Chapter 313 "The Chamber of Secrets"

Upon hearing Wentworth's revelation, Cedric, Green, and the others were left in a state of shock, their confusion evident. Wentworth, unperturbed by their bewilderment, smirked knowingly.

"No matter what the Ravenclaw Diadem once represented, it's now nothing more than one of Voldemort's Horcruxes!" he declared.

Cedric and the others, still reeling from the revelation, were visibly shaken.

"Voldemort! How dare he defile such a legendary artifact! He's defiled it?! This is... infuriating!" Cedric exclaimed, his anger palpable.

Wentworth, equally incensed, snapped, "Save your lamentations for later! We must locate the Diadem posthaste—I intend to stew that basilisk in snake soup tonight!"

Green surveyed the chaotic room with a grimace, then turned to Wentworth with a troubled expression.

"Um, with all due respect, there's an awful lot of debris here. When do we plan on finding it amidst all this mess? It would take the entirety of Hufflepuff just to move all this. Please tell me you have plans for it, Wentworth."

Wentworth, sharing Green's frustration, cast a weary glance at the mound of clutter before him. Summoning Harry to his side, he instructed in a hushed tone, "Harry, focus your senses."

Harry, bewildered, queried, "On... what exactly?"

After a moment's contemplation, Wentworth shook his head in resignation. "I'm not entirely sure myself. Just... feel around and see what you sense," he replied with a shrug.

Upon hearing Wentworth's instructions, Harry, though still puzzled, complied and closed his eyes as requested, "As you wish..."

For a while, there was no discernible movement from Harry, prompting Green to sigh in frustration and resume his search alongside Cedric amidst the clutter.

"Senior, if you have the energy to sigh audibly like that, why don't you put it to good use instead?" Cedric said, trying to lighten up the Green's frustration.

Chiming in after Cedric, with a slight smile on this tense situation, Wentworth followed along, "Cedric is right. I won't complain if you can actually move these obstacles with your words, senior."

"Both of you have a lousy mouth in situations like this, I wonder where did you even learned it from," Green protested before he continued searching amidst the pile of debris.

A chuckle could be heard from both Wentworth and Cedric at that moment.

However, just as Wentworth's patience began to wane, Harry, who had been standing still, suddenly sprang into action.

At first, Harry's movements were hesitant as he navigated through the debris with closed eyes. Yet, as he pressed on, his strides grew more purposeful, hastening until he abruptly came to a halt over ten meters away from Wentworth.

With his back turned to Wentworth, Harry slowly opened his eyes and fixed his gaze upon a spot not far from him.

"Is this the legendary Ravenclaw Diadem?" Harry wondered aloud.

Without hesitation, Green retrieved the golden Diadem from Harry's outstretched hand and examined its ornate engravings.

"This! Is this the real thing?! I could fee---" Overwhelmed with emotion, Green's vision blurred momentarily before he reverently placed the Diadem atop his own head.

SNAP!

In an instant, Wentworth seized the Diadem from Green's grasp and leaped forward, narrowly avoiding the Diadem's touch, which had restored Green's clarity of mind.

"Merlin's beard, I guess when they say wisdom comes with a price, they were right all along..." Green lamented as he put his hand on his head, trying to recollect himself.

Wentworth gripped the Diadem tightly, his expression grave, as he issued a solemn instruction to Green and Cedric, "Although I don't believe it can affect me, if you notice any changes in my behavior, don't hesitate to take it away from me."

Cedric nodded earnestly in agreement while Green eyed the Diadem with apprehension as if it held some malevolent power.

Approaching Green, Cedric patted his back and smiled at him warmly, "Don't worry senior, Wentworth is on a different level than us."

With the Diadem in hand, Wentworth led the trio to the girls' bathroom at the entrance of the secret room.

"From the Room of Requirement to the girls' bathroom... What secrets lie within, Wentworth?" Green queried with curiosity, eyeing the bathroom entrance.

Annoyed by Green's persistent questions, Wentworth pulled Harry aside and demanded, "Speak!"

"What exactly?" Harry was initially perplexed.

But Wentworth clarified with a stern voice, "In Parseltongue!"

Understanding now, Harry hesitated for a moment before speaking in the ancient language of snakes.

Accompanied by Harry's Parseltongue incantation, the girls' bathroom resonated with the sudden sound of an organ, signaling the opening of a hidden tunnel beneath the floor.

Wentworth gestured towards the tunnel's entrance and addressed the group, "Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets! Here, you'll not only encounter Salazar Slytherin's basilisk but also Tom Riddle's Horcrux."

Eager to explore, Green interrupted, exclaiming, "I'll go first! I've been curious about the basilisk for ages!"

Without hesitation, Green leaped into the tunnel, prompting Wentworth to follow suit. Harry and Cedric swiftly followed, descending into the chamber.

Upon reaching the bottom, they were greeted by the sight of a massive snakeskin sprawled across the ground. Green turned to Wentworth with a mix of awe and appetite, "Wentworth, this snake is enormous! We can't possibly make soup out of it alone. Shall we summon more people? Imagine the feast we could have!"

Ignoring Green's boastful remarks, Wentworth took the lead, wand in hand, and proceeded down the passage. Cedric followed suit, brandishing his own wand.

Seeing this, Green huffed and eyed Harry, who was also preparing his wand. He nudged Harry, jesting, "You can stay back and watch us seniors at work! We'll show you how we treat the bad guys if they go against our juniors!"

"Hope you are not all talk, senior!" Undeterred, Wentworth led Cedric and the others into a spacious underground chamber.

Across from them stood a massive stone statue, and at its base lay a figure in a Ravenclaw uniform.

"Luna!" Wentworth exclaimed, rushing to her side with the others in tow. After a brief examination, Wentworth breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thankfully, she's only petrified, like Cassandra. But we must act quickly! Cedric, take her to Professor Sprout!" Green yelled with concern.

But before Cedric could act, a voice echoed from the shadows of the hall.

"No! You can't take her away! She's the basilisk's prey! If we remove her, the basilisk will hunt for more victims!" Wentworth halted them, trying to prevent more accidents.

Amidst the conversation, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows, none other than Ron Weasley.

"Ron! Are you okay? Hermione mentioned you were injured!" Harry exclaimed, ready to rush to Ron's side.

However, Cedric held him back, whispering urgently, "Hold on, Harry. Look at him closely."

Taking a closer look, Harry noticed Ron's strained expression. "Hermione? It sounds familiar... I think I have a friend named Hermione," Ron muttered, his voice tinged with confusion.

Cedric exchanged a worried glance with Harry, realizing that something was amiss with Ron's memory. They both knew they had to tread carefully in this delicate situation.