Hogwarts: Knight Wizard

Chapter 112 - 111: Whose Diary Is This?

"Well, well, well, who do we have here? Arthur Weasley," Lucius Malfoy sneered, his face dripping with mockery.

"Lucius," Mr. Weasley replied sharply, instinctively pulling his youngest daughter, Ginny, behind him, practically nose-to-nose with Malfoy.

"Busy with Ministry work lately, I hear?" Lucius drawled. "Getting any overtime pay for it?"

Then, with a swift motion, he plucked a tattered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration from the stack of shiny new Lockhart books in Ginny's cauldron, flipping through it casually.

From a distance, Edward furrowed his brow.

"Pity. No extra Galleons, then? Can't even afford a proper textbook. All those kids, and no money to show for it, eh, Arthur?" Lucius taunted.

The Weasleys, Arthur included, flushed redder than a ripe apple.

But before Lucius could finish his jab, Mr. Weasley lunged at him like a furious lion.

Ginny yelped, her cauldron and books clattering to the floor in a mess.

Caught off guard, Lucius took a solid punch to the nose.

"Stop hitting my dad!" Draco and Ron shouted almost in unison, rushing forward.

They weren't joining the fight—they were trying to break it up.

But two others moved faster.

Before Mr. Weasley could swing a second punch, a strong hand grabbed his collar, yanking him back.

Ron was hoisted up too, flailing his arms and legs in the air like a stranded Flobberworm.

As for the Malfoys, an unseen force dragged them backward, putting plenty of distance between them and the Weasleys.

"Arthur, starting a brawl here isn't exactly wise," William said with a cheeky grin, releasing Mr. Weasley's collar. He leaned in and whispered, "We'll get our chance to ambush this git later. A proper duel, maybe."

Turning to the Malfoys, William added, "Lucius, Draco, sorry if I wrinkled your robes. My mum's designs usually have an auto-ironing charm, though, so they'll be crisp in no time."

Lucius, still stunned, glanced back at the person who'd pulled him away—Edward.

"You alright, Draco?" Lucius asked, quickly checking on his son.

"I'm fine, Father. I didn't even touch them. But you—" Draco pointed at his father's bleeding nose.

"It's nothing, Lucius. Just a bit sore," Annri said from the sidelines, waving her wand. Lucius let out a small grunt of pain as his crooked nose snapped back into place.

He shot a look at the polite Edward and the oddly smirking Annri, unsure what to say.

"Looks like someone's got your back, Arthur," Lucius said, straightening his collar. He picked up Ginny's tattered book from the floor and strode forward with his usual arrogance. "Even if you're both Muggle-lovers, you could learn a thing or two from the Bedivere family about making money."

"Let's go, Draco!" Lucius stuffed the book back into Ginny's cauldron and stormed out of the bookshop.

"Edward, guess we'll catch up on the train," Draco said with a shrug.

He didn't bother addressing Ron, whose scowl made it clear he wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

Despite the kids patching things up, the Weasleys and Lucius were far from reconciled.

Draco hurried out after his father.

"Another fine show," Daphne remarked coolly, strolling out after them. She'd watched the whole scene unfold from the staircase, keeping her distance as always.

"Fighting in public! Setting a great example for the kids, are you?" Mrs. Weasley fumed, finally pushing through the crowd to reach them. "What would Gilderoy Lockhart think?"

"Thank Merlin for the Bediveres! What if Lucius reports this to the Ministry, Arthur?"

"Don't be too hard on him, Molly. I nearly threw hands with Lucius at the station last year," William said, defending Mr. Weasley. "Hard to keep your cool with that one. But today, we let it slide—too many eyes, and we've got to give young Draco a bit of grace."

"Those kids are getting on alright, from what I hear."

"Oh, absolutely, Ron's told me all about it," Mrs. Weasley said, fussing over her husband and kids' disheveled clothes. "That Malfoy boy has changed quite a bit, hasn't he? Thanks to you, I reckon," she added, beaming at Edward.

"Not entirely. Draco's got a good heart deep down," Edward said modestly.

"Still a stuck-up rich prat," Ron muttered under his breath.

He was itching to vent, but Draco hadn't said a word, and Ron had only rushed in to defend his dad. All the blame fell on Lucius.

Ginny stood quietly, clutching her cauldron, clearly shaken.

"Ginny, right? Mind if I take a look at your cauldron?" Edward asked gently, kneeling beside her.

He'd been eyeing the books in her cauldron for a while—specifically, the worn Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration that Lucius had handled.

"The text in this one's all smudged. That's no good for studying, is it?" Edward frowned, pulling a brand-new copy of the book from his bag, one he'd just bought, and handed it to her.

The adults and kids were busy explaining the chaos to the shop staff, so no one noticed the exchange.

"No way! Mum says I can't just take things from people!" Ginny squeaked, though her eyes were glued to the pristine book.

"Take? This is a gift! You're starting Hogwarts this year, so consider it a welcome present," Edward said, patting her shoulder. Ginny blushed, a shy smile creeping onto her face.

"Oh, alright then. Thanks, Edward! I knew all the stuff Ron said about you was true!"

She grinned ear to ear.

Edward slipped the tattered book into his bag.

He'd zeroed in on it because Lucius had slipped something else inside.

A small, weathered diary with faded gold lettering on one corner: T.M. Riddle.

Whose diary was this? Why had Lucius hidden it in Ginny's book?

Hold on—Riddle? That name sounded familiar.

Edward couldn't read adult wizards' minds with his protective charms yet, but he had a gut feeling something was off.

The Malfoys and Weasleys weren't exactly on friendly terms.

By the time they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, everyone had calmed down.

The Bediveres took Harry back to Bedivere Manor, despite Mrs. Weasley's insistence that Harry stay at the Burrow until term started—and her attempt to invite Edward along too. She didn't win that tug-of-war against William and Annri.

Hermione and her parents left the Leaky Cauldron to catch a bus near Charing Cross Road.

Later, in Edward's room at Bedivere Manor, he sat at his desk, examining the diary labeled T.M. Riddle.

He flipped through it from cover to cover, but every page was blank.

A blank diary? Why would Lucius sneak a blank diary into Ginny's book?

Knock, knock, knock.

"Edward, it's me. Got a quick question for you!" Harry's voice came through the door.

"Come in, Harry. Door's unlocked," Edward called.

Harry stepped in, a bit awkwardly. It was his first time in Edward's private room.

The decor wasn't much different from his own—