The secret spoken aloud

"Is this the thing Dad said could help me open the Chamber of Secrets?"

Draco picked up the Diary and examined it from every angle, but found nothing unusual about it. Besides-

The Diary looked like something that had come from the Muggle world!

That disgusted Draco Malfoy a little. He even felt that the two fingers holding its corner were beyond saving. Still, to become the Heir of Slytherin, Malfoy decided to endure this "filth" and "stench." The trouble was, he did not even know how to use the Diary.

"Aparecium!"

Nothing happened to the Diary.

"Bloody hell. Dad even told me to be respectful to the Diary's owner!" He opened the cover and sneered at the only writing there: T. M. Riddle. The name alone made it obvious he was no pure-blood wizard.

"I just hope he's at least a half-blood. I couldn't stand another Mudblood!"

The very thought of Hermione Granger made him sick.

"I suppose I'll write something." He laid the Diary open on the desk, picked up a very expensive-looking quill, dipped it in ink, and wrote on the page.

"Show me your secrets!"

"Ginny, what exactly are you hiding?"

The four Weasley brothers surrounded Ginny, while Harry and Hermione each blocked a way out.

After that morning's classes ended, someone discovered that Ginny's dormitory had been burgled.

The thief had apparently been looking for something and had turned her room upside down. When Ginny returned, she kept searching through the mess, repeating in a daze, "It's gone..."

They all wanted to know what could be so important to both Ginny and the thief.

Except for the twins.

The two of them were very nervous now. What was so important to Ginny?

The Marauder's Map!

Fred and George exchanged a glance, dismay showing on both their faces. Fred sounded heartbroken as he asked, "Is it really gone?"

Ginny merely nodded mechanically.

"What is it?" Ron and Percy were getting annoyed by their cryptic exchange. But neither Ginny nor the twins could possibly reveal their own secrets, so they could only give vague answers.

"It was our best hope of catching the culprit," George said with a sigh. "Without it, we might never find them."

That made Ginny look at the two of them in surprise.

George and Fred know about Mr. Riddle?

Cyrus had never told Ginny about the Marauder's Map, so she thought the twins were talking about Riddle's Diary. As far as she was concerned, Mr. Riddle must have uncovered some clue, which was why the Heir of Slytherin had stolen him.

From that perspective, calling the Diary their hope of catching the culprit made perfect sense.

"In that case, we should tell a professor!" Hermione and Percy both agreed that the professors should catch the thief. But three people immediately objected to the suggestion.

"No!"

Ginny, Fred, and George immediately shook their heads.

If the Marauder's Map fell into the professors' hands, what future would there be for students hoping to break the rules?

If the Diary fell into the professors' hands, what future would there be for her and Mr. Riddle?

"Absolutely not!"

"What exactly are you three hiding from me?" Percy asked with a frown. He suspected the twins were dragging Ginny into their mischief. Perhaps the stolen object was not important at all, but merely something they intended to use for a prank?

"You'd better not lead Ginny astray,

or I'll tell Mum-" "No-" Ginny reacted even more strongly than the twins. Mum had always doted on her. If she found out about this, she would certainly make a huge fuss. And then Mr. Riddle would...

I have to stop Percy!

She remembered the little secret about Percy that Cyrus had told her and immediately threatened him.

"You can't tell anyone, Percy! Otherwise, I'll tell everyone your secret!"

Percy immediately flushed and fell silent.

The others exchanged looks, desperate to know what secret could make even the usually rigid Percy back down.

Percy could only fall back on his authority as their older brother and send them away one by one.

At last, Ginny had some peace and quiet. But she was still miserable. She could not decide whether to tell Dumbledore about the Diary. If her mum found out, the Diary might be destroyed. But leaving him in that bad person's hands was hardly any better.

Before long, Ron and the other two slipped back over to her.

"Listen, Ginny, what exactly have you lost?" Harry looked at her seriously. "If it's really important, you can tell us. We can help you!"

Ron and Hermione nodded emphatically.

But Ginny still hesitated.

"Seriously?" Ron was growing impatient. "I can't believe you, Ginny! We've been through thick and thin together! Who drank that revolting Polyjuice Potion with us to investigate Malfoy? We've broken practically hundreds of school rules together! Don't you trust us yet?"

Ginny wanted to tell them that the person who had gone with them was actually "Mr. Riddle." But looking at it another way, the three of them really were trustworthy.

"Please, Ginny! We need your help. If we can't find the real culprit, Harry will keep getting blamed. We don't want to see him sent to Azkaban for something he didn't do."

With three pairs of eyes fixed on her-mainly Hermione's and Harry's-Ginny finally made up her mind.

Hermione was clever. Perhaps she really could help. If Ginny searched for the Diary alone, she would not even know where to start!

"You have to promise not to tell anyone!" Ginny looked at them earnestly.

"I promise!" Ron blurted out first, looking anything but sincere.

"Swear first!"

The three exchanged glances and swore an oath, though it had no magical binding.

"Let's go somewhere there's no one around first," Ginny said. There were hardly any people in the common room at the moment, but it was far too public. She led Harry and the others to an abandoned hidden chamber, leaving all three of them gawking along the way.

"I can't believe Hogwarts has a place like this!"

"Can you tell us now?" Ron asked, his hands on his hips.

"The thing that was stolen was a diary!" Ginny finally said.

"A diary? But what could a diary possibly do?" Harry and Hermione were both baffled.

"That diary is different. It's Mr. Riddle's Diary!"

"Riddle?" Ron cried. "Tom Riddle?"