บท 52: End of the fight

Christelle: "To think there would be a place like this in the depths of the school". Scanning the surroundings, Christelle commented.

Shaking off a slight feeling of dizziness, Harry rose to his feet and watched as a woman with her face completely covered by a cloth mask and cape, wearing a revealing tight-fitting dress and a cane in her hand, approached from the chamber's entrance with resounding steps and without haste.

Then he look at the basilisk writhing in what looked like bindings of dark chains made of metal. Although somewhat distrustful of the new person, Harry didn't allow himself to think too much, seeing that she wasn't paying attention to him and putting what was left of the diary in his pocket, he hurried over to Ron.

As he got closer, he noted with great relief that his chest was still rising and falling rhythmically, although slight marks were still visible on his neck, as if a hand had strangled him.

**Hmm**

As he checked on Ron, a sleepy groan sounded from not far away and turning his gaze, he noticed Ginny waking up from her coma and sitting up on the floor.

Leaving Ron on the ground, Harry got up and hurried over to Ginny, past the mysterious woman who was still staring at the place in fascination.

Focusing her sleepy gaze, Ginny's eyes went from bewildered to clear, as she took in her surroundings, finally settling on the writhing basilisk not far away, however, that sight was quickly covered by the scruffy figure of Harry approaching her with concern on his face.

Harry's appearance was not very good. Having left behind his robe, his white shirt was spattered and stained with blood and dirt. Some of that blood was from the basilisk and some from cuts and bruises he had sustained throughout the fight.

Leaving that aside, his right wrist was clearly broken given the somewhat unnatural angle it was at and his hair and face were pretty messy and dirty. Sticking out of one of his pants pockets was a folded black cover journal.

Ginny: "Harry…"— Ginny tried to speak, but immediately a heavy feeling of guilt overwhelmed her and choked her voice, while tears began to slide down her face— "Harry, I… I tried to tell you, but in front of Percy I didn't go capable. It was me, Harry, but I swear I didn't want to… Riddle made me do it, he took hold of me and…"

Trying to explain in a panic, her voice choking on tears, Ginny spied Ron's figure slumped to the ground not far behind Harry, marks on his neck and an equally disheveled state.

Both her voice and her mind stopped for a moment and all kinds of terrible ideas began to run.

Harry: "That's all right, it's all over. Riddle…he's gone and the basilisk, you see, is being contained." Pulling the journal out of his pocket, Harry held it out to her, showing the clear holes that ran through it and highlighting its damaged state.

Ginny: "Ron-"

Harry: "He's fine, he's just unconscious."

Ginny let out a big held breath at his words, but the worry and guilt returned to her face again in the next second.

Ginny: "I'm going to be expelled! With everything I've done. I've always wanted to study at Hogwarts, ever since Bill came, and now I'm going to have to go and what will my parents think?"

Harry: "Ginny, relax. We'll explain to Mcgonagall what happened, it wasn't your fault. Besides, Ron, Fred and George or your parents, they're all just worried about you and hope you're okay…"

Harry tried to calm her down with his words, but in the middle of them, his eyes widened as he exclaimed.

"That's right! Extimum! I still don't know what happened to him, Ginny, do you know anything about Extimum? Have you seen him before?"

Ginny: "Extimum? I think-". Ginny thought long and hard and finally remembered something, however before she could speak she was interrupted.

Christelle: "Did you finally finish your reunion scene? Now, I'm not entirely sure what happened here and while it certainly looks like a great story, I don't want to bother with all that, however, you, girl, you mentioned Extimum. Tell me, do you know where he is?"

Harry and Ginny both jumped and felt as if electricity were coursing through their bodies. With chills running through their bodies, they moved their gazes somewhat mechanically in the direction of the owner of the voice.

Only to find the woman Harry had seen earlier and Ginny had ignored until now just a few feet from them, having approached in complete silence and at an unknown time.

Feeling somewhat intimidated by the air the woman gave off and her voice, Ginny forgot all the messy thoughts running through her head and unconsciously hid behind Harry.

A brief moment of silence settled between them, accompanied only by the constant struggling of the basilisk.

Harry: "Ginny… ". Harry couldn't see her because of the mask, but he could feel the intensity of the gaze and the tension that filled the air as they were penned in by the coercion of the woman in front of them.

Besides, Harry also wanted to know what had happened to Extimum, so he urged her gently.

When he had first arrived here, Tom had not clearly responded when asked about Extimum's situation or whereabouts and only gave him a light laugh, before summoning the basilisk and ordering it to attack him.

Then, with all the things that had happened, he'd had even fewer chances to ask questions or search for any clues, and with the memory of Tom now dead, there was no way of knowing.

Ginny: "I…I'm not sure, I just heard Riddle mention that there was an annoying silver-haired boy interrupting his plans and that he had a surprise planned for him, then I heard him argue with the basilisk that what they had planned had worked. I don't know anything else..."

Christelle: "Wait, did you say Riddle? Tom Riddle? No, wait, don't answer that, I don't want to know." Shaking her head, Christelle opened her palm, revealing a unique-looking contraption with a peculiar compass at its center that pointed straight ahead.

"It's close…but…which one?"—Muttering to herself, Christelle looked thoughtfully at the contraption in her hand before turning her gaze back to Harry and Ginny—"Besides the basilisk, have you seen any another magical creature around here?"

Harry: "Yeah, before, there was another creature, but…I don't know what its name is, I mean, it looked like something I know, but it was different…"

Christelle: "What did it look like?" A gleam flickered in Christelle's eyes under her mask as she heard his affirmative answer.

Harry: "A fox?"

Frowning at his insecurity, Christelle asked, "Are you asking or are you telling?"

Harry: "I-I'm not sure, it looked like one, but it was very different…" Harry really wasn't sure how to describe it exactly.

The general image resembled a fox to him, but at the same time it was difficult to associate it with them. The creature he saw was of an intimidating size, with nine tails with purple fire on each of them, with clouds under each of one of its legs and a fierce and noble temperament.

It didn't take a genius to know that it was not a simple fox, but a magical creature seeing all its peculiar characteristics added to the fact that he saw it fight the basilisk, but at the same time, he found it difficult to associate both images with a fox so as to refer to it as such.

Nor is it that I knew the official name of said creature, so he explain rather vaguely.

Christelle did not ask more, it was useless to insist too much with a child who was barely in his second year, however, such information at least gave her a clue. She wasn't sure if it was the creature she was looking for, but she wasn't about to let him go free if she had the chance, either.

**Bird Cry**

Suddenly, the sound of a bird's song was heard throughout the chamber, as a beckoning red phoenix appeared out of thin air and landed on Harry's shoulder.

