A Hogwarts Legend: Round Two [2]

Chapter Thirty Two

"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school ... travelled far and wide ... sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognisable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"But Ginny," says Mrs Weasley, "what's our Ginny got to do with - with - him?"

"His d-diary!" Ginny sobs. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year -"

"Ginny!" says Mr Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain. Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!"

"I d-didn't know," sobs Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it ..."

"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing straight away," Dumbledore interrupts in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strides over to the door and opens it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheer me up," he adds, twinkling kindly down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice - I dare say the Basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

"So Hermione, Maya and Elinor are okay!" Ron says brightly.

"There has been no lasting harm done," says Dumbledore.

Mrs Weasley leads Ginny out, and Mr Weasley follows, still looking deeply shaken.

"You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore says thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

"Right," says Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter, Weasley and Swift, shall I?"

"Certainly," says Dumbledore.

She leaves, Harry, Ron and I gaze uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly did Professor McGonagall mean, deal, with us? Surely - surely - we aren't going to be punished?

"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," says Dumbledore.

"In my defence, I was left unsupervised," I pipe up. "Also we saved the school so shouldn't we get brownie points for that?"

Dumbledore continues as if I didn't interrupt him. "Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore goes on, smiling. "All three of you will receive Special Awards for Services to the School and - let me see - yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

Ron goes as brightly pink as Lockhart's Valentine flowers and closes his mouth again.

"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore adds. "Why do modest, Gilderoy?"