November 1, 1995

11

There are no secrets that time does not reveal.

- Jean Racine

"You know," Harry begins as he walks into the bathroom, his voice echoes out and the transparent, twelve year old ghost snaps his head up and looks at them, warily, "For a ghost, you're pretty hard to find."

"We've been here, at least, over a dozen time," Draco says, irritably, "Who are you hiding from?"

"Who are you?" His voice is high-pitched just as Harry remembered Ron's was when they were in second year. It makes him feel nostalgic and a bit uneasy as he looks at the ghost of his best friend.

Harry chances a glance at Draco as he asks, "Do you think it would work with a ghost?"

Draco shakes his head, helplessly, "I have no idea."

Harry sighs before he turns to Ron and says, "I'm Harry Potter." Ron widens his eyes, straightening up as magic shimmers and dissipates right before his eyes and a messy-haired, green eyed man stands in front of him.

"Draco Malfoy." Draco says before, a moment later, a blond-haired man is revealed.

"How did you do that? W-what do you want from me?" He asks in fright, gliding over to them, they take a step back to avoid making skin contact with him. "I'm a ghost, so there's no reason to bully me. Trust me, a lot of idiots have tried and failed."

"Merlin, were we all this short in second year." Draco mutters, shaking his head in surprise. Harry digs an elbow in his side to shut him up and Draco grunts.

"I'm not short!" Ron shouts, the sound echoes in the bathroom before he glides away, "Just leave me alone, I don't want any company."

"Is that why you hide so much?" Harry asks, gently. "You're like a haunted story told to kids at night." He sighs when the ghost doesn't answer, "Listen, Ron, we have some questions as to what happened to you."

"Nothing happened to me," Ron says, quickly, turning back to him. "I choose to be here."

"Right," Draco drawls, sarcastically, "Because we all want to come back as ghosts."

If Ron's cheeks could redden, they would have as he looks away from them and mutters, "Well, what do you want?"

"How did you die?"

Ron turns to them with a guarded look, "Why would you care?"

"You died here, didn't you?" Draco asks, looking at him, intently. "You're not Harry Potter and you don't have dumb luck so you died when you met him."

"What?" Ron asks in confusion, "Who is Harry Potter?"

"Don't mind him," Harry says, he takes a step forward, "But, is that really how you died?"

"Not entirely," Ron says, slowly. "I died right under here, in a chamber; I suppose my body is still under there."

"How did you get down there?"

"Someone pushed me down the entrance. The chamber was already open so I walked until I reached the end," He pauses, gliding over to the sink taps. "I-I found a young man with my sister down there, unconscious. I couldn't let her die, he said she was going to die!"

"What happened?' Harry asks, quietly.

"He offered for me to take her place a-and I did, I died thirty minutes later but I didn't go on, I was afraid of death, you see - I was only twelve years old! Too young to think about death so I came back as a ghost." His finished off in a whisper, his voice fills with regret and sadness.

Harry is silent before he walks until he standing next to Ron's hovering form and he leans forward to find the right tap.

"Harry," Draco groans as he walks forward, "Please, don't tell me you are about to -"

"Reopen the chamber?" Harry finishes with a glance at him, "Yes, I am."

"Your bravery is so not sexy, right now," Draco hisses as he pulls on his arms, causing them to stumble back from the ghost. "There is a Basilisk down there!"

"I won't bother it but…" Harry looks at his friend causing his heart to twist, "The Weasleys deserve to bury their child and the diary could be down there, knowing Voldemort he would be certain that there would be no other Parseltongues to open the chambers."

"Are you an idiot?" Draco snaps, "A Basilisk is down there!"

"You don't have to go," Harry says with a smile, "I'll be fine on my own."

"No, you won't," Draco huffs, crossing his arms across his chest. "You would die without me and...I'll follow you anywhere, even to the ends of the earth if I have to." He finished with a tiny mumble that Harry's barely catches.

"You're sweet," Harry says, as he pecks him on the lips. "I've never seen this side of you before. Dray is truly corrupting you."

"Oh, fuck off," Draco snaps, pushing him away from him. "Just open the damned thing!"

"I want to go with you," Ron pipes up after watching the two of them, "I want you to bring my body back to my family...or what's left of it." He looks uncomfortable at the idea that his body is now only dust after three years in the chambers.

Harry nods, "That we can do for you."

Ron sighs in relief as he hovers next to them, "Thank you."

Harry gives him a reassuring smile before he concentrate on the snake, taking in the glittering green of it and the sharp eyes, becoming entranced as he hiss, "Open."

Harry takes a step back as the floor begins to rumble under them and the sinks begin to move; sinking out of sight to reveal a large pipe. Draco looks down into the pipe and swallows heavily at the dark depth in panic.

"On second thought, maybe, I'll wait here." Draco says, nervously.

