𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumor about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays, because of course everyone thought that she had been attacked.
So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.
Harry, Crystal and Ron went to visit her every evening. When the new term started, they brought her each day's homework.
"How are you today?" Crystal asked her.
"Quite good!" said Hermione with a smile.
"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," said Ron, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione's bedside table one evening.
"Don't be silly, Ron, I've got to keep up," said Hermione briskly. Her spirits were greatly improved by the fact that all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were turning slowly back to brown.
"I don't suppose you've got any new leads?" she added in a whisper, so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear her.
"Nothing," said Harry gloomily.
"I was also not sure it was Malfoy," said Ron, for about the hundredth time.
"Mhmm, you were most definitely not sure," said Crystal double checking her schedule, which was really miraculously clear for the rest of the evening.
"What's that?" asked Harry, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione's pillow.
"Just a get well card," said Hermione hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her. He pulled it out, flicked it open, and read aloud:
"To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award."
Ron looked up at Hermione, disgusted. Crystal shook her head in disapproval.
"You sleep with this under your pillow?"
But Hermione was spared answering by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over with her evening dose of medicine.
"Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Ron said to Harry and Crystal as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower.
Snape had given them so much homework, Harry thought he was likely to be in the sixth year before he finished it.
Ron was asking Crystal how many rat tails were supposed to be added to a Hair-Raising Potion which made her face contort in a look of disgust. Just then an angry outburst from the floor above reached their ears.
"That's Filch," Harry muttered as they hurried up the stairs and paused, out of sight, listening hard.
"You don't think someone else's been attacked?" said Ron tensely.
"Let's run away before we'll be blamed for something else," said Crystal having enough. Harry grabbed her arm to keep her from running and muttered, "stay,"
"Oh, come o---" Crystal tried to break free but Harry clapped his hand over her mouth pulling her back behind Ron with him.
"Shhhh . . . "
Crystal rolled her eyes. They stood still, their heads inclined toward Filch's voice, which sounded quite hysterical.
"--- even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore --- "
His footsteps receded along the out-of-sight corridor and they heard a distant door slam.
They poked their heads around the corner. Filch had clearly been manning his usual lookout post: They were once again on the spot where Mrs. Norris had been attacked.
They saw at a glance what Filch had been shouting about. A great flood of water stretched over half the corridor, and it looked as though it was still seeping from under the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Now that Filch had stopped shouting, they could hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls.
"Now what's up with her?" said Ron.
"Can you stop doing that to me everytime you want me to shut up?" Crystal hissed as soon as Harry let go of her.
"So what should I do to shut you?" Harry scoffed, "Yes, you talk less but at the wrong time,"
"I don't,"
"Fine! Let's go and see," said Harry, Crystal rolled her eyes and holding their robes over their ankles they stepped through the great wash of water to the door bearing its OUT OF ORDER sign, ignored it as always, and entered.
Moaning Myrtle was crying, if possible, louder and harder than ever before. She seemed to be hiding down her usual toilet.
It was dark in the bathroom because the candles had been extinguished in the great rush of water that had left both walls and floor soaking wet.
"What's up, Myrtle?" said Harry.
"Who's that?" glugged Myrtle miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"
Harry waded across to her stall and said, "Why would I throw something at you?"
"Don't ask me," Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of yet more water, which splashed onto the already sopping floor. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me . . ."
"But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you," said Harry, reasonably. "I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?"
It was one of those moments when Crystal mentally facepalmed. She tapped Harry's arm signalling him to stop from speaking further.
Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked, "Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because she can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I don't think!"
"Did you see who threw it, Myrtle?" Crystal asked.
"I don't know . . . I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head," said Myrtle, glaring at them. "It's over there, it got washed out . . ."
Harry, Crystal and Ron looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom.
Crystal stepped forward slipping her hands in a pair of thin disposable gloves to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold her back.
"What?" said Crystal baffled.
"Are you crazy?" said Ron. "It could be dangerous."
"Dangerous?" said Crystal, raising an brow. "How?"
