Disclaimer: Not even a little bit mine. Except for Gwen – who actually belongs to herself.

The Secret Diary of Hermione Granger

~Year Two~

HQoW

February 2

Gwen, Gwen, this is really important. You have to help me decide what to do.

What’s going on? Are you back in Gryffindor?

Yes, I’m fine, I’m so glad to be back, and going to classes again was a dream come true, but I have to tell you something right now and you have to give me advice because it’s serious.

Tell me.

Over the weekend, Harry and Ron heard Myrtle crying in the bathroom and flooding it, and they went in to find out why. She was all upset and offended because somebody had tried to flush their diary down the toilet, and it had fallen through her head (she was down there in the pipes.) So Harry kept the diary. It says "T.M. Riddle" on the front, and Ron figured out that T.M. Riddle won an award for special services to the school fifty years ago. The Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago! What if the diary has information about that? But Gwen, the diary doesn’t have any information at all- it’s completely blank on the inside.

Or so it seems.

Exactly. When Harry showed me tonight, my first thought was that it might have secret powers, just like you do. I tapped it with my wand and said, "Aparecium!" Nothing. I took out my Revealer (it’s a kind of magic eraser thing I got in Diagon Alley) and rubbed on January 1^st. Nothing. But knowing about diaries like you, I just got more and more excited! I was just about to suggest that we try writing in it, and see if it would write back!

Just as I was about to suggest it, something clicked in my head. "T.M. Riddle"? "T" might be "Tom". I looked at the diary again. Gwen, I think- I’m almost sure- it’s Ginny Weasley’s. It looks like the one she used to write in- small and black- and its being blank just means that I was right about its being enchanted. Tom Riddle must be the brain that’s inside it. But Gwen, who is Tom Riddle?

I have no idea. Why would Ginny throw her diary away?

Maybe somebody took it from her, and tried to flush it.

Who in Gryffindor would do that?

Nobody. Not even Fred and George. She must have. Maybe she wrote in there about Harry and didn’t want anybody to ever find it.... but no, that doesn’t make sense, because if Tom’s really enchanted, then her secrets would be protected, wouldn’t they?

Well... again, we don’t know where he keeps his brain. There isn’t necessarily a secrecy charm on his diary- she may not have a password. If Harry were to write in it, everything Ginny’s written might surface, just like yours does when you write HQoW.

How awful. I’m so torn, Gwen! It’s so important that we find out everything we can about the Chamber of Secrets, so I should tell Harry to write in it right away, in case Tom has any information about what happened here at Hogwarts fifty years ago. He must- he was here- he won that award. But on the other hand....

Gwen, how can I tell Harry how to work the diary, when I don’t know if Ginny’s secrets are protected? She doesn’t deserve to have her personal, private thoughts read by a boy—especially the boy she likes. I’d die a million times if anybody ever read you. I know that stopping the monster of Slytherin from attacking Muggle-borns should be more important, but imagine how Ginny would feel if Harry were to read—I just can’t do it, Gwen. I know this is the wrong decision. But I just can’t do it.

This is an extremely sticky situation. Perhaps if you just told Ginny—

Told her what? "Ginny, Harry’s got your secret diary. We’d love to have a peek- are you using a password?"

Perhaps not. Well, maybe if you explained to Harry and Ron—

Gwen! Those two? They haven’t got any proper feeling about things like this. You saw how Ron was with the card under my pillow- he thinks he’s entitled to anything he wants to know- and Ginny’s his little sister, so he wouldn’t be scared to mortify her. He’d march right over and make her tell us everything. And in a way, he’d be right, I mean, it’s much more dire for us to get information about the Chamber of Secrets than it is for me to protect Ginny Weasley from getting humiliated in front of Harry. But if it were the other way around, Gwen, I’d want her to cover for me. I’d feel like a traitor if I told.

I suppose—well—just promise me you’ll watch her closely, Hermione. Don’t decide anything for sure. If anything further happens, you may have to say something.

I know. I know. My one hope is that it isn’t Ginny’s diary- that I’ve got it wrong. There are lots of small, black diaries in the world, aren’t there? She wasn't writing tonight, though, and she always does. But before I decide what to do, I need to find out for sure if it’s hers.

Good. How?

I don’t know. Oh, I’m tired, Gwen. I think I need to sleep on this one. If I can sleep. Goodnight.

