Harry Potter: Don't touch

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- Dobby has come to rescue Harry Potter! - exclaimed Dobby, sitting on Finch-Fletchley's head.

- But how will people read the book if I'm in it? - Harry didn't understand.

- With your forehead and armpit, Harry Potter, Sir!

- I see, all right then, shut me down.

- Whatever you say! Remember, Dobby is only doing this for your own good, Harry Potter must be safe. And the only place he'll be safe is in an 11th grade quantum physics textbook. Dobby's sure it hasn't been opened in the last 100 years and no-one will find Harry Potter in there.

- Lambchop! - Harry said and woke up.

"Where's Dobby?"- Was his first thought.

"Why mullet?"- was his second thought.

"What the hell did I just dream about?"- was his third and final thought before Potter finally woke up.

Harry dragged himself out of bed and looked around. All of his roommates were still asleep and the clock read five in the morning. Potter decided not to sleep for a few more hours, but to go to the Quidditch pitch and fly around a bit before the game with Slytherin, since the snow had melted long ago and it wasn't that cold outside. Since he was up so early, he still had plenty of time, and practice before the game wouldn't be a bad idea.

Diggory considered the Slytherins to be their main rivals for the school's Quidditch cup. The Nimbus 2001 brooms flew one and a half times faster than the Nimbus 2000 brooms, which was a serious disadvantage to the Hufflepuff players, and two of the hunters only had the old Nimbus 2000s. To beat the Slytherin team, either Cedric would need to catch the snitch really, really fast, or all the players would need to act so perfectly that the Slytherins' speed advantage wouldn't affect the outcome.

Walking away, Harry cast a glance at the magical diary and stopped. Maybe Riddle could help him with some more Quidditch? That really wasn't a bad idea!

Potter pulled out a pen, opened the diary and was about to start writing when he suddenly changed his mind and put the book away. He wasn't sure if Riddle ever played Quidditch or if he slept at night, and Harry had been approaching him about the slightest thing lately, after all, he had to do something on his own.

Imprisoned in a book of his own free will Harry didn't understand at all. He occasionally thought that he could feel Tom's emotions when he felt intense anger or joy, but the emotions quite rarely matched the words written on the diary page. Tom was angry but wrote that everything was fine, happy but wrote that Harry shouldn't be. Either Riddle actually hated Potter, but was trying his best to hide it, or his sense of emotion wasn't true, and Tom was actually helping Potter with his lessons from the bottom of his heart. And Harry wasn't entirely sure which of those options was actually correct. He did a little experiment - he wrote in the book that from now on Tom Riddle was not Tom Riddle, but a diary counsellor. It seemed to him then that the student was about to burst out of the diary and strangle him with his bare hands, but the answer on the page was quite different:

As you wish. I don't care what you call me.

That it was a joke, Harry never told him. He soon came to the conclusion that the diary-counsellor was probably hiding his emotions and really hated him, but had some sort of interest of his own and was helping Potter for his sake. Tom was also interested in the events that were happening in Harry's life. The diary-counsellor asked Potter to tell his story, and he used up all the ink in his pen, describing everything that happened to him. Tom Riddle, on the other hand, helped Potter with his lessons in exchange for interesting stories and information. Harry was perfectly happy with such an equal exchange, and the diary seemed to be happy too.

He was incredibly lucky that Tom turned out to be a genius, he was much smarter than not only all the students, but also all the teachers at Hogwarts put together. Potter wrote two astronomy tests with a "P", he easily used "Priori Incantatem" in spells using Riddle's method and got forty points for it, in transfiguration he turned his hand into a hippogriff's head.... By accident... As it turned out, Tom could joke too, the diary inhabitant had a specific sense of humour and reminded Potter about that moment for a long time, because Harry was not even confused by the word "hippogriff" in the text of the spell. And even after this event Potter trusted Riddle completely and "like a dummy" did and said everything that the diary-counsellor wrote to him.

