Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Puppet of Time
Chapter 9
Ginny didn't know what was happening to her. She couldn't feel her body. Her thoughts moved at a snail's pace and mostly dissolved before she finished them. She had no idea of her surroundings and couldn't see anything; it was like she was floating in a dark void. The only things that pierced the haze were two voices; one young and one old. She thought the young voice sounded familiar although she couldn't place it and was unable to understand the words. Panic began to set in, but then a memory slid into place.
'Red light… a stunner… Draco said he would help me…'
In the next moment someone began poking around in her mind. It was a disconcerting feeling. She already knew the sensation from what the diary had done to her, but this was different. The diary mainly used brute force, not caring about the damage it did to her mind. Whoever was doing it now was very precise and careful, gently tugging here and softly prodding there.
After an indefinite amount of time the feeling changed. Now random memories were dredged up from the depths of her mind and began playing before her eyes. The memories ranged from insignificant to highly embarrassing. Soon enough the exploration of memories was replaced again by the prodding and vice versa, sometimes with breaks between them. The voices sounded more concerned and agitated. Once again Ginny was completely unable to tell how much time passed.
When the latest break ended she felt pressure built up on her mind. The pressure was at first merely uncomfortable but soon developed into pain in ever increasing intensity. She could feel other intrusions, straining and poking. Finally pain filled her perception completely, blotting out all other thoughts and sensations. There was more pain than Ginny had thought possible to feel; an ocean, an entire world of white-hot pain. She felt as if she was being ripped apart. If she had been able to feel or control her body she would have screamed. Unfortunately, she had been unable to do such a thing for months and had to settle for screaming mentally.
Without any transition the pain disappeared and she found herself back in her body. Taking in her surroundings, Ginny saw she was in a sparsely decorated room with stone walls. She was sitting in some sort of chair. A totally exhausted looking old man who bore some resemblance to Draco was sitting in another ornately carved chair facing hers, breathing heavily with his eyes closed. Draco himself was standing close and looked directly at her with a worried expression, his mouth opening and closing. It took a moment for the still woozy girl to make sense of the words.
"… you hear me, Ginny?"
"Yes." she managed to get out in a slightly slurred voice, but she was recovering fast. Somehow her mind felt strange, though.
Relief spread across Draco's face. "Good. Can you move?"
In response Ginny raised her right arm. Then she blinked. She hadn't been able to move her body after her own will for months. This had to be a dream. Bringing her hand close to her face, she wriggled her fingers. The phenomenon persisted.
"Are you okay?" Draco asked.
Ginny redirected her gaze from her hand to the blond boy. "I'm free." she said in a dazed voice.
She still couldn't believe it and didn't really pay any attention to what Draco was saying next. The boy fell silent when she stood up and tested her range of movement. No resistance, no overwhelming mental pressure compelled her to take certain actions or prevented her from taking certain others. Her mind still felt strained, raw and somehow strange, but she could deal with that later.
Slowly realization came. The nightmare had finally ended. The diary had no more power over her. Tears began to fall as the emotional impact hit her. She had been saved from a fate worse than death; saved by Draco Malfoy and who she guessed to be his grandfather. Not by Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, hero of her childhood and countless bedtime stories told by her mother. Not by her brothers who hadn't even noticed something was deeply wrong with her. Not by the famous Albus Dumbledore, the man both her father and mother swore could do no wrong. Neither had the teaching staff noticed anything. No, the ones who had saved her belonged to a family her own family considered hopelessly dark and among the worst of the wizarding world.
Giving in to a sudden, overwhelming urge Ginny jumped at Draco and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"
Abraxas slowly got his breathing under control while watching his grandson's predicament with amusement. The girl didn't look as if she would let go anytime soon, not that he could blame her for it. She was sobbing uncontrollably in relief and held on tightly while Draco awkwardly patted her back. Abraxas had seen a great deal of young Ginevra's memories. Living trapped inside her own head during the last months had been a living nightmare for her. Frankly, it was a miracle that the girl was still sane. If they had gotten any later to her it might have been too late. Even so it had taken him almost the whole day to analyze the problem and find a solution.
A quick Tempus charm showed him that they still had some time before Draco and Ginevra would have to return to Hogwarts. If they could have risked keeping her away from the castle for more than a day Abraxas would have done so. Unfortunately, with things as they were he had been forced to employ rougher measures than he preferred to root out the diary's mental hooks in young Ginevra's mind. The vile thing had already done some damage and his solution had strained the girl's mind further. He wasn't sure if there would be any long-term consequences and would have to do some more examinations in the following days.
