A/N I was nervous about writing this chapter, but I think it came out pretty good. Once again, I can't thank everybody enough for all the support and suggestions. I took a couple of liberties with the chamber stuff that I explained at the end, so hopefully they work out.

Ok, to the story.

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Harry spent the entire first month after Row returned to Hogwarts constantly checking his messenger for an emergency. After another two weeks with only normal letters back and forth, he began to think that maybe the Chamber of Secrets mystery was blown a little out of proportion.

This continued through March and April. In every letter, Row commented that there hadn't been any new attacks, and that the students were finally beginning to feel safe again. Classes continued as normal, and for a short time it appeared that the Chamber of Secrets mystery had simply gone away. Harry noticed that Row had neglected to mention if she and her friends had made any progress on solving the riddle, but as long as there were no more attacks, he decided to leave it alone.

Although he was still concerned, Harry forced himself to consider the possibility that the whole incident sounded a lot worse than it was. He trusted Row to tell him the truth if something really did go wrong, so he threw himself back into his normal routine. The emancipation proceedings were also coming along nicely, and by the end of April, the trio had scheduled a hearing with a judge in mid-June to discuss their options.

When May arrived and still he heard nothing sinister from Hogwarts, Harry was ready to admit that the crisis was over and that he'd overreacted, and said as much to Jack as they walked home from the dojo one evening.

"Well, well, well," said Jack smugly. "I never thought I'd see the day. Maybe now you can loosen up and have some fun with me and Christy."

Christy was Jack's new girlfriend, and a constant source of annoyance for Harry. Jack had always favored looks over substance, and Christy was no different. With long blond hair and a sleek, toned body, she was everything Jack looked for in a girl.

As expected, Harry hated her.

She was the quintessential popular girl; the same type of girl that had helped Harry's cousin make his life miserable in primary school. She was pretty and she knew it, and she used it as an excuse to treat everyone beneath her like dirt. On top of all this, she treated Harry like he was 4 years old, often telling Jack he was so brave to take care of the "helpless little boy."

Harry hated being called helpless.

"I'll never have anything with Christy," Harry snapped. "I told you to keep her away from me."

"Woa, mate," said Jack, holding up his hands. "I was kidding, alright?"

"Sorry," Harry sighed. "But I really don't like her; the only reason I don't throw her out is because you do. I really don't know what you see her besides looks."

"There's more?" Asked Jack with fake astonishment. "Seriously though, I like her, and if you got to know her a little better, you'd like her too."

"I seriously doubt it," Harry snorted. "Besides, I-"

He abruptly stopped when he felt the messenger in his pocket being to vibrate. Quickly he pulled it out and the read the message as Jack did the same.

It's back. Hermione was attacked and petrified today. We know what the monster is, but still don't know where the chamber is, and we don't know how to stop it. I'm scared and I don't know what to do.

Harry immediately pulled a pen out of his pocket and scribbled his reply.

Row,

Stay calm, I'm coming.

-H

"Now what?" Asked Jack when he saw Harry's message.

"I'm going to Hogwarts immediately," Harry replied as he quickened his pace back to their flat. "I don't care if I have to stay invisible the whole time; I'm not letting whatever this thing is get her."

"I'm coming with you," said Jack resolutely.

"Not unless you learned how to apparate, you're not," replied Harry just as surely. "I'm apparating directly to Hogsmede and walking to Hogwarts. There's no time to discuss this Jack. If you have something to say, use the messenger."

Jack scowled but remained silent as they entered their flat and Harry packed a small bag. Finished, he turned back to Jack.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, before staying more strongly, "I'll keep her safe." With that, he disapparated.

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It was well into evening when Harry reappeared on the side of High Street in Hogsmede. Ducking behind the nearest building, he made himself invisible and then set a brisk pace for Hogwarts.

As he passed the winged boars that marked the entrance to Hogwarts grounds, Harry felt an oppressive energy settle on him.

Must be the anti-apparition wards, he thought to himself. He attempted to apparate anyway and found that he couldn't. That will make things more difficult, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Shrugging, he continued through the gates.

