A/N: Oh my, it's been ages since I have updated this story and I'm terribly sorry for that. Life and writer's blocks just keeps getting in the way. Anyway, here is the chapter 22 and hopefully it won't take me as long to write the next one.

Oh, and thanks for my reviewers and this story is by no means abandoned, I'm just not able to update it as fast as I did at some point.

"Parssseltongue"

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

Sky slept restlessly that night. He had spent hours next to Dora's hospital bed till Madam Pomfrey threw him out and warded the hospital wing to protect the petrified students like she did every night, preventing Sky from sneaking back without her noticing. So, he had returned to the dorm to avoid his fellow students who kept shooting him pitying glances and to wait for Dexter's return.

It didn't take long for the week's exhaustion to catch up with him and he fell asleep, his dreams filled with strange images, mixing dreams and reality and in the end Sky didn't know what was real and what not. Few brief images especially stuck with him. Images of his parents, his mother especially, talking to him. He could see his mother smiling down at him whispering him:

'…need to take care of her, Harry…'

'…protect her…'

'…always find her…'

'…will never be apart…'

'…You'll always find her…'

'…able to feel her…'

'…always find her, Harry…'

'…Always find her…'

Red hair and hazel eyes flashed in front of him and Sky woke up with a gasp, his body covered in cold sweat.

"Sssky!" A voice hissed from his left and Sky looked up to see Dexter slithering towards him.

"Dexter. Did you find it?" Sky whispered.

"Yesss! It isss hidden in mossst peculiar way. Itsss entrance isss in the female humansss' bathroom where the annoying ghossst residesss in." Dexter hissed.

Sky knew immediately where the entrance to the Chamber was and cursed himself for not searching the bathroom as it was right next to the place where the first attack had happened.

"Thank you Dexter." He hissed and gave the snake a box of the grapes he so liked. He was just about to continue when he felt sharp pain in his wrist just where the tattoo was. Suddenly he felt a tugging feeling like a Portkey and he smashed into a hard floor, but not in his dormitory, but a spacious damp room that could only be the Chamber of Secrets.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" A voice spat from a few feet to his front and he looked up to see a fifteen-or-so-year-old boy in Slytherin robes standing in front of him. He looked slightly familiar, but with the hit to his head as he fell, Sky couldn't recall where he had seen him.

"W-what h-happened? W-where am I?" Sky asked acting confused as he discreetly took in his surroundings. He saw numerous entrances, which he concluded, led into the pipes. Most of them were open, but he noticed a few that weren't and guessed that they led into other rooms of the chamber and the one that was behind Salazar Slytherin's statue was no doubt where the basilisk resided in.

Suddenly a flash of red caught his eye and he moved his gaze to the source of it. It was a form of a young girl with a fiery red-hair that lay lifelessly on the floor of the chamber.

Ginny Weasley.

"Ginny." He whispered before he could stop himself and quickly looked at the unknown boy to see if he had heard him.

He had and a gleeful glint appeared in his dark eyes.

"Oh, you know little Ginny do you?" He asked.

"W-what h-happened to her?" Sky asked hoping to get some answers. "S-she's not d-dead is she?"

"Oh, poor little Ginny poured her heart out to the wrong person. And don't worry. She's not dead – yet. But why would you want to know? Why would you care what happens to her? You're not her friend. I know all about her. Poor little friendless Ginny. 'Oh Tom, nobody likes me, I'm so alone all the time, I'm so lucky to have you, Tom.'

"For months I have listened to her whine about her little girl problems. But she was useful too. Through her I found out that Harry Potter is dead and now there's no one to stop me from getting what's rightfully mine!

"Yesss, she's very useful." The boy – Tom said more to himself than Sky, trailing a finger down Ginny's cheek and Sky felt a wave of anger wash over him.

"Don't touch her!" He spat without being able to stop himself. Tom's sharp eyes snapped into him and Sky knew his weak-little-boy –cover was blown. What was wrong with him? Why would he react to anything doing with Ginny so rashly, without thinking?

"Well, well, well. Not so scared after all." Tom said curiously as his long fingers trailed Ginny's wand. "Who are you really boy? Ginerva has never mentioned you; I would know… she told me everything after all…"

Sky kept silent, trying to get his mind clear from the concussion and transfer the pain into the back of his mind.

"Answer me, boy!" Tom roared and sent a spell towards Sky, who sidestepped it just in time and send one of his own towards Tom, only to see it fly right through him.

"What are you?" He whispered out loud as Tom laughed like a maniac.

