Harry had never had anything that was really, truly his. So when he saw the book left lying haphazardly in the gutter at Diagon Alley, he grabbed it. He knew it was wrong, but he hadn't seen anyone near it.
Later, when he was tucked up in under the duvets on the floor of Ron's room, he pulled out the book from where he had hidden it. Mindful of not waking Ron, Harry lit his wand and shone it over the book. Now, having seen it properly, he could take in the pressed, leather cover, metal corners, and the intricately embossed detailing.
He flipped it over to admire the back and saw, along the bottom, a name tag embossed in gold reading: 'Tom Marvolo Riddle.' Harry hoped that Tom wasn't missing this book as it was his now.
Harry considered the unblemished pages for a moment, debating the best use of his book.
'This is the diary of Harry Potter.'
He smiled, admiring the way the dark ink stood out against the pale pages. His smile soon turned to confusion as his writing seemed to evaporate and disappear. He stared at the page a moment longer. 'Was it enchanted to hide writing? Maybe only certain words could be written?'
He kept staring but confusion arose, once more, when he saw letters forming on the page.
'Hello, Harry, it seems you have found my diary. Sincerely, Tom Riddle.'
Harry grinned. This was a special diary, and it was all his.
Time passed and Harry continued to write in his diary to Tom. He learnt so much, mostly things that adults had deemed him too much of a child to hear. But Tom told him everything. He told Harry the truth. Harry learnt the real truth of why Muggleborns coming to the Wizarding world were a threat to their society, why Wizards were really better than Muggles, why magic shouldn't be categorised by dark or light, only by power. Harry had distanced himself more from his friends. It was truly for the best. They had simply brushed off the logic behind his new views and told him he was being silly.
As he no longer tolerated being brushed off or ignored, Harry turned to people who actually listened to him.
Blaise and Theodore turned out to be excellent listeners.
Three years passed before Tom suggested something new. He had told Harry to focus his magic onto the diary, to concentrate and imagine himself as if looking in the mirror. Harry did as ordered and found himself in a mirror version of Hogwarts. Everything looked, felt, and even smelled the same. But this mirror appeared to miss the essence of life as it never felt quite right to Harry. But the slight sense of unease didn't matter because he had found Tom.
Harry could now talk to Tom.
It was wonderful, amazing, a blessing in disguise.
However, in-person conversations meant that Tom couldn't avoid any awkward questions Harry had. Which led to Harry finding out the real truth. That Tom Marvolo Riddle was really Voldemort, that he had killed his parents and, now, Tom Riddle wanted Harry to be his equal.
Harry stopped writing in his diary for a month as he thought it all over.
On the first page of the diary, Harry wrote his answer.
'I accept your offer.'
Harry learnt a lot over the next few years: etiquette training, new spells, the intricacies of magical laws. Everything that Tom knew was now Harry's.
But Harry was not some naive little boy. He had noticed Tom's lingering gaze—the longing looks when Tom thought Harry wasn't looking.
A conversation was long overdue to see what could happen between them—what would happen between them.
"Tom, we need to talk," Harry said firmly, just before he left the diary.
He watched Tom swallow and stand tall, like the Pureblood he liked to portray himself as.
"I have seen the looks, Tom. I know what you want."
Harry stood in silence, unwilling to leave without a confirmation.
Tom spoke, "So you have seen me then? I want you as an equal and more. I want you to be the one who I come back to, to hold, to cherish and to make our enemies cower in fear at our combined strength. I want us to make the world shake with fear and know to never doubt us. I want to give you everything."
Harry stood in rapt silence. No one had ever promised him the world.
"We will have everything, Tom. You will be free. I promise, my love."
Neither of them said another word as Harry left the diary.
In the real world, Theodore and Blaise were awaiting his return, as usual, guarding his body from curious passers-by.
Harry sighed. "He loves me and wants to give me the world. I promised I would free him, I could have everything."
Blaise and Theodore remained silent, neither of them uttering a remark as they watched Harry.
Harry stared into the fire in front of him.
He watched the way the flames twisted and pulled at one another in a never-ending dance as they climbed higher and higher.
He stared down at the diary in his hand before throwing it into the flames.
He watched as Tom screamed out for him inside the book, the ink ebbing from the pages as the fire ate away at the parchment. The flames slowly devoured Tom's very soul.
He watched in silence.
Harry didn't need an equal; all he had wanted was for one thing to be his, and now, he had the world.
THC/The Houses Competition.
Round 9 - Drabble
House - Gryffindor
Class - HoH
Prompt(s) chosen -
[Object] Riddle's Diary
937 words (wordcounter .net)