As he neared the large castle, Harry removed the messenger from his pocket and scribbled a note to Row asking her to meet him. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to respond until she was alone, he settled in to wait.

A short time later, Row came into the entryway. Harry moved up next to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I'm right here, Row," he said as he made her invisible and led her over to a corner. Sitting down, he put a silencing charm. "Ok, I've put a silencing charm around us. Now, tell me everything."

"I don't know where to start," Row sniffed. "I thought it was over!"

"Just be calm and start at the beginning," said Harry soothingly.

"Ok," Row gathered herself and began. "Well, when we got back to school Padma said that she'd been trying to work out why everybody had been petrified, but not killed. So we all got together and went over the list of attacks and everything we knew, and we looked to see what creatures could both petrify and kill based on circumstances. Sarah had the idea to document the detail of every attack scene and talk to witnesses, so Hermione and I-"

"Row," interrupted Harry softly. "Calm down. What did you actually find out?"

"It's a basilisk," Row cried. "A giant snake that kills anything that looks it in the eye, but everybody that was petrified saw it either as a reflection or through something else. It was Hermione who finally figured it out, and then it got her!" Row was crying now. "She was a carrying a mirror with her to look around corners and must have run right into it."

"It's ok Row," said Harry as he hugged her invisible form. "How do you kill a basilisk?"

"The book said that a rooster's cry will kill it, but whoever is opening the chamber killed all the rooster's on Hogwarts grounds."

"And you have no idea where it lives?"

"None," Row said glumly. "We think it has to be underground somewhere, but we don't know where. They arrested Hagrid today, too! Sent him to Azkaban, the wizard prison."

"The gamekeeper?" Asked a bewildered Harry. "Dumbledore let them arrest him just like that?"

"Dumbledore's gone too!" Row screeched hysterically. "The school governors removed him earlier today. It's like they're taking people away one by one and leaving us all to die!"

"Shhh, it's ok, I'm here," Harry said as he tried to comfort his now hysterical sister. "Come on, let's get you inside. I'll be right next to you the whole time." Row nodded as Harry made her visible again and took down his silencing charm. They walked slowly into the castle and made their way to Ravenclaw tower.

--KILL……YES…..--

"Did you hear that?" Asked Harry as he grabbed Row's arm.

"Hear what?" Asked Row, confused.

--…BLOOD……KIIILLLL…..--

"That! It's moving this way!" Harry pulled Row up the stairs at a run.

"What the-, Harry! I don't hear anything," yelled Row as they ran.

"I hear a voice talking about killing, and it's just ahead of us," Harry responded as he quickened his pace, finally bursting into the second floor girl's bathroom. He paused, listening intently for any sign of the voice.

"Harry," huffed Row, "This is the girl's bathroom."

"I heard something come this way, Row," said Harry, annoyed. "It could have been the basilisk; it was talking about killing."

"Basilisks don't talk, they're snakes," said Row, "Only a parseltongue like Salazar Slytherin can…" she halted abruptly before looking at Harry with wide eyes.

"Can what?"

"Can talk to snakes," finished Row slowly. "Have you ever talked to a snake?"

"Not that I can remember," said Harry thoughtfully. "Of course, I've never actually tried…."

"Harry, I'm going to conjure a harmless snake, ok? Make yourself visible and don't attack it." Harry looked bemused but complied.

"Serpensortia," Row jabbed her wand forward and a small snake jumped out of it.

--Where am I?-- Hissed the Snake.

Harry's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Can you understand it, Harry?" Asked Row eagerly. Harry nodded. "Try to say something back!"

"Eh, hello?" Said Harry cautiously.

"No, no," Row shook her head vigorously. "Try to talk to the snake, really try. You should be able to talk in snake language."

Harry furrowed his brow and looked intently at the snake in front of him.

--Hello?-- he hissed.

The snake's head snapped up to look at Harry.

--You speak?--

--Apparently I do.-- Harry hissed back. --Do many people talk to you?--

--You are the first-- the snake replied.

