A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. This chapter was especially fun to write, since I was able to bounce ideas off of Jocelyn. There will be more Snape to come in later chapters. Remember, he's serving Voldemort, and can't appear at Hogwarts all that often. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Ten

Ginny healed slowly. Weak, tired, and inclined to nightmares, she seldom rested unless someone was with her. Hermione took turns sitting at her bedside, along with Ron, her parents, and, of course, Harry. If truth be told, Harry spent more time with Ginny than the rest of them combined, and frequently had to be ordered away by Madam Pomfrey to get his own rest. Somewhere in the midst of the panic over her illness, Harry seemed to have come to a decision, and Hermione felt with confidence, he did not intend to be separated from Ginny again.

Ginny was reluctant to talk about what had happened, but any attempt to get her to describe her ordeal seemed to increase her nightmares. Friends and family came to a tacit agreement not to question her. The time it gave her to reconcile her fears finally bore fruit, and late one night, as Hermione, Ron, and Harry sat with her in the quiet of the Hospital Wing, she opened up.

"I know the twins told you that I'd gone out to the Leaky Cauldron to pick up lunch. I heard someone call me, just as I passed the Apothecary. It sounded as if it was coming from behind the building, so I stepped into the alleyway to look." She shuddered. "Oh, I was so stupid!"

Harry squeezed her hand, and Hermione leaned forward. "It's all right, Gin. I'd have done the same thing."

Ginny shot her a grateful smile, and continued. "There was someone standing there, beckoning to me. I'd gone a little closer, and then I realized...I...I..."

Ron shifted uncomfortably. "You don't have to talk about it."

"But I need to tell you. It was...It was Tom." Hermione gasped. "He looked just as he did my first year at Hogwarts. Young...handsome...he called to me and I couldn't keep myself from going to him. I couldn't." She began to cry, and Hermione shoved Ron aside so that she could sit next to her and put her arms around her. "He wanted me to go with him, back into the Chamber..." She was crying harder. "I tried to run away, but I couldn't move, so I just kept saying, 'No...No!' and he started getting angry."

Hermione watched Harry as he and Ron exchanged looks. She hadn't been part of their experience in the Chamber of Secrets, having been petrified at the time, but their retelling of the tale had been horrific. How much worse could the memory of the place be for Ginny, who'd nearly lost her life there?

Hermione kept her arms around her friend, feeling her shaking. "Take your time, Ginny," she said.

"I...I want to get it over with." She took a deep breath and continued. "He came up to me and grabbed my arms, and his face was right there in front of mine. And it was Tom...but it wasn't. He was horrible...and his eyes were red. And...and he called me "Stupid little girl," and then all I could feel was pain...and the fear."

"Oh, Ginny," Hermione breathed.

Under his breath, she heard Harry hiss, "Voldemort."

Ron's face had taken on an expression of near panic. "What do we do now? This is the second time he's tried for her. How are we going to keep her safe?"

"She'll need to stay here with us, at Hogwarts," Harry said. "It's the safest place for her. Let's just make sure that all the proper paperwork is done, so Percy and the Ministry can't try to remove her."

"Percy?" Ginny asked. "Why would he do anything?"

"That's right," Ron replied. "I guess you haven't heard about what happened with him. He arrived here with Ministry Aurors and forcibly removed all the underage students against their will. They tried to get Harry, but Lupin was here to stop them."

"Percy," Ginny said, in a voice weighted with disappointment. "I can't believe him. Why?"

"Because he's a right prat and a shame to the name of Weasley – that's why." Ron responded. "And if I get my hands on him, I'll make sure he knows it."

"Enough, Ron," Hermione chided. "This goes way beyond your feud with your brother. We need to think things out."

Harry looked at her speculatively. "What's going through your mind?"

"Just this. We've destroyed one Horcrux and we know that Dumbledore destroyed another." She paused to get her thoughts in order. "Can he...I mean, would it benefit Voldemort to make more Horcruxes? In fact, wasn't the portion of his soul in the Horcrux destroyed along with it each time? He'd have to divide his soul again to make another, right?"

