Year Two
Disclaimer: All of this is based upon the lovely J.K. Rowling's work. I own nothing except for a few non-canon characters to be introduced along the way. All of the paraphrased or direct quotes are from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, text copyright 1998 by J.K. Rowling. This story also borrows and incorporates several ideas from They Shook Hands by Dethryl, which is posted on Schnoogle, and I highly recommend as it is a great fic.
Everything is in the British-English spellings and feel free to Brit-pick.
"blah": dialogue
'blah': thoughts
"blah": Parseltongue
"blah": Legilimency/Telepathy
Chapter Twenty: Riddle in the Dark
"So let me get this straight," Draco began, pacing back and forth in the space between Blaise's and his bed. "You accidentally put your soul in a diary when you were only trying to make a memory?" He gestured with his hand. "And not only that, but you can actually hear us when we talk as long as the diary is open?" He flung himself down next to Luna.
If Tom had been able to, he would have sighed.
Obviously, since you aren't writing, and I can still understand you.
If there was more than a twinge of sarcasm, they chose to ignore it.
To the first part…
He paused, not sure what to say.
"Tom?" Blaise prompted several moments later, the ensouled diary not yet writing anything else. He leaned closer to Holly, who was holding the book, so that he could see better.
Well, it wasn't all of my soul. It was only about 7/8 of it. The rest remained in my body, but it wasn't really enough to technically be considered a soul. It had no conscience, no morals. It mostly seemed to be a duplicate of my memories with a few other things thrown in. It was more like the memory I actually wanted to put in the diary, except it had part of my soul and stayed in my body instead.
The words stopped for a moment, as if Tom were remembering.
It didn't even want to reintegrate with me. It knew what had happened, but it simply sealed me in the diary and put me to sleep.
"You're only sort of a soul?" Luna asked with confusion. She nervously played with the hem of her robe, occasionally blinking her too large eyes.
Well, I am not really "sort of a soul"… I'm not even sure if that is even possible. It's one of those things were you either have one or you don't.
"So I'm guessing that you do," Draco cut in, a strange tone evident in his voice. He seemed somewhat shell-shocked, as if it truly hadn't sunken in yet, and he was only going through the motions.
Though to be fair, the same could really be said of Blaise and Luna. The two were starring at the diary with glazed expressions, the blonde occasionally blinking her impossibly large eyes and the boy rubbing his face tiredly. They both seemed too stunned to really process what was going on, looking to all the world like they had been hit with repeated hexes and were Confunded.
Only Holly was sparred from the shock of it all, mostly due to the fact that she had heard a big portion of the explanation earlier. To say that she had been initially surprised by Tom's revelation was an understatement of epic proportions. The girl had sat numbly as he had made his confessions, not really intending to hear him out but too confused to move.
That had been just an hour earlier, and she had immediately gone to her closest friends, the only ones that knew of the diary, telling them what she had learned. So here they were, on Blaise bed, with the door spelled shut and an Alarm charm on it. The other second-year boys were downstairs in the Common Room, Draco having given them some bogus excuse to keep them from the room for the next hour or so.
Blaise questioned, recovering, "And what about the attacks? Now and fifty years ago? By your own confession, you were the one that found the basilisk, so were you involved with everything else?" The brunet moved closer to Holly, the better to see the diary's answer.
No, but I thought I was. I was the one that awakened the basilisk, but not to harm people. I just wanted to talk to her; she knew Salazar himself.
He hesitated, clearly debating telling them something.
However, Tom eventually decided to get it out in the open as well.
I didn't really have many friends at Hogwarts, none that knew I was a Parselmouth, none that I was really close with. My Housemates tried, but I just couldn't really connect with them. We had little common ground outside of magic, and none of the other Houses would ever give a Slytherin the chance. I… I just wanted to have someone to talk to.
The red ink was fainter than usual when he finished. His mind swirled with regret and other nameless emotions.
The lone Ravenclaw added very softly, "What about Myrtle? Are you responsible for that?"
She – Myrtle – she died… and I panicked.
The writing sped up as he confessed. It was as if he was showing the awful truth as quickly as possible so that he wouldn't have to think about it for longer than absolutely necessary.
Holly empathised with him; she wouldn't want to hold on to the horror either.
I thought for sure that it was the basilisk, but I couldn't tell anyone what had happened. I'd have to explain, and there was no telling what they would do to me, especially since I'm a Parselmouth. They would have expelled me and sent me to Azkaban... or worse – back to the orphanage.
