Healer Smethwyck was stymied. He was positive it was possession by some spirit but he had traced no means by which the spirit could have connected to the soul of this girl. The spirit was slowly but surely draining her. Sooner or later this girl would die if he didn't figure this out. The ward nurse knocked softly on his office door.
"Yes, Janice?"
"This just arrived via a snowy owl."
"What is it?"
"I don't know but it is addressed healer in charge of Ginerva Weasley's case."
"Then I guess I should open it, shouldn't I."
To the healer in charge of Ginerva Weasley,
I am a fellow Hogwarts student of Miss Weasley's. I have spoken to her brother and I understand the diagnosis for Miss Weasley is possession, but that you're having difficulties finding the means by which this has happened. I was having a conversation with another acquaintance of Miss Weasley and she mentioned that Miss Weasley's only current friend appeared to be a diary. I, myself, have not seen the diary and have not spoken with Miss Weasley, but feel it is an an avenue worth exploring.
Sincerely, a concerned Hogwarts student
Healer Smethwyck sighed if he were one whit less desperate in this case he would simply pitch this letter into the trash. Unfortunately he was that desperate, and they were at the the point where any lead was worth following. He headed to the ward to find Molly Weasley.
....
The school relaxed a bit as no more attacks occurred. Slytherin stomped Hufflepuff in their quidditch game, and were looking forward to the match with Ravenclaw. They were in the lead for both the quidditch cup and the house cup, and contrary to previous years they were playing a mostly clean game instead of bullying their way there as they had done previous years.
The teachers were no closer to figuring out how to get access to the Chamber than they had been after the return from the winter holidays and they were starting to consider bricking over the entrance to the girls bathroom that Myrtle lived in.
Harry and Neville finally persuaded their cadre of friends to rise early and join them for exercise in the mornings.
"Why are we doing this again?" Susan panted to Daphne, Hannah, Hermione, and Tracey .
"Because if we're fit we'll be able to cast longer and be better able to dodge, besides more boys will notice us if we're shapely than if we're blobs." Hermione answered, knowing that the other girls were interested in boys, and fighting her own resentment of the situation. Her mother had voiced a concern over the Easter holidays that Hermione was gaining a little more weight than was strictly healthy due to not balancing her book reading time with more active pursuits, joining the group for morning exercise was her answer. At least this way she wasn't the only girl here, Lavender and Parvati mocked Hermione saying that she was foolish and would doubtlessly wind up an old maid because what wizard would want a girl that wasn't soft, and was smarter than them. Which left her feeling afraid of the future in many ways because she did want a husband someday, but she wasn't willing to compromise her principles to do so.
Harry had overcome Michael and Blaise's objections by pointing out that while, yes, they were wizards not muggles, having hand-to-hand skills meant that if they were in the muggle world they could definitely avoid being accused of breaking the Statute of Secrecy by being able to defend themselves without magic. He also mentioned how girls noticed strong and fit boys. Harry shook his head inwardly because for all their intelligence the boys were rather simple, and both had entered the stage of thinking with their gonads. Harry dreaded the day when his own body started acting that way. It wasn't that he was still a little boy thinking girls had cooties, but he didn't really see the draw yet and he preferred to avoid acting the idiot that so many boys did around girls.
Even Aaron had joined them although he didn't participate in the actual hand-to-hand portion. The research into osteogenesis imperfecta having convinced him that exercise, like tai chi and walking, could actually help his bones get stronger. He walked while the others ran, and couldn't wait for summer when he would swim, or so he told Harry.
The last few months of school went by, Harry's cadre studying hard, Harry taking Remus up on the private tutelage and turning around and teaching it to his friends. During one of his weekend games with Ron Weasley he heard that they had found a diary with the name Tom Marvolo Riddle on it that was responsible for Ginny Weasley's possession. But that curing her wasn't as straightforward as they thought, because so far the diary had resisted all attempts at destroying it. Experts from the ministry's Unspeakables were studying it.
Draco never again allowed his belongings to overrun Harry's side of the room. The thing Harry couldn't figure out was how when he was so infernally sloppy with his belongings yet he always managed a neat as a pin appearance especially since Draco wasn't allowed his wand. He found it annoyingly unfair. He was tidy in his habits, but due to his hair always presented a ruffled appearance. Blaise, after a couple weeks of snorting amusement at Harry's disgruntlement, explained that all magical children learned to perform a few simple self care charms wandlessly, most by the age of eight. He took pity on Harry and showed him all the basic charms to brush his teeth, press and spot clean his clothing, and to clean his face and hands. He explained most wizards did these charms several times a day as a matter of habit. Blaise also tried to teach him the charm that wizards used on their hair but Harry quickly gave up on that one when his hair went from looking a bit like hedgehog spikes to looking like something was trying to make a home in his hair. Harry thought at least with the spikes, his hair was obviously clean.
....
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