A/N: Hello everyone! I'm sorry that this has taken so long. I've been having some really long days at work and I just haven't been fully satisfied with this chapter and the beginning of the following chapter that I'm still working on. Now, I think that this will work. Again, please leave feedback in the reviews and I hope that you enjoy this new chapter. With everything going on with the COVID-19 virus, I also hope and pray that you all remain safe and healthy in these troubling times.
Chapter 32: Back to the Surface
When Harry was sure that the horcrux was destroyed, he finally released a sigh of relief. It was finally over. He then dropped the sword and clutched his arm as he felt a burning pain around the bite wound. Looking at it, he winced slightly at its appearance. It certainly wasn't a nice sight. The veins around it were dark and it was still bleeding and weeping. He took a deep breath and composed himself, then he picked up the diary and put it in his robe pocket. He also grabbed the sword again and hooked it through his belt.
Harry looked over to Ginny and he saw that she was finally regaining her normal colour. It didn't matter that he was in pain or how bad the wound was anymore. She was going to be alright. That made everything worth it to him.
Just as he was about to wince again, Harry heard a gasping breath and his eyes shot up to see Ginny's eyes open for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He watched her slowly and stiffly prop herself up and look around the area. She was probably searching for Tom, no doubt. It was time to give her the good news and take her worries away.
"Ginny...You won't see Tom around here anymore," Harry said.
Ginny turned to Harry in surprise and fear, but her face quickly changed to show relief and awe as she saw him alive and looking, in her mind, none the worse for wear.
"Harry? You're here. Where's Tom?" Ginny asked, still a little unsure.
"He's gone, Ginny. He can't hurt you again," Harry replied, showing Ginny the destroyed diary.
"He's gone...He's really gone...You came for me and saved me, even after everything that I did. I knew that I shouldn't have kept writing in that diary, but it was like I couldn't stop. He made me do such terrible things. He even made me attack you! Why would you come for me?" Ginny questioned, her insecurities taking a hold of her again.
"It wasn't your fault, Ginny. He was using you. And why wouldn't I save you? You're my best friend," Harry replied, trying not to wince as pain shot up his arm again.
Ginny just broke down at Harry's words and hugged him tight, trying to reassure herself that they had survived and that the boy that she loved was actually with her again. He hugged her back with his good arm, keeping the bad arm covered behind his back so that she couldn't see it. She didn't need to worry about him after what she had just gone through.
Unbeknownst to Harry and Ginny, a flash of light engulfed the two friends as they hugged. Similar to the glow when he comforted her after they viewed her old and painful memories and only appearing for a split second, but it signified the progression of the connection between the two of them.
When they eventually pulled away from each other, Harry remembered one other important being that he needed to check on. With the fight against the Basilisk, Tom and that strange dark being, he nearly forgot about his poor familiar thrown against the wall. He rushed over to Sabrina and found her just starting to wake up, much to his immense relief. His girls were alright.
~Sabrina? Are you alright?~ Harry asked.
~That wasn't very fun. Let's not do that again. Wait...where's Tom and the Basilisk? And is that-?~ Sabrina answered, still a little dazed from hitting her head hard.
~They're gone and Ginny's awake. We did it, Sabrina. Thank you for all of your help. But, for now, you need to rest. Come up my arm and sleep, my Sabrina,~ Harry explained, holding out his good arm for Sabrina.
Sabrina could only nod and slither up Harry's good arm, coiling herself around his biceps and making herself comfortable before finally dozing off. His smile quickly changed into a wince as his other arm flared up with pain again. He didn't have much time left. He needed to get his girls to the surface as soon as possible. At least his mission would be completed before he succumbed to his injury. He then went to the sword and hooked it onto his belt before addressing Ginny.
"Come on, Ginny. I need to get you out of here. Follow me," Harry said as he helped Ginny to her feet.
"OK, Harry," Ginny said.
