Harry of Nazarick

Diary

Pansy Parkinson dashed through the corridors of Hogwarts with no destination in mind, her face covered by her arm. Her footsteps echoed off the stone walls as she made turns whenever she saw someone. She didn't know where she was heading; she only knew she needed to escape.

As she rounded a corner, her breaths ragged, Pansy stumbled upon the second-floor girl's bathroom. It was quiet and secluded, the perfect sanctuary for her troubled mind. Pushing open the door, she stepped inside and leaned against the cool tiled wall, her chest heaving with emotion.

She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Her face was drenched with sweat and a semblance of fear. Her skin was pale, and she felt sick at her own reflection. She frowned, 'The image of an ugly girl. I knew already', thought Pansy. Not wanting to see more of it, she turned and tried to calm herself.

But as she tried to gather her thoughts, her gaze fell upon an old, tattered book lying on the sink. Curiosity piqued, and Pansy approached the book cautiously. It was a curious thing, as she could see that the appearance was rather simplistic and tedious, but there was something around it that made it unique, its cover worn and faded, yet strangely alluring.

Before she could resist, her trembling fingers reached out and traced the ornate lettering on the cover: "Tom Marvolo Riddle." The name was not familiar to her, but her curiosity was bigger.

Just as she was about to open the diary, a ghostly voice echoed through the bathroom. Pansy jumped in surprise as Moaning Myrtle materialized from one of the cubicles, her ethereal form hovering in the air.

Myrtle's mournful eyes fixed on Pansy accusingly. "What do you think you're doing here, huh? Coming here to make fun of me, don't you?"

Pansy recoiled, her heart pounding in her chest. "Wha-What?"

Myrtle's expression hardened slightly when she saw the book in Pansy's hands, "Oh, I see. You came here to throw something else at me?"

Feeling a pang of frustration at Myrtle's cryptic words, Pansy's emotions boiled over. "The world does not revolve around you, or any ghost for that matter! All of you are the same, not caring about anything else but yourselves."

Myrtle let out a wail of indignation, but Pansy paid her no heed. Turning back, she put the diary in the pockets of her cloak and left the bathroom. As she left the bathroom, her steps went faster and faster.

Pansy couldn't shake the lingering sting of Ron's remarks. She knew he was right, in one way. Harry was with her because of his family, and her so-called friends quickly ditched her for the same reason. She wanted to lie to herself and think she wouldn't do that, but that was impossible; she knew she would have done the same as them.

Lost in thought, Pansy's guilt grew when she realized that she had run from Weasley and Moaning Myrtle, of all people. "What am I? A Longbottom? Argh!"

/

Harry, Hermione, and Pansy were at the library studying. Later, Susan Bones and Ernest MacMillan sat at the same desk. Harry was reading a book Hermione did not know where it came from. Pansy was writing an essay in silence. Susan and Ernest were the loudest group working on their herbology homework. Meanwhile, Hermione was reading another book about transfiguration.

Hermione was reading with her frown eyes, not because she couldn't understand something from the book, but because she was getting convinced even further that the transfiguration of animals, or any living forms, should be banned entirely.