Out of the Shadow- Year 2

It had been a while since the new school rules had been implemented which meant I had not seen Harry, or any of our other friends since. I occasionally got to see Harry and Ron between classes, or in a class, but nothing else. I occasionally got to wave to the twins in the great hall, but the ushered us from meals as quickly as we were ushered in. It's like they thought this monster wasn't going to attack us in our own houses.

It also meant no more side training for me either. All the teachers busy chaperoning students everywhere. Rhea stuck to my side like glue now that Ashley was in the hospital wing too. I had managed to get some time alone, walking through the halls towards the Ravenclaw tower. On my way back I noticed Harry and Ron standing stock still in the hallway. I rushed up to them. "What's going on?" I asked.

Pulling me away from the door Harry told me everything they had learned recently. "We had originally thought Hagrid opened the chamber, but he hadn't. We just found this after visiting Hermione. The monster is a basilisk, a kind of snake and it travels though the pipes." I raised an eyebrow at him. We rounded a corner and Ron let out an awkward gasp. Harry and I turned our heads in his direction and saw the writing on the wall, again.

"Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever. Ginny."

Ron said it all so quietly I didn't think I heard him right. "Ginny?" I asked. Harry gave me a small nod. "We overheard the teachers, she's been taken." I gasped and looked back at the writing. Harry tugged at my sleeve. "Come on. Lockhart." With a single nod Ron and Harry took off towards Lockhart's office with me following closely behind them. They ripped open his office door and inside we found him packing. "Going somewhere?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes. Urgent matter. Got to go."

"What about my sister?"

"Oh yes, no one regrets more then I."

He was backing out of going down to save Ginny. Ron and Harry were giving Lockhart a hard time and I didn't blame them. "You're running away? After all those things you've done in your books?" Harry shot off. "Books can be misleading." Lockhart added.

"You wrote them." I added from over Harry's shoulder. Pointing out the obvious. "My dear girl, use your common scene. My books wouldn't have sold half a million if people hadn't thought I'd actually done all those things."

"You're a fraud. Taking credit for things other people have done!"

Of course, then Ron had to ask. "Is there anything you are good at?" Lockhart informed us that memory charms were his strength. I rolled my eyes, of course they were. He turned to pick up his wand but by the time he turned back around the three of us had ours out. I gave him a smirk. Out numbered three to one. "Don't even think about it." Harry added and Lockhart dropped his wand.

Together the four of us walked towards the girl's bathroom where Harry had told me that a ghost by the name of Myrtle lived there. She was depressed, never living past her horrible teen years when she was bullied. "We believe she was the one killed 50 years ago." He added. I nodded as we all stepped into the bathroom. Sure, enough the ghost of a teenage girl was floating around crying.

"Oh, hello Harry. What do you want?" She asked partly cheerful, but also quite bitter. I kept my mouth shut and wand trained on Lockhart as I gave Ron a side glance. He just shrugged his shoulder. "I wanted to ask; how did you die?" Harry continued. I wrinkled my nose, I felt like that was a bit of a personal question, like asking a girl her weight, however, Myrtle seemed willing to talk about her death.

"Oh. It was dreadful. It happened right here in this very cubicle. I had hidden because I was being teased because of my glasses. I was crying, then I heard someone come in."

"Who was it?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, I was distraught! But they said something funny, a kind of made up language and I realized it was a boy and I told him to go away and I died."

"Just like that? How?"

"I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes. Over there, by that sink."

She pointed and Harry walked over to the sink looking it over. He ran his fingers along the tap. "I think this is it. The entrance to the chamber of secrets."

"Open it!" Ron said. "Harry, say something in parseltounge." Ron urged him. Keeping half an eye on Lockhart I watched Harry. He took a step back and said something in that odd language again. It gave me the chills. Just then the sinks started to move. We all jumped back as the one Harry had touched previously started to sink into the ground. We leaned over the edge and looked down into an empty hole now in the ground.

I couldn't believe this was happening. We were about to take a plunge into a black cave where a monster waited to kill us all, and possibly find Ginny's dead body. My stomach flipped; I was not ready for that. Just then Ron shoved Lockhart down into the hole, snapping me from my thoughts. "It's really quite filthy down here." Lockhart said from down below. Ron jumped next followed by me. Harry landed a few minutes later beside me.

He lit his wand and we started walking until something crunched under our feet. This time I also lit my wand and together Harry and I pointed them down and along the ground. "What is that?" Ron asked, his voice shaking. "I think it's a snake's skin." I said quietly. "I've never seen one that large before." My eyes were wide in anticipation. Just them Lockhart collapsed on the ground. As he started to bring himself around, he yanked Ron's wand from his hands.

"The adventure ends here, kids. But don't fret. The world will know our story. How I was too late to save the girl, how you three lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body. So, you first Mr. Potter."

