Bella hadn't even noticed in all the commotion that Hermione hadn't returned to the common room with them the night before and she was shocked to hear what had happened to her. When Hermione had ingested her dose of polyjuice, instead of turning into Millicent Bullstrode, her face had transformed into that of an overly fluffy cat.
"How long do you think I'll stay like this?" Hermione was asking Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing that afternoon.
"I'm not sure, dear. These things take time to wear off."
Madam Pomfrey was right, these things did take time, three weeks in fact. The castle was abuzz with chatter of her disappearance when everyone returned after Christmas break. People were assuming she had been attacked and were trying to catch glimpses of her from the corridor outside of the hospital wing. The group went to visit her every night and when term began they brought her every piece of homework they were issued. Hermione was beginning to act more like herself as the hair from her face began to disappear and her eyes were starting to return to normal.
Bella had so much homework to catch up on that she had to pass on a visit to Hermione to spend her evening in the library. She had been trying to write her potions essay for over an hour and was now debating dropping out of school altogether. She banged her forehead off the table in front of her gently and a chuckle sounded from across the table. She raised her head and locked eyes with a cheery Cedric.
"What are you so happy about?" She asked.
"Absolutely nothing." He replied with a grin. "What's got you so stressed tiny?"
"This." She replied, pushing the blank parchment across the table.
"There's nothing there." He replied looking puzzled.
"Exactly!" She groaned. "I'm supposed to write a foot and a half potions essay on the properties of the forgetfulness potion but I don't know anything."
"You needn't worry, my friend. I can help you." He chuckled.
"Really?!" Bella asked excitedly.
"Of course." He replied.
Another hour later and Cedric had successfully helped Bella finish her essay.
"Thank you. I honestly don't think I could have finished it without you."
"It's no bother." Cedric smiled. "Anytime."
"Well I really should be heading back to Gryffindor Tower." Bella replied, packing up her things.
"Yeah, okay." Cedric replied.
"I'll see you later." She smiled.
"See ya tiny."
Bella was quick to return to the common room and when she entered her dorm and found Harry and Ron there, she knew something was up.
"What's going on?" She asked, looking around the four faces staring back at her.
"I found this in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom." Harry replied, pulling a tattered, black book from his pocket.
"Why were you in a girl's bathroom?" Bella chuckled.
"It's out of order, I don't really think that matters." Ron laughed.
"What is it anyway?" She asked.
"It's a diary. It was never written in though, it's from fifty years ago." Harry answered.
"And? What's the big deal?" Bella asked.
"Someone threw it away, tried to flush it down Myrtle's toilet. T.M Riddle is the person the diary belonged to and he received an award for special services to the school fifty years ago." Harry replied.
"I wonder what they got their award for." Bella pondered.
"Me too." Emily and Freya replied.
Bella nodded her head in response. She dropped her bag onto the bed and pulled out her pajamas, heading into the bathroom. One long, hot shower later and Bella was ready to curl up in bed and sleep for hours. Harry and Ron were still in their dorm when she left the bathroom.
"Any updates on Hermione?" Bella asked, climbing into bed.
"Yeah, she should be getting out in the next few weeks." Freya replied.
"That's good. I'm glad." Bella replied.
Hermione was returned to her former self and released from the hospital wing the first week in February. Harry had shown her the diary and she was excitedly trying to figure out how it worked.
"It's blank Hermione." Ron groaned after her third try. "I don't understand why you're keeping it."
"I don't understand why someone didn't want to. There's got to be a reason." Harry replied.
"I want to know what this Riddle did to get an award." Bella added.
"It really could be anything." Freya said.
"It's not as if we can ask anyone, is it?" Emily added.
"It's got to have been something big." Ron said.
Harry and Hermione shared a look and Bella thought they were thinking along the same lines she was.
"The diary is fifty years old, right?" Bella asked.
"Yeah." Harry replied.
"And the chamber of secrets was opened fifty years ago." Hermione said with a knowing look.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Ron asked.
"They're obviously linked." Freya replied.
"Don't be daft." Ron replied.
"Wake up Ron." Bella scoffed.
"Riddle could've gotten his award for being the one to catch the heir of Slytherin." Harry added.
"You don't seriously believe that, do you?" Ron asked but Bella spoke over him.
"That diary could tell us everything we need to know about the Chamber: who opened it and why. Whoever opened it wouldn't want that lying around for just anyone to find would they?"
"That's all well and good." Ron replied. "But there's nothing in it. It isn't going to tell us anything."
Hermione tried once again to get the diary to open up to them. She tapped her wand furiously against the pages, muttering a spell Bella had never heard.
"There's nothing in it. You'd be as well as chucking it in the bin Harry." Ron scoffed.