He had learned confirmed another thing while exploring the girl's memories: Draco had been right. There simply was no way Dumbledore hadn't identified the culprit by now. The deceased Myrtle combined with the place of the first attack this time around was a dead giveaway for anyone who knew about the last opening of the chamber in the 40's. Abraxas had been busy with the fight against Grindelwald at the time, but even he had heard the rumors. Heck, this Halloween's incident alone would have been enough to place some subtle alarm wards. No, the esteemed Headmaster let things continue for reasons of his own.
'Well, it is certainly ammunition for my planned public attack on Dumbledore this summer. It should help me gain custody of Harry.'
Abraxas decided to give the girl a few more minutes. He could use some more rest, too. The hour-long work had taxed him greatly; his health while improving was still poor. At the current time he couldn't even walk unassisted and mostly used his floating chair to get around in the house. Instead of addressing the girl he settled on watching the pair.
By now Ginevra's sobs had mostly subsided. It seemed his grandson was good at consoling girls; from what he had heard it had been Draco who kept Aquila going after Cassie's death and his own illness. In a few years he would probably develop into quite the heart-breaker. Abraxas had been surprised when he found the memories of Ginevra's previous contact with his grandchildren, but he didn't mind too much. Cultivating contacts and even friends in other social classes could come in useful. You could get some quite loyal retainers that way. He had barely been able to suppress laughter when he had witnessed Draco's and Ginevra's first accidental kiss. Narcissa would indeed have a heart attack if she ever learned of that event.
If he hadn't been planning on removing his grandson from the country in a few months he might have been slightly worried that something more might develop between them, but even in that event he wouldn't have interfered at this point. Draco knew his duties. The Hogwarts years were the opportunity to break one's horns. Abraxas himself had been quite wild in his youth and wouldn't begrudge his grandson the opportunity to get some experience and enjoy himself. Marriage was often a matter of political necessity, not affection. Abraxas had been lucky enough that he and his late wife had liked each other well enough, but there was no guarantee it would be the same for Draco. Both Abraxas' own parents had kept paramours. As long as an heir of Malfoy blood was produced to continue the family it was unimportant what lovers or mistresses existed on the side.
Finally Abraxas decided he had given Ginevra enough time to regain her composure and loudly cleared his throat.
Upon hearing this, Draco nodded and gently shook her. When she looked up he gestured in Abraxas' direction. "Ginny, this is my grandfather Abraxas Malfoy. He was the one to free you."
The girl turned her head in his direction without letting go of Draco. "Thank you so very much. I thought I would never escape."
Abraxas gave the girl a gentle smile. It seemed she was still a bit out of it, but there were some matters to discuss. "Don't mention it, young lady. No one should be subjected to that. If you have any urgent questions now is the time to ask them. You two have to return to Hogwarts soon."
Ginevra thought for a moment. "Am I truly free now? Do you know what the diary is? What would have happened to me?"
"You should be safe. I completely removed all influence the diary held over you. I apologize for the pain involved, but there was no other way." The old man nodded gravely and gestured to the diary resting on a side table. "It is one vile piece of dark magic. I don't believe you need to know the details, but suffice to say it would have killed you before long."
"What happened to stupid-Ginny?" was the noticeably paler girl's second question.
Abraxas needed a moment to understand her meaning. "You mean the mind that was in control? Is that what you called it?"
Ginevra nodded. "She was mostly me, but stupid and with important parts missing. I could hear her thinking, but she could never hear me."
He sighed. "I had to destroy it. It was a construct made from your memories and mind, but separate from your consciousness. I'm not completely sure what is left of it; your mind is currently too raw to risk further intrusions on my part. You will have to visit me again so I can make sure."
Judging from the expression on the girl's face she didn't really comprehend his answers, but that was no wonder after what she had been through. Well, he would have to explain again tomorrow. Fortunately Dumbledore would be away again. Thankfully the schedule for Wizengamot sessions and the International Confederation of Wizards was easily accessible for someone in Abraxas' position.
"When I tell my family…"
"No." Abraxas said forcefully.
Ginevra stopped and looked at him with big, somewhat fearful eyes.