"He says I'm the first person he's ever talked to," Harry told Row, who was watching the hissing exchange, fascinated. She shook herself out of her daze and vanished the snake before turning to Harry.

"Wow, a parseltongue," Row shook her head. "Is there anything you can't do?"

Harry shrugged. "We're getting off track. This means that I probably did hear the basilisk, right?"

"It would make sense," said Row thoughtfully. "And if it led you in here-"

"This could be the entrance the chamber," Harry finished for her. "You should tell your professors immediately."

Row nodded and Harry made himself invisible again as the two walked towards the staff room. As they approached, they heard voices through the cracked door.

"…total tragedy!" A Scottish voice was saying. "The school will never be the same again."

"What was the message that the heir of Slytherin left this time, Minerva?"

"The message said, 'her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever.'"

"Do we know who was taken?" Asked a third voice.

"We do," replied McGonagall sadly. "Ginny Weasley." Row gasped as the professor continued. "I have already dispatched a letter to Albus, but I fear he will be too late. Even he does not know where the chamber lies."

"Where is Gilderoy?" Squeaked a voice. "He did say he would deal with the monster, didn't he?"

"Running away as fast as he can, no doubt," replied another man snidely. "I have said from the beginning he was a fraud, and now we see the proof."

"We will lose her then," another woman said sadly. "And perhaps Hogwarts as well."

Harry leaned in to get a look at the speakers but was pulled away from the door and down the hall by Row.

"Harry, we have to do something!" She whispered when they were out of earshot. "Ginny isn't exactly a friend, but I do know her, and she's the only girl in Gryffindor that doesn't shun Hermione. We can't just let her die!"

"We're not doing anything," Harry cut in sharply. "I don't like the idea of leaving someone to die anymore than you do, but my first priority is to make sure you're safe."

"What if it was me then, Harry?" Row asked angrily. "It could have just as easily been me down there! What would you do then?"

"You know what I'd do, I'd get you out," Harry responded immediately.

"This is no different, Harry!" Row practically screamed. "She's going to die down there. I'm involved already and it's too late to back out. We know where the entrance to the chamber is, and I'm going in, with or without you."

For a brief moment Harry considered simply stunning her and taking her home, but then he thought about how he would feel if it actually was Row down there. He knew that he'd move heaven and earth to see her returned safely. But what of Ginny Weasley? He didn't know her, but she was still an 11 year old girl who would die unless he did something.

We could tell the professors, Harry thought to himself, but dismissed the idea immediately. Telling the professors would bring a lot of questions that Harry didn't want to answer, and he didn't want to trust them any more than he had to. What's more, telling them would seriously handicap his ability to deal with the situation if it got worse.

So either I go after her or I wait and see what happens, he thought with a frown. I risk my life against a monster or leave a girl to die. Leave an innocent 11 year old girl to die... He sighed.

"Ok, I'll get her out," Harry told his sister. "But only if you swear that you'll stay someplace safe. You help me find the entrance and then you wait elsewhere, understand?"

Row started to protest but Harry stopped her.

"Somebody has to stay outside in case things get ugly, and I'm the better fighter here. You. Will. Wait. For. Me. Agreed?" Row reluctantly agreed and the two ran back to the girl's bathroom and began to search.

"What are you doing in my bathroom?" Screeched a voice from behind them. "I thought I heard someone, were you in here earlier?"

Instinctively, Harry moved himself in front of Row and got into a defensive position before he realized that the speaker was a ghost, and that the ghost couldn't see him.

"We're looking for someone," Harry replied politely as he made himself visible. "Perhaps you can help us? I'm Harry, what's your name?"

If it were possible, Harry could have sworn the ghost was blushing.

"Myrtle," the ghost replied shyly. "Sorry about earlier, I didn't see you," she said, emphasizing the last word coyly.

"Well," Harry continued, "We're looking for a secret entrance to a chamber, and we think it's in your bathroom. Have you seen anyone in here recently?"

