Chapter 25
Time in a bottle
Chamber of Secrets
At first, she thought she had been teleported. Some odd prank hexed into the pages of the diary, wherein it eventually absorbed you and spat you out someplace else in the castle. Finley had told her a similar story once, a prank portkey hidden inside a rare wine bottle at a party, one which snatched him up and transported him somewhere close to Dover. Marley exhaled at the thought.
"Brilliant.", she exclaimed, realizing that this particular piece of vocabular was directly adapted from Harry. Speaking off...
"Harry?", she yelled, then a little louder again, "Harry!"
Of course he wouldn't answer. She'd been plopped right at the bottom of the staircase leading to the Great Hall, where she and the other newcomers entered Hogwarts for the first time last year. Back then Harry had had an uncomfortable confrontation with Malfoy at the very top. The girl had been stuck somewhere in the back that day, barely being able to hear what they talked about. All she could remember was being fascinated by Harry's mere presence. The Boy who lived.
"Bloody funny, Tom Riddle...", she complained, searching for her wand in vain. She had this nasty habit of leaving it on tables and such. About time to read up on that summoning charm. Perhaps Harry's whole thing with the notebook wasn't such a bad nudge.
Alright, let's see, she thought to herself. Fastest way back to the DADA room is up the stairs, so...
Marley halted. Something had been bugging her ever since her journey here, and so the girl hastily took down her glasses and gave them a good polish with her white shirt. As she put them back on... nothing.
For some reason, those same stairs, the same bricks, and same windows all looked... pale. Washed of colour, in a way. She couldn't explain it, though it made a lot more sense as she looked up the stairs.
Up there by the balustrade, with one hand on the banister, stood a boy, his hair a raven black and with skin as grey as that of a corpse. It looked frightening, as in every other capacity his presence appeared convincing – the boy stood rather tall and wore the same Slytherin robes that Marley did every day of the week that involved lessons. He even wore his hair with a funny little curl in the front like she did.
"Hello? Are you okay?", she called out, though got no answer, no reaction at all. He merely stood there in silence, his gaze patiently fixated to the top of the staircase going in the other direction. She didn't recognize this strange boy, which she really should, seeing as they shared a house.
"Can you hear me? I'm talking to you!"
She grew impatient, dashing up the last third before she slowed down. Next to them stood a torch burning in that odd, greenish pale colour which seemed to spread everywhere. As the light illuminated her, brightening the white on her shirt, the green on her tie, her beige skin and the brown hairdo, it kept the odd boy the exact same tone, lifeless and lacking any joy.
"You're Tom Riddle.", the girl spoke aloud, having finally come to the conclusion that the diary was no trickster's portkey, "You brought me here. This is... your... memory..."
Her voice faded into a quiet squeak as four wizards dressed in fancy robes carried down a plain stretcher with someone on it, who it was she couldn't make out as the person in question was covered with a blanket. Although, as she scanned each and every one of their faces, finding dour looks of shock and misery, Marley took a deep breath. The "blanket" was more likely a shroud.
"Riddle.", a grand, familiar voice called out. Both the older boy as well as Marley redirected their attention to the top of the stairs again, the girl's eyes widening at the sight.
"Come.", a younger Dumbledore continued, crested wit beard that, based on lighting, was most likely still grey, and with a face that seemed less tired behind the same set of spectacles.
"Professor Dumbledore.", Riddle nodded as he skipped up the staircase, Marley forced to increase her tempo quite significantly as she tried to keep up.
"Wandering around the castle at this hour is far from wise, Tom.", the older figure spoke calmly, confirming once and for all who the older Slytherin boy was, though the girl had it figured out already.
"Yes professor.", the young student began, sounding not quite as sure of himself, though he was far from impolite or inelegant, for that matter, "I suppose I... wanted to see for myself. There... had been rumours and... well, it seems though that they're true."
"It seems though they are, unfortunately.", Dumbledore retorted in what was both very reserved, as well as containing worry and burden alike.
"About the school as well?", the boy sounded more than well put together, yet still profoundly worried, "I don't have a home. They wouldn't really close Hogwarts, sir, would they?"
