Author's Note:

Felt a little guilty that the last chapter was shorter, and yet this one is as well. But I can assure you that the next one is long and action-packed. The delay in me posting is that I wanted to do the various scenes justice and the lack of time I have available to write. Life is really busy right now (and also terrifying for the future of our planet and the people in it).

Also, really can't thank you folks enough for supporting this as we pass 100k.

Here is my disclaimer that says I do not own anything Harry Potter related. Everything belongs to JK Rowling, except in universe 47837. Probably.

Neville Longbottom stepped onto the Hogwarts Express and made his way towards the back of the train. He had just entered the last remaining empty compartment when he felt the familiar and distinct ebb of Justin's magic come up from behind him. Ever since the beginning of his second year he had been able to know when Justin was nearby almost as easily as he could with Harry.

Of course, that description of feeling his friend's magic could also be just as easily applied to Justin and how he felt about Neville.

And whatever this unexplained phenomenon was that each boy was experiencing, it had become even more apparent now that they were being reunited after the winter break.

"Hiya Nev," Justin said even though he knew that he didn't have to say anything at all.

Their friendship went deeper than words could ever get across.

"I missed you," Neville replied despite knowing the same thing.

He finished hoisting his bag above the seating area before turning to face his friend.

In response, Justin reach out for Neville's shoulder and cupped it with his outstretched hand.

"I know what you mean."

His voice was deadly serious.

Neville turned and met his gaze while Justin continued.

"Whatever is happening to us… with Harry… I think it has been getting stronger."

Neville nodded and reached out to shut the door, severing his connection to Justin's hand.

But not to his magic.

The two boys then sat down to face each other in their small compartment as the train began to pull away from King's Cross Station.

"Do you ever feel like you will disappoint him?" Neville asked after a few minutes of silence.

There was a hint of uncertainty and trepidation in his eyes.

Which Justin noticed when he looked up and met Neville's pointed and honest stare.

"All the time."

His voice was quiet, barely audible, but Neville heard him anyway.

Justin's eyes were full of worry, but there was also some relief now because know he knew, truly knew, that he wasn't alone with how he felt.

A similar sensation then passed through Neville's face and he visibly relaxed into his seat.

"It's weird, you know? On one hand I realize that this isn't normal; not everyone has this kind of connection with another person's magic. But on the other, I never expected to have this feeling of purpose inside of me. Like I found exactly what I am supposed to do with my life. Does that make any sense?"

Neville didn't even have to finish for Justin to agree completely with him.

"It's like you are a part of something far greater than yourself and you feel so lucky that you get to be right there in the thick of things."

Justin's voice – his conviction – was stronger now.

"Every part of you feels needed. And Harry," Justin breathed out, "he is something so much better than everyone and everything else."

This time it was Neville's turn to shake his head in agreement.

"I wouldn't be who I am today without him. And I know that I would have never been able to reach my best if he hadn't protected me. I…"

But Neville couldn't finish his statement because he was momentarily overcome with gratitude with how Harry had looked out for what was his, and he had done this before Neville had even known that he belonged to Harry.

So Justin finished instead.

"And in return, we will do everything within our power to make sure that he reaches his potential. I would give my life for him," Justin then said with such sureness.

But then an odd sense of vulnerability washed over him.

Even he knew it was absurd to make such a declaration at his age, and yet he had meant that with every fiber of his being.

Luckily, Neville felt the same way and the two boys further bonded with Neville's subsequent response.

"No, we would give our lives for him. For our Harry," Neville clarified before extending his hand to meet with Justin's.

"For our Harry," Justin agreed as their hands shook and a similar pulse extended from both of their cores and rippled outward.

Each took a moment to reflect on the solemn vow and promise that they had just made to each other. Their magic hummed contently just beneath the surface of their skin, and eventually settled as they sat back into a comfortable silence reflecting on the fact that they would never be truly alone ever again.

Not even if they were separated by a thousand miles.

Amid the quiet solitude and contemplation within their compartment, the train continued to barrel down the tracks on its way to Hogsmeade. Time passed quickly for them in this state and before either of them knew it they had arrived at their destination.

The pair was eager to be reunited with their Harry and they were among the first to exit the train. From there the only thing left was a short carriage ride to the castle.

Neville and Justin exited their horseless transport and had just placed their feet upon the grass when they felt the exquisite brush of magic against their bodies that signaled that Harry was close by.

