the last trace of coldness lurking in her heart. The Moon White Stone around her neck resonated with it, emitting a soft, harmonious glow.

"It will protect your consciousness," Linley's fingertip brushed over the warm Star Core, then lightly tapped her still slightly pale lips. "More effective than potions."

Hermione looked down at the starlight bracelet flowing on her wrist, then at Linley's focused profile so close to her. A surge of warmth mixed with an indescribable flutter rose to her eyes. She suddenly leaned forward and quickly imprinted a kiss, light as a butterfly's wing, on the corner of his lips, carrying the sweetness of cocoa.

"More effective than starlight," she whispered softly, her face flushed, leaning her head gently against his shoulder. The warmth of the Star Core bracelet enveloped her wrist, like his silent promise.

***

Deep in the dungeons, in Snape's private storage room. The Black Diamond, sealed by a magical shield, hovered above a bubbling cauldron. Snape stared at the dormant black energy inside the diamond, strands of silvery-blue memory threads seeping from the tip of his wand, attempting to penetrate and analyze it.

Suddenly, the black energy violently erupted! It condensed into a blurry, distorted young face, emitting a silent shriek at Snape! A powerful backlash of mental shock slammed into Snape's consciousness!

Snape grunted, stumbling back two steps, the light at the tip of his wand instantly dimming. A trace of pain and profound shock flashed across his pale face. He stared fixedly at the Black Diamond, which had returned to dormancy, complex undercurrents churning in his eyes—astonishment, apprehension, and a hint of... imperceptible tremor.

***

The firelight in the Gryffindor Common Room cast a warm golden-red glow. Hermione curled up on the sofa, her injured left wrist resting on the armrest, the Star Core bracelet emitting a tranquil light. She held a pen in her right hand and, on the blank space of the Warmth Protocol parchment, diligently added a new rule:

> Supplementary Clause Article 4: The Supervisor has the right to require the supervised to create starlight accessories as protective gear.

Linley sat on the carpet beside her, leaning against the sofa, with a copy of Hogwarts: A History (Hermione insisted he needed "light reading") spread on his lap. His gaze, however, was not on the book but on the mantelpiece—there, a Starlight Guardian Lion, no bigger than a fingernail, condensed from starlight controlled by him, paced majestically, driving away the cold air attempting to creep from the shadows of the fireplace.

After finishing the clause, Hermione put down her pen with satisfaction. Her gaze was drawn to the nimble little lion. She extended her finger, and the little lion immediately jumped onto her fingertip, affectionately rubbing against it, leaving a touch of warm starlight.

"It says," Hermione smiled, showing the little lion on her fingertip to Linley, "that Article 4 of the Protocol is being executed perfectly."

Linley looked at her warm smile reflected in the firelight, then at the starlight guarding her wrist. The Star Stone in his chest emitted a steady, warm resonance. He extended his finger, and the little lion leaped lightly back into his palm, dissolving into a wisp of starlight and merging into his body.

Outside the window, snowflakes fell silently, covering the faint blue ice marks on the castle walls. And in the warm common room, starlight flowed on her wrist, the contract of protection silently reinforced. The shadow of the Black Diamond had temporarily retreated, but on the chessboard, both sides of the game had revealed their deadly fangs. Hermione's fingertips unconsciously traced the words "starlight accessories" on the parchment, her gaze swept over Linley's calm profile, and the warmth in her heart dispelled all chill.