When the midnight bell struck for the twelfth time, Draco knelt on the bronze floor tiles of the Astronomy Tower. The alchemical pocket watch melted into a pool of silver in his palm, and the stars etched on its dial burst one by one. A serpentine hourglass projected a blood-red countdown onto the floor of the Chamber of Secrets: "00:00:00".
"The plan... is almost complete." Draco lowered his head toward the two-way mirror, which suddenly frosted over. Tom Riddle's face emerged in the cold fog, and the red light within his pupils pierced through the mirror surface, forming physical chains that wrapped around the boy's neck.
Riddle's voice carried the raspy sound of snake scales rubbing together. "I smell fear, young Malfoy." The chains suddenly tightened, and the beads of blood Draco coughed up hovered in the air, forming the coordinates of the vulnerable spots in Hogwarts' protective shield. "Now, let us welcome our distinguished guest."
Chapter 256