A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Replies at the end.

Harry stared. Time seemed frozen — a single moment crystalline in eternity. The Jedi Knight stared into the distance, a clear, clean hole through his heart. The rush of blood floated unmoving, as still and serene as everything else around.

Harry watched the old man's eyes as he fell. He was not looking at the other Jedi who was so distraught at the loss of him. He was staring off into the distance, his expression unreadable but for a degree of surprise. However, this was not why Harry was watching him. Harry was watching the man because at the moment of his death, Harry had felt a connection like nothing he had ever known. It was as though someone had taken a firm hold of his very mind, and pulled. His connection to Ginny seemed never to have been so profound.

Reaching out to him, Harry felt the shock in the man's mind mind. But beneath that surprise was only the utmost serenity. The Jedi was ready and waiting for death. And in that moment, as that connection was made, Harry's mind exploded. As though he had spontaneously developed a sixth sense, Harry could feel the three men below — their emotions, their character and their stature. It was remarkably similar to the way he was able to sense Ginny. If that were the extent of it, Harry would have been fine. But Harry could feel dozens of guardsmen desperately fighting off a robotic army. And beyond the palace, the planet positively hummed with life — billions of beings moving and feeling and living and dying. It was not even this that hit Harry for six.

As his consciousness rapidly expanded, Harry felt one thing that dominated everything else. Panic.

One girl's terror shattered his perfect meditation, and Harry found himself racing away from the Jedi, back across the cosmos. For Harry did not need to see her face to know who this was. And he could not bear the thought of what might happen if he was too late. The journey did not take long. In fact, it felt almost as though he simply blinked straight back to low Earth orbit. Harry half-wished that the journey could have been slow. For as he looked down upon Hogwarts Castle, he saw Hermione Granger standing, almost shaking with fear, at the library exit.

"No!" Harry cried, racing to his body. Much as he pushed and strained, though, it would not accept him.

In the meantime, the reason for her anxiety was emerging from beneath the floor. An array of runic symbols glowed around the crest of its head and down the length of its body as the stone floor seemed to liquefy to allow the vast serpent through. A forked tongue that could wrap around a motorbike flicked out to taste the air. Hermione and her Ravenclaw companion were quaking now as the other girl slowly raised a mirror to look around the corner. Could they hear it?

The mirror came hesitatingly around the corner, and the snake levelled its head at the intruder.

Time slowed.

The mirror turned to show the girls what lay ahead, and their faces were painted in shock and despair. An unnatural stillness spread in a soft wave from their eyes, freezing their very skin in place.

"NO!" Harry screamed. "Not her! I promised!"

The snake opened its mouth, the sword-length fangs visibly dripping with venom. A cold, sick feeling grew in Harry's stomach, but he could not look away. Transfixed, he stared in horror as the serpent reared.

And there it stayed. Harry's eyes itched as he watched, his heart skipping beats as it worked entirely too fast. The snake, however, made no move to strike. Instead, it closed its mouth and hurried back through the wall into the plumbing network. Its victims, utterly rigid, fell to the floor like dominoes.

Clenching his fists in rage, Harry pushed and shoved and punched his way towards his body. It was as if an invisible rubber wall had been erected in the way. Nothing he did brought him any closer.

Once the fury was spent, all that remained to him was despair. Turning back to look at the castle, Harry watched the beast return to Ginny and that accursed diary. He remembered then what Riddle had said about the bond. It was not a one-way street, Harry's connection to Ginny. Riddle might have used it to manipulate Harry through her, but turnabout was fair play. Closing his eyes, Harry revisited that sacred place in his mind that had so thoroughly been defiled.

'I tire of your insolence,' Riddle spat.

Ginny made no response, and Harry's heart broke as he felt her soul quaking and cowering under the monster's thumb.

'Perhaps...' the wraith muttered. 'Yes, the time has come. Dumbledore or no Dumbledore, I will feel the ground beneath my feet once more.'

Harry felt the fight leaving him. If he could not save Ginny... He imagined Hogwarts in flames, and the screams of burning children as a shadow emerged through the fire. The shadow rippled and bent, until the fire parted and Voldemort stepped through, followed closely by his enormous basilisk.

