3rd January 1993

After one long festive season, Alex was more than ready to return to the steady comforts of the castle. The train ride back was mainly uneventful, she sat with Hermione who had managed to finish ALL of Lockhart's books. Alex didn't know how she didn't projectile vomit through the first one. Let alone the fifteenth.

"He's brilliant Alex, you're jealous."

"I have nothing to be jealous of... from a phony! My fame far outweighs his. I mean, three newspapers published articles about my presence at the Christmas ball."

"But you've done nothing to deserve the publicity, you didn't even 'defeat' Voldemort!"

"Precisely. Do nothing and get something."

Once they'd returned to school, they girls managed to learn that Harry was the heir. Thus, Alex did the only sensible thing one could do when they realise their twin's been petrifying people: go yell at said twin.

"Harry!" shouted Alex, running towards her brother, Hermione in tow. The Gryffindor room was noisy with friends reuniting. Alex was pretty sure there was a nose-biting teacup biting off someone's nose.

"Alex! Hermione!"

Alex smacked him over the head, "You oaf! I told you to tell me if you're the heir!"

"I'M NOT!" he bellowed, seemingly fed up, rubbing his head.

"Harry everyone's sayin-"

"THEY'RE WRONG! JUST BECAUSE I CAN TALK TO SNAKES DOESN'T MEAN-"

"You're a parseltongue!" Alex gasped, paling. Could it be maybe-

No.

"What's parseltongue?" said Hermione.

"Parseltongue is the ability to speak to snakes, it's a thing only descendants of Slytherins can do." answered Ron, chewing on some leftover treacle tart he'd stored in a drawer. That drawer was filled maybe Alex could borrow some toffe-

"If Harry can speak it-" Hermione wondered,"-can Alex?"

"No." she said sharply.

"Well, let's conjure up a snake then, if anything goes wrong, Harry'll stop it."

"'Mione, I'm flattered by your faith in me but-"

"Serpensortia."

A little garter snake appeared in the middle of the room, no one noticed, the room was far too loud for that.

"Er...hi?" tried Alex, waving to the snake who tilted his head towards her confused.

Hermione and Ron let out twin noises of shock.

"...You speak?..." it hissed, slithering towards her leg. "...You understand?..."

"Err... I think so? Am I doing it right?"

"She can speak!" The snake coiled around her leg, slowly making its way up to her arm, playfully licking her nose.

"As much as I'm enjoying this," Alex giggled as the snake tickled her nose, "I'm going to have to take you out of the castle, yeah?"

"...mmmm...grass?"

"Well, as long as it's not the quidditch pitch, I suppose I can head you into the grass. Hide in my sleeve."

"SNAKE!" shrieked Lavender Brown as the tiny snake hid inside her robes, "POTTER'S TRYING TO KILL US ALL!"

"SEE I'M NOT THE HEIR, THERE CAN'T BE TWO HEIR-" Alex heard Harry shout back, as she ran out the common room into the corridor. She sighed as she heard the racket behind her and slowly walked away, snake in arm, towards the courtyard.

After Alex had dealt with the snake, she returned to the common room, to learn that everyone was keeping a 10-feet-long distance from Harry and anyone that was close to him.

"Don't get too close to him!" spat Seamus, "He'll petrify you too!"

"Shut up Seamus, at least he can manage a simple charm without committing arson!" snapped Alex, taking a seat beside Harry.

"More students were ambushed over Christmas," whispered Hermione, "and now everyone thinks Harry's the heir since he was found near them!"

Ron and Harry nodded in agreement.

It's getting ridiculous, said Ron, now every time Harry steps out, Fred and George start singing about him being the heir!

Speak of the devil, the portrait opened and the four of them were greeted with song.

"ALL HAIL HARRY-"

"-POTTER HEIR OF SLYTHERIN!"

Ron flipped them off, and turned back towards the group, remembering something.

"OH! We found something in Myrtle's bathroom, an empty diary that Harry's obsessed with."

"Who'd it belong to?"

"Uh... a Tom Riddle."

"No way..."

There must be another Tom Riddle. Oh yes, there must be.

"Didn't a Tom Riddle get an award for special services?" asked Hermione, "50 years ago?"

Ron nodded vigorously, "YES! It's on one of the trophies Filch made me polish for detention!"

Alex seemed to be in deep thought, Didn't Harry say that Dumbledore said the last time the chamber of secrets was opened was 50 years ago? Maybe-

No, it's probably too far a reach.

It seems Harry was thinking the same thing. Twin telepathy!

"But why'd he want to open it again? OH! And that means it isn't a student if it's been done fifty years ago," said Harry incredulously.

"It's a lead-" answered Alex, "-and with no current suspects, it's the best one we have."

14th February 1993

Of course Lockhart got 46 valentines day cards.

Of course Hermione wrote him (at least) one.

Bloody besotted, that one.

Even Harry got a letter! Well it was from Ginny, so it didn't really count for much except good blackmail material.

"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled ,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
the hero who conquered the dark lord."

Maybe Alex would read it at their wedding. Ginny seemed determined enough.

Unless Harry decided to plot twist them all and end up with Ron. Which was perfectly fine, it just meant she'd lose a good bunch of galleons to Fred.

Alex was sitting quietly on her bed, focused on practicing a simple aguamenti charm wandlessly. She had nearly perfected it, when there was a loud shout from below. Her bed was soaked since she hadn't thought of conjuring up a glass and she cursed before getting up and looking down the staircase.

"What the actual hell do you want Harry, I'm busy!"

He was filthy, his shoes tracking in mud.

"Err, sorry were you showering?"

"None of your business, now what was so important?"

Harry pushed his glasses up and looked around, making sure no one was listening.

"You're gonna want to hear this..."

Hagrid had opened the chamber of secrets. That's the reason he was expelled.

HAGRID?!

HAGRID?!

It couldn't be. Hagrid wouldn't hurt a fly. Let alone kill a student. Well... he did have an affinity for horrendous, terrifying beasts.

There was something wrong.

Especially with that diary, Alex had grown up with magic and had never seen someone leaving a part of themselves, a talking, memory-showing self, inside a book. Not to mention, why would Dumbledore let a murderer work at a school.

Yes, something was most certainly wrong.