Harry Potter: The Vampire Prince

As the school year entered its second half, the young wizards had become accustomed to their new environment and courses, making time fly by quickly.

After Valentine's Day came Easter, and following Easter, Hogwarts was greeted by a prolonged rainy season. The heavy rains washed the air clean but left it damp, so that every time students returned from Professor Sprout's Herbology class, their hair was slightly wet.

During Easter, Lockhart hid Easter eggs and candies all over the castle and even released an entire warren of rabbits into the school.

Perhaps his intention was to enhance the festive atmosphere and make the holiday more enjoyable for the students, but the rabbits left droppings everywhere, forcing poor Mr. Filch to spend his days frantically cleaning up the mess.

The rabbits also had a habit of hopping into Professor Sprout's greenhouse, where they feasted on the magical plants meant for students to practice grafting. By the time the poor Herbology professor was informed and rushed back to her domain, her greenhouse had been ravaged beyond recognition. All that remained were bloated, hiccuping red-eyed rabbits, lounging around in satisfaction.

Thus, the last days of May slipped by in an endless battle of words between Professor Sprout and Lockhart.

…

One day in early June, Nolan was loitering near the entrance of an abandoned girls' bathroom. Every so often, he raised his wrist and moved his lips slightly, as if speaking to something on his arm.

At that moment, an unexpected visitor found him.

"Nolan! So you were here! Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"

It was Miss Otter—Hermione, who had grown quite a bit over the past six months.

Unconsciously, she was nearing fourteen years old.

Though her front teeth were still a bit large and her personality remained sharp and sensitive, there was no denying that she was beginning to develop into an attractive young witch—at least, that was what Nolan thought.

"You're looking for me, Granger?"

"I have something to tell you. I might need your help."

Hermione's demeanor was unusual. She seemed to be weighing something in her mind, her eyes darting with hesitation, as if burdened by a heavy secret.

"My help? Why not seek out Dumbledore?"

"Oh, come on, Nolan! This isn't something Professor Dumbledore can help with... Or rather, none of the professors at Hogwarts can! They might be able to solve the problem, but not in the way we want!"

What was Hermione so worried about?

Nolan quickly found out.

"You think Hagrid is the Heir of Slytherin?" Nolan looked at Hermione as if she had lost her mind. "Granger, I used to think you had a decent head on your shoulders, but I see I was mistaken. Do you seriously not know that Hagrid's bloodline makes that impossible?"

"You mean he's not pureblood?"

That was part of it.

Everyone knew that Salazar Slytherin was a fanatical blood supremacist. He worshiped pureblood lineage. If someone at Hogwarts were capable of opening the Chamber of Secrets, they had to be either a pureblood heir personally chosen by Slytherin or one of his direct descendants. As for Hagrid…

The towering man's problem wasn't just that he wasn't pureblood—he had giant blood in his veins.

Hermione seemed unaware of Hagrid's origins, and Nolan didn't see the need to elaborate. It wasn't exactly a pleasant topic.

—But wait.

Giants were notorious for their inherent evil. They possessed a destructive nature even more violent than werewolves. Those monstrous creatures harbored deep-seated hostility toward humans. If Hagrid had inherited that darkness from his bloodline… well, it wouldn't be entirely unfounded.

Nolan pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "In any case, the likelihood of Hagrid being the heir is extremely low. Who was the genius who told you otherwise?"

"Well… it's from a diary. A diary written fifty years ago by a Hogwarts student named Tom Riddle. When the Chamber of Secrets was first opened, he was the one who stopped Hagrid—"

"And got your 'gentle giant' expelled and had his wand snapped." Nolan finished her sentence, rubbing his temples as he murmured, "Tom Riddle… Tom Riddle… Why does that name sound so familiar? You know, Granger, you know what Potter is like, and, conveniently, so do I. He's incredibly loyal—maybe even biased—when it comes to his friends."

In Harry Potter's worldview, everything was divided into good and evil, black and white. His friends were unquestionably 'good.'

If he merely read something negative about Hagrid in a diary, Harry Potter's natural reaction should be anger, thinking the diary's owner was spouting nonsense, and he would likely tear it to shreds.

So why did he believe it?

"Harry never had friends growing up, so he cherishes each one…" Hermione said softly. "I think you're right—he wouldn't doubt Hagrid just because of a diary. The reason he took it seriously is that the diary is… well, unusual."

"Unusual?"

"It's a magically enchanted diary. We believe that it contains a memory—a memory with its own consciousness. You can write in the diary, and it will write back to you…"

At first, Nolan was calm, but as he listened, his expression grew more serious.

"When did Potter get this diary?"

"When? I don't know…"

Hermione suddenly became flustered, uncertain why Nolan had grown so intense.

"Think carefully, Granger. This is important."

"Alright, alright… I think he found it sometime after Christmas… No, wait—it was after Easter! He picked it up… right here. Yes, in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

Nolan let out a long sigh, his gaze turning sharp as he looked at Hermione and said, "Listen, Granger. What do you think that diary is?"

"Like I said—a memory…"

"And what is a memory? A fragment of thoughts? A shard of personality? When you piece them together, what do they become? A soul. Granger, do you understand? That diary contains a wizard's soul. And not just any wizard… From what I know, the magic to split a soul belongs to necromancers. If Tom Riddle isn't a necromancer himself, then he's at least a dark wizard as skilled as a dozen of them."

With every word Nolan spoke, Hermione's fear deepened.

"But Hagrid… He…"

"Potter suspects Hagrid because he saw 'evidence' in the diary. But what if that evidence was a lie? Granger, that diary contains a living soul. It has intelligence. It knows exactly what to show and what to hide."

"That's impossible!" Hermione clutched her head, agitated. "It's just a diary! It's not a person! It doesn't have motives!"

"No motives? Are you joking? What if Tom Riddle himself was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets?"

…

(Note: The previous mention of Christmas was a mistake—it should have been Easter.)

(The new Hogwarts residence hall was completed around mid-May. This chapter takes place in early June. The Chamber of Secrets arc has several plot threads remaining and will likely take ten more chapters to wrap up.)

...

~~~----------------------

Patreon Advance Chapters: patreon .com / HPdreamer