Chapter 34: Valentine's Day

Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less, and fur free, at the beginning of February. On her first evening back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry showed her T. M. Riddle's diary and told her the story of how we had found it.

"Oooh, it might have hidden powers." said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.

"If it has, it's hiding them very well." I said. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't chuck it, Harry."

"I wish I knew why someone did try to chuck it." said Harry. "I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts either."

"Could've been anything. Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle. That would've done everyone a favor ..."

"Ronald!"

"What?"

"Hmmm. I wonder." said Harry, looking deep in thought.

"Wonder what?"

"Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn't it?" he said. "That's what Malfoy said."

"Yeah..." I said slowly.

"And this diary is fifty years old," said Hermione, getting excited.

I was still confused "So?"

"Oh, Ron, wake up!" snapped Hermione. "We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled fifty years ago. We know T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago. Well, what if Riddle got his special award for catching the Heir of Slytherin? His diary would probably tell us everything! Where the Chamber is, and how to open it, and what sort of creature lives in it. The person who's behind the attacks this time wouldn't want that lying around, would they?"

"That's a brilliant theory, Hermione, only there's just one tiny little flaw. There's nothing written in his diary." I said.

Hermione pulled her wand out of her bag.

"It might be invisible ink!" she whispered.

She tapped the diary three times and said, "Aparecium!"

Nothing happened. Unphased, Hermione shoved her hand back into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser.

"It's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley." she said.

She rubbed hard on January first. Nothing happened.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there." I huffed. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in."

Harry was determined to find out more about Riddle, so next day at break, he headed for the trophy room to examine Riddle's special award, accompanied by an interested Hermione and myself, totally bored with the situation.

"I really don't care to be here again." I told them. "I've seen enough of this bloody room to last me a lifetime."

Riddle's gold shield was tucked away in a corner cabinet. It didn't carry details of why it had been given to him ("Good thing, too, or it'd be even bigger and I'd still be polishing it." I said ). However, we did find Riddle's name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys.

"He sounds like Percy." I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust. "Prefect, Head Boy... probably top of every class."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," said Hermione in a slightly hurt voice.

"It is it you're anything like Percy. Which you're not Hermione, so stop acting as if I just insulted you." I snapped.

"I didn't say you did say I was like Percy, but-"

"Would you two PLEASE!"

The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.

"The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again." Harry had overheard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have Mrs. Norris back in no time."

Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff was still convinced that Harry was the guilty one, that he had "given himself away" at the Dueling Club. Peeves wasn't helping matters. He kept popping up in the crowded corridors singing "Oh, Potter, you rotter..." now with a bloody dance routine to match.

Lockhart had planted the silly thought in his head that he himself had made the attacks stop. Harry and I overheard him telling Professor McGonagall so while us Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration.

"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva." he said. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him."

"You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing..."

Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on Valentine's Day. The walls in the Great Hall were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. I sat there, gazing at the sight that looked like Cupid had thrown up in, while being annoyed at Hermione, who was giggling like some lovesick firstie.

"What's going on?" Harry asked us, sitting down and wiping confetti off his bacon.

I was too disgusted to speak, so I pointed to Lockhart, wearing pink robes to match the decorations. The other teachers looked like they shared my thoughts.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all, and it doesn't end here!"

Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen weird looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. They looked as if they had never felt more shame in their entire lives.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six." I said as we left the Great Hall for our first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer.

"Really, Hermione? You sent that tosser a card?"

All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into our classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers, and late that afternoon as we were walking upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry.

"Oy, you! Arry Potter!" shouted a dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry.

Harry tried to escape. The dwarf, however, cut his way through the crowd by kicking people's shins, and reached him before he'd gone two paces.

"I've got a musical message to deliver to Arry Potter in person," he said, tuning up his harp in a threatening sort of way.

"Not here." Harry hissed, trying to escape.

"Stay still!" grunted the dwarf, grabbing hold of Harry's bag and pulling him back.

"Let me go!" Harry snarled, tugging.

His bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment, and quill spilled onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over everything.

