CHAPTER 37: CHAMBER OF LIES

Nothingness, Canada realized, was not nearly as liberating as some believed it to be. It wasn't dark or cold. It was the complete cessation of sensation. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't feel anything. Even the sounds and feelings within his own body – his heartbeat and all the other little processes he hadn't been aware of – had vanished. Even his own thoughts seemed sluggish and not working properly. The most coherent thought he managed to come up with was, Please, please, anything but this. He'd been shot, stabbed, exploded, crushed, drowned, burned, and all other sorts of injured to the point any normal human would be dead. At the time he'd screamed and wished he were human, wished for the pain to end. He'd rather go through all of those experiences a thousand times than have to continue in this oblivion for another second.

His sensation of time passing had been stripped from him, too, so he had no idea how long he spent in that void. It could have been eternity, it could have been a single moment. However long it was, suddenly, it was gone. For a split second he was in a canoe floating in a lake, fishing pole in hand and feeling a lot bigger than normal. Then he was back in Hogwarts and feeling as small as he usually did nowadays.

He took in a deep, shuddering breath. He'd never appreciated just how sweet air tasted until now. He examined the stone ceiling above him with a fervor it had likely never before experienced. He relished the feel of his clothes against his skin, the coldness of the floor against any exposed flesh. Really, he'd never appreciated any of his senses enough. He was so caught up in the euphoria of sensation that he was actually happy to feel someone grab him beneath the arms and drag him away. He was positively thrilled when that person threw him into what felt like a somewhat slimey waterslide. It wasn't until he'd been dragged into a chamber full of snake imagery that he actually began to think about the meaning behind what he was seeing.

Wait… where the hell am I?! He sat up, thinking over his journey. I woke up I the hall where I saw those eyes… then I got dragged into a bathroom… must have been Moaning Myrtle's… then I got sent down a pipe and dragged a bit more… His eyes lingered on the snakes carved into the pillars decorating the chamber. Wait… no way. Am I… in the Chamber of Secrets?! Did those eyes belong to Slytherin's monster?!

He felt as if he were on the edge of a breakthrough. What is Slytherin's monster? It must be able to kill with its gaze alone… I remember reading about that somewhere… where was it… His gaze again fell on the pillars. He could have facepalmed. Of course! A Basilisk! Slytherin was a Parselmouth, he'd be able to control it! I never read about it Petrifying anyone… ah, but nobody looked at it directly, did they? And that voice Harry's been hearing must have been it! Now if only I could actually tell anyone about it…

He got to his feet somewhat shakily and turned around. Then he had to crane his neck up quite a bit. He was standing at the feet of an enormous statue of an old man with a long beard. Is that Slytherin, then? I never imagined him looking quite so… monkey-like. Then he caught a glimpse of bright red hair from the corner of his eye. He turned to look at Ginny. She was still wearing that creepy non-expression. "Ginny, what's going on?" he asked. Once again, she didn't respond. Exasperated, Canada clapped his hands right in front of her face. "GINNY! RESPOND, EH!" She didn't. Canada took a step away from her. "Okay. You're clearly unaware of what you're doing. Mind control, then? Wait, why am I saying this out loud?" He switched to a purely internal monologue.

Okay, so Ginny's not in control of her own actions. If this has happened to her before, it's no wonder she tried reaching out to Ron. Once again, I sarcastically thank you, Percy. There are so many questions that need to be answered. How long has this been going on? Who is doing this to her? Does she remember what she's doing? I doubt she'll be able to answer in this state…

Canada sat down with his back leaning against Salazar Slytherins' statue feet. "Well, so long as you're not talking, I guess I'll just sit here." And so he did. As he sat, he thought some more, since mind-controlled Ginny wasn't exactly a good conversation partner. I wish Kumadeniro were here… I left him behind in class, didn't I? He must be so worried… Is America worried, too? He's probably just jealous that I found a way into the villain's lair before he did. Have any of the teachers noticed I'm gone? They must have noticed Ginny missing, at least. Are they going to try and rescue us? I hope so. I don't see any food around here, and while it is rather damp I'd rather not drink any of the water in here. It doesn't seem very clean. Maybe I should save them the trouble and see if I can save us myself… He stood up and began investigating the Chamber. Ginny didn't react, just as expected.

