HP/LOTM: Hogwart's Mind Dragon

In the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey watched Hermione drink the last of the recovery potion and then, with a weary sigh, told her she could leave.

Hermione, having received her freedom, was like a small bird released from its cage, quickly disappearing from the ward. She found Ron in the courtyard, and just as she greeted him, Harry came running up from behind.

"Hermione! You've finally recovered!" Harry said with a relieved smile.

"So," she asked immediately, "did you get any information from the diary?"

"Yes," Harry replied grimly. "I found out that it was Hagrid who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."

"Absolutely impossible," Hermione said at once, shaking her head in denial. In her eyes, Hagrid was kind and friendly; he would never release a monster to attack Muggle-born students.

"Actually, we don't even know who that Tom Riddle fellow is," Ron said nonchalantly. "He sounds like a snitching little snake to me."

"That monster killed someone, Ron," Harry said, his voice sharp. "What would we have done if it had been one of us?"

"Listen," Hermione said seriously, taking charge. "Hagrid is our friend. The only thing to do is go and ask him directly."

"Brilliant," Ron said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That'll be a friendly conversation. 'Oh, Hagrid, can you tell us if you've recently released any giant, furry monsters in the school?'"

"Furry monsters?" a deep voice boomed from behind them. "You're not talking about me again, are you?" Hagrid had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"No!" the three of them yelped in unison.

"Alright," Hagrid said, eyeing them suspiciously. "You lot go on and play. Professor Sprout's Mandrakes are almost ready for harvesting. In the meantime, you three had better be good, alright?"

Just as they were talking, Neville came rushing over, out of breath. "Harry! I don't know who did it, but you'd better come and take a look!"

The three of them followed Neville back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry's dormitory was a complete mess—his trunk had been overturned, his mattress slashed, and his belongings strewn everywhere. The black diary was gone.

"It must have been a Gryffindor student," Hermione speculated, looking at the chaotic room. "Students from other houses can't get in."

After the diary was stolen, nothing major seemed to happen, and time flowed by in a strange, tense calm.

On Valentine's Day, everyone was enjoying dinner in the Great Hall. Aiden was eating in his usual, voracious way, aware of the many eyes that were always watching him. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the doors to the hall were thrown open.

A wizard in gorgeous, flamingo-pink robes struck a pose he clearly thought was handsome and slid into the room. "Good evening, young wizards of Hogwarts!" Gilderoy Lockhart boomed. "Today is a grand day! Enjoy it to the fullest!"

After speaking, he took out his wand and, with a flourish, summoned a swarm of surly-looking dwarves dressed as cupids, who began running through the hall. The dwarves shuttled among the students, delivering Valentine's Day cards.

One of the dwarves, his arms piled high with cards, began searching for Aiden, but found that he couldn't see him no matter where he looked. Sitting invisibly at his table, Aiden curled his lip in a smug smile. 'An Invisibility Charm combined with a Dream Walker's stealth,' he thought. 'You still want to find me?'

Having nothing better to do, he looked up at the staff table. Every single one of the professors had a dark, thunderous expression, all of them clearly disgusted by this tacky, greasy affair.

At the Gryffindor table, Harry received a singing Valentine's card from a very shy Ginny. The sharp-eyed Draco Malfoy immediately jeered from across the hall. "Look! Scarhead received a confession from the Weasleys' little daughter!"

Hearing Draco's taunt, Ginny burst into tears. Ron, his face red with anger, started to get up to punch him, but Harry pulled him back down.

Just as Draco was preening, a fair, unseen hand reached out, uncorked a small glass bottle, and dripped a few clear drops into his goblet. It was a Tongue-Tying Tincture, a new prank potion developed by the Weasley twins.

Draco didn't notice. He raised his glass and toasted Harry provocatively before downing the drink in one gulp.

"How... durr... yoo... wurb... gail..." After drinking, he began to slur his words. His tongue quickly swelled up, lolling out of his mouth like a thick, pink snake.

Crabbe and Goyle screamed when they saw their boss's enormous tongue and began trying to stuff it back into his mouth. For a time, the Slytherin table was utter chaos.

Ginny, seeing Draco's miserable state, couldn't help but laugh through her tears. A pleasant voice came from beside her. "Not angry anymore?"

She looked over and saw Aiden sitting next to her, though no one else seemed to notice him. "He's not worth getting upset over," he said with a smile. "Be confident. You are the little princess most loved by your brothers." Winking at her, Aiden then dissipated into thin air.

That night, Aiden sat on a high tower, looking at the moon.

"Whoa, someone actually loves his sister that much," a blonde figure said, climbing up onto the roof. "Didn't see that coming."

"What about you?" Aiden asked without turning his head. Based on his perception, he already knew who the visitor was. "What would you do if Astoria encountered the same thing?"

"Maybe give the person a good punch," Arsesi said, waving a fist. The two of them lay down casually on the roof of the tower.

"By the way, how did you find me?" Aiden asked.

"Simple," she replied, glancing at him. "Draco offends someone, and a moment later he's mysteriously retaliated against. Starting from Miss Ginny's surroundings, only you could have done that so silently."

"No," Aiden said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I mean, how did you know I was on this tower?" He deliberately let her finish her deep analysis without interrupting.

Realizing she had misunderstood, Arsesi's face turned red. "Hmph," she said, turning her head away. "I saw you from the bottom of the tower. I thought some fool was about to jump and came up to see if there was any inheritance to collect."

"Alright," Aiden said, his tone turning serious. "Now that you're here, there's something important I need you to do."

Arsesi didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

"I need you to find out who Gilderoy Lockhart has been in contact with since he entered the school," he instructed, pointing to the monocle on his eye. "Use the tools to transmit the information, and try not to attract too much attention."

"That liar? What's so interesting about investigating him?" she asked, confused. "Did he swindle your family out of money?"

"No," Aiden said, pointing to his own head. "I suspect he has something to do with the Deep Realm."

Arsesi immediately understood. "Okay," she said, her expression hardening. "I will try to pay attention."

"Don't go too deep," he warned, "and prioritize your own safety above all else. If things get dangerous, just give up. As a Spectator, you should know how to protect yourself, right?"

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes. "Do I need you to tell me?"

Then she left the tower, and their quiet conversation on the roof was soon covered up by the howling of the wind.

[Chapter Complete]

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