It's late, I know, I'm sorry. I've had a very tiring very busy past four days and didn't have time to do any writing at all. I hope you guys can forgive me and enjoy the chapter (especially as it's an exciting one!)

Enjoy!

The night I confronted Daphne, I had been half convinced that she was going to pass out, and I hadn't even touched her. I had thought about punching her, but she looked so scared already it was funny. I didn't see any reason to hit her. Although I did threaten her with the tongue threat – I think after that it is officially my favourite threat. I'm going to use it all the time. Like a signature. My signature threat.

It's now the end of January, and I think it's time to confront Ginny Weasley. I'm fairly certain that my father is the one behind this, however much I don't want it to be. I'm torn between a quill or a book as the object that's been threatening and possessing her. I'm going to get her to tell me which one it is. I need to be sure.

I walked down the corridor by myself – as of late no one seems to want to talk to me, which is fine. I don't want to talk to them either. Daphne sits as far away from me as possible, I've barely seen Ron and Harry, and as far as I'm aware Hermione isn't out of the hospital wing yet. For all I know she might be prolonging her 'situation' in order to stay there so she doesn't have to see me. I think Draco's noticed Daphne isn't really talking to me, but he hasn't said anything. I still sit around him, Crabbe and Goyle in the common room, but Daphne's kind of gravitated towards Pansy now. It's a shame, but not one I caused. She severed any ties between us when she warned Harry and Ron of my intentions, possibly putting everything I've worked for at risk. Not that I'm even sure what I want to achieve. I seem to be just making everything more difficult for myself by making 'friends' and such. But I've done it anyway, because sometimes it's fun. It's fun to get information, fun to pretend, fun to tease and scare and fight. That's why I made 'friends' I guess – to exploit them later. Although I guess Harry would be the only one left I could even call a remote friend. Draco's alright, but he's more like an annoying little brother.

The red hair of Susan Bones crossing the corridor takes my thoughts back to Ginny. The last time it didn't go exactly the way I expected, it was more luck than anything. And luck runs out. I have to get her to meet me somewhere. There's a charms catch up session starting soon. I could maybe have a look in, see if she's there. She tends to go to most catch-ups, maybe because she learns so little in class with all the stress of opening the chamber. I almost feel sorry for her. And then I think about how silly she is to get herself involved in that situation in the first place, and I shrug the feeling off.

If she's not there, I'll have to try to get into the common room like last time. Maybe I could even get a first year to tell me the password if I pretended to be one of them; and used my charm speak of course. It would still be risky though, what if the person I pretended to be, like the girl called Abby from before, was already with Ginny? That would be an awkward conversation. But I'm in second year and she (and all the people I've seen her with regularly) is in first year. I know more spells than her, and I can always scare her into not saying anything. It's just risky. I don't like it. And yet at the same time, I know I'll do it, if it needs to be done. I've got away with risks before.

I walked through the corridor, running my fingers along the rough stone wall and still walking while no one was around, I felt myself shrink slightly, hair going from black to blonde, face shape changing, eyes wider to form innocent big blue orbs. My robes got bigger on me, so I looked a little dwarfed in them, but that only made me look more of the part. Most first years do look quite dwarfed by their uniforms, probably so their parents don't have to buy a second set next year. By the time I reached the corner of the corridor and a set of people passed me, I was a tiny, innocent-looking first year with bouncy blonde curls and rosy cheeks. Who would ever know it was me?

I cheerily rounded the corner and walked towards the charms room. It was already getting dark outside, but I was fine with that. I like the dark. It's concealing, comforting. It's also great for hiding in.

The door to Professor Flitwick's room was wide open, so I peered around, pretending to be nervous. In truth, I was a little bit. It would be just my luck if Ginny wasn't here, but I got hauled in to work anyway. And then I'd have to go and find her later, and it would take forever and be a massive failure.

My eyes peered around the door, and I quickly scanned the room, my eyes landing on a wave of red hair and long Gryffindor robes. I walked into view, and then into the classroom. Ginny was sat alone, at the far end of one table. I walked quietly along, no one really paying me much attention, and sat next to her. She glanced up at me. She looked even worse than before, paler, and more solemn. I wonder if another attack is being planned.

She looked me up and down, and then her eyes fell on the Slytherin crest on my robes, and her face went slightly paler, as if it were possible, before she looked away. I said nothing, but got out some parchment and my quill and then scrawled notes on the lecture Professor Flitwick was giving, mostly for show as it was all first-year stuff I knew already.

During a period of loud chatter while groups discussed their notes and practised their spells, I began to talk.

"Hello again, Ginny," I said to her pleasantly, but quietly. I don't want anyone overhearing.

"We've never met," she responded sourly. I smiled a little.

"Yes we have, remember? I looked a little different, I'll admit, but we had a very interesting conversation, all about the Chamber of Secrets." She looked at me then. "You remember, don't you?"
"What do you want?" she asked, voice wavering.

"Well, I think I've figured it out, but I need to be sure," I answered mysteriously "I've narrowed it down to two options." I watched her carefully, my observational skills put heavily to work. "It's either a quill," I said slowly, carefully "or a book." There. That one. The slight flicker of the eyes, the shiver in the fingers resting on the table. It's a book. I smiled a little.

