Chapter 107

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Chapter 82- When You Go Into Hogwarts Tonight...

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I slam down onto the armchair in my room and relax back into it, letting out a big sigh from a long-ass day that has been hell on my mind and just given me a whole bunch of more stress. After I was left in that hallway with the knocked-out girl, I decided to just levitate her up and take her to the infirmary. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey is not up at all hours checking on her patients, so I just snuck in and put the girl in one of the beds. The beds were all full of students anyway so Pomfrey might not even notice the addition.

With the amount of crazy that goes on in the halls of Hogwarts, I bet half of these students don't even remember what happened and how they ended up in need of medical attention. They will just wake up here confused, then figure they are okay because they are here, and then go on about their day. This girl will probably be the same and just go about her day without questioning it. With magic in the mix, most people just tend to accept things straight up and go about their days, never pondering why or delving into the mysteries. Some people actually use their brains, but they are few and far between.

And then I returned to my room, but instead of getting some sleep like I really need, here I am on the armchair, thinking. Because the events of tonight have things so out of wack, and the ramifications are catastrophic. Riddle has split his diary into pages and can fly them throughout the school and take control of people, but they are entirely unaware of it. I don't know how he gained enough power to be capable of such things, but he did. You would usually think that such power comes with sacrifices, just like he was trying to sacrifice Ginny in the original, but nobody has died in the vicinity. Not even anybody from Hogsmeade.

Anyway, how he got his power doesn't matter anymore since he already has it, and there is nothing I can do to change that. What I need to focus on now is defeating that son of a bitch, and that means getting the diary, which means I have a search quest to get all of the pages. And the difficulty of this quest is a question mark because I don't know how many of the damn things there are out there. There could be over a hundred, and each of them could sneakily be on a student and control them without their knowledge. Imagine that an entire network of sleeper agent children is doing his bidding, and the scary thing is that this has probably been going on for months without anybody's knowledge. Not to mention the fact that they have been up to something for all that time, and no one knows what. Obviously, he has been planning something big, something that is taking time to come together, and he is working towards its fruition and that scares me more than anything.

Well, with a thought like that in my mind, I can't just go happily off to my bed and nod off for the day, can I? Sighing to myself again, I get my wand and beckon the Diadem cage forth towards me, and then focusing, I cast the Horcrux location spell once more, sending out feelers throughout the school for the closest Horcrux to me. A trail appears, but although it is familiar, it is not what I am looking for. The unstable Horcrux trail belonging to one Harry Potter appears before me, flickering unstably before disappearing altogether.

Furrowing my brow in consideration, I cast the spell again, but the result remains the same, and another sigh leaves my mouth as I drop my wand on the side table and flop back. I know how my spell works after thorough testing, and although I don't know precisely why it does what it does in the way it does it, I know how it does it. And that's why I understand why it isn't working. Tonight, Riddle cottoned on to the fact that I was tracking him somehow as I found him twice and had already prepared countermeasures to defend against that. Of course, he doesn't know how I am tracking him, so there isn't much he can do. He definitely doesn't know I am tracking him using soul magic and jumping onto the connections between his soul pieces. He wouldn't be so fucked up if he was actually knowledgeable on the soul and its magics.

He has probably recalled all of his agents, no, more like he has taken all of his pages back from the students who were carrying them unknowingly and brought them all to a location that he has closed off and hidden, most likely where he has his diary as well. The most probable action he has taken is to use protection enchantment to seal an area off, and he is staying bunkered down there for the time being. Protetion Enchantments like Hermione had used in one of the Deathly Hallow movies to hide in the forest. He has probably used something a lot more powerful and effective than that, though.

The minute he pops his head out I will be able to track his pages down. Still, there will be no more hunting tonight. Tom Riddle has hunkered down for the night, and so must I.

Time for some rest, and I can try and get the fucker tomorrow.

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Hmm... Yeah, yeah, I can't tell shit. It is the next morning, and I am sitting at my spot at the teacher's long table, watching as the students go about their morning breakfast before classes begin for the day. Things are subdued, as they have been for the last couple of months, with students meekly taking their seats and eating their breakfasts, talking among their own groups. It is actually quite late for breakfast, but everybody is eating.

