Where exactly was Tom Riddle's diary?
That was the question Jon had been carefully considering all this time.
Especially after the teachers and Filch had practically turned all of Hogwarts upside down without finding anything.
Had it been taken out of the school?
That seemed unlikely... After learning of the diary's existence from Ginny Weasley, Dumbledore and the other professors would certainly have increased their vigilance and inspections. It was almost impossible for such an object of Dark magic to openly leave the school.
Was it still hidden with some new host?
That seemed unlikely as well... Given the intensity of the searches these past days, it should have been found. Even a Horcrux could not evade a Dark magic detector, otherwise Lucius Malfoy would not have needed to give the diary to Ginny.
Then perhaps he should try thinking from another perspective...
For instance, from Voldemort's perspective?
The Basilisk had been killed. As its master through Parseltongue, Voldemort would certainly have sensed it. Ginny Weasley had also been captured alive, and with their souls connected, Voldemort would surely have noticed that too...
As a fragment of soul left inside a Horcrux, it could not possibly stand against Dumbledore. With both the Chamber of Secrets and its own existence exposed, if it continued controlling a host and making little moves, being discovered and then destroyed was merely a matter of time.
It had only two suitable choices.
The first was to use a new host to find a way out of the school, though the chances of success were very low.
The second was to have the new host hide it somewhere unknown within the castle, then erase the host's memories and wait for an opportunity to rise again.
If Jon put himself in the diary's position, he would definitely