Harry led Ginny back the way he came down until they got to the slide up to the girls' bathroom. Now, how would they get back up there? Climbing was clearly not an option as the slide was too steep and slippery. Salazar Slytherin and Tom had to have made a route back to the surface somehow, but what? Then Harry had an idea. This reminded him of some of those old adventure films that Dudley used to watch. The hero would be stuck at a dead end but they would find a hidden switch in the wall that would lead to a secret room with treasure or a staircase out of the place that they were stuck in. Could that be the answer? It was a slim chance, considering that he would consider it odd for them to make something from muggle films here, but it was worth a shot.
Harry hugged the walls around the slide as Ginny watched in confusion. He felt all of the bricks that were reachable and was about to give up until he felt one to the far right of the slide that seemed to be jutting out a little more than the others. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the brick in and hoped that he was right. The brick went in and popped out again after a second as a rumbling sound could be heard coming from inside of the wall. The bricks, like at Diagon Alley, started to magically move away, showing that there was a room behind the wall after all. Once all of the bricks had moved out of the way, he grinned as he saw a staircase in the middle of the room. He turned back to Ginny as he saw her shocked expression and chuckled a little. His chuckle ended abruptly though as even greater pain shot up his arm and he had to stop himself from wincing.
Harry gestured for Ginny to follow him as they ascended the staircase. They kept climbing for a while until they finally saw an opening above them. They quickened their pace and made their way up into a small dark room. Guessing that this room was probably a secret room too, he felt around for a hidden switch again and quickly found it, opening a doorway back into the girls' bathroom.
"We made it out. Come on, Ginny. Let's get you to the Hospital Wing and you can rest...Ginny? Ginny?!" Harry said as he turned around to see Ginny breathing heavily and fall to her knees.
"Harry...I'm...tired..." Ginny breathed out as she quickly passed out from exhaustion of climbing up all of those stairs after just getting her life energy back.
Harry rushed to her side and picked her up. He realised that her body was still trying to recover from her ordeal. He should've carried her from the beginning. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he began to carry her out of the bathroom. As he made his way to the Hospital Wing, he was unfortunate enough come across Lockhart looking absolutely terrified and currently storming down the corridor. He was lucky that he was able to get flush to the wall before the fraud ran into him. Just when he thought that he could continue, the man stopped and turned to him in shock.
"Mr Potter? And Miss Weasley?! You found her?!" Lockhart asked incredulously.
"Yes, Professor. I thought that I would meet you there after hearing you talking to the other professors. Where have you been all of this time?" Harry asked innocently, knowing full well that he was packing up to run away.
"I was merely trying to get myself completely ready for whatever I may have encountered, but it seems as though I wasn't needed after all. Good show, Mr Potter. I take it that you defeated the monster then, yes?" Lockhart explained.
As Lockhart said that last sentence, Harry noticed a strange look take over the usual happy face. It was a predatory, cunning look and it did not sit well with Harry. His guard went up as he answered the man.
"Yes, I did," Harry answered.
"What was it?" Lockhart asked, greed shining in his eyes as well now.
"A Basilisk, sir. It won't be able to harm anyone else ever again though," Harry replied, feeling even more wary after seeing Lockhart's eyes widen and a small, creepy grin appear on his face.
"A Basilisk, huh? Now that would be a great story. How did you kill it then, Mr Potter?" Lockhart asked, his grin widened ever so slightly.
"It doesn't matter. I haven't got time for this at the moment. I need to take Ginny to the Hospital Wing for treatment now. She's not feeling well. Have a good night, Professor," Harry explained, getting irritated by the questions now.
"I'm afraid that it does indeed matter, Mr Potter," Lockhart said coolly.
Lockhart drew his wand and aimed it at Harry as he tried to go past. He looked from Lockhart, to the wand and then back to Lockhart. His irritated expression darkened.
"What are you doing, Professor? I'm not in the mood for games right now," Harry questioned.
