HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

……

……

In the days that followed, Hogwarts underwent a dramatic transformation.

In the morning light, the entire castle seemed to be enchanted.

No, the entire castle was enchanted.

Sargeras used Transfiguration to transform Hogwarts into a mirrored world—curved mirrors were embedded in the corners of the corridors, prisms hung from the ceiling, and even the armor was polished to a gleaming shine.

When sunlight shines through the stained glass windows, the entire castle reflects a dreamlike halo, and students walking in the corridors can always see countless reflections of themselves moving through the mirrors.

The students, however, were unaware that a cold wariness lurked behind this beauty.

Professor McGonagall also introduced a new rule: every student must wear special glasses 24 hours a day.

Even the Weasley twins, who were usually the most rebellious, obediently put on those comical, specially made round-framed glasses after hearing the rumor that "looking directly at a monster will turn you to stone."

A tense yet novel atmosphere permeated the entire Hogwarts.

In this atmosphere, Hogwarts is about to undergo a major screening.

Everyone—all faculty and students—must be examined. The professors said it was to find the culprit who opened the locked room, while the young wizards were buzzing with discussion.

……

"Do you really think we can find out who the murderer is?" Ron sat in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, discussing with the others. "I mean, how exactly do we investigate? If it's Snape, will he use his position for personal revenge...?"

“Don’t worry, Professor Greengrass is in charge.” Harry immediately interrupted him, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his newly healed arm.

Although he didn't reveal more, a confident glint shone in his eyes. He hadn't made any foolish moves these past few days; he knew what to say and what not to say.

George and Fred joined the conversation, while Percy and Ginny sat around the fireplace.

"Professor Greengrass can definitely find the murderer, he definitely can, after all, he... well, he's very capable!"

“He’s really amazing…” George said confidently. “Snape is nowhere near as good as him!”

“Of course…” Ron said excitedly, “That wretched old bat can’t even beat Professor Greengrass’s bird!”

……

"Who do you think it could be?" Hermione put down her book and joined the conversation. "Who could have opened the Chamber of Secrets..."

As a Muggle wizard, she was actually very concerned about the talk of the Chamber of Secrets, since in the legends she was one of those to be eliminated.

“It’s definitely Malfoy!” Ron said decisively. “He’s been too quiet lately, which is very unusual.”

The main reason is that Malfoy left such a deep impression in the past that now, even if he tones it down a little, people think he's holding back something big, even Crabbe and Goyle think so.

"Hmph, I hope it's him, so that when Professor Greengrass finds out, we can fire him."

"Just expulsion?" Percy interjected, unusually formal, "The murderer will likely be sent to Azkaban!"

The group gathered together, discussing the matter animatedly.

Ginny Weasley huddled in the armchair like a frightened fledgling. When Percy mentioned "Azkaban," her fingers dug sharply into her palms, leaving four crescent-shaped red marks on her pale skin.

The firelight from the fireplace flickered in her empty pupils.

……

The diary was discovered on the first day of school.

As she was sorting through secondhand textbooks, it slipped from between the pages of "Theory of Magic"—its black cover gleamed with an eerie sheen, undulating slightly as if it were breathing.

It was a magical diary; it could chat with her and was incredibly considerate. It always offered her the most comforting advice and soothing words when she was down.

She poured out a lot to her diary, saying that her favorite person was the famous Harry Potter, the hero who defeated the Dark Lord. She also mentioned some recent events at Hogwarts.

There was a conflict between Professor Greengrass and Dumbledore.

She also said she wanted to take Professor Greengrass's class because Harry Potter took his class.

And then there's that Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—Lohart. Her mother really liked him, but after attending a few of his classes, she was sure she'd found him to be a complete idiot.

No matter what she said, the diary always gave her the most appropriate response, and she gradually came to regard it as her best friend.

Many nights, the quill pen scratched across the paper:

I saw Harry again today; he looked so cool riding his broomstick...

The ink immediately spread, resulting in an elegant reply:

He's really special, isn't he? Just like you, Ginny.

……

Mom says Lockhart is the best wizard, but his classes are just...

True strength lies in its lack of boasting, like your Professor Greengrass.

……

I woke up again in the hallway, with chicken feathers on my robe...

Don't worry, sleepwalking is a Weasley family trait.

……

The most terrifying things are those vanished fragments of time—blood-red writing on the corridor walls, rooster feathers on hands, mud on the hem of robes, shoes that have disappeared without a trace…

When she saw Filch's cat petrified, a chilling fear finally rose in her stomach.

