Chapter 10
The next morning, I was fighting to keep my hair pink. It kept wanting to go to white or red.
Harry had figured out how the diary worked. When you wrote in it, it would respond. The original owner, Tom Riddle, had someone managed to put a piece of himself into the diary. Tom Riddle had apparently shown Harry that Hagrid was the one who opened the chamber before.
"Riddle might have gotten the wrong person." Hermione said over breakfast.
"Or he might have shown Harry an unrelated event to get Harry's trust." I said as casually as I could muster.
"How many monsters d'you think this place can hold?" Ron asked dully.
"We always knew Hagrid had been expelled," Harry said, sounding miserable as we looked over to Hagrid. "And the attacks must've stopped after Hagrid was kicked out. Otherwise Riddle wouldn't have gotten his award."
"Riddle does sound like Percy - who asked him to squeal on Hagrid, anyway?" Ron tried a different tack.
"The monster had killed someone, Ron." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"And Riddle was going to go back to some Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts. I don't blame him for wanting to stay here…" Harry added.
"You met Hagrid down Knockturn Alley, didn't you, Harry?" I asked, not wanting to actually say it.
"He was buying a Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent." Harry said quickly.
"I think he's innocent." I said firmly.
"Do you think we should go and ask Hagrid?" Hermione asked.
"That'd be a cheerful visit," Ron took a turn rolling his eyes. " 'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?' "
"I don't think we should ask him. However, I don't think Hagrid opened the Chamber fifty years ago!" I hissed at my friends.
They all reluctantly agreed with me, however if there was another attack we were going to go ask Hagrid about it.
I couldn't find a good enough excuse to get Harry to leave the diary in his dormitory. He took that blasted thing with him everywhere and Ginny was starting to get frantic.
"If he keeps writing in it, he could be in danger!" She hissed to me one night as everyone slept.
"I know!" I hissed back, rubbing my eyes.
I haven't had a chance to spend more time with George since our date on my birthday, and my friends were still talking about the attacks. It had been fourth months since the one on Justin and Sir Nick, and I knew it was because Ginny had taken my advice about throwing the book away. However, Ginny still couldn't tell me how she and the book were connected to the attacks.
"When the time is right, I'm sure you can go in and get it back." I said, wrapping my arms around Ginny's shoulders and hugging her tight.
She returned the hug and sagged against me. We hadn't talked much, not since being in Hogwarts but I can tell that having someone who knew she was in trouble, helped Ginny a lot.
Over the Easter Holidays, we were given a list of subjects we could start taking next year.
I had already circled Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination. I was debating circling Ancient Runes or Muggle Studies. Muggle Studies was going to be at the same time as Divination, and Hermione was going to be taking all of the subjects. She had circled every single one of them.
"I wonder how you're going to manage?" I asked, looking at Hermione's paper.
"Oh, I'm sure we'll make it work." Hermione said as she grinned happily at her paper.
"We're busy every night. With Quidditch practice, and homework. If you can find the right moment to ransack his room. You can get the diary." I was whispering to Ginny.
It was two in the morning on Friday. Ginny and I still hadn't a chance to get the diary from Harry and I was hoping she would be able to get it tonight.
"Okay." She nodded, her eyes darkening.
"Don't worry. You won't have to face this alone anymore." I said, putting my hands on her shoulders.
"I know." Ginny nodded again, this time looking up at me.
George and Fred had managed to catch up to me and Harry after practice. We were talking about our odds of winning against Hufflepuff the next day when George had laced his fingers through mine.
"I haven't had a chance to see you." George muttered to me as Fred and Harry walked ahead of us.
"I'm sorry, I promise I'm not avoiding you." I said, stepping closer to him.
"I know. We've just been busy." George gently pushed me away and started to swing our hands theatrically.
"I know." I nodded.
"How about tomorrow after we win, we do homework in the common room?" George asked as we started up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.
"You? Do homework?" I actually gasped before laughing.
His face split into a grin as he laughed as well.
"That actually hurt my soul." He put his other hand to his chest.
"That hurt mine to." I laughed as Fred held the portrait open for us.
"I'm going to go get some homework and bring it down." I said, turning to George.
"Okay." George nodded as I walked up the stairs.
"Cassie!" Ginny hissed at me.
"Ginny." I said quietly to her as she stepped out of her room.
"I got it!" Ginny showed me the diary.
"Oh! Oh good!" I actually gave a sigh of relief.
"Thank you!" She hugged me this time.
"Of course. Now, don't write in it until we can figure out what to do." I said as she pulled away.
"I won't." She shook her head.
I nodded to her as she walked back into her room and I walked up to mine. I grabbed my charms essay as Ariel meowed at me.
"Come on girl." I said to her.
She followed me down to the common room. Hermione was sitting at a table reading 'Ancient Runes Made Easy'. Once I had gotten settled into my chair, Ariel jumped up in my lap and curled up purring.
Harry and Ron both came down the stairs looking grim.
"Our room was just ransacked. The diary is gone." Harry said grimly.
"Oh no!" Both Hermione and I gasped.
Thankfully, none of them noticed mine was faked.
