harleyscars Chapter 23 The Vanished Diary
Chapter 23 The Vanished Diary
"It's over!"
"It's all over, it ......"
In the living room on the first floor, Mo Ran sat on the sofa, clutching his head in worry. Since taking control of Harry's body that afternoon, he had practically turned the Burrow upside down; but whether it was in Ginny's cauldron or in the bags and pouches of the other Weasleys, Tom Riddle's diary seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving not a single trace of its existence.
"There's no fight between Mr. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy in the movie, but is it from the original novel? Or is it a random event triggered by the butterfly effect?"
"How about... we search Ginny's bedroom thoroughly?"
The moment the thought crossed Mo Ran's mind, he immediately dismissed it.
Are you kidding me? Even if Harry were a twelve-year-old teenager, he wouldn't do something as perverted as breaking into a little girl's room at night. Besides, according to Fred's previous description, Ginny's cauldron flew away, and the bookshelves in Flourish and Blotts fell over, so that Horcrux journal was very likely lost at that time.
Filled with doubts, Mo Ran returned to Diagon Alley early the next morning, using the excuse that he had forgotten to buy the broomstick care equipment. He spent the entire day searching through Flourish and Blotts, but ultimately failed to find what he was looking for.
As a time traveler, he knew all too well the importance of Horcruxes. Even a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore couldn't find any way to kill Voldemort directly and completely without using Horcruxes. But how was he going to explain this to Harry? Mo Ran was at a loss.
"I saw these things in Voldemort's memories?"
"Then why didn't you tell Dumbledore all the information about the Horcruxes when you first got the crown? You can't exactly say that you were afraid of revealing too much of the plot in advance and affecting the direction of the story, can you?"
"However, Tom Riddle's diary is a top-tier dark magic artifact that carries Voldemort's memories. As long as it's not lying in the Malfoys' house, even if it disappears, clues will soon emerge."
"At worst, we can slowly leak the information to Dumbledore. It's perfectly normal for the headmaster to cover for a twelve-year-old child."
……
Summer vacation was coming to an end soon. After pondering for several days and nights, Mo Ran chose to let things take their course. Harry, unaffected by the Horcrux incident, had the happiest half-summer vacation of his life. The Weasley family's financial difficulties never affected the happiness among relatives, and everyone in the family loved him dearly.
By the time school started, Mr. Arthur Weasley, with Harry's help, had transformed his Ford Anglia 105E into a magical luxury limousine. Carrying eight people, plus six suitcases, two owls, and a mouse, was now a breeze. Although Mrs. Molly Weasley repeatedly warned Arthur verbally while riding in the car, Harry could tell she was still very proud of her husband.
Platform 9 is always bustling with anxious new students. Last year it was Harry and Ron, this year it was Ginny's turn. Watching his sister being escorted inside by the Weasleys, Ron clicked his tongue a few times, somewhat dissatisfied, and said to Harry:
"Fred and I have never received this treatment."
Harry patted his friend on the shoulder and said, "..."
“Ron, you have to understand. You have six brothers, but only one daughter, and Ginny is your little sister.”
“I love Ginny too, but… never mind, let’s go, Harry.”
boom!
"what?"
Ron's cart bounced back after hitting the wall, startling Scabbers, who had been sleeping soundly, into squeaking. Many Muggles noticed him at that moment.
"What's going on? Why can't I get through!"
Ron yelled, clutching his backside, and his voice attracted the attention of a guard.
"What can't you get past? Are you crazy or have you lost your mind, pushing your cart and banging it against a pillar?"
Upon hearing this, Harry quickly went to help Ron up and explained to the guard:
"I'm sorry, my friend's stroller must be malfunctioning."
With Harry by his side, Ron was noticeably less nervous. He pointed to the clock in the station and whispered:
"If we don't get to the platform soon, we'll miss our train!"
Harry touched the incredibly solid wall and asked Ron:
Does this passage automatically close at a certain time?
"I don't know, but probably not. Many students' parents return through here after dropping off their children, right?"
"Hiss... Could it be?"
As Ron watched Harry pull out his wand, his initial panic slowly turned into excitement.
"Can you crack it? Harry! You can handle it, right? I remember there's a nineteenth or something-or-other law for underage wizards that allows us to use magic in emergencies!"
Harry didn't answer Ron. In fact, even without a law, he didn't intend to stop and miss the school bus. In areas with a large number of wizards, it was impossible to pinpoint which spell was cast by which wand, and unless someone died, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't even send anyone to investigate.
“Stand closer to me, Ron.”
As he spoke, he pointed his wand at the wall.
"Specialis Revelio." (The true form is revealed.)
Harry's magic rippled across the walls like waves. Seeing the huge commotion his friend had caused, Ron quickly looked around. Fortunately, the Muggles around him didn't crowd around in astonishment.
"Ah!"
Harry chuckled softly, as if he had encountered a challenge that piqued his interest.
