I'm so so so sorry it took me so ungodly long to update! Have some forgive me cookies. Hope this was worht the wait.
Ch. 12 the Very Secret Diary
POV BELLA MCLAGGEN:
I went into the dormitory; Lexie's death threat still echoing in my ears. If I ever find out where the Chamber of Secrets it, how to open it, and how to control the monster, I swear to God I'll use it to kill you.
I had really blown it this time, hadn't I? I shouldn't care, really, if I can't have her, Malfoy can't either. But what if she finds a way to make it up to Malfoy? Maybe Janice was right, and revenge doesn't solve things. Maybe it only made things worse.
No, no, it doesn't, because I had to get her back for the snake incident. But she wouldn't have done that if you wouldn't have said that about Parselmouths, would she, said a sly voice in my head.
To be honest, I didn't want to fight with her. I missed the times when we were little. I could still picture us, two little, mischievous toddlers sneakily playing pranks on everyone who deserved them.
And that time, when I did my first accidental magic and made nasty, purple pimples grow over Michael Weatherby's face. She laughed so hard, and we were so happy.
But that was the past, and I couldn't say I liked her present-day self. Always teasing, maybe even bullying, and even a little bit arrogant. She's not changed that much, but it's gotten worse, really. It used to be funny back then. I used to laugh about it all the time. We had so much fun and had so much in common.
That's changed the most, I guess. We're just completely different people now. And the only thing that really changed had been Hogwarts, and the enemy Houses. Maybe they did play a bigger role than we'd thought.
But I know one of her qualities is, that when she wants something, she mostly gets it. So what if she does find the Chamber? What if she does know how to find the monster. I wrote all of this in my diary, I was in a hurry and wanted answers, so I didn't bother drawing. My ink disappeared.
But what if you find the Chamber first, it wrote.
It's impossible to find!
Maybe not, it wrote. Think, Bella, you've done it before. Don't you remember?
What are you talking about, Tom?
I made you do it, Bella. I made you do it all year.
Why are you telling me this?
You'll never remember any of this, anyway, Bella. Unless…
Unless?
Unless you do it of your free will. Do it, Bella, kill off the rest of the Mudbloods, and especially Lexie.
No! No, I wouldn't! I never wanted to kill anyone!
Why not, Bella? She wants to kill you. She means to murder you. Rip you, tear you…
Shut up! Shut up, Tom!
You are better than her, Bella. I know you. I have seen your desires, and your fears. If you listen to me, I will reveal hidden powers and make sure you can get back all of them, and in exchange, you'll kill the other Mudbloods. And bring Harry Potter to me.
Why do you want Harry? He's half-blood!
Do you except my offer, Bella? Or do I have to keep brainwashing you…
I threw away my diary in the corner of my dorm. Did I do it? Did I do everything? Did I Petrify everyone? But Tom was talking about the kill, the real deal. I didn't want to let it get that far. I have to get rid of it, and never tell anyone.
Just wait until the Mandrakes are ready and leave to monster to die in its stupid Chamber. Yes, that's what I should do.
Get rid of the book.
I grabbed it and ran out of the common room, to the girls' toilets. In the toilet and flush it, I thought. I threw it away as hard as I could, and running away from it.
I would never tell anyone. I wouldn't be able to stand the shame. It was over. It was just a bad dream. And, hey, without the diary, Tom had no hold on me, had he?
Little did I know I would have forgotten this the next day already, as if wiped from my memory.
POV JANICE DIGGORY:
Hermione remained in the hospital wings for several weeks. Lexie was seeing Hermione separately, and she always made sure Bella wasn't there when she visited.
There was a flurry of rumour about Hermione's disappearance because many people thought she had been Petrified. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.
Harry, Ron, Claire and I visited her every evening, and Bella and Lexie took turns. Tonight's was Lexie's evening, and she brought today's homework for Hermione.
"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," said Ron, looking at the stack of books on Hermione bedside table.
"Don't be silly, Ron, I've got to keep up," said Hermione briskly.
Her spirits were greatly improved by the fact all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were slowly turning back to brown."Yes, she needs this for the exams at the end of the school year," said Claire.
"If the school will still be open by then," said Lexie darkly. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?"
"Nothing," said Harry gloomily. "And have you found out to open the Chamber yet?"
His tone was full of sarcasm. It wasn't exactly a secret he cared for Bella and was completely shocked by the death threat. "I'm sorry I couldn't manage that what even some of the grandest wizards couldn't manage," she spat. "Give me some time. I suppose it's something we've overlooked all this time."