The script on the page was erratic and distorted as Tom added the last bit, almost like he was trembling.
The writing paused for a few heartbeats, like he was trying to catch his breath.
But I knew of Hagrid's pet. I had seen him with it during my Prefect rounds. I hoped that it really had been the spider, so I turned Hagrid in. I really didn't have any other choice. I couldn't go back to the orphanage. You know that, Holly. I couldn't go back.
The text turning very faint, like Tom was whispering.
I just couldn't.
Both girls shuddered as he unintentionally sent out an intense feeling of anguish.
I couldn't, not permanently.
The writing was so light now that it was barely a shadow on the page.
I wouldn't have survived to be eighteen.
The text stopped for a moment, and a shiver went up Holly's spine as she thought about what Tom had written. She knew the gist of Tom's stay at the orphanage, but she didn't delude herself into thinking that she knew the entire terrible truth. Still, to hear him put it like that shown new light on the entire situation, shoving the true horror into the spotlight.
Besides, the attacks stopped after Hagrid was expelled and his pet fled the castle. It truly might've been them.
"Or the real attacker wised up," Draco commented with a sniff.
Tom seemed chagrined.
That, too.
"But how do you know it wasn't the basilisk?" Blaise finally asked the question they had all been wondering.
Eyes.
He wrote it as if it explained everything.
Her eyes.
Draco snorted, gazing at the diary as though it might spring up and suddenly attack at any moment. "Well, that makes as much sense as one of Weasley's Potions essays."
He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. Apparently, the knowledge that he was talking to a younger version of Voldemort was now starting to sink in.
"Come again?" Holly queried in a much politer tone. She wasn't really sure what to do about Draco, not that she could blame his attitude. She was still somewhat jumpy around Tom herself.
Basilisks have white eyes!
That was written with almost enthusiasm.
The sole Ravenclaw blinked. "I honestly don't follow."
However, in that moment, something occurred to Holly. "Yellow. Myrtle said that she saw yellow eyes, not white." The girl looked at each of her friends in turn. "If she's correct, then it couldn't have possibly been the basilisk. It was either Aragog… or something else."
"Oh, right," Draco put in sarcastically. "Just how many dangerous beasts do you think are roaming around this castle?"
Holly glanced at him but didn't respond. She was thinking the same thing herself.
Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose in thought. "How could you know that they have white eyes? If you looked, you'd have died," the boy put in with heavy emphasis.
I didn't need to. Salazar Slytherin wrote it down. It was in one of his journals. If anyone would know, it'd be him.
The four students took a moment to process this new titbit of information.
"How do we know that you're telling the truth?" Blaise asked, making eye contact with Holly.
For one, I never had to tell you in the first place.
The brunet inclined his head in a slight sign of agreement. "That's true enough."
For another, Holly and Luna would be able to tell if I was lying.
"Wait," Draco put in. "How do you know about that?"
Remember, I can hear what's going on around whenever the diary is open. And you lot certainly aren't quiet about it when you think no one's listening.
The four students blinked.
"We'll have to work on that," Luna said faintly. "Perhaps the flying wimble-wambles will help us," she added a moment later, studying the interesting pattern of shadows on the ceiling.
Holly sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Anyway… he seems honest enough to me."
The other witch nodded absentmindedly, now braiding her hair.
"Why shouldn't we go to McGonagall or Professor Snape with this and let them sort it all out then?" Draco asked cautiously.
However, it was Luna who answered in Tom's place.
"We don't know what they would do to him. They could destroy the diary outright without giving us a chance to explain properly." She sighed slightly, still braiding her hair. "We can't turn Tom in, especially if he's innocent," the Ravenclaw whispered, leaning forward so that only he could hear. "Tom would be punished, perhaps even die – when he didn't really do anything worse than make a bad decision. Besides, Holly would have to explain about the diary and her telepathy. Her very life could be in danger if the Ministry learned of either. They'd label her an up and coming Dark Lady, a follower of You-Know-Who's footsteps."
The blond Slytherin eyed her for a moment before nodding. "Fine then." He hesitated, rubbing his chin in thought. "So if he's telling the truth, it wasn't the basilisk that was attacking people and probably not Aragog either. I've never heard of an Acromantula with the power to petrify," Draco finished carefully, addressing everyone.
Holly murmured, more to herself than to them, "So Hagrid really is innocent then."
Tom didn't respond, not knowing how. At the smallest Slytherin's forlorn look, Blaise reached over to take her hand, giving it a fierce squeeze.
