Yo! I actually finished writing this chapter twenty four hours after having posted the previous one, but decided to sleep instead of edit it. But hey, you only had to wait two days instead of more than two months, and got a longer chapter too-almost four thousand words more, so be happy, because I've been neglecting Final Fantasy 15 and Persona 5 for you.
To the person who claims I should have skipped over all the beginning years and that Violet shouldn't care about any of the stuff that's happening right now because she's a Slytherin and it all seems pointless, well, all I can say to you is to just stop reading. Not every person of every House has to behave in the stereotypical manner. And sure, Rose sort of contradicts that, but I know what I'm doing with her, and know exactly what will happen to her. This is one reason why I hate the stupid prejudice the Houses have. Violet may be in Slytherin, but that doesn't mean she has to be cold, ruthless, and malicious, and not give a shit about anyone or anything other than herself.
Sorry for the long AN! Thank you to all readers so far!
It was as if she had gone back in time.
Just like last year, Violet was sneaking through Hogwarts, using the shadows as cover. And also like last year, she was already regretting it. There didn't seem to be any need for this attempt at stealth though, because she didn't encounter a single soul, living or dead. She knew a staff meeting had been called so they could discuss what they could do about Ginny's kidnapping, but did they seriously think no one would break the rules if they weren't given the chance?
Violet didn't realize that her sister was in the midst of breaking some rules herself. Rose and Ron had all the same information as her. The only thing they didn't know was what Slytherin's monster was, since they didn't have a smart researcher or two on their side to look it up for them.
But with them being typical Gryffindors, they didn't really even bother thinking things through, which was sort of understandable, considering it was Ron's little sister who had been taken down into the Chamber. Still, they basically just grabbed a reluctant Lockhart and rushed on, despite not knowing what lay ahead of them.
Regardless, Violet was able to make her way to the girl's loo down on the first floor without any issues (Why weren't any of the painting people saying anything? Were they really all asleep?), and she entered, looking around curiously. She'd never been in here before, having been warned off long ago.
It looked like a normal bathroom to her-stalls, sinks, mirrors. Nothing seemed particularly odd, at least until she walked down to the stall at the end and spotted a ghost seated on top of the toilet tank, her head in her hands, her face morose.
The ghost noticed her and looked up at her, but her expression didn't change. "And what do you want? Come to make fun of me like your sister and her idiot friend?"
Violet blinked. Well, that certainly wasn't what she'd expected to hear. Jeez, Rose really was a little prick, wasn't she? "No, I'm not here to mock you, not that I would. You're Moaning Myrtle, aren't you? If it's alright, I'd like to ask you how you died."
Myrtle's entire demeanor changed almost instantly until she became quite cheerful indeed. "Oh! It was absolutely dreadful!" she exclaimed, and then her voice lowered as if in an attempt to become dramatic. "I died in this very stall, you know? I was hidden in here," she said, "crying because I'd been teased about my glasses again, when I heard someone come in. I had no problem with that, of course, it's a loo, after all. And then I heard them say something strange in a funny language I'd never heard before. That was fine too. But, you see, it sounded like a boy! So I opened the door to tell them to get out, and then I died."
That was confusing.
"Just like that?" said Violet with some surprise. "But how? Did he-did he hurt you or something?"
Myrtle shrugged, looking mostly unconcerned. "I don't really know how it happened," she admitted, "but I do remember seeing a pair of great big eyes, and then I sort of stiffened up and floated away."
"Where did you see the eyes?" Violet asked. "Do you remember?"
"Over there somewhere, by the sinks," said Myrtle with a dismissive wave.
Well, thought Violet, those answers certainly did confirm the whole basilisk theory. Tom Riddle, who she was sure had been the one to originally open the Chamber, must have come in here that day, opened it again, and called for the basilisk. Maybe he hadn't known Myrtle had been in the loo as well and her death had just been an accident.
Then again, maybe he had known and had had no issues with her dying. Violet didn't know him, so it was hard to tell. But that was fifty years ago, and he couldn't be the one behind the incidents this time, right? And Violet was sure Ginny was involved somehow, and ugh! The answer was right there! She knew it was ! But she just couldn't figure it out!
Heaving a sigh, Violet made her way over to the sinks that stood in a circle and examined them. They looked normal to her-all of them did. Myrtle had gone back into her stall, so Violet decided to not bother her again. It didn't seem like she wanted the company anyway. Instead, she began turning the taps on and off. Only one of them didn't work. Curious, she leaned down for a closer look and noted that under the faucet was an engraving of a small snake.
...Had no one ever noticed this before? She checked the others for the same thing, and none of them had them. Wow, people here were really bad at being observant.
"Open," she hissed, the snake tongue coming to her naturally and without thought or hesitation. She heard a groaning of metal and took a few steps back, watching curiously as the sinks moved aside to reveal a rather large opening in the ground. It was a pipe, she realized as she stared. A very big, gaping pipe.
Huh, so this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, is it? Why is it in the girl's loo of all places? And how on earth has no one been able to find it before!? Did they even try?
