As expected, Fred and George Weasley were nowhere to be seen at the Gryffindor table.
The students were already whispering that Filch had locked the twins in some dark little detention room.
"Students," Dumbledore announced, his wand pressed lightly against his throat as the Amplifying Charm carried his voice clearly through the Great Hall, "let me repeat this once again. No student is to leave their dormitory after curfew. Anyone caught doing so will lose fifty house points and receive one day of detention."
Sean guessed that the diary had manipulated the twins into going to the Chamber of Secrets, only for them to have the misfortune of running into Filch on the way.
But the truth of what had happened was far more dramatic than the simple rumors suggested.
For nearly two months, Fred and George had been conversing with the diary.
They had even begun using it during class.
Whenever a professor asked a question they didn't know, they wrote it in the diary, and the answer would appear automatically.
Thanks to Tom Riddle's assistance, they had earned forty points for Gryffindor over the past two weeks.
Gradually, they realized the diary was useful for more than just answering questions.
It could also provide directions to hidden rooms and secret passages throughout Hogwarts.
The twins were thrilled.
To them, the diary was a priceless treasure.
The previous night, after Gryffindor's crushing defeat, both boys were in low spirits and eager for something exciting to lift their mood.
George wrote in the diary:
"Tom, is there somewhere in the school that's exciting, secret, and fun?"
The response appeared almost instantly.
"There is a place perfectly suited to your needs."
George and Fred exchanged eager glances.
"Where?" George wrote.
The diary revealed the location of the Chamber of Secrets.
At the same moment, Tom Riddle made his first serious attempt to influence George's mind.
George heard a long, seductive voice calling to him.
It was mysterious, irresistible.
He felt compelled to follow it.
Fred had also read the diary's answer.
"The girls' bathroom on the second floor?" he whispered. "That's Myrtle's bathroom."
Because of Moaning Myrtle, no one ever used that bathroom.
"Who would've thought there was a secret chamber under it?" Fred grinned. "George, we have to check this out."
But George was already on his feet.
He snapped the diary shut and, without saying a word, strode out of the dormitory.
"Quiet!" Fred hissed, assuming his brother was simply too excited.
Their two roommates were asleep.
Fred carefully closed the door and hurried after him.
Filch was making his rounds with a lantern in hand, Mrs. Norris trotting ahead.
He had just finished checking the third floor and was heading downstairs.
Mrs. Norris suddenly darted ahead, and Filch merely quickened his pace.
At that very moment, the Weasley twins were coming up from below.
George, his mind clouded by Riddle's influence, ignored everything Fred said.
"Slow down," Fred whispered. "Walk quietly."
George didn't hear him.
Tom Riddle's voice was all he could hear.
Not even his own twin brother could reach him.
Fred frowned.
George had never acted like this before.
Even when they argued, they had never given each other the silent treatment.
Something was wrong.
Mrs. Norris descended the stairs silently, like the perfect cat she was.
In the darkness, her green eyes glowed like eerie lanterns.
By day, she was simply a cat.
At midnight, alone in a dark corridor, she was terrifying.
And where Mrs. Norris appeared, Filch was never far behind.
Normally, George would have turned and run.
But they were so close to Myrtle's bathroom.
George drew his wand.
"Petrificus Totalus."
"What are you doing?!"
Fred grabbed George's arm, causing the spell to fly wide.
Fred had only noticed Mrs. Norris a moment later, but his first instinct had been to flee.
George's reaction was utterly unlike him.
The twins loved pranks, but they never hurt others.
And now George was trying to hex a cat.
"What's gotten into you? Filch is almost here—we need to go!"
Fred tugged at him.
George shook him off.
The voice in his head was stronger than ever.
He had to reach the bathroom.
By now, Fred could hear Filch's footsteps.
"If we don't leave now, we're done for."
Filch rounded the corner and beamed triumphantly.
"Finally," he thought. "Caught you at last."
"You two have broken school rules," Filch said smugly. "You're coming with me to see Professor McGonagall."
But George, still under the diary's influence, wasn't intimidated.
He raised his wand and pointed it directly at Filch.
"Have you gone mad?!" Fred cried, seizing George's arm.
Filch's smug expression vanished.
Never in all his years at Hogwarts had a student openly threatened him with magic.
As a Squib, he was utterly defenseless.
Even a first-year student could overpower him.
If George cast a spell, Filch would be helpless.
His face turned pale.
"If you dare use magic on me," he barked, "I'll report you to Dumbledore!"
"Expelliarmus!"
A sharp voice cut through the corridor.
Snape appeared behind the twins and disarmed George instantly.
George staggered as if all his strength had been drained.
Fred caught him before he collapsed.
The vacant look in George's eyes faded.
He blinked weakly.
"What happened to me?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Fred snapped.
Snape and Filch approached from either side.
Fred knew they were in serious trouble.
Being caught by their own Head of House would have been bad enough.
Being caught by Snape was far worse.
"You two are finished," Filch said gleefully.
Snape bent down and picked up the diary that had fallen from George's robes.
He opened it.
Every page was blank.
Then he turned it over and saw the name written on the back.
For the first time, his usually expressionless face showed unmistakable shock.
The diary nearly slipped from his fingers.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle," Snape whispered.
"Professor, I'll take these two to Professor McGonagall," Filch said.
But Snape barely heard him.
Clutching the diary, he strode swiftly toward the Headmaster's office.
"Where did you get this?"
Dumbledore took the diary, his expression instantly grave.
Ever since the Chamber of Secrets had been opened fifty years ago and Hagrid had been falsely accused, he had remained deeply wary of Tom Riddle.
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