But even as despair was filling his heart, that strange whisper returned to his head, calm and reassuring. It was the feeling that had led him to the Jedi. At first, Harry wanted to ignore it. To be sure it had shown him the wonder and beauty of the universe, but all it had led to was death and pain. And yet, he could not help but cling to what small comfort it lent him, this incomprehensible voice that whispered in tones of hope and the cadence of compassion. The more he listened, the more it told him.

He remembered sitting with Ginny in her tree, talking about her family. The sunlight filtering through the leaves formed shifting patterns on her face, flushed with emotion. A smile tugged at his lips as he remembered how small and soft her hand was in his.

Harry's thoughts strayed to Hogwarts, and sitting idly on the eaves over a courtyard walkway with his friends. It all seemed so very far away, yet it could not fail to lift his spirits. If there was any chance that he could save them, he had to fight for it. He needed to fight to his last breath. Perhaps there was something more to the fight with the Jedi — something he had missed. Surely the voice could not have led him there for no reason. Even as he turned to go back to the Jedi, he heard Riddle in the back of his mind.

'Run along now you pretty little fool. Your soul is mine.'

"Will students please return to your common rooms immediately," said Professor McGonagall's voice, apparently magically carrying through the corridors. "This is not a drill. Remain calm and follow your prefects."

Ron turned to look at Neville. "Another attack?"

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Neville.

"Me too," Ron frowned. "What do you reckon?"

"I think it's worth poking around," said Neville. "Worst comes to worst, I'll mirror up and we might get away."

"I should've learned that bloody spell," Ron cursed.

"You'll have your chance," said Neville firmly.

Ron wanted to believe him, he really did. However, there had been a quality to his Head of House's voice that made him feel that they were at the end of the line.

"Well, where do we start?" said Ron.

"We look to where everyone is being led away from," Neville said, whipping the invisibility cloak over them.

"Wands out, you reckon?" said Ron.

Neville nodded. He was apparently preoccupied with keeping both eyes and ears open for their fanged nemesis. Ron drew his wand.

"Why are we even bothering?" said an older Hufflepuff Ron didn't recognise. "Do they think we're safe in our common rooms? We're being corralled up for the slaughter."

"Especially with Dumbledore gone," said one of his classmates.

Ron and Neville froze. The Hufflepuff evidently had intended to be quieter, for he had quite the horrified expression on his face as many of his younger housemates erupted into open panic.

"How?" said Ron. The boy sounded quite faint.

"The only power over the headmaster at Hogwarts is the Board of Governors..." Neville thought aloud. "Malfoy. That slimy Death Eater bastard."

"His Dad's on the Board," Ron said. "I'd stopped listening to what the little ponce was saying half the time."

"He even told us his father wanted to help the Heir," said Neville, despairing. "How many governors he must have bribed or threatened to oust Dumbledore..."

"We'd better make this quick then," said Ron.

"This school is a genocide waiting to happen," said Neville. "Why haven't they shut it?"

"Save the philosophy for later, Socrates, there's a bloody monster loose!" said Ron, dragging Neville.

Neville frowned, staring at Ron. "You know who Socrates is?"

Ron did not grace him with a reply, something for which Neville was rather glad. He felt as though his brain was swimming in glue. Things that should be passing curiosities stuck at the forefront of his mind, and he could barely focus on Ron's hand... Ron's hand wasn't on his robes anymore. He had only just realised that the slap was coming before his head was snapping back. Hands grabbed him by the lapels, preventing him from falling backwards.

"Snap out of it, mate," Ron hissed. "We cannot afford this right now."

Neville took a deep breath, massaging his sore neck. "Of course. But after this we're working on your bedside manner."

"Whatever you say, Socrates," said Ron, shaking his head and leading onwards to the nearest secret passage down.

"Wait, seriously?" said Neville.

The mood had fallen through the floor before they were even through the first entrance. As each boy was given time to think, so did their thoughts go to ever darker places. Neville was imagining the worst as they emerged in the first floor corridor. He was apparently not far off.

"Her skeleton will lie..." Ron muttered. "Whose skeleton?!"

"Keep your voice down, there might be professors nearby," said Neville urgently.

Ron looked ready to do him bodily harm.

"Look, we'll go to the staffroom and find out somehow, okay?" said Neville. "Can you see anything else out of place?"

They spent thirty seconds furiously searching the area, but turned up nothing.

"We could just ask Myrtle," said Ron.

"We could," said Neville, leading them downstairs. "But I'd somehow rather spy on the teachers than risk a Myrtle tantrum."

