But just as Harry had finished dealing with the diary, a new problem arose...
New rumours spread around the school that some kind of monster was casting spells on the children. The hospital wing was overflowing with children from different years and houses, including Hermione Granger and Caitlin Snow. Now Harry sat next to Hermione, holding her cold, almost lifeless hand. Of course, she wasn't dead, she was just under a spell, like the other children.
Suddenly, the boy felt something paper-like under his girlfriend's arm. Pulling it out, "Harry" discovered a page from some book. After reading it, he felt his eyes widen in surprise.
"Oh, you're so clever... Barry!" The boy immediately turned to his doppelganger, who was sitting next to Caitlin. "I think I know what's going on!
The boy ran up to him and then went with him to the girls' bathroom with the ghost, telling Harry everything on the way...
...They ran back to the spot. Crybaby Moaning Myrtle continued to live up to her nickname until she saw the two boys.
"What?" the girl flew over immediately.
"Can I ask you a question?" Harry squinted.
"What is it?"
"How did you die?"
The ghost flew back a little, glancing unpleasantly at Harry. Barry looked at him questioningly.
"It was here," Myrtle swallowed, pointing to the cubicle. "I was sitting there, minding my own business. I heard a noise, came out... And then I don't remember anything. Just two huge yellow eyes... Right here!"
The girl pointed to the sink, where Harry immediately rushed. He began to examine it, then touched the tap. At that moment, the sink moved slightly, and the others began to expand. The one she had been sitting on slid down, opening a new passage. "Harry" looked down, then at his friend, who followed his example, equally puzzled.
"I saw it drag the girl away," Myrtle said suddenly. "Are you going after her?"
"Yes, we're going after her," Harry nodded. This moment made one thing clear: Ginny had already been kidnapped. Then he looked at his double. "Are you with me?"
"Where else would I go?" Barry shrugged.
The boys jumped down. They flew for a long time until they landed on the ground, which was covered with bones.
"Ugh," Barry shook his head. Then he looked at his friend. "Well... I guess we're going to get into some kind of trouble every year?"
"Well, I guess so," Harry shrugged.
They made their way through the maze, lighting their way with glow sticks.
"What if we meet that basilisk?" Barry asked fearfully. "I hope not..."
Enough time had passed when they found the door leading to the secret room. Harry tried to open it in Parseltongue, which he managed to do, judging by the fact that the door began to open. They entered a huge hall, at the end of which they could see the body of a little girl of about eleven years old.
"Ginny!" Harry shouted and ran towards her. In his hands was that damn diary again.
The boy took it and began to tear it to pieces.
"Hey!" Barry shook him by the shoulder in alarm. "Look!"
Tom Riddle stepped forward, looking as young as he did in the memories. Harry glared at him and tore up the remains of the diary. Tom just grinned, and the diary began to reassemble itself.
"That was stupid of you," the ghost shrugged. "You can't save her, it's too late."
Meanwhile, Barry pointed his wand at Riddle, but he didn't even think to be afraid, just laughed loudly. Then the boy walked over to a huge statue of a head, uttered a snake spell, and released a huge snake from it.
"Run, Barry!" he shouted to his friend Harry. "Run!"
But he stood still with his arm outstretched, holding the wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, and a green beam pierced the basilisk.
The snake fell, then turned to stone and crumbled, leaving only bones behind. Just like that? Even the sword of Gryffindor wasn't needed?
Meanwhile, Reddle was staring fearfully at the snake's corpse. "Harry" ran up to his friend, trying to calm him down, lowered his hand and took the wand. Barry didn't react, just glared at Tom's ghost, then ran to Ginny, trying to wake her up somehow.
They had to act quickly, so Harry ran up to the corpse and pulled a couple of fangs from her jaw.
"No!" Tom shouted, running up to the boy.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted "Harry," throwing his opponent back so that he couldn't reach him before he grabbed the diary and started poking it with the fangs.
Tom's ghost dissolved, and Ginny woke up almost immediately. The three of them sat quietly, looking at each other.
"Did you use an unforgivable curse?!" asked Harry after a few minutes of silence.
"I..." Barry lowered his head guiltily. "It just happened! I didn't know what to do... But anyway, it's all right now, no one died!
He didn't want to be angry with him; part of Harry was sure he would have done the same thing.
***
Harry sat in the headmaster's office, holding the destroyed Horcrux in his hands. Dumbledore sat and looked at him with understanding, but there was another small detail in his eyes — fear.
"By the rules, you and your friend should have been expelled from school," Albus exhaled. "But you actually did something very brave by going there alone. It was foolish, but brave..."
"It was a Cruciatus curse, wasn't it?" Harry held up the diary.
"Yes," replied the headmaster, taking the item. "Well... It seems you really do know more than you should.
"We need to find the rest and destroy them, don't you think, Professor?" Harry squinted.
"Voldemort took great care to hide them... I've spent the last ten years trying to find them.
"I want to help you!" The boy jumped up from his chair.
"It's too dangerous, my boy..."
"I'm not a boy!" Barry clenched his fists. "I may look like a boy on the outside, but I'm much older than that.
Albus exhaled loudly, leaning back in his chair.
"Everything takes time. And it will come, I ask only that you trust me.
Harry didn't argue, but he wasn't going to agree either. Why couldn't they destroy all the Horcruxes now, cutting off Voldemort's chance of returning?
***
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