Chapter 31

The school resumed and Harry Potter found it even more difficult to spend time with Hermione as he now had a lot of homework assigned. Quidditch practices did not help either as his team Captain training was very tough and Harry was often exhausted from his practices to do anything else. Still, the boy found at least half an hour everyday to spend time with his friend. Once, after a very frustrating day, especially after Snape's brutal training Harry returned to the Hospital Wing and lay next to Hermione. The boy did not know what came from him but he hugged the girl tightly and kissed her on the cheek.

Harry missed his other friends too as Daphne and Neville laid petrified next to Hermione Granger. It seemed that everyone who was friends with him was getting in some trouble or got distant from him as soon was evident from Ginny's weird behavior when she sometimes did not even responded when he tried to talk to her and it seemed for Harry that the girl was in some kind of trance state at times. However, Harry had to deal with the temporary loss of his best friend Hermione Granger as well as Neville and Daphne and he could not help Ginny as well. "Probably she is just having issues with her family" Harry thought as he went to another class.

On January fifteenth Harry finished his classes and together with Draco went to Slytherin common room. The boy planned to take as many books as he could carry so that he could read more to Hermione when he saw Minerva running at them with a surprised look on her face. "Harry, someone being in your room and made a mess in it" The girl told her friend and three friends ran to the Slytherin common room.

"Pureblood" told Draco and the three entered the room. The trip went to Harry and Draco's room and saw that their dormitory was a mess as many books, parchments and quills were lying on the floor everywhere. The beds were a mess as well. The three wizards took their wands and quickly restored the order to the room.

"Has anything been taken?" Draco asked his friend as the other boy checked his books and other school related materials.

"Yes, the diary of Tom Riddle is missing" Seeing the confusion on Draco's face, Harry quickly told his friend what the diary contained.

"It could have been only a Slytherin. Only they know the password to the room" told Minerva as the group sat on Harry's bed, not really knowing what to do.

"Guys, I think it is the time we talk with Professor Dumbledore again," Harry suggested and the Slytherin trio exited their room and went to see the Headmaster. The three friends traveled to the Gargoyle and Harry tried the "Lemon Drops" password but it did not work.

"Professor Dumbledore surely changed the password Harry," suggested the girl

Harry tried to think of different Muggle candy he knew as his mother told him that Headmaster's passwords were always some sort of candy, mostly Muggle one. On his twentieth try the door opened when Harry said "M&M". He smirked and the three students walked upstairs.

"Professor Dumbledore, we have something important to tell you" Harry did not finish, as he did not find the Professor in his office. The group looked around and saw a red bird, which soon burst in flames. The group did not know what to do and in a couple minutes heard the Headmaster, who after opening the door saw three students that were staring at the place of his bird.

"Don't worry Harry, Draco, Minerva, Fawkes is a Phoenix and as such when the time comes he sets himself on fair and then get reborn. An amazing creature Phoenixes are, they are immensely strong and can carry a very large weight and their tears can heal the worst wounds." The Headmaster smiled as he looked at the bird stand where he saw a small bird head popping out from ash.

"Professor, we have something important to tell you. I am sorry to only think of coming to tell you about this know but I was extremely busy and completely forgot about that piece of information. Professor, a couple of weeks ago Minerva and I found out a diary that belonged to Tom Riddle" before Harry could continue, Harry's speech was interrupted by the loud sound of the cup smacking the floor as Professor Dumbledore was very surprised to hear THAT name from Harry.

"What did you find in the diary?" asked Professor Dumbledore and the three students could tell that the elder wizard was very worried.

"Well, you see Professor, the diary had a memory contained within itself and Tom Riddle showed us his memory that dated back around fifty years ago of how he helped to find the monster that killed the girl back then. However, we know that Hagrid is innocent as his "pet" was an Acromantula and the monster must have been a Basilisk." Harry told to his Headmaster.

"Who is Tom Riddle and why are you so worried sir?" asked Draco as he, like Harry, was confused and did not know just who the man was.

"And why does he have some of my facial features" asked the Slytherin girl

The elderly Headmaster looked at the three students and did not know what to say. "Off you go to your dormitories. Remember, if you even hear snake's hissing, run as fast as you can and don't look back. I will have to deal myself with this matter. And I give you all thirty points to Slytherin for your help in tracking that menace." The three students understood that they had to leave and after exiting the Headmaster's office, ran to the common room.

As the students approached their common room, they saw Lily Evans walking together with Severus Snape discussing something. "No running in the corridors Potter, ten points from Slytherin" Snape told the boys as he took the points of the boy. Even though the Potion Master now trained Harry in the Defense, he still tried to take away points from the boy at any time when he thought that Harry was exhibiting James's behavioral characteristics.

"Mother, Professor Snape" he quickly greeted both Professors. "We just returned from Dumbledore's office when we told him about the Diary we found that belonged to Tom Riddle fifty years ago."

"Tom Riddle?" Both Severus Snape and Lily Evans told at the same time.

"Yes, do you know who he was?" asked confused Harry

Lily Evans did not reply and turned around but Harry saw a tear exiting her eye. "That man is responsible for giving you that scar as well as being the grandfather of young Minerva Granger," told Severus Snape calmly and coldly. After the information had been processed in the three youngsters'' brains, Snape saw the horrified look on Draco's face, tears on Minerva's face as well as Harry hugging his mother, trying to comfort her.