Chapter 177 - 176 — Ginny Has a Problem!

Chapter 177: Chapter 176 — Ginny Has a Problem!

# Chapter 176 — Ginny Has a Problem!

Vesey’s return put Harry in a much better mood.

He and the others carefully asked Vesey about what had happened before she was unconscious. After she recounted everything, they couldn’t help looking at her with admiration.

After all, only Vesey could pull off something like that!

The professors were still repairing the damage caused by Vesey’s battle with the basilisk, and the work had yet to be completed.

Besides asking about Vesey’s experience, Harry and the others also told her what they had been doing during her absence.

When Vesey heard that they had encountered Aragog, she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

She had originally planned to explore the Forbidden Forest with Harry and obtain some Acromantulantula venom along the way.

Acromantula venom was an excellent ingredient for potions. It was extremely expensive to buy, and sometimes it wasn’t available at all.

Having some on hand would be useful, whether she wanted to keep it for herself or give it to someone as a gift.

Unfortunately, Snape’s potions had been too effective. She had remained unconscious for more than two weeks.

Vesey expressed her sympathy for Harry and the others, even acting as though she felt terribly aggrieved on their behalf. That alone was enough to make them feel much better.

Of course, Vesey also shared a discovery that Harry had made in the original story.

"Do you think the student who died fifty years ago is still at Hogwarts?"

Harry and the others were stunned.

Vesey continued, "If that student returned as a ghost, who do you think she would be?"

Harry and Ron exchanged a look, shock evident in both their eyes.

"Myrtle!"

Vesey’s reminder immediately made them want to investigate the girls’ bathroom.

Unfortunately, when they went there, they discovered that a professor or Filch was always stationed nearby. There was no way they could speak to Myrtle without being noticed.

"We brewed the Polyjuice Potion in there, just one cubicle away from Myrtle..."

Ron said helplessly.

Not long after Christmas, he and the others had confessed to Vesey that they had used Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Slytherins during the Christmas holidays.

They had expected Vesey to be angry, but she had merely shaken her head helplessly.

Vesey even revealed that she had asked Snape for some Polyjuice Potion herself at the time. If Hermione and the others had wanted to use it, she could have requested more for them.

This left the three of them regretting their decision to hide the truth from her.

If they had told Vesey, perhaps they could have obtained the Polyjuice Potion openly instead of sneaking around and earning Snape’s retaliation during the Duelling Club.

But there was no point dwelling on the past.

What mattered now was finding Myrtle or searching the bathroom for clues.

Unfortunately, that was where the first attack had occurred, so the bathroom had been closed off. Nobody was allowed inside.

This frustrated them immensely.

And that wasn’t all.

During their first Transfiguration lesson that morning, Professor McGonagall delivered another piece of bad news.

Their examinations would begin on June 1st, which was only a week away.

Harry and the others nearly burst into tears.

They had reached the end of the school year only to realize how little they had learned.

Vesey, however, was unaffected. She had spent two weeks unconscious and had missed her lessons entirely, yet she still answered the professors’ questions as fluently as ever.

The professors praised her repeatedly.

With only three days remaining before their first examination, Professor McGonagall finally announced some good news.

The Mandrakes had matured, meaning that everyone who had been petrified could be revived that very night.

Ron blurted out, "Are they going to have to take their exams as soon as they wake up?"

That would be a nightmare!

Nevertheless, everyone smiled at the news.

Whatever happened with the examinations, it was wonderful that the petrified students would finally recover.

That afternoon, Vesey and Harry sneaked away with their classmates to bask in the sunshine beside the lake.

Ginny approached and sat down beside Vesey, looking uneasy.

"What’s wrong? Have you been having nightmares?"

Vesey cupped Ginny’s face in her hands.

"The dark circles under your eyes are terrible! Make sure you get enough rest. Don’t worry. If the basilisk shows up again, I’ll fight it with everything I’ve got and kill it this time!"

[Ding! Points +101]

[Ding! Energy Points +10]

[Ding! Energy Points +10]

Ginny’s eyes turned red.

She threw her arms around Vesey.

Only Ginny knew how guilty she had felt while Vesey was unconscious.

Would she be controlled again?

Why had the basilisk’s attack injured Vesey so badly?

If Vesey learned the truth, would she hate her?

And besides...

Would Vesey stop paying attention to her?

Would she be expelled, hated, and rejected by everyone?

Should she tell Vesey the truth?

"Come on, tell us! Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked.

Ginny’s face went pale.

Her eyes remained fixed on Vesey’s.

Those emerald-green eyes were so beautiful that she could hardly look away.

And when her gaze drifted lower, she noticed Vesey’s straight, delicate nose and small lips moving as she spoke. Ginny suddenly found herself wanting to kiss her...

"Ginny!"

Percy’s voice rang out.

The sudden interruption finally snapped Ginny out of her thoughts. She stood up, her face turning bright red.

Why on earth was she thinking about kissing someone when she was already so nervous?

*What the hell...*

*Have I gone mad?*

She jumped up and hurried away.

"Percy, what are you doing?" Ron demanded. "Ginny was about to tell Vesey something about the Chamber of Secrets!"

Percy looked nervous.

He shook his head hesitantly, making several awkward noises before finally speaking.

"What she saw had nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets. She saw me in an empty classroom that day... I asked her not to tell anyone. Stop asking me about it. It’s embarrassing..."

Ron immediately became interested.

"Tell me exactly what happened."

Percy’s face turned red, and he hurried after Ginny.

"Tsk! I wonder what Ginny caught Percy doing in that classroom. I really want to know!"

Ron stretched out beneath the shade of a tree.

Harry smiled and nodded, but Vesey maintained a solemn expression.

"I don’t think so. Ginny seemed to be trying to tell us something important. It couldn’t have been something trivial...

"No, I need to go and check on her. I really hope I’m just overthinking things!"

Vesey stood up.

Harry and Ron had no choice but to follow her.

"I know Ginny. She was probably just joking. How could she possibly know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?" Ron said helplessly.

Vesey, however, continued to look uneasy as she hurried toward the castle.

"I need to have a proper talk with Ginny. I’ve always felt that she’s been far too frightened this year.

"When I first met her, she didn’t seem like the sort of girl who scared easily. She was quite strong-willed. But this semester, she’s seemed even more fragile than most girls!"

Harry and Ron began frowning as they listened.

It was true. Ginny hadn’t seemed happy at all this year. Whenever she stayed with them, she often looked pale and anxious.

They had assumed it was because of the attacks, but was Ginny really so frightened that she had become this fragile?

They quickened their pace as well.

Perhaps they were overthinking things. But if they weren’t, then something might genuinely be wrong.

They soon reached the castle. Just as they were about to return to the Gryffindor common room to look for Ginny, Professor McGonagall stopped them with a stern look.

"What have you been doing?"

Students weren’t allowed to wander around unsupervised. If they admitted to sneaking out, they would lose house points.

Ron glanced at Harry, who looked confused, and then at Vesey, who had lowered her head guiltily.

He quickly blurted out, "Hermione!"

Harry’s eyes lit up.

He stepped in front of Vesey, hoping to hide her guilty expression from Professor McGonagall.

"We were going to see Hermione! Vesey misses Hermione!"