Heart of Darkness

Chapter Seventeen

1992

Ginny Weasley had a crush on Harry Potter. It was adorable.
That's what Minerva and I talked about as we sat in Hogsmaede. We didn't talk about the Chamber of Secrets being opened, and we didn't talk about the Muggleborns being targeted.
"Have you heard from Remus lately?" She asked.
"Last week. He said he was doing fine."
"Professor Black?" Harry Potter ran up to me. "May I speak to you?"
"Speak." I gestured, hiding a smile. I amuse myself.
"I meant privately."
"This is private." I said.
He chanced a look at Minnie.
"It's all right, Harry. Go ahead." I said.
"The Chamber of Secrets? I know who's opening it."
"Don't go blaming Professor Snape again, Mr. Potter." Minerva said.
"I'm not."
"Proceed, then."
"It's Draco Malfoy."
"It isn't Draco Malfoy." We both said.
"But--"
"No, Mr. Potter." I said.
"Yes ma'am." He said, and walked away.
Minerva shook her head.
"I can't believe we let Dumbledore convince us to leave him with the Dursleys." I said angrily.
"I agree. It's too late now."

"Professor Black!" Harry ran up to me, panting. "Do you hear it?"
"Do I hear what?"
"The voice in the walls! Something's going to kill somebody." He said emphatically. "Professor--"
"Does anybody else hear it, Harry?"
"No." Hermione Granger said, irritated, as she walked in. "Nobody hears it!"
"I hear it!" Harry snapped at her.
"Do you still hear it?" I asked gently.
"... No."
"If you hear it again, we'll tell Professor Dumbledore, okay?"
He nodded and walked out, probably angry.
So James' and Lily's kid is crazy. Great.

Dumbledore handed me Tom's old diary with a big, black hole through the middle.
I gave him a questioning look. "What...?"
"Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber."
"Is she okay?"
"She's fine. Mr. Potter went to her rescue."
"Oh, Merlin. Is he okay?"
"He's fine. Everybody's fine, save the Basilisk in the walls." He said, like that was a sentence one uses every day. "Professor Lockhart didn't turn out as well, and I'm afraid he'll be in St. Mungo's permanent residency."
I knew that I should be at least a little bit upset about that, but I was actually kind of grateful. That man was a handful. "That's unfortunate." I said.
"Yes. So, would you like the diary?"
"There's a hole in it." I pointed out.
"Yes, but it belonged to Tom, pre-Lord Voldemort."
"I don't want it." I said.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm absolutely positive... Burn it or something. I don't want it."
"As you wish." He pocketed it.
I left his office and went to my chambers, exceedingly unnerved.
A short while later, Minerva came in my room. "Hey, sweetie." I smiled, despite my suffering.
"Hey." She said, sitting beside me on the bed. "Are you all right?"
"Yep." I nodded.
"You don't look all right."
"I'm fine." I shrugged. She's a little girl, I can't spill my problems to her.
She handed me the diary Dumbledore had just shown me.
She isn't a little girl anymore, though.
I took it and started crying.

The Weasley twins ran up to me after dinner. "Oh, Angelica!" One of them said.
"Boys." I smiled. It was hard not to smile in their presence.
"Are you okay?" The other asked. Fred, I think.
"You look ill." George said.
"I'm fine. Just a little cold." I assured them.
"Get right in bed, young lady." Fred said.
"What?" I blinked.
"Get to your bed! You heard the man." George insisted.
"Bed."
"Class." I said.
"Bed."
"Get to class, George."
"I'm Fred! Honestly, woman, you call yourself our teacher."
"You're identical. What do you expect?"
"Kidding, kidding. I am George."
"Get to class." I smiled.