Harry Potter: The Vampire Prince

As winter faded and the school term pressed forward, the students of Hogwarts found themselves adapting to the steady rhythm of their studies. The chill of February had given way to the damp freshness of early spring, and soon, the castle was abuzz with preparations for an upcoming renovation—one that had been long overdue.

The Hogwarts faculty had finally decided to restore several old and forgotten areas of the castle, particularly the eastern wing, where years of magical mishaps had left portions of the structure in disrepair. Professor Flitwick, with his expertise in Charms, was leading the effort alongside a reluctant Filch, whose grumbling about "proper school discipline" never seemed to end. The students, of course, were less interested in the renovations themselves and more in the promise of uncovering hidden passageways, lost relics, or even secret rooms that had been buried under centuries of dust.

Among those most intrigued by the renovations was Harry Potter. The past few months had been uneasy for him, with the eerie messages on the walls and the attacks on students still fresh in his mind. With the castle undergoing repairs, he couldn't shake the feeling that something crucial was waiting to be uncovered. He had been particularly concerned about the attack on Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick, which had only deepened the mystery surrounding the Chamber of Secrets.

Then came the discovery of the diary.

It had been found in the most unlikely of places—Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

It was Harry who had first noticed it, sitting near one of the flooded stalls, looking oddly out of place among the pools of water and scattered debris. The book was old, its cover worn and edges slightly curled from moisture. It had no title, no inscriptions—only a single name written in faded ink on the first page: Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Curious, he had picked it up and wiped off some of the grime before slipping it into his bag. It wasn't until later, when he and Hermione had examined it in the Gryffindor common room, that they realized something was unusual about it. The pages were blank.

At first, Hermione thought it might have been erased by magic, and she tried several revealing spells, only to find nothing. It wasn't until Harry, on a whim, dipped his quill in ink and wrote a tentative "Hello" on the parchment that the diary responded.

Words appeared in a slanted, almost elegant script:

Hello, Harry Potter.

The diary wasn't ordinary. It could think. It could respond. And most unsettling of all, it seemed to know things—things about the school, about the Chamber of Secrets, about a time long before Harry had even been born.

That was when the pieces started to fall into place.

According to the diary, the Chamber had been opened before—fifty years ago. And the one responsible? Hagrid.

The revelation was shocking, almost absurd. Hagrid, the same gentle giant who cradled dangerous creatures like they were house pets, accused of unleashing a monster within the school? Harry wasn't sure what to believe, but Hermione, ever the voice of reason, insisted that they should investigate further before jumping to conclusions.

The weeks passed, and as the renovations continued, Harry and Hermione kept the diary a secret between themselves. Ron had been skeptical from the start, warning them that enchanted objects had a tendency to be dangerous, but even he couldn't deny that the information within the diary was compelling.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle, Nolan Von Draugr was absorbed in his own concerns. He had noticed Hermione acting strangely, sneaking glances at a book she didn't share with him and looking increasingly preoccupied whenever she and Harry whispered in hushed voices. Something was off, and though he hadn't yet confronted her about it, he had his suspicions.

Then, one afternoon, while passing by an old classroom near the now-abandoned eastern wing, he overheard something that made him stop in his tracks.

"…His name was Tom Riddle."

It was Hermione's voice. She was speaking quietly, as though afraid someone might overhear.

"Tom Riddle?" Nolan repeated under his breath. A flicker of recognition sparked in his mind. That name… where had he heard it before? It wasn't a common name, and something about it sent a vague unease through him.

Carefully, he stepped closer, peering around the doorway just enough to see Harry and Hermione huddled over the diary.

"I still don't understand how it works," Hermione was saying. "It's not just a memory—it thinks. It reacts."

Harry nodded, frowning. "And it showed me what happened fifty years ago. It said Hagrid was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets."

Nolan's breath hitched. Hagrid?

He had known the man for years, and though Hagrid's fondness for dangerous creatures was undeniable, it was impossible to believe he'd ever do something to harm the school. But the real concern wasn't Hagrid—it was the diary.

He watched as Hermione ran a careful finger along the edge of the book. "The magic behind it is unlike anything I've seen before. It's not just a charm or a spell. It's something… deeper."

Nolan's grip on the doorframe tightened. He had a sinking feeling he knew exactly what they were dealing with. And if he was right, they were in far greater danger than they realized.

But he needed to be sure.

For now, he stepped away, filing away what he had learned for another time. If that diary was what he suspected it was, then sooner or later, he would have to intervene.

And when that time came, he had to be ready.

…

By the time June rolled around, Hogwarts had settled into an uneasy routine. The attacks had ceased for the time being, and the renovation of the eastern wing had reached its final stages. With exams approaching, most students were preoccupied with last-minute studying, leaving little room for the lingering fear that had haunted the castle since the Chamber was first mentioned.

Yet, despite the temporary calm, an unspoken tension remained.

Something wasn't right.

Nolan knew it.