Entitled

Chapter 41

Tom Marvolo Riddle

It was a few days later, and you were walking down the hallway back from the library, carrying a heavy stack of books. As you approached the corridor leading to the girls' lavatory where Moaning Myrtle resided, you noticed the floor was flooded with water.

You made it inside just as Harry and Ron were following you. Moaning Myrtle was perched up in the window, crying loudly. Her wails echoed through the empty bathroom.

"Come to throw something else at me?" Myrtle sobbed as she noticed you.

"What are you talking about, Myrtle?" you asked, shifting the stack of books in your arms to get a better grip.

Harry stepped closer, looking concerned. "Why would we throw something at you?"

"Don't ask me," Myrtle wailed, her voice filled with indignation. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me."

Ron interjected, looking confused. "But it can't hurt if someone throws something at you. I mean, it'll just go right through you."

Myrtle flew down from her perch, her ghostly form hovering right in front of Ron as she screamed, "Oh, sure! Let's all throw books at Myrtle because she can't feel it! Ten points if you get it through her stomach!" She demonstrated by thrusting her ghostly arm through Ron's chest. "Fifty points if it goes through her head!"

Harry stepped forward, his voice gentle. "But who threw it at you, Myrtle?"

Myrtle's expression shifted to one of despair. "I don't know. I didn't see them. I was just sitting on the u-bend, thinking about death, and it fell through the top of my head." She started crying even louder, her ghostly tears adding to the water already flooding the floor.

As you scanned the flooded floor, something caught your eye. Amidst the water, there was a small, dark object. Your arms were too full with the stack of books to pick it up, so you nodded towards it. "Harry, could you grab that?"

Harry stepped forward, bending down to pick up the object. He held it up, revealing an old, wet, and seemingly empty journal. The cover was worn, and it looked like it had been through quite a bit.

As Harry turned it over, you saw an inscription on the front. "Tom Marvolo Riddle," he read aloud.

Your eyes widened in recognition. "Is there anything inside it?" you asked, trying to keep your voice steady despite the alarm bells ringing in your head.

Harry opened the journal, flipping through the soggy pages. "It's empty," he said, looking puzzled. "Nothing written in it at all."

You felt a shiver run down your spine. You knew the name Tom Marvolo Riddle all too well, but you couldn't explain the significance to Harry and Ron just yet. "Harry, listen to me. Be very careful with that diary. Someone must have been trying to get rid of it for a reason. Just because it looks empty and harmless doesn't mean it isn't dangerous."

Ron looked concerned. "What do you think it is?"

You shook your head, not wanting to reveal too much. "I'm not sure. Do you want me to keep it for the time being until we figure it out? I have a private dorm."

Harry shook his head firmly. "Finders keepers. I want to look at it more closely. It might have some answers we need about the Chamber of Secrets."

You sighed, knowing Harry's curiosity was insatiable. "Alright, but please be careful with it. There's something about that diary that feels... off."

Harry nodded, and you watched as he carefully tucked the diary into his bag. You gave him and Ron a quick nod before heading back to your dorm room. Once inside, you set down your stack of books and took a deep breath.