Dear Diary,
I am so alone. Ron, Harry, Neville, and Draco went away to Hogwarts last year and they've forgotten all about me. I've been replaced by Hermione. I guess I don't know why I'm even writing in here. Before school even started, Draco said nothing would change, he said that we would still be friends, but now none of them are. Where did I go wrong?
Maybe at the start of the term when the girls in my year asked if I could talk to any of the boys and I thought they meant to talk to them, not anything else. I didn't think it would cause them to ignore me for the rest of the year. Or call me mean names. Now, Marly and Atria are closer than I ever will be with the others.
I think you put: Love,
Ginny
Ginny looked up from the book she finally started writing in. She was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, dreading the thought of going into the first year girls dormitory. Her homework was done, even without Hermione or Draco helping her. She put her quill down and looked at the fire before the book caught her eye. The words she had written disappeared and new ones replaced it in flowing writing.
Hello Ginny,
I believe we can be of great help to each other.
Tom M. Riddle
Ginny was late going down to the Great Hall the next morning. She hadn't slept well, wondering who was going to be picking at her appearance when she sat down next to Hermione, who was in deep conversation with Neville and Ron about their latest homework assignments. Fortunately, or unfortunately, no one said a thing, so she just went to class, trying to be excited about the day's lessons, but really just dreading being so close to those she loved without being able to reach them.
The gang was walking back from another potions class, where Draco and Hermione once again brewed the best potion, but Snape not wanting to show nepotism, rewarded them no points. Out of the mumbling Harry heard a voice and stopped walking, looking up in the sky. "What the hell?" He asked, putting his ear to the wall.
"Harry? What are you doing?" Neville asked, the first to notice his friends worry.
"Hush!" He yelled to the group as the voice came again.
"kill...kill...KILL!" The voice said again.
Harry ran after the voice and the remaining four ran after him in a game of follow the leader. Harry stopped, with Ron running into him. All of their eyes wide.
"The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies of the Heir Beware." Draco read outloud.
"Well, who the hell is that and how to I out do them?" Harry asked leaning against the wall.
"Don't be daft, Harry."
"I'll bet it's Zabini. No one knows who that prat's father is. He could literally be the Heir of Slytherin, allowing his mother slept with a descendent of Slytherin," Harry said, crossing his arms and stroking his chin.
"Who said it has to be Slytherin?" Ron said.
"You idiot, weren't you paying attention during Mum's genealogy lessons? There are no Slytherins left. They all died out in some village somewhere. Gone, poof, no more. Therefore, Zabini's father can't be a Slytherin," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "And Ron's right. Who said it had to be a Slytherin? For all we know it's that Ravenclaw wanker Corner."
"Well, whoever it was, used blood," Neville examined without touching the wall.
"Is that… Is that Mrs. Norris?" Hermione said, taking in the whole scene in front of her, not just the words.
"Alright. I'm getting Minnie," Neville said, dropping his things and breaking into a run.
"You do that, it's what you're GOOD AT!" Harry yelled as Neville hightailed it away.
"Harry! That was really rude! If hadn't done that, you would have died down there, probably!" Hermione chastised, shoving Harry further into the wall.
It was at that moment Ginny rushed down the hall to see the group staring at the words on the wall. Her mouth opened wide, her face pale as Harry stepped in front of her, blocking the words.
"What's wrong, Ginny?" Ron asked.
"Nothing, I-I just wanted to see if you all wanted to study, but you're busy." She said stepping away from them and rushing out of the hall.
"What's her problem?" Ron said, annoyed.
"Oh, Ronald," Hermione huffed.
"You! You kids have killed my cat! I'll horse whip all of you! Terrors, the lot!" Filch screamed, announcing his arrival on the scene.
The noise didn't stop as other students joined the scene, following McGonagall and Neville.
"How did you all find this?" She asked, catching her breath.
"We were just walking by," Harry said quickly.
"That's a likely story!" Filch screamed.
