264) More victims

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, some people had gotten up early for breakfast, among them Ginny and Luna, who dragged me along with them to eat something. As I had mentioned before, they had been acting strangely for a while, but I couldn't quite pinpoint what was odd about them. Well, at this moment, the odd one was Ginny, who seemed lost in thought while absentmindedly nibbling on the tip of my finger, as if it were a nervous tic.

"You know, I think you were weaned off long enough not to have these impulses," I teased my sister.

"Nhgg... shut up... ñamgg..." she mumbled without letting go of my finger, a visible blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"I'm just saying you have your own finger, and if someone else sees you, they'll make fun of you," I commented with a smirk.

I wasn't expecting what she did next.

My words made her flustered for a moment, but then her expression shifted into a defiant, offended look. Instead of letting go, she took more of my finger into her mouth and began sucking on it in an overly suggestive manner, never breaking eye contact with me. Her gaze was both innocent and heated, which sent a chill down my spine.

I was instantly horrified and yanked my hand away abruptly, nearly pulling her off her seat. From her expression, I knew that my face reflected a mix of emotions that were difficult to hide.

"No, Ginny!" I exclaimed, both angry and terrified. "Never do that again!"

After my outburst, I immediately stood up and left without looking at her, without saying anything else. I just wanted to get away from there. I walked quickly until I found a secluded spot, and once I was sure I was alone, I leaned against the wall, panting as I clutched my chest. I felt fear… deep fear.

'What Ginny did turned me on.'

That thought terrified me. I couldn't allow it. I had to protect my sister, even from myself. With Elise's kindness, I had been aware of what I had done with many girls… how I had perverted them, how I had corrupted them. I couldn't risk doing the same to someone so important to me, one of the few people I considered a pillar in my life.

I stayed like that for a while, trying to calm myself, until I noticed Luna standing beside me, observing me with her large, bulging eyes. I was surprised at how still she was.

"Are you okay?" she asked in her usual carefree tone.

I flinched, but she simply smiled and told me she had been looking for me to see if I was all right. I assured her that nothing was wrong, though I wasn't sure if she believed me. But that no longer mattered. Luckily, it was her who found me and not Ginny… otherwise, I wasn't sure if I could have maintained my composure. That look, the lingering sensation on my finger… Shit, I need to fuck already.

Luna didn't insist on asking what was wrong. Instead, she simply asked me to give her a piggyback ride to her next class. I agreed without hesitation, thinking that maybe a good run would help me clear my mind. She climbed onto my back, and I started running through the hallways.

As on many other occasions, Luna began playing with my hair, putting it in her mouth and licking it. According to her, it "tasted funny."

Everything was going fine until I heard a small whimper:

"Oww!"

I immediately stopped.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Yeah… it's just that with the bouncing, I ended up biting your hair, and he hit me," she complained, rubbing her cheek.

"My hair hit you?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but he wasn't malicious. He's usually very calm and kind, don't be mad at he," she responded with complete sincerity while petting my hair as if it were a living creature. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bite you. I'll be more careful."

I remained silent, my expression indescribable, not knowing how to react to what I had just heard.

…

It was a freezing morning. The snowfall had started during the night and had now turned into a snowstorm. It didn't affect me much, though—I still felt the warmth from what had happened with Pansy and Milli earlier. However, as I gazed out the window and watched the snowflakes violently striking against the glass, I couldn't help but wish I were sitting in an armchair, wrapped in a blanket, holding a cup of hot chocolate in my hands while reading something or watching a movie…

It's a shame the magical world lacks these audiovisual means. The closest thing would be magical radio, but even that doesn't fill the void I've felt since arriving here. If it weren't for magic, maybe… I should find a way to recreate those mediums… a magical television?

I was lost in my thoughts when I noticed something strange in the corridor. The darkness was denser than usual, though I didn't perceive it immediately thanks to my night vision, a result of various abilities like [Thief's Essence (Lv 2)]. But something about the atmosphere felt unsettling.

I immediately activated [Essential Perception] and sensed something enormous and powerful moving away.

Few things could possess such an overwhelming level of presence. [Essential Perception] was the evolution of the skill [Life Sense] after reaching level 5. Now, in addition to perceiving vitality, I could get a faint sense of power, alignment, killing intent, the type of being, and other details—though only in a vague manner since the skill was still at level 1. Only the detection of vitality was quite precise, thanks to its prior development.

What I had just sensed was most likely the basilisk.

It wasn't a good sign. It could mean another attack, and my preparations were still not ready. My girls were in danger.

