The sky is gray and white and cloudy,

Sometimes I think it's hanging down on me.

And it's a hitchhike a hundred miles.

I'm a rag-a-muffin child.

Pointed finger-painted smile.

I left my shadow waiting down the road for me a while.

-Simon and Garfunkel

CHAPTER ONE: CAULDRONS AND PENS

"Here," Harry said gruffly to Ginny, "you can keep these." He dumped his Defense books in Ginny's second-hand cauldron, stubbing his finger when he saw a horribly familiar blond head.

"Malfoy."

The Slytherin nodded at him in disdain, looking over at Mrs. Weasley who was looking through the cooking books. "Mudbloods and Weasleys, Potter? I thought you could sink no lower."

Harry glared at the blonde, itching to pull out his wand and hex Malfoy. His attention was diverted, however, by the scuffle going on beside him.

"I do hope they are paying you over-time at work, Arthur, but judging by the state of this," here the extra-large version of Malfoy brandished Ginny's frazzled transfiguration book, "I think not."

Basic Transfigurations by Mafilda Hopkirt made a slight clang, as they dropped in the pewter cauldron and something black protruded from the inside cover of the book. Despite himself, Harry found himself reaching for the book, his curiosity egging him on.

The seeker carefully peeled the leather cover from the first page and found…nothing. He flipped through it, and flickers of empty parchment flipped until he reached the end, where a name was inscribed. "Tom Marvolo Riddle"

Harry closed the book as loudly as he dared (which was just about as loud as a silencio) and stuffed it in his bag hurriedly, hoping no one had seen him. The rest of the trip flew past him without any consideration, and Harry almost forgot the get Hedwig some Owl Treats…

podopodopodopodopodopodopodopodopdopodopodopodopodopodo

"Hermione!" Harry whispered urgently, knocking on her door. "Hermione! Me and Ron need to tell you something."

Ron made a movement as if to stop Harry, reconsidered, and pulled his hand back.

Hermione popped her head out of her door, glaring at the two boys "What do you want?" she snapped in a sleepy charade of her usual know-it-all voice.

"Lucius Malfoy slipped something in Ginny's cauldron and I found it." Said Harry while Ron muttered "I need to use your loo."

The bushy-haired girl sighed, shook her head, and opened the door, ushering them in. Ginny sat cross-legged on her bed, looking at them curiously. Ron opened his mouth, bent on ostracizing his younger (and only) sister, but his friends beat him too it.

Harry and Hermione plopped by Ginny on the bed (Harry pausing to make sure he wasn't intruding) and opened the journal. Ron sighed, clearly annoyed, and made his way to the loo before anything exciting started.

Hermione starting flipping through it authoritatively, making curious humming sounds at odd intervals. "Ginny," she said finally, "pass me your wand…they haven't placed the tracking charm yet." Ginny grinned and handed over said wand, which had been in her nightstand drawer.

The elder girl fingered the wand, making sure it wouldn't blow her up, before stabbing it at the journal and commanding "Montri Sove Segretos (1)" nothing showed up. Hermione chucked the journal at Harry and glared at him "write something in it." She suggested.

Harry shrugged and searched in his hoody pocket for a muggle pen. Retrieving one (with a mental victory dance), he flipped to the only page with any writing. It wasn't anything interesting, however, because all it said was "October 24".

"Who are you?" Harry wrote down in his messy scrawl, ignoring Ginny's gasp of amazement at the ball-point pen. They all waited for a few moments, waiting for some type of reply (or in Ginny's case for her brother to get out of the bathroom). Finally, there was a reply. Though in some way they had been expecting it, they were never-the-less surprised when "Tom Marvolo Riddle" showed up. Then slowly, enchantingly, the letters began rearranging themselves and in a matter of seconds it had a new message: "I AM LORD VOLDEMORT"

Harry was snapped out of his trance by the flush of the toilet, and noticed that Ginny and Hermione were stock-still. He slammed the book shut, now more sure than ever that no good could come from that book. Ron stood at the bathroom door, staring at them.

"Where's its brain?" he quipped.

TBC

(1) a mix of French, Italian, and Portuguese translations for "show your secrets"