"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley told me about Hermione," McGonagall's mouth twisted in worry. "Are you-"

"I'll be fine once I've gotten her back," he answered before she could ask.

Hermione had a surprisingly accurate track record. He'd dismissed her concerns about the pipes, but what if she was right? That would mean the plumbing could lead to the chamber. The problem was, he didn't know if he could follow the network of copper one way or the other. Hermione only could when she had cat ears and could listen in. And enhancing his hearing would only work if the beast was on the move. Unlikely with two victims in the chamber. And that was if that was what happened. Though connecting the name and the diary to their disappearance suggested that theory was right. Now that he thought of it, that image from Hermione's dream, the diary the Weasley girl held and the one Potter found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom were quite similar. And it was her that died fifty years ago in that bathroom.

Dumbledore called the staff to order and the worried chatter and well-meaning but poorly-timed sympathies. The silence and stillness in the room weighed heavy on each of them. Looking around at the grave faces and nervous glances cast about the room reminded him of their involvement in Hermione's upbringing. He clenched his fist beneath the table and steadied his breath. He pushed the image of Hermione bleeding out with a twisted arm at the base of the stairs from his mind. He was going to find her, and she was going to be fine.

"I will always keep you safe," he smiled with his hand on his six-year-old's head. "That's a promise."

"From what?" Hermione asked.

"From everything that could ever harm you," he kissed her forehead.

Severus failed to keep that promise. He couldn't help but wonder if he could have done anything to change this outcome. He wondered if he'd been more gentle with her if she'd have come to him sooner. Perhaps there was something that could have been done, he could have done something about the Weasley girl being manipulated (if that was the case). What if he'd listened to her when she told him about the pipes? If he'd done any of those things Hermione might not have felt the need to pursue her leads on her own. If he'd just listened to her.

"Tell me you didn't just-" Hermione choked with tears in her eyes.

"Tell you I didn't just do what, love?"

"D-Did you just- forget it."

Why did he do that? It wasn't the only difficult conversation he'd steered Hermione away from over the years. She was already crippled by doubt, and he let her think-there had to have been another way to handle that. How did all of his attempts to keep her safe fail so miserably? He'd been so useless! And now she was somewhere out there, lost, cold, injured and terrified. She wasn't alone, but that was a small comfort. Did her abductor patch her up before moving her? That image from Potter's memories-there was so much blood...

Please, he appealed to whatever higher powers maybe. I just want my baby back safe in my 't let it be too late.

"In case this is somehow unrelated," Dumbledore said. "I currently have Hagrid combing the Forbidden Forest. And I-"

"Is that really a good idea, Albus?" Lockhart asked. "We all know Hagrid-"

"Was fucking framed!" Severus shouted slamming his fist on the table and rising. "You don't know a damn thing! I'm not losing my little girl because you like the grating sound of your own voice. So you can do us all a favour and shut the hell up for once in your miserable life, you insufferable moron!"

Lockhart stupidly gaped at him, blinking his blue eyes as he flushed a furious pink. He turned to Flitwick and then to McGonagall and found no support. His face fell as realized he hadn't the favour of a single person in the room.

"You disgust me, Lockhart," he said before turning to Dumbledore. "How are you divvying the search? Hermione told me she thought it was using the pipes to move around. I dismissed her at the time-" he struggled.

"But now you think she might have known something?" Dumbledore mused. "I'll send a party out to the dungeons and see if there's an opening they can take advantage of. Now let's see. Minevra, the Weasleys will be here shortly, you should be in your office to meet them. Now everyone else-"

Dumbledore paired the professor up and sent them in different sections of the castle. Severus noticed he was not part of 'everyone else' and was left to wonder-to dread-what that meant as he watched his coworkers leave two by two.

"A word, Severus," he said after the last of them left.

"I'm not going anywhere, am I?" Severus said, cradling his clenched fist on the table's surface.

Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles with a sympathetic twinkle in his blue eyes as his mouth formed a thin worried line. "I think it's best if you wait with the Weasleys."

