Tom Riddle's diary is a fictional magical object that appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It initially appears to be a magical diary that, if one writes in, Tom Riddle, a student at Hogwarts fifty years ago, writes back. By the end of the novel it is revealed that Tom Riddle is in fact Voldemort, and that the diary is a powerful artifact associated with him, essentially being a Horcrux. In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince similar objects to the diary are revealed. In the Harry Potter books, magic is depicted as a natural force, one that can be used to override the usual laws of nature while still being approached entirely scientifically. ... Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling, is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. ... In J.K. Rowlings best-selling Harry Potter series of novels, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a school of magic for witches and wizards between the ages of eleven and eighteen. ... Lord Voldemort (born c. ... A Horcrux is a magical object in the fictional Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. ... Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the yet-to-be released sixth installment in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... A Horcrux is a magical object in the fictional Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. ...

History

Tom Riddle's diary in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Unknown to Harry and his friends, the young Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort. Fifty years ago, he opened the Chamber of Secrets and attacks on Hogwarts students began. Hagrid, a student at the time, was accused and expelled. Because it was unsafe to open the Chamber again while a suspicious Albus Dumbledore kept an eye on him, Riddle created the diary, sealing a part of his sixteen-year-old self into it. Voldemort entrusted the dangerous book to Death Eater Lucius Malfoy shortly before his downfall^[HP6]. Years later, Malfoy slipped it to the innocent Ginny Weasley by surreptitiously hiding it within her Transfiguration book, in order to discredit her father, Arthur Weasley, and Dumbledore^[HP2]. Image File history File links Riddles_Diary. ... Image File history File links Riddles_Diary. ... Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second fantasy adventure film in the popular Harry Potter films series, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. ... Tom Marvolo Riddle is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. ... Lord Voldemort (né Tom Marvolo Riddle) is a fictional character and the archvillain in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a fictional school of magic that is the main setting of the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. ... Rubeus Hagrid (born December 6, year ca. ... Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character within the Harry Potter series written by British author J. K. Rowling. ... In the fictional Harry Potter series, a Death Eater is a follower of Lord Voldemort. ... Lucius Malfoy is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on July 16, 2005, is the sixth of seven novels in J.K. Rowlings popular Harry Potter series. ... Ginevra Molly Ginny Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling, is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. ...

Ginny pours out her soul to the diary and grows to love Riddle, calling him the only one to understand her. However, Riddle grows strong enough to possess her, and forces her to reopen the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny, who loses her memory during attacks on students, begins to believe she is responsible and fears for her sanity. Spiritual possession is a concept of many religions and tales, where it is believed that a demon, or disincarnate being, may take temporary control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in behaviour. ...

When Ginny becomes suspicious of the diary, she tries disposing of it in Moaning Myrtle's toilet. Harry finds it, and carries it around in his bag, sporadically attempting to work out how to use it. He discovers on Valentine's Day: during an altercation with a dwarf and Draco Malfoy, the diary becomes soaked with ink, but absorbs it. Harry then tries writing in it, and talks to Riddle. Riddle has heard of Harry's dealings with Voldemort, and is anxious to gain Harry's trust. He therefore shows Harry his memory of framing and capturing Hagrid for possession of an acromantula in the castle (which he claims is the Monster of Slytherin). Harry agrees with Riddle's purported attitude: he does not believe that Hagrid intended to hurt anyone, but (recalling that Hagrid was expelled) unequivocally states that "Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago." Moaning Myrtle (died c. ...

Unlike Ron (who distrusts Riddle, comparing him to Percy), Harry both trusts and sympathises with Riddle, noting that he understood Riddle's desire not to return to an orphanage. Left confused and concerned over Hagrid, and wishing that he had never worked out how to use the diary, Harry locks it away in his trunk. However, Ginny had already seen him with it during the Valentine's Day incident with Malfoy. Fearing that Riddle would reveal her secrets to Harry, she steals the diary from his dormitory. Harry and his friends are mystified, as only a Gryffindor could possibly have had access to Harry's dormitory. Apparently, Ginny is unable to resist the diary's insidious powers and continues writing to Riddle. Percy Ignatius Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ... In the Harry Potter series, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is divided into four houses, each bearing the last name of its founder: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. ...

Eventually, Riddle absorbs enough of Ginny's life-force to emerge from the diary, leaving her in an unconscious state he describes as "only just alive." Ginny's disappearance lures Harry and Ron into the Chamber to find her. Riddle fails to kill Harry, who saves Ginny and destroys Riddle by piercing the diary with a Basilisk fang. After it is rendered powerless, Harry returns the diary to Lucius Malfoy wrapped in his sock. When Malfoy throws away the sock, his house-elf Dobby catches it and is unintentionally freed from servitude. Harry Potter series. ... Dobby is also a trade term used to refer to the strip of closely-woven material often seen on towels (and much less commonly on washcloths). ...

Note that in order for Riddle to gain the power to possess Ginny, or whoever might be using the diary, that person must not only write to him; they must write over a long period of time, share their secrets with him, and develop an emotional bond between the two. Harry, for example, is never possessed: he only wrote to Riddle once, and poured out no secrets; and whilst he did sympathise with Riddle and trust him, the revelations the Diary had given him distressed him, causing him to lock it away rather than to talk to it further.

Riddle's diary has an ability, similar to that of a Pensieve, to take someone back in time in a memory, so they can witness an event in a magical virtual reality simulation. Riddle uses this ability of the diary to show Hagrid's capture to Harry. It is unknown whether Ginny was ever taken inside any memories while the diary was in her possession. In the Harry Potter series, many magical objects exist for the use of the characters. ... Virtual reality (VR) is a technology which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. ...

When asked what would have happened if Ginny had died and Riddle had managed to escape, author J. K. Rowling declined to give a straight answer, but revealed that "it would have strengthened the present-day Voldemort considerably."^[1] Joanne Jo Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965[1]) is an English fiction writer who writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling. ...

It was noted by Arthur Weasley that a magical object which appears to think for itself should not be trusted if one cannot see "where it keeps its brain". This standard has been used many times afterwards in the series. Harry is originally sceptical of the Marauder's Map due to this, but he rationalises its use with flawed reasoning. Arthur Weasley gets upset with his daughter for not recognising the tell-tale signs that the diary was dangerous, but it is worth noting that this never crossed Harry, Ron, or Hermione's minds either. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hermione Jane Granger is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. ...

In the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is revealed that the diary's unusual powers come from its nature as a Horcrux, meaning Voldemort had stored a piece of his soul within the diary as part of his efforts to cheat death - while part of his soul was separate from the part within his body, he could not truly die. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on July 16, 2005, is the sixth of seven novels in J.K. Rowlings popular Harry Potter series. ... A Horcrux is a magical object in the fictional Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. ...

The diary is similar to many objects in the Harry Potter series, and many works of fantasy, science fiction and countless other genres, in that it is a small unassuming object with extraordinary powers. To Rowling, a diary is a very scary object. She said in an interview that "the temptation particularly for a young girl, [is] to pour out her heart to a diary." Rowling's little sister Diane was prone to this, and her great fear was that someone would read her diary. This gave Rowling the idea to have a diary that is, in itself, against the confider.^[2] This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ... Smaug in his lair: an illustration for the fantasy The Hobbit Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

See also

References

External links

• Tom Riddle's diary online
• Mugglenet article about the diary