Riddled

|7| Aboard the Hogwarts Express

On the train, Ginny hurried to find a compartment with someone she knew. Passing the compartments, she found Fred and George's compartment, but thought it would be best not to sit with them. (They would tease her.) Percy was in the prefect's compartment, so she couldn't sit with him. (Not that she wanted to.) She searched the train for Ron and Harry, but they were nowhere in sight. Odd, she thought. She found Hermione's compartment and sat down across from her.

"Hi Ginny," said Hermione. "Have you seen Harry or Ron?"

"No," said Ginny in surprise. "I thought they would've been with you."

"Well, so did I," said Hermione. "When we were in Diagon Alley they told me we'd all sit together on the train, but I haven't seen them at all. I guess they went and sat with someone else." Hermione sounded a little sad. Ginny felt a small surge of pity for her. She'd heard Ron and Harry complaining or joking about Hermione on several occasions over the summer. It was quite possible they'd decided to ditch her.

"Oh well," said Hermione. "Enough about them. Are you excited to start at Hogwarts?"

Ginny nodded. "I hope I'm in Gryffindor," she said.

"You will be," Hermione assured her. "Your whole family are Gryffindors! Besides... The Sorting Hat takes your preference of house into account during the Sorting... Or at least it did for me. It told me I had the brains to be in Ravenclaw, but I told it I wanted to be in Gryffindor, and it just said 'ok' and, well, here I am," she said, pointing to the Gryffindor crest on her black robes.

"Really?" Ginny gasped. Hermione nodded.

"You'd be surprised how many secrets the castle holds," Hermione told her. "It's beyond magical."

They chatted a bit more about Hogwarts. Hermione started to go a bit overboard talking about classes and teachers, so Ginny excused herself to change into her school robes. When she grabbed them out of her trunk, she noticed the diary as well. She picked it up and tucked it under her arm with her robes and headed to the tiny bathroom. Once she was safely locked inside, she opened the diary and began to write.

I'm on the Hogwarts Express! she wrote.

That's wonderful! Tom replied. I hope you're not writing to me in the open though, where other people can see. This is our little secret, remember?

Don't worry, I'm in the bathroom.

Good girl. How's the train?

I like it. I'm sharing a compartment with my brother's friend Hermione.

Hermione Granger?

Ginny gasped. How did you know that? she wrote.

I know everything.

There was a loud knock on the bathroom door. "Hurry up in there!" said a voice.

I have to go, someone needs to use the bathroom.

What a shame. I enjoy talking to you, Ginevra.

Ginny's stomach turned. How did he know her real name? She'd never told him. She shut the diary and quickly pulled on her robes, then rushed out of the bathroom, averting the angry gaze of a sixth year Ravenclaw girl waiting outside the bathroom door. When she got back to the compartment, Hermione was gathering her things and hauling her trunk out into the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked.

"We're here!" said Hermione.

Ginny looked out the compartment's window. Sure enough, the Hogwarts Express was coming to a halt. They had arrived at the castle.