Changes: T. M. Riddle's Diary

Revision as of 14:18, 4 October 2008

"Funny, the damage a silly little book can do, especially in the hands of a silly little girl..."

Tom Riddle's Diary was a blank journal which Tom Marvolo Riddle transformed into a Horcrux. This event took place in 1943, during Riddle's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After Voldemort's first defeat in 1981, the diary was passed to Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, who kept the diary in secret before slipping it into Ginny Weasley's school supplies at Flourish and Blotts in 1992. The diary used its magical influence to posssess and force Ginny to re-open the Chamber of Secrets, but it was destroyed by Harry Potter in 1993 with a Basilisk's fang.

History

Creation of the Diary as a Horcrux

When Tom Marvolo Riddle was in his fifth year at Hogwarts, he used his ability to speak Parseltongue to open Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets. He further used this language ability to order the Chamber's Basilisk to terrorise the school and hunt down its Muggle-born students. At least one, a Ravenclaw named Myrtle, was killed. Riddle used this murder to infuse the journal with a piece of his soul, transforming it into a Horcrux.

When Riddle started his sixth year, Albus Dumbledore, then professor of Transfiguration, began suspecting Riddle. Knowing it was no longer safe to open the Chamber and that the school might be shut down if another student was harmed, Riddle framed Rubeus Hagrid and his pet Aragog for the crimes. He embued the diary with other powers so that the Chamber could be opened again in the future.

Riddle also questioned Potions professor Horace Slughorn about the properties of a Horcrux and how one might create multiple ones. Influenced by Riddle's charisma and believing his own wisdom was being admired, Slughorn told Riddle what little he knew on the subject.

Powers

"While the magical container is still intact, the bit of soul inside it can flit in and out of someone if they get too close to the object. I don’t mean holding it for too long…I mean close emotionally. Ginny poured her heart out into that diary, she made herself incredibly vulnerable. You’re in trouble if you get too fond of or dependent on the Horcrux."

— Hermione Granger on a Horcrux's ability to influence a person^[src]

As a Horcrux, the diary allowed a writer to communicate with the memory of the sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle merely through writing on the journal's blank pages. The diary could transport the reader into a realm of memories, much like the Pensieve. The diary was also able siphon the life force from a reader and transfer it to Riddle's stored memory. This act was an effort to create a physical body for the sixteen-year-old soul of Tom Riddle. The closer a writer became to the memory of Tom Riddle emotionally, the more power the diary would have over him or her.

It is unclear whether other Horcruxes include any these same abilities; however, Salazar Slytherin's locket had a negative effect on the physical and emotional bodies of those who wore it.

Re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets

Ginny and diary — Ginny writing in the diary furtively.

In 1992, Ginny Weasley came into the possession of the diary through the scheming of Lucius Malfoy, who wanted to sabotage Ginny's father. She soon learned how to use the diary to communicate with Tom Marvolo Riddle, though she was unaware of who Tom was, or if he was even real. Ginny wrote all of her deepest feelings and secrets in the diary, including her feelings of infatuation towards Harry Potter. The diary was able to gain partial control of Ginny's mind, and forced her to re-open the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny was forced not only to vandalize the school corridors with terrifying threats in red paint, but also to release the Basilisk within the Chamber. It attacked several members of the Hogwarts community, including Mrs. Norris, Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Nearly-Headless Nick, Hermione Granger, and Penelope Clearwater. These individuals were not murdered by the Basilisk, petrified -- a result of not seeing the basilisk directly.

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley began to search for the answers to the mysterious attacks. Harry heard strange voices in the walls of Hogwarts, which implied the urge to kill. Harry followed the voices through the Hogwarts corridors until he came upon the second floor girls' lavatory. It was here that he discovered the waterlogged diary, which Ginny had discarded in an emotional fury. Soon enough, Harry was communicating with Tom Riddle, who showed him a memory within the diary in which Riddle confronted Rubeus Hagrid about the keeping of a dangerous pet. This implied to Harry that Hagrid had opened the Chamber of Secrets, but Riddle was merely using his pet Acromantula, Aragog, as a scapegoat so Hogwarts would not be closed down. Hermione had deduced that the monster was in fact a basilisk earlier, but she was petrified before she could inform Harry or Ron Weasley, who later used the clue she left to figure it out.

Later, Ginny stole the diary from among Harry's belongings, and shortly thereafter went missing. She was forced to paint a threat on her life on the walls of a hallway and sealed herself inside the Chamber. Hogwarts was again under threat of being closed.

Destruction

Harry returned to the girls' lavatory and successfully discovered and opened the Chamber of Secrets. Harry, Ron, and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart made their way into the Chamber. Lockhart, who had no plans to actually fight the Basilisk, attacked the students with Ron's own broken wand, which backfired on Lockhart, wiping his memory. Harry continued into the Chamber, where he discovered an unconscious Ginny next to Tom Riddle, who was gaining strength and form.

Riddle revealed the truth of his identity and plans to Harry, and unleashed the Basilisk. Harry defeated the Basilisk with the assistance of the phoenix Fawkes and Godric Gryffindor's sword. Harry then took one of the Basilisk's fangs and stabbed the diary with it. This successfully destroyed the Horcrux, as Basilisk venom is one of the few substances with the ability.

Lord Voldemort was unaware that this Horcrux had been destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius Malfoy shortly after his return to power in June of 1995.

Behind the scenes

In the film version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the same font, with a handwritten look, is used for Tom Riddle's handwriting in his diary and Hermione's note on the library page about the Basilisk, indicating "pipes."

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 ==History==
 ===Creation of the Diary as a Horcrux===
-When [[Tom Marvolo Riddle]] was in his fifth year at Hogwarts, he used his ability to speak [[Parseltongue]] to open [[Salazar Slytherin]]'s [[Chamber of Secrets]]. He further used this language ability to order the Chamber's [[Basilisk]] to terrorize the school and hunt down its [[Muggle-born]] students. At least one, a [[Ravenclaw]] named [[Moaning Myrtle|Myrtle]], was killed. Riddle used this murder to infuse the journal with a piece of his soul, transforming it into a [[Horcrux]].
+When [[Tom Marvolo Riddle]] was in his fifth year at Hogwarts, he used his ability to speak [[Parseltongue]] to open [[Salazar Slytherin]]'s [[Chamber of Secrets]]. He further used this language ability to order the Chamber's [[Basilisk]] to terrorise the school and hunt down its [[Muggle-born]] students. At least one, a [[Ravenclaw]] named [[Moaning Myrtle|Myrtle]], was killed. Riddle used this murder to infuse the journal with a piece of his soul, transforming it into a [[Horcrux]].
 When Riddle started his sixth year, [[Albus Dumbledore]], then professor of [[Transfiguration]], began suspecting Riddle. Knowing it was no longer safe to open the Chamber and that the school might be shut down if another student was harmed, Riddle framed [[Rubeus Hagrid]] and his pet [[Aragog]] for the crimes. He embued the diary with other powers so that the Chamber could be opened again in the future.