Indeed, they didn't have to search very long because he was waiting for them just under the arch that returning students had to pass through to enter the courtyard on their way to the castle.

Immediately they went to him and were rewarded with the much stronger pulse of his magic reuniting with theirs. In fact, it seemed as if Harry's hold over them had grown – if that were even possible.

Yet neither Neville nor Justin could deny the newfound strength that emanated from Harry's core, nor did they complain.

"Boys," Harry said with a casual drawl that beckoned them to follow him.

Harry turned and they proceeded to head towards the Great Hall.

"I trust that your breaks were good?"

"Quite," Neville supplied from behind.

"Yes, those spell books were quite interesting, Harry, thank you."

"Yes, I expect that you will be able to learn much from them," Harry agreed, referencing the set of carefully-selected texts that he had purchased for his friends.

"How was your time in the castle? Was it hard to, to stay away…"

Neville trailed off, knowing that Harry would know what he was asking since he didn't want to say too much because they were within earshot of the other students arriving to the castle.

"At first," Harry answered rather quickly.

"However, it got easier…" Harry began to explain but the words died in his throat.

For as they had entered the Great Hall, there was one notable person absent at the head table and several unexpected additions that had all of the students whispering at their house tables. Most had never seen the Minister for Magic in person, and so the sight of Cornelius Fudge speaking with Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall – and Lucius Malfoy of all people – was most definitely not an everyday occurrence.

But it was the absence of Albus Dumbledore that spoke volumes to Harry, and he was one of the few to notice this oddity as the room filled and the last students took their seats.

However, the supremely pleased face of Lucius Malfoy, who was currently having a conversation with Severus Snape, struck him as even more telling than Dumbledore's absence.

What in Merlin's name was Mister Malfoy doing there and why was he so happy?

And just as quickly as Harry asked that question, Harry saw one potential answer.

But he didn't like where that thought led him.

Because no matter how devious Lucius' apparent ploy seemed to Harry on the outside, several uncertainties remained that just didn't quite manage to add up.

It unsettled his magic and Neville and Justin felt the change immediately. Though, all it took was a quick glance Harry's way to know that this was serious, and furthermore they knew that Harry would not want them to make a scene. Therefore, they put on their new masks that they had been practicing over the break, just like they had seen Harry do so effortlessly in the past.

They wanted to make him proud.

While Harry digested some of these concerns that he had regarding the elder Malfoy, a limited portion of his attention was focused on the action towards the front of the Great Hall, where the raised dais was.

His reluctant epiphany was confirmed when the Minister soon approached the podium and the hall instantly went silent.

"Good evening, Hogwarts," Cornelius began in a magnanimous drawl.

"Welcome back to the start of your second term; I trust that your break for the holidays was relaxing and that each of you are now well-rested to resume your studies."

The man was nothing if not comfortable with having all eyes directed at him.

"Some of you may well be wondering why your Minister for Magic is at your school, and I do wish that I had a better reason to visit."

For one of the few times in the history of the Great Hall, there was dead silence as the man continued; the students were truly captivated with each and every word that the man said.

"Nevertheless, I am quite pleased with how we are dealing with the unfortunate attacks that have left two students in the infirmary. Trust that your Ministry and Hogwarts' Board of Governors hold your well-being and health in very high regard."

At this moment – and if on cue – a small smile began to spread on Lucius' face while Severus Snape rose to stand behind Cornelius Fudge.

"Therefore, we are addressing some of the concerns that your parents have and feel that a change of leadership will help right things. And it gives me great pleasure in announcing your new Headmaster, Severus Snape."

A gasp rang out from the tables of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, while an audible grown was heard from Gryffindor. Slytherin, however, was quick to drown out the resistance to the change of administration with their polite, if not slightly enthusiastic applause.

Even if they were internally thrilled with the idea that their own Head of House was taking over the castle, appearances and proper decorum always came first.

Then it was Snape's turn to say a few words, but Neville and Justin didn't pay attention. Not for the last time they were in awe that Harry had seemed to know what was happening before everyone else did.

But they couldn't ask him any questions at that moment since Harry was paying attention to the trite comments about their safety that Severus glossed over, much to the delight of Fudge and Malfoy.

Well, both Malfoys, since Draco looked just as smug and important as his father did.

Thankfully Severus was not long-winded and when he finished the food appeared. It was then that Harry focused on his boys and they knew that now more than ever it would be important to follow Harry's lead and to keep up all relevant appearances.

