Capítulo 28: The One with Harry Potter
Hogwarts was vast. It was easy to forget just how sprawling the ancient castle was—corridors snaking off in all directions, staircases shifting when you least expected it, and hidden rooms with secrets older than any wizard alive. Even after all this time, it still held mysteries no one had solved. The Chamber of Secrets, for example. Gilderoy Lockhart had heard whispers about it from day one, but now it wasn't just a mystery; it was a necessity.
He paced in his office. The Sentinels were ready. He had already made a binding vow with Satoru Gojo but there is still one problem—getting inside.
The diary. That blasted diary was the key. Hogwarts was a living maze, constantly shifting, and Gilderoy had learned through studying parallel timelines that the location of the Chamber of Secrets keeps on changing as well. Tom Riddle's diary, however, was more than just a cursed object—it had power, the kind that could guide him through the labyrinthine corridors straight to the Chamber. But he wasn't the only one interested in it.
No, Harry Potter had the diary, and that was where the real difficulty began.
Harry Potter—the chosen one, the boy Dumbledore had earmarked as the one to defeat Voldemort. Gilderoy doesn't envy the boy's destiny, but Harry is key to Gilderoy's plans, whether he realizes it or not. Parseltongue—the language of snakes, the only way to unlock the Chamber itself. Gilderoy, for all his knowledge of curses, spells, and dimensional magic, couldn't speak it. That left only one solution: Harry had to open it for him.
But there were complications. Dumbledore and Snape were both on high alert. Both were suspicious of him. Dumbledore, for all his charm and wisdom, saw through Gilderoy's facade. He always had. And Snape—well, Snape didn't trust anyone. Gilderoy needed to thread the needle carefully, guiding Harry toward his goal without tipping off Hogwarts' most dangerous protectors.
The door to his office creaked open, and Gilderoy turned his gaze toward it. He had summoned Harry under the pretense of needing assistance with a personal project. Nothing too alarming—after all, he had built a reputation for flashy demonstrations, harmless enough. But this meeting would be different.
As Harry stepped in, his green eyes filled with a blend of uncertainty and concern, Gilderoy gave his most disarming smile.
"Harry, thank you for coming," he began, his voice smooth as ever. "I know things have been difficult with Hermione's situation. Believe me, I'm as concerned as you are. But I think I may have found a way to help."
Harry's expression shifted, a flicker of hope crossing his face. "You have? How?"
Gilderoy's smile widened. "I've been investigating the Chamber of Secrets myself, and in my research, I've come across something rather interesting—a diary, once belonging to a student here, a boy named Tom Riddle."
At the mention of Tom's name, Harry visibly tensed. Gilderoy didn't miss it. There was a connection between the boy and the diary already.
"You… you know about Tom?" Harry's voice was cautious, guarded.
Gilderoy nodded, moving slowly to his desk. "Yes, I've read about him, and it seems this diary of his holds the key to the Chamber. I believe it can tell us exactly where to find it." He paused, letting the moment settle. "It's possible that this Tom isn't who you think he is, Harry."
Harry's face twisted into something between confusion and betrayal. "What do you mean?"
Gilderoy's tone softened. "I know you've been speaking to Tom through the diary. But what if I told you that Tom Riddle is far more than just a student who knew about the Chamber? He was—he is—a dark wizard. A very dangerous one."
The boy's expression darkened, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "But… he said he was trying to stop Hagrid. He showed me…"
Gilderoy felt a pang of satisfaction. The seeds of doubt were already planted. "I understand that, Harry. But dark wizards lie. They manipulate. They twist the truth to serve their own ends. If Tom told you that Hagrid was responsible for opening the Chamber all those years ago, you need to question his motives. Why would a dark wizard be interested in protecting the school?"
For a long moment, Harry didn't respond. His eyes were filled with confusion, betrayal. Gilderoy let the silence hang, knowing that the boy was processing everything.
"I thought he was my friend," Harry whispered, his voice barely audible.
Gilderoy leaned forward, his tone gentle. "I know. But I'm here to help you now. Together, we can find the Chamber and stop this once and for all."
Harry's eyes flicked up to meet Gilderoy's, and for the first time, the boy looked truly lost. Gilderoy knew that feeling all too well. But this was necessary. For both their sakes.
"We need that diary, Harry," Gilderoy pressed, his voice low but firm. "It's the key to saving your friends. To saving Hermione."
For a long moment, Harry hesitated. But then, with a slow nod, he made his decision.
"I'll get the diary," Harry said quietly. "But… I don't know what to believe anymore."
Gilderoy smiled warmly, hiding the flicker of triumph behind his charm. "I promise you, Harry, you're doing the right thing."