Harry: "Fawkes"

Christelle: "Dumbledore's phoenix. Well, it looks like you're already in company and I still have business to attend to. Goodbye." Finishing her words, Christelle prepared to leave and follow the direction the compass was pointing.

Harry: "Wait, I still haven't thanked you for subduing the basilisk, may I know your name?"

Giving Harry a slight glance, Christelle replied without much emotion.

Christelle: "Christelle, Christelle Shadowless."

Harry: "Ah, so you are a familiar of Extimum? You're going to look for him right? Can I go with you?"

Without pausing in her steps, Christelle replied, "Do what you want, but I won't save you again if something happens."

Ginny: "Harry…"

Harry: "Ginny, I've got to go find Extimum. He's our friend too and he needs our help. Stay here and take care of Ron, and Fawkes will keep you company."

Ginny: "But you're hurt, you can't go like this, why don't you just let her look for him?"

Harry: "I want to". Harry responded resolutely, he just didn't think he could sit quietly and wait, not after coming this far.

But just at that moment and as if he understood his words, Fawkes leaned from his position on Harry's shoulder and let a few tears fall from its eyes, spilling them on Harry's skin and healing his wounds in a few seconds.

Ginny: "Wow!"

Harry: "My wrist… now it doesn't hurt anymore. Thanks, Fawkes."

**Bird Cry**

Giving a slight flutter, Fawkes landed on Ginny's shoulder and nodded slightly in Harry's direction.

Giving Ginny a reassuring smile, Harry turned and followed Christelle's figure, which was already fading away in the distance.

**Sss**

The basilisk writhed wildly again as it watched Harry leave, but it couldn't do anything more than startle Ginny.

.-.

Moving quickly through the labyrinthine paths of the pipes, Extimum ran as fast as he could. Although it seemed that he had been hit by the basilisk at the last, he had actually allowed it deliberately so that he could quickly escape the heat of the fight.

He recognized that almost indistinct sound, that feeling of repression, that woman. It was getting closer, so without hesitation, he chose to run away.

There was nothing to be ashamed of, Extimum simply knew his capabilities and knew that he didn't have much room for maneuver in front of that woman other than what she herself granted him for her arrogant playfulness.

However, he hadn't gotten very far yet when he began to feel tired. An exhaustion like no other overwhelmed him and made him slow down.

As if the muscles of his body turned to jelly and all strength threatened to leave him. His steps began to falter and the clouds that were magically generated under his paws began to dissipate and become less solid.

The purple fire in their tails also began to go out as if the gas had been cut off from a lighter and even his concentration began to dim when he noticed that the slightest carelessness could make him fall unconscious.

Even just blinking too much or for a few more milliseconds seemed dangerous.

Extimum: "So, my body is finally collecting the bill." Extimum wasn't surprised, he knew from the beginning that something like this would happen.

After all, his body was drawing strength from nowhere, so he was basically burning up his latent potential in order to maintain himself in his current form.

Taking a few more steps that ended almost stumbling, Extimum returned to his human form. He immediately felt some extra strength fill his body, but his situation was not much different.

Giving himself a brief look, he couldn't help but comment in a low voice: "Now I do look more like a victim kidnapped by a beast."

With disheveled hair, dirty robes, and a varied array of large and small wounds from the previous fight all over his body, he looked like someone who really had gone through quite a difficult journey to survive, not that he wasn't really.

Leaning weakly on one of the tunnel walls, Extimum breathed heavily, staying awake more than just by will, by the burning he felt from the wounds on his body.

His previous transformation had taken away most of the poison he'd absorbed in the fight, but it was still present in the wounds they found themselves unable to heal, creating a cycle of constant stinging and healing. Luckily, it didn't look like it was going to spread and as long as his body could hold out long enough, everything would be fine, otherwise, well…he would die.

But even so, if he didn't wash his wounds and remove the poison, his body could end up running out of strength and become unable to resist, allowing the poison to enter his bloodstream.

Walking with weak steps, he kept going, until he found another nearby passage and finally collapsed into it. Dragging himself, he leaned against the wall.

**drip** **drip**

The drops of water, like a lullaby, created a unique symphony for his ears as they fell on the puddles of water from the damp and somewhat smelly pipes.

Even with exhaustion and with doubts about the integrity of the water, he used the nearby dripping water to wash some of his wounds, washing away some of the poison as best he could.

The last thing he cared about at the moment were infections, magic could take care of that.

However, his efforts were getting weaker and weaker.

He blink once…twice…his eyelids growing heavier and more reluctant to open or close, but he continue to wash the wounds on his hands and legs, as well as one on his abdomen. Without realizing it, his vision became more and more opaque and blurry.

Finishing, he raised his wand in his hand and rested it weakly on his leg, pointing it toward the only entrance to the closed passageway he had collapsed into.

Finally, his eyelids did not open again after the last sweep and he plunged into darkness.

…

**Drip** **Step** **Step** **Steps** **Drip**

Extimum's eyes trembled… his mind, as if treading on brittle, cracked ice, refusing to fall into the water below, but still treading on the frozen lake that was unconsciousness.

With the sound of footsteps growing louder and getting closer, finally though with great difficulty, one of his eyes opened, glowing with an intense purple light that flickered for a moment before disappearing.

His body wanted to give in, his mind wanted to rest... but his will was not resigned. Just a measly distant sound was enough for his will to cling to nothingness itself to lift his tired and exhausted body with all his strength and at least illuminate his mind for one last performance before finally falling into the darkness.

The burning on his skin had subsided, but it was still there, burning, eating away at his skin and flesh like the corrosive, deadly poison that it was, but at this point the pain had faded into the background long ago, rather, it was the primitive sense of survival and the knowledge that more than red blood and poison, what was slipping from his wounds was his unique blood, purple-gold accompanied by the usual red.

It was not yet the time for someone to find out about the peculiarity of his blood and if possible no one should know, why? He himself did not know. He could rationally draw several conclusions, but other than perhaps a few questions, the stigma, and a few minor issues, he couldn't come up with anything more substantial.

Something to back up the great warning of danger he felt from within at the thought of anyone else seeing it.

Tightening his grip on his wand, he adjusted his stance a bit.

He had a spell in mind that could change the color of the blood on his body and still flowing out of him for a while, but if he cast it, it was certain that he would fall irretrievably unconscious and be vulnerable to any threat.

**Drip** **Step** **Step** **Steps** **Drip**

It would all depend on what next showed up at the entrance to the passage. If it was an enemy then his last spell would be the deadliest spell he knew, but if it wasn't, it had to hide the color of his blood.

