That night, Ted and Hermione didn't return to the Ravenclaw dormitory until well past midnight... though mostly because Ted was pressed for time and had a ton of work to finish—not for any other reason!
Aside from preparing for the Chicken Brother's evolution ritual, Ted finally completed the magical dagger he had been planning for ages.
He'd found a rare Hungarian Horntail fang in Hagrid's collection—twenty centimeters long!
The main body of the dagger was polished from that fang, its blade gleaming with a faint silver hue.
The handle was wrapped with a sturdy twine made from the bark of a Dharwood tree, intertwined with strands of unicorn tail hair for added magical conductivity.
Ted carefully carved two runes into the blade: one symbolizing "magic power," the other "fang."
Then he performed a transmutation using basic alchemical techniques, sprinkling a powdered blend of Dharwood and shavings from a Silver Sickle.
The enchantments he cast were "Protection from Evil" and "Flashburst."
The final result was potent, but the enchantments were unstable.
At most, the dagger would last about three months before breaking down entirely.
Activating the flashburst ability would wear it out even faster.
Ted knew his alchemy wasn't advanced enough to fully stabilize such complex magical effects.
The dagger was still prone to unraveling under heavy use.
In other words, it's a one-time use item.
A pity, but there was no other choice. They needed to boost their combat readiness.
Thankfully, Hagrid had supplied the dragon fang. Buying one on the market would have cost at least fifty Galleons—assuming you could find one!
Of course, Ted wasn't about to keep taking from Hagrid without giving back. He made something for the half-giant in return.
...
The next morning, Hermione's roommate, Padma Patil—twin sister of Parvati from Gryffindor—woke to see Hermione already up, calmly organizing her books.
"Hermione? Merlin's beard! You're up already? When did you even get back last night?"
It wasn't easy to keep a late-night adventure secret from your own roommate.
Hermione smiled, brushing her hair back. "Didn't I tell you? A bit of yoga before bed helps me feel fresh in the morning. You should keep practicing."
Padma groaned from under her covers. "You do realize I'm Indian, right? Why am I learning yoga from you?"
Hermione chuckled, grabbing her bag. "I'm off to the common room."
"Go on, go find Ted~"
Only a few students were in the Ravenclaw common room at that hour. Since Penelope Clearwater had been petrified, the remaining male prefect had taken it upon himself to keep watch in the mornings.
With five students already attacked—two from Ravenclaw—the entire house was on edge.
Some rumors even whispered that the Heir of Slytherin was targeting Ravenclaws next.
After breakfast, Ted handed Neville the dragon fang dagger.
"What's this?" Neville asked, confused.
The others were puzzled too. Even Hermione thought Ted had crafted it for his own use.
Ted glanced around at his friends. "Look, a lot has gone wrong this year. The Chamber of Secrets from fifty years ago has been reopened. Five students have been attacked. And there's still a bit of term left… which worries me."
He continued, "We have to prepare. Remember last year? Breaking through the professors' trials and facing that shadow of You-Know-Who? We have to be ready to fight again. If we don't, Hogwarts might be shut down."
Neville spoke softly, "Fight? Fight who?"
Ted shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe the Heir. Maybe the monster in the Chamber."
Jerry shivered visibly. Ron went pale.
Harley clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes.
Even if she didn't get along with Lavender, she wasn't going to let some heir hurt anyone else.
Neville gritted his teeth. "Meeting all of you… it changed my life. I can't just go back to being who I was. I want to protect this place. I want to fight for Hogwarts—no matter who the enemy is!"
Ted smiled with pride.
Neville's growth was undeniable—his courage, persistence, and heart. Ted felt more sure than ever that one day, Neville would play a key role in defeating Voldemort.
Friends like this would write their own destinies.
...
After dinner, Ted and the group of six quietly slipped away from the main crowd, sneaking out of the castle.
Ted had made something for Hagrid, and there were things they needed to ask him.
Neville had something to share, too—visions he saw in the old diary he'd found. He'd seen glimpses of what happened fifty years ago.
Even though it was clear now that Hagrid wasn't the Heir, he might still remember something important.
The group was determined to protect Hogwarts, uncover the Chamber, and defeat both the monster and its master.
They couldn't let the school close.
But just five minutes after they left, unexpected guests arrived at the castle.
Smartly dressed officials, with Cornelius Fudge among them—a squat man with a top hat—accompanied by two Ministry of Magic agents, and an all-too-familiar face: Lucius Malfoy.
They went straight to Dumbledore's office, exchanged a few words, and then made their way out toward Hagrid's hut.
Inside the hut, Hagrid was pouring tea as Ted and the others entered.