She pulled herself out of her thoughts. Ginny was down there and desperately needed help. Violet knew the smart thing to do would be to get a professor and show them this, and let them take care of whatever lay down below. But...most adults were incompetent. And if they hadn't found the Chamber's entrance yet after all these years, when she of all people had well, could she really trust them with something like this?
Violet sat down, her legs falling into the pipe, took a deep breath, and pushed herself forward. She slid down the pipe as if it were a slide, not that she had ever been on one before, the ride worryingly long but very slick. Still, before she knew it she shot out of the end and landed hard, hissing in pain as a jolt went through her ankle.
Wincing, she stood slowly, carefully putting weight on her left foot. It didn't hurt anymore, just tingled a bit, which she was glad for. It had definitely just been a jolt rather than a sprain, twist, or break.
Satisfied, she looked around now, examining her surroundings. The chamber she was in was fairly large, very damp, very dark, and the ground she was standing on was uneven and oddly...crunchy?
Violet pulled out her wand. "Lumos," she intoned calmly. The end of her wand lit up and she used the light to look around more closely. She was definitely well under the school, possibly even under the lake, but it was hard to tell for sure. And the floor... "Oh! ...Ew." There were bones littering the ground, dozens upon dozens of animal bones, most of them probably belonging to rats and mice, although some of them were bigger.
Deciding not to linger here any longer, Violet began to walk forward, following the passage in front of her cautiously, prepared to shut her eyes if she noticed any odd movements. The basilisk had to be down here somewhere unless it had gone back up into the castle again.
The passageway was just as damp and dark as the chamber she had ended up in, but soon enough, Violet noticed something up ahead. There was a very large...mass of sorts, but it didn't appear to be moving. Violet paused and listened, but she didn't hear anything except the steady drip of water. Slowly, carefully, she approached it, and it didn't take her long to realize what she was looking at.
"A snake skin," she murmured to herself. "A very, very big snake skin." This had to belong to the basilisk. After all, there couldn't possibly be more than one giant snake down there, right?
There was a sudden commotion and Violet jumped when she heard a loud crash from somewhere behind her. She would have ignored it and moved on if she hadn't heard the voices coming from there too.
So she backtracked, only to discover that there had been a cave in. Not only that, but Rose was here too, standing on the same side she was and yelling at Ron who was on the other side of the falling rocks with-Lockhart? Dammit.
Violet was pissed. She confronted Rose, who was just as shocked to see her twin, and she found out that Lockhart was actually a fraud, which didn't actually surprise her at all, and had tried to wipe Rose and Ron's memories using Ron's broken wand, which had backfired and caused the cave in.
"I'm going ahead. Find a way to move the rocks, will you?" Rose ordered before beginning to walk away down the passage.
Violet watched her go for a moment, her brow raised, and then spoke, tone sarcastic. "Oh yes, of course, go right on ahead and face Slytherin's monster all on your own if you can. Do you even know what it is?"
Rose paused mid-step, then turned back around and glared. "As if you do!"
"I do, actually. So, tell me dear sister of mine, how do you plan on faring against a fifty to sixty foot basilisk?"
"...W-wh-what!? A-a basilisk!?"
Violet inclined her head. "Yes, a basilisk. It would be pointless for either of us to stay here. Tell Weasley to shift through the rock and we can go on. The longer we stand here and argue, the more danger Ginny's in."
Rose's glare hardened, but she seemed to agree because she did as Violet said and told Ron it was best if he tried creating a hole for them to get back through. And with that, the twins made their way down the passage together, Violet giving Rose more details about the basilisk, and warning her to shut her eyes at any sign of movement.
They walked and walked, and the tunnel kept turning and turning, until it was impossible to tell which direction was which, or even how far they had gone. They turned yet another corner and suddenly reached a wall. It was made of some sort of stone and had the image of two snakes with emerald eyes entwined together on it.
Violet heard her sister gulp, but ignored it. "Open," she hissed out, scoffing when she noticed her twin flinch.
The doors slid open with a grinding sound, and the girls stepped through. They were in a long, dimly lit chamber with towering stone pillars that had more snakes wrapped around them, the ceiling invisible in the darkness.
Violet and Rose walked forward, side by side, close enough their arms were touching, and they finally found themselves in the main chamber, the space utterly massive, wide and open. There was another statue here, bigger than all the others, and laying on the damp stone floor in front of this was Ginny.
The twins rushed over, both calling out the younger girl's name, Rose tossing her wand aside as she dropped down to her knees. Violet kept her own wand in hand and lowered down as well, reaching for Ginny's wrist, trying to find a pulse.
"Oh, come on Ginny, wake up! Wake up! Come on!" Rose shook Ginny with each word, but the pale girl didn't even stir. "Ginny!"
"I'm afraid she won't wake," said a soft voice.
Violet jolted and looked round and out of the darkness, a figure emerged. It was a boy, a teenager, a few years older than her, but not yet an adult. He was tall, his skin pale, his black hair neat, his cold eyes grey. He wore robes, Hogwarts robes, she recognized, that had Slytherin's crest on the breast. Violet got a sense of familiarity from him but couldn't recognize him. She didn't, but Rose did.
