The Potter Timeline
Chapter 28 - A Dark Mystery
"Tom Riddle?" Hermione uttered.
"That's his name, or...was his name, before he changed it to 'Voldemort'," Harry answered.
The girl stared at the ground in thought as the pair made their way around the Black Lake that late afternoon. As Madam Pomfrey was satisfied the girls suffered no further effects of smoke inhalation, she allowed them to resume their normal activities. Harry and Hermione decided to take a nice hike outside to discuss Harry's conversation with Dumbledore. Waning sunshine and a cool breeze off the water made the trek along the dirt path pleasant.
"So, that was his real name, back then," Hermione said, "I wonder how long ago that was, the image I saw in the mirrors."
"I don't know. Dumbledore didn't tell me when Tom was a student," Harry replied.
"And you're sure it was Ginny Weasley who set my bed on fire?"
"Almost positive. Everything points to her. And the fact that she's been talking to Tom's spirit, not knowing he's Voldemort, as well as Dobby telling us the 'dark one' had plans against you seems to match. The question is what else he might have planned."
"And Dobby's master was a supporter of Voldemort, though Dumbledore wouldn't tell you who he or she is. It seems a foregone conclusion that plans were made between Voldemort and this supporter then. Otherwise, how would Dobby know? He must have overheard them."
Harry nodded.
"That's my guess. But how did Ginny end up in contact with Tom?"
The girl thought carefully. But not a moment after, she stopped and turned to face him.
"Harry, you said Dobby was looking for something in your trunk the night we met up in Diagon Alley."
"Yes. He said he wondered if...'he' placed it in my trunk!" Harry replied in astonishment, "we know at least then, Dobby's master is a man!"
"Correct," Hermione stated, "and apparently he tried to use some object to allow Tom to communicate with Ginny. But what?"
The pair walked silently for a few more moments, both in thought. Then it was Harry's turn to stop.
"Hermione, when Luna told me about Ginny talking to Tom, she also mentioned she wrote in her diary a lot."
Hermione's face scrunched up.
"That's not unusual, Harry. I write in my diary at least twice a day or when there's something important I want to record."
"Right. But what if the two are connected? Why would Luna mention that when I asked her if Ginny was acting strange?"
"I don't know. If it's Ginny's diary, how would..."
Hermione froze.
"How would what?" Harry asked on pins and needles.
"Harry, what if it isn't her diary she's writing in, but...someone else's?"
Harry pondered this.
"You mean...Tom's!"
"Exactly! When I saw Riddle perform that horrible spell in the Hall of Reflection, he was trying to breathe something onto a small black book, a book that...looked like a diary!"
They stared at one another dumbstruck.
"Okay," Harry said with a nod, "when I'm at the meeting, I'll ask Ginny about the diary. If it turns out to be Tom's after all, then Dumbledore will know. He can take it and do whatever's needed to destroy it."
Hermione gave the boy a sad smile.
"I hope so, Harry. I really don't want to go through again what we did last year."
He smiled as they resumed their walk.
"Neither do I. Hopefully, the professor can clear all this up and we can have a normal school year without Voldemort, his supporters, or their House Elves interfering."
Hermione laughed and warmly wrapped her arm around his. The pair finished their hike around the lake and headed back to the castle for dinner.
~HP~
Classes the following morning resumed without a hitch. Harry found himself so deep in concentration during the lessons, he'd all but forgotten about the meeting with Dumbledore and Ginny. But during Professor Binns' class, the door in the back opened and in walked McGonagall. She waved to the ghost at the front who smiled back at her. The woman then marched to Harry and handed him a note. She nodded and he returned the same as she moved back out of the classroom. Binns went on and Harry opened the note. Hermione leaned in to look.
Harry,
Please visit my office this afternoon at 4 pm for the meeting with Miss Weasley.
Yours kindly,
Albus Dumbledore
Harry and Hermione looked at one another with a grin. They'd get the answers to their questions that afternoon.