Although his faith had wavered for a short while, it had quickly returned to its former level after Potter had gotten into an argument with Professor Snape about the use of a branch of a cursed magical oak tree for potions under Riddle's dictation in Potions class. Severus argued that it was only used for awakening potions, but Riddle insisted on harming potions. In the verbal altercation, Harry simply read everything Tom had written to him in his diary, and no one even suspected a thing! It seemed normal to the students and Snape that Potter was looking at the desk with the diary, not at the teacher when he spoke. After a few minutes of arguing, Snape gave up and admitted Potter was right.....

True, he deducted thirty points for disrespecting the teacher, but it was worth all those admiring glances from his classmates over the next week. The only one who didn't believe Potter's sudden insight was Justin. The man just walked up and asked to his face about who was helping him. Potter told a half-truth: he was being helped by a diary that contained a senior's memory at his request, because in fact he never found out whose diary it was, why it had been thrown away, or who Tom Riddle was. Justin had borrowed the diary for his transfiguration class, but had returned it immediately afterwards. Upon learning that Finch-Fletchley was a muggleborn, Tom refused to communicate with him.

In a very short time, Riddle became Potter's second best friend. Harry quickly forgot about all the weirdness with his emotions, because with his help he easily solved all the problems and became the best in many subjects. It was to him he trusted all the secrets, the diary is not a person - he can not tell anyone anyway, the perfect keeper of secrets. Also Potter's opinion became very much influenced by Riddle's own, Harry constantly consulted him on everything:

Tell me Tom, imagine someone wanted to poison you at Hogwarts, how would you take your food?

I would only take food personally from the hands of servants.

From housekeepers, I mean... And only from housekeepers I would trust.

That same day, Potter took Riddle's advice, went to the kitchen and befriended the elf, Roach, who was delighted with Harry's early childhood exploits and promised to cook for him personally. After a week, however, he disappeared, and Potter never saw him again.

Potter didn't even talk to Justin as much as he did to Tom after the holidays. He asked Riddle how he could deal with a basilisk.....

How would you kill a basilisk?

I wouldn't. I'd try to negotiate. And don't ever kill a Basilisk, it's very dangerous. It's much better if you both continue to live....

How to get rid of phobias.

I have a question. Do you happen to know how to get rid of unpleasant phobias? Fear of touch, for example. I know gloves help, but they don't cure it, they just minimise contact.

I have no idea.

Do you know anything for fire intolerance?

How would I know? I'm not your psychologist.

That's when Harry felt irritated.Try burning someone alive, see if it makes you feel better. Or unleash Hellfire.

What's Hellfire? That's the second time I've heard of it. Is it some kind of spell or something? When I first heard Moody use the term, I thought he meant a powerful Incendio or something.

Are you familiar with Mad-Eye?

Yeah, why?

Nothing. I just have reason to believe that I, I mean, I'm the real me, am not on good terms with him. Don't tell him about me, okay?

No problem. It's a deal. So what's the deal with Hellfire?

Get me out of here first. I will! I need to be in at least another part of the castle. Then pull out your wand and exclaim "Findfire."

Harry hid the diary under his pillow and went to the Room-by-Wish, where he took Riddle's advice, but the attempt was not successful.

'Tom, I failed, I did everything you said, but nothing happened. It's probably too difficult a spell for me.

It's a shame.

And Potter could really feel Tom's pity, he must have really wanted Harry to be able to use this spell.

Then burn someone. - Was he joking - or was he? - Riddle.

How about you?- Potter seconded the joke.

Hmm. Changing my advice. Burn someone other than me.

Potter was becoming more and more attached to the diary. He dared to ask him for advice on how he could get closer to Zhou.

- 'Tom, have you ever gone out with a girl?- Potter began from afar.

Harry waited about an hour for an answer. During that time he was perusing the herbalism spell manual. Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

- Toh-om. I know you're here, you're locked in your diary and you couldn't have gone anywhere.

- No. I haven't.

- Liar," Potter wrote instantly.

Harry felt anger and a small amount of fear.

Do you know Legilimency?

No. What is it?

Never mind. Okay, dated, are you happy with that?

With who?

Shut the fuck up, you bloody Puffin. You're not even worthy of talking to me!

For a moment, Harry was dumbfounded. What was that just now? But he was quickly able to find an explanation for this behaviour on Riddle's part.