"Why are yeh lot here this late? I told yeh, things are too dangerous now. I can't let yeh wander into the Forbidden Forest. Get back to the castle, quick!" he urged, visibly worried.
Neville looked a bit sheepish. "Hagrid, we—we wanted to ask about what happened fifty years ago… the Chamber of Secrets."
Hagrid froze, his expression twisting into one of panic. "No! No, it wasn't me! I didn't—I don't raise monsters! Don't go saying things like that!"
Ted stepped forward, calming. "We know it wasn't you, Hagrid. Dumbledore trusts you. We trust you."
"Yes," Hermione added gently, "we just want to understand what really happened."
Hagrid's shoulders slumped. "It really wasn't me… but fine. A girl died—in the third-floor bathroom. They blamed me. Said I kept monsters. Expelled me. Snapped my wand... They, they..."
Ron asked cautiously, "Hagrid, what exactly did you raise?"
Hagrid scratched his head awkwardly. "It's not the monster from the Chamber of Secrets. Aragog never hurt anyone!"
"Who's Aragog?" Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Don't ask! Don't ask!" Hagrid groaned and covered his face with his massive hand. It was clearly a painful memory.
Ted quickly stepped in with a grin. "Alright, alright. We're not here to cause trouble this time. We're actually here to give you something."
"Gifts?!" Hagrid blinked in surprise. "But it's been nearly half a year since Christmas!"
"Exactly! Which is why this is long overdue," Ted said as he pulled out a large bracelet.
Calling it a bracelet was generous—it was sized for Hagrid, after all. On Ted, it would have looked more like a chunky necklace.
"Remember the unicorn tail hair and the bark from the Whomping Willow you gave me? I combined those with some of your hair. Braided them together. And see this bell here? It's made from magic bronze, shaped through alchemy. It won't make a sound unless it senses danger."
The braid was thick, about the size of a grown man's finger. For anyone else, it might be overkill, but for Hagrid's wrist, it fit just right.
Hagrid turned it over in his hand and beamed. "It's beautiful!"
"It's not just for looks," Ted added. "It has a function."
"Oh? What does it do?"
"You need to speak the password to activate it—wait!" Ted suddenly stiffened.
Above them, Anzu soared silently in the night sky, her keen eyes catching movement illuminated by a faint luminescent spell.
Ted looked up. "Hold on!"
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"Anzu just spotted Dumbledore."
"Professor Dumbledore?!" Neville and Jerry gasped.
"Is he coming to catch us?" Harley asked, brushing her windblown hair aside, still groggy from their late-night excursion.
Ted shook his head. "Nah, we're not important enough for him to come chasing after. He's not alone either—Lucius Malfoy and Fudge are with him."
"Fudge?" Ron raised an eyebrow.
"Minister of Magic," Jerry muttered. "And a real twit."
Jerry's tone turned bitter. "Half of what's happening right now is because of that fool. He sided with the pure-blood radicals just to keep his position."
"Quick, hide! We can't let Dumbledore see us out here," Ted warned.
Harley threw her invisibility cloak over Neville and Jerry. Ted cast a quick Disillusionment Charm on himself and Hermione.
In an instant, the six of them vanished into the shadows of Hagrid's hut.
Hagrid peeked nervously out the window. Ten seconds later, a soft glow approached. Then came a knock.
"Hagrid? Open the door," came Dumbledore's calm voice.
"Coming!" Hagrid called, forcing a smile as he opened the door.
Standing outside were Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge, and Lucius Malfoy.
"Rubeus Hagrid," Fudge began, trying to sound cordial, "I'm afraid you'll need to come with us."
Hagrid frowned. "Where to?"
"Azkaban," Fudge said, avoiding eye contact.
"What?! No! Why? I haven't done anything! Dumbledore, you know that!" Hagrid's face went pale.
Fudge sighed, clearly impatient. "It's just temporary. Until we catch the real culprit. Then we'll let you go and offer an apology."
Dumbledore stepped forward. "Cornelius, removing Hagrid will not help the situation."
Fudge threw up his hands. "I must act, Dumbledore. The Ministry has to be seen doing something. You saw the warrant."
Dumbledore said nothing.
Lucius stepped in with a practiced, smug smile. "I'm afraid the headmaster can no longer intervene. He has... other matters."
He held out a rolled parchment.
"Signed by the school board. Given the crisis, and your... inadequate leadership, the board has voted to temporarily remove you as Headmaster. Temporarily, of course. Just until someone more capable takes charge."
Lucius couldn't hide his smirk.
Dumbledore accepted the scroll and studied it, unfazed. "You threatened them, didn't you, Lucius?"
"Oh no," Lucius replied smoothly. "They all agreed."