Ginny Weasley still hadn't regained consciousness, and that terrified her family half to death.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley rushed to the school on the Hogwarts Express, and the moment they saw their pale, unconscious daughter, they nearly broke down.
In reality, Ginny's condition wasn't actually that dangerous—probably only Louis knew that.
Her sudden collapse was simply because a large portion of her soul was drained away by the Voldemort fragment inside the diary (Louis intended to call him the Gryffindor Fragment).
The Hogwarts hospital wing was in a panic only because they couldn't find the cause. As long as she rested properly and didn't come into contact with Tom Riddle's diary again, she would recover.
Humans had a remarkable capacity for self-repair—just don't let your soul get drained completely in one go.
As for the Voldemort Gryffindor Fragment, he was just one final "sip" away from restoring himself completely.
Just like how the richest, most flavorful part of freshly squeezed juice is always the last sip, a human soul is the same. That final "sip" was crucial—the key to turning Voldemort from a memory into a living human again.
But of course, he no longer had that chance. He was now in Louis's hands, and that last sip of juice was better reserved for helping Ginny Weasley recover.
In the end, Ginny was taken away by her parents and sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
This would surely be another heavy blow to the Weasley family—wizard or Muggle, medical bills were never cheap.
Even more importantly, Ginny had to take a leave from school.
At the same time, Louis received his first batch of Fate Points for the term.
> Fate disturbance detected.
> Intensity: Moderate.
> Your interference made the resurrection of Voldemort's memory possible.
> Ginny Weasley has temporarily lost the ability to study magic.
> You have gained: 20 Fate Points.
> Current total: 31 points.
Another 20 points earned.
But this time, Louis had no intention of trying another Fate Lottery.
The three days of torture last time were still etched deeply in his memory.
Thinking about it now, drawing the Eye of Fate Observation on his very first try was probably the system showing him mercy.
Ginny Weasley's incident also led to other consequences.
For example, George and Fred—who had been fully absorbed in promoting and mass-producing their Transfiguration Biscuits—lost all motivation for the time being.
But this didn't affect Louis much. His main goal was the transformation techniques behind the biscuits, which he intended to use for researching Transfiguration Candy. He never planned on earning big money from the biscuits themselves.
...
Time passed quickly, and Christmas was just around the corner.
Because he needed to keep up with the ritual schedule, Louis didn't go home for the holiday this year.
Even so, he still sent three puppets inlaid with energy amethyst crystals back home through the Floo Network to protect the Wilson couple.
One for each parent as personal protection, and one extra as a mobile guard.
A perfectly reasonable arrangement.
Of course, Louis didn't forget to write a letter home. He included two boxes of snacks George had brought back from Hogsmeade—nothing too bizarre.
Things like Butterscotch Fudge and Chocolate Frogs.
He hoped these little novelties would ease his parents' worry about not seeing their son during the holiday.
…Well, Louis admitted he was probably overthinking it.
The Wilson couple might actually be happily enjoying their two-person world.
Aside from sending a letter to his parents, Louis didn't forget to write to Hermione as well.
He had already prepared her Christmas gift in advance—the quirky Pet Egg he had drawn from the lottery.
Louis had tested it before. When opened, the egg would randomly produce a tiny fairy-like creature.
The key point: it looked beautiful and glowed. It had no combat power whatsoever, but its appearance alone was top-tier.
The little fairy obeyed the commands of the first person it saw. It had a bit of intelligence… but honestly, its brain didn't work too well.
The proof?
It once offered itself straight into Hastur's mouth.
Hastur wasn't the type to show mercy. By the time Louis rushed to save it, Hastur had already spat out two wings.
But Louis never intended to raise that thing anyway. If it died, it died—he didn't feel a thing.
——
On Christmas Day, while making the final adjustments to his ritual in the Room of Requirement, Louis glanced at Hastur during a break… and fell into deep contemplation.
Because Hastur was sitting on the floor in a posture no normal cat should ever be able to do.
And what posture was so baffling that it sent Louis into thought?
Put simply, four words:
Five Hearts Facing Heaven.
Yes, that cross-legged Taoist meditation pose—"five hearts toward the sky."
Even for a human, whose bones were meant for such positions, it was difficult.
For a cat? Impossible.
Sure, Hastur wasn't exactly a normal cat, but you shouldn't be able to twist a four-legged skeleton into human sitting posture, right?
And what was this?
Divine Qi Art?
A cat can seriously train that?
"Don't tell me Hastur is some once-in-a-million cultivation prodigy? Have I been wasting its potential all this time?" Louis stroked his chin, deciding that next time he drew anything cultivation-related, he'd let Hastur try it first.
"Come on, Hastur. Stop cultivating. We're heading to the Forbidden Forest." Louis packed up his things and called out.
Hastur, still meditating, slowly exhaled.
The stream of breath stretched out like a long white ribbon that refused to disperse.
When it opened its eyes, the entire room seemed to flash with lightning.
Good grief.
Breath like silk.
Lightning born from stillness.
This was already the level of someone about to achieve peak martial mastery.
Louis wasn't sure he himself could ever reach this level so quickly.
"Meow."
Hastur let out a satisfied cry, stretched its noodle-soft body, twisted its bones back into place, then lightly hopped onto Louis's shoulder and pressed a paw to his cheek like a stamp.
Louis took out a collar inscribed with mysterious runes and fastened it around Hastur's neck.
This was the ritual artifact he had prepared for months—an enchanted tool capable of harvesting souls and forging them into artificial soul constructs.
"In a bit, you'll gather the souls in the blast zone," Louis instructed. "Do you want some undead power for self-protection?"
Louis didn't plan to enter the Forbidden Forest himself. He didn't even plan to use a substitute body.
A task like luring out the Basilisk was more than enough for Hastur.
Its hatred toward the Basilisk alone was a perfect lure.
Unexpectedly, Hastur tilted its head proudly and refused.
"Meow!"
The cat shot him a look that said, Leave it to me. I've got this.
Then it left the Room of Requirement on its own and headed straight for the Forbidden Forest.
"…Is this reliable?" Louis rubbed his chin, worried.
He returned to his dormitory through the Room's door and woke up Fafnir—who was sparking with electricity all over like an exploded fluffball.
"Go. Follow Hastur. Don't let it get itself killed," Louis ordered.
He still wasn't completely reassured.
----
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