"Right," said Ginny. "We do need to talk. About a lot of things, but I hope that Riddle is waiting outside the Chamber, because I don't know the way back up if he isn't. So maybe we should leave first, and then, uh, discuss everything that's going on, and whatever... whatever has you looking at me like that."

Mason nodded, and then hesitantly asked, his eyes suspiciously taking in the Chamber with wide, sweeping movements, "How long... How long have I been petrified?"

"Three weeks or so," answered Ginny.

"Three weeks," Mason said, exhaling. "And Riddle escorted you down here, so... you're still pretending to go out with him?"

Ginny looked down at her feet. This wasn't quite the conversation she'd been wanting to have with him, and even though just having him awake and back was making her ridiculously happy, she wasn't really eager to get him mad at her quite so quickly.

"Er. No," Ginny coughed. "I actually am with him. Like not pretending."

"Not pretending," repeated Mason slowly. Ginny swore that he was going to be angry, but either he was really tired, or, more likely, he'd seen this coming, because he only blinked one more time before nodding his head slowly. "I can't say that I wasn't expecting something like that, after what you told me earlier. But you haven't..."

Mason looked towards the door of the Chamber and trailed off, probably worrying about Riddle's presence.

"Let's get back to Riddle," said Ginny quickly. "Before he leaves. If he's still here. But we can go for a walk afterwards, if you want."

"A walk," repeated Mason. "Yeah. I'd like that. Fresh air and everything. I suppose need to talk to Professor Dumbledore as well..."

"He thinks you're with your mom," Ginny supplied. "Er, Riddle kind of forged a note in your handwriting to explain your disappearance. After Myrtle's death, he didn't want anyone to panic and shut the school down. Which I completely understand."

"I... I understand," said Mason, "but, slowly this time, can you please tell me what happened?"

"Later," Ginny said. She looked around slowly and swallowed. Without Riddle next to her, the Chamber became a lot more frightening. A place where she wasn't safe. "Can we please go now?"

Mason evidently still wanted answers, but he could no doubt tell that lingering in the Chamber wasn't the smartest idea. With a slow nod, he began walking towards the door, rather unsteadily and a little slowly. Ginny hovered closely behind him, ready to catch him if he stumbled or fell, but he never did. Like he hadn't just woken up after three weeks of living as a statue, Mason didn't even look back as he made his way towards the door, and then as he pushed it back to reveal the maze-like tunnels that led to the Chamber.

Ginny released a little relieved breath when she saw that Riddle was still leaning back against one of the walls outside of the Chamber. She'd forgotten to ask him to stay behind and he hadn't said that he would, but thankfully he seemed to understand that Ginny wouldn't have had the faintest idea of how to get back up to the lavatories without his help.

Mason's shoulders tensed a bit when he saw Riddle, and any tiredness that had been in his posture previously evaporated in an instant. It was the first time that Ginny had ever seen the two of them actively interact with each other, or even directly acknowledge each other, and Mason changed so much that Ginny could almost see him turn back into the Death Eater he'd been just a couple years ago, his eyes hardening and his posture stiffening until he actually looked like he could be related to Gellert Grindelwald.

"I figured I should wait," said Riddle after a long, tense silence. He looked at Ginny. "I doubted you would remember how to get back without my help, and I was rather curious to see if either of you had anything interesting to say."

"Riddle-" Ginny started, mortified, but the Head Boy was already looking at Mason.

"You're looking better, McCreery."

"With your help, I hear," Mason said stiffly.

"I hope you're not flattering yourself into thinking I did it for you."

"I'd never be that stupid," retorted Mason.

"You've already betrayed me," said Riddle, as if that simple act took entirely disproved Mason's claim.

"I wasn't willing to support murder."

"I know someone who would disagree."

"Riddle," Ginny interrupted. "Please just take us back up to the sinks, before you two kill each other."

The two boys stared each other down, but Mason backed down after a few seconds, looking away and letting out a low breath that just barely betrayed how tired he really was.

"Right," said Riddle. He didn't relax like Mason had. If anything, Ginny thought that he was even more tense, more ready to snap if necessary. She wasn't sure if it was because he had been so honest with her before, when they'd first gotten to the Chamber, or if it had more to do with Mason's presence, a presence that Ginny was sure Riddle didn't trust or appreciate. "McCreery, I am sure you would not be opposed to subjecting yourself to a temporary blinding spell for a few short minutes."

Ginny wanted to argue, and by the look on his face, it was pretty clear that Mason did too, but neither of them bothered. Ginny knew better. Riddle's Chamber was sacred to him, something that was his and his alone, and he wasn't going to take the chance that Mason could ruin that for him.

"No," said Mason, almost managing to keep the sarcasm from his voice. "I wouldn't be opposed to it at all."