HQoW

February 3

Hi, Gwen. I still don’t know what to do about the diary. I feel so horribly guilty for not saying anything. Harry and Ron are trying so hard to figure out the mystery—well, at least, Harry’s trying. Ron just thinks that "Riddle got a diary for Christmas, and couldn’t be bothered filling it in." I tried to tell him that normal people don’t behave that way, they fill their diaries in, but he just waved me off and said, "Go on, diaries are for girls, anyway." Well, guess what he’s getting next Christmas.

Do I get three guesses?

Gwen.

Sorry. So what is Harry finding out? Hasn’t he tried writing in it?

I doubt it. He’d tell us. He’s not finding out much of anything. He’s gone down to the trophy room to look at that award Riddle won for special services to Hogwarts. We also found his name up on a Medal for Magical Merit, and an old list of Head Boys. He was obviously an excellent student! Ron said, "He sounds like Percy. Prefect, Head Boy, probably top of every class." He said it like it was a bad thing. Is that how he and Harry talk about me? I’m top of the class. Gwen, what is wrong with being clever and doing well?

Absolutely nothing. I think it’s—

Oh, of COURSE.

What’s that?

Of course. Here’s Ron, wanting help with our Charms assignment. It doesn’t bother him that I’m top of the class now. "What’re you writing, Hermione-- listen, d’you have a minute? I don’t get this Rotating Spell thing."

Ho Nest Ly.

HQoW

February 10

Hi, Gwen! How are you?

Well, you’re cheerful today.

Sort of. There hasn’t been an attack in almost two whole months, and I’m starting to think the monster is hibernating for another fifty years, or something. In any case, it’s cheered up a bit around here- even the weather is brightening up a little. Some people are actually talking to Harry again, too, which makes me feel better about not saying anything about the diary. Maybe I don’t really need to worry about it. Oh, I hope not.

So do I.

Professor Lockhart seems to think that he’s the one who made the monster disappear. We were lining up for Transfiguration and we all heard him say to Professor McGonagall that he thinks the trouble with the Chamber is all over, that "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."

Ron turned and looked at me in line as if to say, "How can you be so stupid as to defend that lousy git?" Professor McGonagall was looking at Professor Lockhart in a way that seemed to say that if magic weren’t expressly forbidden in the halls, she might have to curse him right there on the spot.

I felt so embarrassed for him. I mean, Gwen, of all the silly things to say. But then he kind of made up for it, saying "What this 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." And we really could use a morale-booster, so at least he knows something.

Well of course. Who doesn’t?

Thanks, Gwen. All right. Back to Potions homework. See you soon.

HQoW

February 14

Hi, Gwen, I’m just on morning break and I only have a minute. Professor Lockhart’s morale-booster turned out to be a Valentine’s Day celebration! This morning, he had the Great Hall all covered with pink flowers, and he got these dwarves to carry harps and wear gold wings and deliver singing valentines all day!

He got dwarves to do that? He may have powers after all.

Well, the dwarves don’t look too happy about it- they’re rather surly, actually. But it is funny to have them burst into class and sing. It’s sort of a meaningless holiday, but at least Professor Lockhart makes it entertaining. There was confetti at breakfast, and he announced his thanks to the forty-six people who sent him cards. I wish he hadn’t, though, because Ron started pestering me, "Please, Hermione, tell me you weren’t one of the forty-six."

Well, were you?

Professor Lockhart sent me a picture, and a Christmas card, and a get well card, plus he’s my teacher, so I see no reason why I—

So you were, then.

Maybe I was, but I didn’t answer Ron- I just started digging around in my bag for my schedule. It’s none of his business if I sent a card or if I didn’t. He glared at me, and glared at Professor Lockhart, and rolled his eyes, and mumbled something that sounded like "I don’t believe this." But let him be upset about it. I already decided about Professor Lockhart. I think he’s handsome, and I can’t help it. But that’s all I think. I’m not going to be sending him anymore fan mail, or cards or anything, after this.

Oh, class in two minutes, Gwen. Talk to you later!

HQoW

The diary is definitely Ginny’s. T.M. Riddle is Tom. And it’s enchanted. I’ll bet anything that’s why Harry went to bed early- he’s upstairs figuring it out right now.

How on earth did you find all this out?