"I was so sure it was Malfoy," said Ron for about the hundredth time.
"You could've just listened to me, that would've cost you some time and trouble," said Lexie. "What's that?"
She was pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione's pillow. "Just a get well card," said Hermione hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her.
He pulled it out, flicked it open and read aloud: "To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming Smile Award."
Ron looked up at Hermione, disgusted. "You sleep with this under your pillow?"
Lexie snatched the card from him. "How sweet, he even bothered noting down all his prices. I didn't know you were such a flirt, Mione."
Hermione was spared answering by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over with her evening dose of medicine. "Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Ron said to Harry when we all left the infirmary that evening.
Snape had given us so much homework I thought I was likely to be in sixth year before I finished it. An angry outburst from above reached our ears. "That's Filch," Harry muttered as they hurried up the stairs and paused, out of sight, listening hard.
"You think someone else's been attacked?" Claire whispered.
We paused and our heads inclined toward Filch's voice, which sounded quite hysterical. "- even more work for me! mopping, all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbeldore-"
His footsteps receded out of reach and we heard a distant door slam. We poked our heads around the corner. We were once again on the spot where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. "Nope, no body here," said Lexie casually. "But a lot of water."
A great flood of water stretched over half the corridor, and it looked as thought it was still seeping from under the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Now that Filch had stopped shouting, I could hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls. "Poor thing," I said. "I wonder what's wrong with her…"
"Who cares?" Lexie snickered. "I hope she's very upset about it, whatever it is."
"Let's go and see," said Harry.
We ignored the OUT OF ORDER sign as always, and entered the bathroom. Myrtle seemed to be hiding down in her usual toilet. "Are you okay, Myrtle?" I called. "D'you want to talk about it?"
"Who's that?" glugged Myrtle miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"
"Why would we throw something at you, Myrtle?" I asked.
"Don't ask me!" Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of yet more water, which splashed onto the already sopping floor. "Here I am… minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me!"
"That would be immensely stupid," Lexie laughed. "It was probably a Gryffindor, but don't mind that. What I mean to say is, it wouldn't hurt, wouldn't it? It'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?"
She had said the wrong thing. Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked. "Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because she can't feel it! Ten points if you get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I don't think!"
"But it's not funny because you're a ghost!" said Lexie. "You wouldn't even feel a damn thing!"
"Who threw it at you, anyway?" asked Harry.
Myrtle sighed. "I don't know… I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head. It's right there, it got washed out…"
POV CLAIRE GIBBS:
Harry went to pick the diary up, but I held him back. "What?" said Harry.
"Are you crazy? And no, don't answer that, Lexie-" I said quickly, glaring at my friend who had opened her mouth for a predictable response already.
She just smirked. "It could be dangerous," I said.
"Dangerous?" said Harry, laughing. "Come off it, how could it be dangerous?"
"You'd be surprised," said Ron, looking apprehensively at the book. "Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated- Dad's told me- there was one that burned your eyes out."
"Ah, it would be a shame for dear Harry to lose that pretty green orbs of his, wouldn't it?" said Lexie teasingly.
Harry blinked, and after that swiftly blushed, but Ron just gritted his teeth and continued. "And everyone who read Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading. You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And-"
"You're Gryffindors, come on! Where's your sense of adventure?" Lexie teased. "Not that I wouldn't have the greatest sympathy in the world for that book to do something to you, Harry, I admit that. And I would probably kill you if you spoke in limericks for the rest of your life, I hate them-"
"All right, I've got the point," said Harry. "Well, we won't find out unless we have a look at it."
Harry picked it up and I saw at once it was a diary, and the faded year on the cover told us it was fifty years old. He opened it eagerly. On the first page he could just make out the name 'T. M. Riddle' in smudged ink.
"Good, you've still got your eyes," said Lexie, smirking. "I meant it when I said they were pretty."
Harry blushed and suddenly became very interested in the diary when Ron suddenly snapped his fingers. "Hang on," he said. "I know that name… he got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago."
"How on earth d'you know that?" said Harry in amazement.
"Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention," said Ron resentfully. "That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too."
"Hang on," said Lexie suddenly, her eyebrows knitted together in thought. "What if… The Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, this diary is fifty years old, and Riddle got an award for special services to the school! Don't you get it? I think Riddle caught the Heir of Slytherin fifty years ago!"
Harry peeled the wet pages apart. They were completely blank. "If if that was true, he never wrote in it," said Harry, disappointed. "So the diary's pretty useless."
