Luna rushed straight to Professor McGonagall's office and handed over the note.
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. "Luna, stay with me. Don't act on your own."
"I understand, Professor McGonagall." Luna nodded lightly, knowing what to do now.
"Good!" McGonagall raised her wand. Three silver tabby cats leaped from the tip and landed nimbly on the ground. "Incident in the Forbidden Forest. We're moving out."
As she spoke, three Corporeal Patronuses scattered and ran toward different places, leaving trails of silver light in the corridors.
McGonagall brought Luna upstairs. Luna's peripheral vision caught the window—actually saw Flitwick appear in midair like a feather drifting down.
Flitwick also saw Luna, even waved and showed a kind smile.
Luna and McGonagall returned to the eighth floor. Outside the window appeared a fleeting light membrane plus muffled incantation sounds. "Protego Maxima!"
McGonagall stood before the bronze door. The copper ring beneath the eagle statue shook. "Books and knowledge—which is more important?"
"Books are vessels. Knowledge is for thinking. Both important."
"Well answered."
The door slowly opened. McGonagall entered the Ravenclaw common room. "Miss
Clearwater! Mr. Hilliard! Gather Ravenclaw students. Proceed to the Great Hall for headcount!"
She turned to Luna. "Stay with them. I need to notify other houses."
McGonagall returned to the corridor, fingers gripping her wand trembling slightly. "Piertotum Locomotor! Piertotum Locomotor!"
Armor and statues in the corridor moved and followed behind McGonagall. Thundering footsteps echoed through the hall.
"Oh..." Like a conductor on stage for the first time, her lips curved in an irrepressible arc. "More than last time... And maintenance is excellent!"
Reaching the staircase, McGonagall pointed toward the moving stairs. "Guard the Forbidden Forest entrance. Defend Hogwarts! Move out now! Piertotum Locomotor!"
Armor and statues on every floor answered the call, left their positions, and jumped down the moving stairs. The entire castle seemed to shake.
"What's happening?" The Fat Lady saw McGonagall and asked worriedly. "Is the castle... Earthquake?"
"Fortis Fortuna!" McGonagall spoke the password and stepped expertly onto the frame, arranging for Gryffindor prefects to gather students.
Students from two houses formed a surging tide and followed the obedient moving stairs downward. More students joined midway.
They quickly reached the Great Hall, met Snape leading two other houses, and entered together.
Prefects moved rapidly and soon compiled attendance lists.
Percy shouted anxiously. "Professor McGonagall! Harry's missing! Not in the dormitory. Didn't meet up midway. Hermione and Ron haven't seen him either!"
Tom Riddle dove straight into the Black Lake and swam like a fish toward the depths until a massive pipe opening appeared, then plunged inside.
When he emerged from the other end, before him was the cave tunnel leading to the Chamber.
He moved like a ghost and made hissing sounds at the Chamber entrance.
The door opened. Similar hissing sounds came from behind—Lockhart appeared, head wrapped in cloth, holding a bundle in his hand.
Behind him was unconscious Harry plus a group of snakes dragging Harry along.
"Did it go smoothly?" Lockhart's tone revealed impatience. "I've captured Harry!"
"Of course. As long as I can successfully revive!" Tom Riddle nodded and walked directly into the Chamber.
At the Chamber's center sat a massive cauldron that bubbled and gurgled, occasionally releasing gray steam.
Lockhart pulled out tattered parchment from his chest and, following its contents, tossed materials from the bundle into the cauldron.
He muttered constantly. "While they were gathering, I stole from Snape's office... Remember what you promised! Have the Board of Governors nominate me!"
"Then I'll become Hogwarts Headmaster and you'll provide protection! Right! Must deal with Snape too... Can't let others know my secret!"
As materials were tossed into the cauldron, it began boiling and the potion's color turned sickly green, like some deadly poison.
"Got it!" Tom Riddle answered casually, took out the unicorn blood vial, then looked at unconscious Harry with malicious eyes.
"This is unicorn blood..." Lockhart took the vial and carefully placed it on the ground.
His gaze stayed on the tattered parchment as he repeatedly recited the incantation.
"Pure mother-child blood, freely extracted, can rebirth the soul..."
"Innocent one's flesh, deliberately severed, can preserve the soul..."
"Hated one's bone, casually removed, can anchor the soul..."
The unicorn straightened in trembling and blinked those dull lifeless eyes, like hinting at something.
Firenze's hand trembled as he gently touched the abdominal gash. "What we can do now is help continue its life... Though hope may be slim..."
"Sectumsempra!"
Wizette waved his wand. A blade passed through the fence and directly split Mosag in two.
This Sectumsempra's power was exceptionally strong—whistling sound like thunder, followed by a series of falling tree sounds.
"Mosag!" Aragog seemed to sense something and released a painful wail.
Wizette pointed his wand at Aragog. "Mutatio Formae!"
The hemispherical giant web became a massive cage that not only imprisoned Aragog but drowned out his wailing.
After finishing, Wizette put his wand in his pocket. Flame-like feathers covered his entire body.
He slowly bent down. A crystal phoenix tear slid from his eye.
The phoenix tear fell on the vicious neck wound. The outward-turned wound rapidly closed, shriveled body slowly filled, and beautiful muscle lines gradually emerged.
"It seems to lack something..." Firenze gently touched where the wound had been. "It's still suffering..."
Wizette returned to human form and looked at the unicorn's dull lifeless eyes, falling into thought.
He noticed the still-dull coat and already had an answer in his heart. "Body filled, but coat hasn't regained luster..."
"Means its soul was also drained, flowed away with blood and flesh... Phoenix tears can't solve this..."
Firenze said. "If we let it bathe in moonlight, it might slowly recover. But the life in its womb would..."
"Then try another way!" Wizette shook his head. "I'm greedy. I want them all to live! Expecto Patronum!"
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