One of those singing dwarves came for Harry when we were waiting to go into Charms. Everybody was in the corridor: our Gryffindor class, the first years, Percy, and even Malfoy was walking by. Harry tried to avoid the dwarf. He looked seriously embarrassed about getting a valentine right there in front of everyone. But the dwarf was determined to deliver it, so they ended up wrestling there in the hall, fighting so hard Harry’s school bag split open and everything spilled. In the end, the dwarf yanked him to the ground, sat on his ankles, and sang this song—I couldn’t forget a word of it if I tried:

"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."

Well, Harry looked like he’d die. The laughter was unstoppable, Gwen, nobody could help it- even I had to chomp down hard on my lip to keep from joining in, and Ron looked like he’d suffocate if he didn’t let loose. But then Malfoy stepped up, grabbed something out of Harry’s things on the ground, and held it up—suddenly I didn’t feel like laughing.

It was the diary. Malfoy looked extremely pleased to have discovered something secret of Harry’s, and made a show of examining it, acting like he’d go ahead and read it right there. Harry said, "Give that back." Malfoy said, "When I’ve had a look." And that’s when I happened to look over at Ginny.

Oh, it’s definitely her diary. She was practically fainting. She just stared at the diary, stared at Harry, stared at Malfoy. It must have been a nightmare for her. Poor thing- she must be terrified Harry had read it- after all, he had it in his bag. And now, Malfoy was getting ready to open it in front of everybody. Enchanted or not, I was really upset for her.

Just then, Harry pointed his wand and yelled "Expelliarmus!" and Malfoy was disarmed of the diary. Ron caught it, the door opened to Charms, and we quickly filed inside- but not before Malfoy shouted at Ginny, "I don’t think Potter liked your valentine much!" Ginny covered her face with her hands and bolted into her classroom. Obviously, she did send the valentine. She’s brave, I think, to do that. Malfoy doesn’t know what bravery is, the stupid Slytherin- how dare he embarrass her in front of everyone? Ron pulled out his wand at Malfoy (and I almost did, too) but Harry held him back.

We went into class. I felt very edgy- about Ginny, Harry, the diary, Malfoy- and I knew even less than before what to do about it. And that’s when Harry noticed something. When his bag had spilled, an ink bottle had smashed all over his other books- they were splattered and soaked with red ink. But the diary was perfectly clean. Every single page, and even the spine. Like it had either repelled the ink, or just sucked it right in,

Well that’s a type of secrecy charm- a rather annoying one, I’ve always thought. When a person writes on the page, it absorbs the entries. That’s how it keeps them secret- the writing doesn’t stay on the parchment. I much prefer the password method. I think it’s easier and nicer to be able to look at what you’ve written.

So Tom’s enchanted.

It would seem so, yes.

What do I do? Ever since he noticed what happened with the ink, Harry seems really close to figuring everything out. What if he tries writing in there, just to test what happens, and all of Ginny’s private thoughts--- Gwen, wait a minute. You said with that type of charm, the entries don’t stay above the page?

That’s right. The words shimmer for a moment, and then are absorbed down into the diary. You can only call them back up one at a time, specifically.

Then.... then Harry wouldn’t see what Ginny had written?

Not unless Tom is a rogue. Only a truly callous diary would ever choose to tell secrets on purpose. Even without a secrecy charm, I’d never tell yours.

Then I think.... I think I have to risk telling Harry. Tomorrow, I’ll tell him to try writing in the diary, if he hasn’t already got it figured out by then. There’s a good enough chance that Ginny’s entries are hidden. And Gwen, I’ve been thinking- maybe there haven’t been any attacks lately, but even so, we really shouldn’t just sit around and wait for the next one. I should do something about it if I can.

I think you’re making the right decision.

Me, too. I’ll tell Harry at breakfast. For now, though, I’m going to sleep. It’s past eleven already, and I’m exhausted. Goodnight.

Write me as soon as you tell him.

I will.

HQoW

February 15

Ugh, what time is it? It’s... it’s four in the morning. I think I’m going to pass out. I have a ton to tell you, but don’t blame me please if I don’t make any sense. Ron and Harry came up and fetched me out of bed at one-thirty. Harry clapped a hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t scream, and Ron grabbed my wrists. I felt like I was being kidnapped. They’re lucky Parvati and Lavender didn’t wake up and throw a fit- boys can’t come in here.

It must have been something urgent for them to wake you in the middle of the night like that.