"I hear you, Tom. But... I'm afraid Headmaster Dippet may not have another choice."
Riddle lowered his head for a moment, and with Marley stood quietly and invisibly right next to him, she watched closely as his eyes moved ever so slightly, communicating a quick yet complex thought process before they met his professor's eyes once again.
"Sir, what if... what if it stopped? What if the person responsible was caught..."
It was an odd thing to say, no, suspicious was the word. Dumbledore thought so too as he briefly eyed the boy with what very clearly spoke caution.
"You know who did it?", Marley asked first, though obviously neither person heard her, let alone perceived her presence.
"Is there something you wish to... tell me?", the not-quite-as-old man asked in the most relaxing fashion possible. Marley herself froze straightaway, having been asked that exact question by the same man once before, although it was more so Harry who answered back then. Tom himself showed no real emotion as he responded, whether or not this was indicative of how he felt or his ability to pokerface, Miss Verpe couldn't possibly say.
"No sir, nothing."
"Very well then. Off you go."
So far, being trapped in the terrifying sepia dimension of days past, the only thing Marley felt was safe to do was to follow Tom Riddle like a lost duckling. Occasionally she considered wandering off on her own, perhaps explore someplace else in this 1953 version of Hogwarts. But then whenever there was a corridor perhaps leading to freedom, the girl was able to see far enough into the distance to make out that it faded into a void of nothing, telling her that whatever memory she was transported to, it was set on rails and alternate route exploration was locked behind the main story for now. It reminded her of those adorable, large bear things in her Pokémon game that blocked two different parts of the map due them napping there. She hadn't been able to figure out how to get past those yet.
It felt like an hour later that her guide was finally where he ought to be, some remote corner in the dungeons, one Marley herself hadn't even been to – and she bloody lives down in the dungeons.
Nevertheless, they reached a rusty, old door, Riddle's wand already firmly held in his hand as he aimed it at the lock, giving the girl some flashbacks to last year's Fluffy excursion. A spark of light escaped his tool, the Alohomora spell as it turned out, though the boy was apparently able to produce it without uttering the incantation, an advanced form of magic Marley had not yet even attempted. The boy took a few more seconds to quietly peak inside before dramatically slamming the door open, now with his wand aggressively raised and a cold harshness in his voice.
"Evening, Hagrid.", Riddle spat, and the half-giant turned around with a shocked scare on his face. Marley audibly (though not really, since no one could hear her) gasped, the friendly beefcake's younger face lacking that signature beard that she had gotten used to. Though it wasn't like she couldn't easily identify Hagrid by literally every other feature of his person.
"Riddle? What are you-", he began, his brooding voice already having reached that low octave, though it still tingled a slightly higher pitch in such a scenario. The inconspicuous chest to his right had wobbled a bit and with a massive paw slammed on the top he tried to keep it quiet.
"I'm going to have to turn you in, Hagrid. I don't think you meant to kill anybody, but..."
"What?", Marley huffed in pure disbelief, frozen at the doorstep.
"You can't!", Hagrid protested. Despite his impressive stature, fifty years ago, he too was but a boy, "You don't understand!"
"The dead girl's parents will arrive here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is exterminate the thing that killed their daughter."
Marley's heartbeat became frantic at the exchange. In a few moments a lot of her questions would be answered. Questions she and her friends had been hunting for months at this point.
"It wasn't him!", Hagrid stood frightened but brave, "Aragog never killed nobody!"
"Monsters don't make good pets, Hagrid. Now – step aside.", Riddle demanded with the tone of an authority figure.
"No!"
"Step aside."
"NO!"
"CISTEM APERIO!", Riddle shouted, and a metallic mechanism on the chest flung loose, the lid itself bursting open as a shadow from inside began to flee.
Marley jumped aside last minute, less so in a panic, and more so because she was unsure what would happen if she collided with an object in Tom Riddle's memory. Regardless, what escaped wasn't precisely appealing either – the largest spider the girl had ever seen in her life, its two segments combined roughly the size of a beagle, added with the legs, Aragog was therefore quite impressive in size and speed.