"Wait?" he scoffed. "My daughter is in danger and you want me to wait?"

"The same situation as the Weasleys," he said. "I assure you, they are just as distressed as you are."

"We both know I'm a hell of a lot more combat ready than they are!" Severus snapped.

Dumbledore frowned at this. "And will you be if you find Hermione is the one being manipulated? Will you be if she's de-"

"No!" he cried before rubbing his arms staving off the image of Hermione bleeding out once more. "She isn't! She can't be! I-I would know!"

He so badly wanted to believe that. Every parent claimed as such, but Severus knew he and Hermione were different. He didn't know she was injured, he didn't know she was kidnapped. But, though he wasn't there when she took her first breath, he had to know if she'd taken her last.

"I'm the last person to deny the profound connection between parent and child," Dumbledore sighed. "We both know it's a magic most powerful. But, I'm afraid, Severus, too many parents are wrong in that respect."

An invisible hand clutched at Severus's throat. He heard Hermione's little laugh in his head, saw her smile, a million memories flooded his mind. Stupid thoughts and questions accompanied the memories like, the fact that she loved her little novel series, would she ever read it again? Would she ever pet a cat again? Chastise the owl again? Roll her eyes and groan at him again? All this time he dreaded her growing up and no longer needing him, but now he wanted nothing more than the chance to see the kind of woman she'd grow up to be. For the first time in over a decade he felt tears sting his eyes in front of another human-being.

"Hermione is my daughter. I need to find her," he choked. "Please, Albus."

Dumbledore sighed and squeezed his shoulder. "You are just going to have to trust that this is for the best."

"But-"

"That is an order, Severus."

Severus clenched his jaw and looked away. He collected himself before reestablishing eye contact. "Every second we're arguing is time you could be looking. I'll do as you wish."

Dumbledore nodded, squeezing his shoulder once more. "We'll find her, Severus. I promise."

He watched Dumbledore leave and formulated a plan. For the first time since he was under Dumbledore's employ, he was going to disobey a direct order. He couldn't save Lily, but he could save his daughter. No matter what, he was not going to lose the only person he loved all over again. He'd get her back. He made a promise.

The ground shook and a thundering crash of falling rocks echoed somewhere beyond the dimly lit chamber. Hermione fixed her eyes on the end of the chamber where she'd heard it and faintly smiled.

"Looks like Harry won't be coming for us after all," she scoffed. "You lost, Riddle." I'm so sorry, Ginny...

"So young," Riddle sighed. "And so ready to die. You really are broken, aren't you?"

Hermione didn't want to die. She had a million things she wanted to do. She wanted to see her friends again, she wanted to make amends with her father, she wanted to fall in love, have a first kiss, to the world beyond the castles of Hogwarts and Mahoukatoro. But she wasn't happy, though willing to give all of those things, a million other simple pleasures, up for the sake of her friends. If they were trapped here forever, no one else would get hurt. They would all move on and live happy lives. That was worth it. Riddle was much older and should have been wiser, but he just looked at her in confusion. How could he not understand it?

Hermione pushed aside her terror and hoped the tears in her eyes weren't noticeable in the dim light. "You'll spend forever here buried alive with the corpses of two broken little girls. Your master plan was all for nothing."

"Oh, Hermione," he laughed lifting her chin. "Do you really think I could be stopped by some rubble. Once I've finished with you two, I'll get my answers and kill Harry, slowly. Then I'll free myself and destroy everyone you've ever held dear."

"You forgot one thing," she hissed. "Harry doesn't know where we are. No one does!"

Hermione heard a mechanical clicking in the distance accompanied by hissing. Someone had found the entrance to the chamber after all and her blood froze. Riddle was going to win. Hermione had done nothing but lure Harry into the trap. A new terror clutched her heart as she realised they were all going to die and it was all her fault! She wanted to cry out that it was a trap but her words stopped in her throat as the tears poured down her face.