It was. It is. Harry figured out how to work the diary- he wrote in it and it wrote back, and it even took Harry inside of a memory, just like you took me to Camelot! Tom Riddle is real- the T. is for Tom and the M. is for Marvolo and he went to Hogwarts fifty years ago, and Gwen, he caught the person who was letting the monster out of the Chamber of Secrets, and it’s horrible, you won’t believe who did it, Gwen, it’s—

Slow down.

How can I?

You have to. First of all, who is Tom Marvolo Riddle? This is very important. We don’t know where he keeps his brain. Is he dead? Alive? Where is he stationed?

I- I don’t know very much. Harry only saw one memory. That’s all he could explain to us.

Tell me what he told you.

Okay. The diary is Tom Riddle’s sixteen year old self, when he was here at Hogwarts, during the last Heir of Slytherin scare. In the memory Harry saw, Tom was visiting the old headmaster, Armando Dippet. He was trying to get permission to stay at Hogwarts over the summer, because he didn’t want to go back to the Muggle orphanage where he lived. His mum died when he was born, and he didn’t have any family to go back to. But Dippet wouldn’t give him permission to stay at Hogwarts, because of the Chamber of Secrets and all the attacks. A Muggle-born girl had just been killed, and since Tom was only half-blood (his dad was a Muggle) he was in danger, too. Because of the killing, Hogwarts was about to close down entirely. That’s really all we know about Tom Riddle and his situation.

Is that everything Harry saw in the memory?

No. After Professor Dippet told him he’d have to go back to the orphanage, Tom left the office and started off through the castle. On his way he met a fifty year younger Dumbledore, already teaching here! Professor Dumbledore told Tom to hurry off to bed, saying it was unsafe to be in the halls alone with the monster on the loose, especially with the murder of that girl.

But Tom didn’t go back to his dormitory. He went down into the dungeons, and listened for something. When he heard it, he followed the noise into a dark room where a huge student was trying to pull an animal of some kind out of a door in the wall. Tom said, "Evening, Rubeus," and the student turned around, slamming the door on the creature.

Gwen, it was Hagrid. Fifty years younger, when he was a student here. And the thing in the wall-

Not the monster of Slytherin! But Hagrid couldn’t be the Heir, he simply couldn’t be!

We don’t think Hagrid would ever hurt anyone on purpose, but Gwen, you have to admit, his taste in pets does run to dangerous creatures. Dragons, three-headed dogs—Hagrid thinks monsters are adorable and interesting. I’ll bet if he found out about a monster of Slytherin when he was a student here, he’d go out of his way to make friends with it, that’s just how he is. But I don’t think he’s the Heir. He couldn’t be. I won’t believe it.

Anyway, Tom told Hagrid to turn over the monster in the wall. He said that giving it over to be killed was the least they could do for the dead girl’s parents, and for the protection of the other students in the school. But Hagrid refused to admit that the creature he was guarding had anything to do with the Chamber of Secrets or the death, and he wouldn’t let Tom get near it. So finally, Tom had to open the door in the wall by force of magic.

The door flew open, and the creature appeared- Harry said he screamed right out when it did, and when he told us, I thought Ron might scream, too. He told us it was a giant, clicking, scuttling, spider-like creature, with huge black pincers and a low-slung, hairy body. He said it catapulted out of the wall, climbed right over Tom Riddle, and hurtled down the hallway. Tom pulled out his wand to stun it- maybe kill it- when Hagrid came from behind and knocked him to the floor, making it possible for the monster to get away.

That’s when Harry came out of the memory. Ron went up to bed and found him lying with the diary open on his stomach, white and shaking and sweating. He told Ron everything. Then, in a panic, they came up here and dragged me down to the common room. I could hardly understand what was happening, and then Harry said, "Hagrid did it, Hermione, it was Hagrid who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago." And Ron said, "We knew he’d been expelled, right? This is why." But we still had a million questions.

So do I! How could Hagrid loose that creature on students? He’s not the Heir, is he? How could he be? Was that door in the wall really the Chamber of Secrets? Was that thing- the spider- actually the monster of Slytherin, or just a pet of Hagrid’s?

Well it was definitely some kind of monster, but yes, I know what you mean, those are exactly the same questions we kept asking—but there are no answers. Only one thing makes sense to me now. No wonder Ginny tried to flush that diary away, and no wonder she’s been in such a state. As soon as Harry opened it, Tom tried to warn him about the Chamber of Secrets- about what could happen. I’ll bet Tom tried to show Ginny as well, and it scared her half to death. That’s probably what she was trying to tell me in the hospital wing that day. What do you think?

