When Remus and Snape had reported to Dumbledore they went upstairs to put away Harry’s trunk. Remus remembered the diary and pulled it out of his pocket. He wasn’t so sure about reading it, after all it was private, but maybe it had clues as to where Harry had gone too.

Flicking the pages, but not reading anything just yet, he just kept fumbling with it.

Snape, who was watching from the corner of the room saw what Remus did and asked: “What have you got there?”

Remus looked up at him. “It’s a diary, from Harry. I found it in his trunk, but I’m not so sure if I should read it. Perhaps it has some clues, but I don’t really want to intrude.”

Snape snorted a bit. “Well, I’ve had to teach the brat Occlumency, not that it worked, so I’m experienced in seeing some of his life. If you won’t read it, I will.”

Remus looked at Snape again. He wasn’t so sure if letting Snape read this was worse or not than reading it himself. After several minutes he made his decision.

“All right, but only if you promise not to abuse the information you gather from it. So no teasing him about some event or another, and certainly not talking about it with a certain Slytherin he dislikes.”

Snape looked triumphantly. “I promise, I won’t do that for the brat. So can I go and read it now? I must admit, I’m getting curious as to what could be in that book.”

Remus smiled and handed Snape the book. It was indeed rather full. Apparently Harry had a lot to write, or he just owned the diary for a long time.

Remus then decided to go to sleep and he went to his own bedroom.

Snape decided to read a bit and then go to sleep, so he too went to his bedroom.

After lighting the fire and setting himself comfortably in the chair, he started reading.

“May 1990

Wow, I’m so lucky that Dudley isn’t interested in this booklet. Now I can use it as a diary. Dudley had his birthday four days ago; he just turned eleven years old. He got 39 presents and a trip to the zoo. I even got to come along, because Mrs. Figg had broken her leg. I was so happy. I’ve never been to the zoo before, or anywhere else for that matter, and it was great. Aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon were buying ice creams and because the lady behind the car had already asked me what I wanted, I got to have a small lemon ice cream. I’ve never had an ice cream before!

Too bad it didn’t last long. When we got to the reptiles in the zoo, Dudley found this really large snake. It was sleeping, so he soon walked away from it. I just said to the snake that he must really hate it to be locked up and looked at the whole time, when the snake actually woke up and talked to me! I’ve never done that before. So I was talking to the snake for a while and it told me it had never been to Brazil before. Just then Dudley saw what I was doing and pushed me to the ground. I fell and the next thing I know is that the glass disappeared, the snake got out and Dudley was trapped inside the cage! I don’t know what happened, and I would have gotten away without any problems, but stupid Pierce told my aunt and uncle that he had seen me talking to the snake just before it happened. So here I am, locked up in my cupboard again. I’m hungry, but I’m not sure when I will get some more food again. I think I’ve been in here for at least 4 days. Hope they let me out soon, I don’t really like the cupboard. I’m tired, so I’ll sleep a bit for now.”

Snape stared at the first page. There were some disturbing things about this. First of all, it sounded as if Harry didn’t know he had done magic, secondly, he hadn’t realized that talking to snakes wasn’t exactly normal, and what was it with “his cupboard”?

Snape decided to see what else there was written in this diary.

The next entry read:

“June 1990.

Well, I’m finally out of my cupboard. They let me stay in there for an entire month. But I’ve had worse, so I can’t complain. They even started giving me food again after about a week or so, and allowed me to go to the bathroom every day. Good thing too, or else it would have started smelling in the cupboard. The summer holidays have started now. Too bad, because now I can’t get away from the Dursleys. Well, there is one bright side, after this summer I’m going to Stonewall High, while Dudley is going to Smeltings. I don’t have to see him so often anymore. Maybe I can even make some friends, I mean, right now most are so scared of Dudley that they won’t be friends with me, because Dudley uses me as a punching bag. There’s a good side to that as well, I mean, I’m really getting good at dodging him and outrunning him.

Oh, Aunt Petunia is calling, I have to go and do my chores. Hope I will have some time to write a bit more soon.”

“August 1990.

I just had the best birthday ever! I mean, it started really weird earlier this week. There was a letter for me with the post. Nobody ever sends me letters, but it was even addressed to “the cupboard under the stairs” so it really was meant for me. Unfortunately Dudley saw I had a letter and took it from me. We then got kicked out of the kitchen and uncle Vernon read the letter. Suddenly I was moved to Dudley’s second bedroom. But they burned the letter. I wish I was back in my cupboard with the letter, instead of having Dudley’s second bedroom.