"You'd be surprised," said Ron, who was looking apprehensively at the book. "Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated --- Dad's told me --- there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And ---"
"Okay, okay, I got your point," said Crystal stopping him.
"He's right, Crys. Mum told me that there are many books infested with dark magic too." said Harry. "We saw one of those last year in the restricted section, do you remember?"
The little book lay on the floor, nondescript and soggy.
"Well, we won't find out unless we look at it," she said, and swiftly ducked around Ron and picked it up off the floor.
It was a diary and the faded year on the cover told her it was fifty years old. She cautiously opened it promptly, holding it to face upwards keeping away from her face stretching to arm length.
When nothing happened, she slowly turned the diary towards her and took a peek with an eye cautiously and to her relief, they were safe.
On the first page she could just make out the name "T. M. Riddle" in smudged ink.
"Hang on," said Ron, who had approached cautiously and was looking over Crystal's shoulder. "I know that name . . . T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago."
"How on earth d'you know that?" said Harry in amazement.
"Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention," said Ron resentfully. "That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too."
Crystal peeled the wet pages apart. They were completely blank. There wasn't the faintest trace of writing on any of them.
"Why would someone buy a diary and not even write a single page?" said Crystal, suspiciously. "The main question actually is, what on earth the diary of a person from fifty years ago is doing in present time, in a girl's lavatory. Where did it even come from?"
"Before that I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?" said Ron curiously.
Crystal turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London.
"He must've been Muggle-born," Harry thoughtfully added, "To have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road . . ."
"That's one of many possibilities --- Harry! How d'you know this area?" Crystal asked surprised.
"Why do you always forget that I live in both the worlds," said Harry for hundredth time.
"Oh, right, sorry," said Crystal
"Well, it's not much use to you," said Ron. He dropped his voice. "Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose."
"Give it to me," Harry plucked the diary from Crystal's hand and pocketed it, "who knows what this is," then warned Crystal sternly as though reprimanding a kid, "whatever you want to do with it, do it in front of me."
"I'm not a baby!" Crystal snapped.
"Yes, you're a baby. You don't have sense of danger sometimes!" Harry retorted back, "like we warned you just now but you still picked it up."
"You've got to take the risk sometimes if you want to find out --- "
"See? You're again ---"
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Ron shouted incredulously looking between the two of them who instantly stopped. "You both together are a big headache sometimes!"
"Shut up!" Crystal and Harry snapped together, "like you and Hermione are any better!"
✰✰✰✰✰✰
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 they had found it.
"Oooh, it might have hidden powers," said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.
"I wish I knew why someone tried to chuck it," said Harry. "I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts either."
"We could've done something ages ago, if a certain someone stopped being so stubborn and let me have the diary," said Crystal, glaring at him. Harry rolled his eyes.
Crystal and Harry started to have arguments about the possession of the diary. Crystal wanted to keep it in her possession to check it out but Harry was being stubborn that she would do something stupid and dangerous with this diary from unknown background.
"Could've been anything," said Ron. "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 . . . "
"Murdering is not an achievement, you guys," Hermione shook her head, wearily.
"'Mione, I've a theory, think about this, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago and this diary is also ---" said Crystal.
"--- fifty years old. I understand what you're getting at," said Hermione, tapping it excitedly.
"So?" said Ron with a bored face.
"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?"
Crystal nodded, smiling proudly as Hermione explained but when she caught Harry's eyes, it turned into an icy glare which made a chill run down his spine and turned his face away.
"That's a brilliant theory, Hermione," said Ron, "with just one tiny little flaw. There's nothing written in his diary."
But Hermione was pulling her wand out of her bag.
"It might be invisible ink!" she whispered.
She tapped the diary three times and said, "Aparecium!"
Nothing happened.
"I've tried it already," said Crystal, "and it's the only thing I could try thanks to someone,"
"Oh, come on, Crys! Cut it out already! I just don't want you to be hurt!" said Harry exasperated.
"But you let Hermione do it!" Crystal snapped, "Won't she get hurt too?"
"She knows when to stop," said Harry towering over and pointing his index at her as she glared up at his figure, "while you do not!"
