章節 53: Denouement
Harry: "Are you okay, Hermione? How did you get here?"
Hermione: "What do you mean?"
Ron: "What do we mean? Don't you remember?"
Hermione: "No…"
Harry: "..."
Ron: "…"
They were both silent for a second and the words they were about to say caught on the tips of their tongues.
Shifting his gaze, Harry looked at Extimum for a silent explanation. He had been the one to guess Hermione's location and he had also arrived before them so he should know something.
Extimum: "It's what you think, but... at the moment it doesn't seem so bad, on the other hand, it's hard to tell, the mind is a very complicated thing. Madam Pomfrey said that an expert medi-wizard from St. Mungo's would arrive in the afternoon, so until then the extent of the damage cannot be said"
Ron: "Ah! I'm going to kill Lockhart!"
Harry: "Ron, no, calm down. It won't do any good anymore, he doesn't even remember him or who he is to begin with…"
Hermione: "Guys, what are you talking about? You're just spouting random stuff and I feel left out."
Harry: "I'll explain, but first... How did you get here to the infirmary? Do you know?"
Ron: "Of course not, can't you see she's lost her memory?-"
Hermione: "Actually, I do know, it was Bloom who brought me here and she's been with me all this time."
Harry and Ron: "Bloom?"
Harry and Ron's gazes immediately shot to the small figure of Bloom sitting comfortably on Extimum's shoulder. Their glances caused Bloom to shift slightly in her position, having suddenly become the center of attention.
Bloom: 'Ah, ah, now what? And if they discover us? Extimum, tell me quickly, what should I say?'.
Still maintaining her outward composure, Bloom hastened to say in a panic and nervousness through the mental connection with Extimum.
Extimum: 'Nothing…'.
Bloom:'How come nothing? They will want to- Oh…hehehe.'
Facing the other direction, Bloom immediately changed her attitude to one of being ignorant of what she just said, while Extimum just mentally rolled his eyes.
Outwardly, however, she acted clueless and just blinked cutely as she returned Harry's and Ron's gaze.
Since almost no one knew that she could communicate with words, there was no need to worry about responding.
Ron: "Great, now the only person who has a clue what happened is someone who can't speak or even understand the situation."
Harry: "Hmm, Bloom is quite receptive sometimes though, can't you try asking her, Extimum?"
Extimum: "I'll try, but not right now. First we should go talk to Principal Mcgonagall to explain the situation, we can't just let them continue to believe that Ginny and me are missing."
Ron: "Ah, but in that case we still have to wait for Madam Pomfrey to finish checking us all, otherwise she won't let us out of here, not in the state we're in at least, we could only get here to Hermione because she took care of Ginny the moment we walked in"
Harry: "Yes… however, Extimum is right, Ron, we need to let your parents know that Ginny is alive and well."
Ron: "How did you know then that Hermione would be here though, Extimum?"
Extimum: "It's a little hard to explain, but don't forget, it was more of a guess than a proper statement. I may not have told you, but I have a somewhat special connection to Bloom, so I can sense where she is and send her certain instructions through a mental link that unites us, this also works in reverse if I wish."
"The point is that when I was kidnapped by the basilisk and I was running away in the pipes in the chamber of secrets, I tried to call her to help me. She couldn't come at first, but I guess when you guys came, Bloom was finally able to find a way to go to where I was."
"But probably due to the difficulty of communication and the distance, it was not easy for her to find me, even so, although at first I felt that she was getting closer to my position, after a while she stopped and turned back."
"At first I didn't understand, but after you said that Hermione was missing and the area where you showed us she was, I figured that maybe Bloom went back because she had bumped into Hermione and seeing her condition had taken her to the Nursing".
Hermione gave Extimum a somewhat strange look.
She knew that Bloom could communicate perfectly, so it was impossible that if Extimum and Bloom could communicate, Bloom would just abandon him after seeing her and it was more likely that after bringing her here, she would come back for Extimum.
It was obvious to her that Extimum was hiding something here, however, she didn't mention it right away and remained silent, things clearly weren't simple and if he couldn't tell Harry and Ron then she had better wait for him to tell her.
Ron: "Wait, did you make a magical contract with Bloom? Otherwise, there's no way you'd be able to pick up on all those things you're saying."
Extimum: "Yes-".
Christelle: "Extimum, hurry up."
Ignoring Christelle's call from outside, Extimum continued.
Extimum: "Anyway, that's the gist of the matter, for now, it looks like I have to go. Hermione, I'm sorry, although I told you I'd tell you everything when Harry and Ron got back, but as you can see, I have to go right now."
Hermione: "Okay, I understand, it doesn't look like a short story anyway."
Extimum nodded in gratitude for her understanding, although more than that, for her silence, since he knew that there was a detail that could not be hidden from Hermione in what he had said earlier.
Extimum: 'Bloom, stay here and continue to keep Hermione company, although she is calm, this little conversation is already upsetting her enough to feel that she forgot something important.'
Bloom: 'Okay, I'll keep her company, but you still have to explain everything that happened to me.'
Extimum: 'Yes, I promise I'll tell you everything later.'
Bloom: 'Well…'. Although somewhat reluctant to part with Extimum so soon, Bloom still flew up to land on Hermione's shoulder.
With that, Extimum left the room.
Ron: "Although then why didn't Professor Lockhart mention that he had seen Bloom and Hermione being carried away by her?"
