She ran and ran, her breath ragged as she sprinted through the darkest depths of the forbidden forest. Her heart ached and her lungs gasped for air but she kept running. She had the will to and the reason to, so why should she stop?
Moonlight streaked through the holes in the leaves, casting weird and unfamiliar shadows across the ground. Ginny found herself running through sharp branches, cutting her arms up but giving her no reason to stop.
In the distance she heard the howl of a werewolf and felt fear hit her heart. She'd forgotten the horrors of the forest completely in her pursuit to the castle, but now felt them rushing back as cold as ice in her chest.
When she saw the castle ahead, she felt a beacon of hope chase away the ice in her heart. Even in the moonlight it looked magnificent. It's tall towers seemed to float above the thick mist surrounding the walls, enclosing the castle in a shroud of mystery. Pale yellow lights could be seen from various spots throughout the castle, indicating that some candles were lit. The Great Hall, however, stood dark and barely noticeable had she not known it was there.
Ginny kept running, never ceasing to stop, not even when she reached the castle doors and thrust them open. She kept sprinting up the steps, heading towards the one girls bathroom where none who knew of what it held went in.
"If your wondering, your too late!" a shrill voice greeted Ginny as she flung herself inside the bathroom, heading towards the infamous sink where the entrance to the chamber was already open.
She turned to face it's speaker, greatly taken back. It was Moaning Myrtle, the one girl who had died at the eyes of the basilisk.
"What do you mean too late?" Ginny said, feeling a ball of fear lump in her throat.
"Harry Potter and the blonde one have been taken into the chamber already...each of them unconscious. I don't know why you think you can help, Tommy is an evil one, he is!" Myrtle said, a disturbing grin spreading over her face.
Ginny looked away from the ghost and hopped without hesitation into the long pipe leading to the chamber.
She landed with a thud on her feet, and stood up cautiously, looking around her. There were pipes leading off in every which way, causing her breath to come in faster gasps.
Think back, Ginny, she told herself. Think back to when you were here...
Left.
Ginny opened her eyes and sprinted through the pipe on the left, careening through a long series of turns and straight-aways.
A shrill cry sounded behind her and wings could be heard flapping in the dense tunnels. Ginny turned sharply around and saw a red and orange bird fly dramatically towards her.
It was Fawkes, and he was carrying something in his talons...
He swooped over her and dropped something long and silver into her hands. It was Godric Gryffindor's sword.
"Oh my god..." Ginny muttered, eyeing the sword. It was like history was repeating itself.
She looked up at Fawkes, who was now flying down the pipe, heading straight towards the chamber. A sudden burst of courage erupting within her, Ginny set off down after Fawkes, the sword clutched tightly in her hands.
When she reached the end of the pipeline, she found herself gazing right into her dream. The chamber was dark, filled with shadows that bounced off the many broken snake statues that littered the sides of the long aisle leading towards the head of Salazar Slytherin.
The aisle was made of stone and slicked with water and vines, just as she remembered it. A single beam of light illuminated two motionless bodies lying in the center of the floor near the large statue of Slytherin himself.
Ginny gasped and began to run towards the bodies, fearing what she would find when she reached them. A chilled laugh stopped her in mid step when she was only 5 feet from Harry and Draco.
Her eyes strained into the shadows were the voice had emerged. A dark figure sat in a chair, it's legs crossed. The only thing between the figure and herself were the bodies of Harry and Draco, both bathed in white light.
Ginny watched nervously as the figure moved, standing up and beginning to walk towards her. She could tell it was a man, one who was most likely younger...but how could that be? Ginny thought...who else could of been in the chamber?
Her questions were portentously answered as the figure stepped into the light.
Ginny tried to scream but found she couldn't move. Tom Riddle stood glaring at her, his eyes and menacingly black as ever.
"Their energy was the perfect tool for bringing back my youth and power, you know...and where would the power be more concentrated then in here?" Tom said, an evil grin falling on his face as he motioned his arm around the chamber, showcasing it.
Ginny felt her heart beating faster, fear arising in her throat. He's come back, and I doubt he's forgotten how he took advantage of me and almost claimed my life, she thought, anger beginning to build in her chest.
A loud cry above them caused both of them to look upward, seeing Fawkes fly gracefully through the air. Ginny felt hope in her once again, and a courage that only Fawkes could stir in her heart.
She looked back to Tom and noticed him pointing his wand at Fawkes, trying to catch him in mid air.
More anger fueling through her, she realized she still had Gryffindor's sword clutched in her hands.
Without thinking, she gripped the sword tighter and swung at Tom's hand that held his wand. The sword sliced right through his wrist and severed his hand from his arm.
Ginny watched in horror as his hand fell to the ground and as he screamed in pain. His eyes wide with terror, he looked astonishingly at his severed wrist.
Ginny felt the sword weighing her down and felt her mind spinning. What did I just do?
Shaking off the question, she pointed the sword directly at Tom's face, threatening him to get up.
His head down towards the ground, he began to laugh. An evil laugh that echoed through the walls of the chamber and rang in Ginny's ears like rough vibrations.
Ginny felt shaken and was trembling slightly as Tom looked up to face her, his eyes boring into her's. An evil grin was spread across his face, and his blood was spilling over the wet ground, mixing with the water.
Why is he laughing? Ginny thought, eyeing Riddle suspiciously.
Suddenly, she heard the loud swooping of wings and glanced upwards, seeing a large jet black raven gliding towards her, it's talons out. Oh no...she thought fearfully. The raven from my dream.
She couldn't move, but instead watched in almost slow motion as the raven swooped down and ripped the sword from her hands, flying up into the air with it clutched tightly in it's talons.
