Chapter 9: The Chamber of Secrets
As promised I only took about a week to post the next chapter. I already have the next two chapters written so they will also be arriving shortly.
In this chapter Ginny tells Harry about the diary and her suspicions about it making her cause the attacks.
As usual, thanks for all of the reviews and I hope everyone enjoys!
(None of these characters belong to me, they are the property of J.K Rowling. Any recognizable sections of this chapter come from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Harry sat up in his bed trying to catch his breath. Riddle had just shown him how the person who'd opened the chamber last time had ben caught. It had been Hagrid! He had to tell the others. But just as he was about to get up the door to his room opened and Ginny walked in.
"Harry?" she asked nervously.
He turned to her. "It was Hagrid Ginny. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago." he explained.
"What?" Ginny asked.
He indicated the diary. "I can write to the owner of this diary, Tom Riddle, and he just showed me what happened the last time the chamber was opened. Hagrid was the one who did it." he explained.
"Harry I don't think you should trust that diary or Tom." Ginny said.
"Why not?" he asked giving her an odd look.
"Because, I think it's been making me cause the attacks that have been happening this year." Ginny replied.
Harry stared at her in shock. "You think that you're the one behind them? But that doesn't make any sense."
"Just let me explain." Ginny said.
And she did. He listened as Ginny described everything that had happened to her that year. She described all of her blackouts and how they always coincided with an attack or some other strange event. She also told him that overtime she had a blackout she had been talking to Tom before it happened.
Harry sat in silence for several minutes after Ginny had finished talking.
"Well this does explain why you've been acting odd all year." he commented.
"What am I going to do Harry? I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny said with tears forming in her eyes.
"First of all, no one's going to be expelled. Second, I don't think you're behind the attacks Gin." Harry said.
"Y-You don't?" Ginny asked while wiping her eyes.
"No I don't. I think the attacks happening at the same time as your blackouts is a coincidence. If you were unconscious than how could you be causing the attacks." Harry asked.
"I-I guess I'd never thought of it that way. But what about the black outs? What do you think is causing them?" she asked.
"Harry indicated the diary. "I think you're probably right about the diary. It was able to show me a vision so it's obviously very powerful, and I don't know enough about this Tom to trust him." He said.
"So what should we do with it?" Ginny asked.
"I'll keep it locked in my trunk for now. If I start getting urges to write in it like you did then we'll think of something else." He said as he put the diary at the bottom of his trunk and locked it.
"Thanks for listening to me Harry. I thought I was going to explode, keeping all that in." she said.
Harry gave her a hug, "Of course Gin, that's what best friends are for. Now let's go tell Ron and Hermione about the vision Tom showed me."
"You're not going to tell them about my black outs are you?" Ginny asked worriedly.
"No I'm not. That will be just between us two." He reassured her.
"Thank you." she replied.
He nodded and led her down the stairs. He was glad that she had finally opened up to him and told him what was bothering her. He just hoped that he was making the right decision in keeping the diary in his trunk.
Lord Voldemort's teenage self sat simmering at the bottom of Harry's trunk. He couldn't believe that foolish girl had told Harry Potter about her black outs. He'd thought that he'd had a tighter grip on her. He must have underestimated how close the two's bond was.
All was not lost however, the boy had been right in thinking that he was powerful. He would bide his time here for now, building his strength. Soon he would control the girl again, and continue his plans.
As the days went by Harry and Ginny began to become more and more confident in their decision. It had been almost four months since the last attack, and ever since Harry and gotten hold of the diary, Ginny hadn't had another black out.
Harry was relieved that his plan seemed to be working He knew it was only temporary and that they would eventually have to do something about the diary. For now though Ginny was acting like her normal self again, which was good to see.
Also since it had been so long since an attack people were starting to treat him normally again and not like the heir of Slytherin. Hopefully, just hopefully, they had seen the end of the attacks and they would have a normal ending to the crazy school year.
Ron headed towards the Quidditch field with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. He was getting tired of his friends running off at the last minute. He couldn't blame Harry, he had to be at the field early, but Hermione had dashed off to the library right before they were going to leave. Right when Harry and heard those voices again.
Ginny was a completely different story. They hadn't been able to find her at all that day. She wasn't in her dorm room, or the Great Hall. Harry had been worried since it wasn't like her to miss a Quidditch match, but Ron figured she was just pulling her little disappearing act that she'd already pulled several times that year.
Just as he reached the Quidditch field he heard Professor McGonagall's magnified voice saying, "This match has been canceled. All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!"
Ron grumbled along with the rest of the students at the announcement of the canceled match. He was about to head back to the castle with the rest of the students when he noticed McGonagall calling Harry over. He quickly detached himself from the crowd and walked over in the two's direction.
