Harry trailed behind, climbing the spiral staircase, his head spinning with each step. Finally, a half-open door came into view. Without much time to think, he barged right in. His gaze swept over the spacious circular room: ornate arched windows, walls adorned with blue and bronze silk, rows of bookshelves reaching up to his chest, and a towering white marble statue. He stopped in front of a portrait, nearly colliding with a senior girl. "Oh, sorry!" he blurted out, flustered.
"This is the girls' dormitory," the girl said, eyeing him.
"I know," Harry replied.
The girl raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry," Hermione's voice cut in as she darted past. "His brain's not working properly." She slipped inside, leaving Harry alone outside, fuming quietly. Ron paced anxiously nearby. When Harry glanced up, he noticed Hodge Blackthorn standing off to the side.
"How'd you get in here?" Harry asked.
"Followed you lot," Hodge said casually, nodding to the girl Harry had nearly bumped into. "Penelope."
Harry opened his mouth to ask why Hodge was in the Gryffindor common room but caught himself—this was the Ravenclaw common room. Two months into the school year, he'd grown so used to spending time with Ginny that he sometimes forgot she wasn't a Gryffindor.
But that wasn't the point. Now that they were here, Harry had questions—plenty of them. He hesitated, the words catching in his throat.
"Er… do you really believe I can hear that voice?" he asked.
"Yeah," Hodge replied simply.
Harry's spirits lifted slightly. "What do you think about it? Why can I hear something no one else can? Is it really some kind of gift? And—" he faltered, his voice dropping, "why did you tell me about your magical talent? You weren't planning to, were you?"
"It'd make you feel better," Hodge said bluntly.
Harry's face flushed. He felt a bit petty, but he wasn't great at handling moments like this, so he quickly changed the subject. "What about the attack on Myrtle? Who—or what—do you think did it? Got any leads?"
"I've got some ideas," Hodge said. "Let's wait for the others to come out, and we'll talk."
A moment later, Hermione and Ginny emerged. Ginny's eyes were red, her expression hollow, like she'd lost something vital. "What's wrong?" Ron asked urgently, but Ginny stayed silent. He turned to Hermione, who shook her head.
"My diary's gone," Ginny finally said, her gaze flicking to Hodge.
"The black one?" Hodge asked.
Ginny nodded.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged confused looks. "Seriously, what are you two on about?" Ron snapped, frustration bubbling over. "We've run halfway across the castle, taken a massive detour, and you're worried about a diary? Need I remind you, a ghost just got attacked by some unknown creature, and we've been interrogated as suspects for hours!"
"I'll explain," Hodge said calmly.
From the moment it all started, Hodge had been piecing things together. He'd nearly sorted it out, though some questions lingered. Still, he had the core of it figured out: First, what attacked Moaning Myrtle? A basilisk. Second, where was the basilisk hiding? The Chamber of Secrets, with its entrance tucked away in the abandoned girls' bathroom where Myrtle lingered.
But that raised two new questions.
First, if Ginny didn't open the Chamber, who did? Whoever it was must have known the diary's purpose, stolen it from Ginny, and hidden it somewhere in the school. Second, Hodge had noticed something off about Ginny for a while. She carried herself with a maturity beyond her years and seemed to know something about Horcruxes, though he wasn't sure how much. He had a hunch: the answers to these questions lay with Ginny.
"Remember the book signing at Flourish and Blotts a few months back?" Hodge asked. They'd found a spot to sit, surrounded by bookshelves that shielded them from prying ears. Hodge tapped the table, and the ambient noise around them dulled to a muffled hum.
"Yeah," Ron said without missing a beat. "Lockhart's books were overpriced and useless. Cost the family a fortune."
Harry's mind flashed to the moment Lockhart had forced him into a photo op, gripping his arm like a vice.
"I've got a good memory," Hodge said. Hermione cut in, "Because of Occlumency?"
"Nah, just naturally good," Hodge replied. Hermione pouted slightly.
Hodge continued, "Harry, you finished buying your books and came over to chat with me, Ginny in tow. I clearly remember—her cauldron was stuffed with books, new and old. Then Mr. Weasley and Malfoy's dad got into it, and Ginny got knocked over. Her stuff spilled everywhere. When she got back up—Hagrid pulled her off the floor, I think—there was something extra in her cauldron. Stood out like a sore thumb, but the chaos was so bad no one noticed."
Harry held his breath. "The black diary?"
"I think so," Hodge said, feigning uncertainty. "It gave me a bad feeling, but I didn't dwell on it then. The whole scene was already unpleasant enough, especially with Mr. Malfoy dragging me into his snide remarks. But, hypothetically, what if Malfoy slipped something into Ginny's books on purpose?"
Ron's face turned red with anger. "That slimy—"
"Ron!" Hermione interrupted. She frowned, thinking hard. "But you can't be sure, can you? If it's really a dark magic item, wouldn't Ginny be affected somehow?" Her voice slowed, uncertain. According to Ron, Ginny had been perfectly normal at home, but at school, she seemed like a different person entirely.
Ginny stole a quick glance at Hodge.
"I've got it!" Harry said suddenly, his breath quickening. "Remember the day we went to Diagon Alley? Where did I end up? It was my first time using Floo powder, and I landed in Knockturn Alley. I saw—"
"The Malfoys," Hermione finished, her eyes wide with shock. "You said they were at Borgin and Burkes, selling illegal items. And in the background, the Ministry—"
"My dad was tasked with raiding pure-blood families for dark artifacts!" Ron said, slamming his fist against a bookshelf. He turned to Harry. "You know what I'm thinking? That house-elf, Dobby—he knew something was coming! I bet he belongs to the Malfoys. Harry, he's trying to get you!"
"I don't think he's trying to hurt me," Harry said, carefully recalling his encounters with the house-elf. If you ignored Dobby's bizarre, frantic behavior, it was clear he didn't want Harry at Hogwarts. He'd mentioned in a panic that "the most terrible things will happen at Hogwarts this year." If Dobby was referring to the Chamber being opened and a monster attacking, it made sense. Harry believed Dobby was genuinely trying to help, even if his methods were disastrous. A house-elf probably didn't get much education, after all…
All eyes turned to Ginny.
————
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