That morning Dumbledore had been enjoying a peaceful breakfast, having no knowledge of the events of the night. Snape sat to his right and was looking very tired and highly disgruntled, making Dumbledore feel deeply for all those who had potions today. That thought brought a smile which he masked before it could split his face and ate serenely. McGonagall was also quiet, as her eyes roved over the students.
Dumbledore also let his eyes wander all over the Great Hall, as he bit into his toast. Most of the students were there and he smiled, feeling very happy to see all these young minds. He only hoped Voldemort would stay where ever he was and let all of them live in peace. He shook his head slightly at that silly thought. As if he would. Dumbledore had now for sometime been suspecting that he had created horcruxes and his suspicions only increased after he heard how the Voldemort sprit attacked Harry.
Harry Potter! From there Dumbledore's thoughts went to the boy who was clearly something more. Only he could not put his hands on where and what the mystery was. He was so confident and self assured that was nothing short of amazing for a boy who apparently spent his life in a cupboard under the stairs. Dumbledore cringed inside, even now as he remembered the Hogwarts latter. He had been horrified, and had been prepared for a neglected and undernourished Harry Potter, but what he got was someone who was more confident and more intelligent and surely a better version of James Potter.
At that time Dumbledore noticed Ginny Weasley enter the Great Hall looking very happy and extremely self – satisfied with herself. Dumbledore did not know her personally and he smiled at her happy face as she went quietly to sit with the other first years and begin her breakfast.
A little later Dumbledore was still musing about Harry, when he saw the object of his thoughts enter the Great Hall. Dumbledore became alert as he scrutinized Harry and saw him look at Ginny. Dumbledore straightened and looked deeply at Harry, wondering if he should attempt Legilimency, but decided against it. Hermione Granger was calling loudly to Harry and Dumbledore saw the way Ginny Weasley's head jerked up at that, her spoon falling from her nerveless hands. She turned away from Harry for a second and Dumbledore saw the happiness he had seen in her face that morning, had completely vanished and in place was an incredulous disbelief that changed into anger in a second, before she turned away and looked down.
Dumbledore turned his attention to Harry, who had gone to his friends by then and was still looking at Ginny and beginning to eat his breakfast very fast. They finished and Harry, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom got up to leave and Dumbledore saw Ginny get up too. He suddenly felt something very wrong in that and trusting his instincts which had never betrayed him until then, Dumbledore stood up apparently finished with his breakfast and smiling at his staff, he got down apparently leisurely, but walking swiftly towards the doors.
He was halfway down the tables when he broke into a run; he had heard Harry's voice cry out to Ginny telling her everyone was watching. Dumbledore though missed Harry calling out to the Dairy as it had not been very loud.
Dumbledore ran faster when he heard Ginny screaming that she would kill Harry and seeing their Headmaster run, the other professors got up from their seats at the Head Table and ran towards Dumbledore. Snape was the first to go and he simply ran as fast as he could, his robes billowing behind him, to the doors.
Dumbledore in the meantime had reached the door and saw Harry's stunner and fired a stunner of his own on Ginny and watched her fall down. He ran to her to check her and he slowly and cautiously enervated her. He straightened and looked around for Harry and saw him sit down by the steps, looking tired and showing his hand to his friends who had run to him.
His attention was suddenly diverted as Ginny started screaming and to Dumbledore's horror, he saw the ghostly form of Voldemort as a young boy known as Tom Riddle, rising up from Ginny's body and vanishing. Ginny collapsed and fainted and Dumbledore coming to his senses asked Percy to levitate Ginny to the infirmary and turned to talk to Harry, when he saw Snape running out with a few vials in his hand.
Snape had taken the Diary with trembling hands and placed it into his robes at once and a minute later something came once more into his hands. It was a piece of paper with hasty instructions on how to destroy the Diary. Snape wasted no time and he ran to his dungeons and to his chambers and destroyed the Diary by removing the basilisk fang with the venom in it and piercing the diary, until there was no ink to come out and the diary was all mangled. Then, Snape, sealed everything, cleaned himself of all the ink, and placed the Diary inside the warded place, along with the basilisk and ran out, accioing a few vials for Ginny and ran all the way to the main doors and then slowed his run to a swift walk. The whole exercise had taken but a few minutes.
Dumbledore was already coming towards Harry, his face very grim and tight and Snape hurried towards him. 'Dumbledore, the girl, how is she? I have got a few potions.'
'She will be fine, I hope Severus. I have asked her brothers to take her to the infirmary. But thank you, all the same, Severus.' Dumbledore told him, with a small smile and he walked towards Harry. Snape wanted to very badly know if the possession was over and horcrux destroyed. It must have been, he concluded, but it would be nice to get proof. Only he dared not ask Harry Potter even with his eyes, right now. Dumbledore was in quite a state, if his demeanour was anything to go by. He schooled his face into his usual inscrutable mask and walked along silently with Dumbledore.
Harry in the meantime, had conjured a diary just like the one he gave to Snape. He knew Hermione and Neville had seen it and he wanted to show it to them, if they asked. The diary also had Tom.M.Riddle on its covers but the pages were blank and there was no dark activity coming out of it. He went tiredly and sat down by the steps, once he handed over the horcrux and the method of destroying it to Snape.
Hermione and Neville came running towards him and Harry spoke to them, showing his hand and telling them, that it still hurt a bit. Hermione was itching to question him, and it was only Harry's look of extreme tiredness that held her off. She was sitting next to him, biting her lips and thinking of a way to question him, without irritating him. She lost the battle with herself and tuned to Harry.