Anyway, the letters eventually came in via the fireplace, so uncle Vernon got really crazy and we left the house. We ended up in a little hut on a rock in the sea. Then, when I was counting down the seconds till midnight for my eleventh birthday, someone actually knocked on the door.

There was this really big man, called Hagrid, coming in the hut. Uncle Vernon had a gun, but Hagrid just took it and broke it! Wow, I’ve never seen anyone so strong. And what was really weird was that he came to give me the letter. It said that I got to go to this school called Hogwarts. Hagrid seemed to be waiting for a reply, but I had never heard of this school before. And then he starts saying I’m a wizard. I actually wanted to laugh right in his face, and politely trying to say that maybe he was a bit crazy, but then aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon started to splutter that they wouldn’t allow such nonsense and that I was just as much a freak as my parents. They then said my parents got themselves blown up! But they always told me my parents had died in a car crash, while being drunk, that my parents were lazy gits, who never did anything to earn some money. I don’t know what to believe anymore.

Hagrid has told me some of the real story, but I think there is still a lot he hasn’t mentioned. I do believe him on the wizard part, especially since we went to Diagon Alley yesterday. I got my first real birthday present ever! Hagrid bought me an owl, I’ve called her Hedwig, found the name in a history book. I now have al these wonderful books, and I can’t wait to read them. I’ve also got a wand. The wand maker creped me out for a bit though. He said that my wand is the brother of the wand that gave me the scar.

What is really weird is actually the fact, that I’m famous in the wizarding world. But I don’t really get the idea of the reason. I don’t think I should be famous. I hate al that attention and weird people coming up to me and asking to give me a hand. If I can’t even remember for what.

Oh well, I think I’m going to read some more. I’ve seen this really interesting Potions book. Sounds interesting.”

Snape looked a bit disturbed after reading this. So the boy hadn’t know he was famous, and by the looks of it, hadn’t lived a spoiled life. And he seemed to hate attention. Now this was all a bit disturbing for Snape, since he had accused Potter of being spoiled and loving the attention. Apparently he was wrong about that. Snape hated being wrong.

He decided to read on. Sleep wouldn’t come now anyway.

“September 1st 1990.

Well, today I got to Hogwarts. The trouble actually started when I wanted to go to the platform. I couldn’t find it anywhere, and this is because Hagrid had forgotten to tell me how to enter the platform. Luckily I spotted a large family, and caught the words “muggles, platform 9 ¾” so I knew they were wizards. I finally gathered enough courage to ask the mother how to go to the platform. I’ve always learned not to ask questions, but I would have missed the train if I didn’t, so therefore I had to ask this person. She was named Mrs. Weasley and helped me on the platform. Then two of the children, Fred and George, helped put my trunk on the train. After that I met Ron. He’s my very first friend. He seems a bit stubborn at times, and hates being poor, but since I only found out about all this money last month, I shared my lunch with him. The wizarding world certainly has some nice candies. (Snape snorted at that comment).

I was really nervous at the Sorting. The castle was so great and magic seems so wonderful, but I didn’t think I would fit in any of those houses the Hat mentioned. What if it said I wasn’t good enough and had to go home? But I was lucky, even though the Hat took it’s time. It wanted to put me in Slytherin, but Hagrid had told me Voldemort came from that House, and there was this Draco Malfoy, who reminded me of Dudley in punching mode, and he was sorted in Slytherin, so I wanted to be put somewhere else. Well the Hat listened and now I’m in Gryffindor. Ron’s in here too! The House has a really nice common room, and I’ve actually got a four-poster bed. I’ve never had such a good bed before. I love it all. I get to have three meals a day, and get to take a shower as often as I want too. This is so luxiourius. I can hardly believe it. Tomorrow is the first day of classes and I am really looking forward to it. I’m going to sleep now.”

Snape sat staring at the page. His brain could hardly register it. Potter, The Golden-Boy from Gryffindor, had nearly been a Slytherin?! Since when did that happen? Damn Voldemort and Draco Malfoy for being Slytherin’s as well. He could have had Potter in his House. On the other hand, Snape didn’t know why he would have wanted the son of his enemy in his House. I mean, how was he supposed to have treated him then? Well, there would have been a good side to it as well, he would have probably spotted signs of abuse at the boy. But since he was sorted in Gryffindor and was the son of his hated enemy, he didn’t pay attention to it.

