Chapter 10
The Mysterious Diary of T.M. Riddle
With the passing of Christmas, everything seemed to turn around for the Black family. Remus once again took on the role of Orion's tutor to help Orion complete all of the schoolwork he had missed and helped with arranging the notes Orion had made concerning Voldemort's past. There had been no questions or words of caution concerning Orion's desire to know as much as possible about Voldemort which relieved Orion greatly. He couldn't explain it but deep down, Orion knew that Voldemort's past was important for the future.
Sirius tried to find a happy medium between working and spending time with Orion which was difficult because Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror Office, and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, were demanding answers due to the fact that there had been several intensive searches for the school and no results. Sirius tried to downplay the pressure but Orion knew that they were running out of time. If they didn't find the culprit soon, Orion had a feeling that the Ministry would take the most likely suspect with would unfortunately be Hagrid.
A welcomed addition to all the madness was Evelyn's visits. She normally stopped by for dinner even when Sirius was held up at the Ministry. As strange as it sounded, Orion quickly found himself looking forward to seeing her even though he didn't really know her that well. There was just something about Evelyn that Orion knew he could trust. In a matter of days, Orion could see why his father was smitten with her. It was just like Evelyn said. She could calm him down and he could make her laugh.
Orion could barely contain his excitement when the time to return to Hogwarts arrived. He had managed to squeeze everything into his trunk, including a few fifth year books Remus had picked up for him and a new journal that was dedicated to information on Voldemort. It was certainly better than trying to keep track of rolls of parchment. Remus had encouraged Orion's line of thinking, assuring that he would pass on any new information as long as Orion did the same.
Sirius just thought both of them were nutter and once again blamed Remus for turning his son into a bookworm although complaint wasn't as convincing as it had been in the past. Orion and Remus had a feeling that he wanted information about Voldemort as much as they did.
Orion was ecstatic to see Neville and Cedric step through the floo. Neville immediately began firing off questions, only stopping when Cedric cast took pity on Orion and cast a Silencing Charm. Of course that didn't get Orion out of answering the questions but at least he was able to speak. Compared with Neville's trip to Romania, Orion's extended stay at Black Manor was rather boring. Sure, he learned a lot but he had never left the walls of Black Manor. Neville had been to completely different country. Neville refused to say much but the smile on his face was all they needed to know that there had been at least some success.
Stepping through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾, Orion was glad they left as early as they did. He knew that Neville's badgering was nothing compared to what he would be subjected to on the Hogwarts Express. Everyone knew that he had been pulled out of school and everyone also knew that his father had been in charge of the investigation. Saying that he didn't know anything would probably only work for those who didn't know him well which unfortunately didn't include Neville, Hayden, Ron and Hermione.
Orion could foresee a headache coming with that conversation.
As Cedric and Neville hurried to the train to find compartments, Orion remained beside his father and uncle. It was easy to see that—even now—Sirius was battling the urge to take Orion home and lock him up until Hogwarts was completely safe again. The problem was that as long as hundreds of young witches and wizards were isolated in one place, Hogwarts would never be completely safe. Accidents and injuries were bound to happen.
After a moment of silence, Remus stepped forward and pulled Orion into an embrace. "Now be careful cub," he said softly, "and keep us informed of any new developments."
"I will," Orion quickly assured. At this point, he had no intention of pushing his luck. He was willing to do nearly anything just to go back to school.
As soon as Remus stepped back, Sirius had Orion in a fierce embrace, nearly preventing Orion's ability to breathe. "No wandering off by yourself, Ori," he said firmly. "Stay in groups and use your common sense, no matter what others may say."
Orion nodded obediently. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to convince Hermione, Hayden and Ron to put an end to their investigation. "You don't have to worry about me, Dad," Orion insisted. "I'll be good, I promise."
Sirius let out sigh before reluctantly releasing Orion. "I know. You always behave when you're not trying to protect everyone else."
Orion felt his face grow warm. He knew that Sirius had a point. He did have a habit of jumping into situations to help others. He never thought about it before since it had always come so natural to him. Besides, that was what the Aurors were taught and if he wanted to be an Auror…but I'm not one yet and I'll never become one if I end up getting killed.
Suddenly, Orion understood his father's reluctance and vowed to think before acting. He just hoped that he would be able to convince his friends to do the same.
Orion bid farewell to his father and uncle and retreated to the compartment Neville had picked out. It was amazing how one realization could change everything. A short time ago he had been excited to return to Hogwarts and his friends. Now, all he saw was the danger that awaited them all. It made him wonder why more students weren't pulled out of school.