Finally, the footsteps were only one turn away from reaching him and he knew from the sound that it was two people, one bigger than the other. From the sound he could tell that one was female and the other…the other felt familiar, but it wasn't something that in his exhaustion he could quickly recall from memory.

Then, two figures appeared before the sight of his one open eye, similar in build to what he had guessed, but as his gaze fell on the woman, his sight couldn't help but narrow slightly, before noticing Harry beside her.

Extimum: 'There's no clue connecting us, so I guess everything should be fine, considering she's probably here because of me and not the magical creature.'

Upon reaching such a thought, he did not hesitate and cast the spell to change the color of his blood on himself, before they could see him well, while he lost all his strength and fell unconscious, closing his only open eye.

Harry: "Extimum!"

Crossing the hall, Harry was met with the terrifying sight of a scruffy, blood-soaked Extimum, but before he could even start running to check on him, he noted with a start that Christelle had disappeared from his side at some point and reappeared next to Extimum.

Looking at the bleeding wounds and sickly pallor on Extimum's face, Christelle frowned under her mask and hastily reached into the pouch at her waist, rummaging around for a few seconds, before finally taking out two potions in her hand.

Removing the cork that sealed the mouth of the two vials, she do not hesitate to empty all its content on Extimum's body.

And as if water had been thrown onto a very hot surface, a slightly sizzling sound accompanied by thick hot steam billowed out from Extimum's body, creating a small cloud of steam as a greenish substance slid down his skin.

Harry: "Is he alright?" Moving closer to Extimum for a closer look, Harry couldn't help but ask.

He was quite worried, though he hadn't really experienced it himself, but he had seen how dangerous the basilisk's venom was and if it hadn't been for Fawkes blinding it, he wouldn't know if I could have survived that long fighting a perfectly good basilisk.

Christelle: "He will be soon. His injuries are not very deep and besides suffering from severe physical and magical exhaustion… it is mainly the effects of the basilisk venom on his body that are truly troublesome and truly life threatening." Speaking up to here, Christelle was quite curious.

Basilisk venom was one of the deadliest natural poisons in the wizarding world, if even a small drop entered the body of a living being, it would be enough to leave them terribly ill in a matter of minutes and dead in less than half an hour, not to mention the large amount she found in Extimum that was enough for him to have died several times in this time.

Christelle: 'It seems that my nephew is not that simple. Callum should know that his son was born with some talents in the family and he didn't tell me. Hmp'. Thinking that Extimum's ability to survive was due to his inheriting one of the many lineage traits, Christelle wasn't too surprised that he was alive under such circumstances.

Being a magical family with such a long history, mixing with other families of wizards or magical beings of equal power was not uncommon, so over time, all kinds of skills, abilities or traits appeared randomly within the children and it was not rare, however, it was not very common either.

With a tap of his staff, Extimum's body floated up off the ground and with a thought, his mouth fell open, as another vial appeared in her hand from her bag and the contents soon charged like an angry water dragon towards Extimum's open mouth, quickly disappearing.

Suddenly and before Harry could show surprise and admiration at the scene. Extimum's body began to blur and turn completely black, as if it were nothing more than a dark stain or shadow, devoid of all color and shape, however, the next moment, the dark stain flickered and Extimum returned to normal.

If it hadn't been for the fact that he had been staring at him, Harry would even doubt that it ever happened.

Harry: "What did you give him? Why did he react like that?" With some hesitation, Harry wasn't shy about asking.

He had some experience drinking potions since Quidditch wasn't exactly a very safe sport, plus he had undergone a partial restructuring just drinking potions courtesy of Extimum himself, so he was sure that's not how healing potions acted.

Christelle did not answer, she just kept her gaze on the floating Extimum calmly, as if waiting for something, a wait that was not in vain when after a few minutes, Extimum's eyes widened suddenly.

Christelle: "Wow! What a nice affinity, it took your father almost half an hour, but you were able to do it in just seven minutes." With clear notes of surprise in her voice, Christelle exclaimed with some admiration, as she watched consciousness return to Extimum's eyes.

Harry: "Extimum, you're awake!".

Extimum got back up, as he felt his body lower back to his sitting position. He felt strange beyond words. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, so he could only say that it was a bittersweet experience.

But more than the feeling of strangeness, curiosity and perplexity were what stood out the most. He didn't expect to wake up in the same place.

According to his own analysis, he expected to wake up in the infirmary within at least a few hours or at most a day or two, depending on how quickly he could be treated and how long it would take for his body to recover, however, contrary to his expectations, it seemed like it had just been a quick back and forth that hadn't taken very long.

In fact, judging from the woman's words, out of the time it took her to do whatever she did, he was only gone for 7 minutes.

His body also felt strangely…full. As if all this time he had been hungry and suddenly had a full meal, leaving him completely satisfied, which was quite disconcerting.

Focusing his gaze, he looked at the masked woman who had been chasing him around the castle trying to kill him in a psycho game of hunting and now…she had saved him.

Extimum:"*cough* Thank you." Though dry, Extimum did not forget basic courtesy and gratitude.

Making an attempt to get up, he was stopped by Harry who came over and helped him up acting as a support, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable, it wasn't that it was bad and if it had been a few minutes ago he would have accepted it completely fine, but now... Now it felt like something unnecessary.

Harry noticed his somewhat contemplative look, but even so, he didn't stop, since to him, just a few seconds ago, Extimum seemed like someone about to die.

What's more, aside from the fact that he now looked "fine" and that his wounds seemed to have magically closed almost completely, his superficial appearance hadn't changed at all. His clothes were still dirty and bloodstained and his face and hair weren't much better.

Harry didn't think he'd ever seen Extimum so sloppy before, as he always seemed to keep himself immaculate.

Extimum: "Thank you, Harry." Although unnecessary, Extimum still appreciated the gesture and accepted his help to get up.

Meanwhile, Christelle noticed the clear difference in their treatment, although she didn't know why since it was the first time they had seen each other, but she intuitively felt that Extimum didn't have the best impression of her. Even so, she only dismiss it considering that she seemed the odd one out here not having introduced herself yet.

Christelle: "*Ahem* It's nice to finally meet you, nephew and since it's our first meeting, I'll introduce myself. I'm Christelle Shadowless, your paternal aunt."

Christelle's words caught Extimum's attention. He knew that he had an aunt on his father's side. His uncle Rhys had mentioned it to him and he had also seen some photos of her from when she was a Hogwarts student in the mansion, but it was the first time he had seen her in person or well, almost, since being covered...

Just at that moment, Christelle brought her hands up to her covered face and the cloth mask disappeared, then the hood was lifted, fully revealing her face.

