Window into the Past

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I was still trying to shake the Malfoy Cooties off me. It was mortifying pretending to be Parkinson.

Meanwhile, Parkinson had no clue what had happened during Christmas. Thank Merlin.

Hermione had to take her furry little problem to the hospital wing. My furry little problem hasn't changed. Unfortunately, we hit a dead end with the Chamber of Secrets, no more attacks so we had no new leads.

"I was so sure it was Malfoy!" Ron sighed as we sat on Hermione's bed. "Looks like we're back to square one," I murmured. "Hey, what's that?" Harry pointed at Hermione's pillow. "Uh nothing," she stuttered.

I pointed at her pillow with my wand. "Accio!"

A gold card shot into my hand. I looked to see a get well card from Lockhart. "You sleep with this under your pillow?"

"Don't judge me!" Hermione exclaimed. "Bit late for that, Mione," I pointed out, handing it back to her. "Don't forget our bet, tick tock," Hermione grumbled. "I still have a few months," I snarked.

We left the hospital wing and I scrunched up my nose. "Forgot about the bet."

"Where is that on your priority list?" Ron laughed. "Fourth," I admitted. "Do we want to know what the first three are?" Harry wondered. "You pretty much know them already, number one is awoooooooooo!" I fake howled.

I froze when I suddenly heard Filch ranting about something. The three of us hid behind a statue as he passed by. "Cleaning up that ruddy mess! That's the last straw! I'm going to Professor Dumbledore!"

We waited until he walked by and I noticed we were in the exact same place where Mrs Norris was petrified.

My feet suddenly grew cold and I looked down to see myself ankle deep in water. "Not again," I moaned. I heard Myrtle crying in the bathroom. "Now what's wrong with her?" Ron sighed.

"Come on," I rolled my eyes and pushed the door open. The bathroom was soaking wet and Myrtle was crying more than usual.

"What's wrong, Myrtle?" I asked her. "Who is that?" she asked. "Come to throw something at me?"

I tilted my head. "Why would I throw something at you?"

"Don't ask me!" Myrtle snapped at me. "I was minding my own business and someone thought it would be funny to throw a book at me."

"But it wouldn't hurt you if something got thrown at you," Harry pointed out. "It'd just go right through you."

"Real smooth," I sighed quietly. "Sure! Let's all throw books at Myrtle because she can't feel it!" Myrtle shouted at Harry. "Ten points if it goes through her stomach. Fifty if it goes through her head!"

"Who threw it?" I asked her.

"I don't know, I was on the U-Bend and it just went through my head," she told me. "It's over there, it got washed out."

I turned to see a thin black book floating in a pool of water underneath one of the sinks.

"Hello there," I muttered and I walked through the water. "Joy, it could be dangerous!" Ron warned me.

I turned around and I gave Ron an exasperated look. "It's a book, you numpty!"

"It could be dangerous," Harry pointed out. I rolled my eyes and picked up the wet book. "Oh yeah, this book is going to cause Armageddon, alert the Ministry," I snarked.

I flicked through the book. "T.M Riddle, isn't that the guy who got that special services award fifty years ago?"

"Yeah," Ron nodded.

"It's completely blank," I told the boys. "Nothing about Mummy and Daddy or talking about how much of a git the teachers are, nothing."

"Then why would someone throw it out?" Ron wondered. Harry took it from me and flicked through the pages. "Maybe there's something hidden that we can't see," he mumbled.

"Well, teenage boys have a lot to hide," I said, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

***

Once Hermione came back from the hospital in February, we all had our theories about this Riddle bloke.

"What I don't get is why someone threw away a diary, which had nothing written in it," Harry poured the bucket of thoughts onto the table. "And why did Riddle win that award fifty years ago?"

Something suddenly sparked inside my head. "Remember what Malfoy said? He said the last time that the Chamber was opened was fifty years ago, if Riddle was here fifty years ago, he might have known what happened."

"But there's nothing in here!" Ron exclaimed. "Well, I've tried all the spells, there's nothing there," Hermione sighed. "You know what that means, some poor aunt or uncle of Riddle's needs to get their money back," I joked.

They laughed a little at my joke.

Riddle was also Head Boy back in his day, Ron basically called him Old Percy.

I was walking through the hall on Valentine's Day, talking to Tara Scott, a Ravenclaw girl in the year above who helped me with Potions homework. "Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart announced.

Both Tara and I rolled our eyes. "Part of me is grateful that the Defence Against the Dark Arts post is jinxed," she said to me. "Hopefully they'll get a good teacher next year."

"Fingers crossed," I laughed.

Lockhart arranged for dwarves to deliver Valentines to us. Thankfully I didn't get one....yet.

"So, let me know if you need help with Potions again okay?" Tara was rejoining her friends. "Thanks Tara," I smiled at her and joined Harry and Ron to go to Charms.

One of them ripped Harry's bag and tackled him to the ground to deliver the message to him.

Me and Ron grimaced at the scenario and picked up Harry's things. "Reparo!" I pointed my wand at Harry's bag and it was fixed.

"What's going on?" I heard Malfoy's voice. "Oh, Merlin," Ron complained. "This couldn't get any worse."

"What's the commotion!" Percy came around the corner and I glared at Ron. "You just had to say that didn't you?"

We put all of Harry's belongings back in his bag. "Uh..where's the diary?"

"Give it back!" Harry escaped the dwarf and barged over to Malfoy. "Writing fantasies about Jones in here, Potter?"

"Hand it over!" Percy ordered. Ginny, who was lurking in the corridor, looked visibly horrified at the scene that was unfolding.

"Let me have a look, we all know Potter fancies Jones," Malfoy laughed. "Bit rich, coming from him," Ron whispered in my ear.

Harry had enough and pulled out his wand. "Expelliarmus!"

The diary shot up out of Malfoy's hand and I jumped up and caught it. "I may be short, but I'm quick," I smirked.

"I don't think Potter liked your Valentine!" Malfoy yelled after Ginny who was running away.

"Oh, leave her alone!" I snapped at him.

We finally made it into Charms and I handed the diary back to Harry.

***

"How did your father manage full moons?" Hermione asked me. "His friends became Animagi apparently, werewolves bond with animals..so it's easier, they kept him company," I sighed. "What can I say? My life sucks."

"It does not suck," Hermione mumbled. "It does, think about it..if this got out, Lucius Malfoy would be calling for my expulsion."

"They'd expel you?! That's so unfair!" Hermione gasped. I turned in my bed. "Werewolves are so misunderstood, the Ministry thinks that they chose to be this way! A vast majority of werewolves are bitten against their will. My lycanthropy based illness is not a lifestyle choice, I was born like this, I can't help it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright, there's nothing that can be done anyway. Night Mione."

"Night Joy."