Harry: "Maybe...he didn't see it? After all, you left Lockhart alone and the cave was very dark, besides, he doesn't even remember who he is, so it wouldn't be strange if he still had memory problems" .
Honestly, Harry had some doubts as well, since he knew a bit more than Ron. He knew that Bloom was not a normal fairy and unlike the others he had seen, she was very intelligent and not much different from anyone else, most importantly, she could talk.
This last, however, he sometimes forgot, since it was that time on his trip to China, he had not seen Bloom speak again. In fact, when he mentioned that Bloom was quite perceptive, he was surreptitiously hinting to Extimum that he could ask her directly.
However, Harry didn't care so much about those details right now, what mattered to him is that all of his friends were safe and sound.
Ron: "You're right..." Ron felt a little bad now that Harry was saying it like that, since he felt that he was intimidating a sick person, however, it was only a little, he still didn't like Lockhart very much.
Hermione: "Then could you tell me what happened?"
Harry: "Oh yeah, well, first tell me what's the last thing you remember."
Hermione: "The last thing I remember was..."
Hermione then proceeded to tell them what she remembered, while Harry and Ron in turn began to fill in the blanks.
In the time that she had been here she had talked to Bloom, but she herself did not know much about the situation and avoided telling her many details so she could only base herself on what they told her now.
.
After leaving the room, Extimum found Christelle waiting for him not far away, she seemed to be checking something, but she put it away as soon as she saw Extimum leave. Leading the way out of the infirmary without saying a single word on the way.
Her look and general mood were not as pleasant as before, although Extimum doubted that it was because of the delay in leaving, however, it was already something for which he had prepared a year ago when he decided to follow the impulse of his body and become close with Hermione.
The pace at which they were walking was much more moderate now compared to their initial haste when they came. After some time and having gone far enough from the infirmary, with no people in the vicinity, Christelle finally spoke.
Christelle: "I hope you haven't forgotten-".
Extimum: "I haven't…I never would"
Christelle: "Insolent, I'm not done talking yet"— Giving him a haughty look with a cold tone, Christelle commented, before lightening her tone and continuing—"And even if you do know, you'd do well to listen."
"Being so close to Muggle-borns is not good, they put strange ideas into your head. The neutrality of our family demands socializing and fraternizing with all sides, but even so, a Shadowless must choose their companions and associates carefully, especially with the current conflicts in the wizarding world. You could cause serious misunderstandings about the disposition of our family."
Extimum: "I understand, Aunt, but like I said, I haven't forgotten. My relationship with the members of both factions is good, and my main friends are not related to either of them, so you don't have to worry."
Christelle: "Okay, as long as you're aware of it… Now, let's put those issues aside, such trifles shouldn't affect our relationship, especially when it's just starting out, so why don't we get to know each other better? And maybe I'll tell you a little about the spell you want to know, what do you think?"
Extimum: "That's a good idea, but shouldn't we hurry up and talk to the headmistress first?"
Christelle: "We should, certainly, however, clearly the Potter heir and young Weasley know information of great relevance to the case, since they got there first and by their words, they opened the chamber of secrets, so if we just hurry to go at this time, we would still have to wait for them to fill certain gaps in the information.
And I don't think the principal's office is a good place to socialize, so we can take some time…Madam Pomfrey will still take a while to release them anyway."
Extimum: "Do you seem to know Madam Pomfrey quite well?"
Christelle: "Hmm? The same could be said of you then. See what, Medi-Wizard's Apprentice… you are the first in our branch to take an interest in such subjects in at least five generations not counting mine. On the other hand, You're right. Madam Pomfrey has been working at the school for a few years now and in my time at Hogwarts there was a certain period in which we were somewhat close, but that is now a thing of the past."
"We better talk about my spell…"
…
After walking around the floors of the castle and finding out that Mcgonagall didn't use the principal's office but instead attended in her personal office, they finally arrived in front of her door.
It was a remarkable fact that she did not choose to use the headmaster's office despite currently holding the position, demonstrating her clear faith and confidence that Dumbledore would return.
**Knock Knock**
Giving a light tap on the door with her hand, Christelle took two steps back and waited next to Extimum.
"Enter". A female voice with a few hints of fatigue came from the other side of the door.
Just as they were preparing to enter, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard from their right and they turned to see the figures of Harry, Ron and Ginny running towards them.
From the looks of it, they had left Professor Lockhart in the infirmary since he wasn't coming with them.
Ron: "*gasp* Hadn't they been out long before us?"
Having rushed from the infirmary wing they were barely able to escape Pomfrey and give Hermione some company, they had hoped to be the last to arrive and not in its place, about the same time as Extimum.
Extimum: "We took a few detours before we got there."
Christelle didn't bother too much with them and opened the door directly, while the others entered not long after with Extimum in the lead.
Molly: "G-Ginny!"
Arthur: Ginny!
Mcgonagall: "Miss Shadowless, Extimum…"
As soon as they entered, they were greeted by cries of surprise, relief and happiness, from a sobbing Mrs. Weasley as well as a distraught Arthur Weasley, who were sitting on the sofa in the office next to the fireplace.
Ginny was immediately caught in their arms as Extimum and the rest made some space for them.
Extimum's gaze shifted from the emotional parent couple to the back of the office, where Mcgonagall and former Headmaster Dumbledore were watching the scene with contrasting emotion.
While Mcgonagall looked clearly both relieved and concerned at the appearance of the incoming people, Dumbledore instead stood there calmly, a simple smile on his face and Fawkes perched over his shoulder.