The teachers, as it turned out, were just then all hurrying into the staff room from all four corners of the school. All, that is, apart from Hagrid and the headmaster.

Waiting patiently at the door, they bided their time until Professor Vector came through with Professor Sinistra, opening the door just long enough that they could slip through unnoticed. Neville eyed the wardrobe appraisingly as Professor Sprout put away her heavy outer cloak. The door opened silently...

Neville pulled Ron closer to it, sharply gesturing his intentions. Every professor in the room had their eyes on McGonagall. Neville and Ron both held their breath, waiting. She turned. Neville signalled to Ron, who was already busy easing the door open, and they slipped in amidst the cloaks, safe from wanderers and new entrants. Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, addressed the room.

"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth.

Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"

"The heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber for ever."

Professor Flitwick burst into tears.

"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed into a chair. "Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.

Though he himself tensed, a knot tying itself out of his internal organs, Neville felt Ron slide silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside him.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said..."

Neville stared at the professor through the gap between the doors. Hearing it had not made it better. Next to him, Ron looked to be a shell of a man.

The staff-room door banged open again. For one wild moment, Neville was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming.

"So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?"

He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.

"Just the man," he said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Lockhart blanched.

"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"I — well, I —" spluttered Lockhart.

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.

"D-did I? I don't recall ..."

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.

"I ... I really never ... You may have misunderstood ..."

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."

Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome any more. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin he looked weak-chinned and weedy.

"V-very well," he said. "I'll — I'll be in my office, getting — getting ready."

And he left the room.

"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."

Neville was barely able to get Ron safely into the corner before Professors Sprout and Vector came for their winter cloaks. A large part of him wanted to simply curl up and die, and the part that was glad that he would probably only be in danger from a thousand year old basilisk and a psychotic, mind-controlling book just made the rest of him feel worse.

"Why Ginny?" said Ron. "Why did it have to be my sister?"

"We'll get her back, Ron," said Neville softly. "I swear it on my parents' memory."

Ron looked up at him through bright eyes. "Your...?"

"Let's go," said Neville. "We're going to need an army."

Sneaking out of the staff room, they ran straight across through a stone wall into a secret passage that wound up tightly to spit them out onto the third floor. It felt good to be doing something, Neville thought. The pounding of blood in his ears distracted him from the doubt in his mind and the terror in his heart.

"Ferrum over finery," said Ron.

"Who goes there?" said the knight curiously.

"Just bloody well open!" said Ron.

Neville raised the cloak. "There's something familiar about you."

"And of you," said the portrait. "You have that look in your eyes, young man, of one who marches to his own death."

"Neville, we're in a hurry," Ron ground out.

"This portrait spoke to Harry before we went down the trapdoor," said Neville. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"You plan to fight the beast below," said the portrait.

Neville nodded.

"You will look certain death in the eye," the man said. "And for what? Vengeance?"

"A last stand," said Neville. "Without my friends, my life would not be worth living."

"Some of them may perish in the fight," the portrait pointed out.

"Or they may die later," said Neville. "Better that we go down trying than cowering in the dark."

"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," the portrait muttered. "He would have approved heartily of you and your friends."

Ron looked about ready to crack, and both Neville and the portrait noticed.

"You are eager to save your sister," said the knight. "I understand. And I will aid you."

"How?" said Ron desperately.

"The bird Dumbledore has bound to him is a phoenix," said the portrait. "Do you understand the significance of this?"

Ron shook his head, while Neville patiently waited.

"To keep this short, phoenixes are immune to a basilisk's power. The venom or fangs may still kill it, but then it would simply be reborn. Which makes it one of the few creatures that can reliably fight the beast."

"You knew it was a basilisk?" said Ron. "And you didn't tell anyone?"

"What on earth makes you think the relevant people did not know?" said the man. "The phoenix is bound to Dumbledore, but a phoenix's true allegiance is with their own people and the defence of the innocent."

"Then where have they been all year?" Ron demanded.

"Ah the eternal feud of gods and men," said the knight. "Call on Fawkes. Beg his aid if you must, but he will not forsake you. Even Dumbledore could not stop him then."

The two boys remained silent as they headed up towards the Gryffindor common room. The only sounds to be heard in all of Hogwarts were the pounding of their feet on carpeted stone floors.

"What did he mean about Dumbledore not being able to stop the phoenix?" said Ron.

