With a crashing noise, many books fell to the ground.
- Oh sorry, I'm so sorry!
The boy who had just shoved her was down on one knee in front of a Ginevra Weasley sporting a bright red color on her cheeks.
- It's nothing, uh...
The boy looked up at her and Ginny thought she was going to faint. The one who had just dropped the books she was carrying and was now picking them up was none other than her lifelong idol, Harry Potter. Since the beginning of the year, she had been watching him, this boy she had heard about since she was old enough to understand. Her mother had always told her that with her beautiful red hair, she would go so well with the future Lord Potter. So much so that she only dreamed of one thing in her life: marrying the boy of her dreams. He was said to be extremely brave, helping others without expecting anything in return, and brilliant in class.
She had searched for months for an opportunity to talk to him and now, when she came out of the library, she had the perfect opportunity. Besides, he was on his knees in front of her, like in her wildest dreams in which he had a whole other reason to be in this position. These dreams all involved an engagement ring in the young man's hands and a look of love on his face.
So immersed in her thoughts and in her overflowing imagination, Ginny didn't immediately realize that Harry had got up and was handing her the books he had just picked up. A new wave of blush invaded her cheeks.
- Hmm, uh, m… thank you.
- You're welcome, replied the boy with a big smile. If I may say so, did you take those books for Professor McGonagall's homework on Transfiguring a Rat into Glass?
- Um yes.
- Then, in this case, I recommend the very good "Transfigurations of all ages" by Mike Rophone. It is much more detailed than Frank Lipoor's book that you borrowed.
- Really ? THANKS ! Oh, uh, I'm Ginny Weasley, she added with a small smile.
- A pleasure Miss Weasley, I am Harry Potter.
- Uh, hmm… Call me Ginny, please.
- Then call me Harry, he replied with a charming smile, bringing back the blush that had just disappeared.
Harry insisted on walking the girl back to her House, the corridors were still unsafe. Ginny felt like she was floating, and her cheeks looked like they had definitely taken red tint.
Once the Gryffindor passed the painting guarding her Common Room, Harry let his smile fall. His face was now an indifferent mask but his thoughts were racing.
He couldn't stand this kid with her hero worship but pretending to like her wouldn't be that hard as she didn't seem very observant. Besides, it would always be good to have contacts in the House of the lions, apart from the twins who seemed to have taken him under their wings. The Weasleys were a family firmly under Dumbledore's thumb, showing good feelings towards them would guarantee Harry a positive image with the old goat.
Besides, Harry had received a summons from him and had to go to his office after dinner. He had asked Professor Flitwick to accompany him as permitted by his status as Head of House.
.oOÔOo.
- Ah, hello Mr. Potter. Thank you Filius for accompanying him, you can leave us.
- Ahem, Albus, Mr. Potter asked me to stay with you during your interview. I gladly accepted.
Dumbledore seemed to have swallowed his candy the wrong way but nodded anyway.
- Hello, Director. May I know why I was summoned?
- Of course, my boy. You were the one who found Mr. Finch-Fletchley last week, hmm?
- Yes sir, but I was not alone. I was with Luna, Fred and Georges.
- I see. What were you doing in that hallway at the time?
- I was walking with Luna. She's in first grade, so I was showing her places that I found interesting, including a rather funny tapestry on the seventh floor. We were about to go back to our Common Room when we ran into the twins and they offered to take us back before curfew. Right before we were going to split up, we found Justin and Nick on the floor. By the way, Headmaster, how is it possible to petrify a ghost? I searched the library but couldn't find anything, no spell that could do this to ghosts.
The Charms professor was smiling proudly at his brightest student but the Headmaster looked more annoyed than anything. The conversation was obviously not going the way he had hoped.
- I hope you weren't too scared, my boy.
- Oh, no sir. We were four and the danger was obviously over. Do you have any idea what this heir of Slytherin wants?
- Not really…
- Mr. Potter, the Chamber of Secrets was opened many years ago. And, even at that time, we were unable to understand the motives and the means used by the responsible person.
- Oh… And how did it end the last time?
- Filius!
- No, Albus, it's a valid question. And then, if the information does not come from us, it will come from a student whose parents or grandparents were students at the time. Might as well cut the rumors short, right?
Harry suppressed a sarcastic smile that wanted to make an appearance. Thus, the Head of Ravenclaws was not a sucker for that insult to fashion taste that was Dumbledore. Seriously, that pastel yellow and purple robe… With those little pixies dancing around its sleeves and unicorns walking around its collar… Huh, Harry was already planning on taking a migraine potion on the way out.
- Fifty years ago, the heir of Slytherin opened the Chamber, bringing out the Monster residing there. Unfortunately, a student named Myrtle Warren was killed by the Monster. A suspect was arrested and the attacks stopped.
- So the culprit is in jail? It would be his child who would have taken over?
- It turns out that the suspect was cleared at the end of his trial. But the attacks did not resume and the story was gradually forgotten.
- It's terrible for the victim, professor.
- Indeed but she was a Muggleborn and her parents had no recourse to continue the investigation...
The ensuing discussion focused primarily on the rights of Muggleborn parents. While very interesting, it mostly revealed to Harry how these two wizards had no idea what life was like as a wizarding child in the Muggle world.