"Woah. . . I don't know when to stop? It's common sense to stop if my instincts tells I'll get hurt!"
"Your instincts has the bars of danger set higher than normal --- "
"It is not! And I don't need you interfering with my business!"
"Your business? It's about all of us! I don't --- "
"I meant just let me do some experiments on the damn diary! You don't even let me touch it!"
"Sure, just tell me about those experiments of yours and it's all yours,"
"That, you don't need to know besides I picked it up so it's mine,"
"See? You won't even tell me anything and it doesn't matter now who picked it up, I'll keep it with me --- "
"I'll write to Aunt Lily!"
"Sure, go ahead and do tell her what you did and get scolded. Should I help you write the letter?" Harry said relaxed.
Crystal faltered a bit which curved the corner of Harry's mouth in triumph.
"Uh, Er --- then I'll write to Uncle James!"
It was Harry's turn falter, he paused for a moment to think trying to think of a witty answer to outsmart her.
"Yeah, write to him then both you and dad get scolded." he said sitting down casually with a laid back smile.
Crystal was dumbfounded. It was the first time she didn't had anything to shoot back.
"Urghh! Merlin's beard! They're at it again!" Ron cried clutching his head in agony. "Stop it and focus, guys!"
Harry and Crystal huffed and jerked their faces away from each other.
Hermione shook her head and shoved her hand back into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser.
"Moving on, it's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley,"
She rubbed hard on January first. Nothing happened.
"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there," said Ron. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in."
Crystal lunged to seize the diary but Harry was faster and swiftly kept it in his bag. Crystal scoffed, she looked upset as she stomped out of the room.
"Harry, just let her do what she wants to do with it," said Ron, "I don't think it's that dangerous,"
"I don't know, I get a bad feeling from this thing. It's like I want to throw it away but can't. My mum has always said be wary of unknown things and here I'm holding it in my hands just because she doesn't get it," said Harry and sighed, "I'm just thinking in her interest but she doesn't listen! Just like a little kid!"
"But don't you think Crysie is acting her age for once --- " said Hermione, chuckling, "I mean, we've never seen her throw tantrums, she is always calm and composed like an adult would be,"
"Well, yeah, she's definitely annoyed with Harry," Ron agreed.
"D'you guys think I'm being too paranoid?" Harry said, "Should I just give it her?"
"Don't, Harry, I think you're right. Sometimes, you know, younger sisters could be a bit of a pain, they don't listen at all as they grow older," said Ron.
"Younger sister?" said Hermione looked at him as though he was stupid, "Harry, d'you think of Crysie as your younger sister?"
"No way! She's not --- I mean, it just feels weird to even think about it,"
"Why not? Mr. and Mrs. Potter almost adopted Crysie if it wasn't for the Hudsons. Even though your parents are not legal guardians, they still consider her as their own daughter. So what will that make you and Crystal?" said Ron, "Well, mate, I'm experienced in that area. I've got a lot of siblings so you can come to me if you need advice."
Ron and Hermione looked at him for an answer but Harry just couldn't find words, he thought maybe he didn't like the idea of having a siblings that shared the love and affection of his parents.
It was true that he has atleast wanted to have a younger sister once but he couldn't fit Crystal's image in that position. It just felt too weird and not right.
✰✰✰✰✰✰
Crystal was determined to investigate more about Riddle, so next day at break, she headed for the trophy room to examine Riddle's special award, accompanied by an overly interested Hermione, a paranoid in-act babysitter Harry and a thoroughly unconvinced Ron, who told them he'd seen enough of the trophy room to last him a lifetime.
Riddle's burnished gold shield was tucked away in a corner cabinet. It didn't carry details of why it had been given to him.
However, they did find Riddle's name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys.
"He sounds like Percy," said Ron, wrinkling his 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.
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.
Perhaps the Heir of Slytherin had lost his or her nerve, thought Harry.
Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff didn't take this cheerful view. He was still convinced that Crystal and Harry were the guilty one, that Harry had "given himself away" at the Dueling Club. Peeves wasn't helping matters.
Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. Harry overheard him telling Professor McGonagall so while the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration.
"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "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 . . . "
He tapped his nose again and strode off.
✰✰✰✰✰✰
"Crys! Wait!" Harry ran down the stairs from his dorm to common room with his tie in hands.
"How many times do I've to tell you that don't run down the stairs!" said Crystal and took the tie from Harry's hand like usual.
"We're late," said Harry, watching her making the knot of his tie around her neck. "I had Quidditch practice. You?"
Harry and Crystal seemed to have come to peaceful terms. Crystal realised that Harry was only caring for her wellbeing while Harry understood that he should not be more overprotective of his friends than necessary. This stopped their arguments much to Hermione's and Ron's relief.
"Same as usual, early morning lessons since the new term started, you know it." said Crystal, handing his tie back. "And learn how to tie the knot yourself,"
"Yeah yeah, I will, let's hurry." said Harry setting the tie on his neck as hurried towards Great Hall to have breakfast.
When they reached their destination they thought, for a moment, that they'd walked through the wrong doors.
The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling.
It was Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster that became clear at breakfast time on February fourteenth.
Harry and Crystal went over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was sitting looking sickened, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles.
"What's going on?" Harry asked them, sitting down and wiping confetti off his bacon.
"Don't eat that now," said Crystal, putting the ones which were clean on a new plate for him too, as she served herself too.
Ron pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too disgusted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced.
"I'll never like pink again after this, ever," Crystal mumbled, nibbling on her toast as she looked at Lockhart.
"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 surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.
"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.
"I thought Love potion and enchantment are illegal?" asked Crystal, raising an brow.
"I know right." said Harry.
"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," said Ron as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson.
Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer.
All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, much to the annoyance of the teachers and Crystal.
Crystal was rest assured that there won't be any valentines letters like last year, as this year, her reputation plummeted because of the rumours but her peace was short lived.
Since the delivery system was anonymous, those who didn't have the courage to talk or dare to stand in front of her tried their luck too.
Crystal wanted to run and hide in her dormitory and Ron and Harry were getting a lot of entertainment out of this. Hermione, though, was excited and commenting on the good ones as though match-making.
The group of four was in the Great Hall again that day when Crystal turned around feeling the sudden gust of wind behind her and sighed when she saw the Dwarf.
"Oh God, please no," she muttered and said to dwarf, "Aren't you tired? Just refuse them next time you see my name on it,"
The dwarf pretended not to hear.
"This time I've got a musical message to deliver to Crysral Calisro in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.
"No no, it's Crystal, 't' as in tall and Calisto, 't' as in toe," Harry tried to correct his pronunciation but was blatantly ignored.
"Leave it, Harry," Crystal muttered and turned to dwarf again, "let's go and find someplace deserted ---"
"I'm very busy," said the dwarf, "Here is your singing valentine:
"Wait wait, no --- " Crystal said horrified but too late.
"Your coolness knows no bounds,
Like the peerless beauty most sought,
Frozen eyes like the crystal star,
Silk of hair like midnight lush,
I know it's not just a childhood crush,
I look at you and gasp in awe,
Wondering if you were real,
Oh, the mystique divine, conquering the Dark Lord,
You take my breath away my dear,
I hope my prayers reach to who you call the God,
That I wish you were by my side but I fear,
I will always be waiting on the sideline here."
Crystal's mouth was hanging open by the end of it. She only came out of the shock when her spoon slipped out of her hand and fell on the ground with a sonorous clink, breaking the pin drop silence in the hall.
Hermione was first to speak up and her voice rang across the silence.
"Crysie! Oh my! Oh my! This is the best valentine you've received so far!" Hermione squealed excitedly.
"Uh, Hermione, just calm down," Crystal whispered awkwardly picking up the spoon and placing it on the table but the girl wasn't listening.
"I can tell this one is definitely from a guy! Sorry, Harry --- " she squealed, red faced as though the song was meant for her instead of Crystal, who didn't have much of reaction even after it was over, apart from being in state of shock for being forced to hear all the embarrassment.
