HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 58 Finding the Notebook

After leaving the classroom, Emeric went straight to find Ron. They needed to resolve this matter as soon as possible so that he could restart the ritual. He was young and handsome; how could he possibly lose to Ron?

"Ron, has your sister been acting a bit strange lately? Has she been surrounded by any odd people or things? Think about it carefully."

"Emerick, what do you mean? My sister's been fine lately."

"...Never mind, I knew I couldn't count on you. Hermione, do you know if Ginny has made any new friends or carried anything with her these past few days?"

"She has a new black-covered notebook, and she's been carrying it with her since the start of the semester. What happened?"

"Take care of yourself. Hermione, can you call Ginny out to see me? There's something wrong with that notebook. Remember those strange noises Harry's been hearing lately? I suspect it's related to Ginny. Does anyone know where that notebook came from?"

Ron held his head and began to think back. If his mother found out that Ginny had been in danger at school, she would beat him to death. As her older brother, he had failed to protect his sister and had allowed her to be in danger for so long.

"I...I remember now, that notebook has been at home for a long time. Ginny said she wanted a notebook to take notes, and Banban found it in the closet."

"Blemishes?"

"A mouse, formerly Percy's pet, now Ron's, in the Weasleys' house... for many years?"

Emeric looked at Ron with surprise, while Draco beside him also looked thoughtful. Harry realized something was wrong only after he finished speaking.

"Are there rats among the Fantastic Beasts? A normal rat shouldn't live that long, right?"

"Never mind the rats for now, let's deal with the notebook first. Hermione, call Ginny out. Don't tell her I'm looking for her, just say you want to meet her at the library. You have a pass for the restricted section, ask her to help you find information related to the strange noises. If I'm not mistaken, she'll definitely come."

Hermione acted immediately; she was also worried about her little sister. The remaining three boys were taken to the library by her. They were going to make some arrangements to prevent the notebook from escaping, or rather, to prevent the notebook from changing hosts.

"Brother Ellie, the notebook is a dark magic item, right? And the voice Harry heard was caused by that notebook, right?"

"Draco is very perceptive. Did you guess it? Tell me your reasoning."

"I didn't guess it just now, but you said Ginny would definitely come. Only a criminal would definitely come. Others might refuse the date for some reason. Plus, many of the decorations we've made are designed to counteract dark magic items. It's hard not to guess."

"Xiaolong is getting better and better, here's a reward."

Emeric handed over a gift box full of pretty and tasty pastries, which he had bought specifically as a reward for the children. Now they were coming in handy.

"Harry, when Ginny arrives, go to the cellar and find Professor Snape. Tell him Draco is in danger and take him to the Room of Requirement. I'll bring the notebook there. Little Dragon, go find Dumbledore later and tell him Harry is in danger. If you see another old man, add me to the list as well. Take him to the Room of Requirement too. Don't worry, we're just trying to lure them over to deal with the notebook; we don't have the ability to destroy it."

Emeric paused for a moment, but still decided to hide Ron. He had to make sure Voldemort had no choice but to use him as a vessel.

"You three stay away from me later and hide so you don't get caught. Ron, find an excuse to pull Hermione away so I can handle the notebook by myself. Don't look at me like that, I can protect myself."

Everything was arranged, except for the appearance of the protagonist. Emeric was very confident that he could lure Voldemort away and then bleed him out. The ones who weren't confident were the adults.

"Ginny, thank you for coming with me. I'm a little worried about Harry's condition. He and Ron haven't been sleeping well these past few days. I hope this matter can be resolved soon."

"It's alright, Hermione. Ron is my brother, it's only right that I come."

"Let's go there. There aren't many people there, and it's close to the restricted book section. It's convenient and quiet for reading."

Before Ginny could answer, Hermione pulled her toward the table to Emerick's left. As they passed, Emerick saw the notebook, confirming his suspicions. Now there was only one thing left: grab it.

Not long after she and Ginny sat down, Ron came over to her, asking her to help him look at his paper. Ginny, trying to maintain her image, also started looking at it. After Ginny offered a few suggestions, Ron stormed off in anger.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, I made your brother angry. I'm going to find him. Can you be alone for a while?"

"Of course, go ahead."

At this moment, its mind was no longer on Hermione, but on Emeric at the next table. It had found a perfect vessel; the scratches on its hand were emanating a life force that smelled wonderful.

"Hello sir, my companion had to leave. May I sit with you?"

"Of course, beautiful lady. Would you mind knowing your name?"

"Sir, shouldn't you state your name before asking someone's name? That doesn't seem very sincere."

"It's my fault, but my name is easy to mispronounce. Could I write it down in your notebook?"

Emeric reached out and touched Ginny's hand, rubbing the back of her hand with his palm, teasing his prey like a lustful demon.

"Yes, sir, but this is my favorite notebook, you mustn't break it."

As planned, Emeric easily obtained the notebook. He smeared the blood from the web of his right hand onto the pages, and the bloodstain quickly disappeared before Ginny collapsed.

He left the library with the notebook. Ron would take Ginny to the medical wing. His main task now was to resist anything that wanted to invade his mind. Most of it was blocked by the rope tied to the notebook, and the remaining little bit was harmless.

Meanwhile, Harry and Draco went to find the people as planned and brought them to the Room of Requirement.

Harry, disregarding his fear, was terrified that something had happened to Emerick and began banging on the cellar door.

"Professor Snape, Professor Snape, something's happened to Emerick, something's happened to Ellie, Draco is next to him, they're blocking my way so I have to come to you to save them."

Harry felt that Professor Snape cared more about Emerick than Draco, but he was afraid that the two of them would quarrel and cause the professor to be unwilling to go and rescue him, so he added the last sentence.

"Damn it, lead the way!"

When Severus heard that something had happened to Emerick, his heart skipped a beat. The image of blood everywhere flashed before his eyes. He immediately pushed open the door and asked Harry to lead the way. He wasn't as tough as he seemed.

On the other side, Draco was also running desperately. He suspected that Emeric would use blood to lure the notebook away from Ginny, and that too much blood loss could really kill someone.

"Lemon Snowball"

"Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry's in trouble, come with me quickly."

"What's wrong, Draco? Gale, you stay here, I'll go check on him."

"Mr. Grindelwald, you're going too? Ellie's in trouble too, they're blocking my way so I can get help."

This time, Gellert couldn't sit still either. He pulled Dumbledore along and followed Draco.

Both groups went to the Room of Requirement at the same time. Emeric had already reached the room where he wished for a room where no one would disturb him. As soon as he entered, he cut his wrist and let the blood drip out. He wanted Voldemort to be completely immersed in blood and have no strength to think about anything else.