Chapter 76: 76: The Missing Diary and the Duel Club
Three hurried figures rushed through the Hogwarts castle.
The group was unusual: one Slytherin, two Gryffindors, with one of them being a Gryffindor prefect.
They made their way to the second-floor girls' lavatory and pushed open the door, stepping inside.
"Where is it!"
Percy was truly angry this time.
His sister had almost become Slytherin's heir!
"Ahh—!"He grabbed Ginny's shoulders so forcefully that she couldn't help but cry out.
"Sorry, Ginny. Quickly, tell us where it is," realizing his reaction was too intense, Percy quickly apologized.
Ginny slowly extended her hand and pointed to a sink.
John and Percy exchanged a glance and walked over, only to find it empty.
"The thing is gone?" John frowned.
Percy was agitated and frustrated. He quickly turned to Ginny and shouted, "Are you sure you didn't remember wrong?"
"I-I remember it was right here."
Ginny was so scared that tears began to flow again. Percy, in his anger, punched the mirror.
"Percy, stop!"
John stopped Percy's behavior and called out seriously, "Myrtle, are you here?"
"Of course, I'm here."
Moaning Myrtle floated out from a broken toilet.
John sighed in relief and asked, "Has anyone else been here besides us?"
"Other people? Three Gryffindor students."
Her translucent body floated over, and Myrtle giggled.
"It should be Ron and the others. Did they take the diary?"
Percy, who had once caught the trio in the girls' bathroom, immediately thought of them and said sternly, "I'll go find them."
"Wait, Percy, don't make a fuss."
John stopped him, shaking his head. "The diary's whereabouts are unknown. Let's not alarm anyone. I need you to use your position to search the Gryffindor common room quietly."
They were close to the truth. John held down the agitated Percy and said slowly, "Until we find that person or diary, don't tell anyone. This isn't just about Ginny."
"Alright, I'll help."
Percy, capable of earning twelve certificates, wasn't lacking in intelligence, just too rigid.
If outsiders found out about Ginny, it wouldn't just affect him but the entire Weasley family.
In severe cases, she might even be sent to Azkaban.
Although Percy was meticulous and rigid, he would never send his sister to Azkaban.
They tacitly agreed to keep this matter secret, and Ginny was reassured and brought back.
During this time, to ensure Ginny hadn't lied and to protect her from being controlled a second time, John gave her a Whomping Willow amulet.
"Wear it at all times and never take it off," John instructed seriously. Ginny, pale and anxious, nodded quickly.
After sending Ginny away John sighed.
...
The next day, Percy found John.
He had personally escorted Ginny back to the Gryffindor Tower yesterday. The Weasley twins, seeing this, were immediately curious.
It wasn't until Percy got angry and chased his two brothers away, repeatedly reminding them to keep an eye on Ginny and not let her leave alone, that they were convinced of his seriousness.
This made the Weasley twins suspicious, but Percy's tone also frightened them.
"George and Fred must think I've gone mad," Percy sighed, feeling he might have been too harsh on his brothers yesterday.
John sympathetically glanced at Percy. With those two as brothers, no wonder Percy had such headaches.
"In a while, we'll find the diary, and we can end all this. I'll leave Gryffindor to you, and please talk to Penelope Clearwater as well, since she's your girlfriend," John said, his tone teasing.
"How... how do you know?" Percy stammered, as if someone had uncovered his secret.
"You and Penelope Clearwater meet up during patrols. I just happened to know," John replied with a knowing smile.
Percy exclaimed, "Merlin's beard! Is there anything you don't know?"
What Percy didn't realize was that John had the Marauder's Map. When he was stalking out the Heir of Slytherin, he often saw Percy sneaking off with Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw prefect.
If John hadn't known, he might as well have torn up the Marauder's Map.
Waving his hand, John left Percy with a mysterious expression and walked away.
December arrived.
Before Christmas, Professor McGonagall collected the list of students staying at school, as she did every year.
John initially planned to go home for Christmas, but with the Chamber of Secrets situation unresolved, he decided to stay.
He had Basil send a letter to Mrs. Wick, along with two Wizard Cards.
Ever since his father, John Watson Wick, discovered Wizard Cards by eating Chocolate Frogs, he had become enamored with these cards featuring moving portraits.
John was also forced to collect some, considering whether to trade with Ron, but his father was adamant about collecting on his own.
Neville, due to his rigorous training, had even lost some of his chubby cheeks, becoming noticeably slimmer.
Malfoy approached John, seeking his guidance.
After all, by the end of the term, everyone could see that John was the real Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
In response, John gave Malfoy a comprehensive training plan, which included a task similar to Neville's: taking a trip to the Shrieking Shack to train his courage.
To be honest, Malfoy's bravery wasn't much greater than Neville's.
During Potions class, some troublemaker threw a Filibuster Firework into a cauldron, causing an explosion that turned the entire classroom into a chaotic mess.
When the swelling potion was about to splash onto him, John instinctively raised his hand, and the potion was deflected by an invisible barrier, splashing onto Crabbe instead, who had been gloating moments before.
Snape was clearly frustrated. John noticed that only a few people in the room remained unaffected: himself and Harry's group.
Hermione was also conspicuously absent, which made John suspicious of a plot.
"John Wick, you'll be responsible for brewing the Deflating Draught."
John, caught in the crossfire, was roped into brewing the antidote since supplies were running low.
Of course, he earned extra points for it.
John didn't give up on finding the heir. Although he didn't alarm anyone, he involved the prefects from all four houses.
He didn't call too many people, but as soon as the word got out that it was about the heir, the prefects cooperated enthusiastically.
This led to many dormitories being searched, causing students to suspect that there was a thief in Hogwarts.
Percy focused on searching his brothers, fearing that the Weasley twins might have kept the diary for fun.
Unfortunately, he found nothing but a pile of prank items.
He didn't spare Ron either, searching him several times and even tossing aside his lazy pet rat.
A week passed.
John thought everything would be peaceful before Christmas, but he was wrong.
A new parchment appeared on the bulletin board, and Lockhart was up to something again.
"So... you have no idea?"
John looked at Lockhart, who was pleading with him. Despite telling him not to cause trouble, Lockhart went ahead and started a dueling club.
Starting a dueling club was one thing, but having the nerve to ask for John's support was another.
With a dark expression, John glared at Lockhart, who shrank back and awkwardly laughed, "John, I know you have a way, just like with this."
He took out his amulet and ring. After experiencing their benefits in one class, he had gotten greedy.
The great Lockhart couldn't miss an opportunity to show off.
John glanced at him and said calmly, "Everything comes at a cost, Gilderoy."
He didn't address him as Professor Lockhart but as Gilderoy.
Lockhart understood John's implication. He struggled for a moment before slightly bowing and saying through gritted teeth, "I.. I hope Gilderoy Lockhart can become your friend."
"Alright, I won't refuse a friend's request."
John slightly raised his chin. Lockhart had now become part of his network.
John never hesitated to cultivate connections. From his small bag, he took out two enchanted rings and two amulets.
The amulets contained Shield Charms, and the enchanted rings each had different spells. One had the Disarming Charm and the Petrification Charm, and the other could be used three times consecutively instead of just once.
This was the result of John's upgraded alchemy skills. This single enhancement was enough to make Johnny Silverhand irreplaceable among the Aurors.
Lockhart was overjoyed.
At 8 PM, the Great Hall featured a crescent moon stage personally designed by Lockhart.
John didn't expect that Lockhart would even dare to find an assistant, and that assistant turned out to be Professor Snape.
He sighed, "He really has a death wish."
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