To his surprise, McGonagall didn't tell him off, instead she said, "Yes, perhaps you'd better come, too, Weasley…"
This only caused Ron's worries to worsen, and from the look on his face, Harry's as made their way through the castle and stopped in front of the Hospital Wing.
"This will be a bit of a shock, there has been another attack… another double attack."
Ron barely heard what McGonagall had said as she pushed open the doors and he saw…
"Hermione." he groaned.
He heard McGonagall still talking but none of her words seemed to register as he stared at his petrified friend.
"Not Hermione. How would they carry on without his Hermione?"
Ron was so full of emotions that he didn't even realized he'd thought of her as his.
Harry quickly followed Professor McGonagall up to the common room. He was just as worried about Hermione as Ron was, but another thought was pestering him: Ginny. They hadn't been able to find her that morning. If she had been having a black out he knew that this would confirm her theory that she was somehow behind the attacks.
When they made it to the common room Harry and Ron wearily sat down on a couch and listened to McGonagall announce what had happened and explain the new rules. As soon as she had finished and left the common room, he noticed Ginny dashing toward him.
She jumped into his lap and began sobbing on his shoulders.
"I-It happened again Harry! A-And this time Hermione and Penelope got attacked!"
Harry glanced around, but fortunately there was too much commotion going on around them for anyone to notice, and Ron still seemed to be in shock.
"You had another blackout?" he whispered to her.
She only nodded her head before burying it back in his shoulder.
"Gin I think we're going to have to tell Dumbledore." he said.
She tightened her grip on him and whispered, "I know".
When Ginny had calmed down, Harry gently lifted her off of him.
"We've got to see Hagrid. If he was behind the attacks last time then he might know where the monster is hidden." He said to both Ginny and Ron.
Ron seemed to finally snap out of his stupor.
"But McGonagall said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're in class."
Harry grinned, "I think it's time to get my dad's old cloak out again."
Several hours later the three slumped back into the common room. Ron made a beeline for their dorm room, obviously not wanting to talk to anyone. Harry and Ginny lingered however.
"What should we do now that Dumbledore's gone?" Ginny asked while shaking.
Harry gave her a hug. "I don't know. For now we'll do our best to figure out what's happening to you." He decided.
"Do you think we should tell anyone?" Ginny asked.
Harry thought about it for a minute before shaking his head. "No, with Dumbledore gone I don't know who to trust. You saw what happened to Hagrid. They took him without any proof that it was him this time. I think for now we should continue to keep this quiet." He said.
"Also, here's this." she said holding out Tom's Diary.
Harry stared at it. "I thought that was at the bottom of my trunk."
Ginny nodded. "That's where it was before I blacked out. I woke up in my bed clutching it."
Harry sighed and took it. "I would say that we should find a better hiding spot for it, but I doubt that would help. For now I'm going to make sure to stay near you when we're not in class. Hopefully that will help." he decided.
"Thank you Harry. I'm going to try to get some sleep now." she said giving him one last hug before heading up to her room.
Harry slumped down into a chair by the fire and stared at the diary in his hands. Sleep did not come to him that night.
The days passed by slowly after that night. Students and teachers alike were on edge now that there had been another attack. Also with Dumbledore gone hope seemed to have completely abandoned the castle.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny spent their days scouring the school for the spiders that Hagrid had spoken of. This task proved very difficult as most of the spiders seemed to have already left the school.
Finally during Herbology Harry noticed several spiders heading towards the Forbidden Forest. So, despite Ron's protests, they dawned the invisibility cloak that night and headed towards the forest.
They first stopped at Hagrid's hut and brought out Fang, who happily trotted around behind them.
"A-Are you sure we should do this?" Ron asked as they began making their way through the forest.
"It's our only lead Ron, don't you want to find out how to stop whatever stopped Hermione?" Harry asked.
This seemed to work as Ron got a steely look in his eyes and didn't complain anymore. As they crept deeper and deeper into the forest the stream of spiders continued to increase. At first they could only make out a few, but soon there were hundreds, all heading in the same direction. Oddly enough they all seemed to be forming a circle around them that none of the spiders dared enter.
Harry noticed Ginny shivering beside him and he pulled her in closer to comfort her. As he was doing this he noticed several large, beady eyes peering at them. He couldn't tell what they were, but they appeared to be keeping their distance so he decided it would would be best not to alert the others.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, they reached a clearing where the trees had parted and the stars shown through. Harry heard Ginny gasp and saw Ron seize up in terror as they view what was in front of them.
Hundreds alf giant spiders, the size of cars, were backing away from them, clicking their pincers. In the middle of them all stood a giant spider the size of a small elephant, who the spiders were calling Aragog.
"Who are you that brings the scent of the dread beast to us? I can see that you are not accompanied by Hagrid." Aragog said.
"We're friends of Hagrid. He's in trouble. Up at the school they think he's been setting a-a-something on students." Harry shouted.