Harry nodded, "Right." Ron and Ginny were listening intently.

"How many times can one split a soul before there's not enough left in you to survive?"

"Good question," said Ron.

"Maybe he can't make any more without weakening himself to that point," his sister suggested.

"Then what did he want with Ginny?" Hermione asked. "Why go after her, especially after so long a time?"

There was silence as they considered the question. Ron turned to his sister. "Gin, is there anything else that you can remember...anything else he said or did to you?"

She shook her head. "I get images during the nightmares, but nothing that means anything. I don't remember much of anything after he..."

They sat silent again, and then Harry spoke, addressing Ginny directly. "Ginny, do you trust me?"

Hermione stared at him, and Ron frowned. Ignoring them both, he waited for the answer.

"Of course, I do. I always have."

Something stirred in her mind, and Hermione caught her breath. "You don't mean..."

At the same time, Ron straightened up. "Harry, there's no way..."

"Quiet!" Ginny snapped. "Let him talk."

"But he's talking about..." Hermione tried again.

"Legilimency," Harry finished for her. "I can do it. And if you're willing, I can look for the memory of what happened."

"You don't know what might happen to her if you do that. You can't risk it!" Ron protested.

"The decision is mine," Ginny answered him. She was still holding Harry's hand, and she didn't relinquish it as she gave him her answer. "I do trust you. You know that. But I'm not ready to do this. Not just yet." She looked at him anxiously. "I need some time."

"I won't push you," Harry answered her. "Seeing that we're all stuck here, time is something we have plenty of."

The fall seemed to be foreshortened that year, and the brisk, cool days disappeared, to be replaced with cold and damp, and a sky covered with heavy gray clouds. Hermione spent a great deal of time in the library, usually accompanied by Neville and Luna, continuing the research into the Horcruxes. Frequently, Harry, Ginny, and Ron joined the group, and their discussions sometimes became rather boisterous. Madam Pince appeared to have been keenly affected by the absence of the students this year, and as a result, tended to overlook it.

Hermione kept a notebook of ideas, clues, anything that she thought might come into play in their hunt. If truth be told, there wasn't much in it. Information on Horcruxes was not readily available, and the Hogwarts library held few references on the subject.

Harry became increasingly tense as their efforts seemed more and more futile. He spent his time with Ginny, or more worrisome, by himself. He was talking again about leaving Hogwarts to continue the search on his own. Efforts to point out to him that he had no clues to go on, only resulted in angry responses and periods of sullen silence.

The twins made frequent visits to check on their sister, and their presence always seemed to lighten the atmosphere. On one particular day, they entered the library, brushing at their coats. George sneaked up behind Madam Pince and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, which caused her to blush and push him away from her desk with a half-hearted, "Really! Mr. Weasley!" Fred marched over to the table, put his hands on his hips, and began to berate Hermione.

"You are a bad influence on your peers, Miss Granger," he announced. "What are you doing keeping everyone in here, slaving over dusty books, on such a beautiful day?"

"Beautiful?" she replied. "We haven't had beautiful weather in weeks!"

George joined them. "Excuse me, but if you'd been paying attention to what's going on around you, you might haven noticed."

"Noticed what?" Ginny asked with a laugh. Even Harry was grinning.

With a dramatic sweep of their hands, the twins pointed simultaneously to the big window in the back of the library. "It's snowing!"

Hermione jumped from her seat and ran to the window. The others followed. The air was full of white lace, dropping silently over the grounds, and the previously gray and depressing landscape was quickly turning into a winter fairyland.

"Oh, let's go outside," Ginny cried. "I want to see it."

"It's going to be cold," Luna said. "You'll have to bundle up."

"We'll see to that!" the twins responded, and together, they caught up their sister and charged out of the room.

Harry ran out after them, and Hermione laughed, relieved to see him smiling.

Once the proper cold weather coverings had been obtained, they met at the entrance and descended the steps onto the snowy grounds. Fred and George had Ginny wrapped up in a blanket, and found a relatively sheltered bench where she could sit. Hermione joined her.

