***THIS CHAPTER IS PUBLISHED AS A REMINDER FOR ALL THE READERS.***

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters, and some of the storyline, from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. (I may use some of the author's descriptions/ wording from the books, but I have no intention of stealing anything! It's definitely clear for me that J. owns the rights for the Harry Potter books. )

I am grateful to Ms. Rowling for her wonderful stories about Hogwarts, for without her books, my story would not exist.

**I would like to thank my Beta- CorinBlue for editing my chapters.**

Chapter #20 – Exposed

Sophie did not know what to do. There was no way to reverse what Harry, Ron, Ginny, Moaning Myrtle and Professor Lockhart saw. Although she tried hard not to be exposed, she was.

They were so amazed; they forgot they were on the way to bring Ginny to Professor McGonagall. Ron was watching Sophie with an open mouth, Ginny stepped back confused, and Harry eyed her suspiciously. Professor Lockhart was busy looking around.

"Why are we in a toilet?" Lockhart asked, waking everyone form their moment of dreaming.

"Aren't we going to show everyone Ginny's fine?" Sophie asked.

No one talked to Sophie, and they walked silently out of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, straight away to inform about all that have happened, down in the Chamber of Secrets.

Mr. And Mrs. Weasley where glad Ginny was fine. Sophie was happy to see Professor Dumbledore was back. They were all eager to hear how Harry had managed to save Ginny.

Sophie listened eagerly to every detail Harry was telling.

For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing a disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how they found out Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom…

Sophie finally got to hear Harry's side of the story. She had no idea he and Ron followed spiders to the forest.

When Harry was asked how they all got out alive from the Chamber – Harry told them all about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. He didn't mention Riddle's Diary, or Ginny. To Sophie's relief he didn't even mention them finding out about her flying ability.

Mr. And Mrs. Weasley became a bit stressed when they became to know Ginny was under Lord Voldemort's control. Sophie's eyes glinted as it confirmed her thoughts about Tom Riddle. – So he was after all Voldemort... She thought to herself.

"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school... traveled far and wide... sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here." Dumbledore said, and examined the diary Harry gave him a moment ago.

"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with — with — him?"

"His d-diary" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year —"

"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!"

Sophie was reminded with the burns she got from the Diary. Dark Magic? She felt it burning her skin, and was horrified. The diary was moving from Ginny to Harry. Harry gave it to Professor Dumbledore. All of them hadn't gotten burned. What made Sophie so different from them, that it would cause her such nasty wounds? Why others haven't gotten hurt by it the way she did? Well, clearly Ginny got hurt by it. But she wrote in it. Nothing stopped her from getting close to it, at all. Sophie couldn't understand.

"I d-didn't know," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it —"

A flash of memory came back to Sophie, to the moment she was in Flourish and Blotts. The moment where Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy were fighting. She could remember the moment so clearly. How Lucius Malfoy held Ginny's old transfiguration book and said:

"Here, girl — take your book — it's the best your father can give you —"

Lucius Malfoy was the one who slipped Tom Riddle's diary to Ginny's transfiguration book. Sophie eyes widened in terror.

"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," he added, twinkling kindly down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice — I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

"So Hermione is okay!" said Ron brightly. Sophie gave a smile. That means, Haley is going to be okay, too.

"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," said Dumbledore.

Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken.

"You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

"Right," said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter, Weasley and Farrell, shall I?"

"Certainly," said Dumbledore.

She left. Harry, Ron and Sophie gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely — surely — they weren't about to be punished? Sophie turned her gaze to Harry and Ron and prayed they won't say anything about what they saw her doing. She hoped Dumbledore won't find out about it. It would be after all hard to explain to them.

Dumbledore ignored Sophie for a moment and focused his gaze on Harry and Ron.

"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Dumbledore.

Ron opened his mouth in horror.

"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling. He now turned his look also to Sophie. "You all three will receive Special Awards for Services to the School and — let me see — yes, I think one hundred and fifty points apiece for Gryffindor."

Sophie blushed, not as much as Ron did – He looked like one of Lockhart's valentine flowers.

"Miss Farrell, is there something you'd like to share? Anything that hasn't been mentioned yet?" Professor Dumbledore asked her. Sophie didn't know what to say. Should she share with them everything that happened through her eyes? How she heard her father's voice, how she got burned from Tom Riddle's diary? Should she tell them she has another ability, beside the one Harry and Ron have already discovered?

"Um... I think that what Harry told is pretty much what happened. Although I experienced things a bit differently." Sophie said.

"Is there something special from your point of view you want to share?" Dumbledore asked, eying her deeply.

Sophie heard a movement behind her, reminding her Professor Lockhart was there.

"Maybe it would be right to say that, one of us came back from the journey with quite a damage. Professor Lockhart tried to erase our memories and the spell backfired. He doesn't seem to remember who he is." Sophie said. Harry and Ron turned to look on Lockhart.

"Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver mustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"

"Sword?" said Lockhart dimly. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though." He pointed at Harry. "He'll lend you one."

"Would you two mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron. "I'd like a few more words with Harry…"

Lockhart ambled out, Sophie after him. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore and Harry as he closed the door.

Sophie had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Sophie didn't know whether the best bit was Haley running toward her and throwing herself onto Sophie, or Harry giving her a large smile. They were close to each other all the time, but after what happened in the Chamber of Secrets – it seemed as if she made a strong connection with Harry, Ron and Ginny. They kept her secret, and it was nice to know others could be trusted with such thing. Hermione would probably know about it soon enough. Harry and Ron would probably share that piece of information with her.

Sophie was so happy by all of the good sequence of events that suddenly happened. If it was for Gryffindor's triumph winning the House cup or if it was for professor McGonagall announcement that school exams had been canceled as a school treat or Professor Dumbledore's announcement that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.

Haley was filled on what had happened during the time she was petrified. She was amazed to learn that she's not the only one to know of Sophie's powers anymore. Well, at least about one of them.

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences — Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled, and Sophie could notice Draco was no longer strutting around the school with his nose up. It came to her ear that Lucius Malfoy was a school governor, and now he had been sacked earlier that week. It explained to Sophie the reason for the change of Draco's behaviour. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Sophie and Haley together with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Sophie was careful to use only her wand. She didn't want them to learn she had another power. It was best to leave it that way.

Sophie got out through the barrier between the Hogwarts train to the muggle world. She said goodbye to Haley and the others, and walked back home.

Back in her bed at home, Sophie was happier than ever. Wearing her pajamas, covered with her blanket and hugging her new white teddy bear given her as a welcome back present. The warm feeling of love spread her heart and she fell asleep smiling.

It was nice to have peaceful dreams for a change. No tornado twists, no voices. Nothing could wake her up.

But something else did.

Sophie woke up to a voice of something falling. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see a person bending forward to her face, his hands reaching to the necklace she wore. Moreover, Sophie was surprised to understand who he was. – But it could not be possible. He was supposed to be dead. She was about to scream, but his hands covered her mouth tightly.

Sophie could not believe her eyes – Lucas Bennet was alive and well, and he was right in front of her.

TO BE CONTINUED…

~final chapter of book no.1~

A/N: THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE OPENING OF THE NEXT BOOK AND CONTINUES THE EVENTS OF THE FANFIC:

'The Mistress of Time - Something Wicca This Way Comes'