In no time, the platform was packed with people. Hermione was among the first to arrive, rushing into the compartment with an expectant look on her face. Unfortunately, Orion couldn't settle her curiosity. He didn't want to repeat himself over and over again. Hayden arrived shortly after her with an annoyed look on his face as he pulled off layer after layer of clothing that his mother had forced him to put on. Neville and Hermione gave Hayden sympathetic smiles and words of comfort. Orion could only look on in confusion. His father and uncle had done the same but he had never complained about it or heard complaints from his friends. Perhaps it was something that was reserved for mothers only.
As expected, the Weasley family arrived only minutes before the train was scheduled to leave looking rather tan and freckly. Any thought of questioning Ron on his trip ended though when Ron entered the compartment complaining about his sister. Apparently, Mrs. Weasley had wanted to arrive early to prevent what happened in September from happening again only for them to be delayed because of Ginny who had left something behind.
"She's a bloody menace!" Ron ranted. "She wrote in the blasted thing the entire time we were in Egypt! Mum had to threaten to throw it into the fire for her to actually leave it behind while we took the tours that Bill arranged for us. I swear; just how much can one girl write about?"
Everyone's gaze slowly shifted to Hermione as if she held all of the answers in the world. "What?" Hermione asked indignantly. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I know everything Ginny could be feeling but I'd wager she's feeling slightly overwhelmed at the moment. I don't know about any of you, but I've never seen Ginny with anyone. She's always been alone."
Orion frowned in thought. He had to admit that he hadn't seen much of Ginny Weasley after her sorting. She always just seemed to become one among the masses. The thought made Orion wonder if the same would happen to Rose when she came to Hogwarts in September. Would she be just another first year, all alone to find her way around Hogwarts? Not everyone was lucky to be sorted into the same house as those they sat on the train with.
No. I won't let that happen. Hayden and I won't be like Ron. We'll look out for Rose.
Ron let out a snort. "Come off it, Hermione," he said in disbelief. "If it was that bad don't you think Ginny would say something?"
"Would you?" Orion countered. "Think about it, Ron. There's a lot we don't tell our families because we're afraid what they'll think of us. Sometimes, talking to family is the hardest thing to do."
Ron fell silent. No one could really counter Orion's statement since they all knew what Orion was referring to. Despite everything, Orion still couldn't bring himself to tell his father and uncle about the voice he had heard at Hogwarts. Sirius was already being pulled in every direction from various departments at the Ministry. The last thing Sirius needed was to know that his only son was possibly mad.
The train ride seemed longer than normal but Orion figured it was because they worked on school work the entire time. Ron and Neville had barely started half of their assignments while Hayden had given up on his potions essay after attempting to write it for the third time. When the train finally arrived at Hogsmeade, Orion was relieved to see the books locked up in everyone's trunks. If he ever saw another book it would be too soon.
As they exited the train, Orion kept an eye out for any sight of Ginny but it was difficult to find anyone in the mass of students hurrying towards the horseless carriages. A sudden thought hit him. What if there was a student helping Voldemort? Who would suspect someone among the masses when everyone was so busy with classes, schoolwork, responsibilities and friends?
There was no sight of Ginny until the masses settled down in the Great Hall. Orion quickly noticed that she was sitting among a group of first years but made no effort to engage in any conversation. It was almost like she was just sitting by them because she needed a place to sit. That wasn't normal behavior, especially for a Weasley.
As much as Orion hated to admit it, something was wrong with Ginny Weasley.
For the next few days, Orion tried to keep an eye on Ginny but it was difficult with classes and the never-ending schoolwork that was suddenly thrown at them. It was almost like the it had been decided that the only way to keep the students safe was to keep them so busy so they had no opportunity to do anything but schoolwork. On top of it all, Orion had been approached again by Oliver about being a part of the Quidditch team. Apparently, the idea of having a 'spare Seeker' was too good to pass up.
So, against his better judgment, Orion found himself sending a letter with Hedwig requesting that his broom be sent to Hogwarts. It wasn't anything spectacular like Hayden's Nimbus 2000 but it had been good enough when Orion had learned how to fly from Charlie Weasley and Viktor Krum during his month-long stay in Bulgaria with Remus while Sirius worked with the local Ministry to search a rumored Death Eater estate. Viktor was a lot like him, a natural flyer who seemed to act more on instinct than instruction which was why they got along so well.
Viktor, unfortunately, was another one of the many friends that Orion had lost touch with over the years. Being three years older than Orion became difficult for them to find common ground, especially when Viktor began his schooling at Durmstrang, a school rumored for its association with the Dark Wizard Grindelwald and the Dark Arts.
A loud thud quickly pulled Orion out of his thoughts to see Hayden and Ron dropping piles of books on the table they had gathered from the library to help with their potions essay. From the looks on their faces, Orion could tell that there was something that they wanted to say but didn't want anyone to overhear.
Hermione noticed the same thing. "What did you two do?" she asked skeptically.
