"I'll be right back, Ron." Harry said hurriedly, turning around and starting at a run towards the library, "I think I left my inkwell there again." he yelled behind him.
He skidded to a stop in front of the library. He was about to pull the heavy door open when someone else did from the inside. Ginny.
"Hey, georgeous," he said, playfully tossling her hair. She cringed as she tried to straighten it out again.
"Don't call me that," she tucked the last ginger curl into her ponytail and smiled warmly at her boyfriend, "It's so cheesy."
"But it's true." he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him. She wrapped one arm around his neck and the other pressed against his chest as they leaned closer into the kiss. Harry pulled away smiling. He looked away from her crystal-blue eyes and down at his chest. Her golden watch glinted in front of his eyes. Seven fifty-eight.
"Damn!" he muttered and let go of her, "I've got to get my inkwell back. The library's closing. Look," he pressed his hand to the side of her freckled face, "I'll meet you in the common room in half an hour."
She looked slightly dissappointed but nodded.
"Alright." she said quietly, "But don't be late."
"I won't." he said and kissed her soft cheek berfore heading into the library. He walked straight to the table he and Ron had been sitting at an hour ago, before they had walked to the kitchens to get a snack. He saw his inkwell sitting on the table, right where he left it. As he bent down to get it a glint of silver caught his eye. He leaned over and looked underneith the wooden chair that sat next to the table and he saw a green leather book with silver letters engraved into the cover.
Tom Marvolo Riddle.
§§§§§
Harry picked up the book and sat down at the table.
"Oh no you don't!" Madam Pince yelled from her desk beind him, "The library closes in thirty seconds and I want you OUT!"
Harry just nodded and stuffed the book into his bag. He left the library and ran to the first place he could think of, The Room of Requirement.
When he entered in was dark except for a single, lit candle sitting on a small desk in the middle of the room. There was a tall chair, exquisitely carved with intricate patterns of snakes and lions, sitting with its back to the door. He briskly walked over and sat down. he pulled the book out of his leather bag along with a quill and his recently recovered inkwell. He uncorked the ink, dipped the tip of his quill in and wrote on the first page of the book.
Hello? But surely nothing would happen. Tom Riddle's memory had been destroyed four years ago, in his second year. This wasn't right. It was a fake. The ink dissolved into the pages of the book. Harry's heart began to beat faster.
Back so soon? What is there news already? He recognized that handwriting.
No. News about what?
Why are you writing then? Just to chat? I've told you over and over, I don't want to hear those things. You know what I'm interested in, and as soon as I have him then we'll finally be able to speak without wasting loads of ink.
As soon as you have who?
Don't play these games with me, Ginny. We've been through this a million times. I'm not joking about this. If Potter realizes that he didn't really get rid of me the first time then we'll have a bit of a problem. All I want is for you to get him to me by February, as promised. Then you will have what I promised you.
Which is?
Ginny, why are you messing with me?
I just like to hear you say it. Had this not been a serious situation involving the lives of Harry himself and his girlfriend he would have laughed at the way he was so accurately portraying her.
The seat next to me, Gin. The one on the throne.
§§§§§
Harry's mind was racing. What was Ginny doing with that diary. The first one had emotionally damaged her. He had seen that look in her eyes at the mention of the word riddle. He had seen her cringe when her first year at Hogwarts was brought up. Why would she be doing anything with Tom Riddle? This had to go to Dumbledore.
He ran down the long twisting hallways of Hogwarts. The grey stone walls flew past his eyes and all of the torches lit on the walls blurred together until they were one single orange stripe midst all the grey. He came to a quick stop in front of the stone gargoyle and realized that yet again, he did not know the password.
He tried every candy he could think of. Jelly slugs. Fizzing Whisbees. Bertie Bott's. Drooble's Best. Dumbledore must have noticed how easy his passwords were to guess and changed it to something not-quite-so-sugar-coated.
"Mr. Potter," came a voice from behind him, "I do beleive that it is past your curfew. Twenty points from Griffindor. Now get back to the tower before I am given the oppurtunity to deduct more." Snape smirked at him.
"Professor," Harry panted, mentally cursing Snape's impeccable timing, "I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore."
"I'm sure you do Potter, I'm sure you do." his smirk widened, "And would you mind telling me exactly what you need to speak to the headmaster about?"
"May I just speak to Professor Dumbledore?" he was angering fast.
"He has gone to an important ministry dinner event, Mr. Potter, he will not be returning until morning."
"Nevermind." Harry grumbled.
"Ten more points for attitude Mr. Potter. Now get to bed."
Harry walked away, thouroughly pissed at Snape, and into a small, unused classroom around the corner.
Dumbledore's not here, he thought, He's never here when I need him, off to the ministry in first year. I kept waiting for him to just walk in and save us all in second year but it was Lockheart instead. In third Hermione and I were left alone to go back and save Buckbeak and Sirius, His heart gave a jolt, he wasn't in the maze in fourth year, not that he could have been, but he did make me stay in that bloody competition even though no one but Crouch wanted me to anyway. And last year he had to get himself fired to save me. If he hadn't done that Sirius might still be here. He knew half of that Dumbledore couldn't have helped, but it was true, he was hardly ever there when needed.
Where to turn now...