"Arania Exumai!", Riddle launched at it, the spell barely missing its target as the lethal arachnid scattered off to freedom.
"Aragog! ARAGOG!", Hagrid cried after it, ever the softy when it came to magical beasts. Unfortunately, the boy giant could not chase after it, as Riddle's wand was now aimed directly at his chest.
"I can't let you go.", the Slytherin boy warned him, the entire procedure appearing rather unpleasant to him, despite any heroic intentions, "They'll have your wand for this. You'll be expelled."
Beaten and cornered, Hagrid hung his head low, which was when Marley got back up and ran to the doorframe once again.
"What happened next?", she blurted in distress, which was of course heard by neither, "Where is Aragog now? How can we find him?!"
Time seemed to slow down, then stop completely. The air stood still, as did Hagrid, his quiet sob frozen in place. All was put on pause but the two Slytherins.
Then, finally, Tom Riddle turned towards her, meeting her eyes as his seemed to burn into her retina. She stood there frozen, staring at the boy as he said nothing.
The same feeling as earlier overcame the girl, a bright light now appearing from behind as she felt all that was in front of her shrinking, the sensation of being pulled back not quite translating as the space around her remained static.
"Tell me, Riddle. Tell me!"
Tom Riddle spoke nothing, averting his gaze once again as he resumed his duelling stance towards a heartbroken Hagrid.
A bright flash later and she fell onto soft carpet, though the back of her head smacked against the stone floor of the DADA room. While in pain and still dizzy with memory, at least the colours were now switched back on again, which became immediately apparent as a nervous face hovered over her.
"Marley!", Harry almost screamed at the girl, helping her back into a seated position as the Slytherin hissed in pain.
"Ow.", became her first response, everything else taking a backseat for now.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?!", ruptured from his mouth. Whatever Marley experienced apparently wasn't nearly as distressing as what Harry went through.
"I'm fine.", she nodded, catching her breath as the memories resurfaced, Harry on one knee by her side eyeing her like she was made from porcelain, "The diary... it swallowed me. Tom Riddle showed me the past he... he showed me who did it..."
Harry nodded initially, looking impatient as his eyes drilled into her skull. She kept staring at him for another moment, unable to continue when the boy was only half-listening anyways. Eventually, his urges got the better of him and he launched for a hug that almost knocked them both over. Forced to readjust for balance, the gesture softened slightly, though his arms refused to loosen even a bit, the boy exhaling loudly in relief.
It happened so fast Marley didn't even register at first. Still stuck to her torso like a baby chimp, his head pulled back for a few seconds to kiss her on the cheek.
Probably more of a peck, like she would always get from relatives. It was over in a flash and neither commented on it, Harry just went back to his very desperate hug as the girl finally reciprocated, hugging him back while her face went all red. His did too, though she couldn't see it with his back turned.
"I was so scared.", he spoke quietly into her ear, a tremor in his voice that forced her to tighten her grasp as well.
Like with everything, reality eventually had to catch up.
"It was Hagrid."
"It can't be Hagrid. It just can't be.", became Hermione's response as the four of them strolled during their free period through a courtyard. Spring came far warmer this year than in it did last, and so enjoying some sunrays with the appropriately green lawn seemed appropriate. Plus, it would cause some suspicion if they only ever discussed these things in secret. To paraphrase Professor Snape: It would make it look like they were up to something.
Harry's reaction was initially the same when Marley told him yesterday, though by now he had mostly accepted it, going with the theory that Hagrid did not intentionally cause any harm, but that this Aragog thing would need to be located and terminated.
"We don't even know this Tom Riddle.", Ron joined on Miss Granger's side, "He sure sounds like a dirty rotten snitch to me."
"The monster killed someone.", Harry responded, pretty harshly blocking his friend's very reasonable concern, "It's what he had to do. Marley saw it, right?"
Close to a small fountain the four of them came to a halt, three sets of eyes wandering over to an usually quiet Slytherin that finally jolted her neck towards them.