"I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?" said Ron curiously.
"You're so stupid!" she snapped. "What if the Heir threw this away because the diary says how to open the Chamber? It might be written in invisible ink, or protected with some sort of spell…"
"You could be right, Lexie," I said thoughtfully. "That fact you don't see anything doesn't mean there's nothing in it."
Harry turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London. "He must've been Muggleborn," said Harry.
"Or half-blood," I interjected.
"Well, it's not much use to us," said Ron. "Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose."
Harry, however, pocketed it.
When Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less and fur-free at the beginning of February Harry showed her the diary. "It might have hidden powers," said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.
"If it has, it's hiding them very well," said Ron. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't just chuck it, Harry."
"Because this diary could hold important information! Maybe it says who opened the Chamber, how to open it and what's in there," said Lexie. "And how d'you know it's hiding its powers well? What have we done to make it reveal them, poke it?"
"Oh, you want to find out everything about the Chamber just so you can kill Bella with it, isn't it?" Ron snapped.
"That is between me and Bella," said Lexie coolly. "It's one of many things you will never understand. So don't try to understand it, Ronald Weasley."
The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.
Perhaps the Heir of Slytherin had lost his nerve. It must be getting riskier and riskier to open the Chamber of Secrets, with the school so alert and suspicious. Perhaps the monster, whatever it was, was even now settling itself down to hibernate another fifty years.
But I was still alert. I had promised Cedric that I would be careful, so when I couldn't be accompanied anywhere, I wouldn't go. I would spent lots of time sitting in the common room, doing homework or reading 'the Impossible.'
I realized Cedric was indeed a lot like Philip, and Denise and I were very similar as well. When I would think about them together, the image would slowly turn into me and Cedric. It might be very childish and ridiculous, but it made me happy and distracted me from my father.
Mom wrote a short note he was getting better yesterday, and he could be home for Easter.
Though Ernie Macmillan was still convinced Harry was guilty, most people were getting over the Chamber of Secrets thing. Lockhart was even speaking about some mystery morale-booster. It became clear at breakfast on February the fourteenth.
The Great Hall was decorated in extremely fluffy and cute Valentine decorations. "Happy Valentine's Day," Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank all the forty-six people that have sent me cards!"
I looked at Hermione, who caught my eye and then blushed deep red. "And it doesn't end here! My friendly, card-carrying cupids! They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines!"
When I saw none of my friends were looking, I quickly scribbled a note and gave it to one of the dwarfs. "You weren't one of the forty-six, were you?" said Ron to Hermione on the way to Charms class.
A bit further that corridor I saw Cedric, and a 'cupid' was floating over him. "Musical message to Cedric Diggory!
It's been said and done.
Every beautiful thought's been already sung.
And I guess right now here's another one.
So your melody will play on and on, with best we own.
You are beautiful, like a dream come alive, incredible.
A centre full of miracle, lyrical.
You've saved my life again."
Cedric his friends started to cheer and Cedric went bright red. His pretty dark eyes looked into mine for a second, but I looked away quickly, cursing the blush that gave me away. "Oy you! 'Arry Po'er!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf.
"You've got a valentine, Potter?" Lexie snickered.
"I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Po'er in person!"
"Not here," Harry hissed.
Harry struggled so hard that the bag split in two, and the dwarf started singing. "What's going on here?" drawled the voice of Draco Malfoy.
"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
the hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
The dwarf floating away and Harry started picking up his stuff. "She *uchGinnyuch* was right about your eyes," said Lexie, repairing his ink pot and giving it to Harry, "weird to compare it to a slimy toad, though."
Harry looked as though wanted to evaporate right on the spot. I saw Malfoy stoop up and snatch up something. Leering, he showed it to Crabbe and Goyle, and I realized he'd got Riddle's diary. "Give that back," said Harry quietly.
"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" said Malfoy.
"It's mine," Lexie said, holding out her hand. "Better give it back, Draco."
"After I've had a look," he snarled. "See if you have more secrets for me. Maybe it states why you acted so strange that night."
"Come on, Malfoy," said Janice, her tone was a bit guilty.
Lexie crossed her arms. "I told you I wasn't myself that night," she said. "Now give it back, or I'll use my wand."
Malfoy seemed to wince for a second, but then said loudly, "You won't draw your wand to me. You care about me to much."
This seemed to confuse Lexie but Harry drew his wand and called, "Expelliarmus!"