Draco tapped his cheek with his finger. "And the whole deal with the Heir, what was that about?"
Tom hesitated, thinking it over.
The nearest I can tell is that it was meant to be a distraction, something to keep the faculty from focusing on the real culprit. I know that I certainly wasn't doing it, so it had to be the real culprit trying to pass on the blame.
Somehow, Holly managed to put two and two together, getting seventeen, and a little stab of agony shot through her at the realisation.
"You're the Heir of Slytherin then, and you know the location of the Chamber of Secrets," the girl said. "That's how you found the basilisk; it really is Slytherin's legendary monster."
Holly felt an internal sting of anguish. She had been searching from the Heir for months now, and Tom had known all along without even trusting her enough to tell her.
The other students momentarily looked at Holly as if she had grown another head, but slowly, their shock was replaced by comprehension.
Yes.
"Where?"
The ink appeared very slowly.
Under the school, but the entrance is elsewhere… the girl's loo. One of the taps doesn't work.
The red writing flowed onto the page in a rush.
It has a snake etched on it. You just need to whisper in Parseltongue, and the entrance will open.
"The same toilet Myrtle was killed in," Holly stated, not needing his confirmation.
Draco sighed then. "It doesn't really matter now, though. If the basilisk isn't doing it, then, the Chamber stuff is a ruse. Whoever is doing the attacks was trying to throw us off."
"So, basically, we're back to square one," the other boy put in with an unhappy sigh.
It was his turn to receive a hand-squeeze from Holly.
"Maybe not," she stated. "We know that the real culprit has an idea of where the entrance to the Chamber is, unless he or she is a very good guesser."
Draco's fact lit up. "That's right. They'd have to know since that's where they killed Myrtle, and they wrote the message about the Heir on the wall outside."
"Also, we have managed to eliminate several suspects; we just need to re-examine all the facts," the odd Eagle went on in Holly's place, now finished with her hair. "Surely, we can find some new clue from it." Luna glanced at one of the multiple watches that she wore. "But not tonight. Curfew starts in a little bit. I have to be back soon. Professor Flitwick does a count every evening."
The three Slytherins exchanged a look.
"We'll go with you. Nobody should be roaming around alone," the Slytherin girl replied quietly.
"Actually," Blaise inserted, making direct eye contact with his best friend, "I think that you should stay, Holly. Draco and I will be fine on our own. Tom and you should get started on re-examining everything. Every moment counts, you know."
His unspoken words were, "Tom and you have some things to work out… in private."
Holly blinked. "Fine," she allowed, knowing it was the truth. "I'll stay here and wait for you to return then." She fought the urge to fidget, instead frowning.
"Good," Draco responded. He offered his arm to Luna. "Shall we go, my lady?"
She took it with a slight smile, instantly joining in the dramatics. "Yes, we shall, silver knight. We will have to make haste as it is."
The pair rose, as did Blaise, and made for the door.
"Goodnight, Holly," Luna said, Draco also adding his farewell, too.
The other boy lingered for a moment, inclining his head at the diary. "Bye, Hols. I'll see you in a bit."
With that, he also departed.
She simply stared after him, not really wanting to talk to Tom at the moment. However, her desire for answers got the best of her, and Holly looked down.
Are you mad?
The words were already on the page when she finally looked back at it.
Please, don't be mad, Holly.
How he managed to sound so very lost and alone without actually speaking was beyond her.
"I'm not," she answered honestly. "I'm just…"
Bothered. Feeling betrayed.
"Maybe…" Holly shook her head, not wanting to continue. However, the feelings that had been boiling just under the surface ever since his confession refused to still, rising up suddenly.
"Yes!" And her eyes glowed green. "Yes, I'm mad, bothered… feeling betrayed. You didn't lie to me, not outright, but it was more a sin of omission," she accused, fighting to keep the hurt from her voice and not quite succeeding. "You knew what he did to my family, to me! You knew! All this time, I trusted you, and you knew." She made an angry gesture at the diary, a detached part of her wondering if he could actually see it. "I didn't have to, and I don't trust easily… but I still trusted you!"
Her breath was quickening as her voice rose. "I told you things about me, my life, that I have never told anyone. Things that no one else knows, not even Blaise." Holly had the sudden urge to throw something… anything… preferably the diary. "And you know so much about me, most of my secrets. You know what I am! You know about it all. The Parseltongue," she hissed. "And the telepathy," the girl added in a much quieter but still deadly tone. "I didn't even get a chance to tell you about it; you didn't earn it like the others. You just eavesdropped; you spied on me!"
