Harris Raymons let out a long breath, fear flickering in his eyes.
His last memory was of being caught by the Basilisk's eye, his whole body going numb, and then falling into the lake. Either part of that experience was enough to fill him with despair.
But before he could cry out in alarm, a hand had already covered his mouth.
"Calm down, Professor Raymons. You're safe for now," Leonard's voice sounded beside his ear. "The problem with your body has already been dealt with, at least temporarily."
Still shaken, Harris Raymons looked at Leonard. It took quite a while before the expression on his face settled.
"Where am I?" He pushed Leonard's hand away and asked instinctively.
"You're in the Hospital Wing. Do you remember being petrified by the Basilisk?" Leonard said as he pulled out a pocket watch and glanced at it.
"The Hospital Wing?" Harris Raymons let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I thought I was dead for sure."
To survive after being caught in the Basilisk's gaze, Harris Raymons felt absurdly lucky.
"You really are lucky," Leonard replied with a smile as he watched Harris Raymons's emotional reaction.
Harris Raymons quickly sensed that something was wrong. He glanced at Leonard, then at the pitch-dark infirmary around them, and asked cautiously, "Um... what are you doing here this late?"
"What do you think, Professor Raymons?" Leonard said with a smiling expression.
"I suppose... you came to visit me? Hahaha. Very thoughtful of you," Harris Raymons said awkwardly.
"Yes. Not only did I come specifically to visit you, I even brought you a potion to temporarily lift the petrification." The smile on Leonard's face grew even brighter, yet it made Harris Raymons feel a chill down his spine.
Leonard gently sat down on the edge of Harris Raymons's bed, looking for all the world like a friend visiting a sick acquaintance.
"Professor Raymons, do you know how much trouble you've caused me?" Leonard asked softly.
That gentle tone, and those words that made no attempt to hide their true meaning, instantly made every hair on Harris Raymons's body stand up.
Leonard William was not nearly as young and harmless as he looked. Harris Raymons had understood that even before coming to Hogwarts.
A normal eleven- or twelve-year-old child, once they realized they were special, would probably have their tail in the sky. Even if not that exaggerated, there should at least be some arrogance.
But Leonard had shown only his talent in study, and nothing more. That kind of restraint simply should not appear in a child that age.
Harris Raymons knew that his relationship with Leonard was delicate. Leonard had never trusted him, not even after he had revealed the location of the ancient magic ruins.
And now Leonard was acting this close, speaking in such a gentle voice while questioning him directly. Harris Raymons immediately felt as though his life was hanging by a thread.
"Wait, calm down first..." Harris Raymons said hurriedly. Then inspiration struck. "Your goal was the Chamber too?"
Leonard kept smiling. At some point, a wand had appeared in his hand.
"You guess."
The tip of the wand pressed against Harris Raymons's throat.
"Why don't you just say it plainly?" Harris Raymons suddenly calmed down. He looked at the wand pressed against a vital point without the slightest fear, even though Leonard only needed the tiniest spark of magic to kill him.
Harris Raymons was no fool. He had figured it out. He had ruined Leonard's plans, and the fact that Leonard had not killed him on the spot meant there was still room to negotiate.
"I don't know how you got into the Chamber, or what you found there, but it's obvious you need something from me. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here," Harris Raymons said calmly.
"It's always easy talking to smart people." Leonard put the wand away. "Then I'll say it directly. I want you to admit that you were the one who brought me to the Chamber, and that you were the one who drove off the Dark Lord."
"What do you mean?" Harris Raymons frowned. "What exactly did you do in there?"
He had assumed Leonard came to make him take the blame. He had not expected Leonard to come and hand him credit instead. Driving back Voldemort, really? Dumbledore ought to give him a few weeks' extra pay for that.
Though, to be fair, he did not particularly care about the money.
"What exactly are you after?" Harris Raymons looked at Leonard suspiciously. "I really get the feeling you're up to something."
"It's not exactly bad intentions." Leonard stood up lazily and stretched. "The moment this happened, I knew it was you, you disaster of a man, who caused it. My own involvement ended up a little too eye-catching, so I need you to take the initiative and shoulder the blame."
Leonard then briefly explained the version of events he wanted Harris Raymons to support, cleaning away the suspicious parts tied to himself.
"Leaving aside the fact that your choice of words is not remotely friendly, aren't you already suspicious enough on your own? Especially with how you acted this time. Once I report this to the organization, our surveillance on you is definitely going to increase," Harris Raymons said.
"Then I suggest you don't report how I performed in this incident to your organization." Leonard gave him a half-smile. "Don't forget. Your life is still in my hands."
"So what? If you really dare kill me, you'll be the first person suspected," Harris Raymons said disdainfully.
"That's true." Leonard nodded. Right now, everything that happened inside the Chamber existed only in Leonard's account. If the only other person who theoretically knew what happened in there died, then Leonard would become the biggest suspect.
"So don't even think about threatening me..." Harris Raymons said confidently.
"Professor Raymons, you wouldn't want Dumbledore to find out about your Horcrux research, would you?" Leonard stared at him. "No one has checked your room yet. If you insist on leaking my information, then I'll have no choice but to sell you out to Dumbledore."
"I'm sorry. I was being reckless." Harris Raymons immediately backed down.
If Dumbledore found out about his Horcrux research, he was probably done for. Dumbledore would absolutely squeeze every last scrap of information out of him.
This was not cowardice. This was following his heart. Raven's intelligence absolutely could not be leaked.
Which meant he had no real choice but to accept Leonard's terms in humiliation.