The diary flew out of Malfoy's hand into Harry's. Ginny passed Malfoy to enter a classroom, and he called after her, "I don't think Potter liked your Valentine much!"
Ginny covered her face in her hands and ran into the classroom. "Maybe I do care about you, Draco," said Lexie. "Now, why can't you get over your stupid habits, pride, or whatever you may call it, and make it up to me?"
Malfoy looked at us, and back at Lexie. "I'm sorry," he whispered, almost inaudible.
Lexie got a smug look on her face and turned to Harry. "Come toad-eyes," she said cheerfully. "I'll carry some of your books, since your bag's split."
Harry groaned at the nickname but was glad she was in such a cheerful mood. I had a feeling he rather had this than her foul temper, and that she took out her anger on everyone.
POV LEXIE JONES:
I was really happy. Draco had made it up to me, and I knew how hard that was for him. When classes were finished, and Harry and I were sitting on the grounds, waiting for Ron, Janice and Claire.
"I've got an idea, toad-eyes!" I said.
Harry looked up from the diary, and stopped flipping the pages. "Stop calling me that," he moaned.
"That's cute," I giggled. "You think I'll listen to you! But that's not my point. I think I know how to get the diary to reveal some of his… secrets."
Harry smiled. "How?"
"Maybe we should just… ask it?" I tried.
"That could work," said Harry, getting out his quill. He dipped his quill into the scarlet ink, and dropped a blot onto the first page of the diary.
It vanished. "Maybe that's how the writing of Tom Riddle vanished as well," I said. "Maybe it's stored in there somewhere. Write something, Harry."
Excited, Harry loaded up his quill and wrote, "My name is Harry Potter."
I got my quill and I wrote under it, "And my name is Lexie Jones."
The words shone momentarily on the page and they, too, sank without trace. Then something happened. Oozing back out of the page, in the same scarlet ink, came words neither Harry or I had ever written.
"Hello Harry Potter and Lexie Jones. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?"
These words faded away, but not before Harry had started to scribble back. "Someone tried to flush it down a toilet."
"Lucky that I recorded my memories in some more lasting way than ink. But I always knew that there would be those who would not want this diary read."
"What does he mean?" said Harry out loud, wanting to write it down, but I held him back, and scribbled down something else.
"Are you talking about the Chamber of Secrets?"
"They told me it was a legend, but in my fifth year, the Chamber was opened. The monster attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught the person who opened the Chamber and he was expelled. Professor Dippet, Headmaster at the time, did not want this story to be known. They said the girl died in a tragic accident and they gave me a shiny trophy and they wanted me to keep my mouth shut. But I knew it could happen again. The monster lived on, and the one who had the power to release it was not imprisoned."
"A Parselmouth?" I wrote.
Harry nearly upset his ink bottle in his hurry to write back. "It's happening again. Who's behind the attacks?"
"I can show you, if you like. You don't have to take my word for it. I can take you inside my memory of the night when I caught him. Let me show you."
"Yes, please," I wrote.
The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high wind, stopping halfway through the month of June. The square for June thirteenth had turned into a mini television screen. Harry and I bent closer, eventually falling in.
I felt my feet hit solid ground, and stood, shaking, as the blurred shapes around him came suddenly into focus. I was in an unknown room, an office most likely. "Who's office is this?" I asked Harry.
"Dumbledore's," he replied. "But I think that man there is Dippet."
A wizard, bald with a few tufts of white hair lefts, was reading a letter in the candlelight. "I'm sorry," Harry said shakily. "I didn't mean to butt in-"
But the man didn't look up. "Of course, you idiot!" I said to Harry. "They're people from fifty years ago. We're like ghosts to them. They can't see us, or hear us."
There was a knock on the office door. "Enter," said Dippet.
A boy of about sixteen entered, taking of his pointed hat. A prefect's badge was shining on his chest and he had jet-black hair, pale skin and beautiful dark eyes. "He's cute," I said. "Is that Riddle?"
"Pfff, cute," Harry murmured.
"Ah, Riddle," said the Headmaster.
"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" Riddle asked.
"My dear boy," said Riddle kindly. "I cannot possibly let you stay at school over the summer. Surely you want to go home for the holidays?"
"No," said Riddle at once. "I'd much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that- to that-"
"You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?" asked Dippet.
"Yes, sir," said Riddle, reddening slightly.
"Aww," I cooed.
This Riddle-boy was so cute, and handsome at that. Harry raised his eyebrow at me. "You wouldn't understand, you're a boy!" I protested.
