NOTE: Edited on 14/10/18

Chapter 7: The Chamber

The next morning at the Head Table, Harry noticed an uneasy tension between several of the Professor's and the noticeable absence of Hagrid. What concerned Harry the most was that Ginny looked dead on her feet, as if she hadn't slept at all the night before.

"Gin, are you alright?" Ginny turned to look at him mid yawn and nodded tiredly. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Like a baby, I barely even remember getting in bed."

"Oh, alright…" Harry returned to his meal, but watched Ginny carefully out of the corner of his eye. She yawned sixty-four times during breakfast, he counted.


Meanwhile at the other side of the table…

Hermione sat by herself. It was a Sunday and therefore Daniel and Ron had slept in and wouldn't be down for another hour. In the meantime Hermione was busily eating and reading ahead in her Transfiguration textbook. She was determined to beat Harry during tomorrow's lesson. She was disturbed from her reading by a loud clatter across from her. A new first year was trying to get an incredibly large and ornate camera off his neck. When he noticed Hermione's irritated glare on him he smiled and held out his hand.

"My names Colin, Colin Creevey. This is where Daniel Potter usually sits right?" Hermione rolled her eyes, another fan wanting an autograph.

"Yes, Daniel usually sits over there." She waved distractedly towards a plate two spots away.

"Wicked! Are you really his friend?" Hermione had become used to the attention since last year, but it was always fun getting a new little fan boy to follow her around.

"Why yes, I helped him save the Sorcerer's Stone from You-Know-Who." The small hyper boy's mouth fell open in awe.

"Really? Can you tell me about it?" Hermione smiled predatorily, pulling another helpless fan boy into her trap.

"Well, we knew from a few slips made by Mr. Potter that the Headmaster was hiding a powerful artifact somewhere in the school. Then one night when we were out going to duel a no good Slytherin, have to keep them in their place you know, we stumbled upon a giant three headed dog!" Colin gasped appreciatively.

"Well we escaped from the dog, thanks to my mastery of all the first year spells. Well anyway throughout the year we found out more clues from slips by Hagrid and Mr. Potter. In the end we realized that someone was trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone. It could only be one of the teachers." Another shocked gasp.

"At first we thought it was Snape because he hates Daniel. Then when we went to Mr. Potter, he said it couldn't be Snape because he had helped him stop someone from jinxing Daniel's broom during the first Quidditch Match. Then I remembered overhearing Professors Snape and Quirrell arguing over something and realized that Snape must suspect Quirrell of trying to steal the Stone." Colin was hanging on her every word by this point, totally enthralled by her story.

"Well, Daniel, Ron, and I went and confronted Quirrell. He used really dark magic and knocked both Ron and I out. Daniel and he were locked in an intense duel. What we didn't know was that Quirrell had been possessed by You-Know-Who!" Another gasp, only this time more than one. Looking around Hermione realized that most of the other Gryffindor first years had come down and were listening intently to her story.

"So Daniel and Quirrell were dueling fiercely and Quirrell was about to win, after all he knew much darker magic than Daniel could ever imagine and Daniel was only a first year. Just as Quirrell was about to kill Daniel, Headmaster Dumbledore and Mr. Potter burst in! Together with Daniel's help they managed to beat Quirrell and banish You-Know-Who's soul." There was a loud whoosh of air as the surrounding first years exhaled the breaths they had been holding.

"The Headmaster was so proud of our detective work and Daniel's dueling skills, he awards us fifty points each and that helped us beat Slytherin for the house cup last year." Several of the first years began clapping excitedly, Colin easily the loudest.

"Now I really must return to my studies so I can help Daniel the next time some pathetic Death Eater shows his face." The first years seemed to take the hint and Hermione was allowed to peacefully return to her textbook, while Colin sat excitedly across from her waiting for Daniel.


As the next month passed Harry began noticing odd behavior from Ginny. Some days she looked like she wasn't exactly sure where she was or what was going on. As the end of October approached Harry began seeing her only at meal times and in passing in the common room. She started going to bed earlier and earlier. Harry was afraid she was avoiding him for some reason.

"Murkywalops can do that to a person," a voice came from behind Harry.

"You're Luna right? I saw you with Ginny sometimes." The girl was obviously pleased with the recognition and nodded quite excitedly.

"Ginny has been acting very weird, I'm afraid a Merkywallop's been haunting her," Harry was genuinely confused at this point.

"They don't like carrots, I'll make her a carrot necklace tonight."

"Um thank you," Harry said, not sure if they were talking about the same thing anymore.

"It's okay, Ginny is my only friend, I don't really mind."

"Luna, we could be friends if you want, I'm Harry Potter."

