Disclaimer: Mornan does not own any of the original Harry Potter characters, settings or plots.

Maria: That was unusually bland.

Mornan: That's because I nearly quit the fic. Why? Because someone pointed out problems I didn't know how to fix. And then I figured it out: I'm 14, not that good a writer, and I don't have to write it like J.K. Rowling herself would. I'll fix the things that I want to/can, and maybe add a side plot or two, but Maria Riddle is staying Riddle; and no, Harry's not going to notice. For a while. I made Draco a complete idiot, I can make the Trio a tad blonde. So there, ha! Anything I don't want to change will stay the same.

Maria: Hold on, you almost stopped the story?

Mornan: Yah. Anyway, if you're thinking I should have updated quicker, keep in mind I was trying to figure out how to fix problems that were way over my head. If there's holes in the connection to the books, oh well; I'm not perfect. Maybe when I'm like, 50, I'll come back at rewrite this fic and it will be like the 7th book. But not now. It's a fanfiction, dang it! Note: This is not a flame-type thing against the author of the review; thanks for the help. It just scared me for a while.

P.S. What's AU? And what the heck is Angst? I know I should know... but I don't. Oh and there's LOTS of dialogue in this chapter.

Chapter 12: All Talk

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were sitting in the common room, leaning back against the armchairs. The windows were tinted red from the first rays of morning light. The trio had been there for at least an hour, puzzling over the mysterious diary and equally mysterious Maria.

"There's only who knows for sure. When it comes to both our problems."

Ron snorted. "Yah, You-Know-Who's kid and Maria."

Harry, however, looked both surprised and pleased. "No, Ron. Malfoy. If he dislikes Maria so much, there must be something he knows about her. And he was the one I got the diary from. He knows who owns it."

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Ron looked so happy at the discovery, Hermione couldn't answer his question. Instead, she giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing Ron. Anyway. We know who can tell us, but we also know that he won't. So, right now our real problem is figuring out how to get him to tell us."

"Well," Ron looked excited. "He fell for the Polyjuice potion 2nd Year, maybe we should do that!"

Harry shook his head. "It would be suspicious if Crabbe and Goyle started asking about Maria, and maybe even if we just asked about the diary. Aside from that, I don't think he'd fall for it now. None of us are 12 years old anymore."

"Hmm, good point. Maybe we could get some of that stuff... what's it called, Veritsilum?"

"Ron!" Hermione sat bolt upright. "First of all, it's called Veritaserum, and second of all we can't do that! If we used a truth potion on him, he could tell someone afterwards! We could be expelled!"

"You're right Hermione." Ron collapsed back into his chair. "Well, how are we going to get him to talk?"

"We'll figure something out, Ron. But in the meantime, there's someone else who might know. But it'll be harder to get her to talk than Malfoy."

Hermione nodded. "Maria. She knows something about the diary. I think the best thing to crack her is to go along with the her. She's trying to be our friend, for some reason. Keep an eye out, but loosen up, guys. If she thinks it's safe, she might slip up on her little performance."

"Oh. So that's why you were being nice to her."

"Yes, Ron. Now you get it."

In the Slytherin Common Room, Malfoy was plotting as well. "Well, boys. I can't think of anything. She won't fall for our usual tricks. The only thing we can do is mess up her plan to get her diary. Any ideas?"

"Uh..."

"I wasn't asking you, Goyle! Honestly... alright, I think I've got it. Spreading rumors to the school at large won't work. But if we can get Potter to stay away from her, she'll fail. So, what can we tell Potter that will make him stay away from her, even if it's coming from me?"

"Dunno."

"Crabbe! I'm trying to think, will you shut up! You two are no help." Malfoy paced for a while, then smirked. "I've got it."

Maria was already sitting at the Griffindor table when Harry, Ron and Hermione came down from breakfast. She didn't seem to mind the dirty looks coming from every student at the table.

"Hey, guys! Breakfast is really good today!"

"Yah, thanks to the toil of a bunch of innocent house elves."

"Oh, c'mon Hermione! Don't start with that Spew thing again!"

"It's S.P.E.W. Ron, and thank you for reminding me! Maria, I head an organization that's trying to free house elves. Want to join?"

"Sure, I'll sign up after classes. Have you ever been down in the kitchens, though? Nothing should have to be a slave but they would be insulted if you tried to help. Strange things."

"I know. I've been trying to convince them, but they won't listen."

"Well, if you want to convince them, you have to get them to believe it would be better for their work. For example, you could say that clothes would make them more pleasing to look at when people came for snacks. Stuff like that. They won't listen if you talk about rights."

"Wow! I never thought of that!"

"Looks like you have a new advocate for House Elves' rights, Hermione." Harry wore a half smile, suppressing his amusement. Maria was a convincing actor. His old Muggle schools would have loved to have her in their school plays.

"Maybe." Maria smirked, and Ron made a face.

"Oh, don't do that! It makes you look like Malfoy!" Maria immediately stopped.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner! I've been looking like a git and no one told me!" Everyone laughed, while Harry and Hermione noted the coldness in Maria's eyes.

During Charms, the Slytherin 7th years were paired with the Gryffindor 7th years. Malfoy made it a point to sit close to Harry.
"Hey, Potter! Over here, Scarhead!"

