Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 13 Summary.
The Very Secret Diary
Hermione in the Hospital Wing
Hermione remains in the hospital wing for several weeks due to complications from the Polyjuice Potion mishap, which partially transformed her into a cat. The school buzzes with rumors of an attack, prompting Madam Pomfrey to draw curtains around Hermione’s bed for the sake of her privacy.
Harry and Ron visit her every evening, bringing her homework and spending time with her. Despite her situation, Hermione is determined to keep up with her studies and discusses their investigation into the Heir of Slytherin, expressing disappointment over the lack of new leads.
Harry finds a get-well-soon card from Lockhart under Hermione’s pillow, and Ron reads it out loud, embarrassing Hermione.
Discovering the Diary
On their way back from one of their visits, Harry and Ron hear an angry Filch screaming from the floor above, upset about water flooding a corridor near Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom.
To investigate, they head to the direction of the noise and enter Myrtle’s bathroom. They find Myrtle in a hysterical state, wailing so loudly it could be heard from the outside. Harry asks her what happened , and she claims that someone threw a book at her. Harry tries to reason with her and calm her down, but it backfires and only offends her further.
Harry retrieves the book from the toilet, despite Ron’s warnings that it could be highly dangerous. He discovers it is a diary belonging to T.M. Riddle, a former student at Hogwarts.
Strangely, the book is completely empty. Ron points out that he knows the name T.M Riddle, having polished the trophy he was awarded fifty years ago, while serving detention with Filch.
Harry notices that the diary had been bought from Vauxhall Road, and wonders if the owner was Muggle-Born. He decides to keep the diary, despite it’s empty contents and uninteresting background.
Investigating T.M. Riddle’s Diary
After being discharged from the hospital wing, Hermione examines the diary for hidden content using the spell “Aparecium,” and a Revealer she bought from Diagon Alley, but finds nothing.
The trio speculates about Riddle’s connection to the Chamber of Secrets. T.M Riddle was awarded a trophy for special services to the school fifty years ago, and according to Malfoy, the Chamber of Secrets was also opened fifty years ago.
The trio considers the possibility that Riddle might have caught the previous Heir of Slytherin. Ron, however, does not care much for the diary, and tells Harry to throw it since it is emoty.
Despite everything, Harry is inexplicably drawn to the diary, and feels a sense of familiarity with the name T.M. Riddle. It felt like a forgotten friend from his childhood, except he had never had any friends as a child. To ease his mind, he goes to the trophy room with Ron and Hermione to check out his award. The trophy does not mention Riddle’s achievement, but the trip does reveal that Riddle was on the list of Head-Boys.
Valentine’s Day at Hogwarts
There had been no more attacks on anyone after the one on Justin and Nick. The sun shines bright on Hogwarts, and minds are at ease again. Even the mandrakes, now close to leaving childhood, would be ready for harvest soon.
Lockhart takes this as an opportunity to declare that the Heir of Slytherin got scared of him and stopped attacking students. He also states that in order to wash away memories of the events of the last term, the school needs a morale booster.
His idea for a morale booster turns out to be a grand celebration for Valentine’s day.
Lockhart decorates Hogwarts for Valentine’s Day with pink flowers and heart-shaped confetti that falls from the ceiling of the Great Hall. He wishes everyone a happy Valentine’s day and thanks the forty six people who sent him cards. Moreover, he tells the students to ask Snape how to whip up a love potion and Flitwick to teach them Entrancing Enchantments. Snape looks as if the first person to ask him instructions for a love potion would be force fed poison.
Lockhart also introduces message delivering dwarves, who roam around the school, barge into classes and sing valentine’s messages, much to the annoyance of other teachers.
One dwarf catches hold of Harry on his way to Charms, and publicly delivers a singing valentine message, deeply embarrassing him. Harry tries to run away, but the dwarf holds on to his bag, which ends up ripping apart and spilling all his belongings, including the diary of T.M Riddle.
During the commotion, Draco Malfoy picks up Riddle’s diary, mistaking it for Harry’s and mocks him for it, but Harry retrieves it using an Expelliarmus. Percy, who is also present there, tells Harry off for using magic in the corridors, but Harry does not care.