"But - only a Gryffindor could have stolen - nobody else knows our password - " Hermione was actually looking aghast about the news.
"Exactly." Harry nodded.
"Could… Could the Heir of Slytherin be a Gryffindor?" I asked quietly.
None of my friends wanted to answer that.
We didn't get to finish our conversation because George and Fred pulled up chairs and sat with us as we all did our homework.
I woke up the next day with Ariel curled up against my legs. I blinked my eyes at the sunshine coming in through the window.
"Beautiful day to kick some Hufflepuff arse." I stretched out before putting on my school robes.
Since it was just Hufflepuff, I told Wood I didn't want to play if I didn't have too. He full heartedly agreed and so I was going to meet George and eat breakfast with him and cheer him on at the match.
Hermione and I walked down the stairs in the dormitory together. George was waiting in the common room with Fred.
"Good morning." I greeted George as he bent down and kissed my cheek.
"Good morning, Princess." George greeted.
"You ready for the match?" I asked as George and I laced fingers again and Fred walked on my other side.
"Absolutely! If we can get ahead -" Fred started.
"- just by sixty points, we'll have the house cup." George finished.
"I see Wood's speech has gotten stuck in your heads." I smiled at them.
"Hard not to get it stuck -" George winked.
"- when it's all he would say." Fred sighed, also winking down at me when I looked up at him.
"Fair enough." I laughed as we entered the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Perfect Quidditch conditions!" Wood greeted us enthusiastically. "Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast." He was loading scramble eggs onto everyone's plates.
I sat next to Harry with our friends. George and Fred sat on my other side so that they could converse with the other team members.
"I still think you should report it." Hermione was whispering as Harry stared at the packed Gryffindor table.
"Then he would have to explain where he got it, and why he wants it back." I said as I stole a piece of bacon off of George's plate.
"I don't want to be the one to bring up Hagrid getting expelled fifty years ago." Harry added absentmindedly as he started to eat his food.
"How would we explain that one?" I asked, looking at Ron and Hermione.
They didn't answer me as we ate our breakfast in silence.
"Princess, Fred and I are going ahead to get our Quidditch robes. I'll see you at the pitch?" George said as he and his twin stood up.
"Of course. I need to cheer on my favorite Weasley." I grinned up at him.
"I need my favorite princess to cheer me on." Fred winked at me as George and I kissed each other's cheek.
"She was talking about me." George joked.
"I was talking about Ron." I said as they left.
They both looked back, putting offended hands to their chests with shocked mouths as I laughed.
"Shut up." Ron had blushed.
"Sorry, but Percy is definitely not my favorite Weasley." I said to him.
"Fair point." He said through a mouthful of eggs.
As we were headed up the marble staircase, I noticed that Ginny was not in the crowd.
'Oh no.' I thought, looking around with my eyes wide.
"The voice!" Harry suddenly cried, looking over his shoulder. "I just heard it again - didn't you?"
"No." I shook my head, looking around again.
"Harry - I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!" Hermione was suddenly racing up the stairs.
"What does she understand?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. I'm going after her, we'll be right down!" I patted Harry's shoulder and raced to the library after Hermione.
I knew that Hermione was going to be at the library. Since that's what she said she was going to be, but the urgency of not wanting her to be alone was strong.
"Hermione." I whispered as I entered the library.
Madam Pince glared over her spectacles at me as I entered the library.
"Miss Granger has gone into the Magical Beasts section." She pointed down the aisle of books.
"Thank you." I nodded to her.
I walked as quietly as I could through the Magical Beasts section of the library. We must have passed each other because when I turned a corner I ran into Malfoy.
"Oh!" I said is surprise, earning myself a "Shush!" From Madam Pince.
"Cassie." He said my name in surprise.
"Draco, have you seen Hermione?" I asked, looking around him.
"No. I haven't seen Granger." He sniffed.
"Oh, thank you." I nodded to him and started to walk away.
"Wait!" He grabbed my arm.
"Shush!" Madam Pince said from her desk.
"What is it?" I asked Malfoy.
Looking at him, he was paler than usual.
"Just, wait." He whispered to me.
I don't know how long we stood there.
"Draco, I have to find my friend." I said kindly, removing his hand from my arm.
"Take a mirror with you." Malfoy pulled out a plain pocket mirror from his robes.
"What for?" I asked, not wanting to take it.
"Just trust me. Look around corners with it first." He shoved it in my hand before stalking out of the library.
'That was odd.' I thought as I followed behind him.
I watched as he turned at one end of the hallway. Looking both ways I went the opposite direction of him. As I reached the corner I looked down at the mirror in my hand and shrugged.
'It won't hurt to try.' I thought as I opened it and poked my arm around the corner.
My stomach dropped at what I saw.
"HERMIONE!"
Yes. Yes I know. This chapter is short, but I just had to leave you guys with this cliffhanger. I'll be back next week with the next one! But just a heads up, we are nearly to The End of book two. So please be patient with any skips in time and whatnot since I'm trying to pace myself but sometimes it's really hard to pace the story and what events I want to happen you know? Anyways!
Shout out to ArsenicAssassin for following the Story!