"Oh sure! Ginny always talks about you. She really likes you."

'Not anymore though,' Harry thought and nodded his head.

"Bye Harry," Luna said in a dreamy voice and walked away to the Ravenclaw table.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry turned to the only adult figure he thought he could trust, Sirius.

Dear Sirius,

I need your help. Ever since we came to Hogwarts Ginny has been acting differently. It seems like she's trying to distance herself from me. Well, she sits next to me at meals, and we do our homework together, but besides that I almost never see her.

I'm not sure if I did something, or what's wrong. I asked her once and she said it was nothing and that she was just being overwhelmed by her first year work, but I just don't know.

Please Sirius help me, I don't know what I'd do if she didn't want to be my friend anymore.

Your godson,

Harry

Harry only had to wait a single day before receiving a response from Sirius, although it wasn't very enlightening.

Dear Harry,

I was surprised that you would be writing to me for advice. I thought you'd ask your parents first. I'll do my best to try and help you though.

Ginny may be telling the truth, first year can seem just as stressful as fifth or seventh year sometimes. She's in a new place, making new friends, with neither of her parents nearby, plus she's learning real magic for the first time. I'd say just give her sometime to adjust. There's another reason but you might not like it.

Harry, I hope you understand that as people get older, things change. I hate to say it, but people change. Sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. Before I went to Hogwarts my best friend was my brother Regulus. Once we got to Hogwarts though we started hating each other. I still look back on my memories of our childhood fondly and try to remember him as he was then, not as the Death Eater he would become later in life.

I'm NOT saying Ginny will become a Death Eater, heh heh. I'm just trying to say that sometimes friends just drift apart. I know it will hurt at first pup, but if that's truly what's happening the pain will dull and as you begin making new friends you'll be able to look back on all the good times you had with Ginny and smile.

I hope that helped.

Love,

Sirius.

Harry smiled at his godfathers letter. It didn't really help him, but it was nice to see that Sirius was willing to try.


On Halloween Harry waited patiently in the Common Room for Ginny, expecting to go to the Feast with her. However, a few minutes before the feast one of her dorm mates came down. He thought she'd introduced herself as Demelza.

"Hi Harry. Ginny sent me to tell you she's not feeling well. She's not going to the feast. Sorry." The girl walked past him and out of the common room.

Harry now knew for certain that Ginny was avoiding him. For one thing he had seen her just an hour ago and she had been fine. Secondly she had been looking forward to her first Hogwarts Halloween feast since she had been old enough to understand what her brothers were talking about. To find out that Ginny was willing to skip the feast to avoid him was like a punch in the gut.

Blinded by pain of rejection Harry left the common room not looking where he was going. All he felt was the mounting depression from being abandoned by his only true friend. Harry didn't even realize where he was going until he stumbled through the portrait and collapsed into a ball in the middle of the Founder's Room.

"Harry-dear what's wrong?" Rowena was at the edge of her portrait gazing worriedly at the boy she had come to think of as a grandson. Around her Godric, Sal, and Helga were in similar positions.

"She hates me." It seemed to unlock something and the boy began sobbing hysterically. The Founder's could do nothing physical to help the crying boy, so they waited until he had calmed down a bit.

"Who hates you Harry?" Helga was being as gentle as possible with him.

"Ginny." All the founders looked at each other in utter confusion.

"Harry, I thought you once mentioned that the two of you were soul bonded." Godric said.

"We are, but I don't know what's going to happen now." Harry had stopped crying and was now talking in a dead tone, though he was still curled up in a fetal position.

"Then she can't hate you. It's part of being soul bound, it's impossible for either of you to hate each other. Something else must have happened." Harry made little response to this only turning his head to look hopefully at Salazar who had been speaking.

"But she's ignoring me and faked being sick to avoid going to the Halloween feast with me."

"How do you know she's faking?" Rowena was surprised when Harry began laughing quietly to himself.

"Not even Voldemort himself could have kept Ginny from her first Halloween Feast."

"We'll have to find out what's wrong then. I personally think you should go tal-" Salazar stopped suddenly drawing everyone's attention. He looked off to the side of his portrait, almost like he was watching something. Then quite suddenly turned back to the group. "I'll be back in a moment."

Almost before he had finished speaking he had run out of his portrait and disappeared. Harry sat up looking at the other portraits questioningly. None of them had any answers as to Sal's strange behavior however and they all waited patiently for him to return. They didn't have to wait long.

Salazar Slytherin, the epitome of pureblood appearance and manners, looked like he had been mugged. Sal ran back into his picture his hair loose and flying around his face, his medieval suit was unkempt and looked like he had fallen in it. His face was pale and he was 'breathing' heavily.

