Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter I would be J. K. Rowling, and wouldn't own Maria. If I didn't own Maria, I wouldn't be writing this fic. Check the logic.

Maria: Remember to R'n'R!

Chapter 9: Friends

Harry woke up, and started looking. He couldn't quite remember what, he was too tired; but he kept looking anyway. As his tired mind crawled into awareness, he realized he couldn't find the diary. He spilled out the contents of every drawer, sifted through his trunk, and even asked if anyone had seen it. Nothing. He got ready for school as fast as possible, and then ran down to the common room, and quickly spotted Hermione.

"Hermione! The diary is gone!" She didn't look at all surprised.

"Harry, I borrowed it last night, to see what I could find. I have it right here." She handed Harry the diary, and before he could thank her, she continued. "Listen Harry, I found something you really should know about."

"Is it a clue? I should have figured you would find it, Hermione" Harry just had a big smile on his face.

"Not...exactly, Harry. I found something else, though. Look." She turned to the page she had read before, while Harry looked at it.

"Hermione, you don't believe this, do you? I mean, it's obviously a trick to keep anyone from looking for him."

"Harry, why would someone let there diary be found like that? Why not just avoid it?"

"It's a backup, Hermione. just in case." Hermione thought for a moment.

"Harry," she said slowly. "What would you do if you found this person?"

Harry was stumped. What could he say? He didn't know. Instead, he just shook his head.

"You don't know this person at all; he could be nothing like Voldermort."

"I still have to find him, Hermione. Even if I don't do anything, I still have to know."

Hermione sighed. "Harry, if you promise not to hurt anyone; I'll help you find him." Harry smiled.

"Thanks, 'Mione."

"Alright. First hint: You got it from Malfoy, right?"

"Yah. But it's not Malfoy, you know that Hermione!" Harry was a little disappointed, Hermione was generally one step ahead of him.

"I know. But this person is obviously is a Slytherin, and how many Slytherins would mess with Malfoy enough for him to try that? That narrows thing down a bit." Harry sighed gratefully, it was still the Hermione he knew. Why didn't he think of that? And he told her as much.

Hermione just smiled. "Well, we'll find out more once we start narrowing people down." She hoped she knew what she was doing; Harry might not be above murder anymore. But the damage was done, at this point he could figure it out on his own, if not as fast. She had to stick with it.

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Maria knew she had to get the diary discreetly, if she just stole and someone noticed then Harry would know. She had to find some way to take it that could never be tracked to her, and that meant either keeping away or keeping close. As much as she hated to admit it, trying to get the diary back and keeping her distance would be nearly impossible.

That mean she had to make a friend.

The first thing I'll do with my diary, she decided, is burn it to ashes. It's more trouble than it's worth.

She finished getting ready for school, then hurried down to breakfast.

I'm really gonna hate this, she thought.

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Harry looked at the row of Slytherins at the other end of the room. They all seemed like the kind who would get along well with Malfoy. There had to be one who didn't seem like the rest...but he didn't see her because she was coming up behind him.

"Oh, hello Potter. Weasely. Granger. Remember me?" Hermione certainly couldn't say so, but Harry and Ron remembered the night before. This was that girl they saw in the hall. The Slytherin. Harry wondered where her sudden interest was. Before he could find some way to ask her, Hermione had her own question.

"Who are you? And what do you think you're doing?" Maria smiled, but not the smirk the boys had seen before.

"My name is Maria, and I'm introducing myself. What does it look like?" She laughed, and the boys began to feel extremely nervous. They had met her after hours, she was most certainly a sneak.

"What are you doing here? Does have anything to do with last night?" Ron, of course. Harry would have preferred to be less...obvious. Hermione was just bewildered.

"Well, actually; this has a lot to do with last night. You don't find many people walking the halls at night, and I figured that anyone who did would be interesting. I want to see if I'm right."

"So what are we, your guinea pigs?" Harry didn't like her, she sounded like any other Slytherin.

"No, I think you're taking this the wrong way. I just want to see if you guys are worth more than the lot I'm generally stuck with. C'mon, I'm not that bad am I?" Harry was caught by surprise.

"What? You mean the other Slytherins?" Harry realized that if the answer was yes, then she'd probably not be one to get along with Malfoy.

Maria just laughed. "Who else? Can you imagine not being around your House? It's impossible!" She laughed some more, but she was worried. Why would he ask her that?

"What I can't imagine is a Slytherin being around a Gryffindor." She was after something, and it was probably the diary. Harry had picked the wrong Slytherin to talk to last night.

"Why? Because of an old grudge? That is between houses, not between people." Maria knew he suspected something. This was going to be harder than she excepted.

Hermione saw everything that was going on. Maria pushing to be friends, and Harry knowing what she was doing. She had to get to the bottom of this, and that wouldn't happen with those two.

"Sure...Maria, was it? Have a seat, if you want." Hermione moved over to further push her point, and Maria knew it. However, this might be the only chance she got. It's not like she had a reputation to worry about. She sat down, and started talking. At first only Hermione answered, but after they got more comfortable the boys joined in. Maria had just made new friends.

Draco looked over at Potter, and saw Riddle sitting with him. That traitor! He'd get her real good...

A/N Hope you like it, I finally got the fake friends thing in.

Maria: Does that mean I get my diary back next chapter?

Mornan: Uh...no.

Maria: Why not? I need it!

Mornan: Because that would be boring.

Maria: Says who?

Mornan: Says all my readers! Tell her, people! Review!