Fight it, call out. Do it now! "Harry!" she managed, her voice shrill with terror. "It's-"

Riddle buried her face in Ginny's chest before she could finish. She felt him tremble as he held her tightly. Hermione tried to yell through the fabric, but only muffled sounds escaped, which she doubted Harry heard over Ginny's voice perfectly mimicking a terrified cry.

"We're over here!" he cried. "Someone please help! H-he took us! We were so scared!" he leaned into her ear. "Looks like I win."

"Ginny! Hermione!" Harry called, footsteps echoing on the stone floor. "Are you two okay?"

Hermione struggled with her good arm before scratching Ginny's shoulder. Riddle wasn't expecting that, and he released her.

"It's a trap!" she cried. "Leave!"

"Hermione," Riddle trembled while hugging her tightly. "Sh-she's not making any sense since she woke up. I tr-tried to heal her but-"

"Must be her head," Harry said. "Help me get her on my back and we'll leave."

"Oh, Harry!" Riddle started sobbing and released Hermione.

"Harry, don't-" Hermione started.

Riddle flung Ginny's arms around Harry's neck and sobbed gently into his chest. "I was so, so scared. Thank you for coming to save us! You're my hero!"

"It's okay, Ginny," Harry hugged her back, a little awkwardly. "Let's get out of here."

"Oh, Harry," Ginny's panicked sob turned to a cold and malicious sneer. "I'm the only one who's leaving here."

Harry shut his eyes and gasped through gritted teeth as Riddle dug Ginny's nails into his back.

"And that's only after I've drained Ginny enough to sustain my body," he laughed. "And I'll leave her corpse with yours."

Harry pulled back. "Ginny? What- who are you?"

"Me?" Riddle put on an innocent voice. "I'm the heir of Slytherin. But you know me as Tom."

Harry's green eyes widened in horror and his face went white. He gaped at Riddle in silence. For a moment the only sounds heard in the chamber was the dripping of droplets to the ground from the vaulted ceiling.

"Tom? Tom Riddle?" he choked. "You're the heir. You can't be! You showed me-"

"Oh, Harry," Riddle cooed. "How thick can you be? I framed Hagrid. His little pet 'Aragog' was convienent. Dippet liked me, you see. I was a prefect, had perfect grades, headboy, ten OWLs, all Os, and I was an orphan! All I had to do was say the filthy half-giant was keeping a dark creature, and any suspicion was shaken after the attacks stopped. Pity I didn't kill more mudbloods back then," he sighed. "That arrogant transfiguration teacher Dumbledore was the only one who could see through my act. But I put enough doubt in that bumbling old fool!"

"Dumbledore's not an old fool!" Harry bellowed. "He saw through your act. And you've lost, Riddle! Not a single muggle-born died!"

"I haven't lost Harry," he smirked. "I don't care about killing mudbloods anymore. This was all about you. The famous Harry Potter. I wanted to meet you."

"Why?" he asked, his wand now poised on him.

"Because I don't understand," Riddle's cool voice turned angry. "How could you, a baby, defeat Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard of all time."

"Voldemort is not the greatest wizard!" Harry seethed. "He never understood that love is the strongest magic."

"You sound like that blithering fool, Dumbledore!"

"He's not a fool!" he spat. "You are for following Voldemort!"

"You dare to speak that name to me, Potter!"

Hermione watched in silent horror as he friend circled the possessed Ginny. Wandless, helpless, injured...Hermione didn't know what to do. How, without magic, or the ability to stand straight, could she purge Riddle from Ginny and save Harry? Was there anything she could do? Get your shit together or they both die!

"I dare. Why do you care so much?" Harry glared.

"Because," Riddle drew the letters with Hermione's wand in gold flame.

Tom Marvolo Riddle and rearranged the letters to spell a new sentence. I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.

Weasley, covered in debris, paced the width of the underground corridor while Lockhart sat uselessly beside a pile of rubble blocking off the rest of the corridor.

"What," he said as he came upon them, but he stared at the wall of rubble that lay between him and his daughter. "Are you two doing here?"