During their DADA class, Harry sat with a frown as Lockhart sat back in his chair with his feet propped up on his own desk while reading verbatim from Year with the Yeti. The man was so engrossed in his own writing it seemed as though he'd forgotten he was holding class. Nearly every student was as bored as Harry and only a few, including Lavender Brown and the Patils, were listening intently. The Slytherins were whispering to each other and passing notes. The Ravenclaws, including Mandy Brockelhurst, seemed to be doing homework from other classes, while the Hufflepuffs, including Ron and his pals, were struggling to keep awake.
"...and so, the yeti vanquished, the entire village threw a tremendous feast in my honor," Lockhart read cheerfully, "and during the feast they begged me to regale them with song, which at first I refused as I didn't want to outshine their own merry musicians. But the Tibetans insisted and so, I broke out my guitar and played a musical sonnet I had written, adding my meager voice to the tune..."
Snickers broke out among the class and Harry sighed. But when he looked at Hermione, he saw a squinty-eyed frown directed at the teacher. Something perturbed her. She threw this look at Harry before sending it back at Lockhart. She then cleared her throat and raised her hand. This got everyone's attention. Gilderoy, who had been chuckling at something in the book, looked up.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" he asked.
"Excuse me, sir, but what spell did you use to knock out the yeti? From what I've read, yetis are impervious to most normal spells that work on humans."
Every eye was now on the professor. Hermione's tone of voice suggested his assertions about defeating a man-eating yeti had wrong written all over them. Lockhart's eyes grew wide, and he swallowed hard, dropping his feet from the desk.
"Oh! I...thought I read that! Hmm, let's see..." he stated while flipping back through the book.
"Ah! Here it is...'when the fearsome creature approached, I quickly pulled my wand and within mere seconds the yeti was unconscious at my feet'..."
Lockhart smiled while closing the book.
"And so there you have it, Miss Granger!" he said cheerily.
Hermione was put out.
"Yes, sir. You read that to us already," she said sharply, "but what exact spell did you use?"
Even Malfoy and his gang laughed at this.
Lockhart's face lost its color.
"What exact spell? Oh...well...I've used so many over the years it's hard to keep track!" he muttered with a chuckle.
"But...I have all of them written down in my personal diaries...which are stashed at the bottom of...one of my trunks in my study," the man said while standing, grabbing up his book, and shoving his chair back under the desk.
"So! I'll just go and search for them, Miss Granger, and report back to you tomorrow!" he uttered with a smile.
"Class dismissed!" he said cheerily and then disappeared into his study, the door slamming behind him.
The students gawked at one another in disbelief. They then packed their class materials and headed for the door. Lavender and the Patils were silent and even Finch-Fletchley, who had been an admirer of Lockhart, looked bewildered by what just occurred.
"Way to go calling out the teacher, Hermione!" Dean said jokingly.
"Yeah, that was brilliant!" Seamus commented in turn. The pair laughed as did several other students who joined the Gryffindors in the corridor.
"So, our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is not only an experienced duelist, creature handler, dark arts expert, and bestselling author, he's also a singer, songwriter, and musician," Sean McManus uttered sarcastically.
"Yeah," Ron Weasley answered, "is there anything he can't do?"
"Yes," Mandy Brockelhurst replied, "perform a real spell!"
Everyone burst out laughing...except Hermione. The perturbed look had not vacated her face since they left the classroom. She gazed ahead as though on a mission.
"Something's not right with that man and I'm going to find out what it is!" she muttered angrily.
Harry chuckled. The girl was finally seeing the light.
Afterwards, the second-years entered their potions class to find Professor Snape in a foul mood. After going over some rudimentary distilling techniques, the man wrote a series of chemical compounds on the chalkboard. He turned and glared at the pupils.
"Who can tell me the magical properties of each of these compounds and what their common usage is?"
Silence.
True to form, Hermione raised her hand.
BLAM!
The students jumped as Snape slammed his Magical Draughts and Potions book on his desk.
"Is there NO ONE ELSE who can answer my question?!" he snapped.
Hermione, with eyes wide, slowly lowered her hand.
Snape then had them write down the compounds and ordered they produce a minimum, five-page essay for homework to answer his question. Nearly every second-year left potions that afternoon in an equally foul mood.
Their final class of the day was much lighter as Flitwick taught a counterspell to the levitation charm.
"Gravitus Stabilium!" the little man uttered with a downward flick of his wand, bringing his chair back down to the floor after using Wingardium Leviosa to raise it.