The three listened as Aragog told them about how Hagrid had hatched him from a shell and raised him in a cupboard in the school. He told them that when a girl was killed, Hagrid had been framed. He he was not the monster that had been attacking the school.
"What is it?" asked Harry.
"We do not speak of it! We do not name it! We dare not even approach you for she bares it's scent." Aragog said using one of his legs to indicate Ginny, causing her to shake even harder in Harry's arm.
"Now leave our presence friend of Hagrid. We will not touch you because of the girl, but there are other creatures in the forest that aren't bothered by the scent." Aragog said before crawling back into his nest.
Not needing any to be told twice, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Fang turned and hurried away from the clearing.
Some time later, they broke free from the forest. Harry and Ginny put Fang back into the hut while Ron got violently sick by the pumpkin patch.
"I'm sorry that we didn't learn anything useful Ginny." Harry said.
"Well I think we confirmed that I'm behind the attacks. Whatever is attacking the students, it's scent is on me." Ginny said shuddering.
"Follow the spiders." Ron said weakly as he appeared from behind the hut. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive. If it weren't for Ginny. Which reminds me, why the bloody hell were those spiders afraid of you Ginny?"
Harry sighed and looked at Ginny, who nodded. It was time to tell Ron.
As Ginny explained everything to him, Ron's eyes grew wider and wider. "So you think you're the one behind the attacks and that somehow this diary is making you do it?" he asked.
Ginny just nodded.
"Well that's just great! And we still know absolutely nothing. We've got no leads. None!" Ron groaned slumping to the ground.
The three stood there, deep in thought until a thought crossed Harry's mind.
"Wait, Aragog said that a girl died in the bathroom the last time the Chamber was opened. What if that girl was still there?" he asked.
Ron and Ginny stared at him blankly until both of their eyes widened in realization.
"Bloody hell…" Ron muttered.
"Moaning Myrtle." Ginny said.
Unfortunately for the three, sneaking to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom was proving to be much more difficult than sneaking into the forbidden forest. They were still being escorted from class to class by teachers and the night time security appeared to have doubled as well.
It didn't help that Myrtle's bathroom was ground zero for the first attack. On the other hand, the tightened security also made it easier to keep an eye on Ginny. They were only allowed out of their common rooms for classes which meant that Ginny was never left alone in the common room with the diary.
At least not until one morning that Professor McGonagall announced that the mandrakes would be ready that evening. After the announcement, almost everyone began cheering. Ron seemed to look a lot happier than he'd been since Hermione was attacked.
Ginny, on the other hand, had gone rather pale and Harry realized why. When all the students were unpetrified, there was a chance that one of them would be able to link the attacks to Ginny.
He leaned over to her and gave her an understanding look. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Ginny turned to him and smiled meekly. "I-I'm ok. Just not feeling that great. I think I'll just go back to bed instead of going to class." she said.
"Are you sure? You'll be alone for several hours until classes are over." he said, putting emphasis on the word alone. If Ginny caught his meaning she didn't show it.
"Yes I'm sure Harry. I'll be fine."
Harry nodded. "Well I'm coming with you. There's something I need to check before class."
He told Ron that he'd meet him in class and he and Ginny left the Great Hall.
"Are you sure this is a good idea Gin? You'd tell me if you were getting urges to write in the diary right?" he asked her concerned.
"I'm not. I'm just not feeling very good. And besides, this might be my last day at Hogwarts." Ginny responded.
"They're not going to expel you. None of this is your fault. As soon as Dumbledore comes back we'll explain everything to him and hopefully figure out what to do with the diary." he reassured her.
Ginny only nodded her head and they continued their trip in silence. When they got into the common room, Harry bid Ginny goodbye as she headed up to her room. He then rushed up to his room and opened his trunk. He dug through it and sighed with relief when he saw the diary at the bottom of his that he was certain that the diary was still there, he closed the trunk and took out his wand. Concentrating hard he performed a locking spell that they had learned in Charms class recently.
Feeling confident that he had done everything he could do to keep Ginny from the diary, he hurried off to his first class.
With the knowledge that the victims were going to be unpetrified that night, everyone was in much higher spirits. Harry and Ron were able to trick Lockhart into letting them go to class alone. Taking the opportunity, they rushed off to Myrtle's bathroom, but we stopped by Professor McGonagall.
Thinking quickly, Harry told her that they were going to see Hermione and, to their surprise, McGonagall allowed them to.
So that's how they found themselves in front of a petrified Hermione reading the parchment they'd found in her hand.
"It all makes sense Ron. The monster is a Basilisk. See, spiders fear it. That's why none would go near Ginny. If she's been opening the chamber then she'd have it's scent all over her." Harry said excitedly.
Ron shuddered. "Blimey, I hate the idea of one of those things being near my sister. What do we do now?" he asked.
