My jaw dropped in surprise.
"You, you are not serious? Drake ... No, of course not, why would you say that," I say sadly.
"You're a Parseltongue, a true heir of Slytherin," He replies.
He doesn't look convinced that I was telling the truth.
"You're a complete imbecile MALFOY! If you want to know more about the events that happened tonight, maybe you should ask you house elf!" I reply hotly.
"What does Dobby have to do with the chamber of secrets?" Counters Malfoy.
"He warned Potter that something bad was going to happen in the school," I answer.
"Oh, so now your accusing me! When you're the only Parselmouth here," He counters angrily.
"ASK you house elf what he meant then!" I yell back to him.
"What's going on?" Blaise said. Blaise now moved to stand next to Malfoy.
"Malfoy has this bright idea that am the heir of Slytherin!" I say sarcastically raising my hands in defiance then start stalking away from them. I go to sleep eventually but it was a rough night.
The next day at lunch Daphne, Hermione, Ron, Harry and I are in the Library looking over the information on the Chamber of Secrets. I turn to the page that I had read before that explained the Legend. After seeing this information again, I realize that the Chamber of Secrets may be what the snake scratched in the copper tap could be concealing. big yellow eyes. The Slytherin monster?!
I hadn't been looking very hard to find information on the broken tap. I should have told someone, this is all my fault! I panic, what can I do now, I can't prove it wasn't I who opened it. If I tell a teacher where to find the chamber, they are not going to believe I just happened to find the chamber by accident.
"Bloody hell!" I cry in panic. I gasp, realizing too late that I said that in Parseltongue.
"What's wrong Danni?" Potter asks me concerned, also in Parseltongue.
I look up in horror, everyone was staring at Potter and I like we had grown extra heads. We both had spoken in Parseltongue.
"YOU! Potter, you speak snake?" I exclaim in surprise.
"What do you mean?" He replies worriedly looking to Hermione. Potter's 'go to' person when he didn't understand something.
"Harry, you and Danni are, are Parselmouths! You can speak to snakes," Hermione says very concerned.
Hermione looks to me accusingly, "Why didn't you tell me you could speak to snakes?" She says annoyed.
"I didn't want to bring attention to myself, my house members informed me it was something that should be kept quiet because of the stigma attached to the magical ability." I answer Hermione.
"Well of cause there is a stigma attached to it, it's dark magic, no good wizard speaks it, It's a gift that Salazar Slytherin is famous for, it's why the Slytherin house has a snake as their symbol" Weasley says. Weasley gives me a scathingly look.
"Weasley, don't judge me! Potter speaks it as well, with that logic Potter is a "no good wizard" also," I reply annoyed.
I laugh just realizing what I said, "Oh, Sorry Weasley you must be right because Potter is a no good wizard," I sneer.
Weasley snorts at me then turns to Potter, "Why didn't you tell us Harry?" Weasley says accusingly. "I, I didn't know, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once — long story — but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to that was before I knew I was a wizard, still can't believe I can speak another language without knowing," Potter says.
"Yet again Potter you show no interest in the magical world around you, when you first came here why didn't you ask a teacher or search the library or heck even asked Hermione, she would have known right away information on your ability," I scathingly say to Potter.
"What going on?" Ginny says behind me, I hope she didn't hear my rant. I turn to Ginny. The first thing I notice is that she is standing there awkwardly, hugging a diary. Ginny looks as though she has been crying.
"What wrong Ginny? Are you OK, you look upset?" I ask her. Hermione, Daphne and I haven't had a chance to speak to Ginny since the train ride.
"Um, I am upset because of the chamber of secrets being opened, the cat! I can't believe a monster is at the school" She says visibly upset. I sense she isn't telling the complete truth, she has a dark presence around her.
It's the same feeling I had when I was given the necklace. I eye her again, I think the book in her hand is evil!
"But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris. Honestly, we're much better off without her," Weasley replies. Ginny's lip trembled. "Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts, they'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking." Weasley added hastily as Ginny blanched.
Bad things do happen at Hogwarts, has he forgotten that the Dark Lord was attached to our teachers head last year!
"Ginny, I don't recall you being at the Halloween party last night? Were you there?" I asked her. She looks nervous, her eyes look down briefly at the diary she was holding.
"No, I wasn't feeling well," She lied. So lying! I have to get my hands on that diary!
