Audrey rushed to the Great Hall, but it was already empty. Lunchtime was over, and Isaline had gone to class.
"Now this is a problem," Audrey muttered to herself. "That girl won't actually be angry, will she?"
She worried for two seconds.
Audrey then brightened with a smile. "No matter, at most I'll just have Momo fry two more of Isaline's favorite dishes for dinner!"
A friend who could be won over with two small lobsters—surely making her happy was just a matter of a few good dishes?
Thinking this, Audrey planned to return to the dormitory.
Ah! Wait, Defense Against the Dark Arts was this afternoon!
She couldn't miss such a great form of entertainment. This was the best comedy, far better than those soap operas and cheaply made trash movies! And the key was that it was a live show where she could even interact!
When Audrey opened the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Professor Lockhart was in the middle of casting. Seeing Audrey enter, he was delighted and didn't reprimand her or deduct points for being late. Of course not, this was his most loyal audience! The one who applauded the loudest!
After the first week of classes, Lockhart was no longer as popular as he had been at the start of the term. Everyone had realized that this widely famous "great wizard" seemed highly overrated. Faced with Cornish Pixies, which a second-year girl could easily handle, this "Master of Magic" had his wand stolen and scurried away? And that second-year witch, yes, she was the future Minister of Magic, Miss Granger.
It was now after class, and Audrey lazily walked out of the classroom, heading toward the Great Hall, thinking about how to apologize to Isaline later.
But the future Minister of Magic rushed up to her, her face anxious.
"Audrey! Something happened to Isaline Windsor! Come with me quickly!"
Isaline had Potions class that afternoon, and she was now lying on the pathway between the Potions classroom and the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Stiff and senseless, she had been petrified.
Audrey's heart pounded before reaching the scene; the only major incident this term could be an encounter with the Basilisk! But when she saw the petrified Isaline, she felt relieved instead. In the original universe, no one was killed—which was incredibly lucky. Apart from the unfortunate Moaning Myrtle, who was directly stared at fifty years ago, no one or any animal fifty years later made direct eye contact with the Basilisk.
But the current victim was Isaline, and Audrey couldn't be sure about this girl's luck at all! Befriending a lazy person like her could only mean extremely bad luck! Look how many extra problems she'd had and how much she'd worried for Audrey since they met!
Fortunately, fortunately, it was only petrification.
Audrey looked around and saw a ventilation shaft in the hallway ceiling. Next to Isaline was a suit of moving armor, polished like a mirror. So, did she see the Basilisk's eyes reflected in the armor?
In the original universe, the Basilisk's first attack was on Halloween, but it was only shortly after the start of term now! Furthermore, there was no "Heir" writing on the wall. Everything felt strange.
Snape hurried over. There were no other students nearby; at this time, almost everyone was heading to the Great Hall. The only people who would have passed through here were Isaline, who was going to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom to find Audrey, and Hermione, who was on her way to return books to the library before dinner.
"Miss Astley, please tell me what exactly happened here?" Snape demanded coldly. "And you, Hermione Granger, if you find trouble in the school, shouldn't you notify a professor first? If the ghosts hadn't informed me, I wouldn't even know that a student in my House was in trouble!"
Amidst a flash of light, Dumbledore appeared. "Now, Severus, Miss Granger did very well. The ghosts who informed us were all sent by her."
Chapter 108: The First Victim
"Presence of mind and appropriate action. Hermione Granger has earned Gryffindor five points!"
Snape merely snorted and said nothing more.
Fawkes the phoenix let out a cry and flew onto Audrey's shoulder, chirping constantly in her ear, seemingly protesting Dumbledore's crime of forcibly making him work through their contract!
Dumbledore awkwardly shook his head. He was considering whether he should contract another young phoenix; this one seemed beyond use.
Fortunately, the arrival of Professor McGall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and Madam Pomfrey eased his embarrassment.
"Oh, my heavens! Who would do such a terrible thing to an innocent young witch!"
"Is she dead?"
Dumbledore gently tapped Isaline's shoulder with his wand. The girl had no reaction, like a museum specimen.
Gilderoy Lockhart arrived fashionably late. "Oh, excuse me, everyone, I was just attending to some important matters (changing into dinner-appropriate robes and meticulously grooming my hair), so I am late."
He approached Isaline, looked at her twice, and announced loudly, "A spell must have killed her. I think it's the Torture by Transfiguration curse. I have seen it used many times. It's truly a pity I wasn't here. Otherwise, I would have known the counter-curse, and this poor girl wouldn't have been harmed!"
"Thank you for your opinion, Gilderoy," Dumbledore moved his glasses away from Isaline and said lightly. "The girl is not dead; she is merely petrified."
"Oh, that is wonderful then," Lockhart continued. "I believe I know a spell that can conveniently cure petrification…"
"Mandrakes Restorative Draught can restore her," Audrey stated.
"Oh, yes, yes, yes, the Restorative Draught!" Lockhart stammered with a forced smile. "Although my spell would be more effective, the Restorative Draught is certainly a good idea as well."
"We have no Mandrake stock left," Professor Sprout sadly shook her head. "And the newest Mandrakes have just been planted. I was planning for the students to repot them in early October."
"No, Professor," Audrey said. "I can make the Mandrakes mature quickly."
All the professors' eyes lit up. The laziness of this girl was no secret among the faculty (except for Lockhart), but she did possess mastery of Ancient Plant Magic!
Professor Sprout grabbed Audrey's hand. "Quickly, child, come with me to the greenhouse!" As she walked, she lamented, "Accelerating plant growth! You should have been a Hufflepuff!"
Snape watched the two walk away and twitched his mouth. "Audrey Astley has earned 30 points for Slytherin for helping a classmate by speeding up a potion ingredient."
McGall: …
Flitwick: …
…
…
The Restorative Draught, primarily based on Mandrake, was not difficult to brew. In the hands of Potions Master Snape, it was completed in minutes.
As the potion was administered to Isaline, her body gradually softened, and her chest began to rise and fall.
"Wonderful, the potion is working!" Madam Pomfrey was overjoyed.
Dumbledore, however, said, "Poppy, don't be too excited. Something is not quite right."
Audrey, standing nearby, also nodded slightly, her expression grave. "Isaline shows no sign of waking up."
Poppy Pomfrey approached Isaline and examined her closely. "Her body has completely returned to normal, so why isn't she waking up?"
She looked at Snape, whose brows furrowed. "Don't look at me! My potion is absolutely flawless!"
Dumbledore said, "The child has been cursed; it is an extremely subtle and powerful curse."
Audrey quickly asked, "Can you lift it?"
Dumbledore sighed deeply:
"No."
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