The Slytherins

23

Since the quidditch matches had been cancelled, Cassie found herself with a lot more time on her hands. She started to spend more and more time in the library, studying- (she needed her grades to stay at the top or her mother would eat her alive) and often found herself going to the duelling club that she could now attend.

She was by far the best one there, but she found it incredibly intriguing just watching the other students and learning new spells.

There was one Slytherin first year who she recognised from sorting called Francois Wilson, a tall popular boy with dirty blonde hair and lots of freckles.

Cassie admired the boy as he was the only other Slytherin there, and was the only one before Cassie arrived. As they were the only ones belongings to the house, they stuck together.

One day in early March, Cassie was leaving the library when she heard her name being called by someone who she hadn't spoke to in a while.

"Cassie?" She whipped her head around to find Mattheo standing at the end of the hall, looking out of breath and chaotic.

"Mattheo?" She asked questioningly. He still hadn't spoken to her in over a month, so she was rather surprised to find him there. "Are you... okay?" She frowned.

"I need to talk to you," he said striding towards her, grabbing her hand and pulling her away towards the direction of a broom cupboard.

"Look. Just- look at this." He handed a worn leather bound journal to her. She flicked though the book and was surprised to see that the pages were blank.

"Turn to the title page," he urged her.

As she did, she felt her heart clench in her stomach. It read:

Property of T.M. Riddle.

Cassie glanced up at Mattheo, his dark eyes blinking back at her in desperation.

"What?" She whispered, looking back down at the book, tracing its edges with her fingers.

"I found this in the girl's toilet. Moaning Myrtle's one. She was giggling about something and when she saw me- well she told me there was something in there belonging to me."

"But... I don't understand." Cassie muttered. "What is it? If it's a journal why is nothing in there?"

She took out her wand and pointed it at the book. "Aparecium," she said, but the pages remained blank.

"Do you know... if any of the sacred twenty eight knew about my father's diary?" He asked her hopefully.

"I don't... I didn't know it existed." Cassie marvelled.

"But... why would someone leave an empty journal belonging to Vol-" Cassie quickly remembered that Mattheo hated to hear his father's name aloud. "-your father lying around the school?"

"But it's not empty. Watch Cassie." He spoke as he took out a quill from the pocket in his cloak.

He wrote the word hello onto the paper, and Cassie watched as the letters faded into the book itself.

"I don't see what-" Cassie began impatiently but Mattheo interrupted her.

"Shush! Just wait." And sure enough, Cassie's eyes widened even more. There was someone replying to Mattheo.

Hello.

Cassie stared at the diary for a few seconds before looking back up at Mattheo in utter disbelief.

Mattheo carried on writing.

Who are you?

They watched eagerly as the black ink soaked into the paper and vanished. A few seconds later, they got the reply.