She shut her eyes tightly as she felt the first prickle of moisture. She wouldn't allow the tears to fall; she just wouldn't Holly hadn't cried all the years she had been mistreated by the Dursleys, all those years she had been used by them, so she wouldn't allow it to happen now over such a little thing like betrayal.
"You're just like them, you know!" the girl practically screamed at him, trying to redirect her emotions to a different outlet, but with the continued prickling in her eyes, she knew it wasn't working. "You pretend to be my friend, but all this time you were just using me!"
Holly felt awash of pain from the book.
I'm your friend, Holly. I really am. Please believe me.
Tom was begging her now.
I was just… I was afraid. I feared how you would react. How was I supposed to tell you about all this? What could I possibly say to make it easier to hear?
However, she didn't answer. She was too focused on trying to contain the building hurt in her chest.
I'm sorry, Holly. I am so very sorry.
If Tom had been able to, he would have wept.
"Yes, well, sorry isn't good enough," she finally choked out, losing the battle with herself.
And with that, Holly began to cry. Her tiny body heaved with her racking sobs as she put her face in her hands.
Holly…
But she just ignored him, or maybe she just simply didn't notice the writing due to her tears. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, her head bowed over the diary. Her tears dropped from her face to the pages below, smearing the vivid, red ink and causing it to run.
Holly felt a spike of emotion from Tom; he knew that she was crying. She could feel his remorse in the back of her mind, but she was too upset currently to really care. So what if he was sorry? He shouldn't have betrayed her in the first place.
Why did everyone keep doing this to her? What had she done to deserve this? What was wrong with her? What made this happen?
What… what she really wanted, needed right now was Blaise.
Luna or Draco would be nice, but they didn't know her as her best friend did. They hadn't yet had the opportunity, Luna due to the newness of their relationship and Draco because of the previous year. But Blaise knew; he would understand why she hurt so very much right now.
Her weeping intensified at the thought, knowing there was no way he could possibly know she was upset unless she went looking for him or tried to telepathically contact him. However, given her current mental state, neither was an option. He probably wouldn't be back for a while, she had a sneaking suspicion he would wait in the Common Room to give her more time to talk to Tom.
But she really needed him, now more than ever. She needed him. She needed to be held, to be consoled.
As if summoned by her very thoughts, Holly felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She jumped, not having sensed anyone behind her; the girl hadn't even heard the door open, and she was in a near panic before she finally realised who it was.
Blaise.
She instantly relaxed, burying her head in his chest. Holly didn't even bother to question why he was there, not then at least. She simply continued to weep out her frustrations and agony.
Minutes… perhaps hours later, Holly began to calm, her sobs turning into sniffles and her tears slowing to a trickle. She didn't move from her position on Blaise's shoulder, where he had moved her head without her even noticing. His arms were still around her, patting her back gently instead of just squeezing her.
More time passed, and she belatedly noted that he was singing to her softly, so softly that she couldn't make out the words. She barely even heard the general melody, but for the moment, it didn't really seem to matter. He could have been singing "God Save the Queen" for all Holly cared at the moment; it was just nice to be comforted like this, like he really did love her, care about her wellbeing.
Blaise's song ended, and he was about to start another when she sat up slowly. Holly rubbed her gritty and tired eyes.
From underneath her eyelashes, she looked at him. "What are you doing here? I mean, why. Shouldn't you still be with Luna? How did you…" the girl trailed off.
Blaise didn't even pause, now rubbing her back instead of patting it. "You called me." He smiled at her, his eyes glittering strangely.
"I… what?"
His smile widened, and she could see perfectly white teeth. "You called me. I don't how, but I could feel your distress. I knew that you needed me. I ran all the way back from Ravenclaw Tower. Draco did, too, but he didn't want to crowd you."
"Oh."
And the pair fell into silence.
"Are you all right now?" the boy asked several moments later as he stilled his hands.
"Yes. I… thank you, Blaise," she murmured softly.
He grinned again. "De nada, amorcita." The boy tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Holly flushed red, embarrassment building now that she had calmed. The girl lifted a slightly shakily hand to her head, rubbing it tiredly over her face. She felt empty now, hollow, like her emotions had eaten away at her insides and her outburst had gotten rid of the rest.
And she was tired, so very tired. Much like how she used to feel after she had done a day's worth of chores only to be thrown in the cupboard afterwards without even a slice of bread for her efforts. She felt like lying down and sleeping for the next year or so, but even that probably wouldn't be enough.
