The woman in the mirror (Harry Potter fanfic)

Chapter 2.15 (The memories of T. M. Riddle)

Have I not destroyed my enemy when I have made him into my friend? ~ Abraham Lincoln

All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver Valentines. This caused annoyance among all the teachers.

"Oy, you! Miss Lupin!" Shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to her.

Artemis cursed, trying to run but the dwarf grabbed her by the robes. "Oh, please, no, not again!"

"Oh, Artemis, the menance
She has a beautiful face,
Her smile is grace.
She has hair as golden as the sun,
Whose hot rays spoil my fun.
Because everytime I look,
It's another she took."

"Lovely, bye!" She sprinted away awkwardly, Harry laughing behind her and Ron glaring at every boy they passed. "Just Charms and then we can go hide in the common room." She growled at Elizabeth, who agreed after being stopped five times already by a singing dwarf. Hermione, however, was giggling with Lavender and Parvati, the latter just got a message.

But before they could hide in the classroom, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry.

"'Arry Potter!" He shouted. Harry tried to escape. The dwarf, however, cut his way through the crowd by kicking people's shins, and reached him before he'd gone two paces. "I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person." He said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.

"Not here." Harry hissed.

"Stay still." Grunted the dwarf, grabbing hold of Harry's bag and pulling him back.

"Let me go!" Harry snarled, tugging. Artemis thought it was all rather amusing when she wasn't the one receiving the message. With a loud ripping noise, Harry's bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment and quill spilled onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over everything.

Harry scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridor. "What's going on here?" Came the cold, drawling voice of Draco. Harry started stuffing everything feverishly into his ripped bag.

"What's all this commotion?" Asked another familiar voice as Percy arrived. Harry tried to make a run for it but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor. How romantic...

"His eyes are green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."

Harry got up from the ground, trying to laugh with the rest of the crowd. Percy did his best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying with mirth. "Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now." He said, shooing some of the younger students away. "And you, Malfoy....." Percy Weasley pointed his finger in Draco's direction.

Draco bowed down and picked up something from the ground before showing it to Crabbe and Goyle. "Give that back." Harry said quietly. It was Riddle's diary.

"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" Draco snarled. He had obviously not seen the date on the front. He thought it was Harry's own diary. A hush fell over the onlookers. Ginny was staring from the diary, to Harry, looking terrified.

"Hand it over, Malfoy!" Percy said sternly.

"When I've had a look." Draco said tauntingly.

"Don't!" Artemis yelled suddenly, going to stand in front of Harry

Draco raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Because it's mine." She shrugged. "Sometimes I feel the need to tell an inanimate object that I was born in a family full of lunatics."