"You see, this would make a brilliant story for my next book. I mean saving a young girl from what most consider to be an impossible monster to fight? I would be even greater than I already am and people would flock to me in the millions to praise me! How amazing does that sound?!" Lockhart exclaimed giddily.
"And what makes you think that I won't expose you for your fraudulent story? Or how about the other stories that you've faked over the years. Did you ever once read them before sending them to be published? You have a serious problem with your timeline, buddy," Harry retorted.
"Well, you won't be able to do that. In fact, you won't even remember to do that or that it was you who saved the girl," Lockhart said sinisterly.
"What do you-? Wait...that's how you got away with it, isn't it? Memory charms!" Harry growled. The man was worse than he thought!
"You got me! Yes, that's why there are issues with the timeline. Oh someone did defeat monsters in two different places, but that was because it was two different people. You see, I do my fair share of travelling and people love to gossip. Once I hear a story, I find the person, get them a little tipsy and let everything slip, then I wipe their memories of the events and write it all down. They would be all blabby otherwise, wouldn't they? You understand, right? After all, none of them would've been able to sell the stories with how they looked. I was clearly more suitable to tell people these stories. I mean, look at me!" Lockhart explained, as if it was justified.
"You've just been taking credits for other people's achievements just to get book sales. You're nothing but scum!" Harry exclaimed angrily.
"Don't worry about it, dear boy. It's not like you'll remember it. When I'm done erasing your memories and changing your little friend's too, you'll see just how great I am. Perhaps I'll even get a new loyal fangirl too. She'll be an amazing young woman in the future, I'm sure," Lockhart said as he leered at the unconscious Ginny.
"You aren't getting anywhere near Ginny!" Harry growled.
"You can't stop me. After all, your hands are full, so you can't defend yourself. Just know that this is all for a greater cause. It's not like it'll hurt you. It might go wrong and turn you into a brain-dead vegetable, but that's a very slim chance. Now, say goodbye to your memories, Mr Potter. Obliviate!" Lockhart cried.
During the crazed fraud's monologue, Harry instinctively called his wand to his hand. Once the memory charm was cast, he quickly cast a shield around himself and Ginny which easily deflected the comparably weak charm back at Lockhart. Not expecting Harry to be able to do this, he was unable to dodge in time as he was hit by his own charm. His eyes widened before they closed and he crumpled into a heap on the floor.
Not wasting anymore time as he knew that Lockhart would no longer be a threat, Harry continued on his journey to the Hospital Wing, increasing his pace now as he felt the pain become stronger again, but now it had spread to his chest. He ignored the pain as best as he could until he finally made it to the Hospital Wing. Sighing with relief, he carefully placed Ginny on an empty bed, took the still sleeping Sabrina off of his arm and put her on top of Ginny too. His girls were safe now. He had succeeded.
At that moment, pain rushed through Harry's entire body. He was just about able to grab the bed frame to steady himself instead of falling to his knees. He looked down at the wound and noticed that his veins had darkened considerably. It wouldn't be long now until the venom wormed its way into his whole system now. His will to save his girls had kept it at bay for longer than he should've been able to but, now that his task was fulfilled, he didn't have much more strength left. However, he knew that Dumbledore and the Weasleys would be waiting for some news about Ginny. While he wasn't in the mood to talk to Dumbledore, Mrs Weasley or Ron, Mr Weasley and the twins would likely be worried sick and they needed to know that they're daughter/sister was alright now.
Harry picked himself up off of the ground, wincing as he did, and made his way to the Headmaster's Office. When he got there, after a few stumbles, he steeled himself and knocked on the door.
"Enter," Dumbledore's voice called out.
Harry took a deep breath and opened the door to see Dumbledore, McGonagall and the entire Weasley family looking at him. He stepped forward, closing the door behind him, and made his way to the little gathering around Dumbledore's desk. Before Dumbledore could speak, the twins got the first words in.
