Author's notes:

Standard disclaimer: It all belongs to JKR. Except where I might use some song lyrics which I will call out at the time and give proper credit. Thank you JKR for letting us play with your toys.

Also, if you have not read my stories, Harry Potter and the Muggles' Daughter and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, you are going to be lost. They are the prequels to this. But hey, if you haven't, BONUS! You've got two whole stories you can go read before coming back here!

Also, I've picked up a Beta, so you should be seeing an improvement in spelling, grammar and punctuation from this point onward. Thank you Wolf's Scream.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

Remember: Part I

Ginny woke in a cold sweat. Her dreams lately were frightening. This one all she could remember were hideous yellow eyes and being chilled to the bone. She took a deep breath and forced her mind to something more pleasant. Whatever the dream had been, she didn't want to remember it anyway.

She rolled over and her eyes fell on Mr Totters. She smiled. It was dumb and silly and childish, but she didn't care. She didn't have even a single letter from Harry, but that stuffed penguin proved he'd been thinking about her all the same. She grabbed it and cuddled it tight. Harry had held her hand once today. It had felt really good… really good.

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"Have you no sense of decency at all?"

Ginny looked up. It had been three days since she and Harry had managed to make amends with each other. She was once again eating meals and spending nearly all her time with him… and Neville. Of course the rumor mill was churning and it wasn't kind; especially to her. And of course her brother felt the need to pile on. "Go away, Percy, or I'll write Bill."

"Write William for all I care. I'll not stand by and say nothing while you throw yourself at him. Never mind everything he's done to you, you would think you had a bit of concern for what he's done to Penelope and the other students. Or are you so desperate to latch onto whatever bit of fame and fortune you can that even Luna doesn't concern you anymore?"

Harry started to stand but Ginny put her hand on his arm. "Ignore him, Harry. He's just jealous."

"Jealous," Percy exclaimed, "of him? You really are a dense little twit. He's using you, Ginevra. Or did it escape your notice it wasn't till his little sycophant ended up in hospital that he decided take you back?"

"Percy, let's pretend for just one second that Harry is responsible for the attacks. If he is just using me because Hermione is in hospital, then why on earth would he have attacked Hermione in the first place?"

"Well," Percy scoffed, clearly flustered, "that's beside the point."

"Logic is beside the point?" Harry asked.

"You keep out of this, Snake."

Neville smacked his fist on the table. "That's enough!" He stood and for the first time Harry really registered that his friend was quite a bit bigger than himself. He was only a few inches shorter than Percy and after near three solid months of training with Harry in the morning he was beginning to trade his extra weight for extra muscle.

"You be quiet, Longbottom."

"I will n–not. You have no business here. And none – none of us has to listen to y–you. Or did you forget y–you're status as a Prefect was r–r–rescinded? You're nothing b–but a disgraced coward. Now go away!"

"Now see here—"

"Mr Weasley," Professor McGonagall said sharply.

Percy quickly turned. "Professor!"

"I would suggest you do as, Mr Longbottom has told you."

"But, Professor."

"Five points and detention."

"What? Why?"

"Ten points and detention again." Percy clamped his mouth shut. "Why I ever thought you deserved a Prefect's badge is beyond me. Now move along before you make me really angry."

Harry, Ginny and Neville were making their way out of the Great Hall when they were approached by Fred, George and Lee. "Potter," one of the twins said.

Harry was starting to consider the idea of a long lasting prank on one of them that would allow him to tell them apart. Maybe Ghostie would need to pay a visit to Peeves soon. He'd have to think on it. "Oh joy, Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum and Wee Lee Willy Winkie," Harry mocked.

"Harry," Ginny said softly, "please."

Harry turned and stared at her, trying to control his temper. He was pissed at them. At the same time they'd done it for Ginny and he could appreciate that. They had also stuck by her over the summer against their mum, Percy and Ron… So yeah, some mitigating points in their favor.