"Oh, you're looking for her," the ghost pouted. "She never even says hi to me, just walks over the sink, hissing."

"Who does?" Asked Row curiously as Harry examined the sink.

"I wasn't talking to you," replied Myrtle snidely. Row scowled at her.

Harry, meanwhile, was examining the sink when he found a small snake symbol engraved on one of the faucets.

"You said she hisses at the sink?" Harry asked, Myrtle nodded. "Well, here goes nothing," he muttered to himself before concentrating on the snake.

--Open-- He hissed.

Immediately the sink began to reform itself, revealing a large hole in the floor.

"What did you do," asked Row, gob smacked.

"That's what she does," said Myrtle suspiciously. "Then she hisses again and makes stairs appear."

"What else does she do, Myrtle?" Asked Harry.

"I don't really know," Myrtle responded, sounding hurt. "The only other time I saw her she caught me looking and cast some really nasty spells at me."

Harry seemed to consider this for a moment before turning back to the opening in front of him and concentrating.

"STAIRS." He said forcefully. He looked at Row. "Was that parseltongue?"

"Uh, no Harry, that was English," replied a confused Row.

Harry looked around until he found another snake figure near the opening. Looking at it intently, he tried again.

--STAIRS!-- This time the command came out as a violent hiss, and immediately stairs began to form, spiraling in a circular pattern down into the tunnel.

"Ok, remember the plan," Harry said as he mentally prepared himself for battle. "You get someplace safe and wait for me. When I'm done, or if something goes wrong, I'll use the messenger. If you don't hear anything for an hour, get your professors and tell them everything. Understand?"

Row nodded and rushed forward to engulf Harry in a hug. "Be careful." She whispered into his chest.

"Stay safe," Harry replied softly. "I'll be back soon." With that, he turned and began his descent into the tunnel.

Harry immediately conjured two balls of white light and sent them down ahead of him to light his way. He walked slowly but steadily, constantly alert for any sign that the basilisk was close. Finally, he reached the bottom of the tunnel and continued into a dark cavern. He scribbled a note to Row saying that he'd made it to the bottom of the stairs with no problems before continuing. After another short walk, he found his progress halted by a large door.

The door was decorated with what appeared to be several wrought iron snake sculptures. With his magical lights as the only illumination, Harry could have sworn that they were alive.

"Well, it worked once," Harry muttered to himself before concentrating on one of the snake sculptures.

--Open-- he hissed.

The snake sculptures immediately sprung into action; slithering around each other towards the side of the door. When the last one fell into place, there was a loud CLICK and the door began to swing open. The door opened to reveal a long hallway lined with 20 foot statues of various snakes, each pouring water from their open mouth like a fountain. The water ran the length of the hallway on either side of the stone path that lay in the middle, which was lit by the torches that were fitted in between the statues. Overall, Harry had to admit it looked rather ominous. After another quick note to Row, he began walking silently down the hall.

After a while, Harry saw that the hallway eventually opened into a much larger room. Double-Checking that his invisibility was still active, Harry crept into the room.

Like the hallway, this room was also lit by wall torches, but unlike the hallway, it was enormous, built around a large stone statue of a man's face.

Salazar Slytherin, guessed Harry. This must be the Chamber of Secrets, but where is the basilisk?

Harry's gaze swept the room before landing on the prone form of a small red-haired girl. Careful not to rush, Harry crept over to her and felt for a pulse. It was there, but it was weak, and her skin was ice cold. Careful not to disturb her, Harry scanned the room for her attacker. At first he found nothing, but then a flicker in the shadows caught his eye.

Hiding in the shadows of the statue was a boy in Hogwarts robes who couldn't be older than 16 or 17 years old, looking at Ginny with a morbid grin on his face. As Harry watched, the boy seemed to become more substantial, only to flicker again to nearly transparent. Harry didn't know exactly what was going on, but he was willing to bet that this boy was behind it.