Harry's eyes widened at the sight of her. In the short time that he had known her and considering her chilling voice, he had thought that she would have a more… terrifying appearance? Even the softness in his voice was almost completely overshadowed by the contrasting, eerie feeling it generated.

But looking at the woman in front of him, he could only tell that she was…Beautiful, Beautiful and young. She looked like she was barely out of her twenties, with a fair complexion, electric blue eyes, black hair, and soft, delicate facial features, her appearance was worthy of being compared to a living work of art, however, she had some less refined touches on her face.

With a light purple lipstick painting her lips and dark makeup around her eyes, they gave her image a darker touch without completely breaking her softness.

In a way, her appearance was like her voice, there was a sweet softness to it, but that same softness was perfectly matched with a dark and gloomy undertone, which somehow didn't completely overshadow either side. Perhaps that was what made it so fascinating.

Harry was lost for a few seconds just watching her, until their eyes met and the sweet smile that appeared at the corner of the woman's mouth brought him back to reality with a shudder, making him not dare look at her again.

Cold sweat drenched his back. The beautiful and dark feeling caused a great fascination that was very terrifying, it was as if his brain simply could not decide which side to choose and created something incomprehensible.

Extimum: "The pleasure…is mutual, Aunt, however, I don't think this is the time or place to have a family reunion". Extimum only raised his eyebrow a little at his appearance. Although she had clearly changed and was much more beautiful now, he could still see the girl in the photo that he had seen earlier.

The feeling of seeing something that went against nature simply couldn't affect him, perhaps because he himself wasn't normal.

Harry: "Ah, you don't have to worry Extimum, your aunt is very strong. She already subdued the basilisk and Tom…he…was destroyed." Seeing to remember that Extimum didn't know what was going on in the chamber of secrets, Harry was quick to say.

Christelle: "That's right, the immediate danger has already been removed, however, as far as I know, there is still a magical creature roaming these pipes, but that can wait, let's go back first."

With everyone agreeing, they soon got going.

On the way, Harry asked Extimum what had happened to him and how he had ended up there, while Christelle remained silent, but no less attentive to the side.

Extimum had already thought of a story all this time and simply narrated that the basilisk had kidnapped him and then he had met Tom who was apparently mad at him, however, he didn't seem to want to kill him, but rather torture him.

Because of this, Tom had forced him to play a deadly game of hide-and-seek with the basilisk and with some stumbling and some luck he had managed to survive by hiding until the basilisk was called due to Harry's arrival.

It wasn't the best story, but it didn't have to be either. Tom Riddle also known as Voldemort was always given to drama and playing with his enemies when they did not represent a real threat.

Although thinking about it, Extimum believed that it was more a characteristic of all magicians, since everyone liked to be dramatic or mysterious in some way, even he himself was not entirely exempt from it. He wasn't entirely sure why.

In addition to telling what happened to him, Extimum also acted clueless and asked about what had happened in the time he was kidnapped, as well as how Harry had gotten there.

Harry then in turn told him how they forced Lockhart to help them and how they then fought the Basilisk and Tom.

Christelle had a strange look in her eyes when she heard that a trio of boys as young as 12 to 13 had coerced a Hogwarts professor into helping them and that said person was in fact who she thought, Gilderoy Lockart, who was apparently a phony and…he had lost his memory.

When they were about to return to the chamber of secrets, Extimum remembered that he had drunk something before waking up. He had felt some of the aftertaste and seen the empty bottles when he woke up, so he asked.

Extimum: "Aunt, if I may ask, what did you give me? I feel somehow energized and satisfied…"

Extimum still couldn't quite get over the experience. He didn't know if it was his mind refusing to accept the reality of his body or if it had to do with the contents of the jar or something else, but it just felt strange.

Christelle: "Oh, now that I remember, although the potion has returned you to an optimal state, don't try to do magic. I think you should be able to feel it, but your magical core is beyond overpowered.

Regarding your question, I have no idea, the potion you drank is quite special, it's called the Revitalizing Potion, it's a family creation. The fact that you feel full of energy is normal, but what you say about being satisfied... I have never heard or felt anything like that.

On the other hand, potions aren't my thing, that's more like your father's interests and since he was the one who gave it to me in case you were unwell, maybe it's an optimized version."

Extimum nodded, in fact, he could feel it himself, although the mental exhaustion had only faded to about 60% and his body, though not perfect, was quite fine considering his previous state, but his magical core was completely drained and dry. If he tried to do magic in a short time he could damage his magic core or directly collapse as a self-protection measure of his body.

On the other hand, that again aroused his curiosity about what he had drunk, but hearing that it was his father who was the source of the potion made him feel a bit wary.

After that, they were silent for the rest of the ride. Christelle didn't think much of her own words, as an accomplished exauror and witch, she had come prepared with everything she might need for the task.

From potions and magical artifacts, to a contingency as simple as a few live roosters stored in a special container in her expandable bag, the rest of what she needed, like any witch, was in her mind and her wand/staff.

Because of that, she didn't make a big deal about her brother, Callum, giving her an extra potion. Although she already had quite a few in her repertoire, if he had explicitly mailed it to her before she left, she had no reason to refuse, after all one is never prepared enough, besides, if his brother wanted to take more care of his son, it was not her place to object.

The only strange thing, perhaps, had been that the note attached to the potion had said that even if Extimum wasn't hurt, she still had to make him drink it.

Speaking of potions.

The ones she had poured on Extimum earlier were in fact a rather expensive antidote to deal with basilisk venom. The antidote was difficult to manufacture and not very common on the market.

However, to her disappointment, she hadn't expected that when she found it, the basilisk was in such a sorry state that she simply didn't have to do much to subdue it.

It was not only blind, but also terribly injured and beaten. Its magical defense had long since been broken and more than overwhelmed, and its apparent ferocity was nothing more than a superficial screen that it maintained due to its own pride.

That said, it was still somewhat dangerous, but it wasn't enough to even have the intense and exhilarating fight that she hoped would occur.

This was in fact what caught her attention the most about the other creature. Although the basilisk was not the strongest of creatures physically, its attributes were not something that could be easily overlooked. It would have no trouble taking down several Muggle buses in a single charge, and its deadly glare was already more than troublesome.

On the other hand, the strength of its jaw could chew rocks into powder and most dangerous of all, it was its poison without a doubt. In the ranking, even if it wasn't first, it was certainly in the top five most dangerous poisons in the entire wizarding world.

Added to the fact that it was a fast-acting poison, if one did not have the preparation, death was the only destination for anyone who faced it.