"Look, Potter," one of them cut in, "don't go getting in another fight with Ginny just cause you're pissed at us."

"The whole thing's a right mess," the other said.

"We don't expect to be friends or anything again."

"We just wanted to apologize."

"And say we're glad you two made up."

Harry glared at them. "And you?" he asked Lee.

He shrugged. "Shouldn't have jumped you with them, but I owed you."

Harry's cheek twitched. "Fair enough I suppose." He focused on Ginny. "They still need to make amends with Hermione and we're not friends but I'll get along with them for you. Good enough?"

"Thank you," she whispered.

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Ginny sat up with a gasp. She had been running. Running through tunnels that were dank and dark. Things had crunched under her feet but she'd been too terrified to stop. It was chasing her. She didn't know what It was though; just that it was big and terrifying and all she could assign it were those eyes. Demon eyes! That's what she thought of them as. She swore she could almost smell brimstone if she tried too hard to picture them in her mind. And someone had been laughing… someone who wasn't the demon. It was a cruel laugh that frightened her almost more than the demon did.

She crawled from her bed and went to splash water on her face. A few minutes later she returned to her bed. She grabbed Mr Totters and snuggled him tight. He didn't smell like brimstone at all. He smelt of Harry. She smiled and closed her eyes. Harry had held her hand again yesterday. He hadn't the day before, but yesterday he had. Holding his hand was even better than holding Bill's.

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A week after making up with Ginny, found Harry with her outside of the Defense classroom waiting to be let in. "I know he's a blood traitor, but he is wealthy… and a Lord," Tracey sneered. "He could do so much better than a pauper like her."

"Especially with her face all scarred like that," Pansy added.

"I thought it was an improvement," Draco said. "I mean at least now there's one area on her face that isn't covered with all those horrid spots." His friends laughed.

Ginny caught Harry's arm when he started forward. "Ignore them," she hissed.

"I'll bet she has them everywhere," Tracey said. "How utterly disgusting."

The door opened. Lockhart beamed his dazzling smile. Harry seriously wondered if the git was using some kind of charm; it wasn't natural. "Good morning! Lovely day. Exciting class planed for you all! Come in. Come in." The class filed in and took seats. Entering last, Harry and Ginny lost the battle for a table at the back of the and were stuck up front with the rest of the idiots who somehow hadn't figured out the man was a fraud.

"And how are we all today?" Lockhart asked.

"Very good, Professor," Lavender answered. Harry rolled his eyes. The girl was an utter twit.

"Excellent, Miss Brown. And thank you for the lovely card you sent." He winked at her causing her to blush profusely.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry muttered.

Lockhart clapped his hands together. "Well then, let's get to it, shall we?" Harry sighed; resigning himself to another lesson spent pretending to be whatever dark wizard or creature Lockhart had defeated as they role-played the stories from his books. "Today we shall be reviewing my defeat of the Bandon Banshee. I trust all of you have read Break with a Banshee by now?"

"Yes, Professor," Parvati gushed, "it was terrifying. Harry shook his head sadly. There just didn't seem to be a lot of brains going on in the second-year Gryffindor girls. He really didn't know how Hermione could stand sharing a room with them.

Lockhart beamed at her. "Of course you have. Take ten points for Gryffindor, Miss Patil." Harry nearly laughed. Gryffindor were still negative by over a hundred points for the year. Never mind they were on track to finish with less than fifty points for the year; they might actually stay in the negative! Harry hated to help Snape with anything, but if he didn't do something to help ensure it Hermione would never forgive him.

"Mr Potter," Lockhart said. "Would you be so kind?"

"Actually, Sir," Harry said, "as we're studying banshees, wouldn't it make more sense to pick a girl to assist you?"

Lockhart cocked his head. "Too right! Well spotted, Harry. Take five points for Slytherin." He scanned the class. A half dozen girls' hands shot into the air. "Let's see. No, no, Miss Patil, Miss Brown, you're both far too sweet to play the roll of a banshee. We need someone with a bit of nastiness too her. Ah! How about you Miss Weasley?"

