disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story. Hope you all like it!
The Heir of Slytherin
They were standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. There were towering stone pillars with carved serpents rose to support a ceiling that was lost in darkness, though there was an odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. Arabella gulped and with a shaky wand, they moved forward between the columns carefully. She kept her eyes narrowed, ready to shut that at any moment. The chamber was silent, but she could hear her heart beating loudly above the sound of her feet. She was sure that the monster would be able to hear her heart at this rate.
As they drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. It was an ancient wizard with a giant face, a long thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the stone robes and two enormous feet on the Chamber's floor. Between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming red hair – Ginny.
"Ginny!" muttered Harry and they sprinted to her and dropped to their knees.
"Don't be dead," Arabella whispered as she turned Ginny over. Her face was white as marble and cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. "Please don't be dead –"Arabella grabbed onto Ginny's wrist, trying to desperately find a pulse –
There! There was a pulse, but it was very faint. But maybe… maybe they had a chance…
"Come one, Ginny, please wake up," muttered Harry as he began to shake her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side.
"She won't wake," said a soft voice.
Harry jumped and spun around on his knees as Arabella looked up from Ginny. A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, but there was no mistaking that he was about sixteen with strange Hogwarts robes that must have been made years and years ago. He wore a Slytherin tie and had a prefect badge pinned to his robes. There was no denying that he was handsome in a sort of old fashioned way with a thin face and dark eyes. But with all his good looks, there was something strange and off about him that made Arabella shrink away, gripping Ginny's hand.
"Tom – Tom Riddle?"
The boy nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face.
"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not – she's not –?"
"She's still alive," said Tom Riddle. "But only just."
Arabella looked down at Ginny, wiped her damp cheek and held her close. She was trying to warm Ginny up, hoping that it would do some sort of good, and tried to slowly move Ginny away from Tom Riddle. She hasn't been around him much, but there was something off about him and she wanted to get Ginny away from him as soon as possible.
"Are you a ghost?" said Harry uncertainly.
"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."
He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary they had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
"You've got to help us, Tom," said Harry. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk…. I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment…. Please, help –"
Tom Riddle did not move. Harry was sweating and went to reach for his wand, but it was gone.
"Did you see –?"
Arabella looked up to see Riddle watching them and twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers with Arabella's in the other.
"Thanks," said Harry, standing up and stretching his hand for it.
A smile curled on Riddle's face and he continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand lazily.
"Harry, I don't think he's going to help us," whispered Arabella, watching Riddle.
"What do you mean?" said Harry urgently. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes –"
"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly.
"Look, give me my wand, I might need it –"
"He's not going to help us, Harry," whispered Arabella. "We're here because of him. Right?"
Riddle's smile broadened. "Clever little witch, aren't you?" He then looked at Harry and waved his wand lazily. "You won't be needing this."
Harry stared at him. "What d'you mean, I won't be –?"
"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."
"Look," said Harry, losing his patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later –"
"We're going to talk now," said Riddle pleasantly, still smiling broadly. He then pocketed their wands.
Arabella stared down at Ginny's pale body and said, "How did she get like this?"
"Well, that's an interesting question, Arabella Black," said Riddle. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."
"What are you talking about?" said Harry.
"The diary," said Riddle. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes – how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with second-hand robes and books," his eyes glinted in the darkness, "how she noticed the close relationship between Arabella Black and Harry Potter – famous, good, great Harry Potter – would he ever like her…."
There was a hungry look on Riddle's face as he stared at Harry.
"It was very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom…. I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in…. It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket…."
Riddle laughed a high, pitched cold laugh that made Arabella get goosebumps.
"If I say it myself, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted…. I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her…."
"What do you mean?" said Harry dryly.
"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly.
"Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets," Arabella said quietly as realization commenced on her. She then looked down at Ginny once again.
"Exactly, Arabella Black," said Riddle, smiling at her. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat."
"No," whispered Harry.
"Yea," said Riddle calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries… far more interesting, they became… Dear Tom, I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me…. There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad…. I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!"
Arabella clenched her fists tightly as Riddle continued.
"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary. But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you come in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet…."
"And why do you want to meet me?" said Harry, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry. Your whole fascinating history." Riddle's eyes went to Harry's forehead and his expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust –"
"Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice shaky, "and you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but –"
Riddle laughed once again.