Then, bravely, in Ginny's opinion, Mason stepped forward and didn't so much as blink when Riddle waved his wand and sent what looked like a stream of black smoke straight at Mason's face. Ginny swallowed a bit when the smoke cleared and she could see that the whites of his eyes had gone completely black. It was a little unsettling, even after everything she'd seen in the war.

"Don't worry, Ginny," Mason said, somehow reading her mind. "It's not painful."

"It looks like dark magic," Ginny argued.

"If it was true dark magic, it would have eaten his eyes out," Riddle said briskly, settling the matter. Without another word, he began walking forward again, and Ginny followed quickly, backtracking after a second to grab Mason's hand and take it in her own. Ginny stumbled a bit, trying to keep up with Riddle's quick steps and guide Mason at the same time, but despite not being able to see, Mason kept up easily, not stumbling or showing any signs of tiredness at all.

In fact, with Riddle pushing the pace, Ginny was clambering up the ladder that took them back into the sinks before she knew it. Mason was right behind her, and a second after Ginny hoisted herself back up onto the bathroom floor, Mason followed.

Riddle, already on his feet, quickly hissed the sinks shut and then turned to Mason, withdrawing his spell with a smooth nonverbal movement that made what was surely an advanced hex seem like first year magic.

No one moved after that, and Ginny wasn't sure what to do. Mason obviously wanted to talk, but Riddle also didn't want Ginny and Mason to talk, not to mention that Mason was definitely tired and probably needed rest.

Finally, sensing that no one else was going to say anything, Ginny looked at Riddle and said, "I think I'm going to take Mason down to his dorm. "

Mason didn't protest, and Riddle evidently figured that not much strategizing could go on in a place like Hufflepuff basement, becuase he nodded.

"Very well. But Ginevra?"

"Yeah?" asked Ginny, trying not to sound nervous. Riddle's eyes were black as coal, and the glances he kept firing in Mason's direction made her both suspicious and uncomfortable. Riddle had always spoken about Mason with something almost like respect, if not a little disdain, so she hadn't expected their relationship to be this strained. Maybe Mason's fits about Ginny's involvement with Riddle should have clued her in, but she was still surprised that the room was so tense it seemed like a single wrong word on her part could cause either one of them to snap.

Riddle glanced at Mason and his eyes were almost burning when he said, "Remember what I said before. You have used all of your wrong moves. Be careful."

Swallowing, Ginny nodded and promised, "I swear, I won't make you regret this."

An obviously unconvinced Riddle said nothing as he turned on a heel and left Ginny and Mason alone. Ginny wasn't fooled, though. She wasn't going to start talking yet. Riddle could no doubt get any number of things out of Myrtle if she was listening, and she wasn't foolish enough to believe that there wouldn't be portraits assigned to watch them or Death Eaters skulking after her the second that they left the bathrooms.

"Are we really going to the basement?" Mason asked once Riddle was gone.

"You need rest," Ginny said. "Besides, it's a Friday afternoon. The place should be pretty much empty. I'll at least fill you in on the basics there."

"That... should be fine," Mason said slowly, thinking it over as he spoke. When Ginny got to her feet and offered him a hand to help him up, Mason took it gladly, smiling a little in appreciation. Ginny didn't let go as they made their way down to the kitchen corridor. She'd been so worried about Mason, that he hated her, that he was missing, or dead, or that Riddle wasn't going to cure him, that now that he was back, she was going to keep her friend close and try not to let anything separate them.

Ginny kept glancing over at Mason as they walked, making sure that he was okay, assuring herself that he was there. Every once in a while, Mason would meet her gaze and turn the corners of his lips up into a small smile, just trying to calm her down. Things weren't quite as easy or uncomplicated as they had been before Ginny had figured out everything about Mason's past, but they weren't terribly strained either, not like they had been right before he'd been petrified.

Like Ginny had figured, there was hardly anyone in the common room when she and Mason arrived. Just a few younger kids playing board games. Several of them stared at Mason with funny looks on their faces, but most of them were still first and second years, kids who liked Mason enough that they smiled and waved at him instead of asking questions. Mason smiled back at all of them, seeming genuinely happy about the reception that he was getting.

Once they were through the common room, Mason headed back to his dorm, pulling open the door and letting out a small sigh of relief when he found it empty. Without saying a word, he led Ginny over to his bed and sat down, scooting over a bit to give Ginny room to plop down across from him.

"We'll be safe enough here, I'm pretty sure," Mason said when they were situated. "No one has any talking portraits or anything, and all of my roommates make enough noise that we'll hear them approaching."

"You're sure?" asked Ginny, just because she had to double-check. She wasn't going to take any chances. "I know Hufflepuffs aren't eavesdroppers or anything, but this is life or death."