Molly: "You saved her! You saved her! Thank you, thank you very much." Giving Harry a big crushing hug and Ron as soon as she released Ginny, Molly thanked them profusely before turning her gaze to Extimum and Christelle.
"Extimum, I'm glad you're safe too!" Without losing her momentum, Molly also gave Extimum a big hug.
Although somewhat stiffly, Extimum accepted the hug and gently patted Mrs. Weasley on the back, who had leaned a bit due to the difference in size.
After releasing Extimum, Molly turned her attention to Christelle.
Extimum thought for a moment that Christelle would avoid her, but contrary to his thought, Christelle also came forward to receive the thanks even if she looked just as uncomfortable as Extimum.
However, with a little extra thought, it wasn't so strange anymore, in fact, it made quite a bit of sense for her to get the hug.
The Weasleys now owed the Shadowless a favor to help save their daughter, so getting the hug was in order.
It might be called hypocrisy, and Extimum wouldn't deny it, but that's what all noble families were after all. Honor, glory, and pride were the norm, but debts of gratitude carried far more weight even within families on the darker side of the world.
Mcgonagall: "Miss Shadowless, would you mind sharing the situation with us?"
Christelle: "Naturally it wouldn't be a problem, but… I think it would be more appropriate if Mr. Potter told his part of the story first, after all, his role was no less important and he played the first parts of it."
McGonagall raised an eyebrow at her words, and couldn't help but glance at the grinning Dumbledore at her side, before fixing her attention on Harry.
Under everyone's gaze, Harry walked over to the front desk and placed on it the Sorting Hat, the silver Gryffindor sword, and Tom Riddle's damaged diary.
Then he began to narrate everything that had happened.
Starting with how he had gotten clues about the possible location of the Chamber of Secrets, having gone into the Forbidden Forest with Ron to ask Aragog about the first murder the Basilisk committed, guessing that it was Myrtle and that the entrance might be nearby.
Mcgonagall more than frowned upon hearing all the infractions to the school rules they had committed, but seeing the general mood she restrained herself strongly from commenting.
Pausing briefly, Harry continued to tell how the news of Ginny and Extimum's disappearance had affected them and how, counting on those clues, they had decided to share them with Lockhart so that he would go rescue them, but instead they found him running away and on impulse, they had ended up forcing him to accompany them to rescue his friends...
Arthur and Molly Weasley frowned a bit and didn't hide their dissatisfaction at hearing about this. With all the fanfare and fame of Gilderoy Lockhart, they would have expected more from someone like him.
However, they soon let it go. Realistically, they themselves wouldn't dare face a basilisk in any other situation. They knew their own abilities and while they had had their share of experiences as members of the order, these were limited only to dealing with other mages, fighting magical creatures was an entirely different matter.
The story went on and on, moving on to fighting Lockhart once inside, then being separated and Harry facing Tom Riddle, then Ron's arrival, the appearance of an unknown creature, and finally the arrival of Christelle who then subdued the basilisk.
This time, compared to the quick summary he had given Extimum and Christelle on chamber, Harry was quite detailed in his recounting, yet, whether out of personality or perhaps pity, Harry tried to downplay Lockhart's actions. He believed that his current situation was more than enough punishment seeing that no one ended up seriously.
Besides, the matter was quite delicate and it was best to discuss it with Dumbledore in private.
With that said, Ron wasn't so convinced with his decision and interrupted to clarify a bit more the facts of what had happened when he parted ways with Harry, although since he wasn't very good at expressing himself, it didn't make Lockhart's already low opinion too bad after what Harry said.
Christelle: "In my case, things were simpler having this device"—Giving a quick demonstration of the familiar tracking device, she continued—"As Mcgonagall knows, I hunted down the creature wrapped in mist that caused chaos at the moment of my arrival at school".
Ron: "What?"
Molly: "Shh, don't interrupt, Ronald."
Ron made a grimace as Christelle continued her tale. He glanced at Harry and noticed that they both shared equally puzzled looks, as it seemed that a lot had happened while they were trying to rescue Ginny and Extimum.
Extimum followed the artifact with his eyes until Christelle put it away, she hadn't mentioned it before and with so many things on his mind, he hadn't considered the fact that her finding it wasn't just by chance and the effort of look for it.
Christelle: "As I was saying, while chasing said creature, I ended up in the bathrooms on the second floor, where the unknown creature jumped through the open entrance to the chamber of secrets and after sealing the area I dove in as well…"
Christelle then narrated about how she had easily subdued the basilisk because it was already incredibly weak and using the same artifact she had found Extimum in a near-death situation, which luckily she had managed to reverse and stabilize.
Her words, in addition to bringing clarity and relief, also brought alarm and caution to learn that under the school there was still a creature no weaker than the basilisk and perhaps a little stronger.
Christelle: "You don't have to worry though. After this, I'll go back downstairs myself and search every corner until I hunt down the creature."
Mcgonagall: "*sigh* Thank you, Miss Shadowless, for all you've done."
Although Mcgonagall knew that Christelle had selfish motives, she still thanked her since thanks to her, all the students had returned safely and also, the other creature was clearly very dangerous and would be a threat to the students' safety.
Dumbledore: "And the basilisk, I suppose it's dead, right?"
Christelle: "That's right, Mr. Potter himself took his last breath."
All the adults in the room subconsciously raised their eyebrows at his words, as they had expected Christelle to be the one to finish it off.