Abraxas fixed her with a serious look. "You can't tell anyone, and I mean absolutely anyone, about this. Not your brothers or classmates, not your parents, not my granddaughter and certainly not the faculty."
"But Professor Dumbledore…"
"The headmaster almost certainly already knows." Draco interjected.
"What!?" After her outburst Ginny looked disbelievingly between Draco and Abraxas.
The old man nodded grimly. "There is no doubt about it. He would have to be utterly incompetent not to figure things out by this point. This isn't the first time the chamber was opened and he was already a professor when it happened last. The girl Myrtle died at that time. How difficult do you think would it be for a wizard of Dumbledore's skill to set up some subtle surveillance in and around the bathroom? After all, the caretaker's cat was attacked there. Or around the dorm exits? No child, the headmaster knows and allows things to continue."
If Ginevra hadn't been still in Draco's grip she would have fallen. Her face was ashen and she swayed dangerously. "He… he knew and simply let me suffer?"
"Albus Dumbledore is not above sacrificing people for his plans, child. I've known him for a long time and he is far from being the flawless hero many want to see him as. There is no telling what he might do if he learns of your freedom."
It took almost an hour for Ginny to calm down. The girl was still badly shaken, but Abraxas thought they had convinced her not to tell anyone. Normally he would have preferred making sure, but considering the state of the girl's mind he couldn't risk any further mental influence. It might permanently damage her and he hadn't spent almost a day to save her mind only to undo all that effort with an ill-timed spell.
After the girl and his grandson left Abraxas looked thoughtfully at the diary. He wasn't sure what to do about the vile thing. He would have liked to destroy it at first opportunity (he was perfectly capable of conjuring fiendfyre and had access to secure rooms, after all), but that might not be the best option. No, until they dealt with the basilisk for good he would keep it intact. In fact, it might be best if Ginevra kept it with her as soon as she recovered enough. It wouldn't do for Dumbledore to discover that it was missing. As long as Ginevra didn't write in it there was no possibility of another possession. It would be hard on the girl, though.
'I have to think things over carefully.'
Ginny looked out of the window of the empty classroom, not really seeing anything. The sun had begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again, but it would be a long time till the winter left the Scottish mountains. Little more than a week had passed since she had been freed from the cursed diary's influence and she still had trouble coming to grips with her situation.
Her own mind was surprisingly intact after what happened, but she didn't escape unscathed. Many memories from her time under the diary's influence were distorted and her thought processes seemed to be different than before. According to Draco's grandfather the damage could be fixed over time. The old man was kind towards her even if he was an imposing figure and she was a bit scared of him. She had only been able to leave the castle two more times to see him, but Draco was teaching her mental exercises she could use on her own. Judging from how her mind felt the exercises were slowly working and she was even learning proper occlumency along the way.
Still, it would be a long time before all traces of the possession would be erased. Not everything was negative, though. Stupid-Ginny was dead, but she had left something behind. Ginny didn't understand the theory behind it and even Draco's grandfather had been surprised when he discovered it on her last visit. The husk of the second personality's mind rested on top and before (insofar as such descriptions were applicable) her real mind. It was the primary reason that Ginny still felt strange. The surprising thing was that she could make it look like as if the false mind was the real mind; apparently a legilimens had to dig very deep to discover the truth. Draco's grandfather had only realized it because he was intimately familiar with her mind because of the effort of freeing her. After a year or two it would merge with her true mind if she kept up her exercises. In the meantime it offered her some urgently needed protection against her thoughts being read by the Headmaster.
'It's really hard to believe something like that of Professor Dumbledore. Mum and Dad are always full of praise for him.'
Ginny sighed. She really didn't know what to believe. All her life Albus Dumbledore had been presented as the very symbol of the Light and now she was supposed to regard him as a villain and enemy. The young girl wasn't sure if she could manage that. She yearned to speak with someone about her ordeal, but aside from Draco there was no one she could trust if Dumbledore really was evil. During the last days she had been severely tempted to talk with her brothers and reveal everything. She never went through with it. After all, she had promised. There was another reason, though.
A slight scowl appeared on her face when she was reminded of her anger. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to forgive her brothers for not noticing anything wrong with her. It was probably unfair, but her true self might as well have died without them ever realizing it. Her year mates didn't know her well enough to discern strange behavior. Her brothers were another matter. It was a secret rift that had appeared between them and Ginny didn't know how it would influence their future relationship.
'It's been five minutes since Draco left. I guess it's time to head out. I don't want to be late to class.'
Finding the time to meet with Draco in secret wasn't exactly easy, but it was possible. Under the diary's influence she had spent large amounts of time alone and now simply continued in that vein. Grabbing her book bag, Ginny left the room that had served as meeting area. The weight reminded her that she had something with her that she hoped to never see again: The cursed diary was riding in her bag. She hated having the thing with her, but both Draco and his grandfather insisted. Ginny wasn't sure if she believed them. Still, both had helped her and knew what they were doing.
Draco was undoubtedly her hero, even if he said he wasn't one. He had certainly the right looks for the role of shining knight. A warm feeling spread through Ginny when she thought of him. She didn't think she had a crush on him like she had on Harry Potter, but it was an elevating feeling to know someone cared about her as a friend.
A noticeable skip entered her step upon these thoughts and the day simply seemed to fly by. Ginny was still in a good mood when she was about to head to Gryffindor tower on the evening. She was just passing through an empty corridor when a voice stopped her.
"Miss Weasley, a word if you please."
Surprised, Ginny turned around and came face to face with the Headmaster. "Sir?"
The old man gave her a sad smile. "I apologize for what I'm about to do, but unfortunately it is necessary."
Before Ginny was able to react a barely visible spell of light pink color hit her. Confusion engulfed her for a moment, but then everything became clear. The headmaster was her best friend and she would do anything for him. At the same time she realized that was completely wrong, but she couldn't control her actions anymore.
'No, no, no, no! Not again!'
"Do you still have the diary with you, Ginevra?" the aged wizard asked after a moment.
"I have it in my bag."
Dumbledore nodded ponderously. "Good. Tell no one about this. Throw the diary into the toilet haunted by Moaning Myrtle. Then return to me. Can you do that?"
Ginny felt herself nod. It didn't take long at all to head to Myrtle's bathroom and dispose of the diary. She even managed to get out of the room before a screaming Myrtle emerged, flooding the bathroom in the process. Despite her efforts to resist the compulsion she returned to the waiting Dumbledore.
"Did you encounter any problems?" She shook her head. The headmaster sighed deeply and looked at her from sorrowful eyes. "I apologize once again. Enduring this must be hard for you, I know, but there is no other choice. A hero is required to rid us of the darkness. It is for the good of everyone. You will only remember you finally wanted to rid yourself of the diary so that it could endanger no one else. Obliviate!"
Memories were erased and new ones slid into place… in her false mind. As soon as Dumbledore was out of view she felt the compulsion fade, but Ginny continued walking. She couldn't risk him still watching her. Filch's screaming about the mess Myrtle had caused faintly reached her ears, but that wasn't important now.
Ginny's nails dug painfully into her palms. The headmaster had put her under a compulsion and then obliviated her. He knew everything about the diary. Her worldview had already received some heavy blows this year, but now it crumbled altogether. She felt tears welling in her eyes. Dumbledore was evil. Everything she had been taught by her family about the world was a lie.
'I have to tell Draco. He will know what to do.'
Daphne watched in amusement as Charms class was once again interrupted by one of the dwarves delivering another valentine message. Wearing golden wings and holding a harp in his hands the surly-looking heavily-muscled dwarf made a ridiculous image. The dozen 'cupids' must have fallen on very hard times indeed for them to take this job. The blond Slytherin idly wondered where that fool Lockhart had found them. There weren't very many dwarves left, at least in Britain proper. Most had been killed in one of the many Goblin Wars. The last mountain hall had been destroyed more than a century ago.
The normally good-natured Professor Flitwick glared at the dwarf after he had delivered his message, but the stocky creature simply shrugged helplessly before leaving the room. They wouldn't do anything that would endanger their paycheck from Lockhart.
Flitwick cleared his throat. "As I was saying…"
The diminutive professor was once again interrupted by a dwarf entering the room. "Oy you! Daphne Greengrass! I've got a musical message to deliver!"
Making his way to her seat, the dwarf cleared his throat before he began singing.
"Her hair is made from spun gold,
I love her even if she always acts cold,
I wish she was mine,
she's really divine."
Daphne simply nodded and the dwarf scampered away. There had been several messages delivered to her already and she took it in stride. Despite the ludicrousness of the situation it wouldn't do to lose her composure. Besides, the dwarves could get really vicious if you tried to resist. She knew she was developing and boys began noticing her.
'Probably another second or third year student. I'm really glad my friends are high-class enough to refrain from such things.'
Her dwarf had barely left the room when another entered; this one headed for Draco. Her friend had already received over a dozen valentines; three less than her. He was good-looking and popular, after all, and had cultivated a good reputation of helpfulness. It seemed many girls were enamored with him; or perhaps with his family's money and status if one had a cynical disposition.
After the short being left the room the attention shifted back to the professor. Flitwick didn't look like he would continue the lesson, though. He had taken out a book and was reading. 'Class canceled because of cupid infestation' was written on the blackboard. The students began muttering and looking at each other in confusion. Was Flitwick serious?
Blaise Zabini was the one to ask the question. "Is the class really cancelled, Professor?"
Professor Flitwick looked up from his book. "Yes, I'm not trying to teach you potentially dangerous spells when we will be interrupted at every turn. Just go and try to study somewhere quiet; if you can find such a place that is." He returned to reading his book after that.
The first students gathered their things and headed out of the room, but most were actually sad about the class being cancelled. Flitwick was a very good teacher and his classes always interesting. Daphne was just leaving when she noticed Draco lagging behind.
"Hey, are you okay?" Daphne asked.
He waved her off. "I'm alright."
Daphne was pretty sure Draco wasn't alright, but she had absolutely no idea what the reason was. This morning he had been fine. That changed after the lunch break. He had left for only a few minutes, but when he returned he seemed angry about something. His mood had taken another dive when Potter was accosted by one of the dwarves. It had been a reminder that it was better to endure bad poetry than try to escape the inevitable (and get hurt in the process). Perhaps he was just frustrated about the entire event, but there seemed to be something more.
'Someday I will find out what is going on here.'
Draco looked at his grandfather. The old man looked wide awake despite the late hour and appeared to be deep in thought. "Are you sure about this?"
He nodded. "Harry definitely has the diary now. I saw it among his things when one of those dwarves tackled him."
Abraxas sighed. "To summarize, Dumbledore compelled Ginny to dispose of the diary and it turned up in Harry's hands. What are your conclusions?"
"I think Dumbledore tries to engineer a confrontation. From what Ginny said he wants to form Harry into a hero. It's always the hero who confronts the evil, often without the help from anyone. I know it's ridiculous, but that's the most likely conclusion. Another possibility is that he hopes that Harry will somehow destroy the diary. According to the stories he did defeat Voldemort somehow, after all."
"I agree. Someone like Dumbledore would likely hesitate to use effective solutions like fiendfyre because it is seen as dark magic. I don't know what books he has access to, but he might completely misinterpret what a horcrux is and how to deal with one." Abraxas stroked his beard in thought before he looked at Draco. "How do you propose to solve this problem?"
It had become a frequent occurrence that his grandfather asked Draco how to proceed instead of simply giving commands. He always critiqued his course of action before they settled on something. Draco knew that his grandfather was preparing him to deal with things when he would be no longer around. There were only a few months left. Even if they were successful in leaving the country Abraxas wouldn't be around very long. Considering Aquila's and Harry's mentality it would fall to Draco to care for them and defend their interests.
Draco had already thought of an answer. "We must reacquire the diary at first opportunity and destroy it. There's no telling what it might do to Harry. Then we have to deal with the basilisk. Lastly, we somehow need to convince Dumbledore that the confrontation has taken place. Do we have any magic items or spells that can help with that?"
Abraxas thought for almost five minutes. "I think I have a solution. Come along, Draco."
With a grunt of effort Abraxas stood up and left the room. Draco followed behind. His grandfather was able to walk again, but he still required a walking stick. Its clacking on stone was the only sound in the underground complex. It wasn't the only secret hideout on the Malfoy lands. This one wasn't quite as secure as the one where the Malfoy heart stone rested; it was more of a storage area. Neither Draco nor his grandfather had wanted to place the vanishing cabinet too close to their family's greatest treasure and possibly compromise the security. On the other hand, the manor was unsuitable, too. They had settled on this place instead.
It was here in these vaults that the Malfoys kept the main part of their monetary wealth and artifacts acquired over the years. No old family (or anyone with a smidgen of sense) trusted the Goblins. Sure, everyone had vaults at Gringotts to make doing business easier, but they contained only part of their money and certainly no valuable artifacts. In the event of another Goblin war their losses would be bearable.
Draco's father knew about this place, but he didn't have access to all areas or even knew they existed. Abraxas didn't trust Lucius to use them responsibly. Draco had to agree. If Voldemort rose again Lucius would be only too happy to buy his favor anew with money and artifacts. His grandfather had given Draco full access but warned against exploring on his own. Some objects could be quite dangerous.
Suddenly Abraxas turned to the side and traced a geometric figure on a specific stone. A moment later the wall slid to the side, revealing a mid-sized room filled with countless objects. Draco looked around curiously. He already knew that this was the place where his grandfather kept most of the things he had acquired on his adventures in the Middle East during his youth. There were over two dozen chests, several carpets, more than three hundred books and countless other objects.
"I'm sure it is here somewhere…" Abraxas muttered.
Draco used the time to peruse the books. Unfortunately they weren't written in any language he could read. Most had notes sticking to them giving an overview over the contents. It was certainly an interesting mix. Before its collapse in the nineteenth century the Diamond Sultanate had been one of the foremost magical powers in the world. Unfortunately for them they had been wedged between the African Confederation and the Mage Moguls , the other two main players. Well, if you didn't count the necromancers of Australia, but they were very isolationist. Since neither major player was willing to advance in fear of triggering an all-out war the region had been left alone, making it a prime opportunity for adventurous wizards.
Britain and Europe in comparison were unimportant. They weren't what a muggle would think of as third world, but they were decidedly second-tier if even that. The Grindelwald war in particular had done heavy damage to the magical population, but even before that the wizards of Europe had never possessed the same prominence their muggle counterparts held. Well, it wasn't as if the muggle countries and magical countries matched anyway. You had only to look at a muggle political map of the seventeenth century when the statute of secrecy came into force, not that this was truly representative of the magical countries either.
'It would probably be very funny to watch when a muggleborn realizes that there exist no magical United States and the entire continent of North America is more a lawless patchwork of clans, miniature kingdoms and warlords of all sorts.'
It was a disconnect that wasn't really addressed at Hogwarts; most of the historical focus was on Europe in general and Britain in particular.
Abraxas voice interrupted Draco's introspection. "Ah, here it is."
Draco turned around and saw that his grandfather was levitating a big amphora. Looking closely, he noticed that the entire surface was covered in a flowing script that seemed to form complex patterns. "What is it, Grandfather?"
"This artifact is the solution to the problem of staging a proper confrontation. I acquired it from the ruins of the winter palace of the Diamond Sultan. It is called a phantasmagoricon. Originally it was used for entertainment purposes, similar to a theater. You have to detail a scene or story. Later it will pull the audience in, making it as if they live the fantasy. It combines mind magic with illusions and is completely convincing if you don't know beforehand what it does." Abraxas proudly explained.
The blond boy looked at the amphora with new respect. "That seems very useful. I can see all sorts of applications for such a powerful magic item. Why didn't you use it before?"
Abraxas shook his head sadly. "Because we can only use it a few times more, perhaps only once. The knowledge of its creation has been lost. None of the enchanters I consulted could figure out how it worked. Oh, they did learn how to use it, but not how to recharge the artifact. Incidentally, I did use it during the Grindelwald war to great effect, but it isn't really a weapon. The amphora is very fragile and needs to be carefully set up beforehand."
Draco nodded in understanding. One of a kind artifacts like that turned up from time to time, usually as the lifework of a master enchanter or from foreign countries that had different magic knowledge. Most often they disappeared somewhere in the Department of Mysteries, never to be seen again.
"I will have to teach you how to use it, Draco. As for the basilisk… I think a visit to a muggle scrap yard is in order, but that part can be handled by one of my bailiffs. A little transfiguration and a shrinking charm and a featherweight charm will be all that is necessary. The snake will soon be a thing of the past. I'll want to see the memories of that, of course"
The grin that accompanied these words sent shudders along Draco's spine.
"Are you sure this is the right place, Ginny?"
Ginny nodded. "Yes. I only remember now, but there is another entrance to the Chamber here. I only used it once."
She watched as Draco carefully examined the alcove. It was in an out-of-the-way spot, probably the reason the diary only brought her here once. More than a month had passed since she had been freed and it was now March. Her mind was much better now, but every week Dumbledore would cast a compulsion to ignore the diary on her. Apparently the old man thought she was still under the vile thing's sway. Most of the times she didn't even see him do it. Thankfully she had learned to restrict those compulsions to her false mind, enabling her to act against them if she had to. Unfortunately they had found no way to steal back the diary from Harry. She feared what it would do to him.
Now though there was another problem. They couldn't use the main entrance to the Chamber of Secrets to take care of the basilisk. Dumbledore was sure to keep it under tight watch. It had taken her a lot of effort to find the memory of another entrance, especially because she was still an absolute novice at occlumency. The basilisk had to get around somehow, after all. Another problem they had forgotten until today was that they didn't know if she retained the ability to use parseltongue. She certainly remembered using it, but that didn't mean she could reproduce the sounds. A magical language didn't work that way. She was sure she hadn't been able to talk to snakes before she encountered the diary, but it was possible it had left some part of the ability behind in her mind.
Then she saw that Draco had finished his examination. 'No time like the present.'
"Wait a moment; I want to test something."
Ginny looked curiously at Draco. Then the boy simply hissed at the wall. She was about to ask him what he was doing when the wall rumbled aside. Ginny's eyes went wide at seeing that.
"What? How did you do that? Are you a parseltongue, too?"
Draco laughed. "No, I'm not. It was just a shot in the dark. Both Myrtle's bathroom and this alcove are much newer than thousand years. At least the bathroom is a very strange location to use. I'm not even sure they had such things at Slytherin's time and the entryway should have been found when they refurbished the room. Anyway, I wondered if not somebody else, possibly a past headmaster, discovered the chamber and simply kept it secret. He was probably the one who rebuilt the rooms. If he had helpers it would be awkward to have to open the entries each time personally or perhaps he couldn't replicate the parseltongue enchantment. Personally I would require a hissing sound combined with an intention-reading ward. That way only people who know about the chamber can enter."
Ginny was a bit skeptical about that explanation. It sounded pretty far-fetched, but she couldn't argue with the results. 'I think Draco knows more than he lets on, but now isn't the time to ask him.'
They were just about to enter the hole in the wall when Ginny heard it.
"Kill this time… let me rip… tear…"
"DRACO, WATCH OUT! THE BASILISK IS LOOSE! IT'S COMING!" She had completely forgotten that she hadn't commanded the basilisk to go to sleep again. It had probably roamed the tunnels the entire time; there was an enchantment on the chamber that drew forest animals down into the lair to feed the basilisk if it was active.
Upon hearing her shout Draco had turned halfway around. In the next moment he was shoved out of the way by a massive snake. Ginny managed to press herself against the sidewall to avoid the same fate.
"Not harm people with speaker…" she heard before the basilisk disappeared around a corner.
"We have to catch up with it! Command it to go back to sleep!" Draco shouted when he stood up.
Ginny was already running after the basilisk, but the creature was fast. When she turned the corner she saw that it had found its next victim. A girl she had occasionally seen talking with Percy was lying on the ground petrified, still holding a hand mirror in her left hand. A powder puff was held in her other hand. The basilisk was hovering above her, apparently unsure if it should eat the girl.
"Cover your eyes! Go back to the chamber and sleep!" Ginny screamed at the creature.
The immensely large snake turned around to look at her. Thankfully it had covered its eyes with nictitating membranes, sparing her from its deadly gaze.
"Let me eat this one…"
"No. In the name of Salazar Slytherin: Do as I command. I'll be around to feed you later." she said in the steadiest voice she could muster.
For a moment the basilisk seemed as if it wanted to ignore the command. Then it made a nodding motion and slithered in the direction of the open wall, passing by a terrified looking Draco in the process. It didn't attack him, though.
Ginny slumped in relief. When Draco arrived at her side she immediately hugged the startled boy. That encounter could have gone far worse.
Author's notes: Thanks for all the reviews.
Personally I find it unlikely that Ginny in canon was able to simply throw the diary away after being under its influence for five months. If such a thing was possible it would made the diary very poorly suited for its intended purpose (both draining the life from its victim and keeping control for opening the chamber).
Likewise, Ron imitating Parseltongue in the seventh book when he heard it only twice doesn't sit well with me. Magical language aside, try to imitate a word in a phonetically totally different language and you'll see what I mean. In my story someone opened the chamber a long time ago and replaced the enchantments on the entryways with something easier to use. Draco didn't know that it was done, but he suspected.