It was dark inside the cave. It was dark, and damp, and full of creepy individuals, one of whom happened to be a snake. The other one was the 16-year-old version of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but Ginny didn't know that yet. All she knew was she wasn't feeling so great.
Harry struggled against a levitation charm. "Put us down! We have to save Ginny!"
"Save who? I don't believe I've ever heard that name before. Maybe you're going insane...or losing your memory."
"I won't let you do anything to my sister!" Ron thrashed, then went eerily still...
Ginny saw her life flash before her eyes. It wasn't long, but it was happy. She only wished she had more time. There were so many things she wanted to do. Her brothers didn't even know she could fly! She hadn't ever slapped someone! There were things she needed to accomplish before she died!
The two boys lay on the floor of the bathroom, out cold. A satisfied man left Hogwarts without looking back. He was never found.
Ginny saw her body on the ground. Not broken, just pale and...lifeless. Which was odd, considering she could see it...but she was dead! How could she see her body then? Maybe this was how the afterlife worked. But then, why was she still on earth? Where was...the other place? Heaven or hell, right? Or just...black? But not still seeing earth, not still seeing herself...unless she wasn't herself. Or, that dead girl wasn't her. Was it her?
She took the leap and looked down at her hands. Her hands! They were transparent! Was she a ghost?
How did she feel about that?
Maybe it wasn't so bad. She could say goodbye to her family...oh, wait. How long was she going to be here? Maybe it wouldn't be a goodbye...maybe she would just stay here forever, roaming the earth as a ghost. That didn't sound so bad, although Myrtle implied differently.
Ginny guessed they would be friends now.
Wait, why was she even thinking about that? She should be warning someone about the guy that was inside the diary, or stopping him or something! Where would McGonagall be at this hour?
Professor McGonagall was with the other teachers, trying to figure out what to do about their situation. She was under a lot of stress, and goodness knows Dumbledore wasn't any help. She was desperately trying to come up with a solution, when a student burst in through the wall.
Wait a minute.
It was a ghost, but it was a student, and oh NO it was Ginny Weasley, which meant she was dead, which meant He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named won, and this was very very bad.
"Professor, I can show you how to get into the chamber!"
The Gryffindor got up. "Lead the way," she choked out. She was only eleven years old...she was so young. What had the world come to? One running, one floating, they made good time through the castle. They were almost to the bathroom, when...
"Luna?!"
"Ginny? You're a ghost."
"I know, it's a long story."
"Miss Lovegood, what are you doing out of your common room?"
"Something felt off...and the other Ravenclaws were teasing me again."
"Professor, we have to get going!"
"Yes, yes, Miss Weasley. Miss Lovegood, I suppose you come with us, then."
When they got to the bathroom, Ginny and the Proffesor gasped. Luna didn't seem fazed.
"Ron? Harry? What happened to them?" Ginny floated to her brother.
McGonagall looked up from where she had been crouching to check the boys' pulses. "They're alive. I'll get Poppy to help them more later. Right now we must stop the Dark Lord before he-"
"Before he kills another student," Luna interrupted.
Ginny nodded. "The entrance is this sink, you have to speak parseltongue."
McGonagall crossed her arms. "I don't suppose you know how?" The ghost shook her head.
"I can help you there," said another ghost sadly from behind a stall.
"Myrtle!"
"I see you've become one of us. Cruel life, the life of a ghost. Or rather, death...ah, hello Luna!"
"You said you could help us open the chamber, Myrtle?"
"I've heard the chamber opened a few times by now. I think I can replicate the sounds..."
She tried a few combinations of hisses, and after only a minute or so, the sink grudgingly opened, almost as if it knew Myrtle wasn't a real parseltongue.
A/N: Let me know if you're interested in this continuing!