Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 36

Isabella woke up in a cold sweat. She took a few seconds to register where she was and what she was doing. Then she stumbled out of bed and went to get dressed.

It was hardly six in the morning, but she had something to do. Besides, she didn't think she could go back to sleep even if she tried.

It was a strange, smug feeling, knowing that she was right. 

It was Riddle who framed Hagrid and now she was absolutely certain on it. No more doubts were left on that topic. 

And Riddle was a half-blood. Made perfect sense! Mother Merope, and father was Tom Riddle Sr, the one who was killed, apparently by Morfin Gaunt. 

But something told Isabella that it was Riddle who did it, not his uncle. Because it made sense for Morfin to hate the man, but it made even more sense for Tom Riddle to hate his father.

His mother died giving birth to him and only stayed to name him. But his father never looked for him and left him alone in that orphanage. 

Besides, Riddle looked sulky when he said that he was half-blood, as though the fact that he had a muggle for a parent disgusted him. . .Well, now she knew where his ideology for Voldemort and his followers came from.

He hated the muggle orphanage. Although, Isabella felt it was rather natural. Riddle was magical, and that wasn't considered normal in the muggle world. They would have only treated him as a freak and isolated him. 

Isabella knew this. It was a typical reaction. That's why she did her best to hide her magic away.

Back to Riddle, when he found out that he would be forced to leave Hogwarts after Myrtle's death he must have panicked and decided to frame Hagrid.

Lucky for him, Hagrid did have a monster, which seemed to have escaped.

Isabella had caught a glimpse of the monster, and it was nowhere near a snake. It was an acromantula, a young one that too. 

Obviously, it had to hide away because 'spiders flee before the basilisk'.  And Hagrid possibly couldn't let the monster walk around freely in the castle.

Isabella skidded to a halt in the empty common room.

Now what?

She made her way towards the fireplace and sat down on the nearest armchair. 

Isabella stared into the flames. The last couple of embers were dying out in the fireplace and was giving out their final sparks of heat.

She had figured all this out, but she didn't have the diary. She still had a lot to know. 

How did Riddle manage to open the Chamber if he wasn't physically present in Hogwarts at Harry's time?

However, Hagrid was still there. All the evidence the Ministry had would only point towards Hagrid who'd get framed again. 

It must have something to do with the diary. Riddle must have done something to the little book and it must be doing all this. 

How though?

How powerful was his magic that he could leave a memory of his in that book, all the while giving it the power to control itself? 

The book was answering Harry's questions. . .almost as though it were Riddle himself. 

Well, there were a few places she could look for answers. 

The restricted section of the library it was.