Deep within the darkness of the Diary, Ethan settled himself and allowed his consciousness to sink deeper into the memories he had taken from Harry.
Unlike the memories he had experienced during their first connection, these were no longer fleeting glimpses.
At that moment, Ethan had stored all these memories to review more deeply later.
Now Ethan could examine Harry's memories more clearly and in greater detail. He began with the earliest ones, moving through them slowly at first, before gradually increasing the pace as he became more comfortable navigating Harry's mind.
A small cupboard beneath the stairs.
A thin mattress.
The smell of dust and cleaning products.
Harry lay awake in the darkness while voices from upstairs drifted through the house.
Ethan watched without emotion as the memories unfolded. He saw Harry being woken before sunrise to prepare breakfast, being shouted at for things that were not his fault, and being punished whenever Dudley decided to blame him for something.
He saw the cupboard where Harry had spent years of his childhood and the strange mixture of resignation and loneliness that had become normal to him.
He watched Harry's first encounter with magic, his disbelief when the letters from Hogwarts began arriving, and the chaos that followed when Vernon Dursley tried desperately to prevent him from receiving them.
He experienced the wonder Harry had felt when he finally learned that magic was real and that there was a place where people like him belonged.
He saw the first friendships Harry had made, the arguments, the adventures, the Quidditch matches and the countless little moments that had slowly transformed Hogwarts from an unfamiliar castle into something Harry thought of as home.
He studied Harry's interactions with Dumbledore and his thoughts and feelings in that moment. These were much more important for Ethan than anything else.
Ethan continued studying the memories in the quiet darkness of the Diary as he planned his next step.
During that time, he also tested his control over Ginny, wanting to see whether forming the new connection with Harry had affected his existing connection with her.
After several tests, he reached his conclusion. The new connection had indeed affected his control over Ginny, though fortunately, not to an extent that could have been disastrous.
However, it did mean that Ethan would only have a few more opportunities to take full control of Ginny before the weakening of their connection made it too difficult.
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Harry noticed the diary was gone the moment he returned to the dormitory after lunch.
He pulled back the curtains, lifted the pillow, checked the drawer, and even looked under the bed. Nothing. The little black book that had been answering his questions for weeks had simply vanished.
Ron found him still searching.
"What's wrong with you?"
"It's gone," Harry said. "The diary. It was under my pillow this morning."
Ron stared. "Someone nicked it?"
Harry did not answer. A cold, uncomfortable thought had already settled in his mind. Only a handful of people even knew the diary existed. He had shown it to Ron and Hermione. He had never mentioned it to anyone else. Yet it was gone.
He spent the rest of the afternoon in a low, distracted mood. Hermione tried to reason with him in the common room, suggesting he might have misplaced it. Harry shook his head. He knew exactly where he had left it.
That night he lay awake for a long time, staring at the canopy of his four-poster. Without the diary, the quiet felt heavier. The questions he still needed answered had nowhere to go.
*****************************************************
Two days passed while Ethan observed the atmosphere around the school and Harry's growing frustration.
The missing Diary had unsettled the boy more than usual, and Ethan found that useful. Desperation made people less careful, and Harry was becoming increasingly desperate to find answers.
On the third evening, Ethan decided it was time to act.
He waited until Ginny was alone before reaching through their connection and taking full control of her. The route through the castle was familiar to him by now, and he guided her through it without hesitation.
He did not need to enter the Chamber himself. The Basilisk was always there, waiting for his instructions, so Ethan simply relayed his commands through the pipes.
He gave the creature clear instructions about whom to attack and when, making sure there was no room for confusion.
The target was Hermione Granger.
She had stayed late in the library as she often did, working alone on her assignments.
Ethan made his way back to the place he had first taken control and then released it slowly, making sure Ginny didn't suspect anything.
Ginny started to make her way back to her dormitory, wondering why she was getting lost in thoughts so much these days.
************************
Hermione eventually closed her book and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes.
She had been reading for hours, and the quiet of the library had made her lose track of time.
As she gathered her books, she reached into her bag and took out a small mirror. Hermione placed it in front of her and began smoothing out her unruly hair, trying to tame the stray strands that were sticking out in every direction.
Her reflection looked back at her.
The Basilisk surged forward, following the instructions Ethan had given it. Hermione had no idea what was moving towards her.
Then the Basilisk struck.
Hermione saw the creature only through the mirror.
Its enormous yellow eyes flashed in the reflection for the briefest instant before the magic took effect. She stiffened, her eyes widening as her body locked in place, and then she collapsed heavily onto the floor beside the table.
The mirror shattered as it fell beside her.
Hermione Granger was petrified.
***************************************************
Harry and Ron were sitting near the common room hearth, waiting for Hermione to return with her notes, when Professor McGonagall stepped through the portrait hole.
Her face was chalk-white, her spectacles slightly askew, and her mouth was pressed into a thin, trembling line.
"Potter. Weasley," she said, her voice shaking with an unusual tremor. "Come with me. At once."
Harry's stomach plummeted.
They followed her down the silent, echoing marble staircase in a daze.
"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack. "
When McGonagall pushed open the double doors of the Hospital Wing, the sharp, medicinal smell of Mandrake draught and cleaning potion hit them like a wall.
Madam Pomfrey was bent over a bed near the back.
Lying on the mattress, perfectly still, was Hermione.
"Hermione!" Ron groaned.
Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy.
"They found her near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was lying on the floor next to her. . . ."
She held up a small, circular mirror.
Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione in disbelief.
"I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor McGonagall heavily. "I need to address the students in any case."
She led them back towards the tower, her expression grim. By the time they reached the common room, word had already begun spreading, and students were gathering anxiously to hear what had happened.
"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time."
"You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities."
The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence.
She rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."
She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately.
Ethan listened to the students' chatter absentmindedly. He was more interested in seeing whether Dumbledore would actually be suspended.
This should be enough pressure for Lucius to have Dumbledore removed, at least temporarily.
Well, he would know in a day or two.
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