Chapter Thirty-Two, The Framing of Hagrid

A week into the school term after the Yule holidays, Hermione was still in the Hospital Wing - (which unfortunately caused the bullying towards Izzy to become worse, as some proclaimed she had attacked her best friend, which only caused the pranks Fred, George, Lee, Kellah and Celeste dished out to double) - but aside from that Hermione was now defurred, and she no longer had a tail or a pair of ears so Madam Pomfrey allowed Izzy, Ron and Neville to visit Hermione after class one Friday afternoon.

It also gave Neville and Ron to inform Hermione of the book Izzy had found before the holidays that had once been owned by Tom Marvolo Riddle, and had kept despite their warnings. They'd noticed that Izzy has become rather pale and withdrawn and were making plans to talk to the others later tonight.
"Something isn't right?" Neville whispered to Ron as they stood in between the shelves watching Izzy scribble away in that diary.
"I know. We need to talk to the others. Especially Fred and Sirius." Ron muttered back, a frown maring his forehead, glancing at Izzy over his shoulder while he and Neville looked for the book they needed to complete their homework as they prepared for their upcoming exams.

"Talk to me and Sirius about what, Ron?" Fred asked from behind them, causing Ron and Neville to jump startled as Fred, George and Lee appeared from behind another stack carrying a multitude of books. It would have been a shocking sight to Ron and Neville if they didn't know the trio before them along with Celeste and Kellah were pranking all those who bullied Izzy - which was unfortunately, most of the school.
"Izzy. Look at her Fred! Have you felt anything through the bond!" Ron hissed pointing behind him at Izzy. At those words an identical frown appeared on Fred's forehead that had just been on Ron's.
"No." Fred muttered confused and worried.

"She feels fine through the bond. Annoyed at everyone, yes, but no different than a few weeks ago! What's going on? Look at her! What's happening?!" Fred exclaimed worriedly, his voice rising to an octave that made Madam Pince glare in their general direction but as they were hidden she couldn't throw them out.
"We don't know." Neville replied frustrated and feeling rather helpless. His sister was literally wasting away before them and it was just like the Mirror of Erised all over again. "But I bet everything in my trust vault that it has something to do with that damn diary she found and is writing in. It writes back!" Now the three fourth years were well and truly worried.
"What diary?" Fred and George asked together.

"It's a diary she found. Tom Marvolo Riddle's diary, but I don't know who that is." Neville said apologetically with a helpless shrug.
"And you say it writes back!?" Lee asked, startled.
"Yes." Neville and Ron said together.
"We, including Hermione and Izzy, checked to make sure there wasn't invisible ink at first with the 'Revealo Charm' and nothing."
"Why do I know that name!" Ron complained before it struck him. "Of course! The night I had detention, my job was to polish the silver in the trophy room, and I remember because I kept burping up slugs over that Riddle's trophy. He won an award for special services to the school fifty years ago!"

"Wait! Fifty years ago? Ron, remember what Malfoy said -" Neville asked rapidly.
"The last time the chamber was opened was fifty years ago!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"I don't like this!" George interrupted. "If Tom Riddle is still alive he'd be sixty-seventy years old now and writing to Izzy, a twelve year old in the form of a diary." A grim and horrified look passing across all of their faces.
"We have Professor Black next for Finance Management and Politics, so if we're disruptive enough to get a detention, we can talk to him then." Lee voiced, thinking over what they could do to get a detention from the sort of laid back Professor.

"That's brilliant Lee!" George crowed, voicing his own suggestions on what they could do. While the five boys were making plans to get a detention off of her father, Izzy (now having finished all of her homework to a high standard as always) was now absorbed into the diary, confessing her fears and the situation she found herself in despite her general misgivings about this diary that could reply back to her.

'Tom, I'm glad I found your diary.
Everyone - well, almost everyone - hates me all because I'm a Parselmouth. They attack me, and I'm so tired of it all!'

Later that night, while Ron, Neville, Fred, George and Lee were talking to Sirius and Remus with Celeste and Kellah there too, they had made up the excuse that the girls were visiting Hermione as it was her last night in the Hospital Wing and Ron and Neville were working in the library while Neville helped Ron in Herbology, Izzy was finally able to check the reply she'd received from Tom earlier that day but had been distracted by Luna. In the quietness of her dorm room Izzy sat on her bed against the headboard and read what had been written.