So they dug into their food and acted like they always did; however, towards the end of dinner, Lucius and Cornelius began to leave.

Harry watched curiously, still trying to put together the pieces that explained everything. Sure, it would have been easier for him to think that Lucius was merely responding to events and making them go his way, but for some reason Harry was positive that Lucius had been in the driver seat from the very beginning.

Something about the way he was smiling from the dais in the front had convinced him of that, and so all Harry was left to focus on was to wonder why Lucius Malfoy had been in possession of Tom Riddle's diary and how he knew that it could be used to open the Chamber of Secrets.

Which would then have had the subsequent and required effect of providing Lucius sufficient cause as Head Governor of Hogwarts to push for removing Albus Dumbledore.

Harry knew how it must have happened – because that was evident given that it did happen – but he considered it to be a risky prospect and one that could have backfired spectacularly.

Wouldn't Lucius have been concerned about Draco's safety in all of this? Or had the man been unaware as to how Tom truly thought – since going after Muggleborns had been considered off limits in an attempt to throw off Albus Dumbledore.

But, Harry reasoned, given that Tom was well before Lucius' time, he thought that he was missing something. Something big. Was the older Tom still alive and had he directed Lucius to act in the first place, thus allowing Lucius to feel confident that Draco wouldn't be harmed?

Harry thought that was unlikely given that he was sure that the Tom he had seen would have made sure that people knew who he was and what he was capable of, and Harry didn't know of a famous Tom in the wizarding world.

Unless…

And that was when another piece to the puzzle fell into place.

The mere possibility of Tom Riddle one day becoming Lord Voldemort, and thus Lucius' boss, seemed like the only possible explanation.

Only it was so monumentally important in explaining how perfectly everything fit together that this would have to be confirmed, regardless of how much sense it made.

It was then that Harry had another ah-hah moment, as he also was aware that Lord Voldemort was out there still from the incident with the Stone. From there, it wasn't hard to imagine that Lord Voldemort could have guided his younger, frozen form with some type of guidance on how to act.

Which would then have explained the gamble that Lucius would have taken with such a powerful artifact. But the more Harry thought about it as Lucius exited side-by-side with the Minister, the less certain he was that Lord Voldemort would have been okay with something of his – regardless of instruction – being left in the hands of a school-aged girl where a million different scenarios could have resulted in it ending up in the hands of Albus Dumbledore.

Specifically, and for that reason, Harry would not have taken that risk and knew that Tom Riddle wouldn't have either. In fact, he was sure of it since Tom had been most concerned with not alerting Dumbledore when he had unleashed the Basilisk.

As he sat there at the table, his mind lost in thought, he couldn't help but want to go to Ginny and search her mind for anything that would add to what his mind had just put together.

He needed more information and he was most impatient at having to wait to see if there had been any conversations that he had missed between Ginny and Tom.

Harry hated being this close to potentially knowing something so vital and not being able to confirm it immediately. But along with that, it was almost more important for Harry to address the notion of his pull towards Tom and how and why the other boy's magic made him feel like it did.

After all, this was the alleged person who had grown up to kill his parents and was therefore a little bit responsible for sending him to live with those miserable Dursleys. Though, Harry had already gone down that road and knew that he didn't hold any ill will towards the man. His experiences had shaped who he was as a person and as a wizard, and Harry was nothing if not grateful for knowing just how limitless his future was.

Especially given that his recent conversation with Luna had refocused him.

What he had been through had molded and defined his potential; so Lord Voldemort and his possible connection to Tom Riddle aside, Harry wanted to understand what his connection to the other boy was and why he had felt nearly complete in his presence. That was orders of magnitude more important to him than grieving over parents whom he would never know.

With that thought, his magic settled somewhat – much to the relief of Neville and Justin, who then followed Harry out of the Great Hall as soon as the students were released.

There was silent as they appeared to head to Hufflepuff, only to be diverted to their secret training room now that it was safe again to return.

No sooner had they entered the now-clean space thanks to a flick of Harry's magic, than did Harry turn to face them.

His face had never been more serious, and both of his boys readied themselves for the unknown.

"We have much to discuss," Harry told them.

His green eyes searched over both of their faces, pleased with the looks that they were giving him.

The light from the torches played with the shadows on his face, making Harry look much older than he was.

"But first, I need to confirm a few things and for that it is imperative that we make plans to sit down again with Ginny Weasley. Just as soon as we are able."