"Harry? Did you find her?" Fred asked.
"Is she…?" George followed, unable to say anymore.
"She's alive. She's a bit tired, but she's alright now. I put her on an empty bed in the Hospital Wing," Harry answered.
Mr Weasley and the twins sighed with relief. Harry saw that Percy was more subdued, but still relieved. Mrs Weasley and Ron, however, had fake smiles written all over their faces. It made his blood boil, but he calmed himself. It would do him no good to get into a fight in his current state nor with the truth still unknown to the others.
"What happened, my boy?" Dumbledore asked.
"She was possessed by Tom Riddle and forced to open the Chamber of Secrets under his orders...He was the true Heir of Slytherin," Harry explained.
"But how did this happen? How could this Tom Riddle possess Ginny?" Mr Weasley asked.
"By using this..." Harry replied.
Harry took the diary out of his pocket and placed it on the desk, still oozing some ink onto the wood.
"A diary?" Percy enquired, unsure on what to think.
"It was imbued with part of Tom Riddle's essence. Seriously dark magic. Ginny probably thought that it was bought by you two, Mr and Mrs Weasley. When she wrote in it, I guess that she assumed that it was just an ordinary enchanted diary but with a name encoded into it. She never knew the truth until it was far too late...How she managed to fend him off from killing anyone for as long as she did, I don't know. I guess that she's stronger than anyone would give her credit," Harry explained, subtly looking at Mrs Weasley and Ron as he did.
"Stupid," Mrs Weasley said under her breath.
"Did you say something, Mrs Weasley?" Harry quickly questioned.
"If she thought that we had bought it, then she should have come to us and confirmed it before using it! I thought that we had taught her better than that!" Mrs Weasley said, not being able to help herself in her rage.
"By the sound of it, the diary had a powerful compulsion charm on it. Even if she wanted to, the charm would've made her write more. It probably stopped her from telling anyone about it. Don't blame her for something out of her control. Blame the person who gave her the diary of Lord Voldemort in the first place," Harry explained, trying to keep himself calm.
"Wait...Lord Voldemort's diary? I thought that you said that it was Tom Riddle's diary?" Fred asked.
"Oh yes, hold on a moment..." Harry said.
Harry drew his wand and traced the name 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' in the air. He then flicked his wrist and the letters rearranged themselves to form 'I am Lord Voldemort'.
"He showed me this in the Chamber. I think that he was trying to scare me, but it backfired. It only made me more determined to beat him," Harry explained.
"Very well. I suggest that Professor McGonagall should escort the Weasleys to the Hospital Wing to see Miss Weasley. You, Harry, stay for a moment. I wish to have a quick word with you," Dumbledore said.
With that, McGonagall led the Weasleys out, leaving Harry and Dumbledore alone in his office. Suddenly, Fawkes appeared and swooped down onto Harry shoulder. They looked at each other and he realised what the phoenix was probably about to do.
"Sorry Fawkes...but I don't think that even your tears will help me now..." Harry sighed.
"What do you mean, Harry? Are you quite alright? And what is that on your belt?" Dumbledore enquired, hoping to sate his curiosity.
Before Harry could answer and make up a lie, however, the office door flew open and Lucius Malfoy stormed in with a small creature following him. As the creature slowed slightly to look around, Lucius hit him with his cane to keep the creature moving. As they got closer, Harry was able to recognise the poor thing.
"Dobby?" Harry questioned under his breath, not wanting to get him into any trouble now that he knew who Dobby's family was.
Lucius stormed right up to Dumbledore's desk with a subtle smug look on his face as he tried to feign sadness.
"I'm afraid that myself and the rest of the Board have decided that you need to step down, Dumbledore. Regrettable but, when so many students have been harmed, it is the only option. You clearly cannot handle the situation and it seems as though it's time for someone else to try," Lucius said with a fake sympathetic smile.