"It's just a bit ridiculous," he said. "This could be important and you're saying how cute Riddle is?"
"I take that back about your pretty green eyes, toad-eyes," I huffed.
Harry rolled his eyes. "You are Muggleborn?" Dippet asked.
"Half-blood, sir," said Riddle. "Muggle father, witch mother. She died after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me- Tom after my father, Marvolo after the my grandfather."
"The thing is, Tom," Dippet sighed, "special arrangements might have been made for you, but during the current circumstances…"
"You mean the attacks, sir?" Riddle asked. His pretty, dark eyes had widened. "Sir- if the attacks stopped- if the person was caught-"
This was curious. It seemed like he already knew.
"Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?"
"No, sir," said Riddle quickly.
I didn't believe him. Dippet sank back, looking faintly disappointed. "You may go, Tom…"
Riddle left the office and continued walking the corridors, biting his lip and his forehead furrowed. We didn't see another person until we reached the entrance hall, when a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard caked to Riddle from the marble staircase.
"What are you doing, wandering around this late, Tom?"
Harry gaped at the wizard. He was none other than a fifty-year-younger Dumbledore. "Close your mouth, you look like an idiot," I hissed.
Harry glared at me and was ready to come back with a supposedly stupid response, but then Dumbledore spoke. "Hurry of to bed," said Dumbledore. "Best not to roam the corridors these days. Not since…"
He sighed, bade Riddle good night and strode off. "D'you think he was talking about the murdered girl?" I wondered.
Riddle watched Dumbledore move out of sight and then, he headed straight down to the dungeons. "He's not going towards our common room!" I said excitedly. "Maybe he's really going to the Chamber!"
But to my disappointment, Riddle led us to the same dungeon we had Potion in. The torches had not been lit, so the only thing we could really see was Riddle staring to the hole in the door. Someone was creeping along the passage. Riddle followed them quietly.
A door creaked open, and I heard someone speak in a hoarse whisper. "C'mon, gotta get yeh outta here… C'mon now… in the box…"
"Harry," I whispered. "I think I know that voice."
"Me too," said Harry. "I can't put a finger on it, but I know it."
Riddle suddenly jumped around a corner. I followed him and could see a huge shadow of a boy who was crouching in front of an open door, a very large box next to it. Wait… huge boy… the voice.
"Evening, Rubeus," said Riddle sharply.
"Harry! It's Hagrid!" I gasped.
"No…" Harry breathed.
The boy, 'little' Hagrid, slammed the door and stood up. "It's all over," said Riddle. "I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."
"Aragog never killed no one!" said the large boy.
"The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow," said Riddle. "The last thing Hogwarts can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered…"
"It wasn't him!" roared the boy.
"Stand aside," said Riddle, drawing out his wand. "Arania Excimai!"
There was a flash of white light. A vast, hairy body was blasted out of the box. A spider, but a huge one. "Hmmm, I've got to remember that one…" I said thoughtfully.
Harry looked furious. "LEXIE, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
It wanted to get away, so Riddle raised his wand again… but missed. "NOOOO!" The boy shouted.
The scene whirled, the darkness became complete; I felt myself falling back on the grass, out on the grounds. "It was Hagrid," I breathed.
"It can't be," Harry panted.
"Well, I don't think he set the monster loose to kill anyone," I said. "He might have thought that huge spider needed to stretch its legs…"
1. All right, I'll admit, I was really fussy about that scene with Bella. After mentally cursing myself I had given it away too much already, I decided to confirm it and show it form a different perspective. I mean, Ginny got scared of the diary after a while, it's only logical Bella is, too. And it would be weird not to show that in the story, wouldn't it? Tell me what you think.
2. I know it's mentioned only shortly, but in Claire's POV I say that she thinks of Philip and Denise as herself and Cedric sometimes. I thought it was both rather cute and rather stupid, but I was afraid that last one would ruin her character. Your opinion? By the way, what d'you think about Cedric's valentine? (the lyrics are from 'Love you like a lovesong' from Selena gomez)
3. Haha I just made up the whole toad-eyes-joke thing. I thought it was obvious from the beginning Lexie would make a joke about Harry's valentine in some way, but I decided to do it this way, giving him a compliment at the same time. She likes to flatter people, and knows it's useful to make others feel flattered. What do you think?
P. S. I just thought Lexie should be with Harry when going 'inside' the diary, for plot reasons (that will be clear later) , so that's why her POV was so huge. I like all my girls all the same, so I'd never favor one of 'em.
xxx