"Oh you want to fight me too boy. Little Ginerva tried too…Stupid girl, like she could win against the great Lord Voldemort." Riddle spat and a send another spell towards Sky. "Well no more. In a matter of minutes I have drawn all life from her and will come back stronger than ever!"

Sky felt like hitting himself as Tom identified himself as Voldemort. Of course that's why he looked so familiar – Sky had found out everything he could about Voldemort ever since he heard he wasn't dead and had seen a picture of his younger self – he should have been able to recognize him. Sky cursed his concussion for messing with his mind and sidestepped a Cruciatus send his way. He needed to find a way to stop Voldemort from doing whatever it was he was doing to Ginny.

Once again he started looking around in search of any clue about what was going on when Tom got fed up with him sidestepping and blocking any spell thrown at him.

"I don't have time to play with you boy, only a few minutes and I'm no longer a mere memory." Tom declared and turned to look at the Slytherin statue. "Ssspeak to me, Ssslytherin, greatessst of the Hogwartsss four!"

Meanwhile as Tom was busy with calling the basilisk Sky had moved to Ginny's side and noticed her clutching a black diary. He waved a wand over her checking her condition and finding her very weak. Her pulse was very slow and weak and like Tom had said, her life force was disappearing. Sky could find no other explanation to her condition than something to do with the black diary.

Tom had said that Ginny had written to him for months and called himself a memory. The only conclusion Sky could come to was that somehow Voldemort had stored a part of himself into his diary and made it possible that by writing into it he could draw the person's life-force and become corporal once more. How he had done it, Sky had no idea, but the only way to save Ginny that he could think of was to destroy the diary.

Sky snatched the diary from Ginny's hands and cast a few quick spells to it trying to find out what it was and how to destroy it but came up with nothing. He knew that he had no time to do any closer research as he could hear the large snake moving closer and closer to them and Ginny was fading fast so he decided to just give it a go and hope for the best.

Dropping the diary to the floor he cast a spell after spell to it hoping that one would work and destroy the diary.

"Reducto"

"Bombara Maxima"

"Incendio"

"Confringo"

"Diffindo"

"Expulso"

Sky cursed inwardly as nothing seemed to work against the diary.

"Did you really think that it would be that easy?" Tom cackled at Sky's attempts to destroy the diary. "But now, playtime's over." He continued as the basilisk finally came out of the tunnel.

Sky watched in horror as the huge snake slithered out of the statue. Never in his life had he seen a snake as long as it was – it seemed like it continued on forever. He had encountered a young basilisk once during his travels with Marcus, but that snake had only been 25 feet long – this basilisk was at least twice of that.

After what seemed to be like ages, the whole snake was out of the tunnel and turned towards its Master, waiting for his command, which Tom was eager to give.

With a gleeful grin he hissed: "Kill him."

Sky cursed as the enormous snake advanced towards him and ran trying to come up with some kind of a plan. He knew that basilisk's skin was imperious to nearly everything and trying to reason with the snake by talking to it wasn't an option either as it only took orders from the Slytherin Heir, who unfortunately happened to be Voldemort...

Unless…

Sky's mind worked fast as he thought through his plan and decided that since he got nothing else at the moment it was worth a shot. He stopped running and turned around to face the snake – though kept his eyes averted – and addressed it:

"Ssstop!" He hissed and for some miracle it did.

"Another Ssspeaker" The ancient voice answered curiously and Sky could detect that it was female.

"No!" Voldemort screamed. "Kill him! I am the Ssslytherin'sss Heir, you anssswer to me!"

"I am sssorry, young ssspeaker, but he isss right. I mussst obey my Massster." The ancient snake said and once again started advancing towards Sky.

"Wait!" Sky yelled backing up slightly and once again the snake stopped. "I know he'sss the Heir, but ssshouldn't he be alive for you to be forced to obey him? He'sss ssstill only a memory of the Heir." He argued. "Besssidesss, when Harry Potter defeated him asss a hatchling ssshouldn't he be the rightful Heir by conquer?"

Sky watched the shadow created by the basilisk and saw her tilting her head thoughtfully.

"You know I'm right, you feel it in your magic." Sky continued, trying to convince the snake. Truthfully, he had no idea what he was doing and whether what he was saying had even a hint of truth or not. The only thing he knew was that it seemed to be working. "If I wasss wrong you would have killed me already without even ssstopping to hear me out."

"Young ssspeaker isss correct." The snake said finally. "I need not obey you." She said to Tom, who was fuming with anger.

