Chapter 29: Impatience
The day after the Dueling Tournament, Hermione paid a visit to Leo's study room Her purpose was to learn more about Leo's defensive mechanisms and his final attack.
"Here I am, Leo! Let's get started with all the questions," Hermione exclaimed as she entered.
"Good of you to come. First, let's hear your hypothesis. Then, we'll compare," Leo replied.
Hermione began to discuss her observations regarding Leo's defense mechanisms, which she had deduced from their duel. Leo was surprised to find that her guesses were quite close to the mark.
"Here's my hypothesis on your defense. I couldn't help but think that the way you dodged my final attack had something to do with concealing your presence. They say it's impossible at Hogwarts, but do you think there might be some sort of loophole?" Hermione inquired.
"Let's start from the beginning, then. I have four types of defenses. 'Reflection,' 'Absorption,' 'Blockage,' and 'Protection.' 'Reflection' bounces magic back, 'Absorption' takes in magic and can use it or convert it into magical energy, 'Blockage' disrupts magical power, diminishing the magic's effectiveness, and 'Protection' is basically similar to Protego. Each has its weaknesses. 'Reflection' and 'Absorption' are useless against physical attacks, and they have limits to their effectiveness. 'Blockage' mainly deals with mental effects, so it's not that great for defense against both physical and magical attacks. 'Protection' is similar to the regular Protego spell, so there's not much difference there. By simultaneously deploying these four, I can handle most spells that don't come directly at me, except for the Unforgivable Curse. However, as you showed in our duel, I couldn't defend against something like an exceeding physical attack launched from outside this defensive barrier. And when it's a powerful wizard like Dumbledore, they can't just be bombarded with spells like a student. Their defense would be breached." Leo explained.
"Ah, I see... Your defense was mostly as I expected, but I didn't fully comprehend it. Even if we understand how to counter it, executing it seems challenging. We also need to consider your counterattacks," Hermione replied.
"Well, that's true. Shall we move on to the next explanation? As Hermione guessed, my last evasion was indeed concealing my presence. After being at Hogwarts for a year, it's possible to find a way to break through a concealing magic. Your timing in the final attack was perfect; it would have hit me directly. That's when I had to use one of my rings, 'Sapientia.' Its effect is high-speed thinking. Since magic is something used in the mind, accelerating it allows me to activate spells instantly. It's the only reason I managed to barely conceal myself in time. It was truly a close call," Leo revealed.
"At that moment, I thought I had it in the bag! But considering what would have happened in a real battle, Leo would have had the upper hand. It seems I still have a long way to go."
"Don't be downhearted. Aside from me, you're probably the best student at Hogwarts. You have the skills to take on even the professors, and your creativity and resourcefulness are top-notch. You can probably face most threats head-on."
"That's nice to hear, but I'm far from satisfied. I need to keep improving!" Hermione declared.
Despite feeling the distance between herself and Leo more clearly after the actual duel, Hermione's spirit remained unbroken. Her expression showed that she was confident she would continue to grow in many areas in the future.
～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～
Ginny Weasley was feeling anxious. She couldn't quite place the source of this anxiety, but it had taken hold of her.
When had she become like this?
Entering Hogwarts and being sorted into Gryffindor, just like her brothers, her dream come true. And to top it off, she was in the same house as her idol, Harry Potter! Her days were busy with classes and homework, but they were fulfilling. She had made normal friends, of course, but she had also made a secret friend. A magical diary that she had received surreptitiously from someone in her family. She could write in it, and it would write back, like having a conversation.
A friend no one else knew about, and he was so knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. Conversations with Tom Riddle in the diary became an obsession for her. She would stay up late writing to him, often falling asleep in the process, but she couldn't stop.
Things got a bit noisy when Filch's cat was petrified, and the Chamber of Secrets was opened. It was around that time that she began to feel this anxiety. Not only during class but also when she walked down the hallways, there were moments when her awareness would fade. Madam Pomfrey prescribed a potion to lift her spirits, but it didn't seem to have much effect. Tom said it was just exhaustion, so it probably was.