And why did this seem to keep happening? For the nine years she was at the Dursleys before Hogwarts, Holly could count the number of times she cried on both hands and still have fingers left over. But in just this year alone, she had been reduced to sobs twice, Blaise comforting her both times.
A squeeze of her shoulder interrupted her thoughts and caused her to glance up at her friend, who was eyeing her worriedly. However, Blaise's intent-filled and suspicious gaze made her hastily look down.
"Do you think we should tell someone? Maybe Professor Flitwick?" Holly questioned after a moment, trying to fill the somewhat awkward silence and distract his attention away from her shakiness.
He exhaled slowly. "Perhaps… but not for now. As bizarre as Tom's story sounds, I believe he's telling the truth. He didn't even have to mention his connection to the Dark Lord; we would never have known otherwise. Besides, if he was lying, I think that he could come up with something a bit more plausible."
She couldn't help herself as she let out a chuckle. "I had considered that," the girl inserted, looking up at him again with a smile, but it slowly slid off her face. "I really meant it before. Thank you, Blaise."
The boy inclined his head, noting her still trembling hands. "You can stay here tonight… if you want," he offered tentatively, patting her hand gently. "Like you did during Yule."
Holly blinked. "Er… thanks… but I don't think that would be a good idea." She shifted nervously.
Blaise looked at her for a moment. "The others wouldn't mind." He added, guessing what she was thinking, "And they wouldn't mention it to anyone."
She shook her head, not quite meeting his eyes. "Again, thank you… but no. I really don't think it'd be a good idea, Blaise."
The boy shrugged, sliding off his bed. "If you're sure?" He offered her a hand up.
"I am." Holly flushed brightly as he gave her another hug, one that lingered for several moments. "Goodnight," she said slowly before walking to the door and disappearing into the hallway.
Blaise starred after her, reaching over to close the still opened diary with a sharp snap. He glared at the book for several moments, tempted to set the bloody thing on fire and just be done with it, but he fought away the feeling before opening the drawer to his bedside table and putting it there out of sight.
But not out of mind.
Holly refused to take the diary back the next morning, and it was still lying in Blaise's bedside table. She was too upset to deal with Tom at the moment, so upset that she needed the kind of comfort that he usually offered her. However, since she wasn't talking to him yet, she instead conjured Saladin, hiding him under her robe.
They were late heading down to breakfast, but it was just in time to hear the good news from Professor McGonagall.
"Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last," the acting-headmistress announced over the now silenced student body. "Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I'm hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."
The Great Hall practically exploded with cheering. Holly and her three friends from the previous night let out identical sighs of relief.
"Well, I guess that means the mystery will be solved without us," Milli stated dejectedly from beside Draco after it had quieted. She scowled down at her eggs.
Theo aggressively speared his tomato. "Probably, but it's good that they are getting better. Even creepy Creevey, I guess," he added in with an unhappy expression.
"And Granger, too," Draco inserted himself, looking equally miserable with the thought. He glanced at Holly, who wasn't even paying any attention to her own Housemates.
Instead, her attention was focused on the Gryffindor table. Holly cocked her head to the side, trying to get a mental feel of a trembling Ginny Weasley. However, with so many other minds around it was impossible, especially since the Slytherin was not well acquainted with the girl. So she merely settled for watching as the redhead sat down next to a relieved Ron and Neville. The first-year fidgeted nervously and leaned forward to tell them something, looking over her shoulder anxiously and making sure no one else was listening.
She opened her mouth to speak, only to jolt out of her seat as Percy moved in next to her. Ginny scampered away, Holly's eyes following in her wake.
"What do you see?" a voice whispered in her ear, and the telepath jumped.
"What… Blaise," she stated, trying to still her rapidly beating heart. "Nothing much. Just Ginny acting strangely… well, more strangely than usual," Holly corrected, narrowing her eyes. "I think that she might know something."
Luna idly chewed on her very burnt toast. "Really? Do you think that she knows who did it?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure." Holly tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "I've been thinking," she started, gaining the attention of everyone around her. "I think that we should tell Professor Flitwick what we know. About everything we know," she finished, giving Blaise a subtle but significant look.
"Why Professor Flitwick?" Gavin asked, leaning in. He had seen the look, filing it away with the dozen other strange things Holly Potter did daily.
Pansy chimed in, buttering her bread, "Why Flitwick and not Professor Snape?" She paused as she realised that her butter was oddly purple, having been hexed by Theo when she wasn't looking.
