Chapter 119: The Unforgivable Curses and Fiendfyre
The next morning, Snape arrived early at the Slytherin common room to deliver an announcement to all the Slytherin students.
"Starting today, all students must return to their house common rooms by 6 PM.
No student is allowed to leave their dormitory after this time.
Every class will be escorted by a teacher.
No student may use the restrooms without a teacher accompanying them.
All Quidditch practices and matches are postponed, and no evening activities will take place."
As Snape escorted the Slytherin students to the Great Hall for breakfast, George approached him and asked:
"Professor, has the basilisk still not been found?"
"No, the castle's pipes have been searched, but we only found some shed scales. The Chamber itself remains hidden."
Snape replied:
"Dumbledore has been temporarily suspended by the school board and was detained at the Ministry of Magic in London last night.
Until we find the basilisk and the true heir of Slytherin, the school may be closed for some time.
So, be prepared. If you have any questions about your studies during the closure, come find me at Spinner's End."
If the school closed, all teachers and students would have to leave, and the Ministry would send Aurors to conduct a thorough search of the castle. Classes wouldn't resume until the basilisk was found and killed.
But if even Dumbledore couldn't locate the Chamber, Snape doubted the Ministry's Aurors would succeed.
This closure might last a while.
As Slytherin's most talented and promising student, Snape didn't want George's studies to be disrupted.
"Thank you, Professor."
George nodded, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes.
With Dumbledore detained in London, it meant he could sneak into the Restricted Section to study dark magic.
After breakfast in the Great Hall, Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached George.
"I've decided to tell Dumbledore about hearing the basilisk and the diary. Maybe that will help catch it."
After a night of thinking, Harry had made up his mind. He no longer wanted to keep it from Dumbledore and the professors.
But George shook his head:
"This morning, I learned from Professor Snape that Dumbledore has been temporarily suspended and is being held at the Ministry in London. He won't be back anytime soon."
"This is bad. With Dumbledore gone, attacks might happen every day!"
Ron exclaimed in alarm, while Harry and Hermione frowned.
With Dumbledore, their anchor, gone, their anxiety skyrocketed. Seeing this, George changed the subject:
"Let's think carefully over the next few days. Maybe we'll find some useful clues.
I plan to visit Hagrid later. Since it's confirmed that the monster is a basilisk and not an Acromantula, Hagrid's past conviction should be overturned, and he shouldn't be affected."
"Good, we'll come too."
Hermione immediately raised her hand, surprising Harry and Ron.
She wasn't usually this eager.
After breakfast, George and the trio went to visit Hagrid.
It was Sunday, so they had no classes.
From Hagrid, they learned that the Ministry had notified him early that morning that his wand ban had been lifted.
Dumbledore, despite being temporarily suspended, had provided evidence proving that the monster in the Chamber was a basilisk, not an Acromantula.
The Ministry had therefore overturned Hagrid's past conviction as the murderer and restored his right to use a wand.
Hearing this good news, the trio's heavy hearts lightened a little.
By the time they returned from Hagrid's hut, it was almost noon. George found an excuse to leave the trio, got a note from Lockhart, and headed to the Restricted Section of the library.
This time, he didn't feel the sensation of being watched.
"Avada Kedavra, Fiendfyre, Imperius, Cruciatus—here I come!"
With his Marvel-world counterpart ready at the computer, George began copying down the dark magic books he had previously avoided.
Expecting to memorize and understand these complex dark spells in one afternoon was unrealistic.
But he could copy them all down first and study them later.
He worked until 5:30 PM, then borrowed a regular magic book and calmly left the library.
Over the next few days, he didn't return to the Restricted Section.
Once was enough. Any more would raise suspicion. Besides, he had already copied all the spells he wanted. Now, it was time to study and practice them.
Summer arrived quietly, turning the castle's sky and the surrounding lake into a pale, purplish-blue. The greenhouses bloomed with flowers as large as cabbages.
But the atmosphere in the castle grew increasingly tense.
With Dumbledore gone, fear spread like never before. Every face in the school showed anxiety, and every laugh in the corridors sounded harsh and out of place, quickly stifled.
Another Saturday arrived, and George secretly practiced dark magic in a secluded part of the Forbidden Forest.
"As expected, it's not that simple!"
By noon, he sighed and left the forest, heading back to the castle.
Whether it was Fiendfyre or the three Unforgivable Curses, they were all high-level dark magic. Self-study was far too inefficient.
But he couldn't ask any of the school's professors, including Snape, for help.
"Maybe I need an expert in this field."
At that moment, George remembered the soul fragment of Voldemort in the diary.
The soul in the diary was from when Voldemort was sixteen.
While the sixteen-year-old Voldemort certainly didn't have the knowledge of his older self, George believed he had already mastered a fair amount of dark magic.
Teaching a beginner like George would be more than enough.
He hadn't considered this before because, at the time, his strength wasn't sufficient to seize the diary without risking detection by Dumbledore or being controlled by Voldemort's soul.
But now, with Dumbledore detained in London, George had plenty of time to plan.
And with his current strength, especially after learning light magic that countered darkness and curses, a mere fragment of Voldemort's soul wouldn't easily influence him.
As he walked and thought, George gradually formed a new plan.
He wasn't rigid. Plans were necessary, but flexibility was key.
As his strength continued to grow, many of his original plans needed adjustments to maximize his progress.
(End of Chapter)