Hayden looked offended while Ron glared at Hermione. "We didn't do anything!" Ron retorted angrily as he grabbed a partially wet, shabby looking black book off the top of Hayden's pile and threw it down in front of Hermione. "We found that in Myrtle's bathroom. Someone tried to get rid of it and threw it into Myrtle's toilet—through Myrtle's head!"
Hermione frowned as Orion and Neville leaned closer for a glimpse. It looked like an old diary with a faded year on the cover revealing that it was fifty years only. Slowly, Hermione opened the diary to reveal the name "T.M. Riddle" written in smudged ink.
"Don't you get it?" Ron continued eagerly. "T.M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago! There's a shield in the trophy room. I had to polish it about fifty times because I burped slugs all over it. He could've been the one to stop the attacks fifty years ago!"
Orion couldn't tear his eyes away from the diary as Hermione flipped through the blank pages. As far as he knew, there was only one T.M. Riddle and there was no way he'd trust anything he left behind. Or was it planted? It was highly suspicious that something of Voldemort's would be found in Hogwarts when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened for the first time in fifty years yet alone the bathroom by the first attack.
"Why would someone flush a blank diary away?" Neville asked curiously.
"Well, he was obviously a Muggle-born," Hermione said as she turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London.
"Or he was raised in the Muggle world," Orion countered, snatching the diary out of Hermione's hands. "I think we should turn this into Professor Dumbledore. It could be dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Ron asked incredulously. "Orion, there's nothing written in it! How could it be dangerous?"
"It might have hidden powers," Hermione offered.
That was exactly what Orion was afraid of. "It doesn't matter," he said firmly. "You don't understand." His gaze shifted to Hayden. "T.M. Riddle. Tom Marvolo Riddle."
Hayden stared at Orion for a long moment before his eyes widened in alarm. "Oh," he said quietly. "But it's just a diary, Ori. A blank diary."
Hermione pulled her wand out of her bag. "We'll see about that," she said and tapped the diary three times. "Aparecium!" Nothing happened. Hermione frowned in thought for a moment before reaching into her bag and pulling out what appeared to be a bright red eraser. "It's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley," she said when Hayden stared at Hermione in confusion the rubbed hard on the second page. Once again, nothing happened.
"What's so bad about Tom Marvolo Riddle?" Neville asked curiously.
Hayden was the one who answered. "That was Voldemort's name before he became Voldemort," he said and took the diary from Orion, ignoring the horrified looks from Neville and Ron. "Look, I'll lock it in my trunk for now but I think we should check a few more things before handing it into Dumbledore. It's possible that everything about the Chamber is written in here. We just can't see it—yet."
Orion didn't like the sound of that. "All the more reason we should hand it in," he urged. "Hayden, this isn't some little mystery that we can try to solve. This is affecting the entire school!"
"I know that!" Hayden shot back. "I just think we need to be certain that it's anything of importance. Think of how disappointed Dumbledore would be if it was a false alarm."
Orion seriously doubted that Hayden was actually thinking of Professor Dumbledore's disappointment. The truth was that Hayden was just too curious to let the adults handle everything, not that Orion could blame him. There weren't many trustworthy adults in Hayden's life. His parents had more secrets than the Ministry of Magic and none of the teachers (including Professor Dumbledore) had ever offered to talk to him except for when he was in trouble or his life was on the line.
As much as Orion hated it, a compromise was the only way Hayden, Ron and Hermione would consider handing the diary in. They had two weeks to unlock the mysteries before handing it into Professor Dumbledore. That forced Hayden, Ron and Hermione to hurry off to the library to look up everything they could to reveal the secrets of Voldemort's diary. Orion just couldn't believe their behavior. After last year, you would think that they would be more cautious when Voldemort was concerned.
As the days wore on, the mood inside the castle greatly improved due to the lack of attacks. The Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood. There were only a few more stages they will be cut up and stewed. The only downside of the lack of attacks was Lockhart's attitude. He could be heard boasting at every available moment that he had made the attacks stop.
As the two week time period came to an end, Orion wasn't surprised to hear Hayden and Ron plead for an extension. Hermione had thankfully given up after the tenth attempt to unlock the diary claiming that nothing good would be that well hidden. Unfortunately, Hayden and Ron weren't so easily convinced and the lack of attacks only enforced their beliefs that there was no rush to hand the diary in.
Orion seriously wanted to bang his head into a wall. A false sense of security was the ideal way to catch someone by surprise. They needed to be on their guard now more than ever. Hayden and Ron refused to realize that and Orion was tired of trying to be the 'adult' of the group. How could Hayden be so careless with something that belonged to a dangerous Dark Lord?
