George and the others emerged from the Forbidden Forest with delighted expressions on their faces.
As an invasive species originating from Kalimantan, the Acromantulas had no natural predators within the Scottish Highlands, allowing them to multiply at an extraordinary rate. The massive colony had provided Cedric and the others with an equally massive supply of venom.
A single pint of Acromantula venom could fetch a hundred Galleons in Diagon Alley. They had just collected a stash worth a full three thousand Galleons. Even if the sudden influx of so much venom into the market caused the price to dip slightly, each of them would still walk away with at least eight hundred Galleons.
Kyle, that "stinking rich" guy, was far too wealthy to care about such a small sum and didn't bother participating in the loot.
The group walked with light steps toward the castle. In the distance, the ancient fortress was bathed in moonlight, with flickers of light peering through the windows.
"At this hour, shouldn't curfew have passed long ago?" Cedric suddenly realized something was wrong.
Kyle's expression shifted. "The lights are still on; another attack must have happened."
The others' faces paled instantly. They quickened their pace and rushed toward the castle. When they reached the second floor, they ran into Professor Flitwick right outside the Hospital Wing, using a Levitation Charm to transport two victims.
Kyle glanced at the couple, who were clinging to each other—clearly a pair of young lovers who had sneaked out for a late-night date. He had seen plenty of their kind in the reed beds by the Black Lake. He didn't know what they were thinking; sneaking out while knowing the monster of the Chamber of Secrets was roaming the castle was practically begging for death.
Fortunately, they were lucky enough not to look the Basilisk directly in the eye. Otherwise, they would currently be being shipped back to their families in boxes instead of being sent to the Hospital Wing.
"Professor Flitwick, did they find the culprit?"
Professor Flitwick wasn't particularly surprised to see Kyle and the others. Due to the week-long surveillance installation project, the "Four Troublemakers" had been granted the authority to move freely within the castle after dark—temporarily, of course. Once the Skynet system was fully installed, that privilege would be revoked.
Professor Flitwick looked at the red-headed brothers standing behind Kyle. "Mr. Weasley, you two should prepare yourselves."
George and Fred looked profoundly confused, a look that quickly morphed into shock.
"The Heir of Slytherin is Percy?" they both blurted out in unison.
Professor Flitwick shook his head.
Their faces grew even more grim. "Ron?"
"No, it's Ginny," Professor Flitwick sighed. "Professor McGonagall has already gone to the common room to find her."
"Ginny... how could she?" Both George and Fred turned deathly pale.
"Once Professor McGonagall finds Ginny, she will take her to the Headmaster's office for questioning. If you go to Professor Dumbledore now, you'll find out what happened," Flitwick said.
Cedric patted their shoulders. "Let's go."
The group soon arrived at the Headmaster's office via the spiral staircase on the third floor. Besides Dumbledore, Professors McGonagall and Snape were also present.
Ginny was sitting in a chair, tears streaming relentlessly down her face. Professor McGonagall was half-kneeling beside her, gently offering words of comfort.
"Ginny!"
"Mr. Weasley, do not worry. Ginny was merely bewitched."
Hearing Dumbledore's gentle voice, George and Fred breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Professor, you said Ginny was bewitched. How did it happen?" Kyle asked.
Dumbledore pointed to a crystal ball resting on his desk, gesturing for Kyle and the others to look. "See for yourselves."
Under Dumbledore's manipulation, an image soon flickered to life within the crystal ball. The footage showed Ginny, well after curfew, sneaking out of the Gryffindor common room clutching a tattered notebook with a black cover.
"Is it that notebook?"
"Yes, Mr. Diggory." Professor McGonagall nodded, confirming Cedric's guess.
"That notebook is a magical object created by a Hogwarts student named Tom Riddle," Dumbledore explained. "Few people know that Lord Voldemort's former name was Tom Riddle."
A look of reminiscence crossed Dumbledore's face. "Fifty years ago, I taught him myself at Hogwarts."
This news left Cedric and the twins utterly dumbfounded. Kyle, meanwhile, silently exchanged a look with Snape, who had remained silent since they arrived.
A magical object made by Voldemort...
It couldn't be a Horcrux, could it?
In that case, the Resurrection Stone ring Snape found at the Gaunt shack is likely one as well?
Snape gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head, signaling Kyle not to mention this to Dumbledore. Kyle nodded slightly in agreement. It didn't matter much to him whether the Resurrection Stone ring was a Horcrux or not. During the Christmas holidays, he would take it back to Grindelwald anyway; if it were a Horcrux, he'd just have Grindelwald destroy it.
However, the fact that there was more than one Horcrux was something he definitely had to tell Dumbledore eventually.
Ginny sobbed, "I found it inside my textbook. I've been... writing in it, and he kept writing back to me."
"It's all right, Miss Weasley," McGonagall said, stroking Ginny's hair to comfort her. "It isn't your fault. You won't be expelled."
Hearing that she wouldn't be expelled, Ginny finally managed to stifle her crying.
"Now, Miss Weasley, where is that diary now?" Dumbledore asked the most critical question.
Ginny choked out, "After I realized it was controlling me and making me do horrible things, I threw it away."
"Where did you throw it?"
"The third floor, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."
Dumbledore glanced at Kyle. Kyle caught the hint immediately, opened a window, and jumped straight down from the eighth floor. It was a faster way to get downstairs.
"Minerva, could you please take Miss Weasley to the Hospital Wing? This has been a painful ordeal for her. Perhaps I could also trouble you to write a letter informing her parents of the situation."
Dumbledore then turned back to Ginny. "Don't worry, Miss Weasley. The school will not punish you. Many wizards older and more clever than yourself have been deceived by Voldemort."
Hearing Dumbledore's reassurance, the two Weasley brothers let out a massive, collective sigh of relief. This was the best possible outcome for Ginny.
Shortly after Ginny was led away by Professor McGonagall, Kyle climbed back in through the window.
"Professor, I didn't find the diary. Furthermore, I discovered that several of the surveillance crystal balls on the third floor have been destroyed."
Dumbledore's expression suddenly turned grim. He walked quickly to his desk to review the footage stored in the crystal balls.
As he expected, the footage from several locations on the third floor was missing. He replayed the stored images, but all he could see was a flash of light in the corner of the frame before the crystal ball was destroyed.
The Skynet system had completely failed to achieve its intended effect.
"This is going to be a problem," Dumbledore muttered to himself.
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