Behind another nearby bookshelf, three older Ravenclaw girls were whispering to each other.
From time to time, they pointed toward the blonde girl and snickered maliciously.
"Look, Loony Luna is searching for her precious shoes again."
"I hid them. I bet she won't find them before the end of the term."
"Well, it serves her right for always talking nonsense."
Lucian Thornwick's gaze briefly passed over the bullies.
His expression remained emotionless.
Then his eyes settled on Luna Lovegood.
He noticed her bare toes curling slightly against the cold stone floor.
His brows knit faintly.
He had no interest in wasting words on those girls.
Instead, he silently constructed a simple spell in his mind.
Heaven-defying comprehension activated.
Research topic:
How to precisely locate an ordinary object that has long carried traces of its owner's aura?
Solution:
Capture the faint soul imprint left on the object and use it as a beacon to create a minimal-energy causal guidance path.
Spell constructed.
Name: Pathfinding Trace.
A thin strand of golden light gathered silently at Lucian's fingertip.
Like a living thread, it circled Luna once, paused briefly in the air—
Then shot toward a dusty medieval suit of armor in the corner of the library.
It slipped inside the helmet.
Luna blinked.
Then she noticed the golden thread… and Lucian.
Tilting her head slightly, her dreamy eyes flickered with quiet understanding.
Barefoot, she walked over to the armor.
Standing on tiptoe, she struggled to lift the dusty helmet.
Inside were a pair of shoes with cute bubble patterns.
The laughing girls froze instantly.
Their smiles vanished, replaced by embarrassment and disbelief.
When they realized Lucian had intervened, they flushed red and fled the library in shame.
Luna's Words
Luna carried the shoes aside and calmly put them on.
Then she approached Lucian and gave a small curtsy.
"Thank you."
Her voice was soft and airy, like wind passing through wind chimes.
Lucian only nodded slightly and prepared to leave.
"Wait."
Luna called after him.
She lifted her head and stared at him seriously with her misty eyes.
This time, the dreamy haze was gone.
Her gaze was unusually clear.
Five full seconds passed before she spoke again in a gentle, matter-of-fact tone.
"They can't see it."
"But I can."
"Your soul is glowing."
"It's brighter than all the candles in the castle combined."
The Fear Spreads
The encounter in the library—and Luna's strange remark—didn't leave much of an impression on Lucian.
But for the rest of Hogwarts, the fear hanging over the castle only grew heavier.
Another victim had appeared.
Justin Finch-Fletchley of Hufflepuff and Nearly Headless Nick were found in the corridor—both frozen in the same petrified state.
Panic gripped the castle.
Students refused to walk alone.
They traveled in groups, constantly scanning the shadows.
In this tense atmosphere, Hermione Granger became the busiest person in Hogwarts.
She practically lived in the library.
Ancient books piled up around her.
Her parchment was covered with notes about:
BasilisksThe Chamber of SecretsSlytherin's monster
She felt certain she was very close to the truth.
One afternoon, she finally seemed to discover the crucial clue.
Excited, she tore a blank page from an old potion book and scribbled furiously.
When she finished, she clutched the parchment tightly.
Then she took out a small hand mirror from her pocket.
Taking a deep breath, she hurried out of the library.
She was going to test her theory.
But she never returned.
Hermione's Attack
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron waited anxiously in the common room.
But as daylight faded into evening—
Hermione never appeared.
A terrible feeling crept into their hearts.
Then McGonagall's voice rang through the castle via Filch's announcement.
Her tone was exhausted and grave.
"All students must return immediately to their common rooms!"
"No one is allowed to leave without supervision!"
"Curfew is now in effect!"
Harry and Ron looked at each other.
"Something's wrong."
They sprinted out of the common room toward the library.
But they never made it there.
On the second-floor corridor—
They saw a horrifying scene.
Several professors stood gathered.
And lying on the cold stone floor—
was Hermione Granger.
Her posture matched the previous victims exactly.
Her body was stiff as stone.
Her face still carried the shock of her final moment.
Her bright brown eyes had turned dull and lifeless.
At her feet lay a cracked mirror.
And in her tightly clenched hand—
a corner of yellowed parchment stuck out.
In the Hospital Wing
Later, Harry and Ron stood beside Hermione's hospital bed.
She looked like a lifeless statue.
Both boys broke down.
"No… Hermione…"
Ron's voice trembled.
Harry stood frozen, unable to speak.
Their smartest friend.
Their problem-solver.
Their compass.
Now she lay there, unmoving.
For the first time, they felt utterly helpless.
Even Madam Pomfrey looked exhausted and defeated.
She examined Hermione carefully with diagnostic magic.
Blue light flowed from her wand.
But it was blocked by a cold, dark force.
Finally she lowered her wand and shook her head.
"I can't."
"This is an extremely powerful dark curse."
"I've never seen petrification this complete."
"Her life force still exists—but it's sealed behind an impenetrable layer of dark magic."
"My healing spells cannot penetrate it."
Ron grabbed her sleeve desperately.
"There must be a way!"
"She can't stay like this!"
Pomfrey sighed.
"This isn't ordinary magic anymore."
She paused before continuing.
"According to ancient records, petrification caused by a basilisk's gaze has only one known cure."
Harry and Ron leaned forward.
"What is it?"
"A restorative draught brewed from fully matured Mandrakes."
Hope appeared briefly.
But Pomfrey continued:
"The mandrakes in Professor Sprout's greenhouse are still seedlings."
"They will not mature for several months."
"Several… months?" Ron whispered.
The words crushed them.
Hermione would remain like this—
for months.
Unable to move.
Unable to wake.
Lucian Arrives
News of Hermione's petrification spread quickly.
When Lucian entered the Great Hall the next morning, everyone was discussing it.
But he stopped walking.
A rare chill flashed through his calm eyes.
The girl who followed him asking endless questions…
The girl who blushed over a simple library invitation…
Now she was a victim.
Lucian turned immediately and headed for the hospital wing.
When he entered, he saw Harry and Ron sitting beside Hermione's bed in despair.
Madam Pomfrey was explaining the diagnosis again to McGonagall and Snape.
Lucian's gaze fell directly on Hermione.
Her body was stiff.
Her hair looked dull.
And in her hand she still clutched the parchment that had changed her fate.
Pomfrey finished her explanation.
"The basilisk's petrification curse can only be cured by a potion brewed from mature Mandrakes."
"But ours will not mature for several months."
McGonagall sighed heavily.
"So we must simply wait while these children lie here?"
Snape stood silently nearby, arms crossed.
Even the Potions Master had no solution.
Without the main ingredient—
no potion could exist.
The room was filled with despair.
Then a calm voice broke the silence.
"Months are too long."
Everyone turned.
Lucian stood beside the bed, quietly looking at Hermione.
Then he raised his head and spoke calmly to the professors.
"We won't wait."
"I'll brew the cure myself."
The words struck the room like thunder.
Harry and Ron's eyes lit up.
Right—Lucian!
How could they forget him?
Pomfrey stared in disbelief.
McGonagall looked stunned.
And Snape's dark eyes narrowed sharply.
Brew the cure himself?
Without Mandrakes?
Impossible.
That would mean overturning centuries of potion knowledge.
Snape's voice became cold.
"Mr. Thornwick."
"Petrification from a basilisk is among the highest forms of dark magic."
"The antidote is the culmination of generations of potion masters."
"This isn't like modifying a simple boil cure potion."
"Without mature Mandrakes, there is no antidote."
"That is a fact."
McGonagall and Pomfrey silently agreed.
Lucian's talent was undeniable.
But this time—
He was challenging a fundamental law of magic.
~~--------------------------
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