The next few weeks passed by rather quickly, but still, Harry hadn't been able to re-enter the mind of Ginny Weasley. Though, that had more to do with working around the revised schedules that their new Headmaster had implemented; which had even further restricted the amount of time they had available between dinner and curfew.

As it was, the half an hour that Harry and his boys now had was almost exclusively spent in the library exchanging books that were to be used for that night's study session within the confines of Hufflepuff House.

Thus, the only time that Harry could even remotely entertain the thought of sitting down with Ginny was on the weekends, and for some reason or another the youngest Weasley preferred to remain inside Gryffindor Tower on those occasions.

In fact, by the third week Harry was considering the possibility that something had gone wrong with some of his organizational efforts in cleaning up some of the effects from both his and Tom's foray into her mindscape.

Perhaps she had been broken?

Except that he couldn't think of anything that he might have done incorrectly since by this point in time he considered himself both a master of Occlumency and Legilimency.

In addition to the troublesome thoughts over why Ginny spent her weekends in Gryffindor, Harry had yet another thing to consider; for two weeks into the start of the term he had received an unaddressed note in the same handwriting that had accompanied his Invisibility Cloak.

It troubled Harry why Albus Dumbledore would think to write, 'Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask,' given the fact that Harry knew that Dumbledore knew that the Chamber of Secrets had really been opened.

Aside from the fact that Dumbledore was aware that the chamber wasn't a myth, it remained to be seen whether or not the old man knew of the Basilisk. With this letter, however, the only thing that he could think of was that Dumbledore was, somehow, expecting Harry to deal with the chamber himself.

Which made no fucking sense… unless the old man was onto him about his advanced abilities.

Luckily, Harry didn't have to worry about the chamber anymore since only a Parselmouth could open it, and Harry wasn't planning on doing that any time soon. For multiple reasons.

But he did have to worry about Dumbledore and often spent large portions of his weekends mulling over his options while Neville and Justin worked diligently next to him in the library.

On one of these occasions, and about two weeks after he received Dumbledore's letter, Ginny Weasley approached their table of her own volition and mysteriously just sat down.

The red-headed girl made no sound and as soon as she had pulled up a chair had begun retrieving her material to complete her weekend homework assignments.

Neither Neville nor Justin knew what to do about the unexpected interruption, but Harry didn't really care why she had joined them.

Who was he to question this unexpected boon and after the lunchtime bell sounded he made a small request for Ginny to join them afterwards in another location.

Of course the girl nodded her head in response to Harry's suggestion, and an hour later the four of them sat down together in Harry's preferred training location.

They had been in the room for less than five minutes before Harry entered her mind in search of everything that she could possibly know about Tom Riddle.

Most of the memories that Harry watched - after spending about an hour gathering together all that he could find that had to do with the diary – were useless. Much like the scene that he had witnessed earlier, nearly all of her interactions had been one-sided and consisted of Ginny going on and on about Hogwarts and how excited she was to finally get away from her mother.

Apparently Mrs. Weasley had smothered Ron and Ginny to death as each additional child of hers had turned eleven and left the nest.

However, the last two memories that Harry had come across interested him greatly.

Harry entered the first and found himself again standing behind Ginny within the girl's dormitory of Gryffindor.

As usual she was scribbling away furiously, like she was afraid that she would forget what she wanted to say and was trying to get it out as fast as possible.

This time, though, her musings were about him.

"Oh, and Tom, I forgot to tell you earlier because there was so much else going on, but Harry Potter is so much different than Ron led me to believe."

Harry had to focus on what she was writing because of the power he felt pulsating from the diary. The feeling his magic had in response to Tom was indescribable, and he longed to know for certain whether or not Tom and Voldemort were one and the same.

Not that it really mattered to him, since power was power and with this, Tom, by his side he was confident that no one would be able to stand in his way.

It was fortunate that Harry was able to focus on many things at once because otherwise the next thing that Ginny wrote would have likely escaped his noticed.

"Of course this is secret, Tom, so no telling anyone, but Harry is exactly how I pictured him. Well, not exactly how I pictured him since it is so very hard to know what to expect of the Boy Who Lived. But he is quiet and I think very thoughtful and he treats his friends extremely well from what I can tell. Neville and Justin are always around him and very loyal."

With that line Harry began to pay more attention to what she wrote.

"But Tom, he has this air about him; I can't describe it. When I pass him in the halls, sometimes, he feels so very much like you – or well, like your diary."

