Once everyone was back at school January passed very quickly. It was very cold outside and Marcus reduced their Quidditch practices to once a week for the time being since they didn't play Ravenclaw until March. Rachel spent most of her time in the same routine as always - classes, studying in their group's study room during the afternoon, studying in the common room in the evening. On weekends they went to visit Hagrid. Rachel went to see Torey every other Saturday morning, had Quidditch practice on Sundays, and had dinner with Professor Snape on Sunday evenings.

Rumors of the Chamber of Secrets and the Heir of Slytherin had died down as there were no new attacks on any pets or students, though another one of Hagrid's roosters had died despite the charmed coop. Professor Snape had told Rachel over Christmas that they had been right that there was a basilisk, which was a little bit frightening, but there was little anyone could do about it until they either found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets or found the person who was opening the Chamber. Rachel had written to her friends in their two-way book - though Professor Snape had warned her not to tell other students about the basilisk, since they wanted to be able to use the information to potentially catch the student opening the Chamber - and Hermione had been very pleased that she'd been right.

In mid-February they celebrated Luna's birthday. They had sticky toffee pudding, which they managed to get candles to stay upright long enough for Luna to blow them out, and Rachel took her first photo using her new camera. It was a group shot of all of them gathered around Luna while she prepared to blow out the candles. They had given Luna a set of colored self-inking quills, because they'd all noticed that Luna liked to draw, and Rachel, Hermione, and Millie had gotten together to purchase her a charm bracelet with different creatures on it since they had noticed Luna's varied taste in jewelry as well. Luna had seemed very pleased and had told them she'd never had friends to celebrate her birthday before and that she liked it a lot.

A few days later Millie and Rachel had told Theo they'd meet him in the Great Hall for lunch as Millie had whispered to Rachel that she needed to stop at the bathroom after Charms class.

The hallway outside Myrtle's bathroom was flooded and Rachel would have suggested they go down to the first floor bathrooms if Millie wasn't in such a hurry. She reminded herself to use a drying charm on her shoes and the bottom of her robes after they walked back past the flooded area and went into the bathroom with Millie. Millie immediately darted into one of the stalls.

Myrtle was nowhere to be seen - or heard - and Rachel walked over to the sinks to wash her hands before lunch. She felt herself kick something and looked down to find a small, thin book. She bent down and picked it up, noting that it was thoroughly soaked. She supposed it must have fallen out of someone's bag when they stopped to use the sink.

Examining it more closely she found that it was a diary with the year 1943 in faded print on the front. She opened the cover and found the name T. M. Riddle written in smudged ink. The rest of the pages that she flipped through were blank.

She didn't know anyone with the last name of Riddle, but she didn't know most of the upper year students, especially the upper years in the other Houses. She also had no idea why they were carrying around a diary from 1943. Maybe it was a gift from one of their grandparents?

"What's that?" Millie asked as she came out to wash her hands.

"Someone's diary. Do you know anyone named Riddle?" Rachel asked, setting the diary on the edge of the sink so she could wash her own hands.

"Nope, but I feel like I hardly know anyone. Was anything interesting written in it?" Millie asked.

"No, nothing was written in it at all except the name. I'm going to put a note on the Slytherin noticeboard and if that doesn't work, I'll put one on the noticeboard in the entrance hall," Rachel said.

"Good plan, we can also ask Gemma, she knows pretty much everyone in Slytherin," Millie said.

"Okay," Rachel agreed. She wiped her hands dry on the front of her robes and put the diary in her bag.

"Myrtle must sure have been upset this time to cause all this flooding," Millie said. "Let's get out of here. Drying charms once we're past the flood."

"Agreed," Rachel said and followed her out of the bathroom.

Rachel sat on her bed as she caught up on reading the notes in her two-way book. With all of the second years in the study group writing their research and class notes in there the pages filled up quickly. Rachel still had a section on potions that she wanted to write in there. She'd been doing some more research into ingredient interactions and how different preparations affected different ingredients and while it probably wouldn't help anyone pass quizzes or exams, it was useful when it came to brewing potions.

