Chapter 154: Confession

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The night sky, like a navy-blue curtain, was dotted with twinkling stars, making one unable to help but sink deeply into its embrace.

A night breeze lifted the long robes of the two; the early spring night air still carried considerable chill, yet neither seemed to notice it at all.

In the end, it was Allen who first broke the silence.

"When did you discover the peculiar nature of the diary?" Allen asked, looking up at the stars in the sky.

The feeling of being immersed in darkness had relaxed Ron greatly.

"Do you remember that Dueling Club?" Ron said softly.

"Mm!"

"Before you went on stage that time, you handed the diary to me for safekeeping. Then, from below, I watched you defeat Malfoy and Rochelle while everyone cheered for you. At that moment, a very strong feeling of jealousy suddenly arose in my heart." Ron paused here, as if looking at Allen in the darkness.

"Jealous that so many people liked you; jealous that you were so smart; jealous that you were so outstanding; and yet you were clearly just an orphan! At that time, jealousy filled my heart. Looking back now, that was the beginning of everything." Ron continued speaking, his voice still so calm.

Allen didn't know what to say for a moment; he hadn't expected this matter to have been caused by him, so he could only gently pat Ron's shoulder.

"After returning the diary to you, I felt a strong sense of loss. It was the first time in my life that I had developed such a strong possessiveness toward an object." Ron seemed to have opened the floodgates, speaking more and more fluently.

"Every night, I could feel that diary calling to me. So during that period, in the middle of the night, I would quietly get up, find that diary in your desk, and gently stroke it. Only when touching that diary could I feel satisfied."

"So that's why you looked so sleep-deprived during that period?" Allen suddenly thought of things from a while back.

"Yes. Only when touching the diary could I feel less anxious, forgetting the things that happened during the day—being mocked for wearing old clothes and using a broken old wand. The diary made me feel happiness and joy, and then I gradually got lost in that feeling..."

Allen listened silently; he hadn't expected, or perhaps hadn't realized, that Ron also had such pain...

"It seems the diary amplified the desires and negative emotions in your heart." Allen concluded. He knew what kind of person Ron was and felt the fault did not lie with Ron.

"Looking back now, it really was like that. You must have had that feeling too, right?" Ron nodded, then asked Allen in return.

This question made Allen frown. He recalled his experience of obtaining the diary; it seemed he had never had his desires and negative emotions amplified by the diary.

"No..." Allen said softly.

"Why?" Now it was Ron's turn to be surprised.

"Perhaps it has something to do with my talent!" Allen gradually realized his advantage when resisting mental magic.

"Oh..." Ron said ambiguously, unsure whether he was disappointed or relieved.

"What happened next? Why did you decide to take the diary away?"

"Later, I established a connection with a person named Yodell inside the diary. I don't know how, but I trusted him more and more. Eventually, he instigated me to steal that diary." Ron spoke haltingly; this part of the content made him somewhat uncomfortable.

He stopped to adjust his emotions, then continued: "The days when I completely possessed the diary were the happiest days of my life."

Hearing this, Allen cursed inwardly: My guess was indeed correct; it was indeed Yodell, that thick-browed, big-eyed fellow, who betrayed me.

"You hid so well this past week; I didn't even notice any flaws in your behavior." Allen asked, feeling that Ron was not the type to act so well.

Ron shook his head blankly. "I was in a daze all week; many memories were fragmented. I can't even sort out what I did."

Allen could hear the confusion in Ron's tone,

and he believed that at this stage, Ron had no need to lie.

"Were you controlled by Yodell?" Allen thought of this terrible outcome; he hadn't expected such vicious fangs hidden beneath Yodell's peaceful appearance.

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"Yes. Looking back now, I was indeed controlled during that time..." Ron said, filled with fear.

"Then how did you break free from Yodell's control?" Allen suddenly realized this question.

"I don't know. Tonight, when I came to my senses, I found myself in a dark, damp cave, and beside me was a huge snake. Since I am most afraid of spiders and snakes, I gradually became more awake..." Ron's voice became blank again.

"A huge snake? How big?" Allen asked in shock. He hadn't expected such a thing to exist in Hogwarts, and since Yodell seemed able to control that snake, he recalled the cold voice he had heard at night; he now believed Ron's words.

"About as thick as the thickest Shi Zhu in Hogwarts Castle!" Ron thought for a moment and said, then he was also frightened by his own description...

"And then?" Allen asked eagerly.

"Yodell seemed to just confirm whether that huge snake was intact. Then he controlled me to speak a strange language, causing that big snake to fall back into a deep sleep..." Ron's face was full of fear.

"Then he controlled me to cast a Levitation Charm. As a result, my wand wasn't working well and caused several explosions. These explosions made me even more awake, but I dared not make any sudden moves, and Yodell seemed not to have noticed that I had already come to my senses..."

"Then we went to the surface. I found we had appeared in a dilapidated restroom, and Yodell seemed very interested in the last stall. He controlled me to walk to the front of that stall." Ron's tone began to become excited as he spoke this part.

"I suddenly realized this was a good opportunity for me to break free from Yodell's control. So I suddenly took the diary out from my chest and threw it into the water tank of the toilet in that stall. I then completely broke free from Yodell's control and ran back to the dormitory in one breath. What happened next, you already know..." Ron said, still shaken.

The two fell into silence once again.

"After I returned to the dormitory and saw you like that, I understood that the diary had been taken by you." Allen said indifferently. "But I didn't expect such a tortuous story in between. It seems the diary is a terrifying dark magical artifact, and I used it for over half a year without even discovering it..."

"This is not your fault. It's all my fault for having too weak a will and failing to resist the diary's temptation..." Ron said, blaming himself.

"But at least all of this has finally ended." Ron sighed with relief.

"No! The matter is not over yet!" Allen grabbed Ron's shoulder.

"Leaving a dangerous dark magical artifact there is very irresponsible. We must retrieve it and turn it over to the state... uh... turn it over to the school!" Allen declared firmly.