I think this is extremely serious. It’s information that needs to be taken to a teacher, immediately.

But we don’t want to give away Hagrid- what if Dumbledore is the only person here who knows why he was expelled? I want to keep it that way. I don’t want Hagrid permanently taken out of Hogwarts- I know he’s not the Heir.

Then you have to go to him, ask him about what you’ve learned—

Like Ron said, "That’d be a cheerful visit. Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?" He’s not likely to tell us if he has, and if he hasn’t, we’ll just be hurting his feelings terribly by asking. He was expelled over this in his third year- he almost lost all his magical privileges- he’s lucky he got to stay here at all. Tom turned him in when the monster got away- probably just so he wouldn’t have to go back to the Muggle orphanage. Oh, even if there was a monster, how could anyone turn Hagrid in? But someone had died, Gwen. Tom had to do it. But poor Hagrid. How can we possibly bring that up?

Hermione, why can’t you ever have a simple decision to make?

I don’t know. I tried asking the Prioritizer which is the best choice, but the scales just tipped back and forth, clinking on their bases. I checked the handbook, and it says it’s not meant to handle moral dilemmas. All we could decide is, we’re not going to Hagrid’s unless something else happens. Harry hasn’t heard that floating voice for a long time, there haven’t been any attacks since December, and I’m just hoping it stays that way.

What about the diary itself? What about Ginny? Did Tom tell any of her secrets to Harry?

Not that I know of. Harry didn’t mention anything about it—I wish I could ask, but then I’d just be giving Ginny away. I thought about taking the diary myself and checking through it- I don’t feel like it would be half as bad if I read it, as opposed to Harry. I’d see what I could find out and then slip it back into Ginny’s room for her. But Harry won’t let go of it. He says he’s hanging onto it for awhile- I think he thinks if he gives it to me, I’ll run it right to a teacher.

Which might be the best idea.

Yes, but we don’t want Hagrid in trouble for these attacks, Gwen. We’ll just wait and see what happens, and if there’s trouble, we’ll go talk to Hagrid.

I can’t tell you how worried this makes me. I don’t trust this. We don’t know how Tom is operating that diary, and perhaps I’m superstitious, but that’s not a good thing, Hermione.

I believe you. I’m nervous, too, but for now do you mind if I just go to sleep? As it is, I’ll sleep through half the weekend- it’s five in the morning.

All right, but do me one favor.

Sure.

Keep me in your book bag- on hand in case anything strange happens. I’ll want to hear from you as soon as you know anything.

I will, Gwen. Goodnight.

HQoW

February 22

Hi, Gwen, just checking in. Don’t want you to be worried about me.

Well I was. Where have you been this week?

Making up for lost time in class. It’s unbelievable how much the teachers pile on us before Easter holidays. It’s already starting, and it’s not even March. Soon, it’ll be time for me to draw up my exam study schedule.

As long as you’re all right.

I am, that is, if you call getting a 93% on a Potions essay all right, which I do not. And Snape won’t let me do any extra credit. He said, "There are no second chances in my class, Miss Granger, whatever you may be used to with your pet student status." He’s such a beast. That essay was perfect.

I’m sure it was.

I have to go. I’m writing a defense of my essay, and I’ll turn it in to him tomorrow. He can’t stop me from doing extra credit. ‘Bye, Gwen.

‘Bye, dear.

HQoW

March 5

Sorry, Gwen, sorry it’s been—

A week and a half! Just open me once a week and write "I’m all right," if you don’t mind.

I will. But I am all right. Nothing’s happened. Except for the fact that Ginny flies off whenever Harry comes anywhere near her, everything’s perfectly normal.

Any more word from Tom?

No. Harry’s got him up in the bottom of his trunk. He says he’s not risking losing the diary in case we need it to prove something. We’ve gone ‘round in circles with it over and over, and it’s driving us all a bit mad. Ron says he’s not too sure about Riddle- why’d he have to go and turn in Hagrid like that? I say it’s what he should have done, since there was a murder. Harry says he understands why Riddle would do anything to avoid going back to live in a Muggle orphanage- he says if Hogwarts shut down now and he had to go back full-time with the Dursleys, he’d throw himself off the Astronomy tower. It’s all very difficult.

