A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

boom!

The diary was struck by the Unforgivable Curse, turning grayish-white in mid-air, from which black ink suddenly exploded and spilled all over the ground.

Riddle's body was also covered with white holes of light, and he was in great pain, turning into ashes amidst his terrible screams.

pat!

Harry's wand fell to the ground, splashing water everywhere.

"Is this finally over?" Harry asked uncertainly. "Riddle won't come back to life, will he?"

"Unless he has a life-or-death bond with Death, otherwise..."

Ginny suddenly groaned, opened her eyes, and sat up blankly. "Where am I?"

Aaron shrugged and said half-jokingly, "Looks like Death is pretty fair after all."

“You’re finally awake.” Ron gave Ginny a hug with delight. “It’s alright, Ginny.”

Riddle is dead, and his basilisk was killed by Aaron. It's all over.

Ginny stared at the gray diary and the basilisk cut in two, her eyes red with fear, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, I did it, but I really didn't mean to."

"It was Riddle; he controlled me."

“No one will blame a little girl who almost died,” Aaron comforted her. “Besides, the mandrake has grown, and the victims will soon be freed from their petrified state.”

"I won't get expelled, will I?" Ginny cried. "My parents will be so sad."

"You can rest assured, you definitely won't be expelled," Aaron said confidently. "Dumbledore will be back at school soon. Although he always messes up at crucial moments, it can't be denied that he treats his students quite well."

Fifty years ago, Myrtle died, and Hagrid was wrongly accused of being the heir to Slytherin. It was Hagrid's insistence that allowed him to remain at Hogwarts.

You were also a victim this time, and more importantly, no one was killed. We found the Chamber of Secrets, killed the Basilisk, and eliminated a huge threat to Hogwarts.

"In any case, your merits outweigh your faults, so he has no reason to punish you."

Hearing this, Ginny's expression softened considerably. "Thank you, Aaron."

"You're welcome." Aaron waved his hand. "But you should be more careful with magical items that have their own consciousness in the future. If there's a next time, I might not be able to save you."

“Let’s go wait at the entrance first!” Hermione suggested, then carefully helped Aaron up. “You’re really not feeling well right now.”

Harry quickly supported Aaron on the other side, treating him like a fine piece of porcelain, afraid of bumping or damaging him.

Ron comforted his sister, telling her what had happened while helping her walk towards the entrance.

"Wait, my ring." Aaron suddenly stopped. "That's very important. Has anyone seen it?"

"Is that it?" Ginny pointed to a puddle where a medieval ring reflected a faint light.

Abe immediately ran over and brought the ring to Aaron.

Hermione picked it up to put it on Aaron, but the next moment she felt a wave of weakness wash over her and staggered before she came to her senses.

"you..."

Hermione stared at Aaron in astonishment. Having personally experienced the magic of the ring, she finally understood why Voldemort valued Aaron so much.

Even geniuses are ranked. She considered herself far superior to her peers, but compared to geniuses like Aaron and Voldemort, she was utterly worthless. There was an unfathomable chasm between them.

"Don't tell anyone," Aaron said meaningfully as he put on the ring.

Hermione nodded blankly and continued to help Aaron walk forward.

After climbing a ladder and passing through a narrow tunnel, the group saw the gray-white barrier again.

"Professor, we're out!" Ron shouted.

Professor McGonagall was relieved to see Ginny Weasley come out as well, and exclaimed excitedly, "Thank God, Ginny, you're still alive!"

As long as no one dies, the situation isn't beyond redemption.

This would make it easier for Hogwarts to handle the aftermath and give the Weasleys an explanation.

“Professor, don’t just look at her!” Aaron said weakly. “I need a doctor.”

The four professors then noticed the extremely weak Aaron, and their hearts immediately skipped a beat.

The main problem is that the barrier obstructs the view too much; if you don't look carefully, you can only see a few figures.

Since Harry and the others were all fine, they subconsciously assumed that Aaron would be alright, but they didn't expect that the one who was most seriously injured was actually the one who was the most severely injured.

"Gaius, are you alright?" Professor Snape immediately went to the barrier and decisively cast a spell, but the barrier only shook slightly, with negligible effect.

"Minerva, when will Dumbledore be coming?"

"Don't worry too much, I won't die anytime soon," Aaron said with relief. "It's just that my whole body is very numb, and I can't muster any strength."

“You…” Snape raised an eyebrow when he saw the blush on Aaron’s face. “What happened to you?”

"That's more like normal!"

After all, their opponent was a giant snake tens of feet long, plus a sixteen-year-old genius wizard.

“I know, but how come they’re all perfectly fine?” Snape’s face was grim. He knew Aaron was very talented, but it would be foolish for him to play the hero and put himself in danger.

“We couldn’t get involved at all,” Harry explained sheepishly. “Riddle disarmed us with ease, and we might not have made it back if it weren’t for Aaron.”

"That's right, that massive spell..."

Hermione immediately coughed and gave Ron a warning look, stopping him from continuing.