Carefully he crept up alongside the boy, noticing as he did so that he wore a badge with name "T.M. Riddle." When he was close enough, he dispelled his invisibility and fired a body bind and a disarming charm at point blank range. Both spells hit the young wizard and he seemed to shimmer for a moment with a shocked look on his face. Unperturbed, Harry fired two stunners directly into the boy's chest, sending him careening backwards into the statue but not knocking him out.

"Who dares attack Lord Voldemort!" Roared Riddle as he shakily regained his feet.

Harry's eyes widened incredulously before narrowing. "Intimidation won't work Riddle. What the hell are you, anyway?" It was only now that Harry realized that the boy in front of him didn't have a wand.

"Don't' call me that!" Riddle roared. "I've denounced the name of my filthy muggle father and been reborn! I AM LORD VOLDEMORT!"

Harry, miffed at the boy's seeming invulnerability to magic, decided to change tactics and fired two maximum strength reductor curses at the statue above Riddle's head. The side of the statue exploded, raining stone down upon the unsuspecting wizard, who scrambled to get out of the way.

Pressing his advantage, Harry sent one of the larger stone blocks flying into Riddles back, pinning him to the ground. He then carefully began to approach the boy to make sure that he had been incapacitated. He had taken only a few steps when he heard a sound that made his blood freeze.

"Harry?" Came a small voice from the chamber entrance.

Whirling around, Harry saw Row walking slowly into the chamber with wide eyes.

"ROW, GET OUT, NOW!" Harry yelled, but it was too late.

"You will face the wrath of the great Salazar Slytherin for this, boy," Riddle's spat venomously before hissing, --Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four--

Immediately the mouth of the statue began to open and Harry heard something gigantic moving around anxiously behind it. Thinking quickly, he began firing his most powerful reductor curses at the statue, reducing it to rubble before the mouth could open. He heard a giant screech and loud thrashing noises coming from the collapsed opening as he turned and ran back towards Row.

"ROW," he yelled as he banished Ginny towards her. "TAKE GINNY AND GET OUT NOW!" Row nodded shakily as she levitated Ginny and started back towards the exit.

--KILL THEM YOU STUPID BEAST-- Hissed the trapped Riddle angrily. --IGNORE THE BOY, GET THE GIRL'S DIARY!--

Hearing this, Harry turned back to look at Ginny's body as Row levitated her out of the chamber, and noticed for the first time that she had a small leather book grasped firmly in her hands. With a thought he summoned it to him and put it in his back pocket as he closed his eyes, assuming the void and concentrating on his instincts.

With a loud cry, the basilisk finally broke through the remains of the stone statue, sending pieces everywhere and freeing Riddle as well. Spitting with fury, it leveled its gaze at Harry before whipping forward with jaws agape to swallow him whole.

Quick as lightning, Harry fired twin reductor curses into the monsters gaping maw, causing it to rear back and cry out in pain as three of its fangs were blown out the side of its mouth.

Still with his eyes closed, Harry focused all his energy and sent an enormous block of stone flying into the basilisk's side, throwing it against the wall with enough force to rock the entire chamber. He quickly followed with a series of reductor, blasting, and piercing curses, but they were all absorbed by the monster's hide. Changing tactics again, Harry began to banish as many stone blocks as he could towards the downed beast. The basilisk thrashed about on the ground as Harry tried to bury it, until, with a giant heave, it broke free and came at him again.

LEAVE BOY! GET THE BOOK! Hissed Riddle frantically. With an agonized cry, the injured basilisk turned from Harry and dove toward the tunnel.

"WAIT! I HAVE THE DIARY HERE!" Harry yelled as he held the book aloft, but the beast didn't slow. "DAMN!" Harry swore. He made to follow the beast into the tunnel, but was tackled from behind by Riddle as he grabbed for the diary.

Harry twisted his body and delivered a kick that sent Riddle flying off. Thinking that the only way to get Riddle off his back was to destroy the diary, he threw it to the ground and fired a severing charm at it. The spell sliced the cleanly book in two, and Harry was forced to cover his ears as the apparition of Tom Riddle let loose an unearthly scream and vanished from sight with a bright flash. Pocketing the remains of the diary, Harry ran full bore back towards the surface.