Students had been waiting till the end of breakfast time to show up in groups from their common rooms since it was much safer for them, and then they would wait here and either follow the teachers whose class they would be taking next or they would all move in a group towards their next class, taking safety in numbers. The crazy thing to me is that the teachers didn't even set this up, but it is something that the students had all come up with themselves. The teachers had just set up earlier curfews and would take their students to their next class or destination after their respective class was finished.

Right now, I am just observing all the students, trying to find any suspicious activity or anything that points to one of them being a sleeper agent. But no, I can't see anything out of the ordinary. It is just the normal fear and uncertainty that has become the norm for everybody over the last few months, and nothing has changed. I can't pick out anybody from the crowd who can pique my interest and arouse suspicion in me. Well, there is Gemma Farley, who has been eyeing me intently, but I have already cleared her, and her gaze is full of lustful intentions. That is interesting, but I can't pay any attention to it right now. Keep your head in the game.

I spot the red-headed Ravenclaw girl who had been controlled last night sitting with the rest of her house, eating her breakfast calmly. It seems that leaving her in the infirmary was a good decision and a good future plan for the students free from Riddle's cutches in the future. I also spot the other possessed student from last night, the Slytherin one, and he has also made it to breakfast in one piece. Except I left him in very different circumstances than the Ravenclaw girl, and that can be seen by his behaviour.

The Slytherin student is sitting at the table, not talking to anybody and not even eating his food. He is just looking around suspiciously at everybody else in the hall, his face full of anger, embarrassment, and despair. It takes me a moment to puzzle out why he feels such things, but then I click on. He woke up in a broom closet, completely nude, his clothes and wand thrown haphazardly next to him. And due to me and his body being in a prolonged battle, he is no doubt sore. To state that again, he woke up in a broom closet naked with his body feeling sore, and from that, you can make an assumption that no one would blame you for. It makes sense why he is acting and feeling the way he is, and I feel a little bad for leaving him like that, but then I remember what a little prick he has been, and I decided that a situation like this might be better for him in the long run. He'll probably turn out worse, though, but that isn't my problem.

I turn to look at the other teachers on the table with me, but I can't tell if any of them are acting off. Madam Hooch smiles brightly at me, Aurora Sinistra glares at me, and Professor McGonagall disregards me without blinking an eye. I don't think Riddle would be stupid enough to try and control a Professor for fear of them figuring out something is amiss and discovering him. It is better to stick to naive students.

Shaking my head, I wipe my hands and then stand up and walk towards the hall exit. As I walk, numerous students quickly chuck their toast on their plates and hurry after me to follow me to class. I get to my classroom and immediately start; my lessons are no longer as creative as they were, and I just stick to the standard stuff. I keep an eye on the students, but there is nothing of notice. I don't bother to use legitimacy and mind-reading them as they won't even remember if Riddle was using their bodies. Wait, given that point, then there isn't even a reason to try to identify students acting weird, as they won't even remember being under control. If anything, I should keep an eye out for students who look tired or fatigued, as they are the ones most likely being used and controlled at night. I already tried the Horcrux tracking spell multiple times this morning, but nothing. It seems he will only be moving at night, and that is when I will be hunting him.

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And so night comes again, and this time, I have prepared myself more than enough for tonight's expedition. And by that I mean I am fully rested and ready for battle. I did some wand care, which just consisted of polishing it off, as I keep the thing in perfect condition anyway, but it doesn't hurt to check. I also contacted Andromeda and had her send me another broom, but not one that was quite as experimental as the one I used before. She didn't even ask how I broke mine. She just sighed and said she would send me one before saying she was busy and cutting off the floo fireplace.

She has been really distant lately, and I don't know why, but I don't have time to fret about that. I don't think I will actually need the broom, but it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Not only that, but I have also procured and stocked up on any potions that might be useful. There are some Wiggenweld potions for healing. I am not sure how they work, but they heal you up a lot; I think phoenix feathers are used in it.I have some Edurus potion for extra defence; it works by sort of transfiguring your skin outwards to make a rock layer for protection, kind of like Gaara's sand armour.