"Why not McGonagall?" Cynthia asked, adding in her three Knuts worth. "She's in charge right now."
Blaise answered for Holly, "He's the most likely to believe us. Plus, McGonagall would put the blame on us, and Professor Snape... well, his loyalties are still in question." He shrugged. "We don't really know Professor Sprout very well."
Theo nodded emphatically. "I agree. We need to tell someone. Too bad Dumbledore is gone." He took a sip of juice, immediately choking, Pansy having charmed it into vinegar.
"Who will tell him?" Milli questioned.
"I'll do it," Holly volunteered quickly. "I can use my cloak."
"And me," Blaise inserted.
Draco added in, "Me, too."
The other second-years exchanged glances.
"Why not Luna or Gavin?" Autumn asked from Milli's other side.
Gavin answered, "We won't see him until tonight when he does the head count. Holly, Blaise, and Draco will be able to use the cloak to sneak away and talk to him before then."
"Plus, we have McGonagall today, and Lockhart escorts all her classes around since she's too busy," Theo contributed with a smirk, now drinking from Gavin's glass. "He'll be dead easy to get away from." He winked at them.
Sure enough, Theo was right. It was, in fact, very easy to get away from Lockhart. Just as they had done before to visit Myrtle, they lingered near the back of the group, whipping on the Invisibility Cloak at an opportune moment and heading into the staff room.
However, they never got the chance to talk to the teachers. They had barely been waiting inside for five minutes when McGonagall ordered everyone back to their Common Rooms. Worried, the trio darted into the wardrobe, listening as the teachers filled in.
"It has happened," McGonagall announced in a tired and very shaky voice. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."
Professor Flitwick let out a little shriek, exchanging horrified glances with Sprout.
Professor Snape asked thickly, "How can you be sure?" He gripped the arms of his chair so tightly that his knuckles were now white.
"The Heir of Slytherin left another message, right underneath the first one." The Transfiguration teacher breathed in heavily, her face very pale. "'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'"
Holly heard the sound of muffled weeping, but she didn't need to hear McGonagall answer the next question. She already knew who it was.
Ginny Weasley.
They sat dazedly in the boys' dorm that night, blankly staring at one another. Virtually the entire House was in the Common Room, though some were in the study rooms or the dorms, so the second-years had taken refuge there as well. Gavin and Luna were currently absent, having been forced back to Ravenclaw Tower by a livid and obviously frightened McGonagall.
"Blimey," Theo mumbled from his spot on his bed after an incalculable amount of time had passed. "I feel horrible."
Milli squeezed his shoulder, eyes very moist. "Me, too. Sure, the Weaslette was weird and annoying, but that doesn't mean she deserves to rot away in the Chamber forever."
"No, she doesn't," Holly said weakly from Blaise's bed with her head bowed. "If only we had said something sooner." She quietly stroked the sleeve of her robe.
Saladin, who was hidden underneath, rubbed his little head on her wrist.
Blaise bit his lip, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We can still say something now."
Holly glanced up at him.
"To who? How?" Draco questioned, running a hand through his hair.
The caramel-skinned looked back at his best friend with resolve. "Lockhart. He did say that he knows where the Chamber is and will try to rescue her. And we can use the cloak and the passages Holly found."
"Lockhart… that fraud! He can barely hold his wand half the time," Draco stated, waving his hands in the air. He rose and began to pace. "What about Professor Flitwick? We could go to him."
Holly exhaled slowly, knowing that they had to try. "I know the Lockhart is useless, but it's the best we've got. We could go to Professor Flitwick, but I'm not sure how much help he'll be. Remember, he's with Sprout, Snape, and Madam Pomfrey working on the necessary charms for the petrification cure." She shrugged helplessly. "We definitely know that Lockhart is going to make a go of it, even if it's only to prove that he isn't a completely worthless ponce." The girl gestured for emphasis. "Besides, with Professor Snape in the Hospital Wing, the dandy is closer than anyone else. And if not him, we can try to get her ourselves."
"Go for her themselves?" Theo mouthed to Milli and Gavin with wide eyes.
"That's what it sounded like to me," the heavy-set girl whispered back, "but how do they know where to go?"
However, the other trio continued with noticing their conversation.
"And what are we going to tell him?" Draco questioned, his voice quieting. "Are we going to him about the…" The blond stopped his pacing.
The smallest Slytherin nodded and stood.