I ran quickly down the corridor, hoping not to find another victim… or at least that it wasn't someone important to me. If no one was there, it would mean the attack hadn't happened yet, so I sent a clone in the direction where I had sensed the basilisk's presence. I didn't want to confront it just yet, but I had to be prepared if things got out of control.

In the end, my worries were in vain. I found the victim… or rather, the victims. Fortunately, it wasn't anyone that would make me lose control and start a massacre.

I looked at the boy on the ground and the floating black figure. Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick.

I sighed in relief, but I immediately began examining the bodies, especially Nick's.

The petrification of humans due to the reflection of the basilisk's gaze was interesting, but there wasn't much I could learn from it. Nick's condition, on the other hand, was far more intriguing. A being that was already dead, subjected to powerful death magic… His silver, translucent essence was now covered inside by what appeared to be a black cloud.

This was something I wanted to investigate, especially because of Helena. Lately, she hadn't been spending much time in the castle. She appeared just enough for people to see her wandering around, but most of the time, she was in the cemetery of my [Fief]. I was worried that, during one of her visits, she might accidentally cross paths with the basilisk.

I knew, based on what I was seeing now, that she wouldn't die… but still, as my woman, I didn't want the slightest harm to come to her.

I didn't have much time to continue my investigation, as someone was approaching. Even so, I didn't get up. I couldn't sense the basilisk, and the presence of the other person was weak, which meant it was likely a student. Although there was a chance that it was the person controlled by the diary, I decided to act naturally but remained ready to attack at the slightest sign of danger.

In the end, no defensive measures were necessary, as the person who appeared was Potter. He was walking absentmindedly, lost in thought, but soon noticed the scene, and his face paled.

"Red, you…?!" he exclaimed, startled, especially upon seeing that the victim was someone he was looking for to explain his situation.

"Don't be stupid, I also arrived when they were already here," I replied while crouching down again to investigate.

Partly, I wanted to check if my healing ability worked on the petrified. Of course, even if I discovered that it did, I had no intention of curing any of them for now without a good reason. It was convenient for me that they remained this way.

But at that moment, as if the whole world had decided to interrupt me, a suit of armor fell not far away, and to make matters worse, Peeves emerged from the floor, screaming insults. At least until I released my aura against him, and, as on previous occasions, he fled. Too bad he didn't leave quietly.

"HELP, THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME!" the poltergeist howled before vanishing through the wall.

Before I knew it, the place was filled with people. Too quickly. If I got rid of this clone at that moment, it would look like I was fleeing the crime scene.

How messed up are these kids that, in such a dangerous situation, instead of hiding, they come out to see what's happening? Do they have no survival instinct?

A circle formed around Potter, the victims, and me. Everyone murmured with difficult-to-describe expressions but fell silent when my gaze passed over them. The professors took a while to push through the sea of students, but they finally arrived. I stepped aside to let them investigate.

Their looks weren't pleasant, especially McGonagall's. Her attention on me was more intense than on the others. I could feel her eyes trying to see beyond the obvious, her expression mixing concern and displeasure at the same time.

After a tense investigation and the shock of discovering that not only had a student been petrified, but something had also happened to a ghost, the professor took action.

Justin would be taken to the infirmary with the other petrified students, and Nick would be moved somewhere where he wouldn't cause as much commotion. While the others handled that, Professor McGonagall ordered us to follow her.

We walked to the headmaster's office in complete silence, although Harry repeatedly tried to declare his innocence. However, the professor wasn't in the mood to talk. The fact that there was another victim and that I might be involved seemed to affect her more than it normally would.

"Lemon drop," the professor said, making the gargoyle grant us entry.

When we reached the headmaster's office, McGonagall gave us one last look. She lingered on me for several more seconds, then left us alone… well, not entirely.

The room was full, though not with people.

The portraits of the former headmasters reacted to my arrival, especially Phineas Nigellus Black, who began shouting at me to stay away from his family. Although, in an interesting twist, he added that if I turned out to be the Heir of Slytherin, he would allow me to date one of his descendants.

That sparked an argument among the other portraits. Some attacked me for what had happened, others defended me just to annoy Black, and others for various reasons.

Harry was confused by all of this, but his attention was diverted when someone spoke to him: the Sorting Hat. Ignoring the fight with the portraits, he focused on resolving his own identity crisis with it.

As for me, besides arguing with several dead headmasters, I approached Fawkes. The bird was about to reach its nirvana. At its request, I scratched where it asked and gently stroked its feathers, waiting for its imminent end and rebirth.

Having [Druidic Essence] and being able to understand what it was saying was very advantageous in situations like these. You have no idea how many animals seemed ecstatic when they realized I could understand exactly where they wanted to be scratched and how intensely.

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