Malfoy and his lot all laughed. "She's nasty alright," Blaise hissed from behind them. Harry was caught between the desire to kill Lockhart and his roommate.

Lockhart smiled brightly at Ginny. "What say you, Miss Weasley, think you can make a cracking banshee?"

Ginny's face had paled and her hands were shaking in her lap. "Yes, Professor," she said quietly.

"That's the spirit! Come on then."

Harry grabbed Ginny before she could get up. "You're nasty in all the right ways," he whispered in her ear. "And I still think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Ginny looked at him sharply. It was the first time since making up that either of them had come anywhere close to where they had been when they'd boarded the train last spring for the ride home.

"Come along, Miss Weasley." Ginny gave Harry a tentative smile and joined the professor. "Now," Lockhart began. Harry winked at her and grabbed his bag. Hermione had found a spell to switch the covers of their books. He could spend the hour reading transfiguration and Lockhart would think he was following along in Break with a Banshee. Unfortunately he had trouble locating the correct book and ended up piling book after book on his desk.

"Now let's get a good banshee scream out of you, Miss Weasley!" Lockhart said.

Harry clapped his hands over his ears. Bloody hell! he thought. He looked up in time to see Ginny crumple to the floor where she went into convulsions.

"Excellent Miss Weasley!" Lockhart cried.

"Ginny!" Harry shouted. He vaulted over the desk and dropped to his knees at her side.

"Harry, you're not supposed to help her," Lockhart complained. Ginny was thrashing wildly about and blood was running form a gash over her eye where she had hit her head when she'd fallen. "Come now, Harry, you're interfering with the story."

"Shut up you twat!" Harry shouted. He wanted to try and hold Ginny but thought he remembered you weren't supposed to restrain someone if they were having a fit. He triggered his wand and cast a cushioning charm on the floor.

"I say, Harry, that is not in keeping with the story at all."

"Oh bloody hell," Harry muttered. "Stupefy!" Lockhart slumped to the ground, smacking his head solidly on the stone floor. Harry returned his attention to Ginny. She was spasming a bit less now.

"He attacked him!" Lavender cried. "He really is the Heir of Slytherin!"

"Oh for the love of Merlin, Brown," Daphne snapped disdainfully, "shut up before you infect the rest of us with your stupidity." She settled to her knees beside Harry. "Shishong went to get the Matron."

"What the hell is wrong with her? Did he do something?"

"Not that I saw. She's gone still," Daphne observed. Harry felt for a pulse on Ginny's wrist. "Is she… petrified?"

"I don't think so," Harry said. "Hermione barely has a pulse. Ginny's is still strong."

Just then the matron hurried in. "What's going on he…" she trailed off when she saw Lockhart sprawled on the floor.

"He attacked Professor Lockhart!" Lavender cried. "He's the Heir of Slytherin!"

"I saw it too, Madam Pomfrey!" Draco cried. The whole class broke into pandemonium.

"SHUT UP!" Harry roared. The windows exploded. Silence followed. Unnatural silence. "She's hurt," Harry pleaded, focused on the Matron. "I think she might be petrified, but her pulse is much stronger than Hermione or Luna's." The matron tried to respond but found she couldn't open her mouth. "Oh for fuck's sake," Harry muttered. He pointed his wand at her. "Finite!"

"You are in a world of trouble young man."

"Yeah, whatever, can you focus on your job and help her?"

The matron knelt down beside Ginny. "Tell me what happened."

"I'm not really sure. She was helping Professor Lockhart enact a scene from Break with a Banshee. He told her to do her best banshee scream. She screamed—" Daphne tugged his arm at that point and motioned to her mouth. "Oh, sorry. Finite!"