One good thing, though—the Mandrakes are coming along nicely, so at least the Petrified people will be able to wake up eventually. I wonder what it would feel like, to lose time like that? I mean, Colin’s been Petrified since November. That’s forever. He’ll wake up, and have lost an entire school year. I wonder if he’ll even get to move on to second year? How will he ever manage his exams? And poor Justin, that was just a month later. If I woke up at exam time like that, I’d probably ask somebody to Petrify me again.

What a morbid day you’re having. Harry throwing himself from towers, you thinking of getting yourself Petrified—I hope Ron is at least cheerful?

Er- not at the moment. We’re all trying to do our Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment. I was just taking a little break to write to you. We’ve got to compose an Ode to Professor Lockhart’s Single-handed Slaying of the Snaggletoothed Hag of Santiago.

Dear me.

Yes. But at least we’re allowed to work with a partner. I’m with Neville, and Harry and Ron are doing theirs together. Wait a minute, they’re going to read me what they’ve got so far—

Gwen, Gwen, I can’t breathe for trying not to laugh- how could they, though- they can’t turn it in! It’s so rude! And it’s supposed to be three stanzas, but they’ve only done two, and they said they’re not wasting anymore time on this rot.

Let me hear it.

"Oh he put on his bright pink robes

And he curled up his yellow hair

And he ran about with his wand

As if we really care

He says he killed some old hag

And we guess it could be true

If Lockhart came after us

We’d choke to death laughing, too."

Oh my.

They said they won’t change a single word of it, so "stop nagging, you know-it-all, you’re not the only one who can write a poem." I can’t believe they’re actually going to turn that in. But.... I’m sort of glad that they are. Anyway, Neville and I still have to write ours, so I have to go—oh, Ron’s telling me to please go in another room and write mine, he doesn’t want to know about it, it’ll make him sick—we’ll he’s making me sick-- hold on—

Gwen, that’s weird. All I said was, "Ron, why do you care so much what I think of Professor Lockhart, anyway?"

What did he say?

Nothing. Well, he muttered something, but I couldn’t hear it, and then he shoved his books off his lap and went upstairs. I don’t get it. Harry doesn’t seem to get it, either, he’s just raising his eyebrows at me. Do you, Gwen?

Oh, Hermione. Every once in awhile you ask me a question that I just don’t know how to answer.

So you don’t get it, either. Well, now I really have to go. Neville’s started writing it without me, and that’s not going to do. ‘Bye.

HQoW

March 12

Hi. I’m all right.

Thank you.

That’s really all I have time for, Gwen. I feel so rude, but I have about a thousand feet of parchment to write for every single class, plus this is the first week I’ve started to follow my study schedule. This evening I’ve got a Herbology Notes Session and by Friday I have to have the Severing Charm perfect so that I can move on to all the other ones I have to polish before exams.

I’m just glad you checked in.

Okay. See you soon.

HQoW

March 17

We’re finally on holiday.

How nice. What are you doing with all your free time?

Choosing my classes for third year! It’s horribly exciting. I can’t believe what amazing choices there are. We can add two classes on top of our regular course load. The trouble is, I need to add five.

Five?!

It was six, but I decided to drop Spellish I. It’s very useful, of course, but it was such an easy class that I feel I could study it on my own and do just as well. It’s down to Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. How am I supposed to choose?

Use your Prioritizer.

I did. It came up with Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy. I guess that’s true, I mean, since I’m Muggle-born I guess I don’t really need Muggle Studies- but it would be so fascinating to study my old way of life from the magical perspective! How can I give that one up? And Divination- Percy Weasley says it’s never too early to think about the future. I don’t know if I really believe in all that, but it would certainly be fun to learn about methods of fortune-telling. And Ancient Runes- well what if one day I really need to know about them? I want to take everything.

To make it worse, Muggle Studies and Divination are at the same time, and they sometimes overlap with Arithmancy, which overlaps with Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes is in the same hour as Charms. How could I get to all those classes at once? I would if I could. There has to be some way to make an exception- I’m sure if I just talked to Professor McGonagall, she would—yes, that’s what I have to do. I’ll show her my lists, and how I’ve gone about working with the Prioritizer, and the way I’ve reasoned everything out, and she’ll see that I need to take all these classes. I’m going to talk to her right now.

HQoW

March 23

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, Hermione. Did you decide on your classes?