However, not only could the other creature easily compete in physical strength, but just by looking at the state of the basilisk, it was clear that it had the advantage, furthermore it was either immune or had a very good resistance to poisons.

On the other hand, she now knew that the basilisk's blindness had not been caused by the creature. At first she thought the creature might have claws and was some avian creature, however, listening superficially to Harry's account of Extimum, she understood that this had been the work of Fawkes.

Although she felt it was a pity, basilisk eyes are very valuable in the market and had many uses.

Ron: "Harry, Extimum!"

They had barely taken a few steps into the chamber, past the destroyed wall, when Ron's shout, followed by his approaching figure, came.

And along with him, Ginny was coming not far behind. They both seemed much better. Ginny now looked much more serene, but from her expression, worries were still on her mind.

As for Ron, not only was he awake now, but the marks on his neck had all but disappeared as well.

Extimum smiled slightly and took the opportunity to look at the figure of the chained and heavily imprisoned basilisk not far away.

It had fallen unconscious, apparently, without the adrenaline of the battle and the multiple injuries that Extimum had caused it, especially the large hole in its neck from which he tore a whole piece of flesh added to the great loss of blood, now it was only one step from dying

Ron: "Extimum, it's good to see that you're okay, with the situation here I came to think that maybe you had died." Ron jokingly seeing Extimum's scruffy state and glad that he was okay too.

With his sister alive and well, along with having survived the fight and now seeing Extimum alive, his mood was quite good.

Extimum: "You haven't died yet, so how could I die?"

Ron: "You're right, but dude… you look miserable, hahaha"

Extimum: "You too."

Christelle: "Okay, save the jokes for later. It's time to finish off the basilisk and get out of here. Although I was the one who subjugated it in the end, I won't take credit from children, so what you do with it afterward won't It will have nothing to do with me."

Although the basilisk was valuable, Christelle was proud enough not to steal it from children, besides, she also did not lack money or needed it for something.

Ginny: "Harry, here. I found it lying on the floor when you left." Ginny raised the silver sword that had been thrown away in the earlier confrontation.

Christelle only watched from the side as Harry took the sword and headed for the basilisk. She had already completed her main mission by coming here, by finding Extimum and ensuring his safety, and even though she hadn't been able to fight the basilisk, it had still been worth something by discovering the rumored chamber of secrets.

Now she only had to get Extimum out of here and then return to try to catch the creature that was still hanging around here.

Sword in hand, Harry walked over to the basilisk and raised his sword ready to plunge and end the life of the creature in front of him.

Extimum: "Wait".

Ron: "She should be here, I block the entrance with a big stone… the stone! Someone moved the stone." Alarmed, Ron hurried into the makeshift and heavily camouflaged shelter made of stone in which he had left Hermione.

Following not far behind, the others followed, but did not enter, as the shelter was very small and only allowed one person to enter.

Presently, with Ron's directions as their guide and the strong light summoned by Christelle, they all started back, however they were only seconds into arriving and Ron cried out in alarm.

"Hermione is gone! I had left her here…Lockhart!"

A thought struck Ron immediately as he remembered the only other person in this dark cave and that was not far away.

Immediately Ron's anger flared and he ran to the hole on the other side to confront Lockhart.

Everyone was just as baffled by the situation, well, everyone, except Extimum, who was now thinking about this little detail that he missed.

Still, he hurried as did everyone else to follow Ron to the rock-blocked passage with a medium-sized hole and through it to the other side.

Only to have just arrived to find the scene of Ron grabbing Lockhart by the collar of his robes and shaking him ferociously.

Ron: "Where is she? Tell me what you did to her?"

Lockhart: "W-what? W-what are you talking about?"

Ron: "Hermione! Tell me, where is she?"

Lockhart: "Who?"

Ron: "Ahhh! The girl who goes to the other side."

Lockhart: "I… I don't know, after you took her I didn't see her again." Somewhat frightened and bewildered Lockhart hastened to respond.

Sensing that Lockhart was feigning ignorance and driven by his anger, Ron drew his wand and pointed it at Lockhart's face.

Harry: "Ron, wait, calm down."

Christelle: "Stop it kid, although I won't stop you if you want to attack him and get yourself a trip to Azkaban at your age, but when I passed there earlier, that 'door' stone had already been moved, besides, in the state Lockhart's current, he couldn't have done it, let alone hide her too, he wouldn't even dare to cross to the other side."

Ginny: "Ron..."

Clenching his wand, Ron took a deep breath and finally lowered it, backing away from Lockhart.

Ron: "But what then? She couldn't have just disappeared."

Extimum: "I might know where she is…"

Harry and Ron: "Where?"

Extimum:"The infirmary. Don't ask. I don't know either, let's just get out of here first. It wouldn't be too late to go back if I'm wrong"

Despite receiving stares from everyone, Extimum didn't say anything else. It was better for them to treat him as a guess that he would later find a solution to than for them to think he really knew something.

Harry: "Are you sure?"

Extimum: "80%."

Ron: "But... how are we going to get out? I've already been looking, there's no way to go up the same pipe"

Although he wasn't entirely convinced, it was true that this cave wasn't very big and was mostly linear, so there was nowhere to hide it and Lockhart didn't have a wand with him to begin with nor did he seem quite enough to even think about doing something

**Bird cry**

Fawkes yelled, drawing everyone's attention, as its body grew much larger.

**Bird cry**

Ignoring the confusion of the people around him, Fawkes took the initiative to fly in front of them and turn its back, looking at them as if suggesting something.

Ron: "It looks like it wants us to hold onto it…but that doesn't make sense, it just looks like itcould carry one of us on its back and we'd still be too heavy…" Looking at Fawkes puzzled, Ron found the suggestive action it was making meaningless.

Even if it grew a bit taller it didn't look like it could carry them all.

Harry: "Fawkes isn't a normal bird, it's a phoenix. If it says it can hold us out, then that's because he can."

Showing his trust in Fawkes, Harry didn't hesitate and reached over to grab Fawkes's flaming and warm feathers, and looking at the others, he spoke again.

"Let's shake hands. Ginny, take Ron's. Professor Lockhart…"

Ron: "He means you." Ron said annoyed at Lockhart's bewilderment.

Harry: "Extimum and-"

Christelle: "That won't be necessary, Extimum and I can go up by ourselves"

Harry: "Okay…"

Christelle's words earned everyone outside of Harry a superficial look at her, since someone like her had another form, they sounded more trustworthy, although at the same time they felt somewhat relieved not to be around her any longer.

Christelle completely ignored Ron and Ginny's looks, for one thing they weren't her responsibility and for another, her method didn't allow her to carry more than one person at a time besides herself, but she wasn't interested in explaining it.