Harry scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridor.

"What's going on here?"said Malfoy, approaching us. Harry started stuffing everything into his ripped bag, desperate to get away before Malfoy could hear his musical valentine.

"What's all this commotion?" said Percy, who had made his way to us as well. I could also see my sister, and she did not look good.

"Right," the dwarf said, sitting on Harry's ankles. "Here is your singing valentine:

His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,

His hair is as dark as a blackboard,

I wish he was mine,

he's really divine,

The hero who conquered the Dark Lord

Both Hermione and I looked at harry, our jaws wide open. Harry looked as if he wanted to disappear.

"Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now,"shouted Percy, shooing some of the younger students away. "And you, Malfoy-"

Malfoy had snatched up Riddle's diary, which had also fell out of the bag.

"Give that back." said Harry.

"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" said Malfoy. Ginny was staring from the diary to Harry, looking terrified.

"Hand it over, Malfoy." said Percy sternly.

"When I've had a look," said Malfoy, waving the diary at Harry.

Percy said, "As a school prefect -" but Harry didn't give him the chance to finish. He pulled out his wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" and shot the diary out of Malfoy's hand and into the air. I caught it, grinning at the look of disbelief on Malfoy's face .

"Harry!" said Percy loudly. "No magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know!"

Harry shrugged, not caring. Malfoy was looking furious, and as Ginny passed him to enter her classroom, he yelled after her, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!"

Ginny looked mortified as she ran into class. How dare he humiliate my sister! I pulled out my wand, ready to hex his ass, but Harry pulled me away, reminding me that I didn't want to spend Charms burping up slugs. It was already starting to shoot out large purple bubbles.

After dinner, Harry left, saying he had something to do. Hermione drug me to the library with her.

"Come on, Ronald!" said Hermione, literally pulling me by the robes.

"Why the bloody hell would I willingly go to a library when I don't have to? I said, resisting.

Because your sister is in there, hiding and crying. She needs you." she said, letting go of me.

I instantly went into big brother mode. I told Hermione to go back to the dorm, I would handle Ginny.

I walked in, went down a couple aisles, until I came upon Ginny, sitting with some blonde girl I had never seen before. The girl looked at me, whispered something in Ginny's ear, and then walked away. Ginny didn't lift her head as I sat down beside her.

"Alright there, Gin?" I said, mentally kicking myself for saying something so stupid.

Ginny shook her head. "You must think I'm some dumb little girl." I heard her muffled voice say.

I put my hand on Ginny's back, rubbing circles over it like I used to when she was upset at home.

"I don't think that." I said truthfully. "You were just...well...you-"

"I made a fool of myself." sniffled Ginny. "I made a fool of myself, and I embarrassed Harry."

"Harry's fine." I said, waving it off. "He was more embarrassed about the dwarf than your poem. And he was worried about you, of course. He seen how you looked."

"I need to apologize to him. But...I can't face him after what I've done." cried Ginny in my shoulder.

I put my arm around her and she moved her face to my chest. "You don't have to, Harry's alright. He isn't at all affected, and you shouldn't be crying. Come on, since when does Ginny Weasley cry over something as silly as this?"

Ginny laughed a little. She lifted her head and wiped her tears from her eyes and face.

"Better?"

"A little." she said. "Thanks, Ron. I had tried talking to Fred and George about it, but they just took the mickey, and Percy wouldn't listen."

"That's because they're prats." I said, helping her up out of her chair. "Now, let's head back to the common room.

We walked back slowly (she really didn't want to face anyone at the moment) and talked about how she was feeling about everything. She seemed like she was fine, but I could tell she was holding back. Especially when we got on the subject of Colin, one of her friends. She shut down in an instant, not wanting to say a word on the matter.

When we got to Gryffindor Tower, Ginny went to her dorm. Hermione wasn't in the room, so I went to see if Harry was there.

I opened the door and there he was, sweating and shaking for some odd reason.

"What's up?" I asked, looking at him with concern.

"It was Hagrid, Ron." said Harry, breathlessly. "Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."