"C'mon, please sit down," Crystal whispered to her glancing around as people were listening in, glancing at them.
"It's destiny! You absolutely have to marry him in the future, Crysie. Don't keep him waiting in the sidelines!" She glanced at Harry's baffled face, "Sorry, Harry, but the competition is really fierce here,"
"Excuse me? What?" Harry and Crystal shouted together in same state of bewilderment but for different reasons.
Crystal felt her face warming up the more Hermione rambled on about the emotions in the song. It was a very embarrassing day for her altogether and her friend wasn't helping at all.
"She's not shutting up," Crystal muttered.
"Nope," Ron shrugged his shoulders.
"Hey, I think . . ." Crystal started slowly in whisper, finally finding her voice and picking up her bag, "Um, I just remembered --- er, I think I gotta go . . ."
"Dumbledore?" Harry asked.
"Ah, yes," she answered discreetly, it was then for the first time ever, Harry got a glance of the unusual soft hue of rose on her cheeks she was trying to hide with the curtain of her hair.
It was his turn to be utterly shocked, his mouth hanged apart and the spoon slipped from his hand falling into his plate as he watched her walk away briskly.
There was a lot of murmur around them. The girls were giggling and blushing muttering the lyrics of the song.
Crystal tried to keep it cool and walked as though nothing happened. But just as she was about to make a safe exit, someone ran into her while turning to the corridor.
"Woah, there," said a voice she had heard before once, "watch where you're going,"
"Yeah, um, I mean I'm sorry, Nott, bye,"
She was about to walk past him but Nott obstructed her path by standing himself in front of her.
"Are you sick?" he asked, "You look a bit flushed,"
"Absolutely not sick, I'm fine --- it's just, I got to hurry," she said and ran past him the other way.
Nott watched her running away and shrugging his shoulders went inside the Great Hall.
Meanwhile, Harry really wanted to find out who was the sender of the love song. The food tasted more sour as the word 'crush' from the musical rang like a broken record in his mind.
✰✰✰✰✰✰
Late that afternoon, the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms. Crystal joined her friends on the way when one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry.
"Oi, you! 'Arry Potter!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry. Crystal was already hiding behind Ron but he kept laughing making fun of her much to her annoyance.
Hot all over at the thought of being given a valentine in front of a line of first years, 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, twanging 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.
With a loud ripping noise, 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?" came the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.
Harry started stuffing everything feverishly into his ripped bag, desperate to get away before Malfoy could hear his musical valentine.
"What's all this commotion?" said another familiar voice as Percy Weasley arrived.
Losing his head, Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor.
"Right," he 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."
Harry would have done anything to evaporate on the spot. Trying valiantly to laugh along with everyone else, he got up, his feet numb from the weight of the dwarf, as Percy Weasley did his best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying with mirth.
"Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now," he said, shooing some of the younger students away. "And you, Malfoy --- "
Harry, glancing over, saw Malfoy stoop and snatch up something. Leering, he showed it to Crabbe and Goyle, and Harry realized that he'd got Riddle's diary.
"Give that back," said Harry quietly.
"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" said Malfoy, who obviously hadn't noticed the year on the cover and thought he had Harry's own diary. "A very secret confession for someone you don't want us to see?" Malfoy glanced at Crystal for a very brief moment before looking back at him.
A hush fell over the onlookers. 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 tauntingly at Harry.
Percy said, "As a school prefect -" but Harry had lost his temper.
He pulled out his wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" and just as Snape had Disarmed Lockhart, so Malfoy found the diary shooting out of his hand into the air. Crystal, caught it in the air and gave it back to Harry.
"Harry!" said Percy loudly. "No magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know!"
But Harry didn't care, he was one-up on Malfoy, and that was worth five points from Gryffindor any day. Malfoy was looking furious, and as Ginny passed him to enter her classroom, he yelled spitefully after her, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!"
Ginny covered her face with her hands and ran into class. Snarling, Ron pulled out his wand, too, but Crystal and Hermione pulled him away.
It wasn't until they had reached Professor Flitwick's class that Harry noticed something rather odd about Riddle's diary. All his other books were drenched in scarlet ink. The diary, however, was as clean as it had been before the ink bottle had smashed all over it.
