The Last Slytherin - Chapter 42

Neal and The Gryffindor trio sighed all week because of one single person, Ginny Weasley. A few days ago, when Ginny heard that Neal is becoming paler day after day and getting weaker by day and just scoring 5 to 6 goals at most in the game, she began to suspect him to be the one who stole her diary.

Then, after seeing him looking paler, weaker during dueling club as if his life force got drained out of him, she almost believed that Neal is the one. After all, no one knew about the effects better than her.

Then, during one of those taunting moments, Eve teased her, “I heard that you have a crush on Harry ever since your childhood. Must have done something in the summer he’s with you, eh!”. Her heart skipped a beat as she asked, “who did you hear it from?”. Eve’s lips curled up, “so, Neal was saying true after all. You have a crush on Harry Potter”.

Only then, she completely believed it and started to become anxious about how to get the diary from Neal. He was the most loved student of all Professors. He is strong enough to contend against a Professor. Although she doesn’t know that Lockhart is just a fraud and doesn’t have much skill.

So, she thought neither using force or complaint to the teacher would be able to get back her diary. When she thought of requesting him, she remembered he is the enemy of her brother, Ron and her crush, Harry. Not to mention, with such benefits given by Tom Riddle, even Neal wouldn’t return it to her.

Ginny always believed that the diary belongs to her as she found it with her books bought at the Diagon Alley. So, she thought it was her fate to have the book. Not to mention, Tom Riddle always shows her shortcuts and made her a genius in their year, getting constant praise from her friends and new things from her parents.

She wasn’t able to get sleep every day because lately, she fell behind Eve, her rival in classes, especially in duels and potions class.

Until, a couple of weeks ago, after the dinner, she heard Hermoine speaking to Harry and Ron to wait for two weeks more for the Polyjuice potion to complete. When she researched about it just out of curiosity, she found that Polyjuice potion can help one impersonate someone.

So, she followed Hermoine closely, every day. Just when she heard that Neal is visiting the hospital from one of her friends, She managed to take hair from a first-year who is going to watch the ongoing Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

Ginny then followed an upper-class Slytherin girl and entered the common room. Then, she acted as a fan of Neal and wanted to gift him something for helping her in the Dueling club once. And after managing to get Neal’s room directions, she rushed upstairs and entered Neal’s room with “Alohomora” spell, an Unlocking charm. Luckily for her, the diary was right on the desk. She took it and returned to her room without any problems.

Back to the present, When Neal found the person who asked for his room was actually there at the Quidditch stadium, he immediately realized that it was Polyjuice Potion.

He went to Prof. Snape and complained about the theft while putting out what exactly is the stolen thing. Snape replied, “I knew that someone broke into my office. Boomslang skin and Gillyweed. Both are in my private collection. Brewing Polyjuice potion and using it is prohibited. Once I find out who it is, I’ll make sure they’ll get expelled”.

Neal sighed and decided to wait for a while as they will also have the same effects as him. Then he can go and catch the culprit. He also thought that the culprit should also suffer for a while for breaking into his room and stealing the diary while he was gone.

A few weeks passed. In the Quidditch grounds, Neal flew towards the Ravenclaw chasers like a flash with his burst speed. After evading everyone with the lightning cut move, a Quaffle was thrown into one of the Goalposts. The commentator shouted, “and Slytherin scores another goal. Well done Mr. Slytherin. It seems Mr. Slytherin’s form returned to its peak after a couple of months. The “Flash cutter” Slytherin is back.

Half n hour later, the commentator shouted in excitement while the whole stadium stood up and started cheering, “Slytherin. Slytherin. Slytherin… Neal. Neal…”.

“And Draco Malfoy caught the snitch. Congratulations Slytherin for winning with a score of 340-100. Today has been one of the most exciting matches in this season. Mr. Slytherin has scored 15 goals and is just 4 goals away from setting the highest number of goals in a year which hasn’t been broken in the past 150 years”.

Flint, Draco, and everyone slapped his back as a form of praise, “welcome back, Neal”. Neal raised his hand with a smile on his face, looking at the sky.

Meanwhile, in one of the cells at Azkaban Prison, A tall man with jet black hair and brown eyes and wearing ragged clothes is looking at a picture in a newspaper. Upon seeing it, he asked in a whisper, “Is this the boy?”.

Outside of his prison cell, Oakley Avery looked at his son who looked very pale and has blank eyes which don’t have hope for anything, “yes, he’s is Dewy’s son”. Upon hearing her name, the prisoner’s pale and blank face suddenly changed into a sort of sadness. He ċȧrėssed the picture and whispered, “he has her hazel eyes”.

Oakley clutched the prison bars in frustration, “Leon, you’ve suffered enough. I’ll use all of my connections for a retrial. I don’t want you to suffer anymore here for the crime you haven’t committed?”.

Leon chuckled and didn’t answer it and stayed silent for a while. Then he opened his mouth and asked, “how did Neal’s custody go? Did you file a notice in Wizengamot yet?”. Oakley replied, “we have to wait until he turns 14. Until then, he will be under Dumbledore’s care”.

Then Leon asked, “what about the music box?”. Oakley replied, “I sent it to the boy last Christmas”. Leon gathered the last of his strength to smile once more, “good”.

Meanwhile at Hogwarts, in a potions class for first years, while brewing a Wiggenweld potion, Ginny suddenly fainted on the floor and making a mess on the table as the cauldron fell aside. While a couple of students took her to the hospital wing, Snape took out 10 points for wasting the ingredients.

Anything about Gryffindor will always be discussed at the Slytherin common room. A first-year girl was commenting about Ginny who fainted right in the middle of Prof. Snape and how she’ll be punished for sure.

After realizing it, He thought, “I guess this is why that girl seems stronger than the other first years. It’s all because of Riddle’s guidance. But it doesn’t make sense. Only a previous owner who lost it before has the guts to go to such lengths impersonating a person and entering Slytherin’s dungeon and stealing it after waiting for the right time.

Let’s just ȧssume Ginny is also the one who dumped the diary in Myrtle’s bathroom. But why will she kill the cat and frame me? Is it because of Ron? Something isn’t adding up. If it’s really the same as I was thinking, then Ginny no longer just liked the diary. She has an obsession over it. Or Tom Riddle affected her personality before? Is this possible?”.

While Neal is thinking about different things, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine stood before Ginny who was in the hospital bed sleeping. When they asked Madam Pomfrey, she replied, “she’s been cursed. Her life force is slowly seeping away.

When she wakes up, take her to Dumbledore”. As they nodded, a nurse said to her, “isn’t her condition exactly like that boy’s?”. Madam Pomfrey replied, “Oh, him, Neal Slytherin? Now that you mentioned it, seems like both of them got hit by the same curse”.

As the trio heard it, their faces turned dark and all of a sudden, Ginny woke up and suddenly looked around, “where’s my diary?”. Ginny began to anxiously search all over the bed and madly threw out the medicines near her bed on the rack and just searching for the diary in the drawers. She threw the pillow away and shouted, “where’s my diary? Where is it?”.

As everyone was watching her behaving crazily, Ron, Harry, and Hermoine grabbed and shook her and shouted, “Ginny? Calm down. Look at us. Ginny”. As she came back to her senses, she collapsed on the bed while clutching her head, “I’ve acted crazily again, haven’t I?”. The Trio nodded.