"Honestly," Ginny complained. "You'd think I was made of glass, the way they're treating me. I'm not that delicate!"

"No," Hermione agreed. "But they're still feeling guilty about what happened. Give them some time."

A shout interrupted her. A barrage of snowballs arced through the air and slammed into Harry, Ron, Neville, and Luna, courtesy of the twins. A short fight ensued, breaking up only long enough to establish teams, and quickly a couple of snow forts appeared. Harry, Neville, Hermione, and Ginny (over the protests of her brothers) took their places in one fort, while the twins, Ron, and Luna took the second. Hermione quickly assumed command of their fort and assigned positions. Ginny was to keep the ammunition coming. Neville would join Hermione in attacking, while Harry was to create diversions. There was a quick scramble to prepare, then a shouted challenge from the other fort was answered in the affirmative, and the battle was on.

Ginny used her wand to keep a supply of snowballs to hand for Hermione and Neville. They bombarded the other fort while trying to avoid the snowballs headed their way. The three Weasley boys, plus Luna, were proving to be heavy competitors, and it looked for a short time as if Hermione's team would get beaten down.

"Harry," she cried. "Do something!"

Harry had been biding his time. He'd waited for the snow to accumulate on a nearby roof, and now, with a wave of his wand, he moved the entire amount over the other fort, and dropped it. Sputters and yells erupted from the others, and seizing the opportunity, he led Hermione, Neville, and Ginny in a rush to take the enemy fort. The free-for-all that resulted left everyone snow-coated, wet, and hysterical with laughter.

Ron recovered first. "Oh m'gosh!" he yelled. "Where's Ginny?"

"Right here," she responded between giggles. Ginny had overcome her brother Fred by the simple expediency of sitting on him and using both hands to push his face into the snow.

"Mfffryphggllbdth!" Fred said.

"Do you concede?" Hermione demanded.

"Don't do it, Fr...!" Ron's protest was cut off when Harry stuffed a handful of snow into his face.

"Finnygerroffmph!" Fred replied.

"I'd take that as a 'yes,'" Neville stated, and Ginny jumped off Fred's back to give a whoop of victory.

"To the common room," Hermione yelled, "and hot cocoa for everybody!"

The group piled in front of the fire, still laughing and debating the finer points of the battle. House elves appeared, removing the pile of wet outer clothes, and providing them with sandwiches and cocoa. After all that exercise in the cold, the heat of the fire was soporific, and gradually they all slumped and curled up on chairs and cushions, enjoying their hot drinks.

Hermione found a comfortable cushion and stretched out on the floor. Feeling sleepy, she was half watching, half listening, when she heard Ginny and Harry talking behind her. She shifted slightly so that she could see them. They were curled up together on a chair behind her, both absorbed in what the other was saying.

"I like how you've been today, Harry," Ginny was saying. "Not angry or upset...just having a good time."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "That was fun." He paused, then continued quietly. "I don't know how to not get angry anymore, Gin. I get so tired of just waiting around for things to happen. I hate it...having everything on hold...having my life on hold..."

Ginny nodded.

"Staying here and not able to do anything...it's like being cooped up with the Dursley's again...the same feeling."

"You're right," Ginny said. "We're not accomplishing anything. That's why...Harry, that's why I want you to go ahead and do it...the Legilimency, I mean."

Harry shook his head. "I don't want you to do it until you're ready."

"But that's what I'm saying. I trust you, and I'm ready to do it now. We don't know whether or not there'll be any answers inside my head..." She chuckled, "Hell, we don't know if there is anything inside my head. You can answer that question, at least."

Harry pulled Ginny closer, and looked down at Hermione. He'd obviously been aware that she was listening. "Later," he said quietly. "After the twins leave."

She nodded. Getting up, she went over to watch the card game being played by the others, giving Harry and Ginny time alone. Ron flipped a card, and Luna chuckled as she reached over to pick up the pot. Everyone was quiet and content, yet Hermione couldn't prevent a small shiver from escaping. What would Harry find?

