Blake and Dumbledore acted in unison.
But Lockhart, under Tom Riddle's control, muttered a faint, inaudible curse.
Suddenly, the nearby stone statue's eyes lit up with two piercing red beams.
Instinctively, Blake activated the Seraphim Shield—a sacred defensive charm—and, to guard against any basilisk-like effects from the statue's gaze, he unfurled his levitation cloak, shielding both himself and Dumbledore.
BOOM!
The red beams blasted against the Seraphim Shield, generating deep, vibrating ripples.
This wasn't a normal attack—it was powerful, enhanced by a soul-based assault that pierced through the shield like a ghost through a wall.
The soul attack lashed out at both Blake and Dumbledore—but Blake, calm and practiced, dispelled it with a wave of his hand. The cloak scattered the attack like mist in the wind.
But the distraction had worked.
Tom seized the moment.
Carrying Lockhart and the diary, he launched himself into the mouth of the massive Slytherin statue.
"GADA!"
The statue's mouth clamped shut the instant Tom entered.
Then, to their shock, the statue began to move!
Behind the shield, Blake's eyes lit up with awe and excitement.
"An ancient alchemy puppet…? A treasure left by Slytherin himself?" he thought.
This wasn't in the original books. Perhaps the original Tom Riddle hadn't possessed enough power to activate this construct—Harry had defeated him using the basilisk fang, after all.
Still, Blake remembered: some Hogwarts statues could be activated with a spell like "Stone Pier Release." It made sense that this massive stone construct could also awaken.
But while Blake was visibly thrilled, Dumbledore's face turned grave.
He had thought the danger ended with the basilisk. Now this?
A massive, enchanted statue with power enough to destroy the foundations of Hogwarts?
The statue stepped down from the wall, leaving behind a deep, man-shaped impression.
Its mouth opened, and a booming voice echoed from within:
"How about it? I can tear Hogwarts apart right now!"
It slammed its stone staff against the ground.
Dust exploded off its form, revealing a gleaming metallic body beneath the crumbling stone. A true war puppet.
Dumbledore didn't hesitate. He raised his wand and fired a blazing red curse straight at the puppet's head.
The spell struck with a deafening CLANG, causing the puppet's face to twist sideways. A small dent appeared on its forehead—but that was it.
"Alas… Blake," Dumbledore sighed. "You may have gone too far this time..."
This thing was tougher than any basilisk—sturdier, deadlier.
Tom's mocking voice echoed from the statue:
"Hahaha! Dumbledore! It's useless! You can't hurt me!"
"This puppet's defenses are impenetrable!"
He turned to Blake, voice thick with rage and vengeance:
"Watch, Blake! I'll crush your friends one by one—right in front of you!"
After suffering under Blake's torment for so long, Tom had finally snapped.
Blake, however, remained calm—too calm.
"Really?" he sneered. "You think hiding inside a pile of junk means I can't touch you?"
"Oh? Then try it!" Tom goaded. "Attack me! Just once. If you can hurt me, I lose!"
He finally had the chance to mock Blake—and he was relishing it.
But Blake's expression didn't change. He still wore that faint, confident smirk that infuriated Tom.
"Haha, if I'm right…" Blake said smoothly, "you need a physical body to control that puppet, don't you?"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't need Lockhart's body to get inside."
"And that's why you kept lying to Lockhart, isn't it? Because you needed him to still trust you in order to possess him."
Tom sneered: "So what? Lockhart can't resist me now, even if he realizes the truth."
Blake simply smiled.
"See, if you were still just a spirit, I might have a problem. But now that you've got a body…"
He suddenly pulled out a strange, unsettling voodoo doll, grotesque and twisted.
Without hesitation, he stabbed a long steel needle into the doll's chest.
"AHH!"
A scream erupted from inside the statue.
Blake twisted the needle cruelly.
This was no ordinary doll—it was an artifact Blake had found in a treasure chest.
Dark, cursed, and effective.