Now she had Harry's full attention.

"Maybe I am not describing this very well, I don't know how else to really. All I know is that when I am near him I often find myself thinking about you. How weird is that? Tom, are you there?"

Harry leaned in closely over her shoulder and felt the exact moment that the pulses of Tom's magic within the diary changed. Diary Tom was interested; at least that was what Harry thought given the increased warmth that he felt resonate throughout the memory.

And seconds later, he reasoned that he was on the right track because Tom chose that moment to respond.

"Like me? How interesting; perhaps you could tell me a little bit more about this boy, Ginny. I would also add that you seem to have very good taste considering whom you are currently talking with. I bet all of the boys want something to do with you and you therefore learned how to be selective about whom you spent your time with…"

'Smooth,' Harry thought.

Ginny, of course, began to smile in a way that Harry knew would likely stay on her face for quite some time.

"Oh, Tom, you are so sweet! I'm sure you would get along very well with Harry. Hmm, let's see, I suppose we should start with the story of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named… which doesn't mean anything to you, I'm sure, but he was an awful wizard that nearly took over Britain. It happened before I was born and my parents can't even speak his name, not after what he did to my uncles... But no one can in fact."

Ginny took a moment to collect her thoughts, because even writing his moniker had sent chills down her spine.

While she took a small mental break, Harry focused his efforts on the diary and he guessed again that Tom was interested because the pulses coming off of the diary were quicker now.

In a strange way it reminded Harry of the way someone's pulse increased when they were excited or intrigued with getting closer to something that they wanted.

Eventually, Ginny returned her quill to parchment and was committed now to seeing this through.

"Anyways, this person – Lord Volde… I can't write it, Tom, it is too scary – entered the Potter's home one night and killed both of Harry's parents. However, he could not kill Harry, and in fact, disappeared after that night. Many people say that Harry defeated him, and since he was only an infant he was known as the Boy Who Lived because no one had ever been able to survive after You Know Who set their sights on them. But he did!"

Harry had gone into her memories to find an answer, and boy did he have one now. Without a doubt, Tom Riddle had grown up to become Voldemort because at the exact moment that Lord Volde had appeared on the page, the magic emanating from the page had become furious.

So much so that by the time that Ginny had finished her last entry, the memory ended and Ginny remembered no more.

In fact, the act had removed Harry from her memory – but not her mind – with such force that Harry needed a minute to focus on his surroundings within her mindscape.

It was quite disconcerting, but he didn't care because he now had his answer. However, he didn't want to leave her mind just yet because Harry was nearly positive that his expulsion from her mind had been due to Tom taking control once more.

Though he had thought that he had seen all of those memories since his first journey into her mind had lasted several hours.

But he knew that there had to be another, and so Harry searched high and low for it within Ginny's mind.

Finally, after an hour of searching he found it.

The memory was short, but it tugged at Harry's magic in ways that he didn't know how to process.

For after quickly entering the memory, it was obvious that Tom was enraged to find out that he would one day fall to an infant. In fact, everything about the memory was tinged with a reddish brown and Ginny-Tom quickly left her dorm and headed out of Gryffindor Tower.

It didn't take long for Harry to understand what Tom was doing or where he was going, since he was positive that if roles had been reverse that he would have done the exact same thing.

Tom was looking for him; and using Ginny's memories of where Harry usually tended to be, he found him quite quickly within the Library.

However, Harry knew what was going to happen because he remembered this, only at the time he didn't know that it was because Tom had spied on him.

Harry watched himself looking at a book on advanced magic that he was just about to put in front of Neville and Justin on conjuring. Also, because he was in Tom's mind while inside of Ginny's, he knew that Tom was holding whatever magic he possessed very close to himself.

Which was why Harry hadn't felt anything at the time as he watched the memory of himself slip a book under his arm. That was, however, until Tom took a chance and sent a small tendril of his magic at Harry.

Only, it was nothing like Harry associated with the greatest feeling that he had ever felt. It was so unique and abstract that he would be hard pressed to even describe it. And yet, that too had somehow felt right.

Tom had apparently had a similar reaction to what Harry had felt, as he then turned quite quickly and hid behind a bookcase while Harry fumbled the book in his arms before dropping it.

Harry remembered picking up the book and looking back, only to see no one. He had even let loose a small amount of his own magic to explore, but he could see now that he had not sent it far enough as Tom took that moment to sneak out of the library using Ginny's body.