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Right as Harry finally dispatched the young Tom Riddle, Row reached the stairs leading back to the girl's bathroom. Moving quickly, she and the still unconscious Ginny had slowly begun their climb when a loud roaring sound came from the tunnel behind them.

Row quickened their pace and had cleared the cavern opening when the basilisk came roaring out underneath her. The monster reared up to follow them, but was unable to fit its wide girth in between the spiral stairs. With a roar of fury, it lashed strongly into the bottom stairs, shaking the tunnel and sending Row sprawling onto the stair in front of her. The basilisk thrashed and rammed the staircase once more, but Row held fast and quickly continued her climb. With another angry screech, the basilisk turned and dove back into the cavern.

With a sigh of relief, Row turned to make sure Ginny was secure when she saw the young girl's eyes begin to open.

"Row Thomas?" Asked Ginny groggily. "What happened? Where are we? What-"

"Sorry, Ginny," Row cut her off. "No time, we're being chased. Can you walk?" Ginny nodded and Row removed her levitation spell. "Come on, we have to hurry."

The two girls continued their ascent, and reached the exit into the girl's bathroom quickly. One there, Row slumped against the wall in exhaustion, breathing heavily.

"We….have…to get…professors," she managed to puff out in between breaths. Shakily, she started to stand up when the ground beneath her gave a violent jerk.

"GINNY, RUN!" She yelled, but another violent blast sent Ginny to the ground as well. Regaining her feet, Row rushed over to Ginny only to be thrown across the room as the wall exploded and the basilisk thrust its head through with a triumphant cry.

Row hit the wall hard and felt something warm oozing down the side of her head as she fought a losing battle to stay conscious.

Sorry Harry, she thought sadly. I tried my best.

Briefly, she thought she registered a bright flash through her closed eyelids before darkness overtook her.

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As he ran through the cavern that led back to the spiral stairs, Harry could hear the basilisk thrashing about far ahead of him.

I need to get back, he though desperately. I need to get back and save them from that monster! NOW!

Harry focused every fiber of his being on the need to get back in time to save Row, willing himself to run faster than he ever had before. He asked his magic to do something, anything, to help him save his sister and her friend.

With a flash of flame, his prayer was answered as a brightly colored bird appeared in front of him and dropped a cloth bundle into his hands. Not breaking stride, Harry fumbled with the bundle until his hand closed over the hilt of sword. The bird gave out a short, beautiful trill and grasped his arm in its talons before Harry felt his world disappear in a flash of flame.

He reappeared into chaos. The entrance to the bathroom had been closed off by fallen debris, and the basilisk was hovering over the unconscious form of Ginny Weasley, obviously looking for the diary. Harry immediately averted his gaze and banished two large stone blocks at the monster, sending it crashing into the wall. As he turned, his gaze landed on Row, lying on the ground with blood covering the right side of her face.

For a second, time stopped for Harry. Falling shakily to his knees, he reached out a trembling hand and felt for a pulse. Finding one, he cast the only healing charm he knew with all his power and summoned Ginny's body, placing it next to Row's and building a makeshift barrier of stone to protect them from any more collateral damage. That done, he grasped the sword he'd been given and turned to face the basilisk with fire in his veins.

Immediately, he sensed that the bird that had brought him here had not been idle, as the basilisk was now thrashing about wildly. Chancing a brief glance, Harry's suspicions were confirmed when he saw that both of the beast's eyes had been ripped out. He gave a grim smile as he prepared his attack.

The basilisk was far from defenseless, however, and struck out viciously with its tail. Harry dove to the side and swung the sword, only to have it knocked from his grasp and his shoulder torn from its socket. He summoned it back to him with a thought, simultaneously firing a reductor curse into the ground beneath the basilisk's head, sending a spray of stone and tile into its face. Just as Harry had hoped, the beast reared up and let out a loud roar of fury, leaving is mouth open and unprotected.

