Ginny Weasley.
The youngest of the Weasleys, Ron and the twins' little sister, she had a strong personality, but for now, she was still a shy little girl.
Yet, somewhere in the castle, this shy girl stopped Allen in his tracks.
"Sorry, Allen, could you come here for a moment?" The red-haired girl stood at the corner leading to the Hufflepuff common room, her face full of fright. If one looked closely, they could see streaks of tears still damp on her cheeks.
Normally, it would have been best to call Annie for comfort, but the Slytherin and Hufflepuff common rooms weren't on the same route, so Annie had already gone her way with Allen's companions.
With no choice, Allen followed the girl's lead. From her expression, something had clearly scared her, which was odd. Had a fully digested basilisk somehow escaped to scare someone? No way that could happen.
Although he didn't know what had occurred, Allen walked down the corridor with Ginny, eventually stopping at an empty classroom. After checking the curtains and door lock carefully, she magically secured the door.
Allen found her cautious behavior somewhat amusing but didn't intervene, she clearly wanted privacy for something she didn't want others to hear, and he could understand that.
When Ginny sat down, Allen handed her a warm towel. From his pocket, he had pulled out a cloth with a spring of clean water and a tiny, harmless flickering flame.
"All right, don't cry anymore, there's always a way to fix things." Allen spoke slowly, trying to soothe her.
"Although I might be exaggerating a little, I can guarantee this: there's no student in this school I can't deal with. If someone really made you cry, don't worry, I'll hang them on tonight's dinner table." Allen patted his chest with a mix of bravado and humor. Naturally, he lacked talent in delivering comedic comfort; Ginny didn't even crack a smile.
After wiping her face clean, Ginny placed her backpack on the desk and began searching through it.
One minute later, something Allen had never seen, though he had heard of it, appeared before him.
It was a diary, a very ordinary notebook.
Ordinary enough that if found on a graduating student's desk, even a whole sack of them wouldn't cost much.
But after Voldemort's enchantments, this notebook became one of the wizarding world's most mysterious objects, a Horcrux.
Allen's first thought? I'm really screwed.
It appeared so abruptly, with no warning, completely undoing all his previous investments, 75 gold coins for a true-eye purchase, all that effort, blood, and tears from Slytherins for nothing!
And he had even replaced all of Ginny's books earlier, how had this thing appeared?
No need to guess. Ginny, like a bamboo tube spilling beans, recounted the entire process.
She had found the notebook tucked in a crevice of an old book. Allen had been busy scavenging old volumes and had missed the crucial piece.
Ginny wasn't surprised, after all, it was just an ordinary old book accidentally left behind. And she was used to secondhand items.
Having obtained a blank black notebook, Ginny, either drawn by magic or by habit, began writing in it.
Things escalated quickly. Until half an hour ago, she hadn't noticed anything wrong, then she discovered she had lost part of her memory. When she awoke, her hands were covered in feathers and blood.
Terrified, she sought help. Asking her unreliable brother was rejected. Asking Harry was impossible due to her shyness. Her last hope was Allen, especially after she secretly saw him single-handedly take on a large group of Slytherins. That sight solidified her decision.
Allen was speechless, but also itching to ask the diary itself a question: Tom, isn't this a bit unfair?
If Allen were Voldemort, he probably would have spat blood. The coincidence was brutal: whenever Allen tried to find the Horcrux intentionally, it disappeared. And whenever he prepared fully, it appeared again.
So now, Allen's research focus shifted from how to catch Voldemort to how to destroy him, or more precisely, how to destroy this Horcrux.
Known methods to destroy a Horcrux: the Sword of Gryffindor, basilisk venom, and the legendary Fiendfyre.
Currently, Allen only knew of the sword. Without basilisk venom, its effectiveness was uncertain. Basilisk venom? Nonexistent. And Fiendfyre? He couldn't even use it.
Having tried extracting with Thresh's lantern (it didn't work), Allen was out of options. Perhaps Ornn's skill could pull the soul out, but that was extreme overkill.
After pondering, Allen concluded firmly: "This thing is too complicated. Let's just give it to Dumbledore."
Simple and effective, especially since Allen had zero connection to the Horcrux.
A student asking another for help, and then escalating to the headmaster if needed, wasn't strange. And Allen was sure Dumbledore wouldn't let the object slide, why would he, when it posed such a danger?
Whether Ginny was frightened by Allen's boldness or concerned that going to Dumbledore might create extra trouble, she kept her head down. Allen didn't interrupt, it wasn't the time to distract her from making decisions.
But just as Ginny suddenly lifted her head, with her wand flashing like lightning, a spell shot toward Allen with blinding speed.••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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