Dumbledore: "What puzzles me most, however, is how Lord Voldemort managed to bewitch Ginny, when my sources tell me that he is currently hiding in the forests of Albania."
Extimum narrowed his gaze slightly upon hearing Dumbledore's words. That was a rather important piece of information that Dumbledore supposed he got from having people like Snape on the dark lord's side.
Thoughts of traveling to Albania to capture him in his weakened state flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed them, since even if he was weak, something like "he's in the forests of Albania" wasn't enough to find him in such a large place.
How many forests would not be there? And not to mention that the size may not necessarily be small, not to mention that Extimum knew that Voldemort was currently in a spirit state so physical blocks would not be an obstacle for him and he could even be under any stone.
Finally, if Dumbledore knew he was there, that meant that others on the dark side knew as well and it was likely then that he was protected by some fanatical Death Eaters.
Arthur:"Wha…what?"— Stunned, Mr. Weasley hastened to ask—"Y-You-Know-Who? Bewitched Ginny? But Ginny hasn't…Ginny hasn't been…has she?"
Fear was evident in Arthur's tone and Molly's pale face at the possibility that her daughter had been corrupted.
Harry: "It was the diary," Harry said immediately, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore, "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen."
Dumbledore picked up the journal Harry was holding and carefully examined its pages, burned by poison corrosion and wet from exposure to the Chamber of Secrets.
Dumbledore: "Magnificent"—he said softly—"Of course, he was probably the most intelligent student Hogwarts has ever had"—Turning to the Weasleys, who looked at him perplexed—"Very few know that Lord Voldemort was formerly called Tom Riddle.
I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving school... He traveled the world... delved into the Dark Arts, dealt with the worst of our kind, undertook dangers, magical transformations, to such an extent that when he re-emerged as Lord Voldemort, he was unrecognizable.
Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever and charming boy who received the Head Boy here."
While Dumbledore spoke, Extimum took the opportunity to get closer and look at the diary in detail. Before, he hadn't dared to even pick it up because of the risk, but right now it was nothing more than a discarded magical artifact, even so, it still had some of its enchantments that would be great study material.
Molly: "But Ginny... what does our Ginny have to do with him?"
Ginny: "Her...her diary!"—Ginny said between sobs—"I've been writing on it, and it's been replying to me all term..."
Arthur: "Ginny! Haven't I taught you a thing? What have I always told you? Don't trust things that have the ability to think, but you don't know where their brains are. Why didn't you teach me the me or your mother? Such a suspicious object like that, it had to be black magic!"
Ginny: "No...I didn't know"—Ginny sobbed—"I found it in one of the books Mom bought me. I thought someone had left it there and forgot..."
Extimum's examination came to a sudden halt as Dumbledore calmly closed the torn journal and placed it on the desk, giving Extimum a slight smile before speaking, looking at Mrs. Weasley.
Dumbledore: "Miss Weasley should go straight to the infirmary. It has been a terrible experience for her. There will be no punishment. Lord Voldemort has fooled older and wiser wizards"— Walking to the door, he opened it, indicating that they should come out—" Bed rest and maybe a bowl of hot chocolate. It always cheers me up."
Ron: "We already went to the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey said she wasn't hurt anywhere and just needed to rest."
Dumbledore: "Oh, in that case, you can go back to your bedroom if you prefer, still, I think spending some quality time in close proximity to family would be best."
Mrs. Weasley walked out with Ginny, and Arthur trailing behind, who was still quite shocked by the information he had just received.
Christelle, on the other hand, simply remained silent and just as Extimum took a few more glances at the diaryon the desk, but didn't come closer to look at it, it didn't seem like it in its current state would command enough of her attention.
Dumbledore: "You know, Minerva?"—he speak thoughtfully—"I think this deserves a good banquet. May I ask you to go tell the kitchen?"
Mcgonagall: "Okay, then I'll go now and leave you to finish dealing with business here."
"Now, Miss Christelle. Allow me to express my sincerest thanks to myself and the school. The help you have provided today could have been vital in the safe outcome of this situation. On the other hand, although I see that young Extimum has already been treated, like Miss Ginny, I would recommend you have a good rest, after all, the situation you have experienced has been no less shocking and perhaps traumatic".
Extimum: "Thank you for your concern, Professor Dumbledore, after here, I'll take your word for it and go to rest."
Dumbledore nodded slightly and continued.
Dumbledore: "Furthermore, as soon as you've finished your search in the Chamber of Secrets, Miss Shadowless, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to take some of your time to discuss certain matters."
Christelle: "It would be a pleasure."
Nodding slightly to Harry and Ron, Extimum walked out of the office with Christelle. They were done with the formalities so now they were free to go.
Christelle: "Go back and rest. I'll go back to the chamber of secrets to find the other creature."
Extimum: "You will still be-".
Christelle: "Yeah, I'll make sure I'm still there when you wake up, anyway, I don't have any urgent business at the ministry right now."
The Unspeakables, as members of one of the most guarded and secretive departments in the ministry, were essentially top-secret magical researchers and only had some occasional special tasks they had to fulfill, so they had some latitude to show up for work.
Also, since they were all under various magical oaths, the ministry didn't care too much about divulging information, besides of course, the identity or fact that a wizard was an Unspeakable was usually kept secret.
Extimum's lip twitched a bit. Christelle's clear interruption had been more than voluntary in a clear attempt to return the favor after he'd interrupted her, the fact made even more evident by the suggestive smile Christelle gave him before turning to go another way. .
