Ginny woke up quite later than usual - it was the weekend and she went to sleep quite late last night. Glancing around she noted that Bella was not back yet - but perhaps she was still sleeping at the hospital, who knows.

Redhead lazily yawned and after washing up strolled leisurely to the great hall - luckily Hogwarts kept breakfast ongoing for quite a few hours during the weekends - perhaps to accommodate all those late sleepers like her, or perhaps house elves just loved some extra work.

The redhead just strolled to Ravenclaw table and plopped down beside Luna.

"Morning Luna"

"Morning Ginny" - her friend waved back - "By the way, Hermione dropped by earlier, she said she would be researching that cat statue thing in the library and invited us here too, wanna join?"

"Sure, I would love to, I have some ideas on that topic myself"

"Great!"

The girls continued eating while chatting among themselves, they noticed some kind of commotion happening - more and more students were whispering among themselves, while glancing towards the exit of the great hall, it did not take long for them to overhear what this is all about as a pair of ravenclaws sat nearby.

"They say they found a student petrified today!"

"And my parents assured me Hogwarts is secure - first the troll last year and now this… I should have gone to Beauxbatons… Anyways, who's the unlucky one?"

"It's one of the first years… Isabella or something? I think she's Gryffindor"

*screech* - Ginny pushed her bench out and quickly stood up, walking with wide steps closer to the girls. With an anxious voice she enquired - "Isabella Prott by any chance? Where is she?"

The duo of ravenclaws just glanced at her, noting her red and gold coloured robes - "Yes, I think that what teachers mentioned. She was found near the toilets on the first floor - apparently she left the hospital wing quite early today, or perhaps very late last night and did not manage to make it back to the dorm. She should be back in the hospital wing if you want to visit her. I am sorry for what happened to your friend"

Ginny thanked the duo and quickly strolled out of the great hall, receiving a concerned look from Luna as she bid farewell.

The journey to the hospital wing took even longer this time - or it just appeared this way as the redhead was nervous for what was happening. Eventually she entered inside and seeing the sad look Madame Pompfrey gave her - she knew it must have been Bella who got turned to stone. And surely just beside the cat statue there stood a young girl, her face casual - as if she was just walking, no pain or other expression on her face.

Ginny just went near her friend and cried - it hurt when you lost your friend - even though medi-witch assured her that she would be fine in spring when mandrakes grow up for de-petrification-something potion - it was still a horrible experience - all those months of studying to catch up, and what about the rest of the time? Perhaps she actually felt frozen in time? That must be so horrible.

As she calmed down a little she felt a palm on her shoulder, startled she turned around - it was the new defence teacher, Lockheart, he gave her one of those magazine winning smiles - "Worry not my dear, whoever causes this clearly fears me, so just stay with me and it won't happen to you, in fact I just got permission to open up a dualling club from headmaster which will start tonight at the great hall, it would be a pleasure if such a bright witch like you could attend, perhaps even participate in the demonstration duel?" - he winked

Ginny felt lost - how could he shrug off her friends suffering as a minor thing? But still he was right about one thing - she needed to train more, to research more to protect her other friends from the same fate, save Bella and uncover the one behind petrifications. She nodded her head as her tears stopped flowing - "You're right professor, I will see you tonight at the great hall then?"

Lockheart gave her another smile and a gentle squeeze on her shoulder - "Wonderful! See you then"

Ginny joined the research just an hour after visiting her friend in the hospital, by that time Ron and Harry were also helping, but alas the boys clearly lacked patience, a few hours later they went to lunch, and just never came back. Hermione even started panicking, saying what if they got stoned as well? Yet Ginny just pointed out of the window - there you could clearly see Harry and Ron just flying on brooms outside.

Quite a lot of time passed and now In the library there was a humongous mountain of books, behind it one could hear three voices discussing something.

