In the school infirmary, Kai Adler lay motionless on the bed, eyes tightly shut, body unnaturally stiff. Beside him, Hermione held his hand in a white-knuckled grip. His skin felt cold and rigid, more like stone than flesh.
Still, she kept stroking it gently, as if sheer willpower and touch could bring him back.
Harry and Ron stood quietly behind her. Harry's lips were pressed in a hard line, his eyes full of shock and simmering fury.
The Chamber of Secrets had been the talk of the school for weeks. He had even been suspected as the culprit at one point, but to him, it had never felt real. The victims were strangers, distant, and somewhere deep down, he'd assumed the professors would handle it. After all, they had Kai—brilliant, capable Kai—always calm in the face of danger.
Whenever Lockhart caused chaos, whenever Malfoy stirred trouble, whenever the school swirled with gossip and fear—Kai was the constant. Their shield. Their quiet strength. Harry and Ron had grown used to the feeling of being protected, like nestlings beneath a powerful wing.
And now, even he had fallen.
Could the monster from the Chamber really do this to him?
Hermione's fingers brushed against the inside of Kai's sleeve—and she froze.
A flicker of tension ran through her frame.
Then her expression shifted—grief giving way to sharp clarity. She leaned closer to his face, studying him with narrowed eyes.
Harry stepped forward, misinterpreting her reaction. "It's okay," he said gently. "Madam Pomfrey said Dumbledore's working on the antidote. Kai will be alright."
But Hermione suddenly stood, eyes red but gaze focused. She turned on her heel and stormed toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Ron called.
"To find whoever did this to him!" she snapped. "To find the one who dared to hurt Kai Adler!"
Harry's eyes widened, a pulse of resolve rushing through him. "I'm going too!"
Ron scrambled after them.
But just as Hermione flung open the infirmary doors, she came face to face with Professor Dumbledore.
The old man stood waiting, his usual gentle gaze watching them. Hermione stopped in her tracks. For the first time, she didn't lower her eyes in deference—but stared at him directly, her eyes glittering with a quiet storm.
"Professor Dumbledore," she asked, voice steady, "why did Kai become like this?"
Dumbledore sighed softly. "I didn't expect him to fall victim to the Chamber's creature. But rest assured, I'll do everything in my power to help him recover."
Hermione didn't move. Her stare didn't waver.
"No," she said again, "I didn't ask how. I asked why. Why did he become like this?"
Dumbledore gazed at her, the weight of her suspicion not lost on him. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
She was sharper than he had imagined.
He glanced behind her, noting Harry and Ron just out of earshot. His voice dropped to a gentle murmur.
"Kai and I both felt it was time for you to stand on your own more, Miss Granger. Don't you agree?"
He gave a subtle wink with his right eye.
Hermione's eyes flickered. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly.
Then Harry stepped forward. "Professor," he asked, "was it the Basilisk? Did it really get to Kai?"
Dumbledore's face returned to sorrow. "Yes. Unfortunately, it did."
Harry looked down, jaw clenched in determination. "Then I want to know where he went last night. Maybe it'll help me find out how to stop this."
Dumbledore's gaze warmed. Good, he thought. The trial begins.
"Wait," Hermione said suddenly. "I still have something to say to the Professor."
Harry nodded and led Ron off.
Once they were gone, Hermione turned to Dumbledore and held out her wrist.
"Professor. Give Luna back."
Dumbledore chuckled softly, brushing his long beard. "Of course."
A flicker of purple shimmered from beneath his sleeve and zipped toward her wrist. The small magical creature settled there, wrapping into a delicate bracelet form.
Hermione stroked Luna's head and turned back toward the bed.
She slammed her hand down onto Kai's stone-like chest.
"You thought it was funny to fool me, didn't you?"
The slap carried a surge of magic. Kai's body immediately lost its stony hue, color returning to his cheeks—but his eyes stayed shut.
Hermione narrowed her gaze, then seized his wrist and bit down sharply.
Kai jerked upright, yelping in pain. "Ow, ow! I surrender! I was wrong, Hermione!"
Hermione huffed and let go, flinging his hand aside. "You don't know how terrified I was! I thought you'd… really never wake up…"
Her voice cracked, tears brimming again. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Kai gently pulled her into his arms, letting her pound his chest with her fists.
"I was going to tell you—later. But I should've known my Hermione was too clever for that."
She sniffled against him, then suddenly laughed through her tears and hit him again. "Stop calling me yours…"
Dumbledore, entering behind them, chuckled softly to himself. The sight made him nostalgic—reminding him of a dear friend long gone.
Hermione gave Kai a few more solid thumps before calming down.
Rubbing his bruised ribs, Kai asked, "How did you know?"
"Because of Luna," she said.
"I reached for your wrist and she was gone. She's always there. If something really had happened to you, she'd either be petrified too—or she would've come to me."
She pointed at her bracelet with a smirk. "And besides… you've dodged that Basilisk before, even while protecting me. No way it caught you off guard now."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I let my guard down."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You? Let your guard down while carrying that suspicious notebook last night? Please. You knew exactly where the Chamber was. You were going there, weren't you?"
"You wouldn't let your wand out of reach in a duel—no way you were careless near the Basilisk."
"And if it were Ron? Sure, maybe. But you?"
She snorted. "You're too cunning for that."
Kai glanced at Dumbledore. "Told you I couldn't fool her."
Hermione folded her arms and turned to the Headmaster. "And you! You were in on it?"
Her respect for him slipped another notch.
"Don't let the beard fool you," Kai muttered. "He was the mastermind behind the whole thing."
Hermione's eyes widened. Dumbledore's image in her mind—wise, untouchable—cracked a little further.
Dumbledore smiled serenely, then calmly explained the prophecy concerning Harry, leaving out the parts about Horcruxes and the Chamber's true nature.
He knew Kai would likely share the rest with Hermione in time. But for now, fewer people knowing was safer.
Hermione frowned as he finished. "All this… because of a prophecy?"
As a Muggle-born, prophecies still sounded like superstition to her.
Kai gently replied, "In the magical world, they carry more weight than you'd think."
Hermione nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful—but clearly unconvinced.