Snape shook his head to clear it, took a sip of his whine, and read on. He flipped a few pages until he saw an entry about the Potions class.

Interested, he started reading again.

“September 1990.

Well, today I had the first Potion’s class of this year. I had wanted to read the Potion’s book this summer, but uncle Vernon had decided to lock my trunk, with books, wand and all, in the cupboard. He did let me keep Hedwig though.

Anyway, I thought that Potions would be interesting. The Dursleys always made me cook for them and I figured that the basics would be the same. In cooking you have al these ingredients and you try to arrange them to form a delicious meal. In Potions you’ve got all these ingredients and you try to make a Potion that can help in certain ways. It seems all so intricate, a real art.

The teacher is Professor Snape. He seems to be a bit sulky, but maybe he doesn’t like the start of the school year, or prefers to teach older children, who are past making basic potions. Either way, I think he can’t be bad all the time. I had high hopes for this lesson, and his speech was brilliant. Just as I imagined the importance of Potions, he told us about it.

But then the class just went downhill. He seems to dislike Gryffindors, and for some reason or another, me in particular. He started asking al these difficult questions. Then he made stupid comments on celebrities too good to read their books. I think only Hermione has read them all, but I couldn’t tell him my uncle had locked away my books, now could I?

Then we had to make all these notes. Most of the theory I understand, but there’s quite a lot of ingredients and their way of interacting, that I don’t understand. Maybe I can ask Professor Snape about it, in the next class.

At least my other classes were going fine. I’ve noticed the rest of the class has a rather low level of magic. I mean, making a feather float in the air, it’s really simple. I managed to do it in one time. But then I noticed the rest didn’t. I hate standing out too much, I mean, look at Hermione, just because she has read books and therefore knows answers to many questions, they shun her.

I don’t want to be shunned because I find I can do magic so easily. I’m already halfway through my charms and transfiguration books of this year. I only have to read the spell, and most of the time, I get it right in one.

Oh well, I don’t want to lose my friend Ron, so I’ll try to be of an average level. It should work out just fine.”

Snape wondered about this. By the looks of it, Harry, no Potter, was good. I mean why would he lie in his diary right? But then why not show more of it? Why be so terrible at Occlumency? And hadn’t Remus spent many hours teaching him the Patronus charm? Or had he mastered it really fast as well?

It seemed to be an ever bigger miracle, and Snape had to admit, if Harry was capable of hiding all this, he might have been truly meant to be in Slytherin.

Skipping quite a lot of entries that only went on about lessons, befriending Hermione, finding clues about the Philosopher’s Stone, Snape came to an entry that turned out to be promising.

“December 1990

Today I found this really big mirror. I don’t know what the name was, or what was written on it, but what I saw in the mirror was just so great, so painfully great. I got this cloak as a Christmas present and it makes you invisible, so when I went round and looked in the mirror, I was quite shocked to see myself. But there were more people behind me. But in reality they weren’t there.

I saw my parents, and more family. It was really hard seeing them in the mirror. I’ve never seen my parents. Hell, even though I’m in the wizarding world I only know how they have died. And even that story isn’t complete. So here I was, looking in this mirror and being able to see my family. It was beautiful, and tore at my heart at the same time. I wish I could have parents, or at least people that truly cared for me. I can’t be sure if people only want to befriend me because I’m this Boy-Who-Lived nonsense. I think Ron and Hermione are ok, but can’t truly be safe saying that.

I think I’m going back to the mirror tomorrow, I want to see my parents again. My mum smiled really nice at me. I think they weren’t drunk, lazy people. But I can never be sure, now can I?”

Snape heaved a heavy sigh. My god, that had to be hard. Seeing your parents in the Mirror of Desire. No wonder the Headmaster had it removed from that classroom. Snape also started to feel a bit guilty. Saying all those things about James Potter to his son, while Harry didn’t even know one story about them.

Deciding to skip quite a bit, he started reading again.

“June 1991.

I’m back at the Dursleys again. Too bad too. They’ve put a lock on Hedwig’s cage and Hedwig is going crazy at not being able to fly. I’ve asked uncle Vernon to let her go tons of times, but he is afraid I’ll send letters to my friends. I was certainly planning on it, I haven’t gotten a single letter from them. I wonder why? Maybe they aren’t such good friends as I had thought. Or there is something else going on.

I’m also locked up in my room with bars on the windows and a cat flap to pass meals, in the door.