The rocks were large, but in no way supporting the tunnel. He could clear it, but it would take time to make sure it didn't collapse on them. He started removing smaller rocks from the top and suddenly wished he had the foresight to bring a house elf to apparate him past the barrier.

"He tried to flee. We thought he could help us get Ginny and Hermione back," he said in an uncertain voice. "But he lied about all those things he said he did. Tried to erase our memories."

"You're an idiot, Weasley," he sighed. "Where's Potter?"

Weasley's mouth twisted and he pointed at the wall of rubble. "We got an opening big enough for Harry to go through and it recollapsed."

Of fucking course. "There's a broomstick by the entrance. Take that useless git beside you-"

"Hey!" Lockhart said. "Just because I don't remember who-"

"I don't fucking care!" he spat, still dismantling the wall. "Weasley. Take Lockhart and fly back up. Find Dumbledore and tell him you-"

"But my sister-"

"Has a much better chance if I don't have to stop you from getting yourself killed! Now go!"

"Come on, Professor," he knelt next to Lockhart. "Let's get you out of here."

"Oh, lovely," Lockhart said. "With that man's broom? How strange..."

Severus worked away at the rubble, ensuring that nothing could collapse back in on itself. He didn't need to clear the whole wall if he was selective. He carrefully plucked rock after rock, one-by-one until he finally had a secure opening large enough for him to go through while moving three injured or unconscious children.

It won't be long now. He thought climbing through the opening. Just hang on, Hermione.

Shit.

Severus now stared at a chamber door, locked shut with serpentine mechanisms clasped to the wall of the vault at their mouths. He drew his wand and began to run through every lock and portal related spell he knew.

"You're Voldemort," Harry said. "But I-"

"Well," Riddle laughed. "It's a little more difficult than that. You see, I'm a version of myself. A mere memory. One that Ginny here nursed to health every time she wrote in that diary of mine. At first it was dreadfully boring. The insipid thoughts of an eleven-year-old girl when all I wanted was you. The boy who killed Voldemort as a baby. We're so much a like, you and I-"

"I'm nothing like you!" Harry snapped. "Look at the pain and misery you've caused!"

Riddle gave Harry a sickening grin that churned Hermione's stomach. "But we are alike, Harry. Both orphans, both half-bloods. Hell, we even look alike. But for some reason you cling to your mudblood mother, while I rejected my muggle father and fashioned a new name for myself. So I bided my time with little Ginny, playing the concerned friend till I could meet you. 'What if no one likes me'? 'All my school things are second hand'! 'What if Harry doesn't like me?' So tiresome. Got interesting after a time. 'I think I'm going mad, Tom! I woke up covered in blood!' Then after she foolishly tried to flush me away. I fell into your hands and I could start working. Imagine my disappointment when Ginny stole me back. All because she didn't want you to know all the terrible things she'd done."

"The terrible things you did!" Hermione spat. "You were just using her body. That makes her completely innocent!"

"Completely innocent?" Riddle scoffed pointing her own wand at her. "How many times did you reach out to that girl just to be turned away? All because she didn't you to tell her precious Harry to find out. Stupid little girl. Which makes her completely culpable for this! Are you watching, Harry? You need to see the pain and suffering you've brought to those you claim to love. Cru-"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried.

"Damn it!"

Hermione remembered what Riddle said about Ginny's body weakening while he gained strength. An arrogant monster like Riddle wouldn't want to be stuck in a frail little girl's body any longer than he had to, even if he was having fun tormenting them with her form. Hermione grabbed Ginny's ankle and threw him off balance. She wasn't sure if it was Harry's spell or her pulling him that caused him to fall to the ground, but it didn't matter. She could try to recover her wand, and the diary.

"You've outlived your purpose! I have the answers I want!" he cried in a shrill inhuman voice.

Didn't like being disarmed by a twelve-year-old boy, did you?

He turned to the stone relief of Salazar Slytherin's face and began hissing-speaking Parsel tongue- to it. The basilisk!