"What kind of giant magic?" Professor Flitwick couldn't help but ask.

"Uh...it's nothing." Ron gave Aaron a sheepish chuckle, almost revealing the magic circle.

Aaron's lips twitched slightly. There was no need to be so nervous. The trump card that had already been used was no longer a trump card.

Chapter 196 Trying Not to Stand Out

A white streak of light descended before the group. Dumbledore looked at the wizards within the barrier with a smile, and his smile widened even more when he saw Fawkes perched on Harry's shoulder.

"You have given me a wonderful surprise and solved a problem that has plagued Hogwarts for decades."

“Professor, I…we weren’t helpful at all,” Harry said haltingly. “It was all Aaron’s fault. He killed the Basilisk and defeated Tom Riddle.”

Dumbledore nodded, then looked at Aaron, who was being helped up, and his eyes widened in surprise.

What's happening here?

The last time I saw him, he was only a mid-level advanced mage, but in such a short time, his strength has increased by one level. That's too fast!

"You are more powerful and more talented than I thought."

Hermione trembled slightly. Having touched the ring before, she knew very well that Aaron's strength was at least twice what it appeared to be.

"Thank you for the compliment, but it's something I was born with, there's nothing I can do about it," Aaron said nonchalantly.

“Headmaster, we can talk about this back home. Could you break this barrier first?” Professor McGonagall said.

Dumbledore smiled slightly, observed the gray-white curtain wall, and quickly locked his attention on the two green magic crystals.

“Truly remarkable, Riddle is indeed the most outstanding student in the history of Hogwarts.”

"Headmaster, could you hurry up?" Snape said impatiently. "My students are waiting to be healed!"

"Calm down, Severus." Dumbledore tore a hole in the barrier with his wand, then inserted it and chanted a spell to knock down two magic crystals. The barrier disappeared as the magic crystals shattered.

Aaron stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Although Dumbledore's method of breaking the barrier was somewhat simple, judging from the ease with which he tore it apart, even the four professors combined probably couldn't match him. No wonder Voldemort was so wary of him.

Harry and the others were also stunned, but more than being surprised, they felt a strong sense of security.

With such a headmaster at Hogwarts, they are definitely the luckiest group of students.

“Go back and tell me the details of what happened,” Dumbledore said. “This is something we all need to know.”

“Um…” Aaron weakly raised his right hand, “I won’t participate. I need to go to the school hospital.”

"Of course, Ms. Pomfrey will be there waiting for you."

Aaron nodded, then turned around and gave the group a meaningful look: say as little as possible.

The three looked at each other, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

They all knew Aaron wanted to keep a low profile, but now that everything was settled, it was impossible to hide it.

The professors had a pretty good grasp of how the case was solved, and as for the details of the battle, Dumbledore could analyze most of it just by glancing at the crime scene. You can't expect them not to go to the Chamber of Secrets, can you?

“Alright! It was my oversight.” Aaron sighed slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four professors before finally settling on Dumbledore. “Headmaster, I have a small request. Could you perhaps make my presence as inconspicuous as possible?”

For example, four students worked together to find the legendary secret chamber and, together with several professors, eliminated the basilisk monster and the mastermind behind it all.

“This… isn’t fair to you!” A glint of light flashed in Dumbledore’s eyes. “You are a great contributor to Hogwarts and deserve everyone’s respect.”

Aaron pursed his lips; he didn't believe Dumbledore didn't understand what he meant.

It's fine to show off, but the problem is that this time the spotlight is too big.

Killing the Basilisk is one thing, but if word got out that he defeated Tom Riddle, he would be thrust into the spotlight. What would Voldemort think if he found out?

If a thirteen-year-old wizard can defeat him when he was sixteen, his attitude towards him will probably change from admiration and recruitment to fear. He will have to live in constant fear from now on!

“Just tell me! Can you do it?” Aaron looked directly into Dumbledore’s blue eyes. “If not, I can take a loss and have my uncle talk to Cornelius Fudge.”

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore's face showed a hint of helplessness.

This kid is far too shrewd; he actually knows to use the Ministry of Magic to pressure him. It seems that it will be a long and arduous task to completely pull the Gaius family to the opposite side of Voldemort.

"It's possible, but you should also know that your achievements cannot be erased."

"That's enough." Aaron didn't take it seriously. As long as he wasn't the most eye-catching guy, Harry Potter, this famous figure, would automatically attract everyone's attention.

"By the way, I just saw Lockhart seem to be under a petrification curse. Who did that?"

“I did it, Albus.” Professor McGonagall said angrily. “Giddro Lockhart is a fraud, he… he’s a liar.”

In short, he's not suited to teaching at Hogwarts, but Azkaban would be a much better fit for him.

Dumbledore frowned thoughtfully. He knew Professor McGonagall well enough to know that Lockhart must have a serious problem to make her so angry.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts class needs to recruit a teacher again. This course is too demanding on teachers, taking up only one a year!

Harry and the others were called to the headmaster's office, where the Weasleys were also waiting. The news of Ginny's accident had really terrified them.