The Chamber—the diary—the Dark Lord—what connection could there be between these three? Countless terrifying speculations flooded his mind, sending chills down his spine.
What role did the Malfoy family play in this?
When did his father sneak the diary into Hogwarts? Draco had absolutely no idea.
Given the current situation, it would be unwise to admit that the diary came from the Malfoys.
If the Board of Governors knew that the Malfoys were involved with the Chamber of Secrets and were suspected of harming several Hogwarts students—no matter how rich the Malfoys were, they would be kicked out of the Board by those old-fashioned people who value appearances and reputation.
This is not good news for the Malfoys. Lucius had worked tirelessly for years to gain a foothold on the Board of Governors. He should be more cautious. So many people on the Board of Governors are eyeing him covetously! A single excuse could bring him back to reality. Had his father been so foolish as to hand him a knife to the throat? Draco shook his head inwardly.
Thinking about it this way, in his past life, his father did indeed resign from the Hogwarts Board of Governors at the end of his second year, but he did not tell Draco the reason.
Now, it seems everything has an answer—because of this diary.
It must be that my father did something dishonest, and he was exposed and caught red-handed.
Draco pondered with a mixture of emotions, turning the diary over and over in his mind.
He suddenly looked up. "Harry, perhaps you do not know, but even in the wizarding world, a magical object with its own thoughts is extremely dangerous. Obviously, in your description, this diary has its own thoughts and can even show you a memory. Do you not think that is very strange?"
"And Ron, that is what Mr Weasley does, is it not? You should know better than anyone the dangers of Dark magical items..." He frowned at Ron again, "Did he not tell you never to trust any object that can think for itself?"
Draco never imagined that one day, a Malfoy obsessed with Dark magical items would say such things to a Weasley who supported the confiscation of Dark magical items.
If both sets of parents heard such remarks, they would probably be shocked.
"That is what I said too. This Tom Riddle sounds like a nasty snitch... kind of like Percy, all high and mighty," Ron said uneasily.
At this moment, his attitude towards the diary was no longer as fervent as before.
Harry quickly interrupted him, "But Draco, T.M. Riddle cannot be a bad person. He even received a Special Award for Services to the School fifty years ago."
"That is right. Once, when Filch put me in detention, I even wiped that medal with my bare hands in the trophy room," Ron said indignantly, seemingly recalling his miserable ordeal at the hands of Mr Filch. "He is hopeless! He punished me simply because I glanced at him in the crowd..."
T.M. Riddle—Ever since Draco saw this name in the Restricted Section, he has been intrigued—this man has become one of Draco's unsolved mysteries.
Draco searched through many books in the library but found nothing about T.M. Riddle. Thankfully, Ron, who was unfortunately locked up, provided an important piece of information.
A distinguished Hogwarts student who received an award fifty years ago has vanished from the modern wizarding world. For some unknown reason, this brilliant student poured his thoughts into a diary, fabricating and spreading false information about the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin... and this diary may even have some connection to the Dark Lord.
The various ingredients were mixed together, forming a potion with suspicious bubbles. In this potion, Draco could smell certain scents: danger, lies, and treachery.
"Why did Riddle, the owner of this diary, expose Hagrid? Who told him to do it?" Draco suddenly asked.
"If Hogwarts closes, the students will have to go home. He does not want to go back to the Muggle orphanage; he does not seem to like it there." Harry pondered deeply.
"Was he also a student at Hogwarts back then? About the same age as Hagrid?" Draco astutely grasped a key point.
"I do not know his exact age back then, but he was attending Hogwarts," Harry said anxiously. "He seemed to be a prefect or something..."
"The T in his name, as you said, refers to Tom? And the M?" Draco asked. He did not want to overlook even the smallest detail.
"Marvolo, like his maternal grandfather."
"Marvolo, Marvolo..." Draco murmured, trying to grasp some inspiration amidst his chaotic thoughts.
"In my memory, there is only one person whose name has 'Marvolo' in it. Ron, you have probably heard of him too," Draco said.
Ron scratched his nose and shrugged, indicating that he did not remember anything.
"Marvolo Gaunt, a pure-blood wizard of House Gaunt, and a descendant of Salazar Slytherin," Draco said softly.
Harry and his two companions were practically dumbfounded.
"You mean, the owner of this diary is—" Harry exclaimed, startling Ginny Weasley who was crossing the courtyard. Hermione gave him a reproachful look, gesturing for him to be quiet.
"Its owner is a descendant of Slytherin?" Harry said softly. Clearly, he had quickly grasped the key point.
Draco nodded.
"But are Slytherins not supposed to be pure-blood? This diary was made by a Muggle, look—" Harry eagerly flipped the diary to the back cover, showing Draco the line of text—the name of a newspaper distributor on Vauxhall Road in London. He continued, "In that memory, Riddle also said his father was a Muggle..."
"I am also a bit puzzled by this. Slytherin descendants should, in theory, be pure-blooded. His maternal grandfather's surname is Gaunt, which is even stranger. The Gaunt family is very particular about bloodlines, almost to the point of obsession. I have never heard of any female Gaunt descendants marrying Muggles, nor have I heard of any surviving female descendants of the Gaunt family." Draco frowned.
The whole thing was strange from beginning to end.
"Harry, the owner of this diary is not as innocent as you think. Both his name and this fragmented memory he provided are suspicious. I can only say that this memory can be used as a reference, but it is not necessarily the truth. Or rather, it might be part of the truth, and it could even have been altered." Draco looked at Harry's astonished expression and said solemnly, "Powerful wizards can alter memories."
Harry silently lowered his head, stroking the name on the cover of the diary, without saying a word.
"I do not know where you got this diary. However, I suggest you do not interact with it too much; it would be best to hand it over to Professor Dumbledore." Draco said worriedly, reminding Harry again before they parted ways.
Harry nodded hesitantly to Draco. He was reluctant to part with the diary; Tom Riddle seemed gentle, refined, and very persuasive.
"See? What did I tell you? He also suggested you give it to Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said. "I did not say a word or hint at anything to him. Anyone with a clear head can see the danger of this diary."
"Yes, Harry, if this diary is really fabricating some dubious memories to deceive you and slander Hagrid, then that is really despicable..." Ron said.
Draco carried his flying broomstick back, his steps no longer light, his heart heavy.
He was not yet clear how deeply the diary was involved in the Chamber incident, but it was obvious that it was by no means innocent.
The die is cast; this dangerous diary has already left the Malfoy family and ended up at Hogwarts, causing serious consequences.
The Malfoy family must extricate themselves from this diary and distance themselves from it.
A Malfoy like him is always looking for the best and avoiding the worst. Tonight he must write a letter immediately, inquiring about his parents regarding the diary, and he has an obligation to warn them against any further rash actions or stirring up trouble at the Board meeting to draw attention to themselves.
In this situation, lying low is the best option for the Malfoys.