"I don't know," said Neville as they hurried on into the passage up to the seventh floor corridor. "But I'm getting a really bad feeling about this. It's like... deja vu."

"Synaesthesia," said Ron.

"I swear, the number of invisible comers and goers..." said the Fat Lady, sounding shaken but opening regardless.

They hurried up to the dormitory to take off the invisibility cloak. Neville was about to turn back to the door when his eye caught on Harry's pristine bed. Walking softly over, Neville laid a hand upon the bedpost. No words came. After a moment, he turned, nodding to Ron and racing down to look for Ron's brothers.

"Where have you two been?" said Fred.

"Busy," said Neville.

"Come on," said Ron.

"You're joking," George gaped.

Ron glared at his brother. "You know why they've shoved us in here."

"I could hazard a guess," said Percy, emerging from a group of sixth years. There was no light in his blue eyes. "But what do you expect to do about it, Ron?"

Ron's ears were purpling. Before the boy could erupt, Neville interrupted. "Why don't we find a nice quiet room to discuss that?"

From the despair on his face, Neville thought Percy might refuse, but after a few moments the prefect acquiesced.

Slipping out through the portrait hole, they pointedly ignored the Fat Lady's distress, ducking into a nearby corridor and going through the nearest door.

"Now what exactly-" Fred began.

"Luna?" Neville said, staring at the slight girl.

She was standing there with her eyes closed, not five paces from the door. And upon her face rested a sad smile, as of one remembering the dear departed.

"The army is here," she said.

"Luna, what are you doing here?" said Neville.

Her eyes opened slowly as she brought them to bear on him. She smirked slightly. "That should be obvious."

"And you're happy about that, are you?" Ron fumed.

Luna's eyes lingered on Neville. "Her loved ones have gathered together to fight for her liberty against overwhelming odds."

"Her loved..." said Fred.

"No," George growled. "It can't be. Why would anyone want to hurt her? Ginny's a fucking angel."

"In a world full of demons," said Neville. George said something inarticulate, kicking the stone wall and sniffling in subdued pain and fury. Fred seemed not to have quite processed what had been said. "Luna, you realise how dangerous this will be?"

"A suicide mission," she said. Her eyes had yet to leave his.

"You're going to let her come along?" said Ron. "You can't be serious!"

"I am not Harry," said Neville. "Luna is as old as we were. Older than I was. And I know how close they are."

"The monster took Ginny?" said Fred. "My sister?"

"And we are going to get her back," said Neville resolutely.

"And why are we not getting the professors to do this?" said Percy. "The trained combatants? How can we help Ginny by throwing ourselves to our deaths?"

"The professors will not help," said Neville.

"How do you know?" said Percy. "In fact, why on earth wouldn't they?"

"Because they already gave up on her," said Ron venomously.

"We spied on them," Neville admitted. "They're leaving her to Lockhart. Besides, they didn't help last year. I feel like it's a bad idea to try that again."

"Your feelings are immaterial," said Percy angrily. "I want my sister saved, not to throw half trained children at monsters in vain hope."

"If you have a single bloody shit y-"

"That. Is. E... nough."

Neville slammed down his hands in an angry gesture, but Ron and Percy were curiously staggered as if they had taken heavy blows to the midriff.

"Feelings are everything, Percy Weasley," said Luna. "You are a wizard, are you not?"

Percy seemed to struggle for a retort.

"Ron," said Neville. "You're angry, and scared. I am too, and so is everyone in this room. But we only get one shot at this. One chance to get Ginny back. If we mess up because we rushed in, none of us will get to see her again."

Neville almost hated himself when he saw the effect his words had. But the raw determination and loyalty he knew Ron had surfaced to warm his heart.

"I'll follow you," said Ron. "I can't..."

'Follow?' Neville thought, bemused.

Luna was looking at him again, her head tilted slightly, and Neville got the curious impression that she knew precisely what he was thinking.

"I still think we ought to tell Professor McGonagall at the very least," said Percy. "If you're implying that you know how to get into the beast's lair, she would lead a squad of professors straight down, I am sure of it."

"Then go," said Neville. "And when you are told that you are a silly little boy and to go back to your common room and behave yourself, look for the phoenix."

"Fawkes?" said Percy, confused.

Neville was already at the door. "I spoke to someone important before I came here. Professor Dumbledore already knows what lies in the Chamber. Think about that."