Harry smirked as he thought of a way to ruin Lucius' plans while solidifying his 'loyalty' to Dumbledore.
"I'm afraid that it won't be necessary, Mr Malfoy," Harry said with a smile.
"Whatever do you mean, boy?" Lucius asked, anger rising to the surface at being interrupted.
"The monster and the one behind the attacks have been killed, Mr Malfoy," Harry answered.
"W-what?" Lucius questioned, worry appearing on his face for a second.
"Well, it would seem as though one of the students came across a cursed diary that held part of the original owner's essence somehow. It possessed them and forced them to perform these terrible deeds. The original owner was the true Heir of Slytherin," Harry explained.
"And the owner was?" Lucius asked hesitantly.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle, the real name of Lord Voldemort. If you rearrange the letters of his name...you get 'I am Lord Voldemort'. Quite clever, isn't it? Though, he wasn't clever enough to safeguard his diary or Basilisk. Then again, he probably never expected a young second year student to kill it or him," Harry replied.
Lucius' eyes turned towards the stabbed diary. His eyes widened in panic and recognition at seeing it on the desk. Only for a brief moment before he composed himself again, but Harry saw it. This sick and twisted man was the one who dumped that cursed diary into Ginny's cauldron. He must've done it when he took one of her books out. He then remembered thinking that there seemed to be more in it afterwards. If only he had been able to say something. Just another time that he failed her, it seemed.
"Yes, quite. Well, I guess that I best tell the Board that you managed to solve the crisis after all," Lucius said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, you better do so. Also, Lucius, the Board contacted me about this plan of yours. It seemed as though they were under the impression that you would curse their families if they didn't sign and apologised to me for going along with it. I hope that everything can be put aside now, yes?" Dumbledore said, a fake innocent smile on his face.
Harry had to hand it to Dumbledore there. A perfect combination of manipulation and blackmail to keep his job as Lucius would have to scrap the resignation request or Dumbledore would make things very difficult for the blond ponce.
"They must've misheard me. My only interest has been the safety of this school and its students," Lucius said with fake sincerity.
"I am sure of that, Lucius," Dumbledore said with a fake smile.
"Well, if something like this happens again, we best hope that Mr Potter will once again be around to save the day," Lucius said, glaring at Harry.
"Don't worry, Mr Malfoy. I will always be there," Harry said, staring back at Lucius unblinking.
Lucius turned away from Harry and Dumbledore before hitting Dobby down the steps and ushering the now crying house elf out. He gave one last look towards Harry and Dumbledore before exiting and slamming the door behind him.
Once Lucius left, Harry looked back at the diary then back at the door. He couldn't just let Lucius walk away without knowing that someone knew the truth. He had to know that he needed to watch himself so that he would think twice before doing something like this again.
"Sorry Professor, but I'm going to need this for a little bit," Harry said, picking the diary.
Harry rushed out of the office to catch up to Lucius. As he exited the office, however, another idea struck him. A way to really rile the man up. It didn't take long to sort it out and he was on his way again. Fortunately, his little stop didn't cause him any trouble as he caught up to Lucius as he was going down one of the paths outside.
"Mr Malfoy!" Harry called.
Lucius took a deep breath to compose himself before turning around, surprised to see Harry running towards him.
"Yes, Potter?" Lucius asked.
"I have something of yours," Harry replied, shoving the diary into Lucius' hands.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucius said.
"Oh, but I think you do. You see, I reckon that you slipped this into Ginny's cauldron that day in Diagon Alley. I did find it very odd that it seemed as though her cauldron was more filled after you took that book out and put it back in," Harry said.
Lucius glared at Harry and leaned in close as some sort of intimidation tactic before speaking to him.
"Then why don't you prove it," Lucius challenged.
