Although the diary was gone, life had to go on. There was a Quidditch Match tomorrow, and Wood had specifically reminded everyone to eat well and get plenty of rest—especially Harry.
After breakfast the next day, Harry, Ron, and Draco went to gather the equipment for the match. Hermione planned to go to the library and look for clues about the girl who had been attacked back then, while Bing Huan had to go out.
"When I first realized Riddle was up to something, I sent my people out to look into what he'd been doing after graduation. I'd originally told them to just send the information here, but one of my elders happened to be coming this way on business and offered to bring it over—and see me while he was at it."
"Then we'll split into three groups."
The match was about an hour away when the spectators and both teams gathered at the Quidditch Pitch. Harry was just about to mount his Nimbus 2000 when Professor McGonagall walked onto the field with a megaphone and called off the match.
"Professor, how can you cancel Quidditch?" Wood asked sadly.
Professor McGonagall gave Wood an apologetic look, then told all the students to return to their respective common rooms. She asked Harry, Ron, and Draco to follow her, doing her best to keep her voice gentle. "There's been another attack. This time, two people were attacked."
All three of their hearts began pounding faster. Professor McGonagall opened the door to the Hospital Wing. Inside, Madam Pomfrey was bending over a sixth-year student with long hair. Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw girl who often walked with Percy.
On the bed beside hers lay their friend.
"Hermione!"
The clever young witch lay completely motionless, her eyes staring blankly.
"She was found near the library. All right, I'll take you back to Gryffindor Tower." Professor McGonagall looked deeply troubled, but she knew her duty.
Harry, ever observant, noticed that Hermione seemed to be clutching something in her hand. While Professor McGonagall had her back turned, he secretly took it, intending to look at it once they reached their dormitory.
Back in the common room, Professor McGonagall told them what was happening and ordered them to be back by six o'clock. Teachers would escort them to and from class. If the case remained unsolved, Hogwarts might even have to close.
Percy sat there with a deathly pale face, while the other students began whispering among themselves. After dinner, Bing Huan returned from his errand.
"How was the match today, Harry? Why's the common room so lively?"
"Uh... well..." Harry struggled to answer.
"By the way, guess what? There's almost no information about Tom Riddle in the outside world. Someone as outstanding as him shouldn't have been unknown in the Wizarding World. Yet Voldemort appeared not long after he graduated. A student that talented shouldn't have faded into obscurity, but there's no trace of his history anywhere.
"And Voldemort appeared out of nowhere. He wouldn't use his real name, and no one could find out anything about his past. So there's only one answer: Tom Riddle is Voldemort."
"Bloody hell! You mean we were chatting with Voldemort that night? That's terrifying!"
"Now that you put it that way, it does sound exciting. Where's Hermione? Is she still in the library?"
"..."
"What happened to her?!" Their hesitation made Bing Huan nervous.
"All right, Huan, you have to stay calm. Hermione... was attacked. She's petrified, lying in the Hospital Wing."
"What?!" Bing Huan ran out.
Watching Bing Huan disappear into the distance, Harry said to Ron, "We have to do something, too. Hagrid was wrongly accused, but he was involved in that incident back then. He must have some clues."
"But Professor McGonagall said we have to stay in the tower."
"I think it's time to bring out my dad's old cloak. Remember to get Draco."
Meanwhile, Bing Huan stumbled into the Hospital Wing. The girl who had told him to be careful on his way that morning now lay on the bed like a statue, utterly still.
"Min..." Bing Huan pressed his hand to her face. Her skin was cold and stiff, and he hoped for even the slightest response.
After a long while, Bing Huan stood up. "I'll save you. Yes! Mandrakes! Professor Sprout!"
He ran to the greenhouse and pushed the door open. "Professor! Professor Sprout!"
The Hufflepuff Head of House came out. "What is it, dear? Is something wrong?"
"Professor, are the Mandrakes ready yet?"
She shook her head. "I'm afraid they still need a few more days to grow."
"I can't wait. Do they have to be fully mature before they can be used?" Bing Huan irritably raked a hand through his hair.
