I snorted, "Hagrid? Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets? That's daft, that is."

I sat with Hermione in the library. She was just telling me Harry's suspicion, which actually sounded like the absolute strangest conclusion. Harry had the diary, so Riddle must have instilled that idea in him… but even I knew Hagrid couldn't have, so why couldn't the three realize that something was up?

"I know… Harry found out the story from a teacher –"

Lies, I thought as Hermione explained.

"– and Riddle had gotten an award because he caught Hagrid as the one who let the beast out… but he may have gotten the wrong person."

He framed the person, I thought with a sigh. "You know Hagrid better than anyone, and I know the three of you don't think he did it."

"What if he did it without realizing he was doing it? He likes monsters as though they're sweet pets, he might not have realized it was dangerous and just let it out to stretch its legs." Hermione said.

"Do we know what the monster even is yet?" I asked.

"Something hairy," Hermione said, "and we also know that whatever it is, spiders are afraid of it."

Not hairy, so at least they're on the wrong track with that… "Spiders are afraid of it…" I muttered. I knew about stories of the Basilisk that mom told me, but I dared not tell any of it to Hermione. Then they'd know exactly what was in the Chamber, and I don't need that right now.

Hermione shrugged, "And, uh, do you know where the Gryffindor common room is?"

I looked up at her in surprise, "What brought that on?"

"Just that you might've secretly followed us to our common room after Harry and Ron snuck into yours in the disguise of Crabbe and Goyle."

"Really?" I asked her. "How about one way for you to know I've snuck in is when one of your friends acts really strange. That's me having taken a Polyjuice Potion."

"Right…" Hermione said, "Well, someone broke into Harry's room and stole the diary. I knew it wouldn't be you, but Ron wanted me to ask. Someone really destroyed their room to find it."

Ginny… I thought. At least that's out of the way.

"You don't think it was me, do you?" I asked.

"I don't, but…"

I rolled my eyes and stood up, "As if I care what those two think of me. Like I'd really need an empty diary just because it was my dad's."

Once out of the library, I ran into Ginny and was suddenly engulfed in a hug accompanied with tears. I hugged her back in slight surprise, gasping when she suddenly grabbed my hand and ran through the halls.

She'd led me into the girls' bathroom, Moaning Myrtle's. Ginny took out the diary and thrust it at me.

"I can't take it anymore!" she said.

"W-What's wrong?" I asked, looking down at the diary in my hand.

"N-Never mind…" she stuttered nervously. "B-But maybe you should k-keep the d-diary, it is in y-your name."

I tried to think of some way in which I could keep her from giving to me, but found none so I only nodded to her. "Sure, I guess that would make sense… but you act as though something is wrong. Did he say something?"

She shook her head vigorously, "No, he said nothing wrong! Nothing at all!"

"I won't do anything if he did. Myrtle knows how he was the worst bully when he was in school. Worse even than Draco. Did he say something?"

"It's more what he didn't say… but it's not important."

"All right…" I said uncertainly.

That next Saturday was the Gryffindor match against Hufflepuff; the last one before our final exams. I was on my way to the game with Draco placing bets on Hufflepuff, with hopes, when I saw Hermione waving to me. Quite frantically, too.

"I'll see you later Draco. I've got to go do something." I said, sprinting away.

"Come quick," Hermione said, "I think I've just figured something out!"

Hermione led me through the library and straight into one of the shelves, pulling it out and looking through the book. I looked around, Madam Pince wasn't around, but a Ravenclaw prefect was.

"What is it you've figured out?" I asked.

"Harry speaks Parseltongue, and there's a voice he keeps hearing before there's an attack that no one else hears… spiders flee before the thing…" Hermione ripped out a page of the book and showed it to me. "It's a Basilisk."

"Oh!" I said, "Now I know what I was thinking about the other day! That's why it's so familiar… it also has deathly powers in its eyes."

"Exactly!" Hermione said, taking out a small, circular mirror.

The Ravenclaw prefect came into the aisle we were in and said, "Shh, this is a library not a hearing room." But then she stiffened, "What was that?"

Hermione and I heard it, too. A hiss, a movement… a book fell.

"Look into the mirror," Hermione said, crumbling up the page from the book in her free hand and holding it tight. "It will keep us from dying."

What is the Basilisk doing out? I didn't leave it open, did I? No… I couldn't have, I remember closing it. I know I did! As I thought all of this, the Basilisk came up behind us and both girls beside me stiffened. The mirror fell from Hermione's hand… the girls were petrified.

I turned to it, "How did you get out? You're not supposed to be out during the day, and –"

The Basilisk turned away and its tail wrapped tightly around my waist, taking me away from the library and finding some pipes to slither through. I struggled to get out, telling it to let me go and worried when it wouldn't.

"At least tell me what's going on." I said resignedly.

"Master Tom had the little red head open the Chamber. She was too late to throw it away. He has taken over her mind now."

My mouth dropped open. Now was my chance, I could call for help and no one would believe I had had anything to do with Tom Riddle's diary. Only… I had it on me… and I wasn't in any sort of trance, they'd notice that firsthand.

Back in the girls' bathroom, the Chamber right there, the Basilisk slid on in. As we went down, I said the word to close the Chamber before we landed anywhere.

"I can walk now, thank you." I told the Basilisk. It wouldn't let go.

I scoffed.

Then, I saw what the real Chamber was. It was very long, and dimly lit by torches. There were many towering pillars along the side with many carved serpents on them. They rose to support a ceiling lost in the darkness, and cast dark shadows in the greenish, gloomy place.

The Basilisk finally let go of me and I gave a deep sigh.

I took out the diary, a quill and some ink and talked to Tom in the diary. "It's Melody. What is going on? The Basilisk has taken me down into the Chamber… what for?"

"To show you where all this began, and where I want you to stay with me for a while."

"How long will I stay down here?"

"You'll see… it depends. Once I get Ginny down here, Harry Potter will come to save her."

"He doesn't know where the entrance is… but with his Mudblood friend's information, he'll know that the monster everyone fears is a Basilisk. Perhaps, in time, he'll realize that Moaning Myrtle is the girl that died fifty years ago and in the very place she haunts. I suppose you meant for this to happen?"

"In a way."

I took a deep breath, let it out, and wrote, "How will I survive down here?"

"Like this."

As with before, a window appeared in the diary and I was pulled right into it. I landed on hard ground, this time ready for it, I stood before Tom.

"This will keep me alive while we wait for the time to come?" I asked.

"Yes, and when Ginny comes she'll write in this diary… I will have about half of her strength and will continue to get it as long as she lies around incapable of protecting herself."

"Then Harry Potter will come to try and save her." I finished.

He nodded and held his hand out to me, "We have much to catch up on, my daughter. Though I am only a memory of Lord Voldemort, once I am at full strength I can go find him and be one with him."

I took it, wondering if anyone would notice I disappeared… perhaps my friends, but what about the teachers and the headmaster? Hermione obviously wouldn't, but she'll be okay soon enough with the help of the growing Mandrakes. What about Gilderoy Lockhart? Would he notice I was missing and tell anybody? Tell my mother to let her know? What if I never find out?