He pointed this out to Crystal who was concentrating on controlling her excess power on the charm being taught.
"Crys," He whispered shifting to sit close to her, sliding the diary on the desk.
Crystal promptly became invested at what Harry explained her, suspecting that they had to write in it, in a hushed voice.
"Harry," Crystal whispered, "Can we check it out sometime today?"
Harry nodded. "Tonight --- " he said.
"Mr. Potter, Valentines is over for today in my class," Professor Flitwick called out, "Please change your seats with Miss Brown,"
Harry glanced back at Parvati and Lavender sitting together and giggling and sighed gathering his things.
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Crystal came back early from her accounts lessons at the end of the day making a excuse that she needed some rest.
When she entered the portrait hole, there was a lot of noise coming from common room. She found Fred and George teasing Harry as they sang "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad"
Crystal saw Harry sitting on the farthest corner of the room probably waiting for her.
When Fred and George noticed her they blocked her path and started to sing the love song she heard in the afternoon. Harry stood up started to come towards her as soon as he saw her.
"So Crysie, did you find him?" said George with a teasing grin.
"Who?" Crystal said perplexed.
"Your lover boy! Who made your heart melt!" said Fred and they started to sing again dreamily.
"No comments, goodbye," said Crystal, having enough of that song and met Harry halfway.
"Let's go up to my dorm," Harry whispered in her ear and while they were going up the stairs. They heard the twins yell.
"We're still rooting for you, Harry!" Fred howled.
"Yep, no funny business!" George joined in.
Crystal and Harry went inside the room and Harry shut the door let out a breath of relief, his ears tinted slight pink.
"What're they rooting for?" asked Crystal, flopping on his bed, "Are you starting some kind of business?"
"Im not and sometimes I don't understand them myself," he dismissed, "I was about to leave not able to stand their singing but then I remembered we didn't decided where we'd meet so I was waiting for you," said Harry as he took the diary out, "let's get started,"
They sat on Harry's four-poster and flicked through the blank pages, not one of which had a trace of scarlet ink on it.
Crystal took out a bottle of ink and quill out of her bag, trying to get her hands on the diary but Harry snatched it from her hands with a cheeky grin.
Finally settled, Harry dipped the quill into it, and dropped a blot onto the first page of the diary.
The ink shone brightly on the paper for a second and then, as though it was being sucked into the page, vanished.
"Did you see that?" said Harry excited, Crystal nodded curiously.
"Wait a moment, Let me think what to write," said Crystal as she bend down to remove her shoes to sit more comfortably.
But excited, Harry loaded up his quill a second time and wrote, "My name is Harry Potter."
"Harry! I told you to wait! Why did you write your name, silly? Is this how you're being cautious?"
"But I thought it's a diary so you have to write your name . . ."
"You told me to be cautious, what if it's infested with some dark magic and your name is cursed forever? What if you get cursed forever?"
"Uh-oh, I didn't think of that," Looking down at the diary.
His words shone momentarily on the page and they, too, sank without trace. Then, at last, something happened.
Oozing back out of the page, in his very own ink, came words Harry had never written.
"Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?"
"Oh my God . . . " Crystal couldn't believe it was writing back.
These words, too, faded away, but not before Harry had started to scribble back.
"Someone tried to flush it down a toilet."
They waited eagerly for Riddle's reply.
"Lucky that I recorded my memories in some more lasting way than ink. But I always knew that there would be those who would not want this diary read."
"What lasting way is he talking about?" Crystal whispered.
"Should I ask him?" Harry whispered back. She nodded her head.
"What do you mean?" Harry scrawled.
She was waiting to see the handwriting again and when the reply came back, she stared at it.
"I mean that this diary holds memories of terrible things. Things that were covered up. Things that happened at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"That's where I am now," Harry wrote quickly. "I'm at Hogwarts, and horrible stuff's been happening. Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Can you stop giving your personal information and location to a stranger of an unknown background?" Crystal said, keeping her hand on Harry's shoulder to stop him from writing on his own.