All Blake had to do was imagine someone, and any injury to the doll would reflect onto them.
It was a one-use item—but perfect for this moment.
The needle plunged deeper.
Inside the statue, Tom shrieked in agony. His voice cracked—he had been violated, both body and soul.
"BOOM!"
The puppet collapsed to its knees.
Its mouth gaped open, spitting out Lockhart's body and the black diary.
Tom's spectral form, pale and flickering, staggered beside them—too weak to speak, barely able to hold shape.
Blake nodded with satisfaction.
The theory was correct—Tom needed Lockhart's body to control the construct.
So Blake attacked the vessel.
The pain was too much. Tom had to flee.
Lockhart fainted, his body ejected from the puppet.
Blake wasted no time. With a sharp wave of his wand, he bound the diary in layers of invisible magic.
It twitched once… twice… then went still.
Lockhart, meanwhile, was unconscious—shattered physically and spiritually.
Blake casually took out a miniature camera and snapped close-up photos of Lockhart's ruined state.
Dumbledore stared in stunned silence. He glanced at the sinister doll and sighed.
He understood exactly what it was.
His eyes moved to Lockhart—legs curled awkwardly, expression frozen in horror.
"Was that really necessary?" he asked quietly.
Blake put the camera away.
"It's for Old Rep and the others. They suffered too much because of him."
Dumbledore rubbed his temples.
"Merlin's beard… I'll need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher again next year…"
"This job's cursed."
"Another trick year. Who am I going to hire this time?"
Blake grinned innocently.
"Why not one of your old war buddies? Someone with actual combat experience?"
Dumbledore snorted.
"Old war buddies? What war buddies? I wasn't some boss with an army of underlings!"
But even as he denied it, Dumbledore already had someone in mind.
As he thought, he saw Blake retrieving something from behind a pillar.
"What now?"
"Just picking up the cameras. I installed several enhanced ones," Blake explained.
"We got it all—Lockhart controlling the puppet and attacking Hogwarts. Clear as day. Plenty of evidence now."
Dumbledore sighed again. He looked at Lockhart's unconscious form and muttered:
"We'll need a good therapist for him…"
The next day, The Daily Prophet published the story:
"GILDEROY LOCKHART ARRESTED BY AURORS"
The moving photos showed Lockhart's bizarre walking posture and empty eyes.
His fanbase crumbled overnight.
Cheers erupted across wizarding Britain. The once-celebrated author was now exposed.
Not only was there undeniable photographic evidence, but Dumbledore himself had caught him red-handed.
And the Ministry no longer feared him.
They dosed Lockhart with Veritaserum.
He confessed everything.
His alliance with Voldemort's remnant soul.
The theft of others' stories.
The use of Obliviate to ruin innocent minds.
Fudge, terrified of the Voldemort connection, buried that part.
When the final report was released, Lockhart was portrayed as a delusional man who tried to destroy Hogwarts—validating Rita Skeeter's earlier exposé.
Fudge took the stage to offer condolences, putting on a grand show of public compassion.
And Lockhart?
With so much irrefutable evidence, he was thrown into Azkaban—no trial needed.
His sentence? Life.
Atop a mountain base, Blake lowered the Daily Prophet and looked around.
Agnes wiped her eyes. Agatha drained a glass of whiskey.
"Refreshing!" she cheered.
"He got what he deserved!" Wright added.
Even the quiet Ackerman took a joy potion and laughed.
"I didn't think I'd be this happy," he said.
Winsty exhaled in relief.
"Now I can go to school without fear."
"We're very satisfied!" Barry said.
Old Rep, puffing his pipe, stepped forward.
"No more words, Blake. I'm old, but from now on, my life is yours."
Blake nodded.
"Come with me."
He led Old Rep to a quiet room.
"Are you sure about this?"
Old Rep replied solemnly:
"Even if I'm dying, I will serve you."
Blake smiled and pressed something into his hand.
A cold metal ring.
"This is the Ring of Power. If you truly wish to follow me… then wear it."
=============
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