Something curious, Extimum remained silent, wanting to see what Christelle would do to make them come up. To be honest, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to go back up, however, without his flying sword it would still take a while before he transformed into his nine-tailed fox form.

Before the others took off holding Fawkes, Extimum felt that the darkness of the cave began to move as if it had a life of its own and the next second, both he and Christelle were completely enveloped by it, disappearing from the place in a blink.

Ron: "Wow!"

Lockhart: "Hahaha, it's so magical"

When Extimum regained sight of his surroundings the next second, he was in the girls' bathroom next to the large hole that led to the chamber of secrets.

Extimum: "What is that spell?"

Christelle: "Hmm, I haven't thought of a name for him yet."

Extimum: "Did you create it?" Interest piqued, Extimum turned to face her and asked.

Christelle: "Yes, its effects are somewhat limited at the moment, but it's a stable enough spell." As she spoke, Christelle pointed with her cane at the shadow they were standing in, cast by one of the undestroyed bathroom stalls.

Extimum: "It can only take you from one dark place to another, is that it?"

Christelle: "That's right, although the spell relies on shadows to work, but it also implements other factors, so in theory it shouldn't be impossible to remove such a limitation."

Extimum: "Still, it's pretty impressive. If you don't mind, could you show me? It doesn't matter if it's not finished, I'm just interested in spellcrafting, of course, not right now, I should go to the infirmary first and maybe get some rest"

Christelle: "Won't you wait for them?" Christelle did not reject or accept his proposal, but currently, in addition to having her mind divided on knowing more about her hidden nephew, she was still thinking about the magical creature that was down there.

Extimum: "I'm sure they'll go there too when they get out." Walking towards the exit, Extimum stopped before going through the door and looked at his aunt who seemed to be considering something.

Christelle: "Okay, then I'll accompany you. Let's see who is that person who can demand so much of your interest."

Considering that Extimum's injuries had almost completely healed, he doesn't really need to go to the infirmary for treatment, at most, just a checkup. She was confident enough in his brother Callum's potion that the only other reason for him to go to the infirmary right now might be the girl they were talking about earlier.

Finally, deciding that it would be boring to go back down there so quickly and that it was not safe to find the creature, she decided to accompany Extimum. Stepping forward, she waved her hand and opened the long row of overlapping layers that covered the bathroom exit and sealed the entire place.

Extimum, seeing this, wasted no time in opening the door and leading the way to the infirmary.

As someone who constantly plays with illusions, it wasn't hard to notice at a glance the row of restraints that covered and sealed the entire bathroom room even if they were invisible, so he was waiting for her to remove them so he could get out.

However, he don't expect that she decided to accompany him. Frankly speaking, he didn't consider that they had developed a friendly relationship yet and considering that she tried to kill him not long ago, his impression and goodwill were more leaning towards a negative side.

Of course, the most important thing here was still that she is his aunt.

Even so, he also didn't actively make an effort to talk to her during the ride and only spoke when a thought came to his mind.

Extimum: "Did you allow access so Harry and the others could get out?"

Christelle: "Of course."

Since Christelle hadn't removed the barriers but only allowed him through, it would be quite a problem if when Harry and the others returned they found they couldn't leave the bathroom.

That said, even though they didn't speak during the ride, Christelle still gave him several not-so-discreet glances as if she were sizing him up.

He didn't know if it was his illusion, but the unnatural feeling in her voice no longer seemed to affect him. On the other hand, although her gaze on him was somewhat intense, he tried not to show discomfort. In fact, he was also quite curious about his aunt, but perhaps because of the first bad impression he was not so interested in talking to her animatedly in the short time.

…

The chaos in the castle seemed to have subsided a long time ago since everything is incredibly quiet and they didn't see a single soul on the whole way, on the other hand, a few hours had already passed since the events.

However, upon entering the infirmary, Extimum noticed that it was different here.

**Ughh** **ughh**

"Quiet, I want to sleep"

"But it hurts me"

"Then bite something or ask Madam Pomfrey to give you something for the pain."

Despite being very early in the morning, the infirmary was quite full. At a glance, Extimum observed that about 80% of all beds were occupied and there was still a small accumulation of students waiting to be seen.

Pomfrey: "You two. You've already been treated and your injuries aren't serious at all, man up a bit and go back to your respective common rooms instead of bothering the others with your whining.

Ah, Extimum! You come at a good time, could you-"

Madam Pomfrey spoke out of habit when she noticed the entrance of someone with silver hair with purple streaks, however, her tired mind quickly reacted and she fell silent, turning quickly to look in detail.

The surrounding students also fell silent and followed suit, directing all their gazes to the entrance of the infirmary.

"Ahhh! A zombie sneaked into the castle"

"It's not a zombie, it's Extimum Shadowless"

"Ahhhhh! So it's a ghost"

"Don't talk nonsense, he's alive! Besides, what if he was a ghost? Don't you see many in the castle?"

"Oops, I forgot…"

"B-but, he's covered in blood and wounds"

Pomfrey: "Silence everyone. There are injured students trying to rest and for the last time, you two, if you don't leave, I'll call Professor Snape to take care of you."

Although surprised, Pomfrey quickly pulled herself together and silenced the rowdy students, at the same time, she approached Extimum with a somewhat worried look as she noted his more than unfavorable appearance, however, there was also some relief in her eyes upon seeing him.

Perspectives on the disappearance of Extimum were not at all positive among students and teachers.

Without giving Extimum time to even utter a word of greeting, she gently took his hand and directed him quickly to the nearest empty stretcher, making him take a seat and closing the curtains to begin the examination.

It was only a matter of the curtain closing as his wand shot out with impressive speed and with great practice and skill she chain-cast more than a dozen spells over Extimum's body.

As the spells came and went, Pomfrey frowned and relaxed multiple times before finally stopping and heaving a sigh of relief, however, her hands didn't stop, as bandages and potions of all kinds began to float from her tray of tools.

Pomfrey: "There are no fractures or seriously injured organs, just some mostly superficial lacerations in the process of healing, but by Merlin, so much blood... and these wounds look like burns... No, more like corrosion caused by poison. Where I left my antidotes … It doesn't seem like anything is going wrong, but clearly the blood and vitality levels are almost millimetrically at the right point to not be dangerous…".

Extimum calmly watched as it seemed his person was completely ignored in favor of treating his body and it wasn't until a few minutes later when he looked almost like a mummy that Pomfrey finally stopped, wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief that I pull out of her apron.

Most surprising of all, Pomfrey had managed to do all of this without removing the bloody and somewhat damaged clothing he was wearing. Extimum supposed that it was out of fear that perhaps the blood staining his clothes could touch other areas of his skin and hurt him more, that he first isolated it with the bandages.