Yes, I did. Sort of. Well, I didn’t actually have to decide. Professor McGonagall says she knows a way I might be able to take every class I want. She can’t tell me anything yet- it’s got to be approved first at the Ministry of Magic. But she did say that, as I’m a model student and everything, she’s almost positive we can work something out.

So you’re going to be taking five classes more than you have now.

I hope so! Oh, Ron’s mum is so nice. She remembered to send me and Harry chocolate eggs again. I’ll write her a thank you note tonight. Yum. Gryffindor is so much fun today. Everyone’s back from Quidditch practice, and we’ve just finished playing a ‘round of Questions, and now it’s so cozy with the rain and the fire.... I almost wish we didn’t have to start class again tomorrow. That’s not like me.

What’s "Questions"?

Oh, a Muggle game that Dean Thomas was trying to describe to Katie Bell. He leaned it from a friend’s older brother, who’s in a Muggle university. Everybody writes down a handful of questions on strips of paper and throws them in a hat. Then you pass the hat around in a circle and everyone has to answer the questions they draw. That sounded pretty good, so we all decided to try a game.

What kinds of questions?

Well, some people wrote serious ones like, "What’s your greatest fear?" (Oliver Wood said "Seeing Slytherin win another Quidditch Cup.") Some of them are just sarcastic- "How are we supposed to learn anything from Lockhart?" (I know who wrote that one.) Some are truth-teller questions like "Did you ever think that Harry might be the Heir of Slytherin?" (Parvati got that one, blushed, nodded quickly, and said, "But I don’t think so anymore, Harry." And George Weasley said, "Yeah, so don’t Petrify her, Harry." It was funny.) And then some of the questions were sort of embarrassing.

How so?

Well, Fred Weasley pulled one that said, "Who in this room would you take out on a date?"

Ooooh. What did he say?

He didn’t say anything for a second. Just turned a bit red and raised his eyebrows. But finally he jerked his head toward Angelina and said, "I dunno.... I guess you’re not too bad." For a moment, nobody breathed. Then Angelina said, "I’m not, at that," and grinned, and everybody laughed. Thank goodness I didn’t get that question. I just would rather die.

What did you get? What did the others all get?

Well Ron chose next, and he looked like he thought the hat was going to bite him, after what happened to Fred. He got one of my questions- "What’s something you want to do before you die?" He said, "Go to a Quidditch World Cup match," and Lee Jordan clapped him on the back approvingly. Boys and Quidditch. Harry got a stupid question, and from the way Lavender giggled when he read it, I’m pretty sure she wrote it. "Which is nicer, sunrise or sunset?" He and Ron started sniggering, and Harry managed, "Oh, sunset, definitely sunset, that’s really nice." Then Neville drew "What’s your favorite thing about Hogwarts?" and answered, "That I got accepted, and I haven’t been expelled yet."

And you?

I got "What’s the most important thing in your life?" Ron snorted. "That’s easy. Her grades." "No it isn’t," I snapped, "It’s my friends, you idiot!" which set everybody off laughing again, and made him and Harry grin.

That sounds like a marvelous game.

Yes, and a Muggle one, at that. It was really fun, Gwen. It’s been such a nice holiday. Ron’s just dragged the chess sets in front of the fire. It seems Percy thinks he can beat him, but I doubt it. I’m just going to curl up and watch. Goodnight, Gwen.

Goodnight.

HQoW

March 28

Okay, Gwen, something bad happened. Nobody’s been attacked, though, so don’t be scared.

What is it?

Harry was at a late Quidditch practice, because Gryffindor’s next Quidditch match is tomorrow—

It is?? Who are we playing?

Hufflepuff, and you know I’ll tell you every single move of it. Now listen. When Harry got back from practice, he found his dormitory room a wreck. He, Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean had all been out, and someone had taken the opportunity to turn the place upside-down and rifle through everything. Clothes were torn, bookshelves upset, drawers hanging open. They all went through to see if anything had been stolen, and Gwen, only one thing had.

Ginny’s diary. T.M. Riddle is gone. Harry and Ron just came down and told me, and I gasped without thinking, "But—only a Gryffindor could have stolen—nobody else knows our password!" Harry said, "Exactly." Oh, Gwen, it could only have been—

Ginny.

She must have been just desperate to get it back. She must have been possessed to do what she did to that dormitory.

Hermione, I’ve just thought of something. There hasn’t been a single attack since Ginny tried to flush that diary.

Oh, Gwen, you don’t think the diary and the attacks are connected? How could they possibly be? Could you get out of your diary and attack people?

