4. The Restricted Section

The next morning, Tom hauled his book bag to the library.

"Hey, Ginny," said Hermione, passing him by the entrance. "Gotta run, late for Arithmancy."

She didn't wait for an answer. Tom found an empty long table amid the carved wooden shelves and rummaged through his books.

"Hey, Ginny," someone called.

Tom looked up to see Hermione waving from the opposite end of the table, homework sprawling around her.

"Didn't I just see you leave for Arithmancy?" said Tom.

"Guess I turned back," said Hermione, smiling. "No way I could be two places at once, right?"

"I suppose," said Tom, returning to his books.

He found nothing in Budge's Book of Potions, or Jigger's Magical Drafts and Potions, or Tim's Spell Potions.

They call this advanced? said Tom, pushing away Borage's 'Advanced Potion-Making'. This is first-year stuff. A well-trained muggle could brew these in their kitchen!

They might have trouble getting murtlap tentacle at the corner store, said Ginny. Can they substitute octopus tentacle?

You mock, said Tom. But the sooner I have a body, the sooner we're free of each other.

Ask Hermione for help, said Ginny. She's like way smarter than you.

I don't know which of those statements to protest first, said Tom.

I realize it's a difficult concept for you, said Ginny. But people sometimes help others, without having to be cursed or possessed into helping. You should try it sometime.

You think she's smarter than me? said Tom. I was a prefect and a model student!

Don't worry, said Ginny, you definitely beat her in the ego department. Now ask her.

Tom fumed.

Skulking won't help, said Ginny.

I'll ask her, all right? said Tom.

Well do it while my body's still young, said Ginny.

"Hermione?" Tom squeaked.

"Yep?" said Hermione, peeking over a wall of books.

"Do you know any good regeneration potions?" Tom said casually.

"The Elixir of Life is reportedly really good," said Hermione. "But we're running short on Philosopher's Stones at the moment. Why?"

Good question, said Ginny.

"Um… it's for an assignment," said Tom. "Snape gave me extra work and said he'd take points from Gryffindor if I don't turn it in."

Good save, said Ginny.

"He can't do that," said Hermione. "We'll talk to McGonagall."

"Please," said Tom. "He'll find some other way to retaliate. Could you help me with the assignment? Ron is always going on about how clever you are."

That might be pushing it, said Ginny.

"He does, does he?" said Hermione, pleased. "Well then, I think I saw something like that in Bourne's Moste Potente Potions. But that's in the Restricted Section. You'll have to ask Snape for a permission slip."

"Thanks, Hermione," said Tom, gathering his things. "You're the best."

#

Snape wasn't in his office. Tom lugged his book bag up to the ground floor and knocked on the staffroom door. No one answered. He tried the doorknob.

"Hey sunny," said the stone gargoyle on the right, "you got an appointment or something?"

"I'm looking for Professor Snape," said Tom. "Is he in?"

"We are not at liberty to disclose that information," said the one on the left.

"I'll just check then," said Tom, reaching for the door.

"You can't," said the right, "we're guarding it."

"Course," said the left, "in these sensitive days we're not supposed to dismember trespassers anymore."

"So we riddle them instead," said the right.

"One of us only tells the truth," said the left. "And the other only lies."

"Wait," said the right, "that riddle requires two doors."

"Was that statement a lie?" asked the left.

Tom pushed through while they argued. The long, panelled room was deserted.

No Snape, said Ginny. Let's go.

Aren't you curious? said Tom, walking around the mismatched wooden furniture.

About the kind of trouble we'll get into, you mean? said Ginny. Not really.

The wardrobe at the end of the room gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.

How about now? said Tom.

Maybe a little, said Ginny.

Maybe Snape finally snapped, said Tom, walking towards it. Tied up that new DADA teacher and threw him in the closet.

Tom swung the doors open and a corpse collapsed onto the floor - the face on the corpse was his own. His knees buckled. All his struggle had been for naught. He was dead, like a common muggle... Like his mother...

Do something, Tom! cried Ginny.

Ginny's body shook violently.

Okay, looks like I'm back at the helm, thought Ginny, awkwardly trying her own limbs. The diary! Should be here somewhere…

Crack!

Ginny froze. The corpse was gone, in it's place lay the dreaded black book. She was losing control again. She would never be free…

"Riddikulus!" cried Snape, joining them.

Crack!

The diary was now pink, with a Hello Kitty on the cover.

Crack!

It was a corpse again, a woman with long auburn hair and empty green eyes. Ginny couldn't bear to look. Snape raised his wand, but no words left his mouth.

"Riddikulus!" someone cried, followed by the wardrobe doors slamming shut.

"Good thinking, Severus," said Professor Lupin, locking the wardrobe. "Not vanquishing the boggart. It will make great practice for the third-years. Are you alright, Ms. Weasley?"

"Yes, thank you," said Tom, retaking control.

"Well, then," said Lupin, heading out. "I'll go make arrangements."

What's a boggart? asked Ginny.

Shapeshifter, said Tom. Takes the form of your worst fear.

Not a fan of dead bodies? said Ginny.

Not when they're me, said Tom. Still having diary issues?

You mean not being in control of my own body? said Ginny. Yeah, I'd say that's still an issue.

They realized Snape was on the floor beside them, shaking.

"Are you alright, Professor?" said Tom.

"Of course I am," huffed Snape, pulling himself to his feet. "What were you doing trespassing in the staffroom?"

I don't think he'll buy the extra assignment story, said Ginny.

"I was looking for you, Professor," said Tom. "I really want to do better in Potions this year. I read about this book in the Restricted Section…"

"You will start by doing detention," barked Snape. "I will discuss with your Head of House regarding additional punishment. Now get out!"

#

Tom retreated to the Gryffindor common room, defeated.

Now what? said Ginny.

I'll think of something, said Tom.

"Hey, Ginny," said Hermione, reading by the fire.

"Weren't you studying in the library?" asked Tom.

"Guess I came here," said Hermione. "There's no way I…"

"...could be in two places at once," said Tom. "Yeah, you mentioned."

"What's wrong?" asked Hermione.

"Snape got all worked up over a boggart," said Tom, "there's no way he'll give me permission to use the Restricted Section."

Hermione looked at him blankly.

"...for the assignment we talked about?" said Tom.

"Right, that one," Hermione said slowly. "I have an idea." She climbed the spiral staircase to the third year boys' room.

Not much of a memory, said Tom.

Must be all the knowledge crammed in there, said Ginny.

"Ready," said Hermione's voice. "Let's go."

Tom looked around. "Ventriloquy spell?"

"Better," said Hermione, parting thin air like a curtain that was black only on the inside. "Harry won't mind if we borrow it. Now come on."

Awesome! cried Ginny.

They walked to the library under the cloak, steering clear of other students. Madam Pince sniffed suspiciously as they passed, as if sensing mischief afoot. The Restricted Section definitely felt more foreboding than the rest of the library.

"Which book was it again?" said Hermione.

"Something about potent potions…" said Tom.

"Ah, Bourne," said Hermione, reaching for the bluish moss-covered tome. She held on when Tom made to take it. "You promise this is for research purposes only, and that you will not attempt any of these potions?"

"Promise," said Tom.

"Good," said Hermione, releasing the book. "Let's head back."