*sigh*
Giving a tired sigh, Extimum started to walk towards the Ravenclaw common room.
He no longer felt so bitter toward Christelle, though much of it had to do with the talk they'd had on the way here, where he'd not only gotten to know her a little better, but had also learned a lot from the short briefing about his own lives experiences in creating spells.
Spellmaking was too complicated a subject and books weren't enough for references, so it had been very enlightening. On the other hand, it could be due to his peculiar childhood, but although he still felt somewhat annoyed, he no longer resented the fact that she had almost killed him.
...
After taking a few shortcuts and walking around for a while, he finally arrive in front of their common room and walk through the door into the main hall.
**Confetti**
As soon as he walked through the door, he was greeted with an explosion of confetti, followed by sounds of whistles and trumpets coming from some magical toy.
A crowd of students were gathered there, looking at him and chatting excitedly, some even carrying banners in their hands.
**Bustle**
"Welcome back".
"He really survived."
"Though it looks like a mummy now."
**Sound of fireworks**.
"Extimum! Extimum! Extimum!"
Extimum was surprised to be surrounded by a crowd of students who seemed clearly happy for his return.
The Ravenclaw house was generally known for the competitiveness and individuality of its students, however, it was one of the most united when it came to external things, even so, Extimum did not believe that said union was enough to receive such an emotional reception.
Of course, it was just that that surprised him, finding out about his safe return was not at all unusual since as everyone knew, at Hogwarts, gossip really does fly, especially when quite a few people saw him in the infirmary.
Extimum: "Thank you all for your welcome." Although caught off guard by the sudden outpouring, Extimum was after all someone who had been raised to deal with people, so it didn't take him long to adjust and calm down the students while receiving their emotionality and congratulations.
Most were happy for his safe return, aside from the fact that he had survived the basilisk attack, however, they also commented on various things that he didn't fully understand, but he didn't bother to understand right now.
Close to finally getting out of the encirclement of people, a somewhat stocky figure pushed through the crowd.
Steve: "Extimum! I'm glad you're back. I always knew you'd be back." Steve hurried over with a big smile and gave Extimum a big man hug, before patting him on the back.
Trudor: "I must say you're not wrong for once, fat boy". Trudor also stepped out of the crowd and patted Extimum a few times on the shoulder.
Mitchell: "*Sniff Sniff* Extimum, you really came back, I thought I'd never see you again". Mitchell also arrived, wiping his nose and red-eyed, he gave Extimum a hug.
Steve: "Hmp, to think you were a crybaby". Seeing Mitchell's unrefined attitude, Steve as usual didn't miss an opportunity to sneer.
Mitchell: "Shut up Steve, these are man's tears. I thought I lost one of my best friends."
Extimum: "Okay, okay, I appreciate your sentiment, but don't get my bandages dirty with snot."
Mitchell: "*Sniff* Yeah, this is the Extimum I know. Hahahaha."
Padma: "Euuugh, Mitchell, that's disgusting. Here, wipe yourself with this tissue." Dodging the area where Mitchell had snotted Extimum's bandages, Padma also walked over and gave him a hug, before handing Mitchell a handkerchief.
Mitchell: "Thank you."
Extimum: "What is all this?"
Trudor: "It was Steve's idea, he said since you survived, we should give our hero a big reception."
Extimum: "Hero?" Perplexed, Extimum asked.
Padma: "It's normal that you don't know, after all you weren't there at the time. It's all because of the glasses you created."
"After you disappeared, things were a little tense all around and last night it finally blew up into a frenzy. It all started here in our common room. The basilisk showed up somehow and then…well, things got A little messy honestly, but it was amazing."
"It was as if all the anger and resentment in everyone's hearts exploded as one. All the fear, all the annoyance about the curfew and the restrictions, all of that just became the fuel that ignited a thirst for revenge".
"*Cough* So well, everyone took their wands and the glasses you made and we charged up to fight the basilisk and well, thinking about it now, it was a really dangerous thing…"— Padma shuddered slightly at the thought before continuing—" The thing is, well, if it wasn't for your glasses, it's likely that many would have died or wouldn't have dared to act so boldly."
"In counting on them, they were all too brave and even daring. Hmp, we taught it well, the basilisk could only run away before us, and no students were killed, only a few were injured."
Trudor: "Although the teachers later said it wasn't the basilisk, but we don't believe it, after all, some students were petrified."
Padma: "And that's why you're our hero, since no one died because of you."
Extimum: "...".
Steve: "What's wrong? Aren't you happy? We taught that creature a lesson for kidnapping you."
It was truly interesting how the effects of Ryddle's curse, which had driven people mad and impulsive, were etched in everyone's memory when the effects vanished like a mere outburst of collective outrage under high tension.
Said that, Extimum didn't know if he should feel happy for the fact that everyone celebrated how they tried to lynch him and also, that they took his unwillingness to attack them as fear.
Extimum: "No, it's not that... I really like it, I just don't know if it deserves the title just for creating and selling those glasses."
Steve: "Hahaha, don't worry, you really deserve it. It's just because you weren't there, if you were, you would have seen us run off that creature and it can't even do much to us."
Extimum:"…".
"Well, although I'd love to stay a bit longer and chat, I'm actually quite tired, so if you'll excuse me."
Mitchell: "That's alright, buddy, we understand you must be tired. Go on, go on, we won't bother you any longer."
Extimum: '*sigh* I can finally rest…'.