Surprisingly, it didn't take much for Hayden to give in and promise to take the diary to Professor Dumbledore. All Orion had to do was mention Hayden's brother and Hayden was eager to do just about anything. It was a cheap move but sometimes the cheap moves were the most effective. Hayden's feelings towards Harry were really the only thing that could overpower his stubbornness.
Life at Hogwarts was amazingly quiet…until breakfast arrived on February fourteenth. Orion had never thought about Valentine's Day before, especially since he lived with two bachelors. Lockhart, however, seemed to think that the holiday was the greatest thing since the invention of the wand. The walls were completely covered with large, gaudy pink flowers but that wasn't as bad as the heart-shaped confetti that was slowly falling from the pale blue ceiling.
One glance a Lockhart dressed in vivid pink robes was enough for Orion to know just who was behind the tacky decorations.
"What's going on?" Hayden asked as he and Ron joined Orion and Neville at the Gryffindor table. "It looks like Mum and Rose went crazy in here."
Neville and Orion stared incredulously at Hayden. "Please tell me your mum and sister don't decorate like this," Neville pleaded.
Hayden shrugged. "Well, not really but they love to decorate for every holiday," he said with a smile. "It drives Dad mad. He still doesn't really understand all of the muggle traditions."
Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when Hermione sat down beside Orion, looking like she was trying to hide a spout of giggles. It was certainly uncharted territory for Orion, Neville, Hayden and Ron. They had rarely seen Hermione act so—girly.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Hayden asked cautiously.
Lockhart chose that moment to wave for silence. None of the teachers around him looked to be enjoying the morning in the slightest. Professor McGonagall looked like she was chewing on her cheek to refrain from speaking while Professor Snape had the same look on his face as he had when Gryffindor had won the house cup last year. At that moment, Orion was extremely grateful that he wasn't Lockhart.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all—and it doesn't end here!"
Lockhart clapped his hands, signaling the dozen surly-looking dwarfs wearing golden wings and carrying harps to enter the Great Hall. Orion buried his face in his hands. Could this day get any worse? It wasn't bad enough that Lockhart's own classes were a complete farce. Now they had to waste an entire day of lessons because Lockhart felt the need to prove that he was the most loved wizard around.
"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" Lockhart announced with beaming smile. "They will be roaming around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"
Orion snorted. "I'll ask Professor Snape if Lockhart does first," he muttered to Neville who covered his mouth to hide a laugh. Professor Flitwick looked mortified while Professor Snape looked murderous. It definitely wasn't a good idea to follow Lockhart's advice.
"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," Ron moaned as they gathered some toast and left for their first lesson. Hermione's lack of answer was all they needed causing the four boys to groan.
As Orion had feared, the day had been a complete waste of time. All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines. Most of the teachers took out their frustrations in the only way possible: they assigned extra homework. Through it all, though, Orion had to admit that he was relieved that none of the valentines had been for any of them. Of course, it wasn't meant to last. As they were walking upstairs Charms, Orion and Neville overheard the final bit of a singing valentine meant for Hayden.
"I wish he was mine,
He's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
Orion and Neville pushed through the crowd to see a dwarf sitting on Hayden's ankles and the contents of Hayden's bag all over the floor, drenched in ink. Ignoring the laughter, Orion stepped forward and tried to help pick everything up. Neville, Ron and Hermione hurriedly joined in on the effort, crowding around Hayden as if to try and shield him from the attention.
"Off you go, off you go," Percy Weasley said sternly, "the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class now! And you, Malfoy—"
Orion looked up, shocked to see Draco stop and snatch up a familiar looking black leather book. No, it couldn't be. Hayden wouldn't—
"Give that back," Hayden said quietly.
"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" Draco said as he slowly opened it. All laughter had died as the onlookers who were none other than Gryffindor first years looked on in rapt attention.
"Hand it over, Malfoy," Percy said sternly.
"When I've had a look," Draco said as he smirked at Hayden.
Orion was on his feet in a flash. Draco didn't even have time to blink before Orion had snatched the diary from him. "I think you would know better than that, Draco," Orion said coolly. "Perhaps you would like the school to know about that little incident involving an iced lolly and a—"
"All right!" Draco interrupted. "You made your point, Black." Draco turned to leave as the first years started to enter a nearby classroom. He smirked as his eyes fell on Ginny. "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!" he said loudly as she passed him.
Ginny covered her face with her hands and bolted into the class. Ron looked like he was ready to attack and had to be held back by Hayden and Neville. When the crowd had finally gone, Orion spun on his feet and glared at Hayden who looked extremely nervous. Good. Orion threw the diary at Hayden's chest with as much force as he could muster then moved closer so they were nearly nose to nose.
"You lied to me," Orion said through his teeth. "You looked at me in the eyes and lied."
Hayden flinched but remained silent.
Without another word, Orion turned and walked to Charms alone. He was through having faith in others. If he wanted things to be done right, he would have to do them himself.