Chapter 135: The Attacked Pureblood
After a few days of hauling card packs around, Ethan was already tired of the task.
"This is the address for the guy in charge of Wizarding Cards. You can contact him directly about daily orders, or ask him to send a larger shipment over the weekend." Ethan handed them a note with the address and name, leaving them to handle the logistics themselves.
"Right. We'll send out a few shipments over the next few days to keep sales up. Then, when the weekend rolls around, we can bring a big shipment into the castle all at once. That should cover demand for a while. No need to make this more complicated." Fred handed the note to George.
"Well, you guys handle it. I'm done worrying about it."
Ethan nodded, suddenly remembering the pendant he'd given them. "How's the research on card transformation going? If you get results, we can add them to the exchange list as high-level cards."
"Still researching. We should have results before Christmas." George tucked the note away.
"In that case, we can save it as a surprise for the opening ceremony." With the store set to open at Christmas, Ethan figured it would make for a great reveal.
The twins had already covered the other three houses, so Ethan didn't need to worry about them. For Slytherin, however, he turned to Nancy. He described Fred and George to her and asked her to track them down and collect card packs for later distribution.
"Understood." Nancy nodded.
Ethan watched Nancy walk away. After dealing with her so many times, she seemed like an ordinary girl. She was somewhat withdrawn, likely from growing up in an orphanage, but nothing else seemed amiss.
Days passed. Just as excitement over the Chamber of Secrets was fading due to the lack of new attacks, another victim appeared.
The petrified student was found at the entrance to the abandoned bathroom, frozen in a crouch and staring at the floor.
Ethan was the one who found him. The victim was Ron, whom Ethan suspected of having Riddle's diary.
On the evening of the first Thursday in December, Ethan walked out of the Room of Requirement and headed toward the dungeons.
Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from inside the wall. "Kill! Tear!"
*Basilisk!* Ethan realized at once that it had returned. He tried to speak to it in Parseltongue, but perhaps because of the wall, his words didn't reach it. He could hear the Basilisk, but it ignored his commands.
Ethan followed the voice all the way to the entrance of Moaning Myrtle's abandoned bathroom, where he found a figure frozen in place, half-hidden from view.
Spotting the bright red hair on the exposed head, Ethan froze.
He hissed in Parseltongue, "Are you still there? Can you hear me?"
When no reply came, Ethan finally let himself relax.
Confident that the Basilisk was gone, he moved cautiously forward to check on Ron.
Ethan pulled the Invisibility Cloak off Ron and confirmed he had suffered no physical injuries. Ron's condition was identical to Mrs. Norris's: his entire body was rigid, his eyes fixed on the surface of the water, frozen in panic.
Ethan activated his special vision and scanned the area, but found no soul fragments. "Damn it. I tracked the diary to him earlier, and now he's been attacked. Where's the diary? Where did it go?"
Given Ron's condition, he was probably still alive, but he couldn't speak. All they could do was wait for the mandrakes to mature and the Restorative Draught to be brewed before they could learn the truth.
Ethan shook his head and looked at the silver-gray Invisibility Cloak in his hand. It rippled like liquid.
*I'll keep this for Harry for now. I want to figure out what makes it so unusual, since it's one of the legendary Deathly Hallows.*
Looking at Ron, who appeared petrified, Ethan wasn't entirely sure what to do, so he decided to head straight to Dumbledore.
He would just say he'd heard a strange voice, followed it, and found Ron like that.
Parseltongue wasn't actually considered all that rare. Historically, plenty of wizards had been able to speak it. Even if he were found out, it wouldn't be a big deal. At this particular moment, though, the ability seemed rather dangerous, since the most famous Parselmouth in Britain was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin.
Still, Ethan believed Dumbledore would keep his secret.
And in a few days, he could use the spiders fleeing the castle as an excuse to draw out the Chamber's monster, the basilisk, and let Dumbledore eliminate the threat.
As for why he didn't go after it himself, did that even need to be asked? Obviously, he wasn't confident he could beat it. Sure, the basilisk could be controlled through Parseltongue, but what if he accidentally met its gaze? That would be fatal.
