Could I Really Be a Genius?

"Wait, stop! Hold on!" Harry looked at Ron in confusion, his expression as though he were demanding to know when Ron had met another man behind his back. "So you know this Tom Riddle?"

"Of course I do! In fact, I'll remember that name till the day I die!" Just thinking about it made Ron furious.

"Remember when we got into that fight with Slytherin at the Quidditch Pitch? I cast a curse on Malfoy-"

"On yourself," Hermione interrupted.

"That's not important!"

"Then please get to the important part."

"I was getting there!" Ron said. "Afterward, Professor McGonagall made me help Filch as punishment, and I spent the entire night polishing Tom Riddle's trophies in the Trophy Room. The Moral Award, the Outstanding Student Award, the Special Award for Services to the School... Especially that last one. It was enormous, and I spent over half an hour polishing it! Thank goodness they hadn't put the reason for the award on it, or I'd probably still be there!"

Harry and Hermione were still marveling at the coincidence when Ginny said something that shocked them even more.

"Mr. Riddle got that award because he caught the last person who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago!"

"What?" All three sprang to their feet, staring wide-eyed at Ginny, who seemed determined to keep shocking them. Never before had they felt so close to the truth.

"Who was it?"

Inside the little hidden room, three people's breathing suddenly quickened.

Ginny, however, shook her head.

"Mr. Riddle didn't tell me."

All three slumped back onto the dusty floor in disappointment. But then Harry caught something they had missed. "Didn't tell you? What do you mean, he didn't tell you?"

"Because the Diary can think. Mr. Riddle put his memories inside it. I was talking to him all last term, and after the Chamber of Secrets was opened again, he said he would find the culprit again. Now the Diary's been stolen! Mr. Riddle must have discovered something, so the heir targeted him!" Ginny's voice grew tearful as she spoke.

Hermione had thought she'd had enough surprises for one day, and that nothing else she heard could possibly shock her any more. Now she knew she had been wrong.

Ron looked terrified, both by what he had heard and by what might have happened. "How-how could you dare talk to something that can think for itself? What if it cursed you?"

"Mr. Riddle would never do that!" Ginny said angrily. She had known the others probably wouldn't accept it once they heard about the Diary.

"Mr. Riddle wouldn't hurt me. He's my friend! He's helped me so much, teaching me spells, guiding me through Transfiguration and Potions, and showing me all sorts of counter-curses. If it weren't for Mr. Riddle, you might still be throwing up slugs!"

Ron immediately wished the floor would swallow him.

Now all three of them knew why Ginny was doing so well.

"But it can think for itself... If it were me, I wouldn't trust it so easily..." Ron remained wary.

"Then tell me, do I look like I'm in danger? If Mr. Riddle wanted to hurt me, he would have done it long ago! But he hasn't! He even helps me with my homework!"

"What?" Ron and Hermione shrieked together, their mouths falling open in identical expressions. "He actually helps you do your homework?"

"That's absolutely insane. This Riddle can't possibly be a good person! How could he do that?" That was Hermione.

"That's absolutely insane. He must be a wonderful person! Why wasn't I the one who found that diary?" That was Ron.

Hermione kicked him hard.

By now, Harry had a clear picture of what had happened.

"But who stole the Diary?"

"It must have been someone else in Gryffindor House! And a girl!" Ron said without hesitation.

"Otherwise, they couldn't get into the girls' dormitory." "Not necessarily. Don't forget that you two went to the Slytherin Common Room a few weeks ago!" Hermione reminded them not to forget the Polyjuice Potion. But that greatly expanded their list of suspects.

"Could it be Malfoy-but Malfoy isn't the Heir of Slytherin!"

They had hit another dead end.

Harry felt miserable, as though a fruit that was just about to ripen had suddenly vanished.

Cyrus felt miserable, as though a fruit that was just about to ripen had vanished at the last moment.

He had spent so long earning Ginny Weasley's complete trust and gaining a brief taste of freedom. Yet now the Diary had fallen into someone else's hands, and he didn't even know who that person was.

Could it be Dumbledore?

Had he changed his mind about training Harry and decided to destroy me outright?

As he wrestled with these thoughts, a line of text finally appeared.

"Show me your secrets!"

Secrets, my ass! Cyrus wanted nothing more than to give him two solid punches!

You'd better hope I never find out who you are, or you're dead!

Of course, that was only his anger talking. Whatever happened, he still had to patiently bewitch the young wizard before him if he wanted to come back to life.

First, he had to establish who the boy was.

"Who are you?"

On the other side, Malfoy immediately broke into a smile when he saw the Diary's response.

He had only scribbled down a random secret phrase, yet it had actually revealed the Diary's secret.

"Could I really be a genius?"

After briefly basking in his own brilliance, Malfoy immediately began writing in the Diary again.

"My name is Draco Malfoy. My father told me this diary could help me open the Chamber of Secrets! Your master must be the last person who opened it, then? Tell me, where is he? I want him to serve me!" Draco had already forgotten Lucius's warnings.

I'm about to become the Heir of Slytherin. Why should I bow and scrape?

Draco Malfoy? And Lucius told him to do this?

Cyrus was stunned.

Well, well, Lucius. You looked so honest and upright, but you've betrayed the revolution too!

The thought that he had barely sent Lucius Malfoy a letter before getting stabbed in the back left Cyrus feeling a little breathless.

Of course, he was certain Lucius wouldn't dare openly betray Voldemort. At least for now, Lucius was still on the opposite side from Dumbledore.

He must have misunderstood the letter Cyrus had sent...

So I ended up shooting myself in the foot?

Never mind. Malfoy will work just as well, but I'll have to earn his trust quickly!