"So this rules out Merlin stone legend - it is in fact a well known spell nowadays, just very long to cast so no one uses it - and counter-spells are well-spread as well, I doubt teachers did not try that" - Ginny's voice resounded, yet over girls just nodded, deeply focused reading other book tomes.

The day was coming to an end, yet the girls did not make a lot of progress - well they did know it could be a magical beast like gorgon or basilisk, yet according to all books they were supposed to already be extinct! So they still looked for other possibilities as an ancient magical beast that is believed to be extinct world-wide just appearing in Hogwarts did not seem very probable.

Still there were still lots of books to read, Hermione even planned on getting access to restricted section for some more dangerous books - according to her Lockheart keeps signing autographs hundreds of times, so just using some carbon paper which duplicates what's written on top to another sheet on the back, one can easily get a permission to restricted section. Both Luna and Ginny were just amazed by this muggle invention, how come no one used this more in the wizarding world?

The great hall was different - all the tables were pushed to the walls and there was a sort of area with nearly all students in the centre. Lockheart was smiling as he duelled Snape and kept his smile even after getting beat up, spouting nonsense about how to lose and so on.

It was finally time for students to duel - Lockheart kept his perfect smile on his face as he beckoned Ginny to come forwards. Unsurprisingly Draco Malfoy volunteer to oppose her - you could practically feel the boy's dislike for the Wealey family, it looked like he did not even care that he a second year was up against a first year girl at that - he still had a snobbish look on his face as if he still felt superior to everyone.

"The duel will begin once this paper touches the floor" - announced Lockheart, the so-called 'paper' was clearly one of his fan mail letters - it had a lot of pink hearts on the envelope.

*Swoosh* - The letter flew up in the air, then started falling downwards - not as fast as a rock would as paper does have better air resistance.

Just before the letter hit the floor, Draco already started casting.

*Expelliarmus* - A red beam flew out of his wand, yet Ginny just stepped aside and it flew to hit Lockheart who stood behind her. As his wand flew to stupefied Malfoy's hand, the redhead returned the spellfire - she just waved her wand and red sparks flew out - silent casting! - clearly shouting spells you use was not a wise duelling move in her opinion.

Draco tried to dodge, yet apparently Ginny fired slightly off the mark from the start - as if predicting that the boy would take a step to the left side - she somehow remembered this small detail from constant Harry's and Draco's bickerings in corridors, he always dodged to the left the first time.

Red sparks connected to the boy as his wand flew out of his hand, yet moments later Lockheart wand landed on his arm, so the duel could continue.

"Excellent demonstration! This is why I so generously let young Malfoys spell disarm me first - to demonstrate exactly this situation, that you could have a wand even when disarmed if you get the timing right" - Lockheart seemingly broke out of his stupor and realised his wand was in Draco's hand, so he felt the need to maintain his perfect persona by some commenting, weirdly enough most students, especially girls, seemed to buy it.

Red sparks kept flying as both Ginny and Draco somehow kept avoiding each other, yet Draco was finding it harder and harder to dodge - clearly Ginny's aim or prediction was improving - perhaps both?

Eventually Draco had enough as he switched spells, clearly not caring that this was supposed to be a lesson on expelliarmus.

*Serpensortia* - a white light flashed as a snake appeared and started going towards the girl.

Ginny had a smug smile on her face as her red sparks disarmed Draco - for the second time today. She noticed him casting another spell and just let him - any other combat spell other than expelliarmus would be slower - so he would not be able to dodge in time or would need to abandon the spell.

Yet redhead started panicking just moments later - she initially planned to just side-step and dodge the spell as usual - Draco clearly lacked tact and it was clear as day to know where his spell would hit. Yet he actually summoned something. Ginny did not know how to cancel the snake summoning spell, as the snake closed in she shouted in panic - "Stop"

Surprisingly the snake stopped, then glanced at hear curiously - "Hello, sssspeaker"

Ginny almost fainted from shock - somehow she could understand the snake now! Was this another of her twin brothers pranks? She looked around the hall, yet did not see any laughter or smiling faces, in fact most students were staring in panic not only at the summon but at her as well. As if she was a snake too. She saw Harry just looking casually in her direction - like nothing unusual was happening, the girl was glad to at least have someone on her side. Luna and Hermione were also giving her more comforting than wary gazes, she turned back to the snake as she felt it could harm someone or something if she ignored it now..

