Love at First Sight (Harry Potter)

Cornelius Fudge

|ALEXANDRIA WEASLEY'S P.O.V|

"It was Hagrid. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."

While Hermione and I had been in our dormitory, discussing the topic of Oliver Wood, Harry was examining Tom Marvolo Riddle's diary for a final time. As though having a mind of its own, the pages began to write responses to him. It sucked him inside, showing him exactly what had happened with the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were secluded to a corner of the common room — where we hoped no one would be able to hear us. Sat about the table, Harry had explained exactly what the diary had showed him.

"No," I shook my head firmly. I stood up from my chair, the legs of it nagging on the plush maroon carpet. "I don't believe it. I won't. It wasn't Hagrid."

"Come off it," scoffed Ron, who at this point was ready to blame just about anyone. "He has a liking for these kind of creatures, remember Fluffy? It wouldn't be a surprise for him to have been keeping a monster beneath his bed while at school."

"It wasn't Hagrid," I repeated again, my voice beginning to rise.

Hermione hushed the two of us quickly, glancing toward the fire where a group of older students were sat in the armchairs. She said, "Riddle might have got the wrong person. Maybe it was some other monster that was attacking people.  .  .  ."

"How many monsters d'you think this place can hold?" asked Ron dully, quite obviously sat with his opinion.

"We always knew Hagrid had been expelled," said Harry miserably. He was the closest out of our group to the half-giant, and would've wanted more than any to believe that Riddle was wrong. "And the attacks must've stopped after Hagrid was kicked out. Otherwise, Riddle wouldn't have got his award."

"Riddle does sound like Percy," said Ron, reaching to pull me back into my seat when a few girls walked down the staircase. "Who asked him to squeal on Hagrid, anyway?"

"But the monster had killed someone, Ron," said Hermione.

"And Riddle was going to go back to some Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts," said Harry, an almost sympathetic expression on his face as he dropped the diary onto the table. "I don't blame him for wanting to stay here.  .  .  ."

"Alex, didn't you say that you saw Hagrid in Knockturn Alley?"asked Hermione suddenly, suspicion obvious in her tone.

Harry answered before I could, "He was buying a Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent."

"Do you think we should go and ask Hagrid about it all?"

"That'd be a cheerful visit," scoffed Ron, glaring at Hermione. " 'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'"

The four of us reached a mutual agreement in which we wouldn't ask Hagrid unless it was absolutely necessary, meaning if there was another attack.

Days slowly turned into weeks; four months from when Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, the castle began to look up. The invisible, dark cloud hugging the students had begun to lift. The Mandrakes, now teenagers, threw a party in one of the greenhouses — which made Professor Sprout very happy.

"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she had announced during one Herbology lesson. "Then we'll be able to revive those poor people in the Hospital Wing."