Hermione picked up a basilisk fang from the ground and handed it to Tom.
Tom understood immediately. He took the fang and stabbed it into the newly crafted diary without hesitation.
"Ahhhhh..."
A piercing shriek erupted from the diary as blood poured out.
Tom and the unconscious Harry both grimaced in pain simultaneously.
Moments later, the screaming stopped.
Tom's presence had weakened noticeably.
"Success."
Hermione said softly.
She surveyed the scene with satisfaction.
Lockhart stood off to the side, pale as a ghost, trembling all over.
He stared at the two of them, eyes filled with terror.
The young man before him was Voldemort!
And Hermione clearly knew him already!
He finally realized he'd been caught up in something far bigger than himself.
He wanted to run, but his legs felt like lead. He couldn't move.
All he could do was hold his breath and desperately try to make himself invisible, not daring to make a sound.
The man who normally craved the spotlight now wanted nothing more than to be forgotten.
But Hermione wasn't about to let that happen.
She slowly turned her head, meeting Lockhart's terrified gaze.
Several days earlier.
The scene of Mrs. Norris's Petrification.
"Investigation begins. Awaiting academy judgment."
After leaving that cryptic line, the Super High School Level Witch—Hermione—walked away without looking back, leaving Harry and Ron staring at each other in confusion.
The moment she returned to her dorm, she found Ginny waiting at the door, looking deeply distressed.
Seeing Hermione, Ginny rushed forward and grabbed her arm desperately.
"Hermione! You have to help me!"
Her face was pale, lips trembling, eyes filled with terror—as if Hermione were her last lifeline.
"I... I don't know what to do anymore. I can't control myself..."
Hermione frowned slightly, studying the girl.
"Don't be afraid, Ginny. Take your time. What happened?"
Hermione spoke gently, though she had a vague suspicion.
She helped Ginny sit on the bed and handed her a drink.
Ginny clutched the cup with both hands, her knuckles white from the pressure. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and began speaking in broken fragments.
"I... I don't know what's happening. There's this diary... it talks to me..."
"A diary?"
"Yes, a black one. Very old. I found it in my textbooks. I don't know who put it there..."
Ginny's voice grew quieter, trembling.
"At first I just wrote a few things, and then... it answered me!"
"It said its name was Tom. It said... all these strange things. I feel like I'm losing control. I've done terrible things..."
Ginny suddenly looked up, eyes wide with horror.
"Mrs. Norris... it made me do it! I didn't want to! I really didn't! Hermione, what do I do? I don't want to be expelled..."
She gripped Hermione's hand so tightly it hurt.
Hermione understood immediately.
Tom Riddle's diary.
Voldemort's first Horcrux.
What surprised her, though, was that Ginny had come to her for help.
In the original story, Ginny hadn't been discovered until the very end.
"Ginny, why did you come to me?" Hermione asked.
Ginny looked down. "I... I was too scared to tell anyone else. I thought they'd... they'd think I was a monster. I was afraid of being expelled... But I can't control myself anymore. I'm scared I'll do something even worse..."
She looked up at Hermione with a glimmer of hope.
"I thought... you're different from everyone else. You're amazing and calm. You must have a way to help me, right?"
"Do you have the diary? Did you bring it?"
Ginny nodded and pulled a black diary from her pocket, handing it to Hermione.
The diary looked ordinary—worn cover, but radiating a cold, unsettling aura.
Hermione took it, fingers brushing the cover, sensing the uncomfortable magical fluctuations.
"Leave the diary with me. I'll take care of it. Don't worry."
Ginny's eyes filled with gratitude. She nodded vigorously.
"Thank you, Hermione. Thank you so much..."
Hermione smiled faintly, saying nothing, already forming a plan.
But first, she needed to calm Ginny down to prevent any more complications.
"Ginny, go back and rest. And remember—don't tell anyone about this. Understand?"
Ginny nodded obediently and left.
After Ginny was gone, Hermione picked up the diary and opened it slowly.
Originally, her plan had been to let Harry take the spotlight while she worked behind the scenes.
But Ginny's intervention was unexpected.
As Hermione pondered this, the Mysterious Magic Book in her mind reacted.
[Artifact]
[Horcrux (Tom Marvolo Riddle)]
[One of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Contains a fragment of Voldemort's soul from age sixteen. Possesses the power to manipulate minds.]
Hermione was surprised.
This thing qualifies as an Artifact?
Just then, words began to appear on the diary's blank pages.
"Hello, Hermione Granger."
Immediately, a strange mental force invaded Hermione's mind—magic designed to influence thoughts and make people act according to its will.
Any other wizard would've fallen under its spell by now, obediently following the diary's instructions.
But Hermione remained unaffected.
Her Occlumency had reached mastery—far beyond Ginny's level.
With the diary's current weakened state, it couldn't breach her mental defenses.
"Stop playing games. Come out, Voldemort." Hermione's tone was flat.
The writing paused, as if surprised.
"How did you know?"
A voice emerged from the diary—cold and curious.
"You think you're the only one who can play word games?"
Hermione smirked. Letters formed in the air, glowing with magic.
Tom Marvolo Riddle.
The letters spun rapidly, rearranging themselves into:
I am Lord Voldemort.
"Ginny was right. You are clever." Tom's voice returned, tinged with barely concealed surprise. "She mentioned you. Said you defeated Quirrell. A magical genius rivaling even me."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Cut the flattery. What do you want?"
"My goal is simple." Tom's voice turned low and seductive. "I want to regain my body. Fulfill Slytherin's legacy. Purge impure bloodlines. If you help me, I'll consider sparing you."
"Hahaha..." Hermione burst out laughing, her voice dripping with mockery. "A prisoner has no right to negotiate with me."
Her mind flickered. An invisible force pressed down on the diary.
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