All because of a house elf called Dobby. He wanted to prevent me from going to Hogwarts again. Therefore he had held all letters sent to me, so I would think my friends had abandoned me. When that didn’t work he ruined the dinner party my aunt and uncle had. He used a charm on the cake and it splashed on the heads of the visitors. Uncle Vernon was furious. But he was afraid I would turn them all into something nasty, so he only looked angry. I hadn’t told them about not being allowed to do magic in the holidays, but he found out anyway, because thanks to Dobby, the ministry send a letter stating that if I used one more charm, I was going to be expelled.

Uncle Vernon was really happy about this. So this is why I’m locked up. I wonder how long I can last it. They only let me go to the bathroom once a day, I get a tin can of cold soup a day. I give most of it to Hedwig, I am responsible for her, have to take good care of her. She doesn’t really like it, but it’s all I’ve got. I can’t do my homework, so I hope the teachers won’t be too angry. If I can even get to school. Maybe they’ll send someone when I don’t arrive? Uncle Vernon gave me another ‘present’ too. He showed me what would happen if I were to do more magic in the house. So now I’ve got quite a lot of bruises, and I think I sprained my ankle. Hope someone comes to get me out of here soon.”

Snape glared at this. The boy had been locked up like a prisoner, and had been beaten! Why hadn’t anyone noticed it?

He read on, wanting to know how Harry had gotten out, since he had delivered his homework and arrived at Hogwarts, even though it was by flying car.

“August 1991.

I’m really lucky to have a friend like Ron. A few days after the last part I wrote, I woke up at night. Ron was right outside my window in a flying car. Fred and George were with him. They pulled the bars of my window, and George and Fred picked my lock to go and get my trunk. I just took some clothes and threw them in the car. When my trunk was in I wanted to get in as well, but I nearly forgot Hedwig. Can’t believe I actually did that. Unfortunately, her screeching woke up uncle Vernon and he came bursting in the room. He grabbed my leg, but Ron, Fred and George pulled harder, so I got away.

What was strange was that nobody commented on my bruises. So when I got at the Burrow, I went to the bathroom to have a look. I couldn’t see a bruise at all. This is really weird, especially, because I can still feel the bruises. I think I unconsciously used a concealment charm on them, because I didn’t want Ron to find out about them.

We went to the Burrow, the house where Ron lives. It’s a great house. And Mrs. Weasley makes me eat a whole lot. Hedwig is allowed to fly as much as she wants. I can make my homework and go flying with Ron. Tomorrow we’re going to Diagon Alley. I think I’m going to buy all the books I will need for Hogwarts. I mean, I’ve already finished my second year’s books last year. Lucky they had those books in the Library. Got to go, Ron wants to teach me chess. That’s one thing I can’t learn.”

Snape pondered over this. Casting a charm to hide bruises was difficult. Harry must have had a high level of magic to accomplish it wandlessly.

He read on, getting a bit tired.

“October 1991.

Something strange is going on in the school. Today, me, Ron and Hermione visited the party of Nearly-Headless Nick. I would have preferred to go the Halloween feast, but Nick had looked so sad, I didn’t want to disappoint him. The party was rather awful, all those ghost made the room really cold and the food was disgusting. So when we decided to go to the Halloween party to get some real food, I was shocked to hear this voice. It seemed to be coming from the walls, and sounded as if it wanted to kill someone. So I ran after it, hoping to prevent something bad happening. Suddenly the voice stopped speaking, and I nearly fell over all this water lying on the ground. Then we saw Mrs. Norris hanging on a torch. On the wall was written: “Beware enemies of the Heir, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened.” Haven’t got a clue as to what that means, but still. Just when Hermione and Ron said we should go, all the other students came back from the party, and we couldn’t get away anymore. Now Mr. Filch accuses me of killing, or rather petrifying his cat and Professor Snape wants me expelled. I don’t want to be expelled, I don’t want to go back to the Dursleys.

Luckily Professor Dumbledore believed us. I’m not sure if I should have told him about this voice I heard, but neither Hermione or Ron had heard it, and they agreed it was best not to tell anyone. Hopefully nothing else is going to happen.”

Snape could connect this almost straight away. Since the monster appeared to have been a Basilisk it was no wonder the boy had been able to hear it. Shuddering, he skipped a few entries and read on.

“February 1992.

It’s getting ridiculous to be at school. Practically everyone believes I’m the heir of Slytherin because I’m a Parseltongue and have been found near all the attacked persons. It’s damn annoying. Only Hermione and Ron truly believe I’m not. Even I start doubting, because there had to be a reason for the Sorting Hat to want to place me in Slytherin, right?