"I'm sure," Mason assured her. "And here we don't have to hide. Riddle knows exactly where we are."

"Alright," said Ginny. She trusted Mason. "Then I guess we can talk. What do you want to know first?"

"I... I suppose I want to know how I got petrified. You said something about it being your fault?"

Ginny nodded.

"Yeah. It was. I'm so, so sorry, and I swear that I didn't mean to, but you know that necklace I wore all the time? The one that sent me back here?"

"Yes, I remember. You aren't wearing it now."

"Riddle has it," Ginny said, cringing a bit at how bad that sounded. "He did a little research on it and it turns out that Slytherin himself made the thing. To make a long story short, his essence was apparently so strong in the necklace, that it overrode Riddle's control of the basilisk and had the thing react to my impulses instead... so when I was mad at you, the basilisk chased you."

"And Riddle has this now?" asked Mason.

"You didn't see the way he was looking at it. I didn't want to give it to him, but he would've taken it anyway, I'm sure of it. Besides-" Ginny held up Riddle's Horcrux for Mason to see, "- he gave me this in return, so I do trust him not to do anything too stupid with it."

"Speaking of that ring," said Mason slowly, "I take it that you found the story I wanted you to read."

"Speaking of the ring? What does that have to do with-" Mason shook his head and waved Ginny forward, and Ginny, after a short hesitation, said, "Uh, yeah. I found it. The Three Brothers. You want me to do something with the Deathly Hallows."

"They're never called that in the story," Mason said. "Where did you hear that term?"

"I told Orion Black a lot of this stuff... pretty much as much as you know, actually. I even have him on kill-Riddle duty in the event that I die, which isn't entirely unlikely given certain events, but those aren't important. We'll talk about that later. Right now, I would really, really like to know why you bothered telling me about all this."

"I... I'm not sure," Mason admitted slowly. "Orion would've known... he told you about the real three brothers, right? The Peverells?"

"Uh-huh."

"My uncle, uh, Grindelwald... he was fascinated by the story, by their inventions, so I grew up surrounded by theories on the Hallows. So I'd heard the name Peverell a lot, enough to know that the line was thought to have died out a long time ago. I knew that my uncle had the wand, that Charlus Potter had the cloak, and I've always had an idea about the stone, so I didn't want information... I was really just curious about you, to start out with.

"After you told me that Peverell wasn't your real last name, that Dumbledore sent you back in time to kill Riddle, I kind of started wondering why he'd give you a name that's so suspicious. After a bit, I think I kind of guessed that it was a hint. To me."

"Because you'd be good help? That doesn't make sense."

Mason looked down.

"No, I think... he wanted me to start talking to you, but he wanted you to befriend me. We both know that Avery wouldn't have quit if you hadn't cursed him that day, that I would have died, and Dumbledore... my first guess was that he just wanted one more life saved."

"And your second?"

"Knowing... things that I know about Dumbledore and Grindelwald... I think he wants you to destroy them. At least the ones you can get. Like I said, Grindelwald has the wand, I'm almost positive, and I know Dumbledore is going to have to duel him and at least try to win that back, so you don't have to worry about that. But the cloak and the stone... if I were you, I would either give them to Dumbledore, or I would destroy them."

"I already stole the cloak from Charlus, and I refuse-"

"You have the cloak?" Mason asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, but it's not mine. It means a lot to him, Mason, and I won't destroy it. Besides, Riddle can use disillusionment charms anyway. He doesn't need the cloak for anything. Just let me give it back to Charlus and it won't hurt anybody."

It was obvious that Mason disagreed, but instead he let the subject drop and went on, saying, "Then the stone. Destroy that."

"I don't have it!"

"Ginny," Mason said softly, gesturing to his neck. It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about, but then Ginny's eyes widened as she slowly looked down to see Riddle's ring hanging from around her neck. "That symbol on the stone... that's the sign of the Hallows. Riddle had the Resurrection Stone all along, and now you have it. That is probably the most dangerous in his hands. If nothing else, you have to get rid of that."

Ginny balked. Riddle had admitted to giving her that ring to try to tempt her into destroying it, to test her trust. As long as the ring was safe, Riddle knew that Ginny hadn't turned against him completely. As opposed to destroying it as Ginny had been before, the idea almost disgusted her now. She'd been going against Riddle way too much the last few weeks, but killing a piece of his soul just because it was hiding in a ring with powers that he had no idea about? That was crossing a line that Ginny refused to even get close to.

"No," Ginny said. "Maybe Dumbledore just wanted you alive. Maybe he didn't even think about you when he gave me my last name. I don't know, but just because he dropped some random hint doesn't mean that he wants me to destroy all of them. That's stupid!"

"No one has ever had all three Hallows in one place," Mason said, his voice rising a bit, "but it's rumored that if anyone possesses all three of them, they can cheat death. Do you even want there to be a possibility that Riddle could to that?"

