In Hermione's disbelieving gaze, Ron suddenly turned as if he had eyes in the back of his head. With a flick of his wand, he cast a Disarming Charm that struck Luna just as her fingers brushed her wand.
Luna's wand shot from her hand and clattered against the stone wall with a sharp crack.
Hermione's eyes widened. Shock was written all over her face as she stared at Ron.
Ron now had his wand trained on Luna, forcing her to stay motionless. He sneered as he spoke.
"Surprised, Hermione? The Ron who could barely manage a Levitation Charm can now pull off a Disarming Charm like it's nothing! This—this is the power of the diary!"
Hermione was stunned. For a moment, she couldn't find the words to respond. It was Luna who broke the silence, her voice calm but cold.
"You said it yourself. It's the diary's power. So what does that have to do with you?"
Ron faltered, clearly taken aback. The room fell into sudden stillness. Then his expression twisted with rage as he jabbed his wand at Luna.
"You've got a sharp tongue! Let's see if your body is as tough as your mouth!"
"Incendio!"
Seeing Ron strike again, Hermione screamed.
"Luna! Get out of the way!"
At the same time, she drew her wand and shouted:
"Aguamenti!"
Their spells collided mid-air—fire against water—neither gaining the upper hand. The stalemate held.
Meanwhile, Luna had dodged Ron's spell and seized the moment to dart to the corner, where her wand lay. She scooped it up, turned, and pointed it at Ron, still locked in magical combat with Hermione.
"Ron Weasley! Drop your wand!"
Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance. Ron gave a cold, mocking laugh, but then stopped his spell. Seeing this, Hermione quickly ended hers too, not wanting to risk hurting him.
Though the duel was over, Ron didn't lower his wand.
"Drop it!" Luna demanded again.
But Ron only shrugged and said casually, "Two against one? That hardly seems fair. Guess it's time I called in my backup."
Hermione and Luna shared a worried glance. Their stomachs dropped. A chilling rustle echoed around them—something was moving, fast, and it was coming their way.
Ron grinned.
"You've always wanted to know what the monster in the Chamber looks like, haven't you? Well, now's your chance!"
As he spoke, Hermione froze. A huge shadow crept across the corridor wall—its position showed it was right behind her.
Luna noticed too and started to turn, but Hermione grabbed her arm and whispered, trembling:
"No! Luna, listen to me—no matter what happens, don't look into its eyes!"
Luna understood. Now was not the time for questions. She obediently lowered her head.
But at that moment, the stream of water from Hermione's spell—the Aguamenti—flowed across the stone floor toward Luna's feet. The water mirrored the light, and in its surface, Luna caught a glimpse of the massive creature behind her.
She couldn't see all of it—but those eyes, shining like searchlights, burned into her vision.
She gasped. But it was too late. Whatever she wanted to do, the moment had already passed.
Hermione hadn't noticed. She was still calling Luna's name.
It was Ron who broke the silence.
"Don't bother. Look at her."
Hermione turned.
Luna stood frozen, her entire body stiff and cold as stone.
She'd been petrified.
Ron spoke again.
"Don't worry, Hermione. As long as you don't look back—don't deliberately meet its eyes—I won't let anything happen to you. In return, I want you to forget everything that happened tonight."
He stepped forward, his wand aimed at her.
"It won't hurt. Just a simple Memory Charm. You'll forget all of this... and then, maybe, we can still be friends."
Hermione stared at Ron as he slowly approached. Behind her, she could feel the foul breath of the creature—its presence looming, thick with menace.
She was trapped.
And then, she noticed something change. The rank wind on her back... lessened. The creature was pulling away.
She barely had time to breathe before Ron shouted, furious and panicked:
"You beast—what do you think you're doing?!"
A rush of air blasted behind her—something was charging straight at her.
In that instant, Hermione saw a blur in Gryffindor robes hurling toward her.
She was slammed into the wall—hard.
Dazed, she opened her eyes and saw Ron, collapsed on top of her. A thin trickle of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.
Hermione gasped in horror.
Then, the shadow of the serpent returned—its massive form reflecting once more on the wall.
Ron's voice, weak but clear, reached her ears.
"Hermione… just now, I realized something. This Basilisk... it's not following my orders. Someone lied to me. Someone's been pulling the strings from the shadows."
With a final surge of strength, he shoved Hermione away.
"Go! Go find Wentworth! I got the diary from him—he must know the truth!"
"Tell him everything. Make him find whoever's hiding behind the scenes!"
"Go! I'll be fine for now. Whoever's behind this needs me alive—they won't let me die here!"
Hermione bit her lip. As the serpent's shadow drew closer, she turned and ran.
Tears blurred her vision. She didn't stop until she collided into someone's chest.
"Hermione! What were you and Ron doing? Everyone's back in the dorms except you two! Even Harry came asking if I'd seen you. Gryffindors sneaking off—care to explain to a Slytherin?"
The voice was familiar. And in that moment, Hermione couldn't hold it in any longer.
"WAHHH!!!"
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