Levitating the sword, blade out, in front of him, Harry put all of his energy into one super concentrated banishing charm, and sent the sword flying into the basilisk's mouth at an incredible velocity. The sword flew straight between the monster's jaws, piercing the roof of its mouth and continuing through its brain. The force was so great that the sword continued to tear through the monster, eventually ripping out the top of its head and spraying the room with a thick film of blood and gore before finally coming to rest hilt-deep in the bathroom wall.

It was only now that the battle was over that Harry realized just how large the basilisk really was. He looked over the bloodied carcass in front of him in awe for a moment before turning swiftly and examining the two unconscious girls. He was relieved to find that both of them had strong pulses, although both undoubtedly had serious injuries, it didn't appear that either was close to death. It was only then that Harry began to hear frantic voices on the other side of the debris blocking the door, followed by what was unmistakably the sound of blasting curses.

Exhausted both physically and magically, Harry sank to the floor to consider his options. He was sure that Hogwarts had its own medical team, but he had no idea where it was. Not to mention the fact that he was there in secret; a secret he would prefer to keep. There was a decent chance that he could get by with his illusion still in place, but it was still a chance he would rather not take.

Sighing heavily, he opened his eyes to find that the bright red bird from earlier was in front of him giving him a very sharp look.

"Can you get them to a healer?" He asked hesitantly. He felt ridiculous for talking to a bird, at least until the bird clearly nodded.

Harry watched in astonishment as the bird grasped the girls one by one and disappeared in a flash of flame. Harry decided to take the time to heal his own wounds, but found that he was too magically drained to do it properly, although he did manage to pop his shoulder back into place. With a grunt of pain, he got to his feet and prepared to leave when the bird reappeared.

The bird trilled and cocked its head to give Harry a stern look. It looked toward the sword embedded in the wall and then back to Harry, who finally caught on. Gathering himself for one more spell, he summoned the sword back to his hand, only to have it immediately disappear. He looked bemusedly at the bird, which seemed to bob up and down in approval before grasping him and once again vanishing in a sea of flames, just seconds before the Hogwarts professors succeeded in blasting their way into the bathroom.

Harry briefly caught himself thinking how different this feeling was from the jerk of apparition when he reappeared in what was obviously a hospital wing of some sort and saw that Row and Ginny were already laid out on beds. Harry heard a noise coming from the nearby office, and tried to make himself invisible but was only half successful. He quickly ducked behind a dividing screen and tried again, this time succeeding. When he heard the healer return to her office, he slowly crept out and made his way to Row's bed.

Seeing her sleeping peacefully, he decided not to wake her and, after checking that she still had her messenger, he crept over to Ginny Weasley's bed and placed the remains of the diary in her front pockets. That done, he made his way stealthily out of the hospital wing. With an immense amount of effort, Harry eventually made it out of Hogwarts and back into Hogsmede. Walking into The Three Broomsticks, he didn't care that he'd only been able to remove half of his invisibility charm, and looked to all the world like a ghost requesting a room. Still, Madam Rosmerta's skepticism vanished quickly enough when he showed her the gold, and she was more than happy to rent him a room for the night. Looking like death warmed over, Harry stumbled up the stairs and into his room, passing out cold before he hit the sheets.

A/N Well, that's the first extended action sequence I've ever written, I hope you liked it. Props go out to anti-thule for figuring out exactly where I was going with the blindfold training.

You'll no doubt notice that I changed a couple of things like the stairs in the tunnel. I refuse to believe that Salazar Slytherin designed the chamber so that he had to slide down a dirty tube to get in. Another thing I refuse to believe is that moaning Myrtle would have no idea that the chamber was being opened, or who was doing it. It's HER bathroom, and I'm supposed to believe that in the 5 times Ginny Weasley opened the chamber, she didn't notice anything at all? Come on now.

Next chapter we have the (rather extensive) fallout from the chamber incident, including numerous questions for Row that she doesn't know the answer to, explanations of all kinds, some overdue revelations, and a tough decision for Harry. Thanks for reading!