HP: The Dropout Who Saved the World

Just as she reached the dormitory door, Daphne rushed out, pale-faced.

Seeing Jane, she spoke urgently as if finding a savior:

"Your wardrobe is haunted!"

Jane skeptically pushed open the door and heard muffled banging from inside the wardrobe.

She quickly stuffed Fawkes and the old rooster into Daphne's arms before yanking open the wardrobe door.

Now she understood what was causing trouble—it was that black diary!

Even locked in a cabinet, it still wouldn't behave!

She angrily cast two binding spells on it. The diary let out a whimper and reluctantly quieted down.

Daphne stood there, awkwardly holding the two birds, and asked:

"Are we... keeping chickens in our dormitory?"

Fawkes crowed angrily and viciously pecked Daphne's hand.

"Ouch—" she reflexively let go.

The phoenix shot like an arrow toward the diary, its talons raking across the cover!

"Ahhh—" the diary wailed.

Jane quickly pinned the phoenix to the desk, scolding it:

"Behave, or I'll send you and your partner back to the chicken coop!"

Fawkes let out a pitiful cry, looking at her reproachfully while its claws restlessly left three shallow scratches on the desk.

Jane awkwardly explained to Daphne:

"This is Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes, not a chicken."

She felt embarrassed about bringing two birds back without telling her roommate.

But Daphne's eyes were shining with admiration.

"However you did it, you're... amazing, Yu!"

To tame even the headmaster's pet, making it switch allegiance!

After all, phoenixes were classified as XXXX because almost no wizard could tame them!

These magical creatures were known for their extreme loyalty and never changed masters!

Yet it was so obedient to Jane, letting her handle it like a common chicken...

Most wizards would never see a phoenix in their lifetime!

She would take good care of both the phoenix and the rooster, not disappointing Jane's trust!

...

After finally settling the phoenix and rooster, Daphne went to the bathroom to wash up.

Jane could finally examine the diary's condition.

It had suffered some surface damage, with three claw marks tearing through the cover, a ghastly sight.

Opening the diary, Tom Riddle's trembling writing gradually appeared:

"Sir, please don't hurt me, I know who your heir is!"

He confessed?!

Indeed, reasoning with criminals was useless!

Violence was the only way to bring them to justice!

But scammer Tom still struggled:

"Sir, if you'd just give me some magical power—"

Facing death yet still stubborn!

Jane grabbed the drowsy Fawkes from its perch and held its beak close to the diary's cover:

"Try saying that again?"

The diary violently shook, and Jane felt her consciousness being pulled into a space.

[In an underground classroom.]

[Young Tom Riddle peered through a door crack, waiting like a statue.]

[Someone moved quietly in the passage. He followed, hearing a hoarse voice—Rubeus Hagrid's voice!]

[Riddle began threatening Hagrid, accusing him of harboring the Chamber's monster that killed someone. Their argument escalated into a fight—something burst out from the box behind Hagrid!]

[It was a massive, hairy black body with eight legs tangled together, eight fierce eyes in two rows, and two razor-sharp pincers in front—an Acromantula!]

Well, if she hadn't known the Chamber's monster was a Basilisk, she might have believed Hagrid was responsible!

Tom Riddle was truly cunning, never believing her claims for a moment.

"No," she wrote, "you're deceiving me. Since you don't know who the heir is, you're useless."

With Fawkes at hand, the diary was at her mercy.

Threatened, the diary trembled again in fear, two large lines appearing:

"I can search for them! Sir!"

"Just give the word, and I'll clear all obstacles for you!"

Jane snorted.

She knew he had close ties to the heir!

"Clear all obstacles? You're just a diary," she challenged.

But suspect Tom persisted:

"Just give me some magical power—I can guide another to complete your noble work."

He hastily pulled Jane into another memory:

[Near Hagrid's hut.]

[Gryffindor student Ginny Weasley walked expressionlessly, her eyes empty.]

[She approached the chicken coop, caught a rooster, and violently broke its neck.]

Now the heir's identity was obvious.

Despite Tom Riddle's attempts to hide his identity, under threat from Fawkes's beak, he had revealed himself.

Fifty years ago, he framed Hagrid.

Fifty years later, as a diary, he controlled Ginny.

A rooster's crow was fatal to the Basilisk—only the heir would think to control students to kill roosters so the Basilisk could attack.

Back in her body, Jane grabbed for Fawkes again, trying to use its beak to destroy the diary—

But she failed. Fawkes had vanished, leaving only an empty perch and a confused old rooster.

"I cannot trust you," she hastily ended the probe, "but if you find the heir for me, I'll help them take control of British magical society, and appoint you as Hogwarts headmaster, ruling all four houses!"

When it came to making empty promises, she was a professional.

...

But a full day passed, and Fawkes hadn't returned.

She decided to find another way to destroy the diary.

If the real heir died quietly, wouldn't she control who was called the heir?

Then she could lead the professors to the Chamber's entrance, get caught opening it—

She would be the true heir!

She tried every spell, casting harmful curses at the diary without restraint, but it remained undamaged.

Meanwhile, Tom began trying to lure her into opening the Chamber, claiming her sought-after heir was inside.

How ruthless!

He wanted to trick her into the Chamber to order the Basilisk to kill her!

Taking this diary into the Chamber was no different than boarding a scam flight to Northern Myanmar!

Perhaps she should first confiscate the suspect's tools of crime...

She thought to herself.