While Ginny got rid of a certain object, some other students were busy with a certain potion.

Takes place at the same time as the previous chapter.

HERMIONE V

"Diffindo!"

"Diffindo!"

"Diffindo!"

The Severing Charms flew across the greenhouse, slashing through vines and other plants that glued themselves to the glasses and the roof of the place. They couldn't take care of Mandrakes today, so Professor Sprout brought them in one of the many underused greenhouses of Hogwarts, those the professor barely had time to take care of, in order to clean it. It was a good revision of the Severing and Levitation Charms at the same time, as students needed both to cut the vines and to move them out of the way.

Professor Sprout divided them in groups of four, each responsible to clear a specific section of the greenhouse. This wasn't a small affair. The vines had grown so much that those who were tasked with cutting them found it an arduous task.

"Come on! Cut yourself, you stupid piece of tree!"

Ron's voice was impossible to miss or to mistake for another. Hermione almost found it funny, just like her partner did, to see Ronald wave his wand in large circles, as if this would produce stronger and deeper cuts. A short movement well executed often produced better results than the most powerful swing. Sometimes she wondered if Ron dreamed of becoming a Beater like his brothers. He certainly had the appropriate behavior for it. However, considering Harry stood next to Ron, carrying the results of Ron's cuts with levitation, Hermione decided it was better to warn him.

"Ron, be careful! You're going to remove one of Harry's eyes."

"If these things keep resisting, that's what it will take to remove them." He made swings even more pronounced with his wand. Hermione was now afraid that Ron might cut his own feet, even his legs.

"Okay. Okay." Hermione put some distance between her and Ron. "What about you levitate the remains, Ron, and Harry does the cutting?"

"Good idea. I'll be able to rest my arm."

Harry and Ron changed places, which placed Harry next to Hermione, and made her feel much safer.

"Thank you," Harry said in a low tone. "Diffindo!"

"You're welcome. Anytime." Hermione much preferred to have Harry handling dangerous spells. Severing Charms were always perilous. Already today, after barely ten minutes, Sally-Anne Perks had been cut deeply to the left arm. She had left for the infirmary with Hannah Abbott.

Harry throwing the Severing Charm also made their work advance much quicker since he handled it better than Ron. The latter had more success with the Levitation Charm, Hermione being delighted to see that Ron had mastered it since last year.

So that was how their group worked now. Harry and Hermione were cutting the vines while Ron and Susan moved them away into the special area Professor Sprout indicated for this. She would use the remains as compost.

Hermione was glad that she could continue to work with Susan in Herbology. Most Hufflepuffs gave them the cold shoulder now, remaining away from Harry, Ron and Hermione ever since the accident with the snake. However, Susan and Hermione always sat next to each other in the classes Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had in common, which meant Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Even Hermione had to admit though that it was less interesting to cut vines than to listen to Gilderoy Lockhart relating his exploits and teaching them how he survived impossible situations and destroyed dark forces that were considered undefeatable.

"Did you finish Year with the Yeti?" Hermione asked her.

"Not yet. I still have a few pages to read," Susan replied.

"You'll see. The conclusion is fantastic. He manages to escape…"

"Hermione! Don't tell me the end!"

Both girls giggled. Hermione seldom did it, and to her knowledge it seldom happened to as well, but when it came to Gilderoy Lockhart, exceptions were the rule. He was such a great writer.

"Can you stop giggling like little girls?" Ron asked. "We're trying to finish this before the class is over."

"You've been talking twice as much as we did, Ronald," Hermione pointed out.

"I'm not giggling at least, and certainly not about Lockhart. Come on, Hermione. Only idiots like Justin Finch-Fletchley believe the stupidities he's writing."

"Ron!"

What an idiot he was. He just said that aloud in the presence of a large group of Hufflepuffs, many of which were Justin's friends. Even Susan looked thunderstruck, which was something considering how quiet and reserved she usually was.

"Repeat what you just said, Weasley!" Ernie Macmillan was advancing threateningly with his wand pointed at Ron. The latter, of course, pointed his directly on Ernie, as if that could make the situation better.

"Hey, you! What are you doing?"

The Professor Sprout had surprised their gestures. It wasn't very difficult considering the whole class was already staring at Ernie and Ron. A moment later, both Ron's and Ernie's wands were flying into the air, and Professor Sprout caught the two. She just disarmed them using the same spell Snape used against Lockhart at the Duelling Club.

"I was clear! You do not use your wands for anything else than the tasks I give you in this classroom. You could kill yourself if the wrong spell hits the wrong plant."

Hermione seldom saw Professor Sprout so angry.

"He was mocking Justin, Professor," Ernie said.

"I don't care. You do not use your wand for duels in here. I thought you would have remembered that lesson after the Duelling Club."

"But Professor…" Macmillan tried to continue.

"Enough! I remove ten points from Gryffindor, and ten points from Hufflepuff. You're now going to apologize to each other."

"But he's the one who drew his wand first," complained Ron.

"I don't care. You apologize, including about what you said about Mr Finch-Fletchley. The plants are not the only ones who deserve respect in this greenhouse, Mr Weasley. Now, apologize."

Ron grumbled. "Okay. But he does it first."

"No, Mr Weasley. You begin."

New grumble. "Okay. I apologize for saying Justin was an idiot."

"And for drawing your wand," the professor specified.

"And for drawing my wand," Ron completed on a dragging and clearly not sincere tone.

"Mr Macmillan. Your turn now."

"I apologize for drawing out my wand," the boy from Hufflepuff said.

"Good. Now go back to your work. I want this place all cleared by the end of the class."

The moment Professor Sprout was a little farther away, a Hufflepuff girl by the name of Megan shouted.

"It's not enough that you Petrify people, Potter? You must insult them afterwards as well."

"ENOUGH!" Sprout had heard everything. "I remove five more points from Hufflepuff. The next person to talk will get a detention. Am I clear enough?"

No one dared to speak afterwards, except in hushed tones. Susan was, as a result, the only one Hermione could talk to.

"I'm sorry for Ron's behaviour," Hermione told her.

"It's Ronald Weasley people should suspect of being the heir of Slytherin. He's pure-blood," Susan almost spat.

Unfortunately, Ron heard her. Harry stopped him from doing something he would regret later. Hermione disagreed with Susan's words, but she could not blame her. After all, Justin was her friend too.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Susan replied. "Now, let's get done with this."

Susan was talking about all the vines infesting the greenhouse. She and Hermione set themselves back to work. Hermione hoped that Susan would not hold a grudge against her, Ron and Harry. She was probably the only Hufflepuff who dared to speak with them even a little, aside from Hannah who gave them a hello from time to time, when her friends were not around.

Hermione was concerned about Harry. He didn't confide much into her and Ron. Well, maybe he confided a little more to Ron without her knowledge, but she doubted it. She supposed he was so tired of telling everyone he did nothing that he just tried to ignore them, just like he was doing right now as other students, especially Hufflepuffs, were muttering and whispering behind his back. There were even some Gryffindors who did the same.

However, there was another aspect to this toxic climate. The altercation between Ron and Ernie was just one example of the growing tensions between Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. The fact that there were Gryffindors willing to defend Harry didn't make things smoother between them and the Hufflepuffs. Hermione strongly hoped she wasn't going to lose her only friend in Hufflepuff as she looked to Susan moving a huge chunk of vines from their path to clear.

The Herbology class ended in quite a tensed atmosphere. The class was divided into two clans. The Christmas period had put to bed enmities, but a single class had been enough to wake them up. As Harry and Ron left the greenhouse together, Hermione stayed behind a little. She had a few questions for the Professor Sprout. When she was done asking them, she left the greenhouse and somehow ended up walking next to Hannah.

"Hey, Hermione," she said, uncertainty piercing through her voice.

"I'm sorry for Ron. It's unforgivable what he said," Hermione told her immediately.

"Oh. Thank you. But while we're talking about Ronald, do you happen to know his little sister?"

"Ginny? Yes, I do."

"Well, I saw her this morning, and she really didn't look well. Do you know what she has?"

"I think I do," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes. Ginny was suffering from an acute love for Harry Potter. It was impossible for Ginny to look well as soon as she and Harry were in the same room, as tall as it could be. Hermione had spent some time with her during the Christmas holidays, and she had looked much better without Harry's presence.

"Do you think she will get better?"

"You're really worried for Ronald's sister, after what he just said about Justin?"

"It's not because Ronald is being mean that I must be as well with his little sister. I mean, I pity her, in fact. She looks so miserable. Especially when Harry is around. It's obvious that she's in love with him."

And here they were. The queen of gossips was back into business.

"By the way, are they dating? Because some people are talking about it. And I always thought that you and Harry…"

"Hannah, not now!"

Hermione quickened her pace. She wished it was on Susan she had fallen when she left the greenhouse. She caught up with Harry and Ron who were engaged in a strong argument.

"It's time to use it," Ron said.

"We already know that Malfoy is not the heir of Slytherin," Harry countered.

"It's Dumbledore who says so. What if he's wrong?"

"Hey, don't talk too loud. People will hear you," Hermione warned them. "Come this way."

She dragged them to a spot in the courtyard where they were farther from other students. "Look, I've been thinking about that during the holidays," she told them both. "I'm afraid we can't use the Polyjuice."

"What?" Ron almost burst.

"Look, Ron, the potion is almost ready, but when will we get the opportunity to use it? When can we change you in Crabbe and Goyle without creating suspicions? The holidays would have been the best moment. The castle was nearly empty, nobody would have noticed you. But now... How will you manage to play Crabbe and Goyle if there are hundreds of people looking at you, expecting you to behave like them?"

"Anyway, I'm not changing into anybody," Harry said. "You know why."

"That's stupid! We have a way to prove that Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin, and you want to throw it all to the garbage? We spent over a month..." Ron was saying.

"I spent over a month preparing the potion," Hermione interjected. "And I don't like it that I wasted all this time on a potion we will never use, but I believe it is better to believe in Dumbledore on this one."

"Dumbledore couldn't stop Colin, Justin or Nick from being Petrified."

"We won't stop people from being Petrified by trying to trap Malfoy when he's not behind all this. He's probably just happy about everything that's happening because he hates Muggle-born," Harry declared.

"And we won't stop Petrifications by getting caught and expelled, if not worse," Hermione added.

Ron was looking at both of them, furious. "You're giving up on our only chance to catch Malfoy?"

"We're not trying to catch Malfoy, Ron. We're trying to catch the heir of Slytherin," Hermione pointed out.

"But Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin."

"Not according to Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore! Dumbledore! Dumbledore is not always right, Hermione. If we had trusted him last year, You-Know-Who would be back."

"He was absent, Ron. This time, he's here. People were Petrified, yes, but nobody died."

"For now." Ron looked at Harry. "I hope you like to be the heir of Slytherin, because that's who you're going to be as long as we don't find the real one."

On that, Ron left them. Hermione watched him walk away. She understood his anger to a certain degree. It was true that Dumbledore could make mistakes, and that if they removed Malfoy from the list of suspects, then they couldn't prove that Harry wasn't the heir of Slytherin. Not that it would matter if they used the Polyjuice only to find the same thing than Dumbledore, that is that Malfoy was not the heir. And well, Hermione was upset that over a month of preparation led to nothing.

"I think Ron is right. I have to get used to being seen as the heir of Slytherin," Harry commented.

"Things will get better, Harry. Sooner or later, people will realize that you're not behind those attacks," Hermione. She didn't say that she couldn't tell herself when that time would come.

"In the meantime, what are we going to do with the Polyjuice."

Hermione sighed. "Well, I guess I just have to throw it away." What a waste.

"We can? How?"

"Polyjuice can be disposed of quite easily. I'll just drop it into one of the sinks or the toilets." They both headed to the toilets on the second floor. "Anyway, it's probably for the better. This morning, someone walked into the toilets. Don't worry, she didn't see me. I was hiding into one of the cubicles."

"I thought no one ever came there."

"Apparently, someone else thought about it. She used the cubicle right next to me, but she only stayed for a few seconds. When I got out, the only thing in the basin was an old and small black book. Someone must have wanted to ger rid of it."

They were lucky enough to not cross path with Filch on the second floor. The way to the girls' toilets was free, and so they went there. Hermione was still more cautious than usual, looking through the gap in the door to make sure no one was there. There was only Moaning Myrtle. When Hermione arrived in front of her cauldron, she sighed. What a waste of time and work.

"Well, better get rid of it now," she said, resigning herself to throw Polyjuice that was nearly ready. At least, they wouldn't have to take a small piece of Crabbe and Goyle, and Hermione wouldn't have to drink essence of Millicent Bulstrode. The prospect of drinking it was enough to make herself nauseous.

While she took care of the Polyjuice, Harry went into the cubicle next to the one where she kept the cauldron.

"I need some help here," she told her friend as she tried to lift the cauldron.

"Sorry, Hermione."

Harry came to help her right away, contributing to emptying the cauldron into the nearest sink while Myrtle kept moaning and crying far away. Hermione then disposed of all the vials and other ingredients she kept close by for the preparation. They couldn't take the risk of being surprised with them. Harry, in the meantime, returned to the other cubicle. When he emerged from it, he was carrying the small black book Hermione told him someone had thrown away.

"Harry, it's just an old book," she told him. His eyes, though, were glued to the book.

"You know a student by the name of T. M. Riddle?" he asked her.

"No. Why?" she asked as she kept emptying the vials.

"That's the name on the journal."

"No idea who this is."

Harry was now turning its pages. "Apparently, he bought it in a shop on Vauxhall Road. He must have been raised by Muggles."

"Probably," Hermione answered absentmindedly.

"Whoever that Riddle is, he wrote nothing. All pages are blank. and the book seems quite old. When was it bought?"

"Harry, it's just an old book. Come on, it's time for lunch. Let's go to the common room."

"Hermione, wait!" She stopped in her track to the door. "It's a personal diary. It covers the year 1942-1943."

It took a moment to Hermione to understand why this year was so important. Then it dawned on her. "This is the year when the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the first time."

She snatched the book from Harry's hand without asking for permission, her heart beating quickly. But Harry was right, all pages were blank. It seemed like no one ever wrote in it. but why buy a personal diary to write nothing inside, then have it thrown in the toilets fifty years later.

"Did you see the person who threw it?" Harry asked.

"No, I was too busy trying to remain hidden. I was really afraid we would be found out." She checked the year to verify that Harry was right. Indeed, this was really a diary covering the year when the Chamber of Secrets was first opened. "We'll take a look at it this evening. I might know a trick or two. This diary must be hiding something" And she hid it inside her bag.

Hermione and Harry walked back to the Great Hall, avoiding Filch who just returned to his usual spot. He still patrolled the place where Mrs Norris was found Petrified.

"Strange," Harry said on their way. "Someone tries to get rid of a personal diary dating from the year the Chamber of Secrets was first opened the day we get rid of the Polyjuice."

"Yes, it's odd. But I really have no idea who got rid of it. I'm quite sure it's a girl, though. I heard a whimper when she threw it."

"So this T. M. Riddle would be a girl," Harry said.

"Perhaps not. Someone must have found it years later, or inherited it from his or her parents. When we think about it, we always thought about the heir of Slytherin as if he was a boy, but what if the heir was a girl?"

"Wouldn't the writing on the walls state heiress then?"

"Maybe, but it could also be a way to confuse us. While everyone is looking for a boy, they could avoid looking for a girl if she's the heir."

"True," Harry conceded. "After all, there are girls in Slytherin, and most of them are quite mean. We both can tell from personal experience."

Hermione grimaced at the memory of Bulstrode trying to strangle her. "I don't think we should look only at Slytherin. Let's think about it. The heir of Slytherin wants people to know that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. The red writing on the walls, the attacks, they prove that he wants people to know that the heir is here. But I don't think he's trying to make himself known as the heir. Look at Malfoy. He's obviously too happy about what's going on, and he's not afraid of showing it. And if Dumbledore couldn't find the heir yet, then we must assume that the heir hides himself very well, perhaps under our very eyes."

They just entered the Great Hall when two voices they knew all too well boomed across the whole place.

"SERIOUSLY EVIL WIZARD COMING THIS WAY! MAKE WAY FOR THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN!"

It was too much to ask for Christmas that Fred and George refrained themselves. Hermione rolled his eyes. When she looked at the twins, she saw a group of Hufflepuffs almost running away, and they were not the only ones. Ron's brothers just reminded everyone who they believed Harry was.

"You really need to say that?" she asked the twins as she and Harry took place close to Ron.

"What? We just saved Ron from receiving the lesson of his life by a bunch of Hufflepuffs," George said.

"You could have found another way."

"Perhaps, but it wouldn't have been that funny."

"For once, I'm glad people think you're the heir of Slytherin," Ron told Harry.

"If only there were more advantages," Harry said on a gloomy tone. "Are you alright, Ginny?" he asked Ron's sister who sat just right in front of them.

As always, Ginny blushed, but she could manage a weak yes as an answer. Ron wasn't very talkative during lunch. He was probably still angry after Harry and Hermione for cancelling their projects for the Polyjuice. Hermione talked to Harry a large part of lunch as a result, but not about the diary they found. There were too many people around.

After their courses of the afternoon were over, they returned to the common room. Hermione planned to show the diary to Ron on this occasion, but Fred and George made a hell of a racket with their fireworks, so she suggested they go to the library.

"To the library? To miss this? Another day," Ron said, and he joined the little party.

"Ron, wait! We found something about..." Harry began, but Hermione stopped him. Anyway, Ron was too far away, and they risked other people would hear them. And so Hermione and Harry ended up alone in the library with the small diary.

"I have the impression that the name is familiar," Harry said. "But I can't recall where I heard or saw it."

"I don't know anybody of the name Riddle at Hogwarts," Hermione said. "But anyway, it is fifty-years-old."

"Why would someone throw away a personal diary with nothing written inside?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "But perhaps there is something written inside. We just can't see it."

She opened the diary to the page of January 1st. She tapped it with her wand three times.

"Aparecium!" Nothing happened.

"What was it for?" Harry asked.

"I thought it might be invisible ink. But perhaps my spell is not powerful enough." She searched her bag until she found it. She brandished something akin to a bright red eraser and started rubbing the same page. "It's a Revealer. I got it in Diagon Alley," she told Harry as she rubbed very strongly. But nothing appeared.

"Nothing," Harry said.

"I know," she replied, frustrated. "I don't get it. You buy an old diary, you never write in it, and you wait fifty years to throw it into a toilet? That makes no sense."

"Perhaps we should try to find out who this T. M. Riddle is, and who threw his diary in the toilets."

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Next chapter: Hannah