His hopes turned out to be for naught, of course. The closest thing he found to a door was two snakes carved into the wall with emeralds for eyes. He pulled at them and tapped them with his wand, but nothing happened. He sighed in resignation and went to return to his seat. As soon as the statue came into view, though, he received a surprise in the form of someone tackling him. He tensed and balled his hands into fists in preparation for a fight, but then he realized that it was an enthusiastic hug, not an attack.

"Matthew!" Ginny sobbed into his shoulder. "Oh, thank God, I thought I was alone!"

Canada, after the initial surprise wore off, hugged her back. "You're not, eh," he murmured gently. It seemed like a bad time to ask upsetting questions, so he just held her as comfortingly as he could and let her cry.

Eventually her sobs petered out and she released him, taking a step back. Brushing the remaining tears from her eyes, she looked around the room. "Wh-where are we?"

Canada struggled to think of a delicate way to tell her. "Well, I can't be absolutely sure, eh, but I think it's possible that we might be in the Chamber of Secrets."

It seemed he wasn't delicate enough, because she promptly burst into tears again. "I-I should have known i-it would end up like this," she choked out between sobs. "I-I should have never trusted R-Riddle…"

"Riddle?" asked Canada. "As in, Tom Riddle? The owner of that diary Harry found?"

Ginny's weeping increased to the point speaking was impossible. She merely pointed mutely at the floor near the statue's toes. Canada looked and saw a small black book. The diary! He reached for it, but stopped about halfway there. Actually, considering what it's done to Ginny, I'd best not. Turning back to the girl, he put his hands on her shoulders and said gently, "Ginny, I know how scared you must be, but I need you to tell me everything you know about Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets. We might be able to find a way out of here."

Ginny closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. When she opened them again they were still red from crying, but there was determination in them. "I found the diary with all the other books I got from Diagon Alley," she explained, her voice choked but surprisingly steady. "I thought it was just a normal diary at first, so I began writing in it. Then, one day, it started writing back. He… seemed so nice, I thought I could trust him. I felt like I could tell him everything I was too afraid or ashamed to tell anyone else… Then I started having blackouts. I found myself covered in rooster feathers without any recollection of how they got there. I couldn't remember anything that happened Halloween night, when Mrs. Norris was attacked. And I couldn't remember where I was when all the other attacks happened. Eventually I started to suspect Riddle and I tried to throw away the diary, but then I saw Harry with it on Valentine's Day and… I panicked. I thought Riddle would tell him everything, so I waited until his dormitory was empty and stole it back. And now I'm here…" Tears started leaking from her eyes again. "I-I'm so sorry, Matthew! All the attacks… I'm the one who did them! I-It's all my fault!"

Canada hugged her again. "No, it's not. I saw you, you clearly had no idea what you were doing, eh. It was all Riddle." Suddenly he felt Ginny go rigid. He stepped back. "What's wrong?"

She was staring at him suspiciously. "What are you doing here, Matthew?"

"Oh… um…" I can't tell her I died, now can I? I might as well start with the truth… "I saw you in the halls during class, and you were acting very strangely, so I followed you to the hall where the first attack happened. You took out a jar of red paint, or maybe it was blood, and then you noticed me watching." Okay, here's where it gets tricky. Try not to look like you're making it up as you go along, me. "Then you summoned the Basilisk, and I… managed to get a good look at it without looking it in the eyes, so you knocked me out and must have dragged me down here so I couldn't tell anyone." Okay, good, hopefully she'll buy that. I'm getting good at this whole lying thing.

Ginny's eyes widened and she took another step back. "I… I don't remember any of that… Slytherin's monster is a Basilisk? I… I didn't…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes glazed over and she started swaying. "I… I don't feel so…" Canada just barely managed to catch her before she collapsed.

A/N: Look, Canada's still alive, see? Did you guys really think I'd kill him off? You have so little faith in me. HUGS FOR CANADA NOT BEING DEAD! \(^-^)/ Now for a short Q&A! To SoulxMakaLover37: I never thought of that... That would impede the current plot, though, so in this universe at least glasses don't help you. Interesting thought, though. To Marzue: I've got no idea if the Trio will find out. We'll have to wait and see! Pages Left: Same as last time because this was in no way in the book. NEXT CHAPTER: Harry decides to take matters into his own hands. See you all next time!