As Harry turned to leave, Gilderoy's mind raced ahead. The pieces were falling into place. Soon, he would have both the diary and Harry's parseltongue. The Chamber would be his.
And with it, the power locked inside.
Harry's POV
Harry couldn't shake the feeling of unease that clung to him as he walked back to the Gryffindor common room. His thoughts swirled in a storm of confusion—Professor Lockhart, Tom Riddle, the Chamber of Secrets. Nothing made sense anymore.
He had been summoned to Professor Lockhart's office under the guise of helping him with something. Harry hadn't thought much of it at first; he didn't mind Lockhart as much as others did. Sure, he was a bit flashy and self-absorbed, but his classes weren't bad, and Hermione admired him. But now, with everything happening around him—Hermione being petrified, the mysterious attacks—Harry wasn't sure who to trust anymore.
As he approached the entrance to the common room, the memory of his conversation with Lockhart replayed in his head. The professor had mentioned Tom Riddle, the same Tom Harry had been speaking to through the diary. The boy who had shown him memories, who had revealed that Hagrid was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets years ago. But now…
Lockhart's words echoed in his mind. Tom Riddle is a dark wizard. That didn't make sense. Tom had been kind, helpful. Why would he lie? But something about the way Lockhart had spoken, the urgency in his voice, made Harry doubt everything.
When he had first found the diary, it had seemed like a gift—a way to learn the truth about the Chamber, to stop the attacks. But now, after hearing what Lockhart had to say, Harry wasn't so sure anymore. If Tom was really a dark wizard, then that meant everything he had shown Harry could have been a lie.
"Harry?"
The voice startled him out of his thoughts. Ron was standing near the fireplace, his face pale and worried. Harry hadn't noticed him as he entered the common room.
"You alright, mate? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Harry forced a smile, though it felt weak. "I'm fine. Just… thinking."
Ron nodded slowly, but the concern didn't leave his eyes. "About Hermione?"
"Yeah," Harry lied, though Hermione was always at the back of his mind. The truth was, he wasn't just thinking about her. He was thinking about everything—about Hagrid, about Tom, about the diary.
Without another word, Harry headed up to the dormitory, leaving Ron behind. He needed to be alone, to figure things out. As he sat on the edge of his bed, he reached under his pillow and pulled out the diary. It felt heavier than before, as if it were now filled with the weight of all his doubts.
He had trusted Tom. He had thought the boy in the diary was trying to help him. But what if Lockhart was right? What if Tom was using him, manipulating him?
Harry ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the diary, his mind swirling with questions. He had seen Hagrid in the memory—seen him with that giant spider. Could Tom have been lying about that too? Was Hagrid innocent all along?
With a deep breath, Harry opened the diary, the familiar blank pages staring up at him. He reached for a quill, dipping it into the ink bottle beside him. Slowly, carefully, he began to write.
'Tom?'
The ink disappeared, and for a moment, there was nothing. Then, words began to form on the page.
'Hello, Harry. Is everything alright?'
Harry hesitated, his hand shaking slightly as he replied.
'Professor Lockhart told me something about you. He said you were a dark wizard. That you're dangerous.'
The words vanished, and for a long, tense moment, the page remained blank. Then, slowly, more words appeared.
'Lockhart doesn't know what he's talking about. He's trying to confuse you, Harry. You can't trust him.'
Harry's heart pounded in his chest as he read the words. His head was spinning, the conflicting stories pulling him in every direction. Who was telling the truth? Lockhart? Tom?
But what about Hagrid? Harry wrote.
'You showed me that memory. Was it real?'
The reply was almost immediate.
'It was real, Harry. Hagrid opened the Chamber. You saw it yourself.'
Harry's grip tightened on the quill. He didn't know what to believe anymore.
"I thought you were my friend," Harry whispered aloud, staring at the diary in front of him. But now, as he looked at it, all he could feel was doubt. The trust he had in Tom was crumbling, and with it, the certainty he once had about everything.
Closing the diary, Harry slid it back under his pillow. Tomorrow, he would give it to Lockhart. He didn't know if it was the right choice, but he couldn't keep it anymore. Not with everything at stake.He decided to trust a wizard with reputation of defeating the dark beings instead of a diary he found lying beside a crying ghost of a murder victim.
As he lay down, staring up at the ceiling, Harry's thoughts swirled in a storm of betrayal, confusion, and fear. Hermione needed saving, but to do that, Harry had to decide who to trust—and right now, that felt impossible.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:- The diary can't possess Harry because of the protection casted on him by his mother that 'Voldemort can't hurt Harry' and the diary is literally Voldemort's soul
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