She was in the middle of reading Hermione's latest entry from History of Magic when an idea occurred to her. What if the book she'd found earlier that day was a two-way book? She could write in it and the person on the opposite end could tell her who to return the book to. She'd already placed a note on the Slytherin notice board, but this would be even faster and would help if the book owner wasn't a Slytherin. At the very least it was probably a girl - she'd found the book in the girls bathroom after all.

After digging the book out of her bag, she opened it to January 1st and began to write. 'Hello. My name is Rachel Snow. I found this book and want to return it to its owner. Can you tell me who that is?'

To her surprise, the words sank into the page without a trace. No wonder the book had been blank - it must have been charmed to absorb ink somehow. Before she could wonder what the use of such a charm would be, words began to appear in the same blue ink she'd used to write.

'Hello, Rachel Snow. My name is Tom Riddle. This is my diary. How did you find it?'

The words faded back into the page and Rachel stared in confusion. Maybe Tom Riddle had multiple diaries that were connected by the Protean charm and he was communicating to her through one of those? 'I found it in the girls bathroom on the second floor. Let's meet in the Great Hall tomorrow morning and I can give you back your diary.'

'I'm afraid that is quite impossible,' Tom Riddle wrote back.

'Why?' Rachel wrote. Was he embarrassed that he'd been in the girls bathroom? Rachel certainly wouldn't want anyone to know if she'd gone in the boys bathroom - not that she would anyway.

'This diary contains my memories and was written fifty years ago. I am no longer at Hogwarts.'

Rachel hesitated and then wrote once more. 'Are you still alive?'

'In a way, I will always be alive through my memories.'

Rachel had a weird feeling that this wasn't quite like a ghost. 'How did your diary get in the girls bathroom?'

'That I don't know. I only have awareness when I am being written in. Can you tell me what is happening at Hogwarts?'

Rachel closed the diary and stared at the cover. She didn't quite want to sleep in the same room as it. She startled as the dormitory door opened and Millie came in.

"Sorry I took so long. Gemma went really in depth about what finite incantatem should and should not be used on. Are you okay?" Millie asked as she dumped her bag on her bed.

"Yeah, just something really weird just happened," Rachel said.

Millie came over and sat on the edge of Rachel's bed and looked at the diary. "You found out who it belonged to?"

"Tom Riddle, some guy who is probably dead," Rachel explained.

"Dead?"

"He said he'd always be alive through his memories," Rachel said with a half shrug.

"Okay, back up. The book talked to you?" Millie asked, giving the book a suspicious look.

"I wrote in the book, thinking that if it was a two-way book the other person could tell me who to return it to. But the ink went into the paper and came back out as different words and wrote that his name was Tom Riddle and he'd written his diary fifty years ago. He wrote that he only had consciousness when someone was writing to him."

Millie looked very serious. "I think we need to go tell Gemma or Theo. That sounds a lot like Dark Arts."

Rachel nodded and shoved her feet back in her shoes. She had decided she really did not want the book sleeping in the same room as them.

They went together out into the common room, Rachel bringing the book. Gemma was sitting by the fire with the other prefects and several upper years.

"Let's try Theo first, I don't want to go up there in front of all of them," Rachel said quietly.

"I think he's in his dorm," Millie said.

For the first time Rachel took the hall at the right of the common room. They found the door labeled 2nd Years and Millie knocked on it.

A moment later Blaise opened the door. "Hello? Oh. You want Theo?"

"Yes, please," Millie said.

"Theo, girls at the door for you," Blaise called. Someone in the room made an exaggerated "oooing" sound.

Millie rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

Theo arrived at the door. "What's going on?"

"We need to talk to you for a few minutes. Out in the common room," Millie said.

"Alright. Let me get my shoes," Theo said.

The door closed and Rachel and Millie were left waiting for what seemed like a very long minute before Theo reappeared.

They went back to the main area of the common room and sat down at an out of the way table and Millie and Rachel explained what had happened.