"Thanks." Daphne turned to the Matron. "She didn't just scream, "Ma'am. Well she did, but it wasn't like an acting scream. It was horrible. It went on and on, and I'm really surprised she didn't break the windows. I couldn't even listen to it and had to cover my ears. But then she just stopped, just that fast, and collapsed and went into a fit. Professor Lockhart was upset with Harry because he thought he was interfering with the reenactment and didn't realize there was something wrong with Ginny. Harry stunned him so he'd shut up."

"You stunned a professor!"

"I was afraid he'd do something like debone her head if he realized she was actually hurt," Harry defended himself.

The matron rocked her head back and forth. "Well I can't say that isn't a fair point… So she just went into a fit?"

"Yes."

"And who cast the cushioning charm under her?"

"I did," Harry said.

"That was good thinking. Take five points." She had been continuing to examine Ginny while they were talking. "Oh my," she paused.

"What?" Harry demanded at the same time as Dumbledore walked in the room.

"What has happened, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.

The nurse looked up. "She's been Memory Charmed; dozens of times."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "And she is now in a coma as her mind tries to deal with having broken through them?"

"Yes."

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Harry was a wreck. Someone had been attacking Ginny. Along with the Memory Charms, someone had also cast dozens of Compulsion Charms on her. They couldn't tell for how long things had been like this; but the shear number suggested at least a year and probably longer. It was possible she could have been acting under the effects of Compulsion Charms since her first year! The implications of it were endless. Of course the most damaging was the possibility she had revealed all the secrets she had been told to whomever was manipulating her.

But for Harry, the most difficult thing to deal with was the idea that his entire relationship with her could be due to them. He was sick with the thought she may have never really liked him. What if it had only been the Compulsion Charms? What if she really didn't like him and the way she had treated him most of the year was how she really thought of him and it was only Compulsion Charms that had caused her to make up with him?

He didn't think he'd be able to take it if that were the case. They'd made up and were friends again. They'd held hands a couple of times over the next week, but that had been it. He'd not kissed her nor her him and they'd not talked about being boyfriend and girlfriend again. It just felt like it needed more time before they could go back to that. But he still liked her that way. Now he felt like that was further away than ever.

Harry looked up as someone came around the curtain. "Alright there, Potter?"

Harry shrugged. "Not really."

Bill sat down on the other side of Ginny's bed. "Know the feeling." They sat in silence for quite a while before either of them spoke again.

"Do you think she ever really liked me?"

Bill sighed. "Honestly, my gut says she did… or does."

"But maybe she doesn't," Harry countered.

"Maybe she doesn't," Bill agreed. He leaned forward and brushed Ginny's hair back from her face. "She's gonna be a mess when she wakes up."

When she woke up. Like himself, Bill refused to consider that Ginny wouldn't wake or that her mind could be shredded from having broken the Memory Charms. Harry could think of little so horrifying as the idea Ginny might wake but never really function properly again; that she might spend the rest of her days in St. Mungo's permanent care ward. "How do you mean?"

Bill didn't answer right away and before he did he took out his wand and cast a privacy spell around them. "What is it the single most important lesson regarding Legilimency?"

Harry stared at him before bowing his head and pressing his palms into his eyes. "The mind is the most sacred part of our being… She's not going to trust anything. Even if it wasn't the Compulsion Charms making her like me, she's not going to believe it." He looked at Bill. "is she?"

"It's a good probability, yeah."

"I'm going to kill them," Harry said. "Whoever did this to her, I'm going to kill them."

Bill stared back at him. "Get in line, Kid."

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Ginny blinked her eyes open. What in the world had happened and how had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was being in her bed writing Tom. She certainly wasn't in her bed any longer. She didn't even appear to be in her room any longer. Though she was still in a bedroom; a bedroom in the Slytherin dormitories yet, if the hangings on the two beds were any indication. She looked around fearfully and nearly screamed. There was a boy there! He was quite tall, with dark black hair. His face was attractive with high cheekbones and his eyes were an icy blue that while very pretty did not give the impression of warmth. Was this his room? If so, what was she doing in a boy's dormitory?

