Chapter 205: The end of the school year (3) (Edited)

After breakfast, the explosive news flew around Hogwarts as if it had sprouted wings, leaving the young wizards who had overslept and hadn't made it to breakfast saddened by the fact that they would never know how many such epic tidings they would encounter in their lifetime. Then the news flew to the outside world and spread throughout the magical world.

The Daily Prophet headlined the story, and added an additional story in the Evening Prophet that same day, but the real Lockhart was still missing, and there was still no confirmation, leaving Lockhart fans with an unrealistic fantasy: Maybe it's fake news? maybe it's the malicious frame of a vicious killer?

As the furor outside intensified, Professor Sprout's mandrake was ripe for the picking. Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore were already preparing the cure for the basilisk's stare, and Tom, in bed, was about to wake up.

That afternoon, there were two furtive figures in the corridor outside Hogwarts School Hospital.

Fred and George, of course.

Since the news of Professor Lockhart's escape that morning, they had been keeping a close eye on the Marauder's Map in their hands, trying to find Tom Yodel hiding in the castle.

As it turned out, Yodel had vanished into thin air.

Until this afternoon, when Tom's name appeared in the school hospital, and at the same time, Lockhart, who had been hanging around, disappeared. The twins were alerted to the situation and went to the hospital. The reason they wanted to find Tom was simple: to get the answers to their final exams! And talking to him, after all, was too cool and fun.

They had had this plan before, but before they could carry it out, Tom had disappeared.

Fred and George walked through the door and found Tom lying on the bed further in. They crawled to the head of his bed, but before they could do anything, the light in the room suddenly came on: Madam Pomfrey was standing in the doorway, looking angry.

"What are you doing here?" He entered the room and only then did Fred see Madam Pomfrey holding a bowl, followed by several professors and Dumbledore. She stood in the doorway, placed the bowl on top of a cabinet and, at the same time, pulled something out of it: a feather duster.

Even Fred and George, who had been through a lot, were confused by this situation. For a moment they didn't know what to say.

Was it possible that the Tom in the bed, the one playing Lockhart, was actually Tom Yodel in a hospital bed, and they had come to ask him for the answers to his final exam?

They like to play pranks, but they can't betray their classmates. And it's better to be locked up than to say something like that.

The twins had met the teachers here tonight because of their bad luck. Of course, they had seen the Marauder's Map before they left, and saw the deans and Madam Pomfrey in the Headmaster's office, wondering what they would be doing.

Little did they know that it was a few people watching Dumbledore prepare the petrification antidote.

When Dumbledore finished preparing the antidote, they naturally had to go to the school hospital to give it to Tom, and so they met Fred and George, who had made an overnight visit to the infirmary.

"We're... we..." George was a bit choked up, if Truth or Dare was popular in the magical world he'd probably have a good excuse, but nowadays even Muggles don't really play the game. All he could say was, "We're curious about Tom's condition."

It was a good excuse, since the two brothers were the type to sneak into the school hospital at night just out of curiosity. But the consequence was.

Madam Pomfrey ran towards them with a duster in her hand, and before they could react, the duster landed on their butts quickly.

"Get out of here!" she said to Fred and George.

The twins ran out of the infirmary running for the door. The other professors merely stood silently, watching as Madam Pomfrey dispersed the twins.

When Madam Pomfrey was finished with them, Dumbledore himself approached Tom and gave him the antidote.

The boy on the bed, was the real Tom. Since he resigned, he had been hiding in the Room of Requirement, as he counted down the days until the day Professor Sprout expected the mandrake to ripen. After the mandrake had matured, he had moved Lockhart to his office in advance, and then had Hermione petrify him, and now he was in a state of petrified rigor mortis.

He would remain in this state for a long time if he did not receive a cure or a magic potion to remove the petrification. He stood still, listening to Madam Pomfrey hit Fred and George, listening to Dumbledore arrive and Dumbledore open his mouth and pour in the antidote.

Bitter!

That was Tom's first reaction, and the spell he had been under rose almost instantly, as he rolled off the bed, retching, trying to dissolve the bitterness in his mouth. The bitterness in his mouth faded only slightly before the sour taste appeared, followed by the spiciness....

It was as if Dumbledore had given Tom a bowl of spice instead of a bowl of medicine.

"You go out first!" Dumbledore waved his hand, shooing away the professors who were trying to see what was going on; the professors were also seeing a petrified man recovering for the first time and were eager to get closer to see the details, but Dumbledore shooed them away mercilessly.

Although reluctant, the professors and Madam Pomfrey withdrew.

Dumbledore was sitting by the bedside, smiling kindly, watching Tom "taste" the antidote.

When Tom felt better, he patted him on the shoulder.

"Feeling better? Study hard for your exams! If you fail, you'll have to repeat a grade..." and with those simple words, he left the room. Only half a bowl of antidote remained by the bed, which gave off a creepy smell.

The next day, Tom returned to school, causing a bit of a stir, but that was it: his story had gone out of fashion! Chamber of Secrets fever had passed. It was only after seeing Tom in the Great Hall that everyone realized: oh yes, I think we have a student who's been petrified....

"So Tom, what's it like to be petrified?" asked Michael Corner, Tom's roommate, curiously.

"It's like a dream." Tom answered his roommates' questions with a smile.