Over the next few days Potter and I found out we were rumored to be the Heirs of Slytherin, people had debates over who it was. Such childish behavior. Everyone now knows that Harry and I are Parselmouths, someone in the library overheard us. In History of Magic, Professor Binns had asked for a three foot long composition on "The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards". Weasel tried to copy Hermione but she didn't let him. Good.
In Friday potions, Potter stupidly added tubeworms to his potion three steps early, so the potion had exploded all over the classroom! Snape rightly held him back in potions, to scrape tubeworms off the desks.
After Daphne and I had had fun changing beetles to gloves in McGonagall class. I was walking towards the great hall for dinner and realized I was going past the sign "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened".
"Daphne, I am going to check something, I will meet you at the great hall," I tell her. I ignore the Out of Order sign to Myrtles bathroom.
"Myrtle? Are you there?" I shout.
Myrtle zooms towards me. "Danni? It has been a while, what can I do for you?" She replies.
"Sorry, it has been a while. I was wondering if you saw anything on Halloween? The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, there is a sign on the corridor right outside this bathroom, a cat has been petrified," I asked her.
"I wasn't paying attention," Said Myrtle significantly. "Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to kill myself. Then, of course, I remembered that I'm — that I'm —"
"Oh Myrtle, Peeves is a pain to everyone, don't let it get to you," I tell her.
I hear the door open behind me, I go in a stall to hide. After the people had left, I left the bathroom without being noticed. If I had got caught it would have made me look very suspicious. I still hadn't figured out how I can steal that diary from Ginny. Someone needs to get the diary but not be seen. Kreacher? I don't think my father would approve of me using my house elf as such. If it wasn't a horcrux I can easily have Kreacher return the diary.
Later that night I decided that I would ask Kreacher to get the Diary. I was sitting on my king bed, it was midnight.
"Kreacher?" I called. POP. Kreacher had entered my room.
"Yes Mistress," Kreacher says.
"Kreacher, I need an object, it's hidden in the Gryffindor house. The Girls bedrooms, belonging to a student by the name of Ginny Weasley. A diary is what I am after," I order Kreacher.
"I will try my best mistress," Kreacher replies.
I haven't spoken to Draco, I am not please about his accusations. I have been ignoring him completely.
"Now class, I have exciting news today. I wasn't going to start practical defense until later this year. Due to the recent events with the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. I feel it is in my duty to at least start with the basic defensive spells this lesson," Mrs Prince announces to us.
We get up so Mrs Prince can move all the tables and chairs to the back of the room.
"OK, so please choose a partner so we can practice the disarming spell," Mrs Prince says. We all paired up. I ended up with Daphne. Hermione was with Longbottom.
Daphne and I smirk at each.
"Scared Danni?" Daphne mocks.
"You wish," I mutter.
"Expelliarmus," Daphne cries. I block it. Expelliarmus, I silently cast the spell. It hits her. Daphne gets up, "Hey! no cheating!" Daphne says pouting at me. All lesson Mrs Prince walked around and helped students to correct their form.
By the end of that lesson, Mrs Prince confirmed that we were all able to perform the Disarming spell.
"Now class, what I would like you all to do for homework is to read chapter two of your textbook. The chapter is called why duelling was outlawed. I would like an essay explaining the conclusions and benefits of the laws that have been passed to outlaw duelling your opponents to death." Say Mrs Prince. The bell rings, just as we are all collecting our books Mrs prince asks me to stay behind, so we can talk.
"So I hear that students are accusing the two lest likely students in this school to be the heirs of Slytherin," Mrs Prince says to me.
"Yes they are accusing Harry and I," I reply to this then continue. "I am still investigating who it might be. I have a likely suspect, but I have to prove it," I say to Mandy.
"Who do you suspect?" Mrs Prince says in alarm.
"I suspect possession. No student would be stupid or evil enough to open it. I suspect the Dark Lord," I reply.
"Possibly, Voldemort was able to control the last D.A.D.A teacher last year, his presence can still affect our world," Mrs Prince replies. It's good to have a teacher that can take my view seriously. Mrs Prince and I then go up to her office and have some tea. Well she had tea, I had hot chocolate. It wasn't until an hour later that Mrs Prince and I stopped talking.
I went to the hall for dinner, I met Daphne there.
"Hey Daphne, I just come back from talking with Mrs Prince," I tell her.
"Hermione and I are going to the Library to work on our D.A.D.A essay, see you there later," She replies. Her dinner plate empty. I start to eat then I hear a sigh. I look up.
"What is it Draco?" I reply to his sigh of annoyance.