I've also got a focus potion that's like magic Adderal, which makes you hyper-focus, which is definitely beneficial. I have Maxima potions that make your spells stronger but at the cost of seriously flagging after the spell wears off and an invisibility potion. Of course, the invisibility potion also has its downsides, and it is that you have to move slowly with it. Otherwise, it will cease to work if you move too fast. I haven't used any of these before as they are banned from competitions, and also, too much usage isn't good for you, so it is better to just not use them.

Not only that, but they are hard to use as once you are suddenly in battle in real-life situations, you won't have much opportunity to get a potion and drink it. They are really only applicable in ambush situations where you get the drop on your enemy; otherwise, they aren't used much. Aside from those potions that are mainly focused around defence and battle, I have a bunch of others that may prove useful. I am ready as can be, and now it is time to catch me a riddler.

Again, the night starts the same as the night before did, with me in my room, with the cage holding the Diadem, and with me using my spell on it. Thankfully, this time, the spell works and locks onto a stable connection, showing me that Voldemort is indeed out and about, up to no good. I breathe a sigh of relief that I haven't lost him forever, and then I read my wand and start to follow the trail.

If you go into Hogwarts tonight, you're sure of a big surprise. If you come out in Hogwarts tonight, you'd better go in disguise. For every Horcrux page that ever there was will gather there for certain. Because tonight's the night the Horcrux pages have their... shit, I can't think of something to go here. Well, at least I kept my mind occupied as I followed this trail with a bunch more caution than I did yesterday. Oh, it seems I have once again found him.

This time, the figure seems to be a tall one, so not a kid like last time. The hallway is brightly lit, so I can make out Hufflepuff colours and come to the conclusion the student is a seventh-year Hufflepuff student. Alright, it's time to prepare myself. I look at my potion options and decide to take the Focus potion and the Maxima potion to boost my focus and the power of my spells. I choose not to use the invisibility potion as I might need to move quickly. I don't use the Endurus potion for the same reason that giving yourself rock skin surprisingly slows you down and affects your agility and dexterity.

Most of all, the situation is a bit off, as the student is just waiting in the middle of the hall without moving, facing away from me. He is giving me seriously bad vibes right now, and something is off, which is why I think I might need to be ready to move. I down my chosen potions, and then I advance forward, lifting my wand and preparing a stunner. Then, after that, I will try other capture charms to see if I can capture the page and not just the student. I don't want a repeat of the last two times. I also have shades on, just in case.

"You took your time tonight, Lockhart. I've been waiting here for you most of the night." I don't pay attention to his trying to conversate even though his words do worry me, and instead, I respond with a quick stunner, the red light jetting towards his back. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" My spell dissolves against a shield as the student turns around, his red eyes looking at me with a mocking grin on his face.

I didn't bother with trying any more spells since he was clearly waiting for me and had a plan, meaning he was already prepared for any attacks. There might very well be other students waiting nearby to ambush me and I walked right into it. It was too eager to put this guy down and hadn't thought about all the possibilities.

"Would you kindly surrender whoever you are? You know, so I don't have to get more violent and needlessly hurt the meat suit you are using." I say, maintaining my bravado and aiming my wand, keeping an eye out for anything unexpected. He came out of his hole with a plan; Riddle wouldn't have come out otherwise. A plan that will definitely not be healthy for me.

"You know I am Voldemort; stop pretending otherwise. As for this, meat suit, as you so astutely put it. For me, they are entirely disposable, as you are about to learn. Stay out of my way, or this will only continue." Riddle smiles evilly, and with a laugh, he whips his wand, causing an explosion.

At his own feet...

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Watching the Lord of The Rings, The Rings of Power. Loving it so far, and I am on the latest episode. If you like Lord of The Rings, then I would suggest you check it out. It is set before the movies by a thousand years or so, and there are some familiar names. Of course, with it being a TV show, the exposition and build-up can take a while, but the payoff is quite good. Check it out.

Upcoming Chapters:

Hero: Chapter 83- Need Directions?

Super: Chapter 85- The Riddle of Riddle.

Legendary: Chapter 87- Black Souls.

Galactic: Chapter 91- Clearing The Waters. [R-18]

Mythic: Chapter 92- Frozen Water.

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