Chapter 114: Ginny and the Diary

The slender girl lay quietly on the bed, not yet fully awake. Her face was pale, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly indicating a restless sleep.

It was understandable; anyone would become sleepy, even plagued by continuous nightmares, after being drained of so much life force.

Alaric searched around a bit, but found no diary.

With no other option, he turned his gaze towards the sleeping Ginny.

Sorry for the disturbance.

Alaric muttered silently in his heart as he reached out towards Ginny's blanket, gently lifting it.

Sure enough, under the covers, Ginny was curled up in her pajamas, tightly clutching a diary to her chest.

It was an old, worn-out diary, small and thin, with a tattered black cover that seemed to have been soaked in water, clearly showing its age.

This was his target.

"Quite cautious indeed," Alaric couldn't help but sneer. "But unfortunately, you can't escape."

However, to avoid alarming her, he covered the blanket back and left the room, finding Hermione who was engaging in conversation with Parvati Patil.

To assist Alaric, Hermione had to fabricate a flimsy excuse. After locating Parvati Patil, she began a dry conversation with her.

Hermione herself didn't know what to talk about with Parvati Patil, but the latter seemed interested in chatting with Hermione. 

She eagerly grasped onto Hermione, enthusiastically inquiring about Alaric.

However, Hermione had no intention of sharing anything about Alaric with other girls, so she could only mumble and evade.

When Alaric whispered to Hermione to approach Ginny, Hermione finally felt relieved. She couldn't continue the conversation any longer.

So she hastily made up an excuse and left Parvati.

Guided by Alaric, Hermione arrived at Ginny's dormitory.

"Miss Weasley, Miss Weasley, wake up!" Hermione gently shook Ginny, and soon, Ginny stirred from her slumber.

"You are... Miss Granger?" Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Ginny asked in a daze, "Do you need something from me?"

She sat up from the bed, the blanket slipping off her, revealing the diary she held tightly in her embrace.

Seeing this, Hermione's eyes lit up.

"That diary, may I have a look?" She asked tentatively.

"No!" Hearing this question, Ginny reacted as if she were a startled kitten with its tail stepped on, her whole body suddenly tense. 

"This... this is my diary, I don't usually show it to others."

She nervously hid the diary behind her back.

Seeing Ginny still holding onto hope and wanting to conceal, Hermione shook her head helplessly and had to reveal the truth.

"Miss Weasley, we know everything." Hermione gazed into Ginny's eyes, speaking earnestly. 

"The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is dead, and we understand everything about the Chamber. 

According to our investigation, this diary is crucial to the whole incident. We hope you can cooperate."

Upon hearing Hermione's words, Ginny's face immediately turned pale. 

In fact, even though she had been under Voldemort's control all along, the actions of her body made her suspicious for a long time.

However, the truth was too cruel. She dared not speak out, fearing that once others knew everything, she would become a target of criticism, or even be expelled from Hogwarts. So she had to carefully guard the secret.

All along, she held onto the hope that no one would discover this, and the death of the basilisk made her optimistically believe that the attack had ended and everything was without evidence.

Unfortunately, Hermione's arrival shattered her illusion. She had to face the harsh reality: she had been found out, everything had been discovered.

Just as she was at a loss for words and actions, she suddenly rolled her eyes and completely lost consciousness, collapsing onto the bed.

"What's going on?" Hermione exclaimed in shock, immediately drawing her wand and vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

Suddenly, a semi-transparent figure appeared before her.

The sight startled her indeed.

But feeling Alaric's hand patting her back, Hermione immediately calmed down—someone was protecting her from behind.

"It's you who's been manipulating Ginny all along, isn't it?" Hermione pointed her wand at the figure and said softly, "You're Tom Riddle, aren't you?"

"It seems that despicable mudblood spilled everything to you, hmm?" 

The figure revealed a young and handsome face, but the expression on his face was grotesque. 

"That despicable fellow dared to ruin my plans! And you, you're another one from Ravenclaw, 'Miss Know-It-All' Hermione Granger, right? Another disgusting Muggle."

"What exactly have you done?" Hermione ignored the sarcasm, asking anxiously, "What happened to her?"

"Oh, this is an interesting question," Riddle said with pleasure. 

"It's a long story. As far as I can see, the real reason Ginny Weasley turned out like this is that she opened her heart to an unseen stranger, pouring out all her secrets."

"W... what do you mean?"

"The diary," Riddle said, "my diary. For months, Ginny has been writing her heart out to it, telling me her heartaches and sorrows.

How she's teased by her brothers, how she has to wear old robes, carry old books to school..."

While speaking, Riddle never took his eyes off Hermione, looking at her with hatred and malice.

"It's so boring, listening to an eleven-year-old girl talk about her childish troubles," he continued.

"But I patiently wrote back, offering kind and understanding words. Ginny simply fell in love with me. 

Oh, Tom, no one understands me like you do... I'm so glad to have this diary, to confide in you like a trusted friend... like having a friend I can carry in my pocket..."

Riddle let out a cold, chilling laugh, that didn't sound like it came from a sixteen-year-old child

"Not to boast, Miss Granger, but I've always had a way of charming people. 

So, Ginny opened up her entire soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I needed. 

I devoured her deepest fears, her darkest secrets, my appetite growing. I grew stronger, much stronger than little Miss Weasley. 

Strong enough to reveal some of my secrets to Miss Weasley, to start opening up a small part of my soul to her..."

.

.

.

Guys, do leave some power stones and reviews.

✌patreon.com/bobthewriter✌

If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 30 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.