Chapter 120: Sneaking into the Girls' Dormitory
"Ginny, what's wrong? You seem down lately."
During Thursday afternoon's flying class, George walked over to Ginny, who was sitting alone under a tree.
Flying class was Ginny's favorite, and she usually had the most fun during it. But lately, she had been listless even during these classes.
"George, do you think someone can be forgiven if they made a mistake, but it wasn't really their fault?"
Ginny looked up at George with a troubled expression.
George thought for a moment before replying:
"That depends on how brave they are. It's not terrible to make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes—even Dumbledore, who, I hear, made plenty of mistakes when he was young.
But if someone realizes they've made a mistake and has the courage to admit it and correct it in time, then they can definitely be forgiven."
"Really? So if I fix it in time, I can be forgiven?"
Ginny's eyes lit up with hope.
Before the school year started, she had found a strange diary in one of her second-hand books. No matter what she wrote in it, the diary would reply and offer useful advice.
Over time, she grew to trust the diary more and more, confiding her secrets to it every day.
But one day, she realized her body was no longer under her control. She had opened the Chamber of Secrets and unleashed the basilisk, attacking her classmates.
Realizing the diary might be the problem, she secretly threw it into a bathroom, hoping the plumbing would wash it away. But Harry had found it.
Afraid that Harry would discover her secrets in the diary and the mistakes she had made, she sneaked into the boys' dormitory and stole it back.
But in recent days, she felt herself being controlled again, even unleashing the basilisk, which nearly killed her friends George and Hermione and got Headmaster Dumbledore suspended.
"By the way, I bought this bookmark in Diagon Alley during Christmas. The shopkeeper said it can ward off dark magic, protect against curses, and bring good luck to its owner. Here, it's for you!"
George pulled out a butterfly-shaped metal bookmark from his robe and handed it to Ginny.
Ginny took the bookmark and finally smiled.
"Thank you, George. I really like it."
"You're much cuter when you smile."
George reached out and ruffled Ginny's hair before standing up and walking away.
Ginny watched George leave, touching her hair. For some reason, her cheeks turned slightly red.
That night, in the Gryffindor girls' dormitory, Ginny placed the butterfly bookmark George had given her inside the terrifying diary, hoping it would protect her from the diary's control.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll tell Harry and the others everything!"
After putting the diary back in the box under her bed, Ginny made up her mind. George's words had given her courage.
At 2 AM, in the Slytherin boys' dormitory, George suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. He grabbed his wand and cast the same spell on his three dormmates.
"Stupefy!"
Although his dormmates didn't have the habit of waking up at night, George thought it best to cast a Sleeping Charm on each of them, just to be safe.
Quietly leaving the Slytherin dormitory, he made his way to a secluded corner of the castle. A magic circle flashed around him, and his body grew from that of a child to slightly larger than an average adult.
Then he pointed his wand at himself:
"Transfiguro Vestimenta!"
His stretched-out pajamas quickly transformed into a standard black outfit, leaving only his eyes exposed.
The spell he had cast on himself was called the Clothing Transformation Charm, similar to the Snake Summoning Charm and the Bird Summoning Charm. It was one of the many extension spells of Transfiguration.
He had learned it from a book in the library called *How to Be an Elegant Wizard*.
The spell was simple: it allowed the caster to change their clothes into any style they desired, eliminating the need to buy new clothes.
If you spent enough time in the library, you could find many strange and quirky spells.
They might not be powerful, but they could make life much more convenient. These were spells created by wizards for everyday use.
After preparing himself, George conjured a broomstick out of thin air.
This broomstick was one he had bought in Diagon Alley during the Christmas break. He had stored it in a box expanded with the Undetectable Extension Charm and brought it to Hogwarts.
Since his Requip Magic had finally reached a basic level, allowing him to create a space large enough for two magical weapons, he had stored the broomstick there.
Why not use his flying magic?
Tonight, he planned to sneak into the Gryffindor girls' dormitory to steal the diary. He couldn't afford to leave any traces.
Mounting the broomstick, he didn't fly directly to the Gryffindor Tower on the eighth floor. Instead, he took a long detour, circling the castle for nearly an hour before approaching from a different direction.
He wanted to minimize the risk of being tracked.
Using the magnetic mark he had left on the butterfly bookmark, George quickly located Ginny's dormitory.
The entrance to the girls' dormitory in Hogwarts was enchanted with a special spell that prevented boys from entering.
So, if he wanted to sneak into the girls' dormitory to steal the diary, he couldn't go through the common room. He had to find another way in from the outside.
However, the entrance to the boys' dormitory had no such enchantment, allowing girls to come and go as they pleased.
This was why Ginny had been able to sneak into Harry's dormitory and steal the diary.
"Alohomora!"
Pointing his wand at the window, George heard a soft click. He carefully opened the window and climbed inside.
"Looks like I found the right place."
Seeing Ginny asleep on the bed, George followed his magical sense and quickly located the metal butterfly bookmark.
"Got it."
Carefully taking the old diary from the box under the bed, George smiled.
The main purpose of his earlier conversation with Ginny had been to get her to place the metal butterfly bookmark inside the diary, making it easier for him to find.
Otherwise, he would have had to search the room, increasing the risk of being caught.
After tossing the diary into his Requip space, George didn't linger. He quickly retraced his steps and left.
(End of Chapter)