"He already has with his Horcruxes. The worst thing that could happen would be that he finds the Hallows and stays alive in a less-gruesome way. Besides, he's changing, I swear. Maybe it won't even be a problem in a few years, and then all of this will be a waste."

Mason was already on his feet, shaking his head.

"Ginny, with just that stone, he could potentially have armies of dead-"

"He doesn't need the bloody stone for that!" Ginny interrupted angrily. She got to her feet, not wanting to continue this conversation. She wasn't mad at Mason, not really. He was doing what Harry would have. The right, safe thing. Ginny was going with her heart, no matter how dangerous it was. "I've seen him control thousands of Inferi and worse. Besides, he doesn't even know what the stone can do. To him, it's just a... just a..."

"That's one of his Horcruxes, isn't it?"

"Mason, no-"

"You have a mangled piece of soul and your wearing it like a necklace? Ginny, this is crazy."

Ginny turned around and started out of the room. Mason was right. It was crazy. But that didn't mean that she was going to back off on her decision. Riddle was bad, but not enough to deserve to be killed for it. Not now.

"This is what we fought about before. I thought you understood that I was through with the mission," Ginny said, hesitating in front of the door. "Remember? Right before you were petrified, we had this exact same conversation, and then you wrote in that letter that you were working on distinguishing between the necessary and the right. You obviously didn't do a very good job."

"There is nothing right about a ring that can raise the dead."

Ginny put her hand on the doorknob, shaking her head as she did so.

"It's not about that. It's about trust, and Riddle is one person who sees honesty as everything. I'm not going to touch his ring, and if you want to destroy it so badly, then you'll have to take it from me by force, because I'm not betraying Riddle."

She opened the door as Mason said, "So that's it? Your done with the mission?"

"It isn't even a choice anymore," Ginny said, shaking her head. "Yes, I'm done with it. Maybe you were hoping I'd change my mind, but I haven't. Riddle means a lot to me, and I just... can't hurt him. Sorry."

"Ginny-" started Mason, but Ginny was already walking away, shutting his door behind her. Maybe Mason was right and the ring could be beyond horrible in Riddle's hands, but she couldn't destroy it, and the idea of burning Charlus's cloak was just as ridiculous. She'd give Riddle the ring back in exchange for her necklace, sneak Charlus's cloak back into his drawer, and push the Hallows out of her mind.

Ginny let out a low, stressed breath, not paying attention to where she was going until she almost ran straight into Allison.

"Oh, sorry," Ginny said quickly. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

Allison shook her head a little.

"Was that Mason you were just talking to?" she asked lightly. There was something a little off in her voice, but Allison was never normal around Mason. Ginny didn't think twice about it.

"Uh, yeah. He was just visiting family, but he's back now. We kind of fought a bit, but... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Family?" asked Allison.

"His mother," Ginny clarified confusedly. There was something not right. Someone really, really not right. Ginny quickly ran over the last few sentences she'd just exchanged with Mason, with the door open, and tried to think of something that Allison could have overheard that would sound really bad, but actually, when Ginny thought about it, it almost sounded more like Mason was begging her to leave Riddle for him. The only thing that was suspicious in the least was the mission thing, and Allison had no reason to leap to any crazy conclusions about that.

"Oh," said Allison. "Right." She smiled, but it was off. "Sorry I ran into you. I was just grabbing a jumper to wear outside; Michael's taking me for a walk and... I'll just see you later, okay?"

Ginny stared in shock as Allison walked hurriedly out of the common room, the jumper that she'd just talked about no where in sight.

There was something off. The fear in Allison's eyes. How nervous she was. The way she always acted around Mason. It was almost like she did have a reason to leap to crazy conclusions.

Then, suddenly, Ginny remember Mason's words from their conversation just a couple months ago.

"Then I saw her. Our eyes met, and I don't know how much she heard, but I just knew that I couldn't let her get away. Riddle had been talking like I'd done everything, and I knew how much trouble I would be in if she said anything. My first instinct was to fire a killing curse… so I did.

Merlin. She was an idiot. It was so obvious, but she would have figured that Mason would've told her, that he would have said something, that Allison would have said something...

Except they didn't, and Allison had just heard Mason talk about a mission and Ginny talk about hurting Riddle and who knows what else, and now she was probably running... running to Riddle, who she had to have seen as another one of Mason's victims. Someone he was trying to hurt and who needed to be helped.

And Riddle would figure it out. Allison would tell him about the conversation, and Riddle would know right away what Ginny was supposed to be doing.

Ginny cursed loudly enough that the few younger kids in the common room froze to stare at her, but she didn't care. She was already sprinting out of the common room, running like her life depended on it.

In a way, it kind of did.