Well—no.

And anyway, the last attacks were in December. Ginny didn’t flush the diary until February. What about those months in between?

True. But Hermione, I think it’s time to tell a teacher.

But what about Hagrid?

Hagrid will be all right. Dumbledore must have defended him once before—go to Professor Dumbledore.

But what about Ginny??

Listen, here’s what you do. Report the robbery to the Headmaster and give Ginny a chance to turn it in herself. Tell Dumbledore about the delicacy of the situation. Do you think he’d understand?

Yes. Yes, I think he would, actually. All right, I’ll do it. I’ll try and get Harry and Ron to agree, Gwen. I’ll tell them about this first thing in the morning.

All right. Write me tomorrow; I’m worried already.

I will.

HQoW

March 29

Gwen, I’m in the library- I’m about to go down to Harry’s match- I’m just waiting for Penelope Clearwater to finish what she’s doing so she can walk me down there, because she’s got a hand mirror and I’m not leaving here without one, it’s the only way I can be sure I won’t be killed walking through the halls, it’s the only thing I can think of to stop the monster—

What? What are you talking about?

Gwen, I’m terribly frightened and not very coherent. I’ve just figured it out. The monster of Slytherin. I know what it is.

Explain. Now.

I was on the stairs with Harry and Ron, trying to get Harry to report the diary’s being stolen, but he wouldn’t. He doesn’t want the story of how Hagrid got expelled to be common knowledge at Hogwarts. I was about to argue with him, when suddenly he let out a shout that nearly scared Ron and me half to death. He was hearing that voice! The floating one, that climbs walls! He said, "I just heard it again—didn’t you?" But we didn’t hear a thing, just like before.

And then I figured it out so fast that I actually slapped myself in the forehead and then sprinted up here to the library to check if I was right. And I’m right. I can’t believe it took me so long to figure it out.

Harry’s a Parselmouth. He can talk to snakes. That means he can hear them, too. He can hear Parseltongue, when nobody else can. The monster of Slytherin is a SERPENT. That’s why Harry’s the only one who can hear the voice! That’s how it floats and climbs walls- it’s in the pipes! I came to the library and grabbed the oldest, most enormous reference book on serpents I could find. I looked up "Petrification" in the index, which gave me to a heading on "Instant Death", so I turned to the page, and read this:

I scribbled "pipes" on the page to remind myself to tell Harry how it’s getting around, and then I tore the page out of the book. I tore a page out of a library book. I damaged school property.

But Hermione, if the Basilisk causes instant death, why are the victims only temporarily Petrified?

I’ve worked it out. Nobody stared at it directly. Mrs. Norris was found next to that flood from the bathroom; she could have seen the Basilisk’s reflection in the puddle. Colin Creevey was found with his camera in front of his face; he saw the Basilisk through the lens. Justin Finch-Fletchley—

Could have seen it through Nearly-Headless Nick—

-- exactly, and Nick’s already dead, so the Basilisk couldn’t very well kill him again. Everything fits. Remember those spiders we found climbing out the window? "Spiders flee before the Basilisk." Remember when Hagrid found the dead rooster? The crow of the rooster "is fatal to it." Someone- the Heir- must have strangled the roosters so they couldn’t crow. Everything makes sense. I’m positive I’m right.

What are you going to do?

I’m going down to that Quidditch match, and as soon as it’s over I’m taking Ginny and Harry and Ron straight to Professor Dumbledore, and we’re telling him everything. We’re going to get rid of this Basilisk before it kills anybody. But I don’t want to leave the library without Penelope. I explained partly to her about the Basilisk, and she’s not convinced, but she’s smart enough to be worried- she’s not a Ravenclaw and a Prefect for nothing. We’re going down to the field together and we’re going to use her hand mirror to look around corners on the way. That way, if the Basilisk is out, we won’t see it directly and get killed. We’ll just see the reflection in the mirror and get Petrified instead.

Hermione, I don’t want you to get Petrified!

Gwen, I’m not going to get Petrified! The hand mirror is only a precaution. Okay, I’m going. Penelope’s putting her books away and taking out the mirror. I’ve just got to get down to the match. What I know could save somebody’s life.

Hermione Granger, you write me as soon as you get to that Quidditch field, do you hear me? Just hello- or I’ll be worried sick.

I will.

Promise me.

I promise. See you in just a minute.