After all, although a good part of the blood was from Extimum, as a medi-witch, it wasn't hard for her to notice that the other part didn't belong to her and was clearly poisonous.

What she didn't know was that the poison in the blood on his clothes had long since been dissipated by the antidote he was basically bathed in before coming here, so right now it wasn't much different from normal magical blood.

However, Pomfrey hadn't had time to check it yet, since outside of controlling his main injuries and isolating his body from his clothes, what troubled her mind the most and confused her were the results of her spells.

Although Extimum's situation looked somewhat bad and in fact was bad in a way, but he was just at the point, no more, no less, to pass as someone healthy with only a few deficiencies that could be easily treated with medication and rest.

Something like that didn't make sense given the evidence of something more serious than his clothing, but before she could start questioning Extimum, the sound of the curtain opening caught her attention.

With a graceful step and not opening the curtain too far to obscure the view of the students outside, Christelle entered the area enclosed by it.

Christelle: "You don't have to worry so much Mrs. Pomfrey, I already made sure that my nephew's life and health is not in danger and in addition to needing a bath and a change of clothes, with a little rest and supplements he will be in perfect condition again "

Somewhat upset by the intrusion in the middle of the treatment, Pomfrey prepared to scold the incoming person, when she caught sight of said person's appearance, followed by hearing her words. Immediately, her complexion changed a bit.

Pomfrey: "Chris- Miss Shadowless... I haven't seen you in a long time. I think I heard Principal Mcgonagall mention that a Shadowless family guardian would be here, but I didn't think it was you..."

Christelle: "It's certainly been a while since the last time. On the other hand, I'm glad to see that you still care so much about the well-being of my family members."

Pomfrey: "Yes, it is my job after all, plus young Extimum could be considered my partial apprentice."

Christelle: "Wow? That's kind of interesting now."

Seeing that the talk of the two women seemed to extend, Extimum subtly pushed them out and proceeded to take out the sick clothes that he knew were kept in the nightstand next to all the stretchers to change clothes. He still hadn't got his bag back so he didn't have to settle for this.

He couldn't use magic and there was nothing to clean himself with, so he just combed his hair a little as he could and wiped his face with a damp cloth that was there, it wasn't the best, but it would work for a while to at least not look so unfortunate.

While he was doing all that, he kept listening to the talk between the two women outside the curtain. Judging by some tension and discomfort that he was perceiving from the conversation and from the emotions that both emitted, he intuit that there was some story between the two.

Since Madam Pomfrey wasn't exactly being very tactful with her animosity.

Extimum: "Madam Pomfrey, why are there so many students here?" Opening the curtains that enclosed the stretcher, Extimum asked.

Pomfrey: "*sigh* It's because of that wild creature that's been running all over the castle or rather, it's the fault of most of the students for being so reckless. Running madly after an unknown creature and casting spells all over the place? everywhere? That's just asking for trouble.

Luckily, that creature didn't seem aggressive enough or this could have ended much worse.

Most of the students here just overshot their bodies and a few more were injured by all the mess, reflected spells, or aftermath from it, with only one last small part coming into direct contact with the creature and being pseudo-petrified, although the effect is expected to dissipate in a few hours".

"Ah, now that I think about it, that girl, Hermione, was also brought here by Bloom late at night. For some reason she lost her memory of the last few hours and we have no way at the moment of knowing what happened, except However, given the delicate nature of the matter, we have called a medi-wizard from St. Mungo specialized in these cases to make sure that everything in her mind is fine and, if possible, recover her memories.

Frankly, I'm not sure if she's lucky or unlucky anymore, since outside of the Quidditch team, she's the one who has come to the infirmary the most in recent months.

She's on the ninth stretcher, you can go see her if you want. I already checked your status and it's as your aunt says, just make sure you rest well afterwards."

Extimum: "Then I'll go see her, thanks for bandaging my wounds."

Pomfrey: "Just go, I still have a lot of work to do here."

Walking somewhat stiffly, Extimum now noticed that walking with bandages all over his body was not very comfortable as they limited his mobility a bit. Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure all these bandages were necessary, but having arrived here the way he had, it didn't leave him much of a chance to continue casually.

The surrounding students did not miss a chance to look at him seeing him go out and walk outside. Many believed that he would not survive or did not expect to see him again.

Glancing back briefly, he noted that Christelle still remained with Pomfrey even though she had already set out to treat the remaining students.

Since the infirmary was not very large, it didn't take long for him to arrive in front of gurney nine. Like most of the ones he saw on his way here, it was shut in by the curtains, but the light inside was still on.

The reason why he had suggested that Hermione was here, was because through his connection with Bloom he had sensed that she was no longer in the Ravenclaw tower area but in the infirmary area and given last instructions and how he left the situation with Bloom before he left her with Hermione, it wasn't strange that he had brought her here.

Of course, there were still other possibilities, but he knew Bloom wasn't someone irresponsible who would just leave it at that whens he saw Hermione's abnormal state.

Standing in front of gurney nine, he hear the sound of muttering.

Extimum: "Can I come in?" Only now did Extimum notice that his voice sounded somewhat strange, it had acquired a deeper note, it didn't sound bad, but the change was somewhat abrupt.

Hermione: "Go ahead."

After some noise from inside, Hermione answered, so he pushed aside the curtain and went inside.

Upon entering, he saw Hermione sitting on the table, with a notebook that seemed to have been hastily closed along with a quill and inkwell on the nightstand.

Not far from the inkwell with the quill, Bloom was standing acting somewhat absent-minded, as she sometimes does when strangers arrive.

They were both looking at him when he entered and their faces went from composure to joy and surprise.

Hermione and Bloom: "Extimum!".

Despite its mummy-like appearance, they both had no difficulty recognizing it and moved closer to take a closer look at it.

Hermione: "Extimum, are you okay? Why do you look like a mummy? No, delete that, I'm glad you're back safely, but how are you here? Did Professor Lockhart really save you?" A sea of emotions surged through Hermione as she saw Extimum alive and back.

Stopping the words he was about to say, Extimum looked at her strangely. With everything that had happened, the last thing he expected to hear was something like Lockhart had saved him, however, his confusion didn't last long, when Bloom showed up to assuage his doubt.

Bloom: "Hermione lost her memory, she doesn't remember anything after she went out with Harry and Ron to look for Lockhart"— Lowering her voice a little more— "And I think she became a bit silly-"

Hermione: "Hey, I heard that and I already told you I didn't get dumb, you just asked me at the wrong time, I was still relocating."