"Um, hello, can you slowly go back to where you came from? I do not know how to send you back"

Ginny could practically feel the glares in her direction, she knew speaking to snakes was considered dark magic or something, but oh well they already heard her.

"Ssssure, nice meeting you sssspeaker" - the snake just waved his tail as if saying goodbye, then slowly started slithering out of the hall, yet soon disappeared in a puff of smoke by professor Snape who was giving her a stern glare.

"What are you doing, Weasley? Twenty points from Gryfindor for scaring the students"

"Professor, she was just telling the snake to go back home!" - Harry interrupted the greasy bat.

There were loud gasps in the hall and whispers - "he's Parseltounge too!"

"So you're saying you can speak to snakes too, Potter? Five points from Gryffindor for interrupting the teacher."

As the hall was getting chaotic Lockheart used few of the real skills he had - speaking nonsense and his strong charisma -

"Now now Severus, no one was harmed, I annul your point changes, thank you for banishing the snake, I was about to do it myself, but you see I am just now receiving my wand back" - he waved his hand to show Draco standing by his side, a bit red faced - clearly embarrassed for stealing his teachers wand. - "Thank you again for demonstrating Draco, Ginny. Now students, pair up and practise what you observed, no other spells, just disarming one! This time I won't annul any point deductions, in fact I would deduct them myself!"

Snape just grumbled, clearly displeased with the situation, yet he could not do anything, Lockheart was the one in charge of this extracurricular activity.

Students quickly formed pairs and Ginny found herself alone - looking around it was the same for Harry, she caught Luna winking at her, so she blushed and paired up with the boy.

"Soooo, you can speak to snakes too Harry?"

"Yes! Ever since I was a child. You know there was a fun story about Python I did not tell you yet, one day with Dursleys…. "

The duo chatted while battling, not noticing the judging looks other students were giving them. By the end of activity Ginny felt she got closer to Harry and smiled, yet at the same time some nasty rumours spread about her and Harry being the Slytherin heirs - most students were always lazy to actually study, yet they knew the legends well, their parents already mentioned a legend about chamber of secrets and Slytherin beast inside. And now with not one but two Parseltongues in school - they had someone to blame for those petrification incidents, somehow forgetting that the first girl turned is a dear friend of Ginny.

As the great hall emptied and the students walked back to the dorms, both Harry and Ginny tensed up. They could hear someone shouting far below them.

"Why did you stop? We must hurry or we will miss curfew!" - Hermione nagged them on.

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances and spoke at the same time - "Did you hear it too?"

"Harry? Are you hearing things again?" - Hermione looked at her friend with concern

"What does it say mate?" - Ron also enquired - as his own family spoke Parseltongue he just accepted that as having some very distant Slytherin ancestor, clearly Gryfindors cannot be dark mages, especially not his family and best friend.

"Yes, it was like that time with the cat, this time it was a voice again, revenge or something"

"I also only managed to clearly hear that word"

"Basilisk or gorgon theory just got more likely" - a dreamy voice of Luna sounded a bit ominous in the dark.

The group exchanged concerned glances, yet after a quick chat decided against pursuing the voice. It was already quite so the attack must have happened by now, it was better to just go back to sleep, dorms were clearly safer than the corridors as all attacks happened there so far. They also agreed to meet up in the library the next day to research more about basilisks and gorgons.

Back at the dorm room Ginny looked sad at seeing her empty room-mate's bed. Then she reached out for the diary - she had a lot to chat about with Tom.