Ethan kept his Disillusionment Charm active and pulled the Invisibility Cloak back on. Wrapped in double layers of invisibility, he headed toward the third floor.
He climbed the spiral staircase and arrived at the Headmaster's office door.
He knocked loudly.
He'd only knocked twice when the door opened.
"Harry?" Dumbledore opened the door. He could sense someone standing there, but he couldn't see anyone. Only the Invisibility Cloak he had given back to Harry could hide someone so completely.
However, the old man didn't remember giving him the password to the office.
"It's me." Ethan pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and dispelled the Disillusionment Charm.
When he saw who it was, the old man looked surprised. "Ethan? Why are you here? I believe it's well past curfew. How did you come by the Invisibility Cloak? Did you borrow it from Harry?"
"I picked it up. Something happened. Ron seems to be petrified at the entrance to the abandoned bathroom." Ethan stuffed the cloak into his pocket, avoiding the question about why he'd been wandering the castle after hours.
"What?" The old man didn't press him about his nighttime wanderings. Ethan's words had captured his full attention.
"Ron? Ron Weasley? He's a pureblood!" Dumbledore was intimately familiar with the legend of the Chamber. He also knew that the last time it opened, the student who died, Myrtle, was Muggle-born, just as the legend said.
"Take me there immediately!" Not caring that he was still in his pajamas, the old man seized Ethan's arm and rushed toward Ron.
When they arrived, they found two others already there: Filch, the caretaker making his nightly rounds, and Professor McGonagall, who was on duty that night.
"There you are, Professor Dumbledore. I was just about to come find you." Professor McGonagall looked up as they approached.
"Ethan? It's after curfew. You shouldn't be here." As Ethan turned the corner, he heard Professor McGonagall's surprised voice.
"Um, I went to the Headmaster's office for tutoring. I found Ron on my way back, so I ran to get the Headmaster." Ethan hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly. He'd spun a story on the spot, avoiding detention and point deductions for being out after hours.
Although Professor McGonagall seemed suspicious of his explanation, she didn't press the matter under the circumstances. The important thing was to see if Ron was still alive.
"Is he petrified?"
"Yes, the exact same condition as Mrs. Norris. Take him to the hospital wing first." Dumbledore quickly assessed the situation.
"Filch, give us a hand. We need to carry him."
Ethan had meant to tell Dumbledore about the voice he'd heard, but seeing how busy they were, he slipped away while Professor McGonagall was distracted, before she could deduct any points.
*Who exactly has the diary?* The question haunted Ethan as he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
When he woke the next morning, news of Ron's attack hadn't spread yet. Everyone ate breakfast and attended classes as usual.
But by noon, starting with the second-year Gryffindors, word began to spread. Within an hour, it seemed the whole school knew Ron had been attacked.
"Ron Weasley?" The spoon in Draco's hand trembled.
Because of his upbringing, he'd always looked down on the WeSley family as blood traitors.
Yet he had to admit the Weasleys were a pure-blood family through and through.
The realization terrified Draco. He'd initially thought he would be safe after hearing the legend of the Chamber of Secrets.
Ethan took a bite of lamb and remarked casually, "Scared?"
"No, no. I believe what Salazar left behind won't attack Slytherins." As he spoke, Draco stuttered, his voice trembling.
*Heh.*
The news of Ron's attack had left the students feeling unsafe. They started moving in groups and buying amulets and talismans, anything they thought might offer protection.
If not for Ron's attack, the twins would have been the most popular merchants at school. But since it was their younger brother who'd been attacked, they were in no mood to profit from the situation.
"Seeing Ron lying petrified on the bed, Mum cried her eyes out. Dad was in tears, too. They rushed over as soon as they got the news." Fred was in a dark mood.
"When I find out who did it, I'll make them pay!" George was just as furious.
Several members of the Weasley family sent letters home immediately after learning of Ron's attack, but Dumbledore was faster.
He wrote to Arthur and Molly the very next morning, and by noon, he was personally welcoming them onto the Hogwarts grounds.
"I think Dumbledore will sort this out quickly." That was the only comfort Ethan could offer.
Ethan nodded to Ginny as she approached, her eyes red-rimmed, before walking away.
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4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 133
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