Draco watched her for a moment, running his hand through his hair again. "Fine. We'll go," he murmured, now looking at Blaise.
"Tell him about what?" Milli interrupted fiercely. She like the rest of the second-years had been watching the three-way exchange like they were three Chasers with the Quaffle. "What are you telling him about?"
However, they didn't answer. Instead, Blaise rose, too. The three of them heading for the door, but not before Holly removed a book from Blaise's bedside table and pocketed it.
It was her diary, Milli noted.
"You know something," Theo accused, also standing and moving to intercept them. "You know something that you aren't telling us."
Holly gazed up at him. "Yes, we do, but there isn't time. We have to go, but I promise to tell you when we get back." She gave him a pleading expression. "Please."
"Not until you tell us," Milli inserted, also moving in their path.
In that moment, Holly realised just how much larger the other girl was.
Blaise urged, "We will, but there isn't any time." His face was pleading with them to understand.
"Then. we're going with you," Gavin joined in. "You can tell us on the way."
"We won't all fit under the cloak. It can only cover three of us at a time," Draco objected, shivering with agitation. "If you go, they'll stop us and send us back before we can even explain."
"We need you to do something else for us instead," Holly stated suddenly. "You should go to Professor Flitwick; you'll probably have to take one of the Prefects with you. Please tell him that we figured out where the Chamber is; that we're going to tell Lockhart." She blinked up at them hopefully. "This way, they'll know what's going on.
Theo blinked, indecision written on his face as he glanced between them. However, he nodded and moved away, not saying anything. Milli and Gavin did the same, standing to the side and silently watching as the others donned the cloak and slipped out the door. Afterwards, they exchanged a look before going to do as Holly had asked.
Meanwhile, Holly and the two boys exited the Slytherin passageways two corridors down from Lockhart's office, hurrying to it. The girl fingered the diary in her pocket as they went.
They paused just outside the door, and Holly hesitantly opened the diary to talk to Tom and question him more on the Chamber. However, she was distracted by the thoughts of the man inside, and her face hardened, expression darkening considerably, quite an accomplishment given the already angry look on it.
Green eyes blazed.
Blaise opened his mouth to ask her what was the matter, but she beat him to it.
"That bastard is leaving!" She snarled, nostrils flaring in a very terrifying manner, "He's running away. He isn't even going to try."
"What!" the other two exclaimed together.
"He's leaving… he's leaving Ginny to die!" Holly looked well and truly enraged as she forgetfully shoved the book into her pocket, not noticing that it was still partially opened. She fingered her wand, the other two looking at her with wild eyes.
Blaise and Draco exchanged a look over her head, their shock being replaced by anger. A moment of understanding passed between them, and both smirked, also going for their wands.
"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" the brunet questioned rhetorically.
"No, we can't," the blond responded with false sweetness.
Holly stared up at them, noting their expressions. "We'll just have to take him to the Chamber with us then, won't we?"
"Yes."
"Of course."
The girl smiled as she sent a spell at the door. The dandy's back was to them as they entered, and he was packing a trunk. All of his belongs were scattered nearby, not even his portraits remained on the wall.
Lockhart heard his door open with a slam and whirled around.
"Going somewhere, Professor?" Draco asked dangerously, his wand pointed unerringly at the man.
Holly circled him from the side. "Leaving are we, sir?" she asked, and he twirled to look at her.
Blaise went around the other side. "More like running away."
Lockhart turned to face the other boy.
"Ah… well, you see," the dandy stuttered, staring at the tips of three separate wands.
"Yes, we do see," the lone girl carried on. "You have been lying all this time about your exploits. But now, that there is a real test of your courage… you are fleeing, running away in the middle of the night like some frightened dog."
Lockhart began to sweat. "Er… you see… What d'you want me to do?" he whined suddenly. "I don't know where the Chamber is. There's nothing I can do," he defended in a petulant voice.
"You are in luck then, Professor," Holly said evenly. "We have discovered where the Chamber is, and what's inside."
Blaise's smirk widened. "And we're going to show it to you, so now, you can help us rescue Ginny Weasley. After all, it is the least you can do after teaching us nothing but rubbish all year!" He dark brown eyes glinted dangerously.
The dandy blinked, looking for all the world like he was about to cry. His eyes darted from one student to the next, and Holly could hear exactly where his thoughts were going. The professor brushed a bead of sweat from his forehead, nervously flexed his hands, and then made a fatal mistake; he went for his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" the three Slytherins shouted at the same time, sending the professor flying through the air and into his trunk.
