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Chapter 242 — Guarantee With My Life!!
Ron and Hermione were still bickering their way toward the door.
Darren looked anxious, ready to jump in and stop them, but Harry caught his arm.
"Darren… let them handle it. I actually have something I need to tell you…"
Harry hesitated, unsure where to start.
They had originally planned to keep this from Darren longer.
But after Darren spent an entire day in the Hospital Wing, the Slytherin students had already begun asking questions about him. And when they looked at Harry and the others… their expressions had become strange. As if Harry, Ron, and Hermione had done something unforgivable.
They worried Darren might return and be punished, so they finally decided to confess.
Still, while explaining, Harry felt increasingly guilty.
They had hidden this from Darren for so long… and when he saw Darren's expression gradually sink, he thought Darren must already be upset.
Harry was about to apologize—
—but Darren beat him to it, eyes red, voice trembling:
"I'm sorry, brother. It's all my fault. If I were more useful, you would never have had to take such risks.
You must have been terrified, sneaking into the Slytherin common room… almost getting caught… I can't even imagine it. You're all still kids!"
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding… ]
Darren blinked.
The room clearly had only a few people—yet somehow he suddenly gained six or seven Father points out of nowhere.
So mysterious.
Even if Snape and Dumbledore were hiding nearby, they couldn't cough up this many points.
His stunned face made Harry misunderstand even more.
Harry thought Darren looked like this because he was hurt by their earlier secrecy.
He expected Darren to at least be upset—but instead, Darren was apologizing.
Harry felt a deep ache in his chest.
His little brother was always like this.
They had given him alcohol, landed him in the Hospital Wing, lied to him, and used his identity to sneak into the Slytherin common room…
…and Darren still apologized.
"Darren… I wish you could be a little more selfish sometimes," Harry murmured.
"Yeah—if Darren could be just a little selfish, I'd die happy!" Hermione said earnestly.
Because of Darren's apology, she completely forgot to argue with Ron. Her gaze softened as she looked at Darren, as if everything about him was wonderful.
Ron nodded. Hermione wasn't wrong this time.
And if she would just take back what she'd said about Ginny earlier, he could be friends with her again.
Thankfully, after comforting Darren, Hermione seemed to regain her conscience. She turned to Ron and said seriously:
"I'm sorry, Ron. I owe you and your sister an apology.
I was upset seeing Darren end up in the Hospital Wing, so I lost my temper and said nonsense. I was wrong."
Darren smiled softly.
"Hermione and Ron are both great," he said gently. "Just… don't speak badly of Ginny next time, all right? Ginny doesn't 'like' me or Harry romantically. She's just a caring little girl who admires my brother.
Anyone who gets hurt—Ginny would show kindness the same way."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding… ]
More Father points poured in.
Darren accepted them happily.
He prepared to leave the Hospital Wing—
but as he rose, something in his pocket poked his hand.
Besides Ginny's pink card, there was a folded note.
The handwriting didn't belong to anyone he recognized.
Be careful what you say and do.
Don't stick your nose into things.
…Huh?
A few people came to mind, but none seemed quite right.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione read the note too, and all their expressions darkened.
To them, it looked like a threat from Death Eaters outside the school—
a warning to Darren not to meddle.
Or perhaps the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets was terrified Darren might expose him… so he issued a threat.
Either way, this suggested there was an even greater danger lurking within Hogwarts.
"Darren," Harry said firmly, "from today on, you stay safe. No wandering around at night. After class, you go straight back to the Slytherin common room. If you're late—I'll drag you back there myself."
He couldn't let Darren get hurt again.
But Darren had a different feeling.
He suspected the note might actually be a well-intentioned warning.
He even considered asking a professor to investigate who wrote it.
Ron instantly shut that idea down.
"Don't be stupid. Turning in a random note? The professors will think you're being dramatic. And every student in school will laugh at you for being scared of a scrap of parchment."
Darren thought about it.
All right… maybe Ron was right.
And honestly, what in this school could actually hurt him?
Besides… something about the note felt like Ginny.
If she had slipped a greeting card under his pillow, slipping in a note wouldn't be hard.
Maybe Ginny was afraid of what the thing inside the diary was making her do—so she forged a warning to protect him.
Of course, he couldn't know the truth yet.
So he only smiled gently and said:
"It's nothing serious. Even if Death Eaters really came again, I'd fight with everything I have. This time, I would make sure they stayed. I wouldn't let them escape again."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding… ]
Darren clenched his fists.
The Daily Prophet had been silent recently—no news at all about Death Eaters.
It made him restless.
Harry and Hermione could already guess what he was thinking.
He wanted justice for the students who died.
And he feared Death Eaters would hurt Harry.
Harry stepped forward and grabbed Darren's shoulders.
"I know you're strong… but Darren, promise me—if you ever meet those people… get away and go to a professor immediately. Please.
I swear on my life—if you don't listen, may I be struck down and found by Death Eaters on the spot!"
"Brother…"
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