If Flitwick was trying to be objective and rational, Dumbledore's glasses were obviously tinted in pink. Or he put drugs in his lemon drops… In any case, for this crazy old man, the muggles were all Saints and should almost be worshiped.
For Harry who had grown up in a family of anti-magic Muggles, it was hard to swallow. So he took his leave before his mask of good-naturedness and innocence became too much to bear.
.oOÔOo.
- And you know, like, Snape kept making fun of her. It's so unfair!
- Mmhmm (ah but stop talking for a bit, damn chatterbox)
- Oh by the way, Harry, Colin asked me if I could ask you for an autograph.
- You know, Ginny, I'm a normal person and I'm not really enjoying my fame (Oh no, please, not another Gryffindor puppy following me around drooling!)
- You are too modest Harry! But I get it, you know, when you're as famous as you are, you want to be left alone.
- Absolutely (And if you only knew how I wish YOU would leave me alone!)
- Say, are you staying at Hogwarts for Christmas? My brothers told me that school was, like, great during the holidays but I would have liked to go home. I miss my parents so much.
- You know, I don't really have a family outside. My uncle and my aunt are kind enough to take care of me but I know they prefer to celebrate Christmas with their son. (Come on, you moron, you can't be serious. Bitch, telling me that she misses her living parents… hope you feel guilty now.)
- Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry! It was really insensitive of me, she added with a devastated look. In any case, thank you for accompanying me to my House. You are so kind!
- It's normal, the corridors are not safe at this time. You have to be careful, Ginny. (But come on, go back to your Common Room, damn it! How I preferred when you were too shy to line up two words!)
- Good night, Harry.
Harry let the girl kiss him on the cheek with a tender smile as he internally screamed. He had to find the diary as soon as possible. Even if he would continue to play comedy with the kid, knowing that he had taken Marvolo's diary from her would give him great satisfaction.
.oOÔOo.
It was two weeks after the Christmas holidays that Harry finally got a glimpse of the diary. It protruded ever so slightly from the girl's bag as she wrote her Potions homework. The little book matched Marvolo's description exactly. With a discreet attraction spell, he summoned the diary in his hand and hid it in his robe.
- Excuse me, Ginny, I'll be back, I have to go to the bathroom.
- No problem, Harry. Thanks again for helping me with my homework.
Harry quickly slipped away to the nearest empty room. Once the door was locked, he took the diary out of his pocket. He gently stroked the leather cover of the notebook and felt a shiver rise from his fingers to his shoulder. It was a strange but not really unpleasant sensation. He was very tempted to write in it and seemed on the verge of opening the diary for that purpose before Marvolo's warning came to his mind. "But above all, don't write in it. That would have…unpleasant consequences."
He took a notebook slightly resembling the diary from another pocket. He'd had it with him for weeks, ready to take advantage of any opportunity. Using a few spells, he modified it to be the perfect replica of the original he had just stolen. He then wrapped the diary in a bag of acromentula silk, a material that easily absorbs the emanations of magical objects, ready to deliver it to Marvolo as soon as the opportunity arose.
When he returned to the library, he sighed, reassured to see that the Gryffindor was still immersed in her homework and hadn't noticed what he had done at all. He placed the replica of the diary next to the bag on the ground as he sat down again.
That same evening, Harry contacted Voldemort. This one purely and simply refused that the diary be sent to him by owl, it was far too important to take the risk of it being lost or intercepted. It was decided that Harry would keep it in the secret compartment of his trunk until the summer when Fenrir would come to retrieve it by hand. When the boy described the strange sensation he had upon touching the diary, Marvolo was silent for a few moments before telling him that he should check something the next time they saw each other in person. Even if it would have to wait a few more years.
.oOÔOo.
After a few weeks without new attacks, the atmosphere of Hogwarts regained a little lightness. The Weasley twins were quick to join in the students' efforts to make the atmosphere more livable. The students had a singular experience of this, all meeting up one morning, at breakfast, with their hair in the colors of their House.
Harry found his brother hilarious with his green and silver hair. Finally, it was above all his horrified look when he realized this that undermined the distressed mask he was trying to keep. He turned back to the Lions table and gave the two redheads a discreet wink, the Gryffindor rouge not changing their natural color so much.
The year passed quickly after that. The only bright spot for Ravenclaw was the fact that the useless Defense professor had been fired sometime in February. Several students had complained about their teacher's advances on Valentine's Day. Dumbledore had wanted to cover up the affair but Harry had convinced the young girls to complain to their parents. After a quick investigation, Lockhart was taken away by the Aurors and the Ministry appointed a replacement for the rest of the year who turned out to be a pretty good teacher.
Once the final exams passed, Harry and Luna decided to stop their training until the following year. The young man had improved considerably over time, very often succeeding his spells without uttering their incantation and more and more wandless spells and the young girl had mastered most of the healing spells she had studied.
For the second year in a row, Ravenclaw won the House Cup. The fact that a large part of the points had again been won by Harry surprised no one, the fact that Luna had won almost as many was more of a surprise. The young girl perpetually in the moon hid her intelligence well.
The two shared a compartment on the Hogwarts Express that took them back to London. Harry was glum about having to go back to his muggle hell and Luna was sad to let her only friend go to a place where he was hated. The fact that they could write to each other lightened the mood slightly, but both of them were looking forward to the start of the next school year.