"We're all going," Harry says, rolling his eyes, as he gives him a sharp push which causes him to fall forward into the darkness, his terrified scream echoes through the air and Harry snickers. He turns to Ron who looks at it, terrified, "You're alright?"

Ron grimaces and the action is so familiar that Harry feels a pang in his chest, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Harry grins, sympathetically,"Then, let's go."

"This place smells disgusting." Draco makes a disgusted noise as they pass the second snake entrance and walks into the chamber. Harry rolls his eyes at his complaining. "It's also filthy."

"Oh, stop your complaining, we're here." Harry says, as he looks around the chamber. He would never forget the terror he felt in these very chambers when he was being chased by a large Basilisk as Ginny died, slowly. He lets out a breath and pushes the memory away, forcefully.

"You've got to be kidding me," Draco shouts in frustration, snapping him out of his thought. Harry looks to see him kneeling near the statue of Slytherin. "Other than a pile of bones, there's nothing here."

"Those piles of bones are me!" Ron shouts in a sharp screech as he swiftly glides his way to hover near Draco, his eyes wide as he looks down. "That's...me." Harry looks at him with sympathy, it must've been disconcerting to see what once was your bone now in a pile of bones.

"We'll get them to your family, Ron, I promise." Harry says as he kneels next to Draco. He shakes his head as he rummages through the pile of bones, trying to spot the little, black book. "I don't understand, I'm sure Voldemort's ego would make him leave it here."

Draco frowns, thinking silently for a moment before he says, "Shit, shit, shit," He muttered before he turns to Ron, "Who pushed you down here?"

Ron looks confused but says, softly, "He was supposed to be my best friend but, instead, he betrayed me…"

"I don't care about the back story, just tell me who!" Draco shouts, impatiently

"Neville Longbottom." Ron says, quickly, his eyes wide in fright.

"Neville?" Harry asks in confusion. Draco looks at him, pointedly, and Harry's stomach drops as his eyes widen in realization, he shakes his head, quickly, in denial, "Oh, no, you are not thinking that."

"What other explanation could there be?" Draco says, rolling his eyes.

"But why wouldn't he take Neville, instead?" Harry asks, with a frown. "Why didn't he kill him off, then?"

"Because Voldemort is an egocentric nutcase that wants to destroy Neville with his own bare hands," Draco says, he taps his chin in thought. "Or, at least, that is the general consensus. There has to be more to the graveyard then people let on."

"We could ask Neville about it," Harry begins as he pulls out his wand, flicking it so the bones can gather themselves on their own accord. "But I highly doubt he would say anything."

"What the bloody hell is going on!" Ron shouts, glaring at them menacingly. "Please, just tell me."

"Your sister wasn't possessed by the book, Weasley," Draco says, softly as he stands up, "She didn't have the book, at all."

'What do you mean?" Ron looks between the two in confusion, not following at all. "How could she not have the book? Why would she be down here, then?"

"Because Lucius Malfoy had Riddle's diary when I was twelve," Draco says, "But in this world, Lucius Malfoy has been gone for the last eleven years."

Ron glides to them, so close now, that Draco shivers at the icy cold that tingles on his skin, "I'm not following, not one bit."

"It's a long story, but we're from another dimension," Harry rubs his eyes, tiredly, "You really don't want to know."

"If Lucius Malfoy hasn't been here for the last eleven year than the Malfoy Manor would be unoccupied and Ministry property, by now." Draco says, "So, that would mean that they would have raided and confiscated any dark magic in the house, including any suspicious books."

"Which means that it would be at Ministry these past years," Harry sighs as he takes a step back from a ghost, "And you've been tricked into thinking your sister was in danger when, really, you were the real target all along."

"What?" Ron recoils, gliding back until he was a few feet away from Draco.

"Look, if the diary been at the Ministry for a little over a decade, what if a lonely child was there, as well? What if that child was curious one day, wandered around and managed to get into a room - a room that held the diary and took it." Draco says, his lips thin, "What if that child was Neville Longbottom and for all these years he's been carrying that book with him?"

"But if it was in a secured room, how could he have gotten in?" Harry wonders, looking at Draco. "They, surely,would have put up at least a locking charm."

"The Ministry is a ruse, Harry, and anything could be obtainable as long as you have access to it," Draco says, "You smuggled in yourself at the age of fifteen and destroyed a whole department."

Harry nods, thoughtfully, "Maybe, they wanted someone to find it?"

"Yeah but who?" Draco asks, "And why?"

Ron's hovered, silently, trying to wrap his head around their words and he glides forward, hurriedly, "Wait! Wait! I-I don't understand...are you trying to say that you think…"

"That Neville Longbottom may be possessed and carries a dark piece of Voldemort's soul with him?" Harry finishes for him, fiddling with his wand as he looks up, "Then, yes, we are."