Upon hearing Wentworth's words, Cedric, Kirk, and the others all wore puzzled expressions. Of course, Wentworth had no intention of explaining and simply said coolly:
"Whatever the Ravenclaw Diadem once was, it's now nothing more than one of Voldemort's Horcruxes."
At this, the group, previously confused, turned pale with shock. Kirk, in particular, let out a guttural roar of anguish:
"Voldemort?! How dare he! That was a legendary relic! And he destroyed it just like that?! Absolutely disgraceful!"
Wentworth replied irritably, "If you've got time to lament, use it to start searching. We need to find that diadem—tonight, I'm turning that Basilisk into snake stew."
Kirk looked around at the chaotic mess surrounding them and grimaced. "With all this junk, how long is it going to take us to find it?"
Wentworth glanced at the towering piles of clutter and felt a headache coming on. Then he beckoned Harry over and said quietly:
"Harry, try to sense it."
Harry blinked. "Sense what, exactly?"
Wentworth thought for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh. "I don't know. Anything. Just go with your gut."
Though Harry was still utterly confused, he closed his eyes as instructed.
Several moments passed in complete silence. Seeing this, Kirk sighed and went back to sifting through the clutter with Cedric.
But just when Wentworth was beginning to lose patience, Harry—still standing motionless—suddenly began to move.
At first, he stepped hesitantly, eyes still shut. But as he walked, his pace grew quicker, more assured. When he was about ten meters away from Wentworth, Harry abruptly stopped.
With his back to the others, he slowly opened his eyes and looked toward a spot just beside his hand.
"Is this the legendary Ravenclaw Diadem?"
Kirk took the golden diadem from Harry's hands, marveling at the intricate patterns etched into it. His eyes glazed over, and as if in a trance, he slowly lifted it toward his head.
Smack!
Wentworth snatched the diadem out of Kirk's hands, making him jump and snapping him out of his daze.
Wentworth eyed the diadem warily and warned Kirk and Cedric:
"I don't think it can influence me—but if I start acting strange, don't hesitate. Just grab it off me."
Cedric nodded solemnly. Kirk, still shaken, stared at the diadem as if it were cursed.
Wentworth, diadem in hand, led the group to the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets—inside the girls' bathroom.
"Well, first the Room of Requirement, now the girls' bathroom. Wentworth, what exactly are we looking for this time?" Kirk asked, glancing around with curiosity.
Wentworth shot him an exasperated look, then pulled Harry over and said:
"Say something."
Harry: "...???"
Harry wasn't the only one bewildered; Cedric and Kirk also stared in utter confusion. Fortunately, Wentworth added:
"In Parseltongue."
At that, realization dawned on Harry. After a brief pause, he spoke—his voice hissing in the serpentine language.
Immediately, mechanical grinding echoed through the bathroom, and moments later, a tunnel leading downwards appeared before them.
Wentworth pointed into the dark abyss and said:
"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets. Here, you'll not only find Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk, but also one of the Horcruxes Tom Riddle left behind."
With that, he made to jump in—but Kirk blocked him, bursting with excitement.
"Let me go first! I've always wanted to see what a real Basilisk looks like!"
And with that, Kirk dove into the tunnel. A moment later, his voice echoed back up:
"It's clear! Safe for now!"
Wentworth followed, leaping in second. Harry jumped in after him, and Cedric brought up the rear.
Once all four had landed in the underground passage, a massive shed snakeskin came into view.
Kirk swallowed nervously at the sight of the enormous skin. "Wentworth, this snake's huge. No way the four of us can finish Basilisk stew. Should we… get more people? Food always tastes better with company!"
Wentworth ignored the quip. He drew his wand and began following the path deeper into the chamber.
Seeing this, Cedric also readied his wand and followed closely behind. Kirk rolled his eyes, glanced at Harry—who was also pulling out his wand—and nudged him.
"Pfft, don't bother. Let the upperclassmen handle this."
They soon reached a wide underground hall, at the far end of which stood an enormous stone statue.
Lying at the statue's feet was a girl in Ravenclaw robes, motionless on the cold stone floor.
"Luna!"
Wentworth and the others rushed to her side. After a moment of close inspection, Wentworth finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"She's fine. Just petrified, like Cassandra. She can still be saved. Cedric, take her to Professor Sprout."
But before Cedric could act, a voice rang out from the shadows of the hall:
"No! You can't take her. She's the Basilisk's offering. If the creature goes hungry, it'll leave to find food on its own. More people will get hurt."
A familiar figure stepped out from the darkness—Ron Weasley.
"Ron! Are you alright? Hermione told me you were hurt!"
Harry sprang to his feet, about to run over—but Cedric caught him and whispered urgently in his ear:
"Calm down, Harry. Look closer."
Only then did Harry take a proper look at Ron—who wore a tormented expression.
"Hermione… That name… it sounds so familiar. I think… I think I had a friend once… named Hermione…"
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