'Harry, why did you Accio that diary?' Hermione asked him hesitantly when they noticed Dumbledore and Snape coming towards them. Harry, Hermione and Neville stood up, feeling a bit scared, that Dumbledore was looking very grim.
'The Diary? I too would like to know the answer to that question Harry.' Dumbledore said unsmiling. 'May I see the diary?' he held out his hand.
Harry did not utter a word but put his hands into his robes and pulled out the diary that looked just like the horcrux and handed it over to Dumbledore. Dumbledore peered closely at the name and opened it and flipped through the pages and frowned when he found them blank.
He placed the Diary in his left hand and waved his wand over the diary a few times. There was nothing he could find there and he turned to Harry once more and looked at him, deeply, 'Will you please come to my office, Harry? I would like to talk to you for a few minutes.' Harry nodded and walked behind Dumbledore, along with Snape. They reached the office in quick time and after they went in, and Dumbledore went around the large table set in the centre of the room and seated in his chair. He asked Snape and Harry to sit down and his frown decreased a bit when Fawkes flew from his perch and sat on Harry.
He smiled a little as Fawkes trilled, 'What happened with Ginny Harry? You seemed to suspect something was wrong with her?' he asked, sending his Legilimency across as he waited for Harry to answer.
Harry took a deep breath and allowing Dumbledore to stay in his head he looked directly at Snape for a second, before turning to Dumbledore. 'Sir, I don't want to say anything bad about Ginny.' He started hesitantly. Dumbledore was silent and did not answer and Harry gulped obviously and swallowed before he went on.
'I saw her a few times with this diary and her face would be very harsh and she would be talking to herself and smirking to herself. I heard her use the word 'kill' a few times and I almost asked her about it once or twice, but I really don't know her as I do Ron or Fred and George, Sir, and so I kept quiet. Last night I saw her in the infirmary; I just woke up and I could see a blurry figure and recognized her as she spoke to herself. She was just walking around my bed a few times, muttering something and then she left; she had something in her hands; I assumed it was this diary, because whenever she would talk and mutter to herself, the diary was usually in her hands.
'Today, I came into the Great Hall and kept looking at her and I was intending to ask her about the Diary and also why she would come into the infirmary and keep roaming around my bed, when she kept glaring at me and followed me outside. That was when I got the idea and I accioed the diary and she screamed in anger that she would kill me and cast the killing curse. There was nothing to hide there Sir, and I simply accioed the armour standing there and thankfully the killing curse did not hit me. I screamed to Hermione to Accio the armour again, in case she would try the killing curse again and I ran out, casting the stunner at her. She suddenly fell and you came there with the wand high in your hand. You cast the stunner, didn't you?'
Dumbledore nodded his head briefly, withdrawing from Harry's mind. Harry's report had been accurate and Dumbledore bent once more over the diary as Harry played with Fawkes and Snape sneered at both Harry and Fawkes. The diary was very ordinary and except the name Tom. M. Riddle written on it, there was nothing else. No dark magic and no dark spells.
'May I keep this with me Harry? I would also like to talk to Miss Weasley about this.' Dumbledore stopped for a second and then breathed heavily. 'Do you wish to press charges against her Harry? If you do, she would have to spend the rest of her life in Azkaban and also be kissed, I think.'
'That should be the procedure, I believe.' Snape inserted smoothly, his black eyes glittering with joy. Harry turned to glare at him and then turned to Dumbledore. 'Sir, I would like to know why Ginny Weasley tried to kill me. Why she came to the infirmary yesterday and did she do anything then?'
'And Harry, would you want to press charges against her? Like Severus says, you will be quite within your rights to do so.' Dumbledore asked him.
Harry shook his head. 'I don't think so, Sir. I think there is something very wrong with Ginny Weasley. She did not look like herself, you know, the last few weeks at least, since I've started noticing her talking to herself. She almost looked possessed and if there is something wrong with her health or something, then I definitely don't want to press any charge against her Sir.' He said firmly.
Dumbledore started at that. Harry had by chance hit the nail rig ht on the head. 'Indeed Harry, I do believe she was not quite herself.'
'Was she possessed then by a ghost or something Sir?' Harry asked him, his eyes wide and astonished. Fawkes pecked him and when Harry looked at him, the clever bird actually winked at Harry. Harry was truly stunned and he blinked at Fawkes who trilled once and flew off Harry's lap and onto his perch.
Harry coming out of his shock smiled at Fawkes and stood up when Dumbledore told him, 'Once Miss Weasley is fine, Harry, I will question her and let you know. If aurors come here, because many students heard her use an unforgivable, I hope you will back me up in that case?'
Harry nodded. 'Yes Sir. If she was not herself, and I don't think she was, because Ron and the twins are not like that; they are so carefree, she too must be like them Sir. I think so anyway.' Dumbledore smiled widely for the first time that morning and Snape too got up, looking very disgruntled that Ginny was not going to Azkaban and looked sourly at Harry.
'I will be cancelling classes for today Harry and so you may relax with your friends, who must be anxious about you. Run along now.' He said and Snape immediately pounced on Harry. 'Potter, you will come with me and attend to the potion. That needs help. Come on.' And nodding briefly to Dumbledore, Snape turned billowed away.
Harry smiled at Dumbledore and walked hastily behind Snape, leaving the diary with Dumbledore, who was looking better than when he walked to his office.
Harry and Snape walked in silence until they reached the potions lab and walked inside. Harry threw his bag onto a chair and watched as Snape warded the room and went inside and came out with the destroyed diary. Harry looked at it tiredly and smiled a bit before getting up and taking the diary in his hands and sent his magic into it. There was no response and Harry handed it back to Snape who went to keep it with the basilisk.