"Hello, Ginevra dear," he introduced himself.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

He smiled. It was a disarming smile. "Well you told me of course. But then you wouldn't know that yet. Allow me to introduce myself. Tom Marvolo Riddle, at your service." He bowed with a flourish.

"T–Tom?" Ginny stuttered. "B–B–But how? You're just a diary?"

"As to how you are here, well I brought you. And I'm afraid I may not have been entirely honest with you, Ginevra. You see, I am far more than a simple diary. Ah, ah," he cut her off when she opened her mouth to question him. "Not yet, my lovely. We're not ready for that. I've accomplished my goal for now and it is time for you to wake up."

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Harry flopped down in the chair opposite Neville at their accustomed table in the library. Really, at this point it might be their section of the library. Between the whole Heir of Slytherin mess, stunning Lockhart, blowing out the windows of the Defense classroom and sealing the mouths of his classmates shut, pretty much no one but Neville, the Slytherin quidditch team and now Daphne was willing to be within twenty feet of him. Harry was good with that. His mood was… foul. It took concerted effort on his part to be civil even to Neville.

"Alright, Harry?"

"Bloody brilliant," Harry muttered.

"How was – was d–detention?"

Harry scowled; he'd been assigned three hours detention every Saturday for the rest of term for stunning Lockhart, breaking the windows in the Defense classroom and silencing the rest of his classmates. He'd also lost a hundred points for Slytherin for it; which at this point in the year pretty much guaranteed Slytherin were out of the running for the House Cup. They were set for third and would have been last if it were a normal year. Hermione would be impressed. He'd taken Slytherin down with Gryffindor. He was rather pleased with himself. "Useless. I spent three hours polishing awards in the trophy room. I swear, Filch thought I was going to steal something; made me turn out my pockets before I left. What the hell am I going to do with Tom Riddle's award for services to the school?"

"W–who's Tom Riddle?"

Harry shrugged. "No idea, but he won an award for services to the school in 1943. I'm telling you they should have given me an award for services to the school for stunning that git; not assign me detention… Bloody waste of time." He heaved himself to his feet, heading for where the archives of the Daily Prophet were kept. "I'll be back."

"Alright," Neville agreed.

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Ginny ran to the door and yanked it open. She slammed it shut and raced down the hall to the common room. From behind her she could hear Tom laughing. "Run, Ginevra, run." She flew to the exit and pulled the door open. "Boo!" Tom said from where he was leaning against the wall in the hallway. Ginny slammed the door and raced back into the common room. Tom was sitting in a chair calmly reading a book. "While mildly amusing, this is rather tedious, Ginevra." Ginny spun around and ran for her bedroom. She opened the door and found herself yanked in by her wrist. The door slammed shut. "If you wanted to play in the bedroom, why did you leave in the first place?" Tom teased.

Ginny struggled against him but he was far too strong to break away from. She aimed a kick at his bits but he shifted, blocking her. Something clicked in her mind and she gave in. Surprised by her sudden lack of fight she was able to twist and throw him. She raced for the door but it was locked. She turned around, back pressed to the door.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Tom chuckled softly. "Oh, now I'm afraid I'm having far too much fun to do that. He flicked a finger at her and the edge of her nightdress lifted. Ginny grabbed it, holding it down. Tom laughed again. "I do so love when you fight back, Ginevra." He flicked his finger again and her arms snapped to her sides. "You're not unattractive, you know." Ginny flew forward, stopping only feet from him. He eyed her up and down. "Perhaps a bit young though," he mused. Ginny struggled with everything in her to break free of his hold while Tom walked around her. "But, as this is my mind," he taunted, "maybe if we did this?" Ginny couldn't help gasping. Tom pressed himself against her back. "Hmm, now this is much better." His arm slipped around her middle and slid up to cup her fully-grown breast.

"NO!" Ginny screamed.