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked digging a compact mirror from her pocket with her good-arm. "Point it downward! Don't look at its eyes!"

"I didn't plan on it!" he called back. "Thanks!"

Harry scrambled to pick it up and Hermione heard the sound of grinding stone and saw a massive serpentine snout slide begin to slide out of the opening. She turned her attention to the distracted Riddle. He called out taunts and Hermione appreciated just how massive the emerald serpent slithering around the chamber was. Harry was armed with no more than a compact mirror and his wand.

Riddle shouted taunts at Harry. Hermione didn't seem to matter as a tool to torment Harry and Ginny further, so she enjoyed a level of invisibility she could use. She dragged herself to her wand. She was jealous more than ever of her father's ability to cast nonverbally, once she cast the spell, Riddle would be on to her.

"Accio diary!" she whispered.

The diary appeared flew from Ginny's dressing gown pocket and into Hermione's hand. She swallowed staring at Ginny's face contorted in Riddle's smug evil smile.

He's bluffing... "Incendio!" She cried setting the diary aflame.

She expected to see the corners of the pages curl and blacken under the orange flame. She expected to reduce the journal to ash. Instead, Hermione watched in horror as the flames licked the pages, and nothing happened. The book was immune.

"You think a mere flame can erase me!" he cackled. "Surrender the wand without a fight and I'll consider killing you quickly. It's only a matter of time before Harry succumbs to my basilisk. Which means you've lost your value as a plaything."

"Petrifi-"

Riddle lunged at her with a fury. The two wrestled for control of the wand. Ginny was roughly Hermione's size, perhaps a bit thinner, and weakened by Riddle's desire to resurrect his shade. But Hermione had a great disadvantage as well, with one functioning arm and a head injury that made her slow, and uncoordinated. When Riddle came close to winning the struggle Hermione sank her teeth into Ginny's arm. Blood filled Hermione mouth as Riddle drew back...with the wand.

"Ava-"

Love is the greatest magic... "Ginny!" Hermione cried in a move that felt more like something Luna would try than her. "I know you're in there! You said you wanted to be friends! I do too. So does Harry! So, please, don't give up! Your brothers are worried and waiting for you to go back to them! Your mum and your dad, they miss you and want nothing more than for you to be okay, even if they can't admit it!"

"Oh, you're just embarrassing yourself, Hermione," Riddle guffawed, but rubbed Ginny's temple as if he were beginning to get a head ache."And I'm tired-"

"I meant it when I said Riddle did all those horrible things! I know you'd never do that! You care too much! For pity's sake, you cried over a cat everyone hates! If you need forgiveness for using the diary in the first place, then you have it!" Hermione saw the hesitation in Ginny's face and went to a deeply emotional place that she rather pretend didn't exist. But looking into Ginny's tear-filled brown eyes gave Hermione hope she could save her. This speech is better from Ron or Harry, but please let me be enough! "I know what it's like to be alone, to cling to anything that resembles a friendship because you just want to be wanted. To be needed! Riddle played with your emotions, he played me too! But you are a good person, Ginny. You are loved and worthy of it!" Hermione took Ginny's hand. "You're more than the mistakes you've made. You deserve a second chance, Ginny!"

Ginny's expression changed and Hermione's wand clattered to the floor. "H-Hermione?" she choked falling to her knees and clutching her head. Hermione thought she had beaten Riddle out, but the hand grabbed the wand back, and Ginny's expression became one contorted in animalistic pain.

"You'll pay for that, you little bitch!" he snarled. "Cr- gah!"

Hermione didn't know if it was Ginny or Riddle screaming in pain, rocking back and forth and clutching her head. She watched in horror as the agonized grimaced turned to an evil grin. "You think the power of friendship will save you?" he choked. "But you're not even friends, are you? This is-"

Before Riddle could finish the most beautiful song Hermione had ever heard echoed through the chamber. A brilliant orange and scarlet bird flew overhead and dropped a thing of dark fabric at Harry's feet. Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes! Hermione's attention was torn from Riddle to the horrific scene. Harry stood before the massive basilisk, ready to attack him. The basilisk coiled to strike but Fawkes lunged for its eyes, the basilisk screeching in pain until bloody wholes were all that remained.