Dinner took place, as usual, in the Great Hall that night. What was unusual was the fact that the staff and the few remaining students ate together. A large table had been placed in the center of the Hall, and all of the other tables removed. The Headmistress sat at the head of the table and surveyed all of them as they ate.

Apprehensive about the coming evening had Ginny looking pale and she picked at her plate without enthusiasm. Professor McGonagall eyed her with concern.

"Are you feeling well, Miss Weasley?" she asked. "You do not seem to have much of an appetite."

Beside her, Hermione felt Harry tense as they waited for Ginny to reply.

"I'm fine, Headmistress. Just tired, I think," she answered. "We were out in the snow for quite awhile this afternoon. Perhaps I overdid it a little."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Quite likely. I witnessed your snowball fight. In fact, I was rather tempted to come out and join you myself."

Everyone at the table laughed, but Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "Don't be fooled. She's deadly with a snowball. Mean right hook."

A lively conversation continued through the rest of the meal, with tales told of previous snow fights, and strategies for overrunning snow forts discussed. Hermione felt they'd done a good job of covering up their anxiety, as no further questions came their way. After polishing off a dish of apple crumble with custard, they excused themselves from the table, bid good-night to the professors, and made their way back to the common room.

Ginny had decided that she wanted the others in the room with her. Ron, at any rate, absolutely refused to even consider not being present. While he trusted Harry, he was concerned about how his sister would be affected by revisiting such traumatic memories. Hermione felt that she should be there to keep track of anything that was said, and Neville and Luna just wanted to be there to support Ginny. They all sat together while Harry explained briefly what he was going to do, and what Ginny might feel, drawing on his own experiences with Snape.

"It was unpleasant for me, because it was Snape," Harry explained. "He wanted to cause me discomfort from the beginning. That won't happen to you," he assured Ginny.

Hermione flinched, but had to admit that she wasn't surprised by Harry's revelations. That Snape detested Harry had been obvious from their first meeting. Still, it disturbed her that he should have carried his intense dislike to the extent of sabotaging the lessons that had been considered so important by Dumbledore.

Ginny spoke up from her seat. "I think I'm ready. Let's get on with it." Harry positioned himself on the divan so that he was sitting across from her and could look directly into her eyes. He pulled out his wand and had it ready in his right hand; with his left, he reached over and took her hand in his. Around them, the others waited tensely. Hermione had her notebook opened and quill in hand.

"Okay," Harry said. He raised his wand, met Ginny's eyes, and whispered, "Legilimens!"

Ginny stiffened noticeably. Harry immediately dropped his wand hand and broke eye contact. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Ginny assured him. "I thought it was going to hurt, but it didn't. She took a deep breath. "I'll know what to expect this time. Let's try it again."

Harry made eye contact and started to raise his wand, when Ginny started giggling. He rolled his eyes, and settled back on the divan. Ginny kept giggling, which started Hermione giggling, then Ron and Neville started laughing.

Ron muttered, "Girls!"

Looking around at everyone, Luna inquired, "Did Harry do something funny?"

Between giggles, Hermione responded, "No, it's just nerves...sorry!"

It was several minutes before they were able to sober up again. "Okay, okay!" Ginny said. "I'm over it now; I'm ready."

Harry took her hand again, and looked at her. She met his eyes steadily, and he raised his wand, "Legilimens."

Hermione watched carefully. Ginny seemed relaxed, and Harry was keeping unbroken eye contact, so she assumed that it was working. For a short time, nothing happened, then Ginny began to shift nervously. Hermione felt her own anxiety increasing; Ginny was breathing rapidly now. Her eyes had widened, and suddenly she whimpered.

Harry broke eye contact, and Ginny dropped her head into her hands. Hermione jumped up and put an arm around her. "Are you all right?"

"I think we'd better stop," Ron said. "It's too upsetting for her."

Ginny lifted her head and reached for Harry's hand. "No, I...I don't want to stop. You were right there, Harry. I want to keep going."