Tom was blasted away from her and when she turned to face him again she was back in her normal twelve-year-old body. Tom picked himself up from the floor. A drop of blood grew on his lip that he wiped away. "Someone knows how to play," he taunted. Before she could say a word she crumpled to the ground and knew no more.

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STUDENT EXPELLED FROM HOGWARTS

Rubeus Hagrid, a third year Gryffindor boy was expelled from Hogwarts this Tuesday past. It has been confirmed the ministry has banned the young man from performing magic and his wand has been snapped.

As to a reason for the expulsion Headmaster Armando Dippet was tight-lipped and would say only that young Rubeus had a long history of pushing beyond behavior considered acceptable for a student of Hogwarts and that this had been a long time coming.

Inquiries as to just what prior infractions Rubeus was guilty of were met with sealed lips by both the school and the ministry. Certainly young Rubeus must have been quite the miscreant to have compiled a list of transgressions significant enough to see his expulsion before completing even half of his magical education.

While official sources have been less than forthcoming, others have confirmed Rubeus did garner more than his share of trouble centered around a penchant for dangerous creatures. One source has even claimed Rubeus was keeping an acromantula as a pet.

The expulsion certainly begs the question of a connection to the death of fellow third year student Myrtle Elizabeth Warren. Readers will recall Myrtle was found dead the morning of 14 June, having passed away sometime the previous night.

Certainly if any connection can be found we would expect a trial to be forthcoming.

Harry put the article down and grabbed for his copy of Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was early April and one week since Ginny had broken the Memory Charms placed on her and fallen into a coma. He quickly found the section on acromantulas.

Acromantulas: King of Spiders

The acromantula is known as the King of

spiders and is classified a class five magical beast by ministries the world over. This classification and its title are well earned as its fearsome reputation is backed by its lethality.

Acromantulas can grow to the size of a midsized automobile. And the mandibles of a fully-grown acromantula can snap the femur bone of an adult cow.

Acromantulas are actually quite intelligent and are considered sentient. They live in large colonies with one of the largest being in the Forbidden Forest of my home country, Scotland.

Despite their intelligence, acromantulas are vicious creatures who will not hesitate to kill a witch or wizard with which they have just conversed pleasantly for a number of hours.

Acromantulas kill by injection of venom through biting. Their venom is fast acting, usually incapacitating their prey within one to two minutes. Once their prey is incapacitated, an acromantula will bind it up in silken spinnings and wait patiently for the three to four days the venom takes to kill its prey by liquefying its internal organs. The acromantula will then drink the liquefied meal leaving behind an empty husk.

Owing to its many eyes, the acromantula's mortal enemy is the basilisk, which can kill simply by looking into its yellow eyes. Spiders in general will flee any place a basilisk might inhabit.

Harry frowned, while he couldn't deny the fearsomeness of an acromantula it couldn't be possible that one was responsible for the attacks on Hermione, Luna and the rest, could it? Sure the victims were all petrified, but that was it. None of them were dying because their internal organs were being liquefied. Besides, Sir Nicholas, the Gryffindor ghost, having been petrified, was a victim as well and how, exactly, would an acromantula bite a ghost? No, he decided, it couldn't be an acromantula. That didn't mean Rubeus Hagrid wasn't responsible, but it certainly didn't confirm it either. What, exactly did the ministry know that they weren't telling?

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Ginny slipped into the toilet and moved to the sink on the far end. Her body trembled with fear. Tom was doing something to her again. It was different than before though. She was definitely awake this time; not locked in some fabrication within his or her mind. She was just as powerless to stop him though. Only when he pushed as far as sexually assaulting her in those fabrications did she seem able to fight back. "Very good, Ginevra," his voice praised sibilantly within her mind. "Now." Ginny struggled with every bit of her but she found her mouth moving with the thought of Open and a strange sound like, "Hassshasheessh," pushing past her lips. There was a clunk and the sound of stone grating against stone and the sink slid away, revealing a hole in the floor. Steps, she thought while, "shethasshann," issued from her mouth. The sound of grating stone filled her ears again and steps formed within the hole in the floor.