“You know what, Ron? Theoretically, this passage wasn’t closed. Its surface was sealed with a very strong Confusion Charm, so much so that the platform mistook us for Muggles and blocked us off on this side. This isn’t something a student… no, it’s not even something an ordinary wizard could do.”
"But you can solve it, right?"
"Of course! But the commotion that's about to happen might be a bit big."
"Repello Muggletum." (Muggle Expulsion)
As Harry cast another spell, all the Muggles moving between the stations instinctively headed away from platforms nine and ten.
"Get everything packed, Ron. We have to get there as fast as we can."
"Ready! Three, two, one!"
"Finite Incantatem!" (All curses end)
"Portaberto!" (The doors are wide open!)
Harry didn't need to explain much to Ron; his spell itself clearly showed why he did it.
When he unleashed 'End of Curses' at maximum magical power, all the magic cast at King's Cross Station—including the Confusion Charm, the Muggle Expulsion Charm, and the teleportation spell used to separate the wizarding world from the wizarding world—was forcibly erased. In this situation, no matter how quickly Harry cast the next spell, he and Ron would inevitably be briefly exposed to the Muggles. Therefore, in order to catch the school bus on time and to satisfy the adventurous spirit inherent in Gryffindors, Harry chose to leave all the mess to Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic to handle.
Born into a pure-blood wizarding family, Ron never imagined he would one day experience such a heart-stopping moment while passing through Platform 9. He and Harry barely made it onto the train in the last few seconds before departure, and they didn't realize until they were seated that their clothes were completely soaked with sweat.
"Wow! Whew, whew..."
"This is so exciting! Did you see that, Harry? Lots of Muggle guards were running this way!"
Harry wasn't as agitated as Ron. Besides being preoccupied with the question of "who cast the Confusion Charm on the platform," he also caught a glimpse of Hermione, who was furious, outside the box's glass door.
"Harry! Potter! What were you doing? I searched every single carriage and couldn't find you!"
"We were kept out of the station by magic."
Hermione seemed not to hear Harry's explanation.
"Hogwarts is the best magic school in the world. Even if students who come here to study magic can't be grateful, they should at least try their best to abide by... Wait, what did you say?"
"Harry said we were just blocked from the platform by magic."
……
After hearing Harry's description, Hermione was frantic. On the way to Hogwarts, she kept thinking about how to explain things to the school and the Ministry of Magic.
Ron, who was also involved, wasn't initially worried, but after hearing Hermione's increasingly outlandish assumptions, he became more and more uncertain. When the train began to slow down and the students could see Hogsmeade Station through the windows, Ron started to feel apprehensive.
"Ha... Harry, Professor Dumbledore won't expel us, will he? I... I mean, it's within the bounds of the restrictions for students to use magic in emergency situations."
"That's hard to say, Ron."
Harry pretended to be nervous and said:
"In that situation, the underage wizard should have waited where he was until his parents or other adults came to solve the problem."
"What should I do?"
"I don't know, maybe we'll have to go to Azkaban."
"what?!"
......
Harry and Ron were, of course, not taken to Azkaban. Given Dumbledore's fiercely protective nature, he didn't even allow the Ministry of Magic investigators to enter Hogwarts. After briefly learning the general situation from Harry, our Headmaster simply let him ride a Thestral to the Great Hall.
At least a hundred carriages were parked on the rough and muddy road, and in front of the carriages were tall, rugged "flying horses" with dragon heads and horse bodies, their bodies as black as skeletons.
Harry asked Ron in a low voice:
"Can't you see them?"
Ron was visibly relieved after learning he wouldn't be sent to Azkaban, and he replied:
“What do you see? A carriage? I remember George mentioning to me that starting from second grade, students would ride in these self-moving carriages to the castle.”
This answer, seemingly innocuous, was actually enough for Harry to confirm what the magical creature before him was. Months earlier, Professor Newt Scamander had mentioned this superstitious and misunderstood creature. (In his eyes, it seemed no magical creature was without misunderstanding.)
"Thestrals—their heads resemble dragons, their eyes are white without pupils, and a pair of large, black, strong wings sprout from the bulges of their shoulder blades. When they fly, they look like giant bats with long necks and four legs. They are highly intelligent, and once tamed, they will never leave their owners. Furthermore, Thestrals have an astonishing sense of direction; just tell them where you want to go, and they will lead you there. Raising Thestrals is not difficult. Because they are omnivorous, even though they crave blood and raw meat, they will not refuse to eat plants and fruits; they will even eat some rotten food scraps. However, it is a pity that these mysterious and beautiful..." Animals are often seen as unlucky symbols, and many wizards believe that seeing them will bring terrible misfortune, a bad omen. But in reality, Thestrals can only be seen by those who have witnessed their death. Note, Harry, that witnessing death requires the person to fully understand its meaning. Only with a true understanding of death will Thestrals appear before people, showing the lost and melancholic that they are not alone. Ah… so these lovely, intelligent, and gentle creatures are actually a source of solace in the face of tragedy. The Ministry of Magic really shouldn't have listed Thestrals as 'dangerous.' I've corrected their various misconceptions more than once, but it's never been very effective… sigh…”