Harry glanced briefly at Draco. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Malfoy smirked. Again. "You're friends with that Riddle girl, right?"

Harry was surprised. Was it going to be hard to get Malfoy to talk after all? "Yeh. Why?"

"She's a Death Eater. She's trying to kill you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting, Malfoy. But if she was, you wouldn't tell me."

"Oh really? I hate you Potter, but I hate her more. If you know, she fails. If she fails, she'll die."

"And then you die for telling."

"Only if someone knows I did."

"Sorry Malfoy. I don't know what you're trying to do, but it's not a very believable story. Why would she kill me now? Why not last year, or the year before? Better luck next time, ferret."

Malfoy shrugged it off. Plan B. "Fine. Excuse me for trying to keep a Slytherin from dating a Gryffindor."

"What? Malfoy, I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're full of stories today aren't you."

"I'm serious. She was swearing up in down in the common room last year that you were the hottest boy in school. Naturally I was completely disgusted."

"Oh really? Is that why you hate her so much?"

"Yah."

The bell rang, and Professor Flitwick started the lesson, but Harry wasn't paying attention. He was trying to figure out the believability of the second story. If it was true, then Maria probably knew nothing of the diary and was harmless. If it wasn't, then Malfoy was trying desperately to get Harry away from her. Since he hated Maria so much, it probably meant that he was trying to stop her from completing whatever she was trying to do. And that Malfoy didn't want Harry to know what she was really doing.
The deatheater story was too major to cover up a crush. Something was seriously wrong.

By lunch, Harry had decided that the crush story was not correct.

"Hey, Maria. You'll never guess what Malfoy told me during charms."

Maria forced herself to loosen up. It might not be what she thought... "What? That he admits his inferiority? Hallelujah!"

Harry laughed. "No, he said that you were a Death Eater trying to kill me. And when I didn't buy that, he tried to convince me that you had a crush on me!"

"Really? Weirdo. You know that's not true."

Hermione spoke up while piling food on her plate. "Actually, we don't. There's one way to find out. A truth potion." Hermione immediately burst out laughing, and the boys followed.

Using a Veritaserum to find out what was going on. More of a chance with her than with Malfoy. Maybe.

Maria pouted. "You guys trust me that little? You're so mean!" Under the cover of a new wave of laughs, Maria made a note to watch what she ate and drank. If she was under Verutaserum, who knew what she might tell. "Hey guys, when's the first Hogsmead visit?"

Hermione looked surprise. "You know, everything is topsy turvy this year. It's next Saturday, and we just got back from summer Vacation!"

Maria nodded. "Weird. Oh well, the sooner the better! I can't wait to go to Hogsmead!"

After the Trio had finished their homework, they started discussing their newest leads. "Well, first of all, if Malfoy is trying so hard to stop the plan he might tell us what it is. But we can't be sure that he'll tell the truth, or even that he'll tell us at all. Hermione, you mentioned Veritaserum. You said we couldn't use it. Why the change of mind?"

"Well, it'll take a while; but if you found yourself under a truth potion, and someone started asking you questions, when would you be more suspicious: if the person was a friend, or an enemy? Malfoy would know it was us. And he'd tell for sure. But we don't know that about Maria. We'll have to find out more, but it's still an option."

"Yah. But it'll take time. I hope we have it."

"Oh, come on, Harry! You're acting like we're trying to stop doomsday!"

"We might be."

Ron rolled his eyes."Alright. So what do we do in the meantime?"

"Think of a plan. Veritaserum is probably pretty obvious. If you tried to lie and you couldn't, you'd know something was up. So if someone started asking you questions then, you'd probably figure out what was going on. So, once she's had the Potion, how do we make it so our questions don't point us out?"

Hermione grinned. "Ask them often. If we ask something every other day, and act like we're kidding, then if we ask while she can't lie then she'll just be upset at our timing. She couldn't say it was us for sure. And we could always make it look like Malfoy did it. She would believe that."

"Maybe. Like I said, we'll see."

"You mean like I said?"

"Guys. If she's just putting on a show, then there's one fault in the plan: She has to actually think we're her friends. No one is more untrusting than the untrustworthy. or something like that. Anyway, she probably doesn't trust us."

Hermione sighed. "You're right Ron. This is going to be tricky."

Erm. Short chapter, all dialogue. Well, mostly dialogue. But that's all that's happening for now. They'll do stuff next chapter. I think. I'm sorry, I'm sorta at a dead point right now. I can't think of what should happen next.


Maria: I should succeed in getting my diary back.


Mornan: They'd know it was you. You realize that, right?


Maria: This is going to be a long story.


Mornan: Yah. I should replace the Harry Potter stuff and make a book out of this. As it is, it might end up at small-novel-length. Oh boy.


Maria: Start writing better, this chapter sucked. R'n'R


Mornan: Speaking of which, here's the real reason I need reviews. I am hopelessly blonde. If you review, i get an email that reminds me that my story exists. Then, if I have an idea for the next chapter, I'll write. If not, well who knows. But If I get an email reminding me, the chapter will be sooner than otherwise. If I get NO reviews, I'll write when I remember. Which might be next week. or sometime in the month after next. Get it? My apologies.