Hogwarts: Oh no, I've become Voldemort!

If the creature in the secret chamber was a basilisk, then Hagrid was clearly innocent. She still vividly remembered the scene Mr. Riddle had shown them last time. Although she hadn't been able to clearly see what the monster Hagrid was raising actually was, at least it wasn't a basilisk; no basilisk is a ball-shaped creature with so much hair.

“Mr. Riddle must be mistaken.”

Hermione closed the book, eager to tell everyone the answer, especially "Mr. Riddle"!

She wanted to let "Mr. Riddle" know that Hagrid was innocent, that he had made a mistake, and that her intelligence had solved the problem. Knowing the monster's true form and modus operandi, finding each other wouldn't be so difficult anymore—

Well, it's still very difficult. Hogwarts' pipe system is extremely complex, but at least we have a clue now!

However, just then, Hermione heard footsteps echoing between the empty bookshelves of the library.

"Pat-pat-pat-sha—"

"Who is there?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and she shrank back warily, knocking over a chair. She raised her wand in the direction of the footsteps.

But the owner of the footsteps did not respond; they simply continued to approach.

In that instant, sweat of fear soaked the clothes beneath Hermione's robes. But far from panicking, she was calmer than ever before.

'Perhaps it's that heir—I've become his target!'

Hermione breathed heavily, her whole body trembling, but she still made the right choice. She knew clearly that she was probably doomed, but even if it meant sacrifice, she wanted to at least leave clues to the truth for her two mentally challenged sons and Mr. Riddle.

So, she hurriedly tore off a page and wrote down a word—

The footsteps were getting closer.

The flashing fluorescent light illuminated the person who had arrived.

—It's Malfoy!

Chapter 67 Hermione Petrified

"Mr. Riddle?"

Hermione's voice was choked with sobs, and she collapsed as if she had been hit by a "power-relieving" drug, as if all the bones in her body had been removed.

"You scared me to death!"

“Sorry, Hermione. Did you find any clues?” Cyrus asked with a smile.

His white hair looked extremely glaring, and after absorbing Malfoy's life force over this period of time, Malfoy's face looked as pale as if it had been coated with flour, especially now standing in the dark, he looked like a dead corpse.

But Hermione didn't notice this. After that moment of fear, seeing Cyrus was like seeing a lifeline, and she started talking non-stop: "I found out, that monster is a basilisk, you wronged Hagrid, it moves in the pipes, we'd better get the mirror..."

Hermione grabbed Cyrus's arms desperately and spoke incoherently.

"Don't rush, Hermione, you can speak slowly." Cyrus patted Hermione on the back to calm her down.

Hermione then explained everything she had discovered to Cyrus in detail.

“You’re really smart, Hermione,” Cyrus praised sincerely. Hermione was clearly pleased by his compliment, and the little witch sniffed smugly, her tail practically wagging in the air.

but,

“However, you’re wrong about one thing.” Cyrus released Hermione, took a half step back, and distanced himself from her.

He seemed to have returned to darkness all of a sudden. Although the two were only a few steps apart, the light emanating from Hermione's wand separated her from Cyrus.

"Mr. Riddle?"

"I'm not wronging Hagrid, Hermione, you're mistaken."

"But Hagrid really isn't—"

“Of course not!” Cyrus interrupted Hermione, his expression now seeming unfamiliar to her. “I told you, I didn’t wrong him; to be precise—I framed him.”

"But why?"

“Simply put—I am the heir to Slytherin.” Cyrus laughed, explaining generously, “I orchestrated all the attacks over the past two semesters.”

"How is this possible?" Hermione was shaken, her eyes glistening with tears.

Hermione felt pain, deception, and betrayal at that moment!

How could she possibly believe that "Mr. Riddle," with whom she had spent so much time, who had stolen Snape's potion ingredients together, and who had tutored her, was actually the murderer they had been searching for?

He even——

He even showers with himself!

"But why? You're from the Muggle world too. Do you see us as Mudbloods just like Malfoy?" Hermione asked painfully. This time, she understood the pain that word carried even more deeply than when Malfoy had insulted her before.

“No, I never thought that way, but there must always be some sacrifices for resurrection. This is a lesson, and I think next time you should know not to easily trust something that has thoughts,” Cyrus said calmly.