?:"Extimum".
Just as he was about to enter the corridor of his hidden room, a familiar voice came from behind him and before he could even turn around, the sound of footsteps became more hurried and he felt a weight hit his back, before he said weight turned into a tight hug.
Luna: "You came back…".
Extimum: "Yes… I told you I would…". Hearing Luna's voice at this moment brought to mind what he had experienced earlier in her room.
Moon: "Hmm?"
Extimum: 'Shit'. Extimum knew immediately that he had slipped the tongue. With the effects of the potion wearing off, even if her body could, his mind was reaching its limits and he wasn't as alert anymore.
Luna: "When did you-?"
Extimum: "Why don't you come with me for a while?" Without waiting for her to respond, he undid the hug and taking her by the hand, he dragged her down the hall towards his room.
He really couldn't afford to answer that question.
**Fosh**
Torches of blue fire soon ignited at their entrance, and Extimum released Luna's hand as he entered the open area of the room.
Extimum: "Take a seat if you want, I'll just take a moment"
Without looking back, Extimum headed for his closet. The hospital clothes weren't bad, but he didn't feel comfortable in them.
Grabbing a few clothes, he go straight into the bathroom, leaving them on the toilet for after bathing.
Looking in the mirror, he noticed that Luna had followed him and had also entered the bathroom since he hadn't closed the door.
Although somewhat puzzled, he did not give it much importance.
Extimum: "Can you help me by removing the clips on my back?"
Moon: "Sure." Careful in her movements, Luna removed the clasps that tied the bandages to Extimum's clothes on his back, while Extimum did the same with the ones in front.
Luna didn't know what his current state was like, but seeing someone covered in so many bandages that he looked like a mummy was usually not a good indication and if she didn't know that Extimum wasn't a reckless person, she wouldn't be helped to remove the bandages.
Feeling how he was no longer restricted to his back, Extimum released a few knots and slid the loose bandages through his clothing, letting them fall to the floor.
Madam Pomfrey had really exaggerated with the bandages, although it was true that by the time he arrived at the infirmary he was not feeling very well and there was the risk of poison.
But Extimum knew that his situation was not as critical as they thought.
That strange potion that Christelle had given him to drink had had miraculous effects on his body even if it had not fully recovered him, however, such miraculous effects did not make him as happy as one would expect from someone who recovered from such a terrible state.
Extimum wasn't a Muggle-born after all, he was the heir to an ancient and noble family and he knew that while such miraculous medicines did exist, they weren't your everyday breakfast muffin.
His situation before he fell unconscious was enough for any normal person to have died multiple times. He himself had only been able to survive due to his previous state in which he had forcibly released the hidden potential from him and drew a large part of the bloodline's power from him.
But even though that had saved him, it had also had terrible repercussions for his health and his body.
He only hoped to survive because he trusted the very abilities of his worn lineage and the effectiveness of medicine and potions from the wizarding world, but even then it would require a long resting process.
The fact that at this very moment he felt as if almost nothing had happened, with only a few wounds that were still healing and great fatigue, was strange in itself, even walking naturally and without support was not within his expectations.
However, this was the reality of his state.
Such miracles do not come out of nowhere.
The magical world was not a fairy tale, it was certainly as magical as one, but it was not that bright.
Extimum: "Thank you."
Taking off his bloodstained shirt, Extimum tossed it aside. He was now waste material and even if he could remove the blood, it wasn't worth it.
His robes had been taken off for a long time, when Pomfrey directly put them in the wastebasket as they were the most contaminated.
Just as he was about to take off his pants, Extimum remembered something Bloom had said to him.
«Don't just take your clothes off in front of people, some people are sensitive»
Turning his gaze, he was about to tell Lunato wait for him outside, when he felt a warm touch on his back and abdomen area.
Luna: "A wound that big... it must have been painful... And if you don't do anything to yourself, it'll leave an ugly scar."
Looking where Luna's hands were touching, Extimum did indeed see a large wound covered by scabs/carroaches, especially in the area of his abdomen, that was where the basilisk had managed to inadvertently injure him most seriously, almost taking revenge for the piece of flesh that he had torn from it.
In fact, his body right now was riddled with multiple wounds of various sizes in the process of healing, covered with scabs, but they all seemed insignificant compared to those on his abdomen and back.
Extimum: "They will heal. And in time they will disappear."
Although the potion had largely restored his body, his heavenly fox lineage had only recovered to 50% and there was still a lot of wear and tear on him, so his natural regeneration abilities that he normally enjoyed were at this moment very reduced.
Therefore, some wounds were still healing or had even ended up closing into ugly scars due to the effects of the medicine that Pomfrey applied to him, however, he believed that by tomorrow they should have disappeared.
It wasn't the first time he'd gotten a rather large wound. When learning how to handle a sword with a real sword and in real combat, it was not uncommon to end up with multiple wounds, so I already knew that even if the wound was big, in a day or two at the most, as long as the wound had closed, would disappear without a trace.
Luna: "No, you shouldn't be so careless. Wounds like these don't go away that easily."
Taking a step back, Luna reached into the bag that hung from her waist and pulled out a small container of cream. Her bag wasn't an expandable magic bag, but many students used to carry one to carry some not-so-large useful things.
Luna: "Luckily I always carry this with me, since sometimes I'm a little distracted and I end up hurting myself." Without even asking for confirmation, Luna opened the container and smeared some of its contents onto one of her fingers.