Theo went pale when Rachel mentioned that the book had a consciousness. "Put it down," he said immediately.

Rachel set the book down on the table and looked back at Theo. "Do you think it's dangerous?"

"I don't know how dangerous it is, but it's definitely Dark Arts. How much did you write in it?" Theo asked.

"Maybe five or six lines. It replied about the same amount," Rachel said.

"Do you feel different in any way? How does the hand feel that you were using to write?" Theo asked.

Rachel examined her right hand and felt her fingertips. "Fine. Like normal."

"And the rest of you? Do you feel like you're having thoughts that you can't stop, or that you want to do something you usually wouldn't do?" Theo asked.

Rachel felt a little scared, but other than that she thought she felt okay. "I think I'm fine, none of that."

"Do you think it was cursed?" Millie asked, staring at the diary.

"Maybe, but it's nothing obvious at least. We've got to give this to Professor Snape. How long did you have it with you?" Theo asked.

"Just since lunchtime, we found it in the girls bathroom," Rachel said.

"Maybe not long enough for it to have an effect. Stay here and don't touch it," Theo said, getting to his feet and hurrying back toward his dorm.

"I think we may have just gotten very lucky," Millie said. "Who knows what this thing would have done if we'd left it in our dorm tonight."

Rachel nodded and felt a little sick. What if she was cursed and she just didn't know it? They hadn't really discussed curses much in Defense.

Theo came back with his scarf and carefully wrapped it around the book and picked it up.

"Do you want me to carry it, since I've already been exposed?" Rachel asked.

Theo shook his head. "No, it's better to limit exposure as much as possible. Let's go."

They made it to the door of the common room before Gemma came hurrying up to them. "Where are you going? It's past curfew."

"I need to see Professor Snape," Rachel said. She didn't even have to try to make her words sound urgent.

"Are you okay? Is there anything I can help with?" Gemma asked.

"I just need to see him," Rachel said, not wanting to explain about the curse and the book.

"We won't be long," Millie said.

"I'll walk you down to his office," Gemma said.

They made the short walk in silence and Rachel knocked on Professor Snape's office door and waited. Hopefully he wasn't out.

The door opened about two minutes later and Professor Snape's eyebrow raised as he took them all in.

"Sir, Rachel said she needed to speak with you," Gemma said.

"Thank you for escorting her," Professor Snape said. "Are your friends escorts as well, or should they be here?"

"They should be here, please," Rachel said.

Professor Snape nodded. "I'll bring them back to the common room myself, Miss Farley."

"Thank you, sir," Gemma said, turning away to walk back to the common room.

"In my office," Professor Snape said, standing back so they could enter. Once the door was shut he turned to them. "What happened?"

"I think we have a cursed book," Rachel said.

"Or at the very least, Dark Arts was used to create it," Theo said, holding up the book that was wrapped in his scarf.

"Place it on my table while taking care not to touch it," Professor Snape instructed.

Theo did as he was told, unwrapping the scarf so Professor Snape could see the book.

Professor Snape held the tip of his wand near the book for a long moment. Then he waved his wand in a precise half-cross motion and frowned. "Where did you get this?"

"In the second floor girls bathroom, just before lunch today. I wrote in it to find out who it belonged to. Am I cursed?" Rachel asked, unable to help the fear in her voice.

"Stand still," Professor Snape said, pointing his wand at her. He made several separate wand motions, his expression steely. Finally he lowered his wand. "I'm detecting no signs of curses or other afflictions."

Rachel let out a sigh of relief.

"Sir, the book wrote that it had a consciousness, that it was only aware when someone was writing in it," Theo said. "That's Dark Arts, isn't it?"

"It would certainly take Dark Arts to apply a full consciousness to an inanimate object - whether that's the case with this remains to be seen. Nevertheless, fifteen points to Slytherin for practicing good judgement and prudence," Professor Snape said. "I appreciate that you brought it directly to me and did not wait or show it around the school."