"I wish I could help you, dear, but I have to wait until they're fully mature for the sake of the whole school. Be patient. Petrification won't actually threaten their lives."
"Professor!"
"That's enough!" A low voice interrupted him as he was about to say more. It was Snape. "Mr. Bing, Professor Dumbledore wants you in his office. If you're hoping to get Mandrakes at Hogwarts, we've already contacted every place we could reach. None have any available."
"...I'm sorry, Professor. I got a little carried away."
"It's all right, dear."
Walking beside Snape, Bing Huan couldn't help asking, "Professor, what kind of potion is the Mandrake potion?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Whether it's your Potions or the alchemy where I come from, most formulas are based on one of three principles: combining properties, neutralizing properties, or refining properties. Which one does the Mandrake potion use?"
"Refining."
"Are the active ingredients in Mandrakes only present once they're mature?"
"No. They're simply present in the greatest quantity at maturity. During the growing stage, there's much less per unit. Seeds contain even less."
"Seeds contain them too? Why not extract the active ingredients from the seeds? There should be plenty of them."
"That's why it's called a Mandrake potion, not a potion named after a particular ingredient. The active ingredients can't be extracted using any known method."
"What about concentrating and purifying them?"
"The liquid in the seeds can be used as a medium, but there's a limit to how much it can be purified. Even at the maximum concentration, it still can't be used to make the potion. You'd need a different medium, but as I said, the active ingredients can't be extracted. Even if you somehow found a way, there's almost nothing in the world that could withstand a medium purified and concentrated to that degree."
"Human blood."
Snape stopped and studied Bing Huan, as if he'd seen himself just after Lily died. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt anyone. If I get it through proper channels, surely the school can't object?"
"...Do as you like."
Snape led Bing Huan into the Headmaster's Office, where Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Grindelwald were already waiting. It seemed they had something else to deal with soon, and Dumbledore got straight to the point. "Little Huan, I know how worried you are. But Fudge is arriving soon, and for the sake of the bigger picture, I want you to calm down first.
"Once this matter is settled, we'll help you look for a solution. Even if we can't find one, Professor Sprout's Mandrakes will be ready soon. I promise you, Hermione will be all right." He patted Bing Huan on the shoulder and left the office.
"The bigger picture... It's always the damn bigger picture!" The anger Bing Huan had barely managed to suppress flared up again.
"D-dear, I know you blame yourself. Please don't be like this!" Professor McGonagall tried to comfort him. Dumbledore had just told her what had happened, and she understood the boy's pain. Someone he cared about had been attacked by a danger he had brought into the school...
Grindelwald chimed in, "Boy, the priority now is to solve the Chamber of Secrets. Once it's dealt with, she'll be safe."
"No! I brought that thing here. I shouldn't have left her alone. Whether as her boyfriend or as one of the people responsible for this whole affair, I have to save her—and I have to do it now!" Bing Huan's eyes were bloodshot. This was the first time he'd completely lost control.
"What about everyone else? Are you just going to abandon them?" Grindelwald's words brought back some of his reason.
"What do you mean?"
"Those three boys are in danger right now. Fudge is here, so I can't act. You'll have to go to the Forbidden Forest."
"..." Bing Huan turned and drew Crimson Trail. "When I get back, I expect to see what I asked for."
"You're not using your wand?"
"I'm not in the mood to play today." With that, he vanished.
Professor McGonagall looked reproachfully at Grindelwald. "He's still a student. How can you send him into the Forbidden Forest?"
"Minerva, he needs to let off steam. Trust him."
At night, after Harry and Ron waited for their roommates to fall asleep, they got out of bed and dressed. They took the Invisibility Cloak, then went to the Slytherin Common Room entrance to pick up Draco. The three of them set off for Hai Ge's hut.
After making sure it was safe, Hagrid let the three of them inside. "Hagrid, have you heard about Hermione?"
"Yeah. I heard." His voice choked up. "How's Huan doing?"
"How could he possibly be all right?" Harry shook his head. "Actually, I kind of wish he'd thrown a fit."
They were about to ask for more details when there was another knock at the door.
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