"It can still hear you, Harry!" he gasped, still rocking back and forth on Ginny's knees. "Is this is what Dumbledore, the supposed greatest wizard to ever live, gives you? A songbird and an old hat?"

Why would Dumbledore send...the sorting hat? Then Hermione remembered the legend of Gordric Gryffindor's sword. Only a true Gryffindor could draw the sword from the hat, but Hermione couldn't tell Harry that. Not without Riddle hearing it. And he was starting to regain control of Ginny's body. Ginny had enough strength to make things difficult for him, but not enough to stay in control. Hermione took the struggle to grab her wand back. She extinguished the flames on the diary and all but dove on top of it.

Harry picked up the hat and drew a long silver twelfth century sword from it, the rubies in its hilt glinting in the torchlight. Even in the dark chamber with a massive, blind basilisk and a shade of teenaged Voldemort fighting for control of Ginny's body, she couldn't help but stare in awe at the sword Harry rose above his head. The effect-for lack of a better word- was magical. As if she'd seen Arthur himself draw the Kingsword from the stone. Some part of Hermione realized Harry was just beginning to tap into his heroic potential.

The basilisk lunged at Harry and that sense of awe, beauty and purpose was quickly replaced with a cold terror. Was this it? Harry didn't dodge this time, but instead readied the sword, and put all his weight behind it, leaping into the beasts mouth.

"Harry!" Hermione and Ginny shrieked.

"Ginny?!" Hermione turned her head to see Ginny watching, equally horrified, though she still clutched her head and rocked back and forth. Ginny's concern for Harry seemed to only give her a brief moment. Before Riddle tried to resurface. She turned back to Harry.

Harry stood with the sword buried into the basilisk's upper jaw, his right arm trembling as blood spilled on to him in a crimson torrent. He wavered removing the sword with both hands and a heavy grunt.

"No!" Hermione gasped.

Harry walked toward them gasping, wavering back and forth before falling to the his knees before him. He gritted his teeth and tears pooled in his green eyes behind his blood-splattered spectacles. He clutched his right arm and a large ivory fang jutted from the crook of his elbow. A basilisk fang... Basilisk venom destroys everything...no cure but-Fawkes!

Fawkes didn't need to be told that. He flew right to Harry, singing as he perched himself beside Harry, tears in his beautiful black eyes, leaning over Harry's wound.

"You've lost!" Riddle gasped. "Even Ginny knows it. Gave up as soon as she saw the fang! All three of you will be joining your mudblood mother soon enough! That's what your friendship and Dumbledore's love bought you! Basilisk venom destroys everything, Harry! Even the boy who lived!"

"Everything," Hermione repeated lifting herself off the diary sliding the diary to Harry.

Harry nodded, taking her meaning and opened the diary before tearing the fang from his arm with a pained scream.

""You bested my beast, but I've won the war." Riddle laughed missing the exchange.

"I reckon we won!" Harry forced a smile.

"Look at Dumbledore's pathetic bird. It's crying!" Riddle spat. "You're dying, Harry!"

"And so are you!" Harry cried stabbing the open diary.

"That won't-" Riddle let out a shriek and fell into a fetal position. "No!"

"By the way," Hermione hissed, looking at Riddle. "Phoenix tears neutralize basilisk venom, dumbass!"

Ink spurted from the diary like blood from a pierced artery. A pained shriek echoed from both Ginny's mouth and echoed off the chamber walls, rattling their very skeletons and curdling their blood. Hermione expected a blinding light, a sudden breeze to banish the pages, but soon with no further fanfare the chamber went silent.

Harry, exhausted collapsed to his stomach opposite Hermione. Two pale hands reached out to Hermione and Harry's, they turned to see Ginny, drenched in sweat and she smiled faintly. The three of them exchanged uneasy smiles. Whatever happened after that moment, they won and they had each other.