"Sorry,"
She wanted to check something about the diary owner's character by analysing the flow and pattern of the handwriting which she had read about in one of those books in her library-bedroom back at Hudsons.
Riddle's reply came quickly, his writing becoming untidier, as though he was hurrying to tell all he knew.
"That's --- A diary is supposed to keep secrets and this one is too eager to spill everything out," Crystal remarked.
She had a feeling that the conversation was being directed in some way since the beginning, it was making her wary.
"Of course I know about the Chamber of Secrets. In my day, they told us it was a legend, that it did not exist. But this was a lie. In my fifth year, the Chamber was opened and the monster attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught the person who'd opened the Chamber and he was expelled. But the headmaster, Professor Dippet, ashamed that such a thing had happened at Hogwarts, forbade me to tell the truth. A story was given out that the girl had died in a freak accident. They gave me a nice, shiny, engraved trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep my mouth shut. But I knew it could happen again. The monster lived on, and the one who had the power to release it was not imprisoned."
"Didn't Malfoy say that the culprit was in Azkaban?" Crystal wondered out loud.
"Just hurry up and tell me what to write now," Harry said quickly.
"Ask him who did he catch last time," said Crystal.
Harry nearly upset his ink bottle in his hurry to write back.
"It's happening again now. There have been three attacks and no one seems to know who's behind them. Who was it last time?"
"I can show you, if you like," came Riddle's reply. "You don't have to take my word for it. I can take you inside my memory of the night when I caught him."
Harry hesitated, his quill suspended over the diary.
"What does he mean? How could he show me a memory inside the diary?" said Harry glancing nervously at the Crystal who was just as confused as him.
"I don't know," she muttered.
When they looked back at the diary, they saw fresh words forming.
"Let me show you."
"Why is he so insistent?" Crystal muttered. "I think this is enough, we should stop."
"But we're this close to find out who opened the chamber ---"
"Yeah, but --- well, let me tell you something - not that I'm skilled at it or anything but --- "
"Say it, Crys,"
"Okay, will you believe my intuition? I think he somewhat manipulated us to show the memories?"
"I believe you. But it's now or never. We've to see it. We can stop whoever is attacking before it attacks Hermione,"
Harry knew where to aim. Crystal would never want any harm come to her friends. He was just too curious about the memory to step back.
"Fine and I'm the one who has to hear that I don't know when to stop." said Crystal, sitting on her knees, and looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"Okay, I'm sorry." Harry chuckled softly tapping her nose with the feather of the quill.
Crystal nodded her head to write back. Harry paused for a fraction of a second and then wrote two letters.
"OK."
The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high wind, stopping halfway through the month of June. Shocked, Harry and Crystal saw that the little square for June thirteenth seemed to have turned into a minuscule television screen.
His hands trembling slightly, Harry raised the book to press his eye against the little window, and before he knew what was happening, he was tilting forward; the window was widening, he felt his body leave his bed, he felt Crystal pulling him back with all her strength but as though sucked into a vacuum, he was pitched headfirst through the opening in the page, into a whirl of color and shadow.
Crystal was thrown back into the headrest of his bed. She blanked out for a moment wondering if what happened was real. Harry Potter disappeared inside a very suspicious diary.
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A/N:
Guys, it was my first time trying my hands and brains at poetry since I was born and this is the final product after literally hundreds of edit for those 12 lines. It's still embarrassing *sigh*
I'm not joking about 100x edits, it was a lot of hardwork and stress to publish my first poem on a public platform... People don't usually do that... I don't know what's wrong with me... Even though --
It's still not up to the mark but I'm satisfied with my first attempt. Never stop learning is the moto I go by usually so I'll try to write more in future and improve more.
Special thanks to✨ Sara (@potter_saragranger) ✨ and ✨ Dani (@gingin-ger)✨ for reviewing the poem and boosting up my confidence that made me decide to give this poem a shot in the light. Love you guys a lot 💖💖💖
If you really liked this chapter, please show your support by votes and comments. Thank you!
Until next chapter 🖤
~ Cia🍸
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