Next, it was Colin, another Gryffindor student, who was petrified. However, Leonard, who was a student but also the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, seemed to have fixed it. From Colin and the professors' conversations, Ginny learned that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk, a terrifying serpent that could kill with a single glance.
But Leonard had distributed protective goggles to everyone, so no one seemed to be too worried. They also made sure not to be alone in the corridors, so the Heir of Slytherin couldn't act recklessly.
Despite all this, Ginny felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.
As the days passed, her anxiety grew, and there were more frequent lapses in her consciousness. Furthermore, she found herself writing more and more in Tom's diary, even when there was nothing to say. Tom seemed quite interested in Leonard. He wanted to know every little detail about him and was asking about his social circles. Without realizing it, Ginny started observing Leonard during class and even investigated what kind of person he was, what magic he used, and so on.
Why was she doing this?
Ever since she learned that Leonard and Hermione were the closest of friends, she began to pay more attention to Hermione as well. For some reason, she felt a sense of hostility toward Leonard. She felt like she might do something to Hermione as well.
What is happening to me?
She watched the Dueling Tournament. Every team was impressive, but Hermione stood out the most. Yet, Leonard, who defeated her in consecutive battles, was beyond description. He was dangerous. For some reason, that feeling dominated her.
That night, she wrote about the Dueling Tournament in Tom's diary. Her memory faded away after that.
～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～
Fifty years have passed since I, Tom Riddle, opened the Chamber of Secrets. I deceived a foolish girl to gain a soul, strengthen my power, and finally had the opportunity to carry out Salazar Slytherin's will once more.
However, not only did I fail to eliminate those of impure blood, but I also inadvertently released the petrified victims and exposed the fact that the monster is a basilisk. Leonard Taylor, a student, yet extraordinarily skilled, even teaching defensive arts against dark magic. He's a genius who has introduced various spells and potions. Rumor has it that his "eye" is something special. I never anticipated that he possessed the power to undo the basilisk's petrification.
He even created magical items to protect against instant death by the killing gaze. Before I can purify the impure blood of Muggle-borns, it seems I must eliminate him.
Through Ginny's investigations, it was discovered that Leonard Taylor is on good terms with a Muggle-born girl named Hermione Granger. This could be useful. I shall use her when the time comes.
A Dueling Tournament against Leonard Taylor is set to take place. It's a perfect opportunity to gauge his abilities. If I can uncover his weaknesses, it would be a great advantage.
The results have shown that I understand Leonard Taylor's strength. That's good, but... it's beyond my expectations. He's remarkably stronger than I anticipated. In my prime as Lord Voldemort, there would be no issue, but as I am now, just a memory, it'll be challenging. Even if I unleash the basilisk, there's no guarantee it can defeat him.
In that case... I have no choice but to use that girl... I'll use this body to summon her, then command the basilisk to capture her and bring her to the Chamber of Secrets. While the anti-killing gaze device will protect me from instant death, it will slow me down. Afterward, I'll swallow her whole and invite him to the Chamber of Secrets. I'll make good use of her as a hostage. She has been an interference for far too long. I'll torment her at leisure, rendering her helpless, and then, right before his eyes, I'll kill that wretched muggle borns.
Hehehe, I look forward to seeing Leonard Taylor's face contorted in pain and fear.
-----------
We now present you with a reminiscence from Ginny and Tom.
As Tom, the highest-priority target for elimination is Leonard,
the one who can undo petrification. To be honest, he's more troublesome than Dumbledore, you see. At first, I thought of using the basilisk or my own hands, but after witnessing the Dueling Tournament, I got cold feet.
Leo's Ring Introduction Part
Sapientia
Acceleration of thought speed.
In this story, it's established that the speed of magic's casting is directly related to the clarity of one's mental image, so accelerating thought speed directly increases the speed of spellcasting. Additionally, it aids in selecting the optimal actions and spells. With enhanced eyesight and reflexes from "Reinforce" and the addition of "Sapientia," it can be used for evasion when there's no room for defense.
By employing advanced thinking techniques, it's even possible to cast multiple spells simultaneously. However, this places a significant mental burden.
So, stay tuned for the next chapter.