"Yes, sir," Millie said, also sounding relieved.

"Did the book write anything else of import?" Professor Snape asked.

"Just that it was the memories of Tom Riddle, it's his diary from fifty years ago," Rachel said.

Professor Snape's mouth moved briefly into a thin line. "I will show it to the Headmaster and we will determine if it poses any threat. In the meantime, if there's nothing else, I'll walk you back to the common room."

"Thank you," Rachel said.

"Yes, thank you, sir," Theo said.

"Thank you," Millie echoed.

"Of course," Professor Snape said. He walked with them back to the common room.

"Goodnight," Rachel said, pausing as she went through the door.

"Goodnight, Professor Snape said. "Come to me if you find you have abnormal dreams after writing in that book."

Rachel nodded, understanding that he was worried about the same sort of thing Theo had been worried about when he'd been asking questions. "Okay. Thanks."

Severus returned to his office, his stride quick but not quite a run. He was nervous about leaving the book unattended, but he needed Rachel safely out of the way before he dealt with it. He was slightly relieved when he saw that the book had not moved in his absence.

First things first.

He went back into his rooms and retrieved a small wooden box that had been used to store potions ingredients and began casting ward after ward on it. Protection wards, security wards, damage reduction wards - anything he could think of that might help protect them from the Dark Arts wound into the book. When dealing with the Dark Lord, there was no such thing as too much caution.

He collected his dragonhide gloves and brought the box back into his office. The book hadn't moved. He cast a protection ward on himself - the thought of Rachel handling this with her bare hands made him shudder - and then put the gloves on and carefully lifted the book into the box, touching it as little as possible. He took off the gloves and picked up the box. He didn't have appropriate storage for objects imbued with Dark Arts in his quarters but he was certain that Albus would have some way to contain it. Regardless, this was something Albus needed to see immediately.

The walk through the castle went quickly - it was after curfew and he didn't pass anyone on his way to Albus' office. The floo would have been faster, but he wasn't about to take the book through the floo. "Gooey Gleeful Gumdrops," he told the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Albus' office and rode the staircase up. He knocked on Albus' door and waited.

Albus opened the door and peered at him from above his spectacles. "Severus, I wasn't expecting you."

"I wouldn't bother you this late if it were not a matter of urgency," Severus said, inclining his head slightly out of respect.

"Of course, I hadn't meant to discourage you, I was simply doing some stargazing. Please, come in and tell me what has happened," Albus said, standing back and opening the door wider.

Severus entered and noticed Fawkes, Albus' phoenix, perched next to a telescope. "May I set this on your desk?"

"Certainly, what is it?" Albus asked as he peered inside the box.

"Tom Riddle's diary from fifty years ago," Severus said, watching Albus' expression carefully.

Albus' eyes grew slightly wider though his features otherwise remained the same. "Where did you come by this?"

"Rachel and her friends brought it to me."

"Is she well?" Albus asked immediately.

"Yes, I checked for curses, possession, and general ailments and found nothing wrong. She states she found it in the second floor girls bathroom, just before lunch today. It seems she wrote in and interacted with the Dark Lord. The diary stated it only had consciousness when it was being written in and that it contained his memories from fifty years ago," Severus explained, grateful that Albus' first concern was for Rachel's well-being.

"Fifty years ago, when the Chamber of Secrets was being opened and Myrtle Warren was killed," Albus said, his gaze distant for a moment. He held the tip of his wand to the book and moved his lips silently as he incanted. After a few minutes he stopped. "While your precautions were wise, I think we can safely handle the diary, assuming we're in limited contact."

Severus felt his brow furrow as he watched Albus reach into the box and pull out the book with his bare hands. Albus sat down at his desk and reached for a quill. "Are you certain it's wise to write in it?" Severus asked.

"I would not do so without an observer to assist if I become injured or possessed, I assure you," Albus said, nodding to Severus. "And, I intend to be brief. We must ascertain if this is how the Chamber was being opened."

