Chapter Ten: Ginny

Harry was finally thrown out of the Hospital Wing by Madam Pomfrey later that night. He walked restlessly for a while, before heading back to Gryffindor Tower. When he got there, he was greeted by a tide of Gryffindors, all asking his forgiveness for believing that he was the Heir, when they all knew that he would never attack Hermione. Harry stared at all of them, not quite believing what he was hearing.

After chewing all of them out for a bit, and bleeding off quite a bit of frustration and helplessness with it, he escaped up to his dormitory where he set his lightsaber up to charge. Its power reserves had been getting a bit low and it needed to be between half and fully charged before it would cut with its usual lethal accuracy and precision. Right now it was running on almost empty. That done, he sat on his bed and sank into a deep meditation, trying to cut off his feelings for Hermione from the Basilisk situation. He achieved partial success, managing to stop it feeling like a personal insult and challenge to himself; but he wasn't able to fully detach himself from the situation and look at it logically and dispassionately, as he had been taught to do. More than ever he wished he were at home, where his master could help him and guide him through this tangled mess he was in. Cutting off that train of thought quickly, he went through the information again, determined to behave like a Jedi, not a little kid, or, he thought with a shudder, like a vengeful idiot. He did not want to risk turning Dark simply because a snake had petrified the girl he liked. He was NOT like that. He wasn't.

Going to classes the next day was a nightmare. Due to the recent attack, all students were shepherded between classes by a teacher. Points were removed for the tiniest infraction and also rarely given out. No one dared to talk in the corridors; a feeling of fear clogged the air and Harry found his Force sense blinded by it. A note came for him via Hedwig that evening.

Padawan

What on earth is going on up at Hogwarts? The fear is so thick I can feel it all the way at Sanctuary and it's clouding my vision in the Force. It must be blinding you too, unless you've fashioned some sort of defence against it. What's happening?"

Kiara

Harry sent back a note explaining the situation. He was not surprised to receive a return letter telling him in no uncertain terms to stay out of it and let his professors handle it. Harry felt a brief moment of guilt that he was planning to ignore this and go anyway, but squashed it, concentrating instead, on how to beat the basilisk. His morning training had been stopped several weeks ago but Harry still got up at the same time each morning. That evening as he was going to the Tower to study, there was another announcement, calling all teachers to the staff room. Harry cloaked himself in the Force and followed. Hiding behind a suit of armor, he heard the worst possible news. Ginny Weasley had been taken by the Basilisk, right into the Chamber itself.

'That's it!' he thought to himself. That blasted snake has Petrified my girlfriend and taken my friend. This is ending tonight.' Turning round he ran to Gryffindor Tower, slipping in just before McGonagall came in. Running up the stairs, he slipped into his Jedi uniform again, and groaned when he saw his lightsaber.

'Only quarter charged, I'll have to leave it behind,' he thought in despair. 'Not only am I disobeying a direct order from my master I have to leave my primary weapon behind. She's going to kill me when she finds out, but I have to go.'

Slipping down the stairs, he saw Ron, Fred, George and Percy huddled together by the fire. Walking over to them he greeted them quietly. Percy and Ron initially resented his presence, but when they saw what he was wearing, they correctly deduced that he was going to the Chamber to save their sister. They were a lot more friendly after that. Fred and George followed him to the entrance of Gryffindor Tower, pausing just before the portrait.

"Harry, where's your lightsaber?" Fred asked quietly.

Harry grimaced. "Recharging," he said shortly. "I've got my wand, don't worry, and I also have this mirror. I'll be fine." As he said it he wondered who he was trying to reassure, the twins or himself.

George reached out and drew him into a brief hug. "Be careful, Jet," he whispered. Harry swallowed a thick lump in his throat and nodded as he slipped quietly out of the portrait hole. It was time to go rescue his friend and put an end to this reign of terror that the Basilisk had started.