I, Dr. Rhiannon Aradia, first made the acquaintance of Ms. Virginia Weasley on the 3rd of July 1993. Ms. Weasley had just completed her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was recommended to me by Headmaster Dumbledore himself. Apparently, Ms. Weasley had had a difficult year, and was experiencing nightmares.

When Ms. Weasley first entered my office, accompanied by her mother, my first impression was that young Ms. Weasley had not slept in days, and that she was very shy. I greeted both Ms. Weasley and her mother, who bluntly told me that they were only in my office because Professor Dumbledore recommended it. I was taken aback at the outright rudeness of Mrs. Weasley, and told her in no uncertain terms that the only reason she was in my office was because Professor Dumbledore suggested that I see her daughter.

Ms. Weasley followed me into my office. She appeared very awkward, and was at first unwilling to talk. Once I instigated conversation, however, she was quite eager and outgoing. What follows is the actual conversation that took place while Ms. Virginia Weasley was in my office.

RA: Hello, Virginia. How are you feeling today?

VW: Hello. Fine.

RA: No nightmares? Have you been sleeping?

VW: No. Yes. I'm fine.

RA: Professor Dumbledore said that you had a very difficult year, Virginia.

VW: Yes.

RA: Would you like to talk about it?

VW: No.

RA: (flipping through folder) What do you think of Hogwarts? Fun?

VW: I…not really…

RA: Don't you have any friends there?

VW: No. I thought someone was my friend, but they lied.

RA: Oh. What about Harry Potter? Isn't he your friend?

VW: He's my brother's friend. He doesn't notice me.

RA: What do you think of him?

VW: (brightens up) Oh! Harry is wonderful and brave and cute! He's just so amazing! He risked his life for me in the…

RA: Yes? The what, Virginia?

VW: (whispers) In the Chamber of Secrets

RA: The Chamber of Secrets? Isn't that just a legend?

VW: Oh no! It's all real. There was this wizard, named Tom Riddle, who enchanted a diary, and he put himself into the diary and wrote back to me. I found the diary with my school things and started writing in it, and it wrote back and then it told me to do things, like strangle roosters and…

RA: (writing furiously) Yes. Do go on.

VW: Well, Tom, the boy in the diary, he said he was my friend, but he kept telling me to do evil things, so I threw the diary in the toilet, but Harry found it. And then I decided I wanted the diary back, because Tom might tell Harry what I had written about him. So I went through all of Harry's stuff until I found it. But then, I fainted, and when I woke up, I was in the Chamber and Tom was there, but he wasn't a diary, he was a person. He told me he was going to kill me. But then Harry came and fought Tom's basilisk, because Tom was a Parselmouth and so is Harry. And I fainted again, but when I woke up Dumbledore's bird was there and he saved Harry and me. Can I have a glass of water?

RA: Of course. Tell me, Virginia, do you get a great deal of attention at home?

VW: No, not really. Dad is never home, and Mum was always busy with the twins and Ron.

RA: What do you do for fun?

VW: I write in my diary…well, not anymore.

RA: I see. Are you close to your brothers, Virginia?

VW: No. All they ever do is play Quidditch and Percy just reads all the time.

RA: (nodding) I see. And no friends at Hogwarts?

VW: No.

RA: Right. Anything else you would like to tell me?

VW: Tom was the Heir of Slytherin, did you know?

RA: Virginia, everyone knows that You-Know-Who is the Heir of Slytherin; it's impossible for Tom to be also.

VW: No! Tom is You-Know-Who! That's why….

RA: I'm sorry Virginia, but our time is up. Why don't you book another appointment?

VW: I don't think my mother would like that.

RA: I see.

I accompanied Ms. Weasley back into the lobby, where she was summarily marched out the door by her mother.

I believe, although I may not be privy to all the details of this case, that Virginia Weasley did not actually have this incident ensue directly to her, but that she imagined the entire affair. Moreover, I believe that Ms. Weasley does not have a very pleasant home life, and that her parents and siblings ignore her. If this is the case, I can see proof that Ms. Weasley created the entire episode in order to gain attention.

It is my professional opinion that Ms. Weasley is a bright and precocious child, who is merely the victim of unfortunate circumstances.

Submitted on the 5th of July 1993 by Dr. Rhiannon Aradia, Ph.D.

To the Committee of Inquiry into the Chamber of Secrets Affair