Harry knocks on the large wooden doors to the headmaster's office. “Professor Dumbledore, could I talk to you for a moment?”
“Ah, Harry my boy, of course. How are your classes going?
“They’re going well. Professor Lupin has been teaching me how to cast the Patronus charm.”
Dumbledore beamed. “That’s wonderful to hear.”
“I wanted to ask you something about… About Tom Riddle’s Diary.”
The smile fell off of Dumbledore's face and he gave a tired sigh. “What is it you wish to know, Harry?”
“That Diary… it wasn’t a normal dark artifact, was it, sir?” Harry asked
Dumbledore tensed. “What makes you say that?”
“Is it really possible to store a memory in a Diary?”
“Well, it is certainly possible to place memories into inanimate objects.” Dumbledore deflected. “Just look at the numerous portraits across the castle.”
“But that’s just it!” Harry exclaims. “The portraits, they’re just impressions. They don’t think or act on their own. Not like Riddle’s diary did. And sapping Ginny’s life away to strengthen itself… A memory couldn’t do that.”
Dumbledore sighs heavily and deflates. “No, you are quite right, my boy. What that diary contained was much more sinister than a mere memory.”
“What was it, then?”
“I had been planning to tell you about it later, but I suppose I may as well tell you now. I believe that Diary was something called a Horcrux. I will not go into detail, but suffice to say, Tom performed a ritual to split himself.”
“A Horcrux…” Harry mused.
“It is the foulest of magical rituals, Harry.” Dumbledore warned sternly. “Do not go looking for information pertaining to them.”
“Of course,” Harry nodded quickly.
“Now, I must ask, what brought about this question?” Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and popped a lemon drop into his mouth.
“Well, the thing is, Professor…” Harry began nervously, “I think Hermione may have created a Horcrux.”
Dumbledore choked on his lemon drop.
“Harry my boy," Dumbledore said after coughing up his lemon drop. "I’m sure I must have misheard you. Did you just say that you think Miss Granger created a Horcrux?”
“Hermione has been acting strangely all term. I remember when we got our schedules, Hermione had some overlapping classes. I thought it was just a mistake or something, and she wasn’t actually taking all those classes, but the other day, she mentioned something about a project she was working on for Ancient Runes. I asked around, and people say that she’s never missed a class. But Ancient Runes is at the same time as Divination! And she’s always in Divination with me and Ron. Somehow, she’s in two places at once! And then I remembered the Diary. And you just said that a Horcrux lets someone split themselves…” Harry took a deep breath and licked his lips nervously. “I think Hermione created a Horcrux so that she could take extra electives.”