"Alright, Hermione, you should go get some sleep. But don't worry, I won't kill you."

He was practically putting a child to sleep.

Hermione seemed to realize something; she heard the sound of metal scraping against the ground behind her, a sound so piercing that she wondered why she hadn't heard it before. But now, all she could do was desperately close her eyes and ram into Cyrus with all her might.

Cyrus didn't stop her, letting Hermione struggle. She would occasionally open her eyes to confirm her location with the basilisk, but most of the time she kept them closed, avoiding the basilisk's dim, twilight-like gaze.

The enraged basilisk, seeing its prey move, quickened its pace, its steely scales slicing across the ground and sparking bright flashes. Its writhing body knocked over rows of bookshelves as it chased after Hermione in the direction she had fled.

Filled with fear, Hermione was frantically waving spells behind her like a madwoman. She knew a lot of spells, some of which Cyrus had taught her!

Thinking of this, Hermione felt a mix of grief and irony.

But right now, we need to protect ourselves first.

She clutched the note tightly in one hand, throwing incantations behind her as she ran.

"Birds flock!"

"Drive away the venomous snakes!"

"sleepy!"

"Freezing Spell!"

The spell that shot out from Hermione's wand flashed with fire, like a bright firework that disappears in the blink of an eye on a summer night.

However, these spells had almost no effect on the basilisk. Its iridescent green scales acted like armor, blocking the spells and failing to even slow it down.

Even the freezing spell, strong enough to cool down a fire lizard, failed to hinder the basilisk.

The basilisk was much faster than Hermione, but Hermione darted between the dense bookshelves like a nimble little mouse. In the cramped space, the basilisk's enormous size became an inconvenience.

However, Cyrus was very patient.

He watched as the basilisk gradually cornered Hermione, saw her terrifiedly scramble into the gaps in the collapsing bookshelves, and watched the basilisk brutally lash out with its tail, smashing the obstacles in its path to pieces...

Now, Hermione has finally reached the library door. If she pushes it open, she can escape.

Perhaps there were other people in the corridor, perhaps they could help her, or at least expose Malfoy's—no, Riddle's—ambition. However, when she tried to push the door open, she found it was as if it had been welded shut and wouldn't budge.

"Open the Alaho hole!"

"Open the Alaho hole!"

She was so anxious she was jumping up and down, her voice distorted, and she desperately poked at the lock with her wand, but the door remained unmoved.

“It’s no use, I already cast a counter-curse.” Cyrus slowly approached her. By this time, Hermione could already feel the huge monster behind her getting closer. It slowed down, and its body, thicker than her waist, blocked her last escape route.

Hermione could only turn her head away, her back pressed tightly against the wall, her upper and lower eyelids seemingly glued together.

She even forgot how a person should breathe.

The basilisk's foul and cold breath slapped against her cheeks.

"Out of options?" Cyrus said jokingly, picking up his wand and lightly tracing it with two fingers—

Hermione felt like her body was out of her control, as if many arms were grabbing her, forcefully prying open her joints and lifting her eyelids...

In their line of sight, the basilisk's shadow resembled a series of undulating mountain peaks.

“You’re a bit of a disappointment, Hermione,” Cyrus couldn’t help but remind her. “Do you remember what I taught you about how to block the basilisk’s line of sight?”

Hermione used all her strength to cast a Bubble Head Curse on herself at the last moment.

Then Cyrus used magic to completely rip open her eyelids, and in the darkness, the serpent's eyes pierced Hermione's soul.

"Snapped!"

The bubbles burst!

Hermione, who was as stiff as a rock, collapsed.

The basilisk wanted to continue its attack, to tear the man before it to pieces, but Cyrus stopped it. The enormous monster had no choice but to submit to the magic of the basilisk.

Cyrus's wicked expression vanished, replaced by a stiff, unspoken movement as he walked silently to Hermione's side and repositioned her to a more comfortable position. Of course, she couldn't actually feel it.

Then, he raised his wand and unleashed a burst of fire towards the forbidden book section.

The library's alarm was triggered.

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Chapter 68 Quidditch Matches End

Let's rewind to a few tens of minutes ago.