"Huh?", she practically yelped, "Oh. Yeah. Yes. The... I saw it... the whole shebang. Hagrid probably didn't mean it."
Well, that was odd.
"I still don't think he'd be capable of something like it.", the Gryffindor girl protested.
"He did bring a dragon to his home last year.", became Marley's answer, and the two grew into a stalemate.
"You said you loved the dragon.", Ron tried correcting her, inadvertently causing Marley to jolt up straight, bright red cheeks as she stumbled her way into an answer.
"Love?! Who said anything about love? I mean, I never actually saw the thing so... well... love's out the question. I... I merely liked him."
Ron let out a hefty sigh and Marley's head hung low. Any progress the girl had made on overcoming her feelings for Harry were more or less deleted last night with a peck that was heard across the world.
"Look, Hagrid's our friend.", Hermione tactically switched topics before Harry could ask what's wrong, "Why don't we just go and talk to him?"
"That'll be a splendid conversation.", the Weasley boy joined her, not missing out an opportunity to whine, "Tell us, Hagrid, have you set anything hairy and mad loose in the castle?"
"Hairy and mad? You're not talking about me, are you?"
Aaand of course Hagrid surprised the quartet of kids in that same courtyard, thankfully only having heard snippets of their conspiratorial talk, just trying to sound friendly while carrying a strange container with him.
"No!", Harry, Ron, and Hermione all spoke in unison, Marley repeating the phrase with a delay after.
A moment of awkward silence followed, Ron pouting his lips, Hermione's eyes jumping all over, and Marley fiddling violently with her fingers, which meant Harry was forced to step up with a distraction.
"Uh... what's that you've got there in your hand, Hagrid?"
"Oh, just some Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent, for the Mandrakes, you know?", he came back with jolly, briefly undermining their argument from before with his warm, Santa-Clause-esc manner of talking, "Now, according to Professor Sprout, they still have some growing in them, but once the acne's cleared up, we'll be able to chop 'em, stew 'em, and then we'll fix up everyone who's petrified nice and good. In the meantime...", he proceeded to point the canister of acidic poison at the quartet, "...you had best be looking out for one another, ay?"
Nervous nods followed before a friendly half-giant made his way back into a corridor with a roof.
"Oh, never mind. It can't possibly be Hagrid.", Marley folded in a mumble.
"Hello Neville.", Hagrid still greeted a boy turned athlete hurrying towards our heroes.
"Harry...", he wheezed, "I don't know who it did, but you better come check it out."
Their path led them up to the Gryffindor common room corridor, which became their first obstacle.
"Um...", Marley nervously whimpered right as the portal swung open, "I don't think I'm allowed to enter."
"Course you are.", Harry assured her, almost reaching for her hand, "Come on."
The girl nodded quietly as she followed, briefly in awe at just how different Gryffindors and Slytherins had it. For once, it was not dingy or dark, it was actually far too bright for the girl, windows and torches everywhere. Then of course everything was crimson and gold, though that was as much thought as the girl was able to put into it before they raced up a spiral staircase leading to the dormitory where... HARRY SLEEPS!?
She chocked up for a moment, petrified on the spot before she kept pursuing, channelling all of her energy to not distract from the serious situation with a blush. She'd see his bed and his clothes and... Merlin – perhaps his underwear?! Is it hot in here?!, she thought as they came to a halt.
Thankfully, things were really looking quite terrible, suppressing the panic in the Slytherin's brain as they admired pretty much all of the boy's earthly belongings scattered and broken across the entire room, curtains ripped off and pillows being cut, as if perpetrated by a madman.
"Bloody hell...", Ron quietly commented, though it's not like his bed looked that much better.
"It must've been a Gryffindor.", Hermione worried with crossed arms, "No one else knows our password. Unless it wasn't a student."
"I told Marles once.", the Weasley boy remembered out loud.
"Yeah... there's no bloody way I remembered that, Ronald.", she huffed, mostly feeling bad for Harry, who scoured through the mess until pausing with an exhale.
"Well...", Ron added, "Whoever it was must've been looking for something."
"And they found it. Tom Riddle's diary is gone."