AN: Yeah, I'm starting to hate everything I wrote. Worse yet, I know what's coming up and the idea of rewriting it all is making me cringe. Should be worth it though. Laterz…Lilguji.

Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

The Secret of the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter 3

September 25th

Dear Diary,

Last night was the first night without any nightmares at all. A full night of blessed, blessed sleep. Maybe now the casual strolls that lead up to the same bathroom will finally stop. It's weird that after my visit to Myrtle's bathroom, my nightmares have been solo-ed by Him, not a single mention of the corridor or even the bathroom. But during the day, if I take a walk, my feet would eventually lead me back there. I haven't gone in though, usually I'll snap out of it the moment the red paint on the wall comes into view and turn right around to walk away. Sometimes, if I was feeling extra dazed, I wouldn't notice until my hand would be reaching for the door.

But now, feeling more rested than I have since the beginning of term, I'm determined to stay away from that bathroom. No more walks ending up in weird places for this girl. And hopefully, no more nightmares.

September 29th

Dear Diary,

I've been stupid. There's no other word for it really, just plain stupid. I should've learned my lesson after last year right? But here I am, ignoring the warning signs that something is obviously wrong in the hopes that it'll go away. It's been four days and I've only had one nightmare. I've been sleeping well; I no longer look like death warmed over, and now that I'm not exhausted I have an appetite again. Yet, my feet still lead me to that damned bathroom. I've even gone in and talked with Myrtle. It's creepy though that the moment I enter, I seem to focus only on the sink and have to reach out and touch the little engraved snake before I can focus on anything else. It's the oddest compulsion that just stops the moment my fingers brush the stone.

This is a sign that something's wrong, right? I should tell someone but I really don't know who. Who would understand? They'd think I was crazy; losing it again. Or worse, they'd think I just wanted the attention so I was making up stories. So really, I don't know what to do. If I think about it, the compulsion really is pretty harmless. It doesn't force me into anything. No nightmares or sleep walking. And Myrtle's there to greet me every time I enter the bathroom. She waits for me now since she knows when I have my breaks. After the compulsion dissipates, I transfigure a loose stone into a wobbly stool and sit and talk to her. If I have my books, I do some work or write in my diary.

It's surprisingly relaxing considering all the bad memories I associate with the place. And while I love Collin; consider him to be my best friend even, Myrtle fills the lack of female company that I've had since last year. Before school started, my best friend was Luna Lovegood who is my childhood friend and neighbor. Even now, we're on good terms and although she's odd, she's still a great friend. But she's in Ravenclaw and most of my classes are paired with Slytherin. The girls in my dorm all avoid me now after the fiasco of last year. We got along fine in the beginning sure, but once He had me, I isolated myself. It's been near impossible to bridge the gap these past few weeks while also dealing with the exhaustion from the nightmares. So Myrtle is turning out to be good company when she's not whining or sobbing about something. She's also pretty decent help with homework despite the fifty year gap from the last time she attended class.

So now I wonder, what to do, what to do?

October 20th

Dear Diary,

I know I haven't written anything important in a while but it's almost like nothing has happened. The compulsions haven't disappeared but it feels normal now, almost like a ritual to head to Myrtle's bathroom during my breaks and touch the little snake before sitting down. And my initial thoughts on Myrtle being good company haven't changed. She's the biggest gossip ever, even more so than the upper year Gryffindor's who are always talking about somebody. As a ghost, she has access to the entire castle and she's been listening through walls for the past fifty years. So of course there's always something to be learned about my classmates and professors. And she always manages to make me laugh whether the story she's telling me is old or new.

Today though was different. I confessed about my compulsions and she didn't laugh it off. I think it did scare her a bit. Kinda funny right? I spooked a spook! But bad humor aside, talking about the compulsions to come to the bathroom brought up all sorts of questions. The fact that the compulsions were still there almost two months into term meant that there was something more. The only conclusion we could come to was that something wanted me to go back to the Chamber. It's stupid and dangerous and brought up all sorts of other doubts. How can I be sure that it really isn't Him? I had dismissed the worry earlier because the compulsions felt benign and the idea that they were something else felt right somehow. That alone should've rung warning bells but it was so much easier to ignore the worries and focus on other things.

Stupider still is the fact that both of us are actually considering going down there. We argued for quite a bit about it. There were so many mysteries and secrets surrounding the Chamber itself and the only solution to the puzzle at hand was going to be found down there. It made sense to want to go down and find out for ourselves. Of course it's utterly idiotic for a Second year girl and a ghost to do something so dangerous, alone no less but the basilisk is dead. What else is left that could possibly be dangerous? With a little planning, this little adventure should be doable. And it'll bring me closure won't it? To see the place I almost died and see the remains of the battle and the body of the giant snake. Also, my brother and his friends are always doing stupid and dangerous things that they have no right to be doing. In comparison to some of the stunts that they've pulled in the past, this is nothing.

Regardless, it's all going to be a moot point if I can't even get in. We've theorized that it should still be possible. The wards on the Chamber should recognize me from my earlier trips down there when I was possessed. The only real issue is the Parseltongue for the password and I've had my suspicions over the summer that it's a little gift that He left behind. Over the summer I would sometimes hear little whispers, words that I could barely make out when I was alone in the orchards. I didn't tell anyone at the time because I thought it was just my imagination but now that the discussion has been brought up, I'm starting to think it might've been the garden snakes that like to frequent the lands around the Burrow.

Both of us have decided that if this is going to happen, then our best bet is going to be Halloween. It's a Hogmeade weekend and no one (namely my brother) will notice if I'm gone all day. Collin might ask but he's getting used to me spending obscene amounts of time wandering the castle alone. So we have just over a week to plan our personal adventure. If I'm going to do this, I need to think of failsafe's just in case this is more serious than I imagined. I'm not going to let myself fall into a trap like last year without leaving myself a way out.

Ginny Weasley