"That is entirely enough, Argus," Dumbledore said, quieting the hall. "Everyone, please go to your classes."
"Even us?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"Even you." McGonagall said, "I expect you in my class on time."
The group of students bitched about having to leave the scene and continued to their next class. The group of friends followed their favorite teacher to Transfigurations. The whole class was quiet, waiting for an explanation about what the Chamber was and who the Heir might have been.
"Are we going to talk about this, Minne?" Harry asked, slipping up on purpose. He knew she would cave if he used her nickname. At least for information.
"I am Professor McGonagall to you Potter." She said, entering the room. "Five points from Gryffindor."
"Who is the Heir of Slytherin?" Parvati Patil asked.
"There is no Heir of Slytherin. The Slytherin family line died out years ago."
"Then what or who has opened the Chamber?"
"The Chamber of Secrets is a myth. Therefore, there is no way for it to be open. Now, back to Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall said, turning her students' attention to their lessons.
"Then what's the legend?" Nott asked in the back row.
"You know you won't have any of our attention until you explain." Neville said with a polite smile.
"Oh for the love of- When the school was founded, each of the four founders put something in the school to leave their mark. Most sensible people believe that Salazar Slytherin left the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall so that students can know the weather. Some of his more steadfast followers believed that he left a chamber under the school. This would be believable, except the legend tells us that the room is hidden, inaccessible, and has a giant, Muggleborn killing monster living in it. I believe that, if such a monster were housed in the school, someone would have found it in the last 992 years! Now, to Transfiguration. The next person to ask about this subject will have detention with Filch!" McGonagall commanded.
The Great Hall was quiet. In the sense that everyone was talking about the same thing but not wanting to get caught talking about it. Ginny walked in sat next to Harry with a small smile on her face. Hermione and Draco entered soon after-after being forced out of the library. Draco took the seat next to Ginny and gave her a small hug.
Three of the first year girls looked at them, made an obscene gesture to her and looked away. Ginny put her hands in her lap.
"What's going on? Everyone still talking about the Chamber?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, but we got Aunt Minnie to tell us the scoop in Transfiguration," Harry said, leaning into her.
"Sounds like it worked better than our attempt to get Binns to give us the scoop in History of Magic. Why doesn't anyone get rid of him and hire a real teacher?" Draco mumbled, looking at Ginny. "You hear anything?"
"No," Ginny said quickly. "We just listened to Lockhart tell us about how he knows who the heir is, but doesn't want to tell us too much."
"Well, I think we need to do some investigating," Harry said, putting an arm around Ginny, making her turn beat red. Only one person noticed, however.
Hermione ducked her head to hide her smile. She was considering changing her mind, then she caught sight of Draco blatantly not looking at the pair.
Fred and George sat next to Hermione, looking as if they had pulled a murder and got away with it. Hermione elbowed Fred hard.
"We're taking bets on who opened the chamber," George said as some of the first year girls giggled at them. Ginny turned the color of her hair before she collected her things, moved away from Harry's arm and Draco's pout and walked away from the table.
"What's bugging her?" Ron asked, attempting to take a peek at Hermione's notes.
"We need to find who this is." Harry sighed. "And there is only one network here that would know all of the secrets of Slytherin."
"I know I have power in the house, but I don't have enough power to get four Gryffindors into the Common Room." Draco said, showing Ron her notes.
Hermione's eyes went wide, then she gathered all of her notes and ran from the room. Ron looked betrayed at her swift exit, mostly because he wasn't done copying her notes.
"This can't end well at all," Neville said stoically.
"Professor Lockhart, I was wondering if I could have your signed permission to go into the restricted section. I'm wanting to research some of the things you were talking about in your lecture today, as well as techniques you discuss in your books," Hermione said, blushing.
"Well, yes, Ms. Granger, you can." He smiled, putting his autograph to any piece of paper he could get ahold of.
"Thank you, sir." She smiled, walking out of the room, running into the door frame before making her exit.