He then had them pair up, one student levitating a textbook and the other using the counterspell to drop it on the floor. This went fine until Neville accidentally levitated his partner, Dean, instead of his textbook.
"Um...help!" Dean uttered as he rose three feet off the floor.
Neville stared at him wide-eyed. The other students laughed as Dean looked down at the floor in fright. Even the professor gave out a laugh.
"Miss Granger, if you will?" he asked the brown-haired girl. Hermione smiled and pointed her wand at Dean.
"Gravitus Stabilium!" she uttered while slowly lowering her wand. Dean floated to the floor gently in relief.
"Well done, Hermione!" Flitwick said," five points to Gryffindor! And well done too, Mr. Longbottom! Another five points to Gryffindor!"
Neville's jaw dropped.
"What?" he threw out in bewilderment.
After a few more chuckles, the class resumed as Flitwick went back over the two charms and pointed out particulars on how to pronounce the incantations as well as using finesse with their wand movements.
As the students moved into the corridor after class, Neville still looked bewildered.
"I don't understand! Why did Flitwick give me points? I did it wrong!"
His four Gryffindor pals grinned at one another.
"Because, Neville," Hermione chimed in, "it takes more magical power to levitate larger objects. The professor was recognizing your achievement, even if you did it by accident."
"Oh," the twelve-year-old replied, "I...didn't know I had it in me!"
The others laughed.
"Great work anyway," Harry added, "keep at it. You're a better wizard than you realize."
"Okay," the kid answered as his cheeks turned scarlet.
"By the way, Neville, when are you and Luna going Wurp egg hunting?" Seamus said with a sly grin.
Harry, Hermione, and Dean snickered. Longbottom's cheeks got redder.
"She...wants to go tomorrow afternoon," he muttered embarrassed.
"Well, good luck, mate! Hope you two find lots of 'em!" Dean added.
The four laughed and even Neville couldn't hold back a chuckle as they all headed back to Gryffindor Tower.
~HP~
Harry rapped on the oak door with the griffin knocker and it opened shortly after. When he entered the headmaster's office, besides Dumbledore, a few people were at the man's desk. Arthur and Molly Weasley stood to one side, Professor McGonagall stood on the other, and in one of two chairs sitting before the large desk, Ginny Weasley sat. Despite Ginny's mother placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, the poor girl looked frightened and when Harry appeared, she threw him an embarrassed look as well, trying not to look him in the eye.
"Harry, thank you for coming," Dumbledore said while motioning him forward, "please, have a seat."
As Harry stepped onto the platform, both the Weasley parents gave him a smile.
"Hello again, Harry!" Arthur said kindly.
"Hi there, Harry!" Molly added warmly.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," he replied with a smile.
But despite their cheerful looks and pleasant demeanor, Harry could tell they were concerned over their daughter and this meeting. Harry sat and gave Ginny a smile of reassurance. Surprisingly, she threw a weak smile back.
"Right then, Dumbledore. What's all this about?" Arthur asked pointedly.
Whatever pleasant demeanor he and his wife had, it dissolved quickly, and they both turned defensive of their youngest. Dumbledore smiled at them but said nothing. Instead, he leaned forward on his desk and looked at the redhead girl.
"Ginny, don't be alarmed," he started, "you're not in trouble. We just want to ask you some questions."
Dumbledore's tone was gentle as was his expression. This seemed to ease Ginny only slightly, however. Arthur and Molly threw each other a puzzled look. The headmaster continued.
"Can you tell us what happened early Sunday morning?"
The first-year seemed too scared to answer.
"Did you set the girl's bed on fire?" Dumbledore asked more directly.
Tears came to Ginny's eyes, and she finally nodded affirmative.
"What?!" Molly uttered, placing both her hands on Ginny's shoulders, gazing at her daughter in shock. The color left Arthur's face.
"Why, I can't believe..." the woman went on, about to scold her daughter when Dumbledore raised his hand to stop her. She relented. The headmaster continued.
"Why did you set the bed on fire?" he asked kindly.
The girl swallowed hard.
"B-because...h-he...told me to!" she let out.