You don't have to try to insult me, I know perfectly well that you're trying to get me to take offence and stop writing to you. But I'm not giving up on you! Who were you seeing?

There was no answer. Harry decided to push on.

Hogwarts Lake. Remember him.

Potter felt an intense rage from the diary. It was even stronger than when he had called Tom a diary-counsellor.

Her name was Lydia. We lived in the same orphanage. She died of pneumonia.

Harry felt like the last bastard. He'd threatened Tom, pressurised him, and he had a good reason not to say anything.

I'm sorry, I didn't know... I just... I wanted you to advise me... Anyway, never mind, let's forget about it.

There was no reply.

After a couple of weeks, Harry began to worry about what Tom Riddle was doing in his diary. After all, it must be terribly boring! Sitting in it doing nothing for days on end.

Tom, aren't you bored in your diary? I can talk to Dumbledore, I'm sure he'll find a way to get you out of it.

No Dumbledore," Tom wrote quickly. - 'Don't tell anyone about me at all. I'm fine, I can hear and feel the world around me, it's almost like living. I can also analyse my memories, and I can also sleep and reread some of the books I used to read.

You know. I might try and let you out myself sometime then. - Harry wrote, and then thought for a moment and added:

You're a good man, Tom, though a memory.

Harry didn't wait for a reply.

* * *

Potter had discussed many things with Riddle, and his worldview was changing more and more. Dumbledore, it turned out, wasn't so great and all-powerful, for he had only managed to get a headmaster's position in a magic school during his long life, from which he was easily removed; the DADA professor was a clown; Tom was horrified when he learnt that Harry had managed to believe Lockhart's stories and admire the teacher for about half a year. Under Riddle's influence, Potter had given up going to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

It can't be said that Harry was the only one who asked for something from the diary. After an argument with Snape, Tom had demanded - Potter counted it as a request - that Harry get the books on human control and read them out. Harry easily found them in the magic room on the eighth floor, but there was a problem. How to get their contents to Riddle? It wasn't like he was going to read one book to other books for hours on end.

The problem was quickly solved. With a little bit of searching, Harry had discovered one interesting spell and had used magic to transcribe the contents of one book into the other within a minute. Initially Potter was a little worried that the diary-keeper needed these books to take over his body, but after reading the contents of the books a little on his own, he became convinced that only an object with a soul could take over the body, and a memory could not do that.While the diary-counsellor had been 'reading', a relieved Harry had gone to bed for a couple of hours, he had spent half of last night in the Room-at-Will studying the Confundus spell, the effects of which he had experienced first hand. Thanks to Tonks. When he woke up, there was only one word scrawled on the diary:

Harold...

Potter paid no attention to the entry, hid the diary and went to dinner and then to the Wishing Room. When he returned an hour and a half later, he pulled out the diary. It already had writing on it:

Harold! I can hear you here!

Who are you here for?- Harry deduced.

You, of course. Is there a lot of people here who talk to me?

Then why did you write "Harold"? I'm Harry, not Harold.

Harry and Harold are the same name.

What nonsense, they're different names! Nobody ever called me Harold, have you been drinking too much ink?

His own joke about ink being to a diary what alcohol is to a person pleased Harry so much that he laughed out loud. This laughter elicited a suspicious look from Zachary Smith, who was at the time reading a book from the other end of the bedroom.

Riddle apparently thought he was being laughed at and got a little angry.

Never mind. I'll ask you again, you definitely don't have any mind defence amulets? Maybe some gifts from your late parents?

If I wasn't sure you couldn't take over my mind, I'd be sure that's exactly what you're trying to do. You have no idea how suspicious this looks. I don't have anything. That's for sure.

What makes you think I can't take over your mind?

Harry sensed Riddle's surprise.

You're a memory. And mind control requires a soul," he explained.

I see... Yes, you're right, I am a memory.

They never returned to the subject again....

Quickly recollecting the whole history of his conversation with Tom Riddle, Harry decided that asking him to give him advice on the proper way to play Quidditch, when he had told him so much and helped him with so many things, would be terribly rude....

Although... It wouldn't hurt... The Nimbus 2001's were too fast, and you couldn't beat them on simple character.