"Get it?" Neville and Ron asked, looking at the note.
She nodded before they nonchalantly walked to the library where Harry and Draco waited. Quickly they went to the restricted section and pulled out the book and copying the potion down. Because taking the book would mean someone could learn what they were doing, and it would be silly to take a book into a girl's bathroom.
"How are we going to get these ingredients?" Ron asked looking at the list "Boomslang skin, lacewing flies, fluxweed that needs to be picked at the full moon, knotgrass, the powdered horn of a Bicorn."
"That's easy. I'll just do this," Harry said, pulling his two-way mirror out of his pocket. "
Padfoot. Oi, Pads, you there?"
There was some vague muffling before, "Hey, Prongslet. What do you need?"
"We need Boomslang skin, lacewing flies, fluxweed that needs to be picked at the full moon, knotgrass, the powdered horn of a Bicorn," Harry told him. "Preferably by tomorrow. I'll send Hedwig that way."
"What on earth do you need those ingredients for?" Sirius asked, confused.
"We're gonna brew up so polyjuice. Well, we're gonna to help Hermione brew some polyjuice. Well, we're gonna watch Hermione brew polyjuice while staying well out of the way and keeping watch for Aunt Minnie, or really any other professors who would try our fun," Harry explained.
"Why are we doing this?" Sirius asked, on guard.
"To see if we can. When it works, we'll use it on each other to pull a prank," Harry said with a shrug.
"Well in that case, you'll have them in the morning," Sirius said, as if this were totally normal behavior. "Just, let's don't tell Hest or Moony until after the event, yeah?"
Agreements were made and they returned to their various common rooms, ready to complete homework so there would be time for brewing later.
Tom,
Today was bad, worse than it was before Christmas. Colin Creevey sat with me at potions was talked to me. I think we might become friends. The problem, however, was when Romilda Vane, a second year, was chatting with the first year girls about me, Harry and Draco. Morag then proceeded to tell me that I can't have every boy I set my sights on. Why are girls so mean?
The journal was quick to reply
Ginny,
You really shouldn't listen to such petty girls. They're worthless and beneath you. They aren't even worthy to serve you. Instead, let's focus on this Creevey character. Is he worthy to be cultivated? I'm only thinking of you, love.
"Colin Creevey was petrified, just like Mrs. Norris," Ginny heard Hermione comment. "It had to have been late last night, because he was in the common room just after supper, but he went to look for the ghosts to take some more pictures. They're saying that his camera was the only thing that saved him."
Ginny felt terror grip her heart. She tried, desperately, to remember where she had been and what she had done the night before. All she could remember was writing to Tom, then waking up in the girls' showers that morning. She had to ask Tom what was going on, he never lied to her. She rushed away to confide her fears in her diary.
Tom, Tom!
Something awful happened last night. Colin was petrified last night! How could this have happened? I was finally making a friend, and now this? What should I do? Should I say something? I don't remember everything that happened last night. I keep thinking something is happening to me in the night. I'm not sleeping well, I always feel exhausted. I keep having flashes that I'm the one doing this. That there is something always lurking in my shadows. What's happening to me?
Ginny waited annoyed for the reply
Ginny, love,
Calm down, sweetheart. You're not doing a thing. You've told me, isn't that enough? Don't you trust me to help you get through this problem? Now, just sit back and let me help you.
Gabs: See, told you we knew what we were doing.
Kat: Poor Gin. The score is still 2-1 Draco. This is going to be interesting. We own nothing! On another note, Gabs said she doesn't love me.
Gabs: We're aware of the review problem, so that's why we didn't send teasers out this time. Assumably FF will fix it, as usual.
Kat: Yes, so if you write a review. Thanks, we love you, well, I do. Gabs doesn't have a soul. Dementor…
Gabs: You ate Olive Garden without me. It's called for.
Kat: I was dragged by my mom and sister…
Gabs: More like "dragged"...
Kat: Show us (or rather me) some love. Review!
XOXO
Gabs and Kat