I’ve had a rather eventful Christmas holiday with the Polyjuice Potion and getting in the Slytherin common rooms. I don’t think Malfoy noticed anything, luckily. Well, not much more to tell now.”

Snape caught his mouth on time. He had been nearly gaping at this information. So Harry had been making Polyjuice and getting in the Slytherin common room. At least he knew there was quite a lot of a true Slytherin in the boy to be used.

The next entry he read was from the last week of school.

“June 1992.

Well, it’s nearly over. I wonder if the Dursleys will behave better than last year. I don’t think so, they’ll be quite disappointed I haven’t been killed yet. Well I did nearly die two years in a row, attending Hogwarts, but still.

I can now tell about the Chamber of Secrets. Apparently Lucius Malfoy planned it. He had Voldemort’s diary of his younger self, called Tom Riddle. He had put it in the cauldron of Ginny last summer. So feeding of Ginny, Tom had managed to open the Chamber again. Luckily nobody got killed this year, because all of them had seen the Basilisk via something else, instead of looking it directly in the eyes.

Well, when Ron and me went to visit Hermione we noticed she had a piece of paper clasped in her fist. I got it out and we read it. It was a piece of a book, she had ripped it out. It was about Basilisks and she had written ‘pipes’ on the paper. So it all started to make sense. I could hear this voice because I can speak Parseltongue, and it moved through the pipes in the school. Then I remembered what Aragog, the spider in the Forest, had told us. Someone had died when it first happened. So we thought, what if it’s Moaning Myrtle?

Then Ron and me went to get a teacher. Damn us for choosing Lockhart, why the hell I let Ron convince me of taking him along I don’t know, but anyway, we went to get Lockhart, we had heard that he was to go after Ginny. The coward however, was packing his trunk. So me and Ron forced him to come along to the bathroom.

There Myrtle gave us a clue as to where her attacker had been. I then found a small snake engraved in one of the taps. So speaking in Parseltongue, it opened and after forcing Lockhart to go first (he wanted to run away) we went in. It was quite a way down, but still. There was all those dead animals on the ground, not very refreshing.

Then we found skin belonging to the Basilisk. It had shed it’s skin. By the looks of it, he was to be several hundred feet long. Then Lockhart took Ron’s wand and wanted to Obliviate us, stating that we went crazy by seeing Ginny dead. Thank God that Ron’s wand backfired, since it was broken at the car crash. So now Lockhart had obliviated himself. And blasted the ceiling to pieces too. Ron and Lockhart on the one side, and me on the other. So Ron said he would make an opening for me and Ginny, and I went on alone.

In the Chamber I saw Ginny, she wouldn’t wake up. Then Tom appeared. He took my wand and opened Salazar’s mouth. The Basilisk came out. I’ve never been so scared.

I decided to close my eyes and run, didn’t want to die looking in it’s eyes. Then Fawkes came with the Sorting Hat. Fawkes picked the eyes out and then I pulled Godric Gryffindor’s sword out of the Hat. It took some time, but I did kill the Basilisk. Too bad he got me too, his tooth was in my shoulder. I actually thought it wasn’t so bad to die you know, I would see my parents again, and didn’t have to go back to the Dursleys, but I couldn’t let Tom be able to come back.

Fawkes then healed my wound and trust the diary at me, just as Tom wanted to kill me with magic. I acted on instinct and trust the Basilisk’s teeth in the Diary. That certainly worked. Tom vanished and Ginny woke up. Never have been so relieved in my life. So together we walked back and after explaining it all to the Headmaster, he was about to let us go, when Lucius Malfoy came storming in with Dobby, the house-elf.

Getting the hint, I put the diary in one of my old socks, now also drenched in blood, and gave it to Lucius. He angrily threw the sock away, and Dobby caught it, so now he’s a free house elf. And I certainly hope he’s never going to try and rescue my life ever again. It’s too painful!

Well, that was the entire story, so I’ll stop now, my arm’s hurting from all this writing.”

Snape did actually gape at this story. He had never been given the entire details, as had McGonagall had, since she was present when Harry came waltzing in. He always wondered how Harry had been able to get away with that snake.

Very tired, he decided to go to sleep now and read on some more tomorrow.

Putting the diary away, he got in bed, but didn’t fall asleep until several hours later, because of all these confusing thoughts running through his head.