"Do you wish to cast a protection ward upon yourself, at least?" Severus asked. He had no doubt that the Dark Lord, no matter what his age, would attempt to kill Albus as soon as he knew who he was.

"That would be a good precaution," Albus said, tapping his chest with his wand. "I trust that you shall keep me contained, should I become possessed."

"You have my word," Severus said, though he knew he stood little chance against Albus in a fight.

Albus opened the diary to the first blank page and wrote 'Hello'.

The word disappeared and was replaced with 'Who is this?'.

'A friend of Rachel's. She showed me your diary. She told me your name was Tom,' Albus wrote back.

'That's right. She didn't answer me. What is happening at Hogwarts?'

Albus paused and looked up at Severus. "I think it's best to be direct, don't you?"

"It seems wise to limit the amount you write, yes," Severus agreed.

'There are rumors that the Chamber of Secrets is being opened. Muggleborns are being attacked,' Albus wrote.

'The Chamber of Secrets is real. It was opened during my time at Hogwarts too. The culprit was caught and expelled, but he wasn't sent to prison.'

"Hagrid," Albus said quietly. He began to write again. 'How did it happen?'

'I'll show you.'

Both Albus and Severus startled as the book began to flip its pages to about halfway through the book. It stopped on June thirteenth and a small square appeared.

Severus leaned closer and saw that the image was moving. "Like a pensieve."

"Yes, my thoughts exactly, a pensieve in book form. It's remarkable," Albus said, he looked up at Severus. "Stun me if I'm viewing for more than an hour."

"What?" Severus said. "This could be how the diary possesses people."

"I do not think it is, though it makes sense to be prudent. Hence my request for you to remove me should I be there for more than an hour," Albus said.

"I cannot dissuade you?" Severus asked.

"No, unless you have more concrete evidence that this is how the diary possesses people."

Severus did not have any such evidence, he could easily be wrong. However, the thought of the Dark Lord inhabiting Albus' body was not a matter to take lightly. "I will stun you and contact Poppy should you be longer than an hour," he agreed reluctantly.

Albus nodded. "You have my thanks, as always, Severus." With that he leaned forward and became still as he viewed the contents of the memory.

Severus sat down across from Albus, his wand ready to stun him should he reappear behaving oddly. He thought Albus was being foolhardy, a thought he'd often had during the war. Albus took risks that Severus would never take. It was a war they had been losing, badly. If the Killing Curse hadn't backfired it wouldn't have been more than a year before the Ministry fell, and Hogwarts would have fallen shortly after.

He didn't like to think of the war, but he could hardly help it under the circumstances. Shortly after Severus had turned spy, Albus had told him all about a boy named Tom Riddle. A half-bood, a liar, a conman, and a charlatan. Severus suspected Albus had feared that Severus was still susceptible to the Dark Lord and wanted to disillusion him as thoroughly as possible. As it was, Severus had already been thoroughly disillusioned. He hadn't gotten the power and safety he'd been seeking, he had merely become a slave to someone more powerful than him.

What Severus wanted now was to prevent another war. He had no doubt that the Dark Lord's spirit, or shade, or whatever it was that he'd seen come out of Quirrell's head that night in June, was still out there biding its time and searching for another way to regain his power. Just as he had no doubt that there were many Death Eaters who would answer the call when they were summoned once more.

The only thing he and Albus could do is try to prevent the Dark Lord from regaining power, or at least forestall it for long enough that they were ready to fight. He could only hope that they managed to prevent the Dark Lord's rise until after Rachel was an adult. The last thing he wanted was for Rachel to grow up with her world shaped by war.

Albus abruptly sat up and Severus held his wand steady, ready to stun him if need be.

"It's alright, Severus. I am quite myself," Albus said, resettling his spectacles.

"Did you learn anything?"

"That Tom Riddle was indeed opening the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, that he framed Hagrid because he feared Hogwarts would be closed if the attacks continued, and that he left this diary behind as way of opening the Chamber again in the future," Albus said, pausing to write in the book. 'Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets? But he's here now, as the gamekeeper!'