She tried; so very hard not to, but she was descending the stairs and, "Hesthsshsh," followed the thought of, Close. She lit her wand and down and down she went. Deeper and deeper for what she thought had to be at least ten minutes. Finally she stepped into a large cavern. Things crunched under her feet as she walked and when she looked down she saw she was treading on the bones of hundreds and thousands of small dead animals. She screamed silently because that was all that was available to her. Shortly she came across a massive skin of some sort. It was green and reminded her of dragon scales. Her mind recoiled as she trailed a hand along the skin as she walked past. Shortly she came do a massive door with entwined snakes carved on it.

"You're very lucky, Ginevra," Tom said in her mind, "You're only the second person to look on this in the thousand years since the great Salazar Slytherin sealed his Chamber of Secrets. Patience, Ginevra. I know you have questions, all will be revealed in time. But first, the potion." Ginny's hand moved to her pocket and extracted the phial within. She uncorked it and tipped it to her lips. It burnt; like nothing before she had ever swallowed. She gagged, but couldn't stop herself from drinking. Her throat was left raw like she had drunk a mug of boiling water. Tears streamed from her eyes it was so painful. It took a few minutes for it to pass and when she blinked away her tears there seemed to be a thin film over her eyeballs, making it as if she was looking through thick dust or smoke.

"Hesthsshsh," she hissed. There was a clunk and the entwined snakes separated. A seam opened in the wall and two sides of a great door slid open. Ginny stepped through. Light she thought. "Hishltethh," escaped her mouth. A dozen torches lit on either side of her, illuminating a massive chamber. Gigantic stone columns carved in the form of a cobra supported the ceiling. At the far end of the chamber there was a colossal statue of a man with ape-like features and a beard that hung to the bottom of his stone robes.

Behold, Ginevra," Tom said breathlessly, The Chamber of Secrets. Constructed by the great Salazar Slytherin right under the noses of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. And I, the last Heir of Slytherin himself, found it; fifty-two years ago when I was but a student of Hogwarts myself. And now, my dear, it is time you met my little pet."

Come to me, Great King of Serpents, I, the Heir of Slytherin command it! Ginny thought before hissing a long string of words together.

"Bow now, Ginevra," Tom said. And she did. A strange hissing sound filled her ears. A sound she well knew, but couldn't translate without Tom putting the words in her mind and mouth. "It's hungry, Ginevra. That's what it's saying. It wants to kill, to taste blood." Ginny wanted to run, to cry, to close her eyes, to open her eyes and wake in her bed to find this was nothing but a nightmare, but everything that was her will was denied. "And look up now, my dear, sweet, Ginevra." She did. Her heart stopped. Her breath stopped. Her mind stopped. She was staring into the eyes of a basilisk. It loomed over her some twenty feet with an even longer section of its body still on the floor of the chamber. "He's glorious, isn't he, my sweet?" Ginny was incapable of any sort of response. Nothing at all was available to her. "Look away now, Ginevra." Something that wasn't herself moved her head and she was able to breathe again. "We wouldn't wish to tempt fate too far, now would we?" Her heart raced a gazillion beats a minute and her mind registered pain; pain unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was as if her whole body had been dipped in the potion she'd swallowed before entering the chamber and she screamed; a shriek of anguish and fear and a wish for help to match any the world had heard previously. Her plea went unanswered, swallowed in the vastness of the cavern and the thousands of tonnes of rock between her and any who might have come to her aid. Tom chuckled malevolently. "My dearest, Ginevra, you don't even know it is not him you should fear."

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Author's notes:

Poor Ginny. Can you imagine what went through her head on seeing the diary in Harry's hands? Oh, yeah, guess you can, I've been telling you. Hope you like it so far.

I haven't done it in a while, but thank you to all my readers and a special thanks to those have reviewed. You make my day.