"Harry you must go quickly! Ginny's been possessed by some book. She's just gone down into the Chamber, I believe whatever is controlling her may be trying release the basilisk." Harry was on his feet and running almost before Sal had finished talking.

Harry knew where the entrance to the Chamber was, he just didn't know how he was going to get in. According to Sal only a parselmouth could open the Chamber. All Harry knew for certain was that Ginny was in danger and Merlin himself couldn't stop him from reaching her. As he rushed towards the bathroom door it flew open straining on it's hinges. He briefly wondered if he had done that as he slid to a stop in the bathroom.

"Open!" Nothing happened.

"Open you stupid sink!" Still nothing.

"Harry if you'll allow me." Harry spun to find Sal watching calmly from a mirror nearby.

"How?" Sal smiled as him.

"A small trick we Founders can do in the school. Now then Open!" Harry stared at Sal in confusion before the sink he had been shouting at opened into a large tube.

"But I understood you…" Sal raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"As interesting as they might be to discuss I believe you have a fair maiden to rescue." Harry nodded in determination and conjuring a water tube jumped down the pipe.

"THIS WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA!" A mere four seconds later Harry shot out of the bottom of the pipe skidding across the ground until his tube was popped on a pointy rock. After that he bounced, skidded and rolled to a stop fifty feet away.

"I am so doing that again later!" Harry said he jumped up and continued running down the passage towards the inner chamber.

As he approached the outer wall of the Chamber Harry looked at the sculpture of a snake and yelled, "Open"to his joy the wall began parting. By the time Harry reached the wall it had opened wide enough for him to slip through. On the other side he entered into the main chamber and found himself staring at the back of Ginny's head and the eyes of the basilisk.

"Ginny!" Ginny turned slowly to face him and Harry gasped loudly when he met her eyes. Instead of the normal brown compassionate eyes that he loved he was forced to look at two ugly glowing blood red slits.

"Ah Potter, how nice of you to join us." Harry almost puked. The voice coming from Ginny's mouth wasn't anywhere near the sweet melodic voice he could identify anywhere. This voice definitely belonged to a man and was raspy from misuse. He put the pieces together and realized this was the voice he heard from his dream.

"I don't know who you are but I'm giving you five seconds to leave Ginny or I swear I will kill you."

"I'm afraid I can't do that Potter. You see she needs me. I'm the one she trusts. I'm the one she loves. Not you. You're nothing but mudblood filth. She told me all about you Potter. The forgotten boy who's parents hate him. How she was stuck to you, the useless one." Harry was shaking his head in horror.

"No… No! She didn't say that! She'd never say that!" The thing that was controlling Ginny let out a hoarse laugh.

"Of course she did. She never liked you. She pitied you! Everyday all she wrote was Dear Tom, Harry came over again, why doesn't he realize I don't want to talk to him. Dear Tom, Harry sat next to me at lunch again I'm trying to distance myself but he won't take the hint. Dear Tom, I wish Daniel notices me, all I have is Harry hovering around me." Harry began to stumble backwards, for some reason he was unable to not believe what Tom was saying. +

Then it happened. For a second everything became clear and Harry could easily see that Tom was playing with him. At the same time the red glow disappeared from Ginny's eyes and was replaced by her normal brown.

"Don't… listen Harry… I would… nev- Ahhhhhh!" Ginny had been able to break the possession momentarily, but screamed in agony as Tom reasserted control and the red glow returned to her eyes. Those few precious seconds were all Harry needed though. Before the red glow had even fully returned Harry was sprinting across the chamber towards her.

Harry had his wand out and started firing Disarming and Stunning spells towards the possessed Ginny who nonchalantly dodged and countered them.

"Fool! Avada Kedavra!" Harry paused for a second as Tom brought up Ginny's wand and tried to fire the deadly curse at him. Unfortunately for Tom, nothing happened. "Crucio!" Again nothing happened and Harry was almost across the Chamber. "Basilisk kill him!" Harry only had a moment to role out of the way as the basilisk shot across the remaining ten feet between them, it's jaws snapping shut where he had just been.

He was glad Ginny gave him a book on 'Dangerous Mythical Creatures' last summer and glued his eyes shut.

With his eyes closed he started focusing on his other senses, smell, sound and vibrations as he ran around trying to dodge the basilisk. He heard fluttering of wings and opened his eyes instinctively to find a phoenix swooping in and out of the snake's reach. On the third dive the basilisk jumped with its jaws open but the phoenix moved with unbelievable speed and clawed the snakes eyes out, blinding it. The sudden mutilation of its body seemed to shock the snake as it thrashed around wildly. Harry looked over to Ginny and found a thin stream of black mist joining her and that diary he took away in the Hogwarts Express and everything clicked into place. The basilisk slowed down and straightened itself.