"I need to have a look at it."

"I'm not giving it to anyone."

"Ginny, remember how I said I can help you? How you can help yourself? You need to give me that book."
"No, he'll kill me." She whispered, and I knew she was doing her best not to burst into tears.

"I can get rid of him for you," I lied. If it is my father, I'm giving the book straight back to her, to let him finish what he started.

"No one can get rid of him."
"I could."
"No you couldn't."
"Ginny," I said, getting irritated "give me the book. That's not a request." She looked to me, fearful, and for a moment I thought she forgot where she was and was considering running away, and then she remembered, and dropped her head, reaching to her bag and pulling out a small black book with golden corners. She handed it to me reluctantly.

"Ignore anything he tells you about me," she said "I'm only giving it to you because you already sound like you know everything. You don't need that to be able to tell everyone."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," I said, taking it from her and looking at it. It was a diary. I opened the first page, but all it said was 'Diary' in fancy writing. Flicked through the old parchment pages, but they were all empty. I turned it over, and all that was there were the words 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' in the same gold colour as the corners, at the bottom of the page.

"I started writing in it," she whispered to me, her eyes fixed on the book "It just appeared in my cauldron one day before we got to Hogwarts. And when I wrote in it, he wrote back. He understood everything about me. And then he started to get mean, and I started forgetting where I was sometimes, what I had been doing. That's when the chamber first opened." She paused, and then tore her gaze away from the book to me.

"If you start talking to him, he'll do it to you too."

"No he won't."

"Why not?"
"Because I'm smart enough not to give away anything important." I responded. She glared at me a little.

"Tell anyone…"

"I won't, don't worry." I rolled my eyes. "Thank you, Ginny. You've been very helpful."

"Be careful. And don't believe what he says about me… it's not true." She said worriedly. I nodded, and put the book away in my bag, standing and walking out of the charms session, leaving Ginny to herself. It went a lot easier than expected, I think, probably because we weren't alone. She couldn't run, she couldn't shout. I had the advantage. It was a silly move though, giving it to me, even though I wanted it. I mean, if she suddenly gets scared and wants it back, she has no idea who I am. No way of contacting me unless I get to her first. No wonder he was able to manipulate her so easily.

I thought about where I could be on my own, completely uninterrupted to spend as much time studying this diary as is necessary, and then headed for the Room of Requirement. I stayed in my innocent first year form until I was on the seventh floor. I changed back into myself as I summoned the room, and when the door appeared I walked inside.

The room provided me with a desk and comfortable chair, and I sat down, pulling out my quill, ink and the diary. I flicked through the pages again, and wondered how it worked. There was no record of any past conversations, it just looked like a blank book. Ginny said she wrote in it first, so I guess that's what I should do. It's so curious though. So intriguing. I doubt little Ginny Weasley even thought about how strange and interesting this book is before she wrote in it. But then I guess at the time she thought it was an ordinary diary – claimed but never written in.

I picked up my quill and dipped it in the black ink, and then raised it to the paper, a little nervously.

'Hello' I wrote in my slow, troubled handwriting that practically screamed dyslexia. I watched carefully as my greeting stayed there for a second, before the ink sank into the page and disappeared. I raised an eyebrow. Very interesting. After a second of nothing happening, I began to think I should maybe try again, but then the ink resurfaced – the same word, but very different handwriting.

'Hello' the diary responded. The writing was elongated and elegant, someone confident and proud. That sounds like dad alright. After a second, the words disappeared again, but more ink surfaced in its place.

'Where is Ginny?' he asked. I bit my lip. I could answer that in so many ways, but most of them would require long teasing words, and it would take forever to write.

'Busy,' I replied lamely 'I need to talk to you.' The diary didn't respond when my ink sank into the book. I waited for a few minutes, and after no more ink resurfaced, I carried on. 'Are you Tom Riddle?' I wrote.

'Yes' came the reply a few seconds later.

'I know about the Chamber,' I wrote, trying to avoid being slow 'I know you're using Ginny to open it and attack the muggle-borns.' Again there was no reply. So I carried on again. 'I don't want to stop you. I just need you to answer some questions for me.' There was a pause after the ink sank in, and I began to get nervous.

'Who are you?' he asked me.

'I'll answer than when you answer my question.'

'I'm going to kill you,'

'Not if you are who I think you are' I responded. There was no reply. I took a deep breathe subconsciously, my hand shaking slightly. 'Are you Lord Voldemort?' There was a pause.

'You dare write it down. As if I would keep my filthy muggle father's name. You should fear me, for I will kill you and all you love where they stand' he responded, and the long elegant handwriting had the tinge of a furious scrawl. I dampened my dry lips with my tongue and re-inked my quill. It is him. I'm talking to my dad for the first time. My dad… I'm actually talking to him. And he has a last name. I have a last name. I'm a Riddle. Midnight Riddle.

'You could try, but I don't think you'd manage it' I wrote back hesitantly 'My name is Midnight, and I am your daughter.'