"Are you sure this isn't too much for you?" Hermione asked her.

"I'd rather see it all now, than in bits and pieces in nightmares every night," Ginny insisted. "Please, Harry...just go ahead, and this time, don't stop even if I get upset. Not until we've seen everything."

Harry hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"It's not nearly as bad as being possessed was," Ginny answered. "So, yes...I'm sure."

Once again... "Legilimens!"

Almost immediately, Ginny stiffened. She began to whimper, and tears started from her eyes. His face pale and his jaw set, Harry maintained the contact. Ginny was fidgeting; It would almost appear that she was trying to break the connection, if she wasn't keeping such tight hold of Harry's hand. She began to moan, and beg, "No...no!"

Hermione heard a strangled noise behind her. The others were supporting Ron who was bent over and turning rather green. Neville gave Hermione a look, and, with Luna's assistance, he helped Ron out of the room. Hermione shuddered in sympathy. She could scarcely stand to hear Ginny's cries. How much harder could it be for Ron to hear his sister reliving her moments of torture?

Ginny was still gasping and crying, when Harry lowered his wand and broke eye contact. "That's it!" She slumped forward, and Harry caught her in his arms and held her while she cried. Hermione could see that he was shaking, and that his jaw was clenched in anger. She started forward, but Harry stopped her with a look, and nodded in the direction of the door. Recognizing that he wanted to be alone with Ginny, she quietly walked out of the common room.

She found the others sitting on the stairs. Ron was pale, and Luna had a cloth pressed to his forehead. They all looked up as she approached.

"How's Ginny?" Neville asked.

"She's crying, but she'll be okay. Harry's got her," she responded.

"I'd better get in there," Ron said, starting to rise.

Luna forestalled him. "It's best to leave them alone together for awhile."

"I'm her brother; I should be there."

"But you haven't been possessed, and you haven't been tortured by Voldemort," Luna told him. "They understand each other in a way you can't."

Ron frowned, but made no further effort to get up. Once again, Hermione found herself surprised by Luna's insight.

"You're right. I guess none of the rest of us can really understand what they've gone through." She said thoughtfully. "How do you know so much about people?"

"Oh, I watch them, and I listen to what they say," Luna said quietly. "You learn things that way."

The door to the common room opened, and Ginny appeared. "C'mon back," she said. "We're ready to talk about it now."

Ron reached the door first, putting his arm around his sister as they went back into the room. Hermione smiled, thinking that it was a good thing they'd waited until after the twins left before starting the Legilimency. Dealing with one over-protective Weasley big brother was enough.

Ginny settled herself next to Harry, and the others pulled up chairs around them. Hermione picked up her quill and notepad. "Shall I take notes?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think you need to. We found out what we wanted to know."

"What happened?" asked Ron.

"It's what we thought," said Ginny. "I remembered nothing after he called me 'stupid little girl.'"

"Once I found that memory, we went back through it." Harry looked haunted. "He tortured her...with Crucio...but first he silenced her. That's why nobody heard her scream."

"Bloody hell," Ron exclaimed. "We shouldn't have done this."

"No, it's all right," Ginny hastened to assure him. "Now I remember what happened, and it's awful...but I can deal with it. It's not some horrible something in the back of my mind making me afraid all of the time."

"Ginny," Hermione asked. "Did he say anything that explains why he attacked you?"

"He did. He said that Harry could watch me die...and that I wouldn't be able to tell him anything about the Chamber of Secrets."

"The Chamber?"

"Yes. What he said exactly was 'You won't be saying a word to your precious Potter about the Chamber of Secrets. Everything you know will die with you.'"

"What's in the Chamber that he doesn't want you to talk about?" her brother asked. "All I remember is a dirty great bunch of bones and Lockhart talking out of his head."

"That's what's strange," Ginny said, with a shake of her head. "I don't remember much of anything about it. Harry looked, but he didn't find anything in my memories either. So I don't really know what Tom wanted to stop me from telling."

Harry looked at Ron. "We're going to have to go down there and search the place."