"Fathers being unreasonable, he won't explain to me anything about what is going on with the Chamber of Secrets. All he explains is that it was opened fifty years ago and that I should keep my mouth shut and let the monster do its job," Draco answers.
"Lovely, your father sounds as peachy as mine," I reply sarcastically. "You know I am still annoyed at you," I continue.
Draco rolls his eyes. "Whatever Dan, you know I didn't mean it to upset you. I haven't asked you yet, are you just as surprised as me to find out that Potter can speak to snakes," Draco asks.
"Not exactly, I don't find the magical talent that abnormal, you know. Most of my family speaks it and quite a few others in Salem. What I am surprised at is he didn't even bother to learn about his ability," I reply to Draco's question.
"What, he had well renowned Slytherin talent and it slipped his notice? Idiot," Draco replies annoyed.
"Exactly, but Harry was just born with the ability, it's not like he is able to speak to snakes due from talent," I reply.
"Harry?! Harry! Where did that come from, No Pothead?" He replies bitterly.
"Don't read into anything Drake," I reply hastily.
"Why wouldn't I? Granger is a good friend to you but she is too involved with them. Granger is making you soft towards those two gits," He says. He decides to leave with Greg and Vincent after that.
I finish eating my dinner and join Hermione in the Library. We work on the essay for a good half hour before we start getting bored. We discuss our essay's and then the Chamber of Secrets more, but we have spoken so much on that topic that it didn't last very long.
Later that night I am woken up by Kreacher suddenly. "Ahh, Kreacher, what are doing scaring me?" I cry in alarm.
"Sorry for that Mistress but you wanted me to give the diary to you as soon as I got my hands on it, the Girl kept writing in it so often I found it hard to steal, sorry it has taken a while," He replies. He hands me Ginny's diary!
"Thanks so much Kreacher! You are the best house elf ever. You have earned yourself an reward, what would you like?" I say to Kreacher.
"The fact you are pleased with my service is enough," He replies.
"Well, if you ever think of anything, let me know," I reply. He bows then leaves with a POP. I look at the diary. It's just a plain baby (muggle) diary. I opened it up and see "T M. Riddle" in smudged ink. I flick through the book, there is no writing? But Kreacher said Ginny was writing in it?
T M Riddle,
That is stupid of Tom Riddle though, surely it makes your body more weak?
I hear my father's words. T M Riddle is Voldemort. It's as I thought, this diary is a horcrux.
"Kreacher!" I yell. POP.
"Hello again Mistress," Kreacher says to me.
"Wake my father up and get that fang! Now," I yell to Kreacher.
"Yes Miss," He replies. POP.
Was Ginny talking to the dark lord through this diary? I get out a quill and ink pot. I open up the Diary and write:
"Hello?"
My writing disappeared, then it wrote back to me.
"Hello, who are you?"
I hope giving my name won't hurt. It would be interesting to see how he feels about his future self. Is it something Ginny discussed with this diary by accident?
"I am Danni Merida. I know who was writing to you before, did they discuss with you what has happened at the school?"
"Hello Danni, I am Tom Riddle, How did you come by my diary?"
"I stole it, the chamber of secrets has been opened do you know anything about the chamber of secrets?"
"Of course I know about the Chamber of Secrets. In my day, they told us it was a legend, that it did not exist. But this was a lie. In my fifth year, the Chamber was opened and the monster attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught the person who'd opened the Chamber and he was expelled. But the Headmaster, Professor Dippet, ashamed that such a thing had happened at Hogwarts, forbade me to tell the truth. A story was given out that the girl had died in a freak accident. They gave me a nice, shiny, engraved trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep my mouth shut. But I knew it could happen again. The monster lived on, and the one who had the power to release it was not imprisoned."
I finish reading this wondering who was the poor person he framed. The dark lord was even very dangerous when he was just a teenager.
"Who was it last time," I write back. He then showed me a memory of him catching Hagrid. I paid attention to every detail, Hagrid was telling the truth. I loathe his kind more than any other but he was framed.
When I get my breath back I write, "I know this Hagrid, he works at the school!"
"Well it makes perfect sense then, that the chamber has been opened again, stay away from him!" The dark lord wrote back.
Concern, I know he wouldn't hold concern for anyone, he is trying to gain my trust for his evil purposes. I need to get information from him. I need to know how many horcruxes he made. I researched horcruxes in my grandfathers library and I know to create one you need to murder someone. The dark lord murdered many but how many horcruxes would he have made.