Harry ignored the it and continued towards Ginny. The snake recovered soon and lunged once again and Harry dove forward. He tackled Ginny/Tom to the ground, as the basilisk once again missed him by inches. On the way to the ground Harry yanked the diary out of Ginny's hand, forcefully removing Tom's possession leaving Ginny unconscious. The second he caught the book, his scar started hurting worse than it ever had before. He felt the same way as on the day he took it out of Ginny's hands in the train, but it was much more profound now. As if whatever was in the book didn't care to hide it's presence anymore.

Harry hit the ground, rolled and came up into a crouch. From this position he was able to see the basilisk turning around for a third strike. With aim he didn't know he had, Harry threw the diary towards the basilisks open mouth. As it passed the snakes lips, the basilisk instinctively bit down on the offending invader.

As one tooth of the basilisk impaled the diary there was an agonizing scream. A second later the diary exploded, taking the head of the basilisk with it. Harry was knocked backwards from the shockwave and felt a sudden pain in his arm. As he recovered from being knocked backwards Harry glanced down at his arm.

Imbedded there, there was a bloody basilisk fang. Harry stared at the fang in shock for a second and then stumbled backwards as the incredible burning sensation began creeping through his blood. It felt like his entire body was on fire. The pain soon overtook his legs and he collapsed forward onto his knees. With a jerky movement he pulled the fang out of his arm leaving a jagged hole a few inches wide.

As his world began to turn black he thought he heard someone singing. He couldn't be sure for at that moment the poison overwhelmed him and he lost consciousness.


Harry wasn't sure how long it was and the last thing he remembered was dying. He slowly began to wake up. His arm was still burning, but it was quickly fading. When he finally opened his eyes there was a bird with golden feathers and a visible golden aura, standing on his chest and leaning over the wound in his arm. Harry immediately recognized that was the same bird that helped him a while ago. He had no idea where it had come from though.

As Harry observed the bird the pain in his arm faded more and more with each passing second, until finally it stopped. The phoenix pulled back its head showing that the wound from the fang was gone leaving only perfect skin. Harry looked at the bird in appreciation.

"Thanks," the phoenix just nuzzled its head to Harry's arm in response. It sung a small note again and looked towards Ginny. Harry turned to find her twisting and turning in her sleep, almost like she was having a violent nightmare.

"Ginny!" Harry scrambled across the ground until he was kneeling next to her. "Ginny wake up, it's only a dream." Ginny continued to thrash around, so Harry gently placed a hand on her shoulder. He was forced to move away when Ginny sat bolt upright screaming.

"No! Stay away from me Tom!" She curled up into a ball and began rocking back and forth on the spot. Her eyes were wide and unfocused and she was mumbling quietly to herself. Harry realized this must be an after affect caused by the sudden severing of Tom's possession. Ginny still thought she was being controlled and was trapped in her mind.

"Ginny," Harry began softly. "It's okay Tom's gone, I killed him." Ginny flinched away from his voice.

"Your not Harry. Your just some illusion Tom sent to torment me. Harry hates me now." Harry slowly slid closer to her.

"I'm not an illusion Gin. You're my best friend, I could never hate you." Silent tears began streaming down Ginny's cheeks and Harry noticed her eyes were starting to focus on things around her.

"Yes you do. I broke my promise, I kept writing to Tom. You hate me."

"I don't care about that Gin. I think he did something to you to make you want to write to him. I made a promise to you once that I would be your best friend forever. You know me, when I make a promise…" Ginny turned to look at Harry her eyes focusing on him for the first time.

"You keep it." Harry smiled at her, and she dove across the remaining two feet between them throwing her arms around his neck. "Harry! I'm so sorry." Harry held her tightly to him letting her cry on his shoulder.

"Shh, Ginny it'll be fine, there's nothing to be sorry for." Harry held her close whispering soothing words to her as she cried. The phoenix stood by, trilling softly helping to soothe Ginny. Finally she calmed down, though she didn't make any indication she was going to move away from Harry.

"Who is this?" Ginny asked finally noticing the bird in the room.

"I think it's Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix." The phoenix seemed to nod at this and turned around holding out its tail feathers. Harry took the hint and held on to them, Ginny following suit. Flames started erupting from Fawkes (which surprisingly didn't burn them) and the three of them flashed out of the chamber.

A/N:

I will not lie, second year was hard as **** for me to write. For some reason my mind randomly decides to turn off when I start writing.

On the other hand I started working on some random (but important) scenes that come much later in the story and they are coming up nicely. I'll try to update soon.