"It was my word against Hagrid's. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student… on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls… but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance… as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power! Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as a gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed…. Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did…."
"Bet he saw right through your fake façade," snapped Arabella.
"Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," said Riddle carelessly. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again when I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."
"Well, you haven't finished it," said Harry triumphantly. "No one's died this time, not even the car. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again –"
"Haven't I already told you," said Riddle quietly, "that killed Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been – you."
Arabella stared at him as Riddle gazed upon Harry with simple delight.
"Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery – particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue…. So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her…. She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last…. I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter.
"Like what?" spat Harry.
"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you – a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent – managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Arabella, tired and desperate for this all to end. "Who cares about Voldemort?"
"Voldemort," said Tom Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Arabella Black…."
He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
Arabella got up, grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him away from Riddle. Her insides went cold at the world VOLDEMORT. Ginny poured her heart out to Voldemort. Harry went rigid and he grabbed her arm in turn and pulled her behind him, trying to shield her from Riddle.
"You see?" whispered Riddle. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No – I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"
Arabella stared at Riddle's handsome face, looking at the boy who would grow up to murder so many people and lead an army against the wizarding world.
"You're not," said Harry quietly, his voice full of hatred.
"Not what?" snapped Riddle.
"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days –"
The smile had gone from Riddle's face, replaced with a frown that made him look very ugly. "Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" hissed Riddle.
"He's not as gone as you might think!" retorted Harry.
Riddle opened his mouth, but froze. Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder and louder. It was unnerving and it made Arabella's nerves tingle. Then, as the music reached a certain pitch, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar. A crimson bird had appeared, piped its music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail and golden claws that were gripping a ragged bundle.
A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the bundle at his feet and then landed heavily on his shoulder. Arabella took a couple steps back as it folded its great wings. It stopped singing and gazed steadily at Riddle.
"That's a phoenix…" said Riddle, staring right back at it.
"Fawkes?" breathed Harry.
"And that –"said Riddle, eyeing the bundle at Harry's feet, "that's the old school Sorting Hat –"
Riddle began to laugh so hard that the Chamber rang with it. Arabella's shoulders dropped in defeat.
"This is what Dumbledore sends his defenders! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now, Arabella Black?"
Neither Harry nor Arabella said anything.
"To business, then," said Riddle, smiling broadly. "Twice, Harry, in your past, in my future, we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive."
Arabella scanned Riddle with her eyes. He was starting to become clearer, more solid. The more they stood there, the weaker Ginny became, and soon enough she would… she would be gone….
"No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother. She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, we saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul –"
Riddle's face contorted, and then he forced an awful smile.
"So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's powerful countercharm. I can see now… there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike… but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know."
Riddle then slashed his wand and for a moment, nothing happened. Harry looked at Fawkes, his body and then at the bundle on the ground. Then he slowly turned his head towards Arabella.
A strange sensation came over her. It felt as though her body had been closing in on her and it went stiff. She moved her head over her body, and saw her whole body go rigid. She tried to make her fingers move, but they did not budge. She tried to wiggle her toe – nothing. She looked back at Harry, and tried to say something but she couldn't. No sound came out.
"What have you done to her?" asked Harry, his voice full of anger.
Riddle's twisted smile was widening. "Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson and there will be no one here to help you, no one to stand in between you and the powers of Lord Voldemort. Let's match the Heir of Slytherin against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him…."
He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Arabella turned her head to watch Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the face of Slytherin, high above him. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed.
Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. His mouth was opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.
Arabella saw Harry back away, closing his eyes. Something heavy hit the floor of the Chamber and Arabella couldn't help it, she squinted to see what was going on.
It was an enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, and raised itself high in the air. Arabella skewed her eyes shut tightly. She could feel the basilisk sniff her, but then Riddle hissed something to it and it moved past her. She opened her eyes just enough to see the tail end of the basilisk move away from her.
She was breathing loudly and could feel her heart wanting to leave her body –
There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above them. She couldn't help it – she looked to see what it was –
The serpent raised itself higher into the air, its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. It was enormous, bright, poisonous green and as thick as an oak trunk. Something was distracting it – Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers and then Fawkes dived. His long claws sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood splattered on the floor. The snake's tail thrashed and it turned – its eyes had been punctured by the phoenix and blood was streaming to the floor.
