Amelia Potter and the Chamber of Secrets PART 1

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cover told him it was fifty years old. He opened it eagerly. On the first page he could just make out the name 'T. M. Riddle' in smudged ink.

'Hang on,' said Ron, who had approached cautiously and was looking over Harry's shoulder. 'I know that name ... T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago.'

'How on earth d'you know that?' said Harry in amazement.

'Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention,' said Ron resentfully. 'That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too.'

Amelia giggled.

Harry peeled the wet pages apart. They were completely blank. There wasn't the faintest trace of writing on any of them, not even 'Auntie Mabel's birthday', or 'dentist, half past three'.

'He never wrote in it,' said Harry, disappointed.

'I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?' said Ron curiously.

Harry turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a newsagent's in Vauxhall Road, London.

'He must've been Muggle-born,' said Harry thoughtfully, 'to have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road ...'

'Or a half-blood living a muggle life,' interpreted Amelia.

'Well, it's not much use to you,' said Ron. He dropped his voice. 'Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose.'

Amelia pinched Ron's arm. "Ow! What was that for!'

'Figured I'd change it up a little.'

Harry, however, pocketed it.

*
Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less and fur-free, at the beginning of February. On her first evening back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry showed her T. M. Riddle's diary and told her the story of how they had found it.

'Oooh, it might have hidden powers,' said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.

'If it has, it's hiding them very well,' said Ron. 'Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't chuck it, Harry.'

'I wish I knew why someone did try to chuck it,' said Harry. 'I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts, either.'

'Could've been anything,' said Ron. 'Maybe he got thirty O.W.Ls or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle, that would've done everyone a favour ...'

Amelia pinched Ron once again.

'Stop doing that!'

"Get smarter!'

But Harry could tell from the arrested look on Hermione's face