"Tom, I wouldn't go anywhere near Hagrid, I hate his kind! He is a giant!" I reply.
"Yes, I suspected as much in school, how is Hogwarts these days? Who is the headmaster?" He replies to me.
"Professor Dumbledore, I don't mind school but the school work isn't challenging and so I have to go to my grandfathers library which is also ill supplied with the information that I am craving for," I reply, hoping this would perk his interest.
"What information are you after Danni, perhaps I can be of assistance?" He replies, he is taking the "nice guy" too far! No wonder Ginny didn't think this Tom character was the dark lord.
"Precisely I am after how many horcruxes a person can make, does it have a limit? I am thinking ..." umm what number should I guess? "three would be the limit." I write.
"Horcruxes? That's a very interesting topic, Ginny told me that you were in Slytherin house and that you are very strong in curses but you have knowledge of Horcruxes?" He replies.
Not very informative, but I wasn't expecting much. Maybe if I explained about the necklace. He may get angry but he would have to announce who he really is to explain why he is angry, which would be a bad move on his part.
"My father found a locket that onced belonged to the dark lord, it was a horcrux," I reply.
"WAS?" He replies.
I smirk, "We can't have him coming back! He murdered so many good wizards and witches! So yes, we did they only thing we could do, which was to destroy it," I wrote back.
"So I have heard from Ginny, she didn't know how Harry was able to survive after being attacked, only as a one year old?" He writes back. Ah, so he is now trying to get information from me.
"Nobody knows," I write back.
"Nobody? Nobody knows how he was able to defeat a great wizard?" He writes. Oh no, he is close to losing his cool.
"Well why should it matter? He made hoxcuxes and killed people. He may have been a great wizard but he was terrible," I write back, I am annoyed this conversation has been useless, entertaining but useless.
"You lie, you know why it matters to me. You said so yourself that you have destroyed a horcrux of the dark lord. It's no coincidence that you stole this diary," He wrote back. Yeah no coincidence.
"Yes the person you trusted this diary to, betrayed you Voldemort and you're right it wasn't a coincidence," I wrote in response.
I see that he is trying to show me another memory. I am scared, is this a trick? Why he is showing me something now. I look, I fall into the book as before.
I come face to face with a young Voldemort, "Hello Danni," He says to me.
"How are you doing this?" I reply in a panic.
"Magic," He replies sarcastically.
I scrutinize him, "You know, you are very handsome compared to how you looked in your later years, the dark magic destroyed your looks," I reply. He charges for my wand. I step aside but he is cunning, he has my wand now.
... Meanwhile in Danni's room
POP. Kreacher has finally entered her room. "Mistress, here is the fang," Kreacher says. He realizes that Danni is unconscious. He looks at the diary then at Danni. He must stab the diary he realizes. He slams the fang into the book, inks pours from it. By the time it stops oozing ink, there is a big gaping hole in it.
I scream and sit up, "Kreacher you saved me!" I shout. I grab Kreacher into a tight hug. I acted very childish. I shouldn't have done that, I should have not been so fascinated by the ability to speak to him. I am so grateful that Kreacher saved me. To calm my nerves I decided to go to the kitchens to grab chocolate. I put a concealment charm on myself.
I almost made it to the kitchens when I hear, "Danni, you can't fool me," Mrs Prince says. I turn to face her. She looks very mad.
I take the charm off, "Sorry Mandy," I say to her.
"Sorry Mandy? That's all you have to say? I know you love late night snacks but given the current situation, you really shouldn't be out this late," Mandy says, telling me off. She has never been strict towards me. Mandy must be really worried.
"I have to speak to you about that, we were right it was the Dark Lord, Kreacher destroyed the horcrux while I trapped in Voldemort's memories, he was using this diary to control a student to open the chamber," I told her.
"You .. you what? Wow you are more of hero than you give yourself credit for. You have a bravery streak that revivals some Gryffindor's ...
"Bah, don't say that!" I say insulted by her accusation.
She chuckles, "OK, so what does that mean for the Slytherin monster. Will it stop attacking. Where is the entry to the chamber?" Mandy asks.
"In Myrtles' bathroom, there is a snake scratched into the plumbing," I reply to her question.
"OK, thanks, well hurry up, get to bed!" She says sternly.
Damn I guess food will have to wait. I turn to leave then realize something, "Wait Mandy, you're not planning to go there by yourself, are you?" I ask shocked.
She shakes her head and smiles at me and says, "Just get to bed now".
Later the next morning I am almost having kittens with nerves. Is Mandy OK!