"Wait, Harry. Are you sure there aren't anymore Basilisks or other monsters that you might release by opening the Chamber?" asked Hermione, with a shudder.

"I don't think so. At least, I never saw anything else down there. Riddle and the Basilisk were monsters enough." said Harry.

"Gin doesn't go down there," Ron stated. "It's a dodgy enough kind of place for the two of us."

"Don't worry, I don't want to go," Ginny told him. "Once was enough."

"That's settled then. When do we go?" Ron looked at Harry.

"Tomorrow morning. We'll meet in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom at nine o'clock."

Hermione arrived first the next morning, dressed in an old jumper, her Muggle jeans, and boots. From the description of the Chamber, she anticipated a dirty time of it.She called a greeting to Myrtle, who seemed to be in a particularly depressed state. She wailed and cried her response to Hermione, and then quickly disappeared down the commode with a splash that sent water dripping down the cubicle walls. Dodging the spray, Hermione bumped up against the sinks. Turning to examine them, she quickly singled out the one that had been described to her: middle sink, non-working tap, small image of a snake etched into the copper fixture. She ran her finger over it, wondering if Harry would still be able to open it after all this time.

The bathroom door opened with a loud creak, and she jumped. The boys entered the room, stopping for just a second until they realized who was waiting for them. Ron grinned at her, "You look nervous, Hermione. Expecting a troll?"

Harry wasn't smiling. "What are you doing here? I thought we agreed last night that Ron and I were going alone."

She shook her head. "Not a chance. I'm going with you."

"I don't think that's such a good idea..." Harry started to argue, but she cut him off.

"If you recall, the only reason I wasn't with you the first time you went down there was because I was petrified. There's nothing to stop me this time."

"But we don't know what might be down there!" said Ron.

"No," she agreed. "But we didn't know what we'd find when we went through the trap door to get the Sorcerer's Stone, did we?"

"But..."

"And we certainly didn't know what was waiting for us in the Shrieking Shack either," she continued.

"Well, no..."

Harry grinned ruefully. "Give it up, Ron."

Hermione smiled, pleased to have won her point. "Let's do it, then."

"Right." Harry stepped in front of the sink that bore the image of the snake. He hesitated for a moment, then hissed softly. Nothing happened.

Ron reached over and pulled Hermione back slightly. "Try again, Harry. Maybe a little louder."

Harry hissed again, the Parseltongue syllables sounding eerie and distorted to Hermione. Suddenly, the tap began to glow white, and the wall behind the sink seemed to shudder. She backed up hurriedly, along with Ron. The tap had begun to spin, and with a loud rumble, the sink slowly disappeared into the floor, the wall behind it slid back, and a huge pipe yawned open in front of them.

"That...that's really amazing," she stammered. Stepping forward, she peered into the opening - it dropped away into the darkness and nothing was visible from where they stood. She glanced up to see Harry watching her with a faintly amused expression on his face.

"That's it. The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets," he said. "Still want to go?"

She nodded quickly, before she could change her mind.

"Okay," Harry motioned them closer. "I'll go first, then Ron. If there's any problem, we'll send up red sparks."

She nodded again, her throat dry. Harry stepped to the edge of the pipe, then simply dropped into it. Ron waited for another moment. When no signal appeared, he stepped to the edge, gave Hermione a "thumbs up" and dropped out of sight.

Her heart felt as if it would pound right out of her chest. Confronting her were two things she'd always be afraid of...falling from high places and the dark. Breathing rapidly, she stepped to the edge and watched for a signal. Suddenly, a voice rang in her head, so clearly that she glanced uncertainly behind her to make sure she was alone.

"Potter will rush blindly into death itself without once considering the danger to those he takes with him! And Weasley will blunder in right behind him. But you should have the common sense to get out of the way of Potter's stupidity."

"You're wrong," she answered him in her head. "It's the fact that he cares so much about his friends that drives him to take the risks he does. And I will be with him, and support him..."

Hermione smiled and finished the statement aloud. "...no matter what." Closing her eyes, she slid into the pipe.

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