"We need to tell the professors. Now that we know what the monster is, hopefully it can be stopped." Harry said.
Ron nodded in agreement and they headed over to the staffroom. When it came time for class to end there was no bell, instead McGonagall's voice was heard throughout the school. "All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please."
Wanting to know what was going on, Harry and Ron quickly hid in a wardrobe. They listened in horror as McGonagall told the other professors that the monster and taken Ginny into the Chamber.
Once they were done talking and had left the room, a trembling Ron turned to Harry. "What are we going to do? It has Ginny!"
We're going into the Chamber, and we're going to save Ginny."
Several hours later Harry sat in a pool of ink in the middle of the Chamber of Secrets. He'd managed to kill the basilisk and Riddle with the help of Fawkes and the Sorting Hat. Now he leaned over Ginny, praying for her to wake up.
She suddenly let out a moan and opened her eyes. She glanced around the Chamber, seeing the dead basilisk and the destroyed diary in Harry's hands.
"Oh thank god Harry, you saved me! As soon as you left Gryffindor tower this morning I felt Riddle take over me. I went into your room and used a spell I'd never heard of to open your trunk. The last thing I remembered was Riddle coming out of the diary." she explained sobbing slightly.
"It's alright. It turns out that basilisk fangs were able to destroy the diary. The monster and Riddle are finished. It's finally over Ginny." he said reassuringly.
Ginny suddenly burst into tears. "I'm going to be expelled!"
Harry hugged her and tried to reassure her. "No they're not. Voldemort tricked you, that's not your fault. And if they expel you they'll have to expel me and Ron as well because we both knew about the diary. It's not going to happen Gin." he tried to reassure her.
This seemed to help a little as Harry led her out of the Chamber.
Dumbledore beamed as he listened to Harry recount his adventure in the Chamber and he and his friends investigative work over the year. He truly was a remarkable and resourceful boy. He focused briefly on Ginny, who was clutching onto Harry like a lifeline. The two still had a pink glow around them, but it was stronger. Their ordeal with Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets seemed to have made their bond even stronger.
After Ginny and Lockhart had been sent to the Hospital Wing and Lucius had left the castle, minus Dobby, Dumbledore got up and headed over to the Hospital Wing. He assumed that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would still be there with their daughter.
He saw that he was correct when he opened the doors to see the two sitting next to a sleeping Ginny Weasley.
"How is she doing?" he asked as he approached them.
"Madame Pomfrey gave her a dreamless sleep potion. She'll be fine in the morning. The only thing we'll have to worry about is how she'll handle things mentally." Mr. Weasley explained as he held his daughter's hand.
"That's good to here. I know you two have been through a lot tonight, but there is one thing I'd like to discuss with you. It's very similar to the conversation we had last year." Dumbledore said.
"About the Love's Curse spell?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Indeed." He responded. "I sensed today that the two's bond has increased even more. I am now certain that the spell will work on the two. All I have to ask of you is to till me when, in the future, the two become romantically involved as I'm sure they will. That will be when we know they are ready for the spell." he explained.
"We'll be sure to tell you Albus." Mr Weasley responded.
"Good. Ah, now I think it's time for us to revive all of our petrified students." Dumbledore said as Professors Snape and Sprout walked in holding a steaming cauldron.
The rest of the school year passed by quickly. All of the victims of the attacks were unpetrified, Hagrid was released from Azkaban with his name cleared, and the four hundred points Harry and Ron had received won Gryffindor the house cup. Hermione was discouraged when all exams were cancelled, and Ginny seemed to be recovering from everything that had happened.
Finally the day came for them to return to the Burrow. They spent the trained home enjoying each others company and discussing the events of the year. When they arrived at the train station Hermione gave them all a hug and made them promise to write often.
When she got to Harry she pulled him aside.
"What's up Hermione?" he asked her.
"It's Ginny. I'm worried about her. She knows that what happened wasn't her fault, but she still carries a lot of guilt. I know how close you two are. Can you talk to her love the summer?" Hermione asked.
"Don't worry, I was already planning on it." He assured her.
She gave him another quick hug. "Thank you Harry, I knew you would."
"C'mon Harry, I see mum and dad!" Ron shouted.
"Have a good summer you guys. And remember to write!" Hermione said.
"We promise!" Harry said as he followed Ron and Ginny.
He noticed that while Ginny smiled at Hermione, the smile didn't reach her eyes. Yes he was definitely going to help her this summer.
A/N: I honestly wasn't a very big fan of this chapter. Not a whole lot changes from canon, and since I don't like re-writing events that happened in the books this chapter was pretty much just a summary of the ending of the Chamber of Secrets with only a few changes. The next chapter however will cover Harry and the Weasleys' trip to Egypt, which I thoroughly enjoyed writing. It will focus a lot on Harry helping Ginny recover from the Chamber as well as a little adventure in Egypt!