"Come on, Perce," said George quietly. "She needs us."

Neville looked askance at Luna, who walked at his left hand. "How is it that you know so much?"

"I keep my eyes open," said Luna. "That usually helps."

"You knew about Hermione," said Neville. "And you were in the exact room to wait for us. You're either spying or scrying."

"Aren't they just the same thing, really?" said Luna absently.

"Answer the question," said Neville.

"That would be telling," Luna said. Neville rather fancied that her lips quirked.

"So, what's the plan?" said Ron as they slipped through a mirror that wasn't entirely there.

Neville sighed. In his frustration with Percy he had overlooked a key point of the meeting.

"Guys, the monster in the Chamber is a basilisk," said Neville.

To their credit, the twins' resolve only seemed to harden. Percy looked quite horrified, though he made no move to go anywhere. Luna simply looked at him, utterly placid.

"That means it's greatest strength and weakness is the eyes," he elaborated. "I can cast a shield that will thoroughly protect us but I cannot say for how long. So the eyes are our highest priority."

"I have a few tricks," the twins and Percy said simultaneously.

"Good," said Neville. "So do I. Fawkes will help us. He is sworn to, but we will need to call for him."

Fred seemed ready to, but George put a calming hand on his arm.

Neville nodded. "Better to wait until we're inside. The first thing we'll do is pay Lockhart a visit. If he truly plans to hunt the beast..." The twins and Ron all snorted. Percy just looked uncomfortable. "He might have something useful. And I'm taking everything I can get."

"And when we're down there, fighting?" said Percy. "Is there a plan beyond hide behind the shield, go for the eyes and hope Fawkes comes? This is a basilisk."

"Give lots of ground and torture its wounds until it stops twitching," said Neville grimly. "What else?"

Percy gritted his teeth. "Fine. You have my wand. For Ginny."

It was not long before they found themselves outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Neville rapped loudly upon the door.

"Professor Lockhart?" said Neville.

"He's already run off," Fred spat.

"Oh screw this," said Ron. "Alohomora."

They began to hear rather a lot of activity as the classroom door opened. All the portraits of Lockhart that had been grinning down at them during the school year were gone. In fact, the classroom was utterly bare. From the office door at the far end, however...

As they came ever closer they began to make out the sounds of scraping, thumps and hurried footsteps. Neville knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it.

"Oh... Mr. Longbottom..." he said, opening the door a little wider but pausing at seeing the crowd of students on his stairs. "I'm rather busy at the moment. If you would be quick..."

"Professor, we've got some information for you," said Ron. "We think it'll help you fight the monster."

"Er — well — it's not terribly —" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. "I mean — well — all right."

He opened the door and they entered.

His office had been almost completely stripped. Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade green, lilac, midnight blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.

"Are you going somewhere?" said Neville dangerously.

"Of course," said Lockhart, aggrieved. "The Chamber of Secrets."

"To bore the monster to death with your assorted works and acclaim?" said George.

"My dear Mr. Weasley," said Lockhart with a touch of anger. "This is hardly the time to debate the literary quality of my work. I believe your sister is down there, is she not?"

Not cowed by the older man, the twins nodded tersely.

"Then you are hardly in a position to be attacking your allies, are you?" said Professor Lockhart. "If you must know, this is helping me to think. Besides, if things should go less than well fighting the beast I should like to be able to leave in a hurry."

"And the children?" said Fred.

"Are being evacuated by the other staff, I'm sure," said Professor Lockhart. "They may not be fond of me but they are not incompetents."

Neville had to admit that he was surprised. Either Lockhart was good at improvising or he had actually been thinking this through. That did not change the look on his face when the other professors had left him to fight the monster alone. Perhaps he had been depending on their support.

"So what is your plan, sir?" said Neville.

"What?" said the professor. "You imagine I would endanger more of my students on this endeavour?"

"She's our sister," Percy said.

"I suppose if it is a basilisk I could use all the help I can get," Lockhart muttered.

Neville's eyebrows rose further.

"But how exactly do you think the public would react if any of you were to perish?" said Lockhart decisively. "I would lose my job at the very least. More likely I would be for Azkaban. No, no, I will not have it. If you have information you can tell me on the way."

Neville looked around at the others as Lockhart finished stuffing his possessions into trunks.

"Well, what are you doing all standing there staring?" said Lockhart. "There is a young girl who needs saving!"