Upon reaching the classroom, Harry realizes that all his books have been drenched in scarlet ink, except for Riddle’s diary, which appeared exactly how it had before the incident. He tries to point this out to Ron, but the latter is busy trying to fix his malfunctioning wand.
The Diary’s Secrets Revealed
That evening, Harry decides to test the diary further. He goes to his Dormitory before anyone else that night, and idly flicks through the pages of the diary. Curious, he uses his quill to put a blob of ink on the diary, which it quickly absorbs. He tries writing a sentence (“My name is Harry Potter“), and the Diary absorbs the ink, only to write back.
T.M Riddle introduces himself through the diary, explaining that it belongs to him and asks Harry how he got hold of it, to which Harry replies that someone tried to flush it down a toilet.
Riddle tells Harry that the diary contains dark secrets and memories of the terrible things that happened in Hogwarts. Nervously, Harry asks it about the Chamber of Secrets, and Riddle replies he does.
During Riddle’s time, the Chamber of Secrets was opened. The monster attacked several students, and even ended up killing one. Riddle caught the person responsible; a student, and had him expelled. But Professor Dippet, the then headmaster of Hogwarts was ashamed that such an incident took place in Hogwarts, and forbade Riddle from telling the truth.
Harry asks Riddle who opened the Chamber of Secrets last time, and Riddle says that instead of telling Harry, he can show it to him.
Riddle’s Memory
While hesitant at first, Harry agrees to let Riddle show him the memory. The pages of the diary begin flipping through with speed, and stop halfway through the month of June. The little square for June the thirteenth seems to have transformed into a mini television screen. Scared, Harry raises it to his eye, and notices that it is increasing in size. Before he knows it, his body leaves the bed and he pitches headfirst through the opening in the page.
Harry realizes he has been transported into Dumbledore’s office, but it is not Dumbledore sitting behind the desk. Instead, there is a frail, old wizard Harry has never seen in his life. Harry tries to apologize for being there, but the wizard ignores him.
Harry understands that he is in the Hogwarts that Riddle had known, from fifty years ago. As a phantom inside a memory, he is completely invisible to other people.
There is a knock in the door, and headmaster Dippet asks the guest to enter. The door swings to reveal a boy of sixteen with a prefect’s badge and jet black hair. Riddle.
Professor Dippet asks Riddle to have a seat, and asks him if he really wants to stay at Hogwarts for the summer, and that given the current circumstances of the school, he cannot possibly allow for it. Riddle replies that he does not want to go back to the muggle orphanage he comes from. He explains that he is a half-blood, with a muggle father and a witch mother, who died right after giving him birth.
Dippet informs Riddle that special arrangements would have been made for him, but with all the attacks in the school, it would not be possible. Further, he says that the Ministry of Magic is even talking about closing down the school. Riddle asks if he would be allowed to stay if the person responsible for the attacks was caught, and Dippet asks if Riddle knows something about the attacks, to which Riddle replies in the negative.
Riddle leaves the room to investigate, and Harry follows him. He meets a young Dumbledore on the way, who tells him not to roam around the school at this hour.
Riddle then goes to the dungeons where Snape teaches Potions, and waits by the door. Almost an hour later, Harry hears some footsteps outside. Riddle follows the footsteps, and Harry follows Riddle. Suddenly, Harry hears a familiar voice telling something to get inside a box. It is Hagrid.
Riddle tells Hagrid that he would have to turn him in for harboring a monster. He declares that he does not think Hagrid ever intended to kill someone, but monsters don’t make for good pets and perhaps it killed the girl when Hagrid let it out for some exercise. Hagrid retaliates by saying it could never attack anyone, but Riddle does not listen and raises his wand at the box. From the box emerges a large, tangled mess of long black legs, many eyes and razor sharp pincers. Riddle readies to attack the monster, but Hagrid throws himself at him and the monster escapes. With this, the memory ends and Harry is transported back to his Dormitory.
The chapter concludes with Harry grappling with the realization that Hagrid was accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago. He wakes Ron up and informs him of the same.