I don't know how it happened. The moment Lockhart turned towards Harry; my body reacted. My hands flew up and a large golden shield appeared, and the same time Lockhart yelled "OBLIVIATE." My shield engulfed Harry and I, but I didn't need it as I watched Lockhart flew backwards and smashing into the wall behind him. My shield dropped as the ground started to shake. We all jumped back as the cave started to cave in around us. Once everything settled down again Harry and I were separated from Ron.

"Ron! Are you okay?" Harry shouted. "I'm fine!" Just then we heard a groan. Harry and I shared a glance before listening further. "Hello." Came the sound of Lockhart's voice. "Who are you?"

"Uh, Ron Weasley."

"Wonderful. And who – who am i?"

Harry and I stared at each other in disbelief. "Lockhart's memory charm backfired! He hasn't got a clue who he is!" Ron said though the rocks. "This is a charming little place. Do you live here?"

"No." Ron said flatly before we heard another thud and Lockhart hitting the ground again. "Ron, you try and shift some of this rock. We'll go though and find Ginny!" Harry called out again. When Ron agreed Harry and I carried on. "What happened back there?" Harry asked me. I looked at him, a bit worried. "What do you mean?"

"You produced a shield, Holly. Without a wand and without prompting one. I didn't even think we knew that spell yet."

"Oh. Erm, yeah, I don't know. It just happened. I mean…"

I trailed off. I had wanted to tell Harry about my training. I sighed heavily. "I've been working with McGonagall and Flitwick learning nonverbal and wandless magic. Dumbledore's orders."

Harry looked like I slapped him in the face. "I did some nonverbal magic during Transfiguration, and Dumbledore requested I keep training. Its like he is preparing me for something, but I'm not sure what or why. I'm not the one with a target on my back." Harry opened his mouth to say more but we both stopped dead as we reached a circular door. There were snakes etched into it.

I swallowed hard as Harry proceeded to ask it to open, which it obliged. "So weird." Harry looked at me over his shoulder. "Says the girl who now shoots shields out of her hands." I just shrugged. "Fair play." We climbed though the entrance. We stepped into a large room with a long hall lined with stone statues of snake's heads. "Ginny." I heard Harry say. I looked towards the end of the walkway to see Ginny laying on the cold stone.

We rushed to her side instantly. "Ginny, please wake up." Harry kept saying. Something caught the corner of my eye and I inhaled sharply when I noticed someone else standing in the chamber with us. Harry looked up too. Something about this boy made me uneasy. "She won't wake." He said in a calm voice. "Tom? Tom Riddle? What do you mean she won't wake?" Harry asked. I looked between him and Tom not knowing what was going on. I had never seen this man before in my life. How did Harry know him?

"She's still alive, but only just."

"Are you a ghost?"

"A memory preserved in the diary for 50 years."

I stared at them as Harry touched Ginny's hand again. "She's cold as ice." He mumbled. I wasn't surprised. It was freezing down here. I watched as Tom bent down to pick up Harry's wand. My eyes were trained on him, and only him. "Tom, you've got to help us. The basilisk…."

"It won't come until it's called."

How he managed to stay so calm and collected was beyond me. I kept my wand close, as I flexed my other hand. Something inside me was building, like I was prepared to cast another spell. I waited, knowing this was a time I needed to control it. "Give me my wand, Tom." Harry said. I kept still and quiet. Tom hadn't noticed me yet, or if he did, he only seemed interested in Harry. I listened to him explain how Ginny makes him strong.

My jaw tensed as he explained the events that happened this year. This arrogant boy, what was his game? It hit me, before the man said it himself. "Haven't I told you? Killing mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore. For many months now, my new target has been you. How is it a baby with no extraordinary talent was able to beat the greatest wizard of all time?"

"Why do you care how I survived? Voldemort was after your time."

"Voldemort is my past, present and future."

He took Harry's wand and wrote out TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE. Then with a flick of his wrist the letters moved forming a new phrase. I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. I grabbed Harry's arm. "You're Voldemort." We said together. Tom's eyes fluttered to mine for a brief second. "You didn't think I'd keep my filty muggle fathers name? No. I fashioned myself a new name. A name I knew people would fear when I became the greatest wizard in the world."

"Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world."

"Dumbledore was driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!"

"Dumbledore will never be gone. Not as long as those remain loyal to him."

Just then a screeching sound come from the other end of the tunnel and Fawkes appeared. "Fawkes?" Harry said looking confused. The bird dropped something in Harry's hand and left again. It was the sorting hat. "So, this is what Dumbledore brings his great defender? A songbird and an old hat?"

Tom turned his back on Harry and started speaking like Harry could. We waited and watched as a large stone statue moved and two large yellow eyes appeared in the darkness. "Go, Holly, Go!" Harry yelled as the snake approached us. I was rooted to the spot, unable to move. As the snake charged at Harry and the shield burst from me again.

Harry tumbled to the ground a few feet away from me, the large serpent hoovering over him. I pulsed the shield towards him again and struggled to keep my footing as the basilisk head connected with the shield. "You silly girl." Tom said and with a flick of his wrist I went sailing backwards. I heard Harry call out my name, but I was engulfed in darkness, and silence as my head smashed against the uneven stone wall.