But just as she was about to smear it over the large scar on Extimum's abdomen, he stopped her.
Luna: "Oh, sorry, I didn't ask your opinion, that was rude of me."
Extimum: "No, it's ok, you can rub it on me, just…wait for me to bathe, otherwise it will be lost."
Luna: "Ah! I understand, I'll wait for you outside then". Finally noticing the intention with which Extimum was in the bathroom, Luna put the cream back on her finger in the container and left the bathroom closing the door. Although she seemed normal, Extimum noticed a slight blush on her face as if she was embarrassed.
Something strange to see, since Luna normally wasn't ashamed of anything she did.
Waving his hand, Extimum locked the door and released his ears and tails, before stripping off the rest of his clothes and stepping into the shower.
Although he couldn't use magic, such a basic action was not a problem.
**Sound of water**
He would have preferred a hot shower, but he felt that if he did, he might end up falling asleep in the shower, which wouldn't be very good.
**Sound of water**
Even if it wasn't a relaxing bath, it took him some time to finish it since he had to scrub the dried blood stains on his skin and even part of his hair and fur that had been stained as well.
It was only after 25 minutes that he finally turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, drying off and changing into the nightwear he had taken from the closet. He didn't bother putting on a shirt, since it would cover the area where he had the most injuries, though even without it, he didn't normally bother putting one on to sleep.
Putting back his fox tails and ears, he left the bathroom.
Luna was waiting for him patiently sitting on his desk chair and she looked at him immediately when she saw him come out of the bathroom.
Extimum: "Well, now I'm ready." Sitting on the bed, Extimum looked at Luna who had already approached prepared with the cream in her hands and was looking carefully at the scars on his chest, before fixing on the scar on his abdomen.
Smearing cream on her fingers, Luna gently rubbed Extimum's scars.
Extimum: "Hmm~ *Ahem*." The warm, soft touch caught Extimum a bit off guard, but he quickly corrected himself, suppressing any sound.
He wasn't very used to close contact with others and less to being the recipient of it. Bloom was the only person with whom perhaps he shared more physical contact since they always slept together, but she had only been with him for a short time.
Curiously, today was the day he received the most physical contact, being hugged and patted repeatedly. Hugs alone had already made him feel quite uncomfortable, due to the simple lack of habit, since such displays of affection were not usual within his family, if there ever were.
Before long, Luna had run her hands over all the scars on his torso, arms, and even one on his leg before stopping.
Extimum: "Thank you, Luna."
Luna: "You're welcome."
Extimum: "Hmm? The effect seems pretty good. Are wound creams always that good?" Although it wasn't visible to the naked eye, but Extimum could feel his body's previously dormant regenerative abilities waking up a bit and speeding up its regeneration.
Since he almost always relied on his regeneration ability, Extimum normally didn't rely much on medicine to heal himself other than using it as simple supplements, also, in the infirmary he had not used similar creams before.
Luna: "I don't know if the rest are, but this is a family formula, only my father and I use it."
**Yawn**
The dream was beginning to affect Extimum again and more when he felt comfortable and safe in his room.
Extimum: "I think now that both myself and Ginny are back safely and the basilisk has been treated, Mcgonagall will cancel the school's temporary closure, so tomorrow we won't have to board the train."
Luna: "The basilisk was killed?"
Extimum: "Oh, that's right, I still haven't told anyone outside of Mcgonagall's office what happened. Do you want to know what happened?"
Moon: "Yes." Nodding slightly, Luna settled at the foot of the bed, while looking at Extimum with great attention.
Lying back in a more comfortable position on the bed, Extimum continued.
Extimum: "Honestly, it was my fault. I was overconfident and I thought that by seeing some countermeasures prepared, in addition to how big the school is, nothing would happen and in case, I could fix it. But everything was so sudden, that even I didn't I was able to use what I had prepared and I ended up poisoned…".
"I narrowly ran away and then had to hide to try to remove the poison, only to realize shortly after that the attack hadn't just been poison and there, everything got out of control, it was chaos, I could only run despite of wanting to do something and then I almost get killed, several times..."
…
**Yawn**
"Things were a bit of a blur at the end, but I made the basilisk pay the price before it had to run again… I ended up falling unconscious and when I woke up, Harry and my aunt were there and it was over."
**Yawn**
Extimum told the same story that he had already prepared and told Christelle, only that he included a few more things, nothing he said was a lie, but he skipped a lot of details that changed the meaning of the story a lot.
It was just that the more he talked, the more sleepy he got.
"Leaving, I went with the others to the infirmary and finally to Mcgonagall's office before arriving here…"
"Excuse me, Luna, I think I'm too tired to tell you more…" Extimum's voice fell and with it no more words came out of his mouth, as his eyes closed completely.
Luna: "Okay, you must be tired, rest easy." Luna sat at the foot of the bed for a few more minutes before finally deciding to get up to leave.
'I don't think he'll be up for a while, so I guess I'll see him at lunchtime.'
"Hmm?"
Luna was about to enter the exit corridor, when she felt something that made her stop and look back.
Her gaze swept the room, stopping several times on Extimum, but everything was perfectly normal and peaceful.
"Did I imagine it? It felt quite real though-".
.
The sun rose to the top of the sky when it became noon and finally, the news that the basilisk had been treated was released by the directors of each house, as well as the cancellation of the closure of the school.
Likewise, it was also learned that the two missing students had been found and were safe and sound.