Only this time, Harry knew what had happened and his heart began to flutter as the red tinge of Tom's vision dissipated and was replaced with all sorts of confused feelings that threatened his hold over Ginny.

Tom had barely managed to make it back to Ginny's room before his hold on the girl was severed, but not before he exhausted his last remaining mental strength to hide this memory so far below her mindscape that he hoped it would never, ever see the light of day again.

Harry exited from both the memory and Ginny's mind with a new feeling growing inside his chest. Tom had felt something similar to what Harry felt, and though he couldn't describe it, he couldn't help the satisfaction that welled up inside of his chest.

"Oh yes," he said to himself as he looked first to Neville and then to Justin, "Tom will join me and with him I can do anything."

Neither Justin nor Neville pressed Harry for answers, knowing that he would tell them when he was ready.

Besides, Harry was busy making sure that his presence inside of the girl's mind went and remained undetected.

Although, when he was finished he decided to be frank with the girl and ask her why she had approached him in the library after weeks of not being able to find her.

"Because," Ginny began while looking from Justin to Neville to the unfamiliar surroundings of the room that they were in, "I feel safe with you."

"Safe?"

Harry needed her to clarify that statement.

"Yes," she said in all seriousness as her eyes returned to Harry.

"I know that you will protect me now, just like you have been doing all along."

"Protect you?" Harry questioned in a bemused manner.

Only as he did so he unleashed his full power within the room. Neville and Justin were instantly under the thrall of his magic, their bodies swaying slowly from side to side as they basked in his power.

Now that Harry was able to feel everything that his magic touched inside the room, he was surprised to note that Ginny's magic was now much warmer than he had ever felt before. It was as if freeing that last memory that Tom had hid within her mind had irrevocably altered who she was as a magical person. But even before that, his magic told him that she had slowly been coming to terms with what her magic had been telling her from the very beginning.

Because, from the first time that Ginny Weasley had heard about the Boy Who Lived from her mother, she knew that one day she would follow him. His story had captivated her and without even meeting him her magic had aligned with his.

Tom's diary had only stood as a distraction from her recognizing and then acting on the inevitable. And after it was gone, her mind had recovered enough for her to finally realize the simple truth that nothing had ever felt as good as being in Harry's presence.

Which was why she had worked up the courage to approach them in the library and it told Harry that his circle had expanded yet again.

Instantly, his magical core took on another defined point as it connected fully to Ginny's magic. Neville and Justin felt it too, their bodies shivering as even more magic was shared between them as Ginny added her power to the collective.

Harry sat there, watching as his power served as the focal point in joining these three to him. With the clearer form that his core now took on, it was easy to see just where it was headed now.

Three points had already been decided on and he could feel those three individuals that they pointed to since he knew who and what they where. A fourth was still struggling to form and Harry had already decided that Cedric tugged at that part of him.

And now he could see that there was enough space for three additional points to take shape. He may not have understood why this was happening but he knew that he couldn't stop it. It felt too right for him to consider doing anything other but welcoming another person who would help him succeed.

As he sat there, watching his people give their selves to him, he wondered who the other three would be. Luna was certainly a distinct possibility, and then there was Daphne Greengrass since her magic had felt similar. But who was the last? Was it Tom?

Though, even as he thought that he knew that it couldn't be true. Tom was no more a follower than he was. Tom was equal to him – or would be as Harry mastered his own magic as the years went by.

Ultimately, he just had to wonder what would happen when his core became complete and had each of his seven followers in front of him. And his magic wanted that to happen too since it began to pulse and the act further drew his present followers to him.

But he didn't know how long that would take to happen, and could only wait for Neville, Justin, and now Ginny, to come to their senses.

Eventually though, they were ready to leave. Without a sound Harry led them all quietly towards the kitchens since they had missed dinner. As usual he was in the front, but he didn't even have to look back to know that Neville and Justin had taken to either side of Ginny, accepting her into his group without question.

However, on their way to the kitchens a scream resonated throughout the castle.

Naturally, Harry was interested and led his now-foursome to the exact location where Filch's cat had been petrified. Only this time, no one had been frozen, but the same could not be said for the red letters that still glistened in the torchlight:

The Chamber of Secrets is still open: fear the heir!

Let me know what you think! The only way I have ever liked Ginny is as a warrior-type personality, and I think she will fit nicely as one of Harry's followers in that role. She will be my unexpected assassin.