Tonks appeared from around the corner.
"Did I just hear someone mention my name?"
"Didn't you leave already?" the projection asked, winking at Hodge himself.
Tonks's intrigued gaze flicked back and forth between Hodge and his projection. She hadn't forgotten how this spell had caused Moody no small amount of trouble, and it seemed the projection magic was even more intelligent than she'd imagined. "I was just thinking about what happened this afternoon—" "Yesterday, actually," Hermione corrected. "What? Oh, right…" Tonks continued, "I was thinking about how someone in this room, in front of thousands of students, beat the Ministry's special envoy into complete submission, forcing her to lose her cool and reveal an Unforgivable Curse… I don't think for a second that person would just stay put, so I came back. Also," she glanced at Harry, Ron, and Hermione with a suspicious squint, "you lot were hiding in that abandoned classroom, weren't you? Under an Invisibility Cloak? I thought tripping was an accident, but—"
Hermione avoided Tonks's eyes.
When Tonks had left earlier, Hermione had worried about being knocked over and dodged to the side. But Tonks's path wasn't exactly predictable, and by the time Hermione realized, it was too late—she'd brushed against her shoulder. Tonks, distracted by Hodge's words at the time, hadn't thought much of it.
"That notebook," Harry said suddenly, hesitating as he pointed at the diary in Tonks's hand. It reminded him of the diary Ginny had described as belonging to Riddle. He'd spoken privately with Ginny before, and though it was awkward, he'd asked her to sketch the Horcruxes she'd seen. Unfortunately, Ginny hadn't seen many.
"Is it a Hor—" Ron blurted out.
Cough, cough, cough! Hermione erupted into a violent coughing fit.
Tonks looked at them, utterly confused.
"That thing can manipulate people, like those dangerous books the Ministry confiscates," Hodge said, smoothly changing the subject. Tonks gave him a skeptical look, while Hodge sank into thought. Despite Tonks's unexpected presence and the timeline shifting earlier than expected, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still involved. Was it a coincidence? It made sense, in a way. From Harry's words, it was clear they hadn't been idle. They'd uncovered Harry's Parseltongue ability and deduced the existence of the Basilisk, though they likely weren't certain since they couldn't confirm it with Myrtle—Myrtle, who was currently lying in the hospital wing.
Still, Hodge could sense the threads of fate at work, especially after his brief encounter with the centaurs. They'd been tight-lipped about such matters, and Hodge quietly marked next year's Divination class as a priority in his mind.
He was also in a bit of a bind. If he let today pass, the Basilisk might be dealt with by the school, delaying his experiments with ancient magic and costing him a rare opportunity to seize a valuable target…
"Alright, it's settled," Tonks said, apparently having mulled it over herself.
"We'll scout ahead first. No need to face the monster head-on. We'll figure out its general location," she said in a hushed voice, leading the group forward. "Then we'll notify the Ministry and Professor Dumbledore—using my Patronus. Hodge, your projection can operate at a distance, right?" They turned a corner, and Tonks glanced ahead before turning back. "My suggestion is to let it take the lead, give us a heads-up—" Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she vanished.
The group froze, startled, and cautiously approached. A massive, yawning pit loomed in the middle of the path.
"What—what happened to her?" Hermione asked, panicked, lighting her wand. The pit twisted and turned below, its depths invisible. "It's probably a slide. Tonks shouldn't be in mortal danger," she said, looking up at the others.
Hodge tilted his head back, gazing at the ceiling. This must be the secret entrance from Myrtle's bathroom. The air grew tense as they exchanged glances. "What do we do now?" Ron asked, swallowing hard, already dreading the answer.
"We go down," Harry said decisively, looking at Hodge. Ron closed his eyes in resignation—he knew it.
Hodge nodded. This suited him just fine, though the path ahead was undoubtedly dangerous. He turned to Harry. "Don't let your chicken die." With that, he cast a spell on himself—"Waterproof and Damp-Proof" (Impervius)—and jumped into the pit.
Ron stared at the dark, gaping entrance. "He forgot to cast that spell on us," he said nervously.
"No time to waste," Hermione snapped, leaping in. Harry followed, and Ron, after a quick glance around, squeezed his eyes shut and jumped.
They plunged into a dark, slimy, seemingly endless pipe. It twisted and turned but sloped steadily downward. Soon, they were deep underground, surrounded by pitch blackness. If they hadn't known others were with them, the environment could've driven them mad.
Finally, they shot out of the pipe. Harry landed with a splash in a pool of water, scrambling to his feet, soaked. He saw Hodge, Tonks, and Hermione standing on a nearby bank, using magic to clean the grime from their clothes. He stared for a moment until Ron's scream echoed behind him, drawing his attention to a glowing light overhead.
Harry helped Ron up, and they joined the others.
"You lot alright? No injuries?" Tonks asked, raising her wand. A whirlwind swept over Harry and Ron, drying their clothes and clearing the mud.
"Where are we?" Harry asked, staring into the dark tunnel ahead.
"Underground," Hodge said. "Maybe a mile or two deep. The Basilisk's post-dinner stroll spot." He pointed toward the tunnel's edge. Harry swallowed hard, stepping closer and lowering his wand to inspect the ground. Scattered around were the bones of small animals.
A silver light streaked toward them. Harry raised his wand instinctively, then realized it was Hodge's projection landing on the ground. He couldn't help but marvel at how convenient that spell was.
"The Basilisk?" Hodge asked.
"Lying in the hall," the projection said curtly.
Hodge pulled out his Thorn Pocketwatch (a magical timekeeping device) and tossed it to the projection, which promptly threw it back.
"No good. The path ahead's blocked. Can't get it through," the projection said.
"Alright, follow me," Hodge said, glancing at Harry. It looked like they'd need Harry's Parseltongue after all. Hodge could break through walls himself, but that risked alerting the Basilisk. For now, it was best to avoid making too much noise.
They pressed forward, soon spotting the Basilisk's shed, glistening green skin. After a brief pause, they continued, navigating turn after turn until they reached a solid wall. It looked impenetrably sturdy, and in its center was a circular metal door adorned with two intertwined snakes, their eyes gleaming with large, sparkling emeralds.
"Harry, use your Parseltongue," Hodge said.
Harry's throat went dry. He'd tried before, privately, but never succeeded. He thought it might require a living snake to respond. Still, the snakes on the door looked eerily lifelike. He stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"Open," Harry said in a low, rasping hiss.
The snakes on the wall parted, slithering along the metal door. With a greenish magical glow, locks clicked open one by one. Bang! The door swung wide. A rustling sound followed, like something slithering, then a tremendous crash that shook the entire chamber. Everyone froze, realizing the Basilisk had awoken.
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