Riddle was screaming something in Parseltongue and the blind serpent swayed, confused. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his song, jabbing here and there at its nose as blood continued to pour from its ruined eyes.
The snake's tail whipped across the floor as Riddle continued to scream at the basilisk. Its head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to find Harry.
Riddle then faced her and flicked Harry's wand again. It felt as though a stack of books had collapsed on top of her and she fell to the ground. She was breathing fast and heavy, but she could move her fingers and her toes and soon enough, she was on all fours on the floor of the Chamber. She crawled towards Ginny's body and searched for a pulse again. It slowed down even more.
"You cannot save her," said Riddle, crouching down to see Arabella's face. "You are fooling yourself if you think you can." His eyes scanned her face with curiosity. "Tell me, Arabella Black, is it worth being Harry Potter's friend, going through danger like this?"
He then stood up and looking down at her steadily. "I can offer you more. Join me and we will rebuild my army and change the wizarding world for the better."
"Why would you ever want me?" asked Arabella, astonished.
Riddle smiled at her. "Ginny Weasley told me all about you, infamous Arabella Black with an even more infamous father. I was curious about your lineage, so curious in fact that when I took over Ginny's soul, I find out more about you – Heir to the Black family and you survived Bellatrix Lestrange. Not many people know that, do they?"
Arabella was flabbergasted. "You – you can't find that in any textbook or anything at Hogwarts."
"Yes, but I was there when they interrogated you," said Riddle pleasantly. "Or shall I say, Ginny was. I took over her body by then, disguised myself and I was curious, of course. Bellatrix is my most loyal and best servant and you merely survived her. That sort of resilience, well even Lord Voldemort can appreciate that sort of instinct of survival."
He dropped to his knee in front of Arabella again and made her look him in his eyes. His hands were cold and he held her head in place, making sure she couldn't move away.
"Join me, make your family proud to call you their own. Imagine your father's face when he hears that you, his Heir, have joined Lord Voldemort's side." He smiled at her. "You are a talented witch but you do not know the full potential of your power, Arabella Black. I can teach you to unlock your potential."
Arabella shook her head and finally pushed his hands away. "No. No. I will… I will never, ever join you."
Riddle's face contorted for a moment and then he stood up, glaring down at her.
"Very well. When Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley are dead, I will take you with me and give you to Bellatrix. A gift for her loyalty – she will want to finish off what she started." He smiled when Arabella gulped. "You remember her –"
To their right, they heard an animalistic scream. Harry's arm seemed to be in the serpent's mouth, but blood was coming from out of the serpent's mouth. The basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor. Harry slid down the wall and was gripping something in his arm.
Riddle was taken back for a moment and then stalked his way over to Harry.
"You're dead, Harry Potter," Riddle's voice carried over the Chamber.
Arabella moved as though her body was in autopilot. She nearly ran towards Harry and dropped down next to him. He was sweaty and his skin paled. There was a poisonous fang next to him and a sword on the other side. His robes began to soak with blood and Fawkes laid his head on his wound.
"Stay alive, Harry, please stay alive," whispered Arabella. Her hands were trying to straighten his face and she made him look at her. His emerald eyes were glossy and he smiled at her faintly. She could feel her eyes swell up.
"Dead," stated Riddle. "Even Arabella Black and Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."
Thick, pearly tears were trickling down Fawkes's feathers.
"I am going to sit here and watch your die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."
Arabella glared at him through glossy eyes. She then turned to Harry and said, "Stay with me, all right. Don't listen to him. Ignore him. Focus on me right now, focus on me."
Riddle laughed. "You are wasting your breath, Miss Black. This is the end of famous Harry Potter. In the arms of his friend in the Chamber of Secrets, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry…. She bought you twelve years of borrowed time…. But Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must…."
"Stop it!" snapped Arabella.
"It's okay…." whispered Harry, his voice extremely weak, but he gave her a small smile. "It's not so bad…."
She inhaled sharply. Maybe it was futile. Harry's skin was cold and for a moment, he closed his eyes and groaned. Arabella let out a shudder and bent over her, tears flowing down her face. Her shoulders were shaking and she couldn't stop her cries of grief. Harry was dying. He was dying and there was nothing she could do.
"Get away, bird," said Riddle abruptly. "Get away from him – I said, get away –"
Arabella raised her head to see Riddle pointing a wand at Fawkes. There was a bang and Fawkes took flight again. She looked at Harry's arm and – she rubbed her eyes – there was no wound!