'Yes, what will you do?'

'I have to tell my Head of House. I'll be back.' Albus wrote and then closed the book firmly and placed it back in the box. "Do you mind if I keep this box?"

"I don't, though you may wish to store it with additional wards," Severus said.

"Indeed," Albus said. "I will also contact the Ministry and see what I can do about clearing Hagrid's name. Hopefully my memories will be enough, along with the evidence that it was a basilisk and not an acromantula that was attacking students."

"Hopefully," Severus agreed.

"I will make an announcement to the school tomorrow informing them that the Chamber of Secrets has been closed," Albus continued.

"You're certain?"

"This book was possessing one of our students and forcing them to act. Without the book, they will no longer be subject to possession by it. I imagine they must have come to the realization of what was happening and attempted to dispose of the book in the girls lavatory," Albus said.

Severus nodded. He could only hope that the student in question would seek the counsel of a prefect or a professor. Possession was nasty business.

"Thank you for bringing this to me. Pass on my thanks to Rachel as well," Albus said.

Severus stood, recognizing the dismissal. "I will. Goodnight, Albus."

"Goodnight, Severus," Albus said, bending his head back over the box to peer at the diary again.

Severus left, deciding to walk rather than use the floo, and came to the thought that the diary had at least solved one of their problems. They might not know where the Chamber of Secrets was, but at least it wouldn't be opened again.

"Is it true?" Rachel asked as soon as she was through the wall and into Professor Snape's quarters for their Sunday evening dinner.

"Is what true?" Professor Snape asked, looking up from his book.

"That the Chamber of Secrets is closed," she clarified, sitting down on the couch.

"It is true that it will not be opened again," he said, closing his book.

"How? Who was opening it?" Rachel asked. Rumors had been flying ever since Professor Dumbledore had announced that the Chamber was closed. He'd made the announcement at breakfast on Wednesday. One of the Hufflepuffs actually had the audacity to come up to Rachel and ask her if Professor Dumbledore had asked her to stop opening the Chamber.

"That is somewhat complicated. If I tell you, you must promise not to speak of it to anyone beside myself or Albus. Do you still want to know?" Professor Snape asked.

Rachel hesitated as she thought about it. It would be weird to know and not be able to tell her friends, but at the same time she did want to know, if just to prove to herself once and for all she wasn't the Heir of Slytherin. "I want to know. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Very well," Professor Snape said. "The diary that you and your friends brought to me was that of Tom Riddle. He was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago. He was using the diary to possess someone to open the Chamber these past few months. Albus sends his thanks to you for bringing us the diary."

Rachel blinked as she tried to process what she'd just heard. "Well, it was really thanks to Theo that we brought it to you. He said it was Dark Arts. Was it?"

"Yes, very," he said.

"Does that mean that Tom Riddle was the Heir of Slytherin?" she asked.

"It's possible, though it's also possible he was simply a Parselmouth," Professor Snape said. "There is something else you should know. Tom Riddle is the man who became the Dark Lord."

She felt her eyes grow wide. "I was writing with the person who killed my parents?"

"The memories of a younger version of himself, but yes."

Rachel grimaced. "I guess I don't have to ask why he was targeting muggleborns then. Who was he possessing? Are they alright?"

"We don't know who he was possessing and suspect we won't know unless they seek help from a professor," he explained.

"But he can't still possess them without the book?" Rachel asked, hoping that was the case.

"Correct, and Albus has the book under heavy wards. There will be no more possessions from it and the Chamber will stay closed, hopefully forever," Professor Snape said firmly. "Shall we have dinner?"

"Sure," Rachel said, though her stomach still felt a little funny at the idea that she'd been essentially conversing with the man who killed her parents, even if he hadn't done it yet at the time he'd made those memories.

"Try not to think on it too much. The diary is safely locked away and everyone who was attacked this time has recovered," he said, seeming to sense her thoughts.

"I'm just glad I didn't write more in that diary," Rachel said.

"You and me both," he agreed.