And with that, Gilderoy Lockhart swept from the room.

Neville looked back at the others. Ron and the twins might have been smashed in the face with rubber mallets. Luna, on the other hand, had that same sad smile on her face. Taking a deep breath, Neville followed the professor out.

It was a struggle keeping up with Lockhart's urgent strides, but Neville did his best.

"Now tell me what this information is," said Lockhart. "I hope for all our sakes you've found the entrance. I can only narrow it down to somewhere near that haunted girls bathroom."

"It's inside," said Neville, feeling confidence bubble inside him for the first time that day. "One of the sinks. We couldn't narrow it down further, the ghost got temperamental."

"Excellent," said Lockhart. "Wonderful material."

"What?" said Neville.

"Your information," said Lockhart. "Exactly what I needed to work with. Was there anything else?"

"The monster is a basilisk," said Ron. "It's been moving around in the pipes."

"Interesting," Lockhart said, nodding. "So the primary entrance to the plumbing is in that bathroom, but it must need other exits than bathrooms. Not all the attacks were near to toilets."

"We don't really know anything else," said Neville. "Sorry, professor."

Lockhart waved him off, his famous charming smile returning. "What's a suicide mission without a little uncertainty?"

They hurried down the marble staircase, eerily deserted in the middle of the afternoon. In fact, they didn't run into a single soul on the way to Myrtle's bathroom. Neville had just caught sight of the writing on the wall when Luna slipped past him, nudging him gently but insistently out of the way.

"Your Memory Charms are strong, professor," said Luna quietly. "But they aren't sophisticated enough for you to ever get away with what you're planning."

"Obliviate," said Professor Lockhart, turning suddenly.

Nobody had time even to shout, but Luna dodged with almost extraordinary reflexes, straight into the path of a Stunning Spell.

Enraged, Neville conjured his golden shield and gestured to Ron to get Luna out of harm's way.

"What are you doing, professor?" called Percy.

"Oh, you know the old saying about skeletons and closets," said Lockhart lightly. "None of them ever dodged before, but hey ho."

"Why are you trying to erase her memory?" the prefect continued. He was still yet to draw his wand.

"You told me far too much, really," Lockhart shrugged from behind what little cover the doorway to Myrtle's bathroom offered. Between the combined curses and hexes from the twins, that cover was dwindling. "This will make for a marvelous book. It'll add a real element of tragedy to the series."

A vast curse came soaring towards Neville, but he braced himself, stepping into its path. It impacted upon his shield like a speeding train into the buffers, staggering Neville as it veritably exploded.

"The readers will simply eat it up," Lockhart gloated amidst the debris raining down upon him. Neville would not be surprised if the impact of that curse on his shield brought down the ceiling on their heads. "How I slew the beast, but was too late to save the girl. Of course the sight of her ruined, mangled little body drove you all mad with grief. The sheer sorrow of the thing will leave its mark on me, I'm sure."

"You bastard!" Percy spat.

Neville wasn't even sure where the wand had come from, but a curse zig-zagged over to Lockhart, striking on the doorframe. For a moment Neville thought Percy had missed. Then the wood began to glow. Lockhart screamed as, although he managed to shield much of the result, the superheated shrapnel exploding in every direction caught him in the back of his legs.

"Make yourself useful," said Ron to Percy. "Wake Luna up."

"Inventive, Mr. Weasley," Lockhart grimaced. "I may have to use that one."

Neville glared hatefully at what he could see of their former Professor of Defence. When he was done with Gilderoy Lockhart, the villain wouldn't be able to use a spoon.

MVDB: I've changed the summary a few times, and never been particularly happy with it. I might revisit it. As to the story itself, I'm keeping a lot of this one sacred because I wrote much of it when I was 12/13 and I'm going to honour what I had. And I'll admit it wasn't written very well but the reasoning was fairly sound, especially with some of the background given later of how powerful some of Ginny's predecessors have been. I hope you enjoy it too!

esparza3368: Lol

stars90: But a difficult gut feeling to justify :D

Vangran: Indeed

stevefocus: That was amusing to watch :)

Dragon Man 180: Well now I can't really answer any of that, can I? Good things come to those who wait, though.

sephchipmunk: I completely dropped the ball on that one, thanks!

corbinskydragon1: Thanks! I'm trying to upload every few days at the moment, but we're getting close to the bottleneck.