"Phoenix tears…" said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course… healing powers… I forgot…." He looked at Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter… you and me…."
Riddle slashed the wand towards Arabella and she was thrown back, skidding away from them and then Riddle raised it towards Harry –
Suddenly, Fawkes soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap – the diary.
Riddle, with his wand still raised, and Harry stared at it. Then Harry snapped into movement, seized the basilisk fang on the floor, and plunged it straight into the diary.
Ink spluttered out of the diary and there was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. The ink was streaming over Harry's hand and flooding the floor while Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then –
He was gone. That was it. Their wands fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence except for the steady noise of ink still oozing from the diary.
Arabella's head was spinning and she was breathing fast. She looked from the spot where Riddle disappeared and then looked at Harry, who was shaking all over.
"Is – is he gone?" she whispered.
"I – I think so," replied Harry.
Arabella got up, gathered their wands and helped Harry to his feet. He carried his wand, the diary, the Sorting Hat and the glittering sword. She looked at him for a moment as he wiped his forehead. There was so much she could say to him right now – she could tell him that she was glad he survived, that she was happy to see him standing in front of her, that she liked him and never wanted to hear him say that it was okay that he was dying and she wanted to hug him and make him promise that he would never do anything like that. She wanted to tell him everything and pour her heart out right now –
Then a faint moan came from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring and they hurried towards her. She sat up and her confused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry and Arabella, and then to the diary is his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face. Arabella crouched down and patted her back. Ginny clung onto her and buried her face in Arabella's shoulder.
"Oh – oh, Harry – Arabella – I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, bit I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy – it was me – but I – I s-swear I d-didn't mean to – R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over – and – how did you kill that – that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary –"
"It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here –"
Arabella helped Ginny to her feet as she wept. "I'm going to be expelled! I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and – w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"
"They're not going to expel you," Arabella said firmly. "Dumbledore will sort this all out. Riddle was behind everything, not you."
Fawkes was waiting for them near the entrance of the Chamber. Arabella and Harry urged Ginny forward. They stepped over the coils of the dead serpent and back into the tunnel with Ginny sniffing the whole way. The stone doors closed behind them with a soft hiss. After a few minutes up the dark tunnel, they heard a distant sound of slowly shifting rocks.
"Ron!" yelled Harry, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!"
Ron gave a strangled cheer and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizeable gap he had managed to make in the rockfall.
"Ginny!" cried Ron. He thrust his arm through the gap to pull her through first. She was crying more than ever. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How – what – where did that bird come from?"
Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny.
"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, helping Arabella squeeze after Ginny. Harry came right after her.
"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping.
"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry, glancing at Ginny.
"But –"
"Later," said Arabella shortly, soothing Ginny's hair as she buried her face in Arabella's shoulder again. "Where's Lockhart?"
"Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerked his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."
They walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Lockhart was sitting there, humming pleasantly to himself.
"His memory's gone," said Ron. "The Memory Charm backfired. His himself instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."
Lockhart peered good-naturally up at them all. "Hello. Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"
"No," said Ron raising his eyebrows at Arabella and Harry.
Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe. "Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?"
Ron shook his head, but Fawkes had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him.
"He looks like he wants you to grab hold…" said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there –"
"Fawkes isn't an ordinary bird," said Harry. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart –"
"He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart.
"You hold Ginny's other hand, Arabella, grab Ron's other hand and then grab the back of my robes."
Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt. Arabella took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and tool hold of Fawkes's feathers. His feathers glowed the moment Harry touched them.
For some strange reason, she felt lighter and the next second, they were flying upward through the pipe. Lockhart was bellowing, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!" The air was whipping through Arabella's face and within seconds, it was over. All five of them were hitting the wet floor of Myrtle's bathroom, and the sink slide back into place.
Myrtle goggled at them. "You're alive," she said blankly to Harry.
"No need to sound disappointed," Harry said grimly as he wiped flecks of blood and slime off his glasses.
"Oh, well… I'd just been thinking… if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet."
"Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!"
Arabella inhaled sharply as tears were still flowing Ginny's face.
"Where now?" said Ron with an anxious look at Ginny.
But Fawkes was already leading the way, glowing gold in the corridor. They strode after him and moments later, they found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office. Harry knocked and pushed the door open.
Thank you so much for reading! Tell me what you guys think!