When Jon Hart returned to the Hufflepuff common room, he was carrying three thick books.
"Jon, Professor Sprout just dropped off some specimen plants. Want to come take a look?" Ernie Macmillan, a second-year Hufflepuff, called out from his spot by the window when he saw Jon walk in.
"Thanks, Ernie... maybe later!" Jon declined politely and headed straight to his dorm.
He carefully wrapped the three books in newspaper, one by one. Even though Hufflepuff dorms were single rooms, there was always the chance someone might come in for some reason and discover the books.
After all, the covers were eye-catching—grotesque and disturbing.
The first book featured the face of a hideous witch. Her eyes were cold and hollow, like bottomless tunnels of darkness... The title was Close Your Mind.
It was the only book Jon had managed to find in the library that dealt with Occlumency.
Occlumency was a form of magic used to shield the mind from external intrusion, particularly from the spell Legilimens. Jon considered this the most urgent spell he needed to master—no contest.
Because of Legilimens, whether facing Dumbledore or Voldemort, his thoughts would be laid bare, like glass—completely exposed and vulnerable.
As someone who knew the major events of the next six years, keeping his identity and secrets hidden was essential. For now, he was still a nobody, someone not even on Dumbledore's radar. But what about later? What if he eventually drew the old wizard's attention?
That's why he had to learn and master Occlumency before that happened.
Next, Jon turned his attention to the second book.
Its cover showed a distorted, bloodied head—its tongue twisted into knots, tear stains turned to trails of blood, and the nose grotesquely peeled back... The title was so faded with age it was nearly unreadable.
To be honest, the image made Jon feel sick. He quickly wrapped it up.
The spells inside were revolting—torture curses. While not classified as Dark Magic, they were harmful enough to warrant being locked away in the Restricted Section.
Tongue-Twisting Curse, Ear-Reversing Hex, Skin-Stripping Spell... the names alone were enough to make your skin crawl.
Jon had no interest in most of them—except one:
The Conjunctivitis Curse.
According to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, "The Basilisk's skin may possess dragonhide-like armor properties that reflect spells. Only its eyes and mouth are vulnerable."
That made the Conjunctivitis Curse the only spell Jon could think of that might hurt a Basilisk.
And its eyes were its most dangerous weapon. If he could blind it during a fight, it would lose most of its threat...
That spell was going straight to the top of Jon's training list.
Then there was the third book.
Its cover was just as disturbing—an illustration of a witch's head sprouting dozens of arms, with a person beside her seemingly turned inside out...
Beneath the image was the title: Moste Potente Potions.
This book contained numerous dangerous, controversial, and mysterious brews—so naturally, it was shelved in the Restricted Section.
Jon had borrowed it mainly out of curiosity. As long as he returned it before Halloween, it shouldn't interfere with the story's timeline.
...
"Jon, wanna come play Quidditch?" Zacharias Smith banged on his door and shouted.
"No thanks!" Jon, lying on his bed with one of the thick books in hand, called back.
"Quidditch, huh? Gotta play more if you want to get better..." Zacharias muttered as he knocked on the next door over. "Ernie, let's go!"
Jon spent the whole afternoon in his dorm reading the Restricted Section books. He didn't even bother with lunch or dinner. Fortunately, he still had plenty of cakes and biscuits he'd snagged from the kitchen—Hufflepuffs never let themselves go hungry.
Occlumency turned out to be even more complicated than he'd imagined. No wonder the Chosen One, Harry, had struggled with it for half a year without mastering even the basics. Jon had no idea when—or if—he'd make progress.
The Conjunctivitis Curse, on the other hand, brought a bit of good news. It was one of the few spells that didn't rely on emotional triggers, which meant his learning curve wouldn't be as steep. Still, the spell itself was complex and would require focused practice.
As for Moste Potente Potions, he only skimmed the sections on Polyjuice Potion and Veritaserum. The brewing processes for both were so absurdly intricate that Jon figured he'd need at least a month or two of Snape's classes just to get familiar with potion-making before even thinking about trying them.
...
Before he knew it, Saturday had slipped away.
He glanced at his watch—it was nearly midnight.
"Time really flies," Jon muttered, getting ready for bed.
Suddenly, there was a strange noise by the dorm window.
Jon frowned and walked over.
The sound was coming from the cage where his two South African red spiders were kept.
The spiders were tapping their heads and front legs anxiously against the glass. They were clearly agitated.
And scared.
Terrified of something roaming the castle.
"Spiders flee from the presence of a Basilisk because it is their natural enemy..." Jon had long since memorized that line from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
"Looks like the Chamber has been opened... Ginny Weasley must've unlocked the entrance." Jon's expression turned serious as he thought to himself, "The real story's about to begin."
And it was only the Saturday of the first week of term.
He pulled out an old shirt and draped it over the glass cage, muffling the spiders' sounds so they wouldn't disturb him.
Jon climbed into bed and fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes.