A/N: Anybody else notice that the Weasley clock completely changes from the second book to the fourth? And then by the sixth book, the mere fact that Voldemort is back is enough for everyone's hand to point to Mortal Peril. So I can't help but think that if the later version of the clock had existed in Chamber of Secrets, we would have had a much shorter story...
I don't own Harry Potter.
Molly Weasley had just finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes when she glanced at the family clock—and immediately screamed. "GINNY!"
She ran to the stairs, heart pounding. But before she had taken two steps, she saw Ginny poke her head out of her room. "Mum? Is something wrong?"
"You're…you're okay?" Molly asked, clutching her heart.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Ginny sounded so thoroughly confused that Molly believed her.
Two more heads poked into the landing. "Do mine ears deceive me, Freddie?" George asked.
"We're not the first ones to get in trouble today!" Fred lamented loudly. "Sister dearest, how could you do this to us?!"
"Would you all be quiet, please?" came a voice from Percy's room.
"I-I'm sorry, Ginny, dear," Molly stammered out. "I must have misread the clock."
"Oh, phew," Fred said, relieved. "We still have time, then."
"Behave, you two!" Molly scolded. She pulled away from the stairs, enormously relieved.
That relief dissipated as soon as she entered the living room. Ginny's hand still rested on 'Mortal Peril'. Molly didn't bother shouting this time; she ran straight up the stairs and threw open Ginny's door without knocking.
"Mum!" Ginny shrieked indignantly, quickly closing a book. A quill and inkwell sat next to it on her desk. Apart from that, everything looked perfectly normal. Ginny certainly didn't appear to be in any danger.
"What are you doing?" Molly asked suspiciously.
"Just writing in my new diary," Ginny replied.
"New diary?" Molly repeated. "I don't recall buying you a diary yesterday."
"I found it in one of my schoolbooks," Ginny explained. "I think someone must have left it there and forgotten it."
"Let me see," Molly demanded. Ginny reluctantly handed over the diary, and Molly rifled through it. It was completely blank. "I thought you said you'd been writing in it?"
"Yeah," Ginny replied, excited. "And it writes back! Want to see?"
"It WHAT?!" Molly screeched.
"It's fine! Let me show you!" Ginny took back the diary, opened it and inked her quill. Hi, Tom. My mum wants to meet you.
To Molly's horror, the ink disappeared into the page. Moments later, words appeared in writing that wasn't Ginny's. Don't tell your mum about us, Ginny. She'd probably take me away and keep me all to herself.
Ginny laughed nervously. "He…er…wasn't this rude before."
Molly snatched the diary away. "Ginny, what have we taught you? Never trust anything that thinks for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain! Anything that wants to stay hidden from your parents is exactly the kind of thing we need to know about!"
"But, Mum…" Ginny tried to whine.
"Absolutely not," Molly cut her off. "Do you know why I screamed for you just now? Your clock hand is pointing to 'Mortal Peril'! Now, unless you can think of a better explanation, I am keeping this book and we are showing it to your father as soon as he gets home!"
Ginny swallowed nervously. "Mortal Peril?"
"Yes," Molly confirmed. "You've heard some of your father's stories, you know that magic books can be dangerous."
"Yes, Mum," Ginny said in a small voice. "I'm sorry."
Molly finally softened. "It's all right, dear. Just remember for next time, all right? If you ever find a book like this again, show it to me or your father straight away."
"Yes, Mum."
"Good girl." Molly took the book back downstairs and put it on a shelf in Arthur's shed. She then cast as many protective charms as she could think of, wanting to make absolutely certain that the twins did not get their hands on the wretched thing.
Back in the living room, Molly was relieved to see that Ginny's hand now pointed to 'Home'.
The twins did indeed spend much of the day trying to break into the shed, and Molly had to repeatedly chase them away. It was a tremendous relief when Arthur finally came home. Molly ignored his greeting and got straight to the point. "Arthur, do you know anything about a talking diary in Ginny's school things?"
"A talking diary?" Arthur repeated, surprised. "No. You know full well we haven't the money to buy her an ordinary diary, let alone a talking one."
"Well, she somehow acquired one." Molly put her hands on her hips. "It was urging her to keep it secret from me, and what's more, her hand was pointing to Mortal Peril! Something is very wrong with that diary!"
Arthur sighed. "I'll take it to the office tomorrow. I'll get to the bottom of this, Mollywobbles, don't worry."
"You'd better," Molly said firmly.
The diary proved to be beyond Arthur's expertise, so he handed it over to the Aurors. The Aurors then had to consult with the Department of Mysteries, who determined that the diary was a Horcrux. The diary was swiftly destroyed, and the Aurors opened an investigation into how the diary came to be in a child's school things. Arthur helpfully recalled his altercation with Lucius Malfoy, to which there had been many witnesses. Unfortunately, the Aurors were unable to find enough evidence to make an arrest, but the scandal was enough to see Malfoy ousted from the Hogwarts board of governors.
The Hogwarts students had a relatively quiet year, and Molly Weasley would be eternally grateful to her marvelous clock.