Starting the next day, the hottest topic in Hogwarts became the Chamber of Secrets and Slytherin's Heir.
For several days in a row, students talked about nothing else. Everywhere you went, people were discussing Mrs. Norris's attack.
Filch's behavior made sure no one forgot it.
He constantly wandered around the scene of the incident, as if expecting the attacker to return at any moment.
Lewis even saw him trying to scrub the words off the wall with "Scower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover," but it was completely useless. The glowing letters remained as bright as ever.
In truth, words written with magic could only be removed by magic.
The fact that they remained there was clearly intentional—allowed by Dumbledore and the professors.
For the students, it served as a constant reminder:
The Chamber had been opened.
The school was in danger.
Because of this, students became noticeably more cautious. Fewer people dared to sneak out at night.
At the same time, everyone began searching for clues about the Chamber.
Even the library saw a surge in activity.
Unfortunately, information about the Chamber was extremely scarce. Only a few books contained vague mentions.
Lewis even suspected that if Tom Riddle hadn't opened the Chamber decades ago—killing Myrtle in the process—the legend might have disappeared entirely.
Lewis himself also made preparations against the basilisk.
After visiting Lare and Daisy in the Forbidden Forest, he headed straight to Hagrid's hut on his way back to the castle.
In the original timeline, the culprit had killed all of Hagrid's roosters to prevent any accidents with the basilisk.
So Lewis came early—
Planning to take some roosters for himself.
The mastermind could reach Hagrid's hut.
But could they reach Lewis's demiplane?
However—
When he arrived at the chicken coop, he found someone had beaten him to it.
A figure in black robes stood inside.
Her hair burned red like fire.
Ginny Weasley.
At Lewis's arrival, several dead roosters already lay on the ground.
The remaining chickens flapped wildly, clucking in terror, trying to escape—
Only to be blocked by the fence.
What had once protected them—
Now trapped them.
Lewis's eyes narrowed.
He couldn't let all the roosters die.
He acted immediately.
"Instant—Sleep Spell!"
He cast it instantly to seize the initiative, already preparing a follow-up spell.
After all—
The one controlling Ginny was a Horcrux of Voldemort.
Even if it was only a teenage version, it wouldn't be easy to deal with.
And Lewis couldn't just kill Ginny.
So he expected at least a brief struggle.
But—
To his surprise—
Ginny showed no resistance at all.
She collapsed instantly, falling face-first onto the ground.
Lewis frowned.
This wasn't reassuring.
If anything, it looked like he had just ambushed a defenseless girl.
To be safe, he cast Protection from Evil on himself before approaching.
Up close, Ginny looked terrible.
Her face was pale, her body weak.
Clearly, her vitality had been heavily drained.
Yet Lewis found no sign of direct possession.
The diary wasn't on her either.
Instead, when he probed her mind, he found fragmented memories—
Large gaps.
And her most recent memories were chaotic.
It seemed the diary didn't rely solely on possession.
Mental suggestion worked just as well.
Her killing the roosters—
Was likely the result of such influence.
Fortunately, Lewis had arrived in time.
Several chickens were still alive.
He gathered all the remaining roosters, along with a few hens, and sent them into his tower courtyard using Magnificent Mansion.
There, he quickly set up a temporary coop.
Returning to Hagrid's hut, he cast Rejuvenation on Ginny.
Color returned to her face.
At least now, she wouldn't be drained to death anytime soon.
While she was still unconscious, he hid her in a pile of hay—
Then left.
Since he hadn't found the diary, there was no reason to expose himself.
Better not alert the enemy.
As for Ginny—
She had acted under mental influence, barely aware of her actions.
And Lewis had never revealed himself.
When she woke up, she would likely assume it was an accident—
Or the diary's doing.
There was no way she'd connect it to Lewis.
The next day—Saturday—was Gryffindor's Quidditch match.
Lewis quietly observed the Gryffindor table.
Ginny was there.
She looked normal again.
No longer pale or weak.
It seemed she hadn't told anyone what happened.
Most likely—
She feared she herself might be Slytherin's Heir.
Because of the match, the Gryffindor table was unusually quiet.
The team sat together, tense and silent.
Their opponent—
Slytherin.
Armed with seven Nimbus 2001 brooms.
Equipment mattered.
And Gryffindor's morale had clearly taken a hit.
This match didn't look promising.
As eleven approached, Lewis followed the crowd to the Quidditch pitch.
The air was heavy and humid.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
A storm was coming.
On the field—
Gryffindor was being crushed.
Only Harry held on, struggling desperately.
He faced not only aggressive opponents—
But also the pouring rain—
And a rogue Bludger.
From the Slytherin stands came bursts of laughter.
Harry's attempts to dodge looked increasingly desperate.
Yet even so—
He still chased the Golden Snitch.
"…Not bad," Ciri commented beside Lewis.
Roger, Ravenclaw's captain, nodded in agreement.
"His flying skills are impressive. I'd have been knocked off my broom already."
"Malfoy isn't his match in the air."
"Honestly, only you two could completely suppress him."
Roger's tone was serious.
To him, Gryffindor had become a real threat.
Without Lewis supporting them, even Cho Chang might struggle against Harry.
Then—
A gasp erupted from the stands.
The erratic Bludger finally struck.
Harry's body jerked violently.
In the pouring rain, he let out a cry—
Then charged straight at Malfoy, who wore a mocking grin.
"He's still going after him? Petty, but I like it," Lewis said with a grin.
The crowd screamed.
Bang!
Water splashed everywhere as Harry and Draco collided mid-air.
Both were thrown from their brooms, crashing into the muddy ground and sliding across it.
Harry ended up beneath Draco.
His arm hung at an unnatural angle.
Draco, though shaken, wasn't badly hurt.
He scrambled away in panic.
Rain poured down mercilessly.
Harry lay there, groaning.
Lewis, along with Ron and Hermione, rushed onto the field.
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