The screening notification sounded like a final death knell.

It seems she was the one who opened the secret chamber. It seems she unknowingly became the inheritor, though she was completely unaware of it.

……

Ginny suddenly stood up, spilling her tea onto the carpet. To everyone's surprise, she stumbled and rushed towards the girls' dormitory.

In the dormitory, her trembling fingers traced the yellowed pages of the diary. Tom Riddle's elegant handwriting slowly emerged on the paper: "Don't be afraid, I'll always be on your side..."

She felt the diary in her hand was getting hot, like a red-hot iron.

“No…” Ginny’s voice broke, “I want to get rid of you, you devil.”

This time, however, she did not write that sentence in her diary.

Chapter 82 Demon-Revealing Mirror

Ginny Weasley, clutching the burning diary, fled like a frightened rabbit through the mirrored corridor.

Countless panicked figures were reflected in the mirrored maze.

She wanted to throw the diary somewhere no one could see it. Myrtle's washroom would be a good choice; it was always deserted and covered in cobwebs.

She was wearing glasses, walking quickly with her head down and holding her diary.

Suddenly, an office door opened, and a figure emerged from it.

"Bang!" Ginny crashed solidly into a violet robe adorned with gold stars, and the diary slipped from her hand.

"Ouch!" Lockhart exclaimed dramatically. "Watch out, kid... wait—you're not doing this on purpose, are you!"

Lockhart watched the little witch crash into him and gave what he thought was a cool smile.

Ginny's pupils suddenly contracted—the diary was lying next to Lockhart's shiny leather boots.

She hurriedly bent down to pick it up: "I'm...I'm so sorry, Professor..."

"Wait a minute!" Lockhart suddenly called out, pressing his toe against the diary. Ginny's heart almost stopped.

"Why are you wandering around the castle all by yourself?" He bent down and picked up the diary. "You know, these are special times. Going out alone is against school rules..."

Ginny stammered, unable to speak. At that moment, Lockhart opened the blank diary and revealed a "I knew it" smile.

“Ha, you’re my fan, right?” Lockhart gave her a reassuring look, but Ginny was clearly more flustered. “I understand, it’s not so easy to see me, after all, I’m a writer, and I’m usually quite busy…”

Ginny didn't speak; her eyes widened as Lockhart pulled out his enormous, flamboyant peacock feather pen.

“You want my autograph? I bet you do!” Lockhart said to himself. “But you don’t have to pretend to bump into me. It’s a bit dramatic, but it’s so cliché!”

Ginny raised her hand and opened her mouth, as if to say something to stop the other person, but in the end she said nothing.

"Don't be shy, I understand you little girls..."

The pen nib scratched harshly across the paper, and the inscription, "[To my faithful reader—Giddro Lockhart]," was neatly signed on the title page.

"No—" Ginny's scream caught in her throat; she was stunned by what she saw.

As Lockhart closed the diary with satisfaction, she turned and ran without looking back, leaving a bewildered Lockhart standing alone in the corridor.

"Ha, shy? Are all the Weasley girls this eccentric?" He shrugged, humming a little tune as he tucked his prize under his arm. "But her mother knows her stuff...she's a huge fan of mine!"

Lockhart shook his head, turned, and went back into his office.

……

……

The screening operation was carried out by several magical devices.

Four crystal balls were placed at the head of the desks of the four university deans. Every morning, all teachers and students had to place their palms on them in turn.

The array of magic mirrors on the dome of the auditorium refracted an eerie light, which mingled with the light reflected from the crystal ball.

Sagles privately told the professors, "If a second soul were to reside within the body... the crystal ball would turn black when that soul touched it."

But in reality, it was all a lie; they were just a few ordinary crystal balls that Sagrais had casually taken from Trelawney.

Of course, no one knew about this except for himself.

The real trump card stood beneath the Great Hall archway—the Mirror of Erised, covered in magical silk. He had borrowed it from Dumbledore and, incidentally, temporarily modified it with monitoring magic.

When Sargeras waved his wand and unveiled the silk cloth, the surface of the transformed magic mirror shimmered with a mercury-like luster, and he then used Transfiguration to turn it into a mirrored corridor.

“Now you no longer look to desire,” he tapped the mirror with his wand, “now you only look to the soul.”

"Soul Tracing"—an extremely obscure and uncommon detection spell that Sagres originally thought he would never use in his life, but unexpectedly it came in handy here.

This imminent "demon-revealing mirror" will secretly examine everyone. If a person walking in front of it has two souls, the mirror will emit a shriek.