With that said, while many could see Ginny taking center stage at breakfast and lunch, there was no sign of the second victim, Extimum, leaving some people wondering if he was really okay.
Even so, as it had been seen by the entire Ravenclaw house and some students who had been in the infirmary, the rumors didn't carry too far.
.-.
Christelle: "Have you completed the assignments I gave you?"
???: "Yes, Miss"
Christelle: "Fine. As a new recruit you just have to focus on completing the training and perfectly finishing each of the assignments, as for your studies, it is fine if you continue with your current results, but you will not be required more than just passing each one of the subjects, so you can leave it in the background if it interferes with your homework".
???: "I'll keep it in mind, Miss, however, since it doesn't interfere with my work so far, I'd like to continue doing my best to get good results in my studies"
Christelle: "Do whatever you want then. Now that I think about it, you did have a brother, right? And I think he's also a student at this school."
???: "Yes, he is, Miss"
Christelle: "What was his name? Duke? Dudor? Briñol? Well, it doesn't matter. I heard he had a task as well, do you happen to know what it is?"
???: "No…I haven't talked much to my brother in a while, so I wasn't even aware that he was assigned a task…"
Christelle: "Hmm? Well, it doesn't matter if you don't know, I was just curious. You can leave first."
???: "Yes, Miss"
**Door sound when closing**
Christelle: "What are you planning, brother? Always with such secrecy even from the family…".
.-.
In a blink the hours flowed and the sun completely hid behind the horizon, giving way to the starry sky and the night.
**Fosh**
The torches at the entrance to Extimum's room lit up signaling the arrival of someone.
Bloom: "Extimummmm!!!!...".
With a loud cry that grew smaller as he entered the room, the small, fluttering figure of Bloom appeared from the doorway.
Moving her eyes around the room, Bloom's gaze first fell on the office, expecting to find him there, however, she quickly realized it was empty so she focused on the bathroom, but there was no sound from there and the door was open, so there was only one place left in the room, depositing her gaze on the bed.
Bloom: "Is…sleeping? It can't be, he's been locked up here all day, he couldn't have been sleeping all that time, could he?"
"*sigh* There's nothing to do then… I thought you'd come back for me in the afternoon and tell me what happened, besides, the medi-wizard from St. Mungo's already arrived… Hmm? Is that Luna?"
Lowering her gaze a little, Bloom noticed with surprise that there was another person sleeping in bed and when she detailed their features she realized it was Luna.
'Now that I think about it… I didn't see Luna all day, I thought we just didn't match, but maybe… she was here with Extimum all day? But why did she fall asleep in that uncomfortable position? So you will wake up with neck pain'
**Snap**
With a snap of her fingers, Luna's figure floated from the bed, as if lifted by an invisible force. Waving her hand, she moved Luna's body to put her in a more natural position.
'Hmm, I guess while I'm at it, I might as well make her more comfortable since those things aren't necessary for sleep.'
With another snap, Luna's shoes and stockings slid off her feet and flew to land not far on the ground. Her robe slipped off her body and she folded before settling on the desk chair. The shirt and skirt she was wearing were unbuttoned a bit, just enough to give her more mobility, but not all the way off.
'It's much better like this, anyway, it'll be like when Hermione was here recently, although Extimum is sleeping all over the middle of the bed… Should I move it? No, last time it didn't end well… '.
Thinking about it, Bloom controlled Luna's body and deposited it next to Extimum, she supposed that he still wouldn't mind much even if he was awake, but it was better than leaving Luna at the end of the bed as she might fall.
As for rearranging Extimum, yes... that was not a good idea, since even asleep, his instincts were good and sometimes if he didn't recognize people by their sleepiness, things could end badly...
I had already had the misfortune to try it for being a joke...
With that done, Bloom flew to the dresser in the room where she kept her clothes, changed into her nightwear, and then flew straight into Extimum's chest to sleep.
.-.
Dumbledore: "How is it? Have you been successful in your quest, Miss Shadowless?"
Christelle: "Unfortunately, I'm afraid not. Even though I used various methods and even scrutinized all the passages and paths several times, I couldn't find the slightest trace of the creature. It's as if it just disappeared." Christelle spoke in a flat tone, but her dissatisfaction with the situation could be clearly felt.
Mcgonagall: "However, we can't just leave it like that. The creature is a threat to the safety of the students. At the most, we can wait a few days to see if any changes occur before coming back down."
Christelle: "I'm afraid that will no longer be possible."
Dumbledore: "And why would that be?"
Christelle: "Because the entrance to the chamber has been closed and due to the school's wards I can't force it open."
Mcgonagall: "Then-".
Dumbledore: "In that case, let's leave it at that."
Mcgonagall: "Professor Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore: "According to a more detailed observation, the creature did not consciously attack any student even though it was able to do so on multiple occasions, so we can intuit that its nature is not entirely evil, on the other hand, if it is indeed still inside the chamber, now it's possible that it´s stuck there, not to mention there's a very high possibility that it actually managed to escape somewhere, so this matter can be laid to rest for now."
"After all, we still have things that require more attention on our part at this time. Although the closure of the school has been cancelled, it is undeniable that all this event has affected the development of the curriculum and also, most of the teachers they had already finished their compendia by now, so it would be a shame to throw away all their work, don't you think, Minerva?"
Mcgonagall: "You're right, we will have to restructure the way of teaching for this last period, in addition to reestablishing the classes."
Dumbledore: "Good, then with that decided, we can now move on to other matters…"
.-.
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