Chapter 115: The Destroyed Diary

"So, " although she had suspected it earlier, when Hermione finally faced it head-on, she couldn't help but grind her teeth.

"It was you who controlled Ginny Weasley to open the Chamber of Secrets, strangle the school roosters, and scrawl those frightening words on the walls.

It was also you who controlled her to release the Slytherin serpent, attacking the students and me, wasn't it?"

"Truly worthy of 'Miss Know-It-All,' to deduce it to this extent. Excellent indeed," Riddle coldly complimented, his tone tinged with sarcasm. 

"But alas, you shouldn't have, you really shouldn't have, shouldn't have appeared alone before me! 

That arrogant Muggle ruined my plans, destroyed the supreme legacy left to me by Slytherin! I promised to make him regret it!"

Riddle let out his shrill, piercing laughter again.

"Unfortunately, that man is powerful enough. I am not his match now, but at this moment, you've willingly come to me!" Riddle said, a smirk of satisfaction spreading across his face.

"You're one of the two girls attacked yesterday, aren't you? Enduring the basilisk's gaze, yet surviving... He must truly care for you, to give you such a precious magical item.

However, now, I shall cruelly torture you to death! I'll make him regret opposing me, make him perish in endless remorse!"

Riddle contorted his face into a grotesque expression, pointing Ginny's wand slowly towards Hermione.

Suddenly, a cold voice sounded behind him, quiet but enough to halt Riddle's movements in panic.

"You're delusional!"

It was Alaric. He had quietly approached Riddle's back while Hermione distracted him.

Though his Disillusionment Charm was powerful enough to render him truly invisible, against a skilled opponent like Riddle, Alaric had to slow down his movements to avoid detection.

But now, he had no reservations.

Alaric raised his Infinity Blade high and thrust it towards the diary lying on the bed.

"No—" Riddle shouted, attempting to stop the action, but the sharp sword pierced through the diary effortlessly.

With a horrible, enduring, ear-piercing scream, torrents of ink gushed out from the diary, flowing onto the ground along the blade. 

Riddle twisted and struggled, waving his arms incessantly, emitting cries of agony, and then... he disappeared.

"He... died just like that? Just because the diary was destroyed?" 

Hermione couldn't believe it, watching the shattered diary before her, the ear-splitting screams still echoing in her ears. 

Was everything really over so simply?

"Of course, it's not that simple," Alaric shrugged, telling her, "Actually, the diary's defenses are formidable. 

Ordinary weapons or magic wouldn't affect it, but fortunately, my sword was sharp enough, and it had the effect of destroying dark magic."

Hermione wanted to ask more, but a soft moan interrupted her.

Seeing this, Alaric snapped his fingers and vanished from Hermione's sight again. 

He didn't want anyone to know that a respectable man, a prominent figure in the wizarding world, had secretly infiltrated the girls' dormitory.

Ginny began to stir. She sat up, her bewildered gaze first falling on the destroyed diary.

She gasped, sucking in a cold breath, tears streaming down her face.

"Miss Granger... oh, Miss Granger... I... I need to tell you... it was me... but I... I swear I... I didn't mean to... it was R... Riddle... he forced me. 

How... how did you kill... kill him? Where is Riddle? I... I only remember him coming out of the diary..."

"It's all right now," Hermione comforted her, showing Ginny the gaping hole pierced by the sword. 

"Riddle's finished. Look! He won't appear again."

"I'll be expelled!" Ginny cried as Hermione helped her unsteadily off the bed. 

"Ever since Bill came, I've been looking forward to studying at Hogwarts. Now I have to leave. What will... will my parents say?"

What happened next was straightforward. 

Hermione led Ginny to the professors, explaining everything, but she didn't mention Alaric sneaking into the Gryffindor common room.

Alaric felt it was too embarrassing, so he credited Hermione with all the credit: she had alone discovered the truth about the diary and destroyed it with Alaric's sword, ending Voldemort's plot.

After examining the remains of the diary, Dumbledore believed this explanation. 

He didn't blame Ginny for it since she was also a victim in this matter. 

However, he called the Weasleys to comfort Ginny, who had been under Voldemort's control for an entire semester.

Soon after, Mr. Weasley hurried over and took his daughter to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for a check-up. 

But before leaving, they warmly thanked Hermione and invited her to visit before the holidays, hoping to entertain her well.

Dumbledore also praised Hermione greatly, believing that it was her and Alaric's wisdom and courage that saved Hogwarts. Each of them was awarded two hundred points for Ravenclaw.

In addition, the issue of the diary's origin sparked a conflict within the Hogwarts Board of Governors, resulting in Lucius Malfoy being expelled from the board. 

Draco no longer strutted around the school as if he owned it. Instead, he wore a gloomy expression all day, seemingly filled with resentment.

A few days later, good news arrived. Mandrakes had fully matured, and Professor Snape made the potion to awaken all the petrified students, now all of them would wake up soon.

Of course, in the whole incident, because Alaric efficiently dealt with the basilisk and the diary, the specific location of the Chamber of Secrets remained a mystery to the teachers and students of Hogwarts. 

Alaric planned to make some modifications to the entrance to the Chamber so that it could serve as another secret base for him — after all, there were quite a few people who knew about the Room of Requirement.

To celebrate all this, Dumbledore organized a celebration banquet.

Before the banquet, Alaric specifically sought out the house-elves in the Hogwarts kitchen. 

At Alaric's request, the house-elves prepared various dishes made from the meat of the basilisk he had mentioned. These dishes would serve as the main course for the banquet.

A basilisk weighed several tons, enough to provide a full snake feast for all the wizards of Hogwarts.

Alaric's decision amused and bemused the professors, but Dumbledore seemed rather pleased.

According to Alaric, this whole basilisk feast was a way to relieve the young wizards' fear that had lingered for most of the semester.

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