'Izzy, they are weak!!!
You are not only special, but powerful too! Do not concern yourself with the minds of the fools. They will rue the day they treated you as such!
I can teach you spells, to show them your true self but first...how about I show you the day I caught the culprit who opened the Chamber in my time.'

As soon as those words disappeared the pages suddenly flipped over as if caught in a high wind until it stopped halfway through the middle of the diary as a date appeared on the top right corner: 13th June. Suddenly a bright golden light appeared within the seams of the diary growing steadily brighter until Izzy was zapped into the book. However, what she was shown didn't clear up any confusion she had over what was happening at Hogwarts but instead it just made her angry as she was shown a memory of some sort where her first friend, Hagrid, was framed. Which was obviously a setup.

When she was finally allowed out of the blasted diary she threw it away from her as hard as she could, her hair blood red and steaming as her eyes changed to match showing off her extreme anger.
"How dare you frame my friend!!! Hagrid is worth a thousand of you!!" Izzy screamed at the diary. "I'll never write to you again! And I'll make sure no one does!!!" Izzy hissed, gingerly picking up the book as she dropped it within her cauldron and hid it beneath her bed. She didn't want it anywhere near her other things and until she could figure out a way to destroy it she'd leave it there.
"Izzy?" Sirius asked, knocking on the door. "Can we have a chat and Ginny said she heard shouting." He asked, trying to hide his worry for his daughter as he stepped into the room.
"Daddy." Izzy exclaimed, running to him and burying her face into his side. Sobs leaving her lips.

"Izzy what's going on? Everyone is really worried about you. And what's this I hear about you writing to someone called Tom?" He asked gently, sitting on Izzy's bed with his arm around her shoulders.
"Not anymore!" Izzy denied vehemently, shaking her head for emphasis when it looked like he didn't believe her. "He set Hagrid up when they were in school, I know it. Hagrid would never open the Chamber. It's under my bed in the cauldron. I thought it was a normal diary until it started writing back, and then I just thought it was like THE map. Everyone is bullying me Daddy. I can't take it here anymore!! I want to go home!!!" Izzy cried, sobbing almost hysterically as she let out all of the pain she'd kept inside her small form for the past few months.

Not knowing what he could do or say to make things better Sirius just held her as she cried, running his fingers through her hair and humming the lullaby he, James and Lily used to sing to her when she was a baby. After a while Izzy ended up crying herself to sleep on Sirius's shoulder. Not having the heart to wake her he gently wiped away the tears drying upon her cheeks and switched her uniform for her thick pyjamas and tucked her into bed.
"Hopefully now you'll start feeling better my little pup." Sirius whispered, brushing her hair from her face tenderly and kissed her forehead. Bending down once the hangings were secure around her bed Sirius reached under and pulled out the cauldron frowning at the dark magic coming from the diary within the cauldron. Gingerly he plucked the offending book out by the very tips of his fingers, and leaving the cauldron on top of Izzy's trunk, Sirius left the dormitory.

He would take it to Minerva in the morning.
However, he never noticed that Ginny had noticed the diary within his hand as a panicked look passed across her face. She just had to get it back. Even if it meant sneaking into a teachers office to steal it back before they found out everything.

***

At break time the next morning, Izzy feeling a little better, informed Neville, Hermione and Ron of the lies that had been shown to her the night before.
"I agree with you lil' sister. He sounds like he set Hagrid up." Neville agreed.
"Hagrid may like creatures he shouldn't but he wouldn't open a chamber with an unknown monster that could kill someone. Hagrid isn't a murderer." Ron nodded in agreement.
"I still say we go and ask Hagrid about this." Hermione insisted.
"Oh that's a great idea Hermione, why didn't any of us think of that!?" Izzy asked sarcastically. "Oh, I know because it's a terrible idea!"
"What sort of thing is that to ask someone?!" Neville asked incredulously.