"I will be happy to do so in front of the whole Wizengamot if you're willing to show up. Then again, that wouldn't work would it as you would just buy your way out or claim that the diary cursed you to give it away to save your own skin, wouldn't you? You would escape justice from the courts but...would you escape me? You see, I don't like it when my friends get hurt, Mr Malfoy. Your master's spirit and monster found that out first hand. Do you want to find out too?" Harry explained, glaring at the evil man.
Lucius went silent, whether out of shock due to his failed intimidation attempt, being intimidated by Harry instead or sheer disbelief. He stood up straight and turned around quickly before addressing Dobby.
"Come, Dobby! We're leaving," Lucius informed Dobby as he handed the diary to the small house elf.
As Lucius began to walk away, Harry stopped Dobby and gestured for him to open the diary. When Dobby opened it, a sock fell out into his hand. The little elf began to cry. Not feeling the presence of his house elf by his side, Lucius turned back around and his eyes widened in shock.
"Master has given Dobby a sock! Master has presented Dobby with clothes! Dobby is free!" Dobby announced with joy.
"B-but I didn't-!" Lucius started, going silent as he watched Harry smirk.
Harry raised his trouser leg to show that one of his socks was missing. He had played Lucius like, well, a book. This enraged Lucius as he drew his wand out of his cane and pointed it at Harry.
"You lost me my servant! You will pay for this, Potter!" Lucius growled.
Harry merely continued to smirk at the enraged man as he prepared to defend himself. It turned out, however, that it wasn't necessary as Dobby got in front of Harry to defend him instead.
"You shall not harm Harry Potter!" Dobby said.
Before Lucius could even finish saying a spell, Dobby caught him off-guard. Dobby blew him off of his feet and sent him flying across the hallway. The shock of being attacked by his once loyal elf kept him on the ground for a few seconds before he shook himself out of his stupor and quickly got to his feet and glared at Harry.
"Your parents were meddlesome fools too, Potter. Mark my words...You will soon meet the same sticky end," Lucius threatened.
"And you will soon meet the same hellish end as your master if you continue on this path. I'm not stupid, Lucius. I heard who's side you were on in the last war and how you escaped imprisonment. You are a foul, loathsome coward, but I'll be generous and give you a choice. Continue hurting innocent people and die a horrible, pathetic man or repent and make a better life for yourself and your family. Otherwise..." Harry responded.
Harry said nothing more after that, leaving it vague enough for Lucius to come to his own conclusions. Lucius never responded to Harry's words either. He just stayed silent and walked away from Harry and Dobby. His ego didn't need to be damaged anymore than it already had today. Once he had gone around the corner and out of sight, Dobby turned around to look at Harry in awe and gratitude.
"Harry Potter freed Dobby. How can Dobby ever repay him?" Dobby gushed.
"Just one thing, Dobby. Never try to save my life again," Harry said, half-serious and half-jokingly to show no hard feelings.
Dobby smiled at Harry and clicked his fingers, disappearing off to wherever he wished to go. Harry smiled as he watched the now free elf vanish and hoped that he had a good, happy life. Just then, another bout of pain shot through Harry's body as he crashed to the floor, clutching his sides. He needed to see his girls. He needed to give Sabrina a new mission. He needed to say goodbye. He knew that he was at his limit now, but he needed to get up one more time. Just one more time.
Harry slowly stood up and made his way back to the Hospital Wing. Once he was there, he placed a hand on the wall to steady himself as he started to breathe heavily. He heard quiet voices inside and guessed that the Weasleys were still inside. Eventually, he heard them say goodbye to Ginny and he heard footsteps coming towards the entrance door. He saw them all come out and nodded to them in acknowledgement. They stopped as Mr Weasley went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't think that there are any words to say just how grateful we are to you, Harry. All that I can say is...thank you for saving my daughter. Had you not have gone down there, I don't know what we would've done. Thank you," Mr Weasley said, choking back some tears.
"I understand, sir. She means a lot to me too. She's my best friend. I could've never lived with myself if I just gave up on her and left her down there. I had to try and do something. I'm just glad that I got to her in time," Harry said.
