The Very Secret Diary
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| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Very Secret Diary |
| Author(s): | Arabella |
| Date(s): | last updated 12 November 2002 |
| Length: | 10 chapters |
| Genre(s): | |
| Fandom(s): | Harry Potter |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | |
 Art by Malefice (2005) | |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Very Secret Diary is a 2002 Harry Potter fanfic by Arabella. It is a retelling of Chamber of Secrets via the enchanted diary Ginny Weasley uses to communicate with Tom Riddle.
The story was hosted at The Sugar Quill but taken offline in 2014.[1]
Summary: "'His d-diary!' Ginny sobbed. 'I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year -'"
Disenchanted is a one-shot sequel to The Very Secret Diary from Albus Dumbledore's point of view.
Art Inspired by the Story
- HP2: Ginny and the Very Secret Diary by Papillon82 (2013)
Reception & Reviews
As for the story itself, it is an all-time classic and probably the best canon compliant fic ever. I find it quite incredible that Ginny spent the better part of the year struggling against Voldemort's possession and there is so little fanfare made of the fact in either canon or fanfiction. This story really makes you feel the desperation of having your body controlled by a psychopath, and your mind trapped, completely helpless, unable to do anything. 10 year old Ginny's naivety and delusions in the first half of the story make you want to slap some sense into her and almost make Tom a sympathetic character for putting up with her whining. The second half first makes you admire Tom for his perfect manipulations, and then make you despise him, because fuck, nobody deserves that, not even such an annoying pre-teen girl.I would vote this story for best Tom Riddle characterization (so many stories either whitewash him or make him comically evil), best characterization of a ten year old girl (so rarely do children act their age in fiction) and the creepiest and most terrifying experience in fanfiction. The last few chapters are truly a work of art. 5/5.
Now I'm off to read After the End by the same author. Its quite long, but if it is anywhere near as good as this, I'll consider my week well spent.
I was shivering by the time I finished it. The Very Secret Diary is a very well-crafted fic that should be canon. The characterizations of the characters were flawless and Ginny was so well-written. I felt for Ginny so much throughout the story and I'm truly glad I have canon to comfort myself with after that ending. This fic is arguably one of the best works of fiction in the Harry Potter fandom.[2]
- Topic: The Very Secret Diary at Harry Potter's Realm of Wizardry Forum
- "The Very Secret Diary" by Arabella (PG-13) at crack_van
- The Very Secret Diary was the subject of episode 20 of the Retro Fanfic Retrospective podcast.
External Links
References
- ^ The Very Secret Diary by Arabella at The Sugar Quill, last archived by the Wayback Machine 12 December 2013.
- ^ The Very Secret Diary on Goodreads, accessed 4 June 2021