Did Lucius really give Ginny the diary?

[Derek Hiemforth]

No: HPFGUIDX 87734

According to the Official Story(tm), Ginny Weasley acquired Tom Riddle's
diary in CS from Lucius Malfoy, who supposedly slipped it into her
cauldron at Flourish and Blotts.  But did he really?

Looking closely at CS chapter 4, we see that Lucius takes a book *out*
of Ginny's cauldron, but he doesn't put it (or any other book) back in.
He hands it back to her.

The only person we're specifically told put books in Ginny's cauldron
is *Harry*.  He dumps the collected works of Lockhart in there, and says
he'll buy his own.

Is it possible that *Lockhart* had the diary and gave it to Harry in
the pile with Lockhart's books, and that the diary ended up with Ginny
only by accident?  Diary!Riddle was thrilled to eventually wind up with
Harry... what if that was the original plan?

Lockhart's certainly no angel.  Although he doesn't seem to be a Death
Eater per se, he's definitely not a nice guy.  (If Neville is memory
charmed, could Lockhart have been working with LV's forces and performed
the charm years ago?)

True, Dobby does later indicate that the diary was Malfoy's.  However...

1.  Just 'cause Dobby says it's so doesn't mean it really is.  Dobby
might be *assuming* it came from Malfoy.
2.  Malfoy and Lockhart could have been in cahoots.  Perhaps the
"important business" Malfoy mentions to Borgin is giving the diary to
Lockhart to plant on Harry... not Malfoy himself slipping it to Ginny.
3.  We see later that Malfoy gives generously to St. Mungo's.  Perhaps
he wants to ensure that Lockhart doesn't recover enough of his memory
to implicate Malfoy further.

Any thoughts?

- Derek