Extimum: "Did you lose your memory? Did Lockhart…".

Remembering how things were supposed to happen and Harry's vague and rather short account of what he had gone through to rescue them, Extimum began to connect the dots, as a train of thought began to form.

Now he understood why Harry had been vague on various details. Lockhart had tried to erase their memories, but the Hermione factor here and perhaps added to the fact that Ron now had his wand in working order caused Hermione to end up affected.

Hermione: "What's with Lockhart? *Ugh* My head."

Extimum: "What's wrong?"

Hermione: "It's nothing, it's just a bit of a migraine". Trying to defuse the situation and gently rubbing her temples Hermione responded.

Bloom: "Not true, she has that reaction every time she tries to remember what happened."

Frowning, Extimum considered whether he had perhaps been too light on Lockhart.

Extimum: "Allow me for a moment" Taking Hermione's hand, Extimum focused on his connection to her. He couldn't do magic right now, but not all of his abilities were limited to it.

A slight distortion flickered in the air, as all the mental clouds that only Extimum could see and surrounding Hermione's head dissipated. While he couldn't help her right now with what Lockhart had damaged either because of his current situation or because he didn't have enough mastery of legilimency, but there was still a thing or two he could do with his empathic ability.

Extimum: "Are you feeling better?"

Hermione: "Yeah... what did you do?" Feeling somewhat puzzled by the sudden disappearance of the migraine and the new clarity of mind she felt, Hermione asked.

Extimum: "Just dispel your mental confusion." This was a skill he had developed after what had happened the day of the troll attack and he realized that he was actually not very good at putting people at ease.

Although it was the first time he tried it since before it was more theoretical, with so many ideas in his head sometimes he had trouble putting them all into practice.

Bloom only watched from the side, in the time that had passed after Extimum left Hermione, she had found out a little from the others' conversations about what had happened, so she was worried when she found out that Extimum was being hunted, but considering that he had visited her some time after such events, at least she knew that she had managed to escape, so she could be much easier to constantly check the connection she had with Extimum.

However, he didn't know why Extimum hadn't asked him for help after that, but choosing to trust him despite knowing his approximate location hadn't gone looking for him, of course, that had nothing to do with the fact that he was. he perceived several kilometers below the castle and did not know how to get there.

Hermione: "But are you really okay? With all those bandages it's impossible not to worry a little."

Extimum: "It's quite a long story actually and there will be time to tell it when the others come here. The important thing is that everything is resolved. As for your memory, don't worry, I'm sure you can recover it"

Hermione:"-"

Christelle: "Ah, here you are, Extimum. So she is Hermione?" Stepping through the curtain, Christelle commented upon seeing Hermione.

Her sudden arrival made Bloom rush to take refuge with Extimum and both her and Hermione felt chills running through their bodies. The surrounding atmosphere mysteriously became a few degrees colder.

With a somewhat sharp and searching gaze, Christelle swept her eyes over Bloom for a moment before stopping on Hermione, trying to see if there was anything special about her.

Although Extimum had not shown any emotion as usual, but by dealing with similar men, among them, his brother, he had obtained some ability to notice some things, among which although he did not feel any emotion, but he did perceive a clear interest... in Hermione's state from Extimum, which was enough for her to take a bit of interest as well.

Christelle: "I apologize for the sudden intrusion"— Bowing her head a little as well as her body in a certain noble mannerism, Christelle spoke— "I'm Christelle Shadowless, Extimum's aunt, you must be her friend, right?"

Hermione: "H-hi, nice to meet you, I'm Hermione Granger." Stilling the shudder in her body with force, Hermione introduced herself as she tried to ignore the feeling that coursed through her body as she faced the woman before her.

Extimum: "Okay, aunt, there will be time for you to meet my friends later. It's quite early and Hermione needs to rest after the last events. In fact, I need to rest too, why don't we go and settle down later to meet up?"

Christelle: "Granger? Hmm... I don't know that last name anywhere. What family are you from, Hermione? Or are you perhaps part of a collateral branch?" Completely ignoring Extimum's words, Christelle continued speaking, a genuine feeling of confusion in her tone.

Hermione: "Family? Oh no, I don't belong to any wizarding family, my parents are normal people, they are dentists in the muggle world." Although she still felt somewhat uncomfortable from the woman's voice, upon learning that it was Extimum's aunt, she tried to ignore such feeling.

Christelle:"Dentists? Muggle world?"— Christelle showed a distinctly puzzled look on her face for a moment, before her brow twisted deeply and a hint of displeasure seeped into her gaze—"I see… Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you, but since you need to rest, I won't take any more of your time. Extimum, let's go, I still have to meet with the director to end this situation."

As if all her interest had vanished, Christelle maintained her decorum, but didn't want to stay any longer, waving Extimum out and taking the first step out of the room.

Bloom: 'Although she wasn't rude, she could have been less obvious…'.

Hermione: "Did I do something wrong?" Hermione of course wasn't stupid and she could feel the clear change, however she didn't understand what had caused it. 'Perhaps my lack of etiquette bothered her?'

Although she had studied some wizarding world etiquette so as not to seem rude or completely ignorant of the formalities, but she still wasn't very good at it or spent enough time on it, so her first thought was whether maybe it had been something rude

At no time could Hermione have thought that it had something to do with her origin, however, it was not her fault, having Extimum as a reference and taking into account the fame of the Shadowless family in the community, she had created in her mind the idea that like the Weasleys, the Shadowless had goodwill towards the muggle-born and didn't care much for it.

In fact, that was precisely what the Shadowless family was looking for, to be perceived as someone friendly to Muggle-borns in order to gain a certain advantage in business, as well as being able to catch the outstanding talents that came out of them.

Which was quite effective since many Muggle-borns preferred to go to their establishments on many occasions to do all kinds of business or as a place to work under said thought.

With that said, they were actually always more neutral, but under perfect professionalism and a not-so-good comparison on the side, that was more than enough, even so, each member's personal opinion could still be different as long as they didn't explicitly show it. .

Extimum: "It's nothing, she's just like that." Throwing aside the barely knowing her, he didn't want Hermione to feel unappreciated.

Christelle: "Extimum, aren't you coming?" Speaking from outside the curtains, Christelle urged.

Extimum felt somewhat uncomfortable, in his entire life after he finished classes with his mother at approximately 8 years old, he had never had to answer to anyone or have someone meddle too much with his actions or affairs, so that aside from having to meet various harsh and somewhat rigid standards, it had always been pretty out of control.

However, soon the shouting of two people followed by his entrance saved him from having a somewhat complicated conversation and having to leave Hermione alone so quickly.

Harry and Ron: "Hermione!"