Mr Weasley nodded in understanding and took his family away, knowing that Harry wanted some time to talk to Ginny alone. Once the Weasleys were out of sight, Harry entered the Hospital Wing and saw that both Ginny and Sabrina were awake. Still a little woozy, but awake. He smiled, trying to hide the pain that was now starting to become more constant as he walked up to the bed.
"Hey," Harry said.
"Hi," Ginny replied.
The two fell into an awkward silence as neither really knew what to say to the other now that they were finally together again. Sabrina, however, was not struggling for words to say. Now that she was fully awake, Sabrina felt that something was wrong through their familiar bond. She scrutinised Harry's expression and saw the pain hidden behind the smile.
~Harry? What's wrong?~ Sabrina asked.
Harry looked at his familiar and sighed. It didn't seem like he was going to be able to put it off for a few minutes like he hoped after all. Probably for the best, really.
~When I fought the Basilisk to protect you two, I did something a little reckless~ Harry explained.
~What do you mean by 'reckless'? Harry, just tell me what happened~ Sabrina asked, becoming more and more worried.
~The Basilisk was about to eat Ginny. I don't know how I did it, but in one second I was far away and in the next I was in front of her. Between her and the Basilisk. I ran on instinct then and jammed the Sword of Gryffindor into its mouth. It bit down, causing the sword to impale its brain, but it also managed to sick its teeth into my arm~ Harry explained.
Sabrina gasped. She knew the ramifications of being bitten by such a serpent. Basilisk venom was one of the deadliest of all snakes. She looked Harry over and saw the darkened veins on his exposed skin. There was no question about what had happened to him. So, how was he still in front of her? How was he holding it off. Was he cured and it was fading? Oh, she hoped so.
~Have you found a cure? You surely wouldn't still be here otherwise, right? Right…?~ Sabrina asked, seeing her hopes be dashed as Harry looked down.
~I think that my drive to save you two kept me going. Now that you're alright, my body's losing the fight now. I came here to say goodbye and to ask you to do something for me~ Harry explained.
~No! I can't lose you too! There has to be a cure! I won't lose you, my Harry!~ Sabrina hissed, unwilling to accept this.
~There isn't. Just listen to me, Sabrina. You have to do something for me~ Harry said.
~What do you need me to do?~ Sabrina asked.
~I need you to promise me that you'll protect Ginny. I'm going to tell her everything that we have learned. It will be up to her and Hermione now to destroy the horcruxes and stop Dumbledore~ Harry answered.
~But, how can we do it without you. They need you, my Harry...I need you...You can't just give up! You've been fighting it all of this time like no-one else in history! Maybe your power is just too strong! If you just keep fighting, then you'll purge it!~ Sabrina said hopefully.
~I'm sorry, Sabrina, but I've been at my limit for a while now. The venom's spread throughout my whole body. It's irreversible now~ Harry said.
At that moment, the strongest jolt of pain hit Harry and he cried out as he fell off of the bed, collapsing to the ground. As Sabrina slithered down to him, Ginny, who had been confused during the whole of his and Sabrina's Parseltongue conversation, looked on in horror and was unable to keep quiet any longer.
"Harry! What's going on?!" Ginny asked.
Ginny threw the bed sheet off of her and jumped off of the bed, kneeling down next to Harry. She cupped his face in her hands as she saw the pain etched on his face.
"D-don't worry about me, Ginny," Harry said.
"Don't you do this to me, Harry Potter! Tell me the truth! You're in pain! Why?!" Ginny cried.
"I haven't got much time left, so just please listen to me," Harry said.
"Harry...you're scaring me now. Please, tell me-" Ginny tried to say before being interrupted.
"Tom survived that Halloween night because he made what are known as horcruxes," Harry said.
"W-what?" Ginny asked in confusion.