"Who told you to?" McGonagall asked.
Ginny hesitated.
"Tom did!"
Her parents were perplexed but remained silent.
"Very well, Ginny," Dumbledore said, "why did Tom tell you to set it on fire?"
"B-because...I was afraid for Harry..." she muttered with an embarrassed look at the boy next to her, "Tom told me that...Hermione was an evil Hag in disguise who was trying to lure Harry into her trap to...kill and eat him! He said the only way to defeat the hag was to burn her!"
Ginny leaned over, placed her face in her hands, and started crying. Arthur threw a hard glare at Dumbledore.
"Who is this 'Tom'?! And what's he doing around our daughter?!" he demanded angrily.
"My dear," Molly said while leaning toward Ginny, "why would you listen to some boy tell you a thing like that?"
The girl sat up and wiped some tears from her eyes. She shrugged her shoulders.
"I...was asleep! Tom appeared next to my bed. He seemed concerned about Harry after I told him what was happening. I thought it was just a dream. But when I woke up, I had the candle in my hand, and I saw Hermione's bed on fire...I don't know how I got there!"
"What did you do then?" Dumbledore asked.
"I...ran to the common room and screamed. I was scared...afraid I hurt someone...afraid I'd get expelled...that I would go to Azkaban! I'm so sorry!"
The girl leaned over and cried harder. Molly, with tears in her own eyes, rubbed Ginny's back in consolation.
Harry looked at McGonagall to find worry in her expression. Dumbledore sat back in his chair.
"Arthur, Molly," he said, "this 'Tom' your daughter has been talking to isn't a current student. In fact, he isn't living, like we are."
The two Weasleys stared at the man as though he'd gone mad.
"What do you mean?" Molly asked pointedly.
"'Tom' is none other than 'Tom Riddle' who you know was the mastermind behind the war," the old wizard answered.
The color left Arthur and Molly's faces.
"Y-you mean...He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named!" Arthur asked.
"Precisely," Dumbledore replied. Molly gasped and they both looked frightened. The headmaster went on.
"But exactly how Tom came in contact with Ginny or has been communicating with her, we're here to find out."
The man looked at the first-year again. Harry, sensing this was the right moment, spoke up.
"Ginny, the diary you've been writing in is Tom's diary is it not?" he asked.
She looked at him wide-eyed and nodded. Dumbledore smiled at Harry and then looked at McGonagall.
"Ginny," the witch asked her first-year pupil, "how exactly has Tom been communicating with you through this diary?"
The girl looked at her.
"I found it in my schoolbooks after we got back home from Diagon Alley. I thought someone had given it to me by mistake. When I saw it was blank, I decided to use it. But when I wrote it in, it wrote back! Tom wrote back!"
The faces of everyone were grave. She went on.
"He was really kind and helpful, giving me tips on my schoolwork. Then I started telling him more...personal things and he seemed like a good friend who understood me."
"What happened next?" Harry asked.
Ginny sniffled and wiped a few more tears from her eyes.
"I started seeing him in my dreams. He would show up and talk to me, console me when I felt down, and cheer me up..."
"That devious, wicked man!" Molly shot out in anger. Dumbledore again raised his hand.
"Please continue, Ginny," the headmaster said kindly.
"At one point, he told me he was in trouble and needed my help. I asked how and he led me to a place I'd never seen before, somewhere in the castle. He then told me he was locked behind this big door and told me how to open it. I did and he thanked me, telling me I was his best friend."
"Ginny, where in the castle did he lead you?" McGonagall asked in concern.
"I don't know! After I opened the door, I woke up and found myself in my dorm bed! I don't know if it was real or a dream!"
Silence came over the group. Arthur and Molly were speechless. Dumbledore went on.
"Ginny, where is the diary now? In your dorm?"
She shook her head.
"No, sir. After the fire, I took it and threw it in a toilet in the girls' restroom."
"Which girls restroom?" McGonagall asked.
"The one on the first floor, where Tom would ask to meet me sometimes."
The professor in emerald robes looked at her boss.
"I'll go fetch Argus immediately. We need to retrieve that diary!" she stated seriously.
"Definitely, Minerva. Retrieve it and bring it straight to me," Dumbledore replied.