"Arrrgh! Avada Kedavra!" He yelled and shot the spell towards the basilisk, which hissed angrily and tried to attack Tom, but failed as he still wasn't corporal enough.

Suddenly Sky felt like a light bulb had light up in his head as his mind provided information about basilisk venom. It was said to be poisonous to everything and even a drop of it could destroy anything. Deciding it was worth a shot he addressed the basilisk again.

"Bite into thisss." He yelled at her and threw the diary towards her head. Following the happenings through the shadows Sky saw the snake catch the book and sunk her teeth into it. Suddenly the chamber was filled with a bloodcurdling scream and Sky looked up just in time to see Voldemort disappear in a bright light followed by a deep silence.

Sky sighed in relief and turned to the general direction of the basilisk.

"Thank you." He hissed. "Isss there anything I can do to reward you for your help?"

Sky felt the basilisk turn to look at him, but kept his head bowed.

"You can look at me freely young ssspeaker, I have closssed my eyesss, I ssshall not harm you." She said and after a short contemplation Sky lifted his head and took his first proper look at the enormous snake. Now that she wasn't trying to kill him, Sky had to admit that she was quite beautiful creature.

"You wisssh to reward me, young ssspeaker?"

"Yesss." Sky answered. "If there isss anything I can do for you, I ssshalll do it."

"Then, let me join my true Massster in death." The ancient creature said and Sky could hear longing in her voice.

"You wisssh for me to kill you?"

"Yesss, young ssspeaker. I am old and wisssh to ressst now."

Sky bowed his head in respect.

"If that isss what you wisssh."

"Yesss."

"Isss there a way to do ssso painlessly?" Sky asked.

"Yesss, the sssong of a roossster putsss usss painlessssssly into ressst." The basilisk said and Sky almost hit himself for not remembering that.

"Ssso be it." Sky said and conjured a rooster.

"Goodbye young ssspeaker." She said and then the rooster sang.

"Goodbye Queen of Serpents." Sky whispered into the silent room.

Suddenly a quiet moan was heard and Sky snapped his gaze from the still serpent to the other side of the chamber.

Ginny.

Sky ran to her side and once again waved his wand over her, sighing in relief as he saw her pulse returned to normal and life-force slowly coming back. Touching her forehead he felt her getting warmer until suddenly the pain in his wrist, where the tattoo resided, became unbearable and he collapse next to her his mind filled with images.

xxxxxxx

"Are you excited Harry? You're gonna be a big brother." James smiled at his son, ruffling his hair.

"B'oter, b'oter, Dada" Baby Harry giggled clapping his hands.

xxxxxxx

"Look Harry, this is your little sister, Emily Rose Potter."

"Emi." Harry said looking at the infant in wonder.

"That's right, Emily."

"Emi!" Baby Harry giggled poking at a small infant, who looked at him with hazel eyes.

"Harry, don't poke at your sister, please." Lily said smiling fondly at her children.

xxxxxxx

"Come here Harry." His mother said.

"Mama!" Harry smiled toothily and reached for her. Lily picked him up.

"You're a big brother now, Harry. It's your duty to protect your sister. I will make sure you will never be apart no matter what happens and that even if you are parted, you will always be able to find each other. If something was to happen to Mama and Dada you need to take care of Emily, okay?" Lily whispered to him and Harry watched her solemnly. "Take care of her, protect her. Always find her, no matter what, Harry." She said drawing symbol of infinity with her wand on his wrist before proceeding to do the same to Emily.

"Infinitus vinculum." She whispered and the marks on their wrists glowed.

xxxxxxx

"I have a bad feeling about this, James." Lily said hugging Emily tight, stroking her red hair.

"I know Lils, but you know we can't leave the Fidelius and Emily needs her medical checks and , it's only a few days and Marlene will take good care of her." James hugged her.

"I know, but…"

"Nobody even knows she exists, Lily, she will be just fine."

Lily sighed.

"I know. I'm just gonna miss her." She said kissing her daughter.

"Me too." James smiled. "Not to mention Harry. He just adores his little sister." He ruffled his son's hair.

"Emi!"

xxxxxxx

Sky groaned as he opened his eyes and sat up holding his head in his hands. Suddenly he felt someone shifting next to him and saw Ginny Weasley sitting up, she too holding her head. They locked eyes and suddenly it all came back to him – every single memory he had been missing from his time with his parents returned and his memory was finally complete.

"Harry?" She asked.

"Emily."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think.

And hopefully those who still didn't understand from last chapter that this will NOT be Sky/Ginny, got the message now ;)

Thanks,

- Dalnim