"Evil, dark things. Horcruxes are objects that contain part of a person's soul and tethers them to the living realm. To make one, you have to sacrifice an innocent life. Tom made multiple horcruxes. Even I'm not sure just how many. I was one until the goblins removed it from my scar. The only other confirmed one, and one that has been destroyed, was the diary. It didn't just contain a 'memory' of him. That's why he could possess you like he did. It actually had his soul inside," Harry explained.
"Why are you telling me this?" Ginny enquired as her eyes began to water.
"You need to tell Hermione this when she wakes up. It'll be up to you two to find out where Tom hid the remaining horcruxes and to destroy them so that he will be mortal again. It's most likely that his spirit will fade away once his horcruxes are gone. I'm sorry for placing this burden on your shoulders, but I have no other choice. I trust you to finish what I started," Harry answered.
"No...don't you dare do what I think you're doing. You're talking like you're leaving. You can't leave me!" Ginny sobbed.
"The Basilisk got me as I killed it. The venom's been working its way through my system for a while now. I'm at my limit and I can't keep it at bay any longer. I'm just glad that I kept fighting long enough to bring you back to the surface. Sabrina will protect you now," Harry explained.
"No! Don't do this! We need you, Harry! I need you!" Ginny cried, holding Harry tight as if never letting him go would keep him alive.
Harry brought a hand to Ginny's cheek and wiped away her tears. He cupped her cheek tenderly and looked directly into her eyes. Green meeting brown for one more time.
"No, Ginny...You've always been stronger than you give yourself credit for...I believe in you...I always have..." Harry said.
Harry took one more deep breath before his eyes fluttered closed and his hand fell from Ginny's cheek to the floor. He was gone.
"Harry? Harry?!" Ginny said.
Ginny started to shake Harry, hoping that this was all a prank and he would wake up in a minute. Sabrina, unfortunately, knew the truth. She could feel their bond fade away bit by bit as his life force diminished. If only she could talk to the poor girl. If only Ginny could understand her. Instead, she had to watch as the girl who had clearly fallen for her master slowly break down.
"No...No, no, no, no! Stay with me, Harry! Harry! You can't die! Oh Merlin, you can't die! Please don't leave me...Please..." Ginny cried.
Tears fell freely from Ginny's eyes as she continued to shake Harry's lifeless body. Sabrina lowered her head as she waited for the truth to sink into the young girl. Ginny's eyes widened, giving her an almost crazed look, as she became more and more desperate. She started to pound her fists on his chest, hoping that it would make him recoil in pain just to show that there was still some sign of life in him. He had no reaction.
Eventually, Ginny couldn't keep going as her body began to shake while she sobbed. She brought her hands to cover her face as she cried and cried. Her hands began to clench as she started violently rubbing and clawing at her face and hair as if she could tear the image and knowledge of what had happened to Harry from her eyes and mind. Finally, Sabrina dared to look up and saw Ginny throw her head back as she let out a piercing scream.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Ginny screamed.
At that moment, something utterly unbelievable happened in front of Sabrina's eyes. Ginny's body began to glow as a golden light consumed both hers and Harry's body. Sabrina had to shut her eyes as the light was so bright. Though she could not see what was happening, she could feel it. A rush of powerful and pure magic washed over the room that seemed to focus all of its attention on the two beings before her. As suddenly as it appeared, the light faded and Sabrina opened her eyes again to see Ginny fall onto Harry, completely drained after using all of that magic. The shocking thing, however, was seeing her rise and fall on Harry's chest. He was breathing again. He was alive.
Sabrina was in total shock. How had Ginny managed to bring Harry back from death? Did she have a hidden magical affinity that was finally unlocked in her grief? Was she just a conduit for magic itself and it decried that Harry was to live on? Or was there something else going on here? It seemed that these two just gave her more and more questions to find the answers to. She only hoped that they wouldn't get hurt any more in the search for said answers.