"That would be a lovely visit. 'Hello Hagrid, sorry to ask this but tell us: have you been setting anything mad and hairy in the castle lately?'" Ron scoffed, shaking his head when a gruff voice rang from behind them making them jump.
"'Mad an' hairy?'" Hagrid asked. "You wouldn't be talkin' 'bout me now would ya?"
"No, of course not Hagrid." Izzy insisted, smiling brightly at him while Hermione avoided Hagrid's eyes causing the friendly half-giant to frown. "What's that you got there, Hagrid?" Izzy asked, successfully distracting him from Hermione's weird behaviour.
"The egg shells were a great idea Izzy but they didn't work with the little bleeders so this the last resort. It's Flesh-eating Slug Repellent for the Mandrakes, ya know.

Now, according to Professor Sprout, they've still got quite a bit of growing up to do. But once their acne has cleared up, we'll chop 'em up and stew 'em then we can get those people down at the Hospital un-petrified." Hagrid explained before he suddenly turned stern, pointing a finger at the four of them with his free hand. "In the meantime, though, you four best be looking out for yerselves and each other. All right? Good." He smiled at them reassuringly before he turned around to head back to the Greenhouse when he saw Sirius running towards them. "Hello Sirius."
"Hey Hagrid." Sirius said quickly before stopping in front of the quartet, cast a Privacy Spell and knelt down in front of Izzy. "Sweetheart, please tell me you didn't take that diary back?" Sirius begged desperately.
"No. What's wrong?" Izzy asked.

"I went into my office just now to find it completely trashed and the diary gone. Someone knew I'd got it from you and hid it there until it could be destroyed." Sirius said very quickly, a worried frown increasing as it meant that the culprit of these attacks had seen him with the diary and now had it in their possession which is a very dangerous thing.
"But, only a Gryffindor could have taken it." Neville muttered slowly.
"Only those in the tower knew you'd come down last night with a black diary in your hand." Ron added worriedly.
"I don't want any of you to worry. I and the other Professors will get this sorted." Sirius said firmly, cancelling the spell as he stood. He had to call an urgent staff meeting quickly. "I'll see you all later in class and we'll do your First Rite tonight, pup." Sirius bid goodbye as he hurried back inside the castle leaving four worried second years behind.

***

As the week passed and turned to the weekend it brought with it the third Quidditch game of the year and the second game for Gryffindor; Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff.
"Okay I know there's a lot going on but listen up." Oliver called out in the main area of the changing rooms, noticing Izzy's glassed-over eyes. She and Hermione had just figured out at breakfast what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is: a snake, or more likely a Basilisk. They had figured it out after Izzy heard the voice again during the Great Hall which meant that the culprit had the diary once more. After sharing that news with her three other best friends, Hermione said she agreed with her but needed to check in the library before she took off leaving the other three and many others staring after bemusedly.

"Izzy." Alicia whispered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder only to frown when she literally leapt off the bench with wide frightened eyes while they could feel her magic picking up around them. After a moment she seemed to come back to herself and muttered a soft 'sorry' before retaking her seat.
"We play our game and Hufflepuff won't stand a chance. You're all way better fliers than them and we'll show that today." Oliver gave his short but sweet pep talk smiling at them all as he picked up his broom.
"And they're stupid enough to believe that my sweet sister will Petrify them if they fly anywhere near her." George scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"That too." Oliver conceded. "Professor Tonks." He greeted her in confusion. She looked distinctly more troubled and she had a scroll in her hands.

"This match has been cancelled." Professor Tonks announced to the team, this was too urgent to hold on to pleasantries.
"You can't cancel Quidditch Professor!" Oliver protested.
"Silence Wood! Now is not the time. I want you and the rest of your teammates to head to Gryffindor Common Room, now! I shall be along to address you all shortly. Miss Potter, you and I shall need to find Mr Longbottom and young Mr Weasley. There's something the three of you need to see." Professor Tonks said sadly, a look of concern and great empathy and sympathy for her niece and her friends.

Confused with trepidation rising like the tide within her, Izzy followed behind her Aunt and Professor until the two of them located Ron and Neville. In silence the trio followed confused behind their Head of House until they came to a stop outside of the Hospital Wing, which was when fear started to claw at their lungs and hearts.
"I must warn you this will be a bit of a shock, but I'm here if any of you need me." Professor Tonks whispered sympathetically as she pushed open the Hospital Wing double doors.