"Yes, Albus," she returned. The woman then briskly marched out of the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore looked at Ginny's parents.
"Arthur, Molly, if you'd be so kind as to take your daughter to the hospital wing and allow Madam Pomfrey to examine her. I want to make sure there is no dark magic attached to the girl before she resumes her schooling."
Ginny brightened at this and smiled at her parents. The two Weasleys returned teary-eyed looks at their daughter. The headmaster continued.
"As for this unfortunate incident, I am clearing you of blame, Ginny, as both your and Harry's testimony attests to the fact you unwittingly came under the influence of a very dark wizard, albeit in a strange form. Once we've obtained the diary and ascertain from where it came, I can assure you all that we'll press charges against anyone willingly involved in this dastardly deed. You may go, Miss Weasley."
Ginny smiled at the man as she rose from her chair. Molly took her daughter's hand to lead her to the door. Before joining them, Arthur leaned across the desk and shook the headmaster's hand.
"Let me know how this turns out, Dumbledore. I want the culprit of this act punished with time in Azkaban!"
"I will, Arthur. And we'll see how the Wizengamot wishes to proceed once our investigation is complete."
"Right. Goodbye then. See you, Harry!" the redheaded man stated with a smile.
Harry waved at the Weasleys as they exited the office, closing the door behind. Dumbledore turned to him.
"Well, Harry, what do you make of all that?"
The twelve-year-old thought for a moment.
"Hermione and I suspected the diary Ginny's been writing in was Tom's and Ginny confirmed it. But she said it was mistakenly placed in her books when they were in Diagon. I'd hazard a guess, then, that someone put it there while they were at Flourish & Blotts."
"That's sounds reasonable. Any idea who?" Dumbledore asked and by the way he asked it, Harry had the sneaking suspicion the man already had an idea who. Nevertheless, Harry thought back to that day over a week earlier. His eyes lit up recalling the encounter with the Malfoys.
"Draco's father, Lucius, was there! Could he have done it?" he asked intently.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Possibly. Now, as I mentioned to you before, I am forbidden to reveal the name of Dobby's master. However, based on Miss Weasley's statements as well as your own, I can tell you that Dobby's master was at Flourish & Blotts on August 31st of this year."
Harry eyes lit up.
"Yes, sir! I understand! Then it makes sense! I remember Mr. Malfoy taking a book out of Ginny's cauldron and making a snide remark to Mr. Weasley about second-hand books. He then returned her book to her cauldron and might have slipped Tom Riddle's diary inside it! That's how Dobby knew! He thought his master had somehow stashed it in my trunk!"
Dumbledore once more smiled.
"I must say, you've really developed your deductive powers over the course of the past year. I'm impressed. A result of your studies and spending a lot of time with a certain bright witch, no doubt."
Harry smiled.
"Yes, sir. I'd say so."
Just then the door to the office burst open and Professor McGonagall rushed in. Her expression was grave.
"Did you find it, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked.
The woman walked to his desk and gazed down at him.
"Argus and I scoured the entire restroom and checked each toilet...no diary was to be found!"
Harry wondered at this, and Dumbledore placed his hand on his chin in thought. McGonagall continued.
"Do you think Ginny Weasley was lying?" she asked worriedly.
The headmaster rose from his chair and stepped to the opposite side of the desk.
"I seriously doubt it, after the display we just witnessed. Was Myrtle there, professor? Did she see what happened?"
McGonagall threw a frown at him.
"We heard her crying in one of the stalls, but when I called on her, she vanished. We'll get no information out of her, I'm afraid."
Dumbledore nodded at this. Harry wondered who 'Myrtle' was. The old wizard looked back at the pair.
"If I had to guess, then, I'd say that someone saw Ginny throw the diary in the restroom and retrieved it or came across it after."
"But that restroom has been out of order for years! Who would go in there?" the woman asked.
"That's hard to say. But it appears someone else knows about the diary and...is possibly in contact with Tom Riddle."
The headmaster threw a serious gaze at Harry.
"Getting Ginny Weasley to set Miss Granger's bed on fire was most likely just the beginning. And unless we can find that diary, the terrible event Dobby spoke of may yet occur..."