His things scattered on the impact. Draco nimbly caught the man's wand, snapping it in half before flinging the remains out a conveniently open window.
"Tut, tut," he stated with condescension
"You shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," Holly said in a deceptively calm voice.
Blaise laughed. "Too true." He turned back to the fallen teacher. "Now up!"
He forced the man to his feet and out the door, marching him all the way to Myrtle's loo. They had no need of the cloak; after all, they had a teacher with them. But just the same, Blaise pocketed it.
They rounded a corner, the loo visible at the end. Lockhart froze outside the door, and Holly shoved him inside with her free hand. He landed unceremoniously in a large puddle by one of the sinks.
"Hello, Myrtle," the girl called out, accidentally trodding on the ponce's protruding fingers as she went by.
The ghost stuck her head through one of the stall doors. "Oh, it's you again." She glanced at Holly before sweeping her gaze over the rest of them, halting as she noticed Draco.
"Yes, it is, my fine lady," the blond intoned with a winning smile.
Myrtle blinked at him stupidly.
"We came to ask you again about the day you died."
Blaise nodded forcefully from the back of the group. "More specifically about how. You said you saw a pair of eyes," he prompted, watching Lockhart like a hawk out of the corner of his eye.
Myrtle finally looked away from the blond Slytherin. "Oh, yes, I did. They were somewhere over there," she said, pointing near the sink in front of her stall door. "I heard someone come in just before, and I was going to tell him to go away – at least, I think it was a boy. He spoke in a funny language, so I can't really be sure."
"Thank you," Holly responded, moving over to the tap and examining it.
Draco joined her, while the other Slytherin watched Lockhart, who was trembling like a frightened child.
"But it sounded fuzzy," Myrtle went on absentmindedly. "Almost like he was far away… or a recording." She floated to the side to get a better look at what Holly and Draco were doing.
The boy nudged his friend, indicating a tiny serpent etched on one of the pipes. "Just like Tom said," he whispered. "Say something in Parseltongue," Draco added, moving back to distract Myrtle from what she was about to do.
Holly eyed the craving, feeling Saladin coil tighter around her wrist. "Open," she hissed, moving back as the wall did just that. There was now a blackened hole where the sink had once been, and only incredibly large pipes were visible.
The three males stepped up behind her, awestruck.
The dandy momentarily forgot his fear. "Amazing," he muttered, regretfully drawing attention to himself.
Draco smirked evilly and took a step back. "You can go first," he stated, shoving Lockhart forward.
The man wheeled his arms through the air for a second before unceremoniously falling in face first, sliding down the pipe. The three Slytherins merely looked over the edge after him. Blaise moved forward first, lowering himself onto the pipe and sliding out of sight. Holly went next with Draco bringing up the rear.
She slid down the slimy surface at an impossible angle for several moments before the pipe levelled off. The girl could feel the rapid approach of Blaise's mind, so she was prepared when she shot of the end, landing on a soft cushion. It took Holly a second to realise her cushion was none other than her professor when she rolled to her feet, moving out of Draco's way just in time.
He also landed on the dandy, causing the man to groan in pain. The boy climbed to his feet with a slight sneer, prodding the professor with his foot.
"We must be miles under the school," Holly whispered to Blaise as the boy came up to her right, crunching as he walked. She didn't even want to think about what caused him to make that sound, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it was rat skeletons.
"We're probably under the lake." He turned the already lighted tip of his wand toward a darkened tunnel.
Holly glanced to the side as Draco forced Lockhart by her. The boy stepped back, leaving the ponce in front where they could easily keep an eye on him. Holly watched him with disdain, feeling Draco drift back to her other side. She automatically reached out for his right hand, slipping hers into it and squeezing. Luckily, this wasn't a problem since he left was his wand-hand.
The boy turned to gaze at her, his eyes unreadable in the dim lighting. He looked as though he wanted desperately to say something but seemed to think the better of it, and he glanced forward again. The cowering professor took his momentary distraction to move away from the boy and to the other side of Blaise where he hopped to have at least some protection.
Holly looked at Draco for a second before glancing to Blaise, who simply shrugged before shooting Lockhart a scathing look. The girl turned back to the darkness in front of them, filling with apprehension. She knew that just down the tunnel lay the Chamber of Secrets.
De nada, amorcita: You're welcome, little love.
To everyone who reviewed: Thanks
Chapter Twenty-One: Enemies of the Heir
Ever Hopeful,
Azar
Updated and Edited:
08/08/10