Tom was now standing, his wand clutched in his left hand. A loud cry rose over them and their attention was yet again turned skywards. Fawkes had attacked the raven brutally, causing it to drop the sword.
It fell to the ground, right next to Harry and Draco's bodies.
Ginny glanced back over to Voldemort, who was now slumped over, but still holding his wand out at her and still glaring at her menacingly.
"Do you remember Ginny? Do you remember when we were...friends?" he said, a sickness in his voice that chilled her heart and boiled in her stomach. He had begun to walk towards her, causing her to back up farther and farther until she was pressed up against the cold wall of the chamber.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Voldemort said, causing Ginny to go stiff against the wall, only her eyes able to move.
Energy flowing back into him, Draco felt consciousness claiming him once again. His eyes opened, his vision blurred at first but then widening in horror as he saw what was going on. He turned around and saw the gleaming silver sword lying on the ground beside him.
Standing up, his knees wobbly but movable, Draco picked up the sword and shouted to Tom Riddle.
"Get the hell away from her Riddle!" his voice was hoarse and weak, and his walk was crippled but he kept moving steadily towards them.
Ginny saw Draco and felt her heart go numb. What is he doing? she thought, fear rising in her chest. She couldn't move, but stood helpless against the wall as Draco stumbled towards Tom, sword raised.
Before Tom could turn around, Draco had run at him, using the last burst of energy he could muster. He stabbed the sword through Voldemort's shoulder, pulling it out again and crumbling to his knees.
Tom cried out in pain, unable to clutch his shoulder but falling to his knees. He turned to face Draco, glaring at him with utmost hatred.
"Imperius!" he yelled, his wand pointed weakly at Draco's chest.
Draco began to rise, his mind obviously not controlling his body. He began to walk towards Ginny, sword raised and face blank. Ginny tried to scream in horror, but couldn't move, her mouth binded shut by invisible ropes.
Tom stood up now, his wand still pointing at Draco, willing him to turn the sword directly on Ginny. The blade glistened silver in the faint light as it inched closer and closer to Ginny's heart.
Draco couldn't stop himself, he couldn't prevent what was inevitable.
Harry's eyes burst open, his vision blurred for a second but then clear as crystal. He knew what he had to do. He'd had a sudden burst of energy that thrust his body awake, a result from Voldemort's continuous loss of blood.
Harry glanced over his shoulder, seeing his wand lying on the ground there. Reaching over and snatching it up, he pointed it directly at the unaware Voldemort.
"Expelliarmus!"
Voldemort's wand escaped from his grip and Draco fell out of the curse. The blade had been right on Ginny's skin, right over her heart. A second later and it would have been driven into her.
Draco dropped his arm that held the sword and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Ginny.
"Relashio." he said softly, relieving her of the body bind. She fell into his arms. Setting her aside, he directed the sword in his other hand right at Voldemort.
"You were so promising Draco...too bad your father had to turn coward on you..." Voldemort stared right into Draco's eyes, an evil and menacing glare that grinned maliciously at him.
Draco felt heat rising in his face, anger fueling through his bloodstream like red hot molten lava. Without a seconds hesitation he turned to drive the sword directly into Voldemort's torso.
He didn't even have time to think of what had happened. Voldemort had grabbed the sword so quickly and reversed it's blow so intensely that Draco forgot to breathe.
He felt immense pain wash over him like heat as the sword was driven right into his side. He crumbled to the ground, hearing Ginny scream behind him.
Ginny fell to the floor and gathered Draco in her arms, blood pouring over her as she held him close. "Oh god Draco..." she cried, tears falling down her face and her body trembling as a fear greater than any fear she had ever felt swallowed her whole.
Voldemort began to back up, his evil laughter filling the chamber, it's echo bouncing off the walls and sending hatred into everyone's heart who was unfortunate enough to hear it.
Harry had had enough. He couldn't stand here, wait while Voldemort killed off someone who he had thought he hadn't even cared about until now.
Both wands raised, he prepared himself to do his worst.
"Not so fast Potter!" Voldemort said, the sword now clutched in his left hand. He raised it and threw it at Harry like a spear, driving it through the air at an immense speed.
Harry ducked and heard the sword clash onto the ground behind him. Fear stabbed his heart like a dagger as he realized that Voldemort was prepared to use any method necessary to see to it that he, Harry, did not walk out of the chamber alive that night.
Another loud cry dispersed itself above them. Harry had completely forgotten about Fawkes and the raven, but apparently they were still having brutal combat in the air.
The raven cried out as Fawkes nipped it's leg, sending it flying madly around the chamber.
Harry watched as Voldemort eyed the raven nervously, watching it's every move.
Why is he so worried about the raven...Harry thought to himself, confused at heart but knowledgeable at mind.
The realization hit him and he couldn't believe it. Could it be? he thought to himself, wondering whether his plan might work.
If the raven was like the diary, then destroying the raven as he had destroyed the diary might work. He glanced at Voldemort and met eyes with him.
He seemed to catch on and glanced, wide eyed, up at the birds.
Harry pointed his wand at the sky, aiming it directly at the jet black raven. "Distineo Navitas!" he yelled, and a beam of yellow light shot from the end of his wand and hit the raven in mid flight.
At first the raven stood frozen, it's feathers now turned bright glowing yellow. It began to diminish and then disappeared entirely, the yellow glowing light gone forever.
Harry turned to Voldemort, who had surprisingly made no sound at all when he had hit the raven. He knew why the moment his eyes fell level with Voldemort.
Tom Riddle was now glowing yellow, rays of light shooting out from within him as he stood frozen in place, his face contorted in horror. His body exploded into light and particles of shadow regrouped themselves right in front of Harry's eyes.
The newly formed shadow disappeared almost immediately into the darkness of the chamber, leaving them entirely.
~*~