"T-Tom Riddle? What do you mean she won't wake!?"
Oh, so this was Tom M Riddle? Violet only knew his name, never having used, or even seen that diary of his. But she refocused quickly. "Is she dead?" she asked. Frighteningly, she hadn't been able to find a pulse.
"She's alive," said Tom almost conversationally, "but not for long."
"Are you a ghost?" asked Rose.
A good question, Violet thought, because Tom had been this young fifty years ago, and now stood before them looking the exact same. And even then, he didn't appear wholly...solid. He wasn't completely transparent like ghosts were though, and wasn't pearly white like them either. So in essence, he didn't look human, but he didn't look like a ghost either.
"A memory," said Tom, his voice quiet. "A memory that has been preserved in a diary for fifty long years."
Rose stared, and then moved, grabbing Ginny and trying to haul her up. "You have to help, Tom. There's a basilisk in here! It's been attacking people all year!" She looked around for her wand, then saw Tom twirling it between his long, slim fingers. She reached out to accept it back, but he made no move to hand it to her, and simply smirked at her, eyes filled with cool amusement.
The first thing Violet thought was that she couldn't believe her sister had just dropped her wand like that. The second thing she thought was that this entire Tom being a memory thing didn't make any sense to her at all.
Rose didn't seem to understand why Tom wasn't helping her. "Listen! That basilisk could show up at any second! We have no idea where it is right now!"
"The basilisk will not come until it has been called," said Tom calmly, looking unruffled. "I have waited a very long time to meet you, Rose Potter, Girl-Who-Lived." His grey eyes flicked to Violet. "Even if the afterthought had to come along with you."
Ouch.
He obviously didn't know the truth, but while annoyed by the words, Violet wasn't about to correct him in front of Rose. "How have you formed a body?" she asked instead. "What's happened to Ginny?"
"Ah, an interesting question," said Tom rather pleasantly, inclining his head towards her. "Little Ginny is like this because she poured her soul out to a stranger-an invisible one, at that. She's been writing in my journal for months, telling me all about how her brothers all tease her, and how she had to come here to Hogwarts with second hand robes and books, and how famous Rose Potter is best friends with one of her brothers but won't even spend five minutes talking to her."
Tom's gaze turned somewhat hungry when neither of the twins said anything. "It's really quite boring listening to an eleven year old girl prattle on and on, but I have always been patient. I wrote back to her, showed her sympathy. It always has been easy for me to charm those I need to." He smiled slightly. "I said a moment ago that Ginny poured her soul into the diary. As it happens, her soul is exactly what I need from her. The more she wrote, the stronger I became, until I was able to pour a bit of my soul back into her in return."
Rose didn't get it, but Violet understood immediately, and her eyes widened slightly. "Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets, didn't she?" But it wasn't a question. "She's the one who strangled Hagrid's roosters, and wrote the messages on the wall, and set the basilisk loose." It was as if all the puzzle pieces were finally coming together now.
"No," Rose whispered, horrified.
"Oh, very good." Tom seemed mockingly impressed. "Yes, it was her indeed, but of course, she didn't know she was doing it. It was all rather amusing, I must admit. Her new diary entries were displaying her fear." He laughed, the sound cold. "She grew suspicious eventually and attempted to flush the diary away, at which point," Tom's grey eyes landed on Rose again, "you found it. The person I was most anxious to meet."
"And why did you want to meet me?" asked Rose, her voice forcibly steady.
"Ginny told me all about you, Rose. All about your fascinating history, about everything you have done." Tom's expression grew even hungrier, making his cold eyes shine. "In an attempt to gain your trust, I showed you how I framed Hagrid, but it's clear you didn't fall for it. I learned later that Hagrid is your...friend." He sneered.
"But you can see why no one would suspect me. It took me five years to find the Chamber of Secrets. It was impossible for Hagrid to be Slytherin's Heir. Still, only Dumbledore, the Transfiguration professor, seemed to believe Hagrid was innocent. He was the one who suggested to Dippet that he stay on as Gamekeeper."
Well, that explained why Hagrid was still here despite having been expelled so long ago.
Tom's brow creased slightly now. "Dumbledore never did seem to trust me, and he always kept an irritatingly close watch on me, especially after that final incident. But Ginny soon discovered that you had the diary and stole it back. She was worried I told you what she'd told me, and said the entire school was abuzz, everyone talking about how the Girl-Who-Lived was a Parselmouth. And so I knew I had to meet you. I had Ginny write the second message and come down here to wait, because I knew you would come. I knew I could finally ask you what I need to know."
Violet found herself frowning as she listened. Tom had done all this because he wanted to talk to Rose? Had caused Hermione to get attacked, because of Rose?
But Tom didn't wait for Rose to speak and went on, asking his questions firmly and calmly. "How is it that you, who possesses no extraordinary talent or skill, managed to vanquish the great Dark Lord Voldemort? How did you manage to escape with nothing but that scar," his eyes trailed to her forehead, "while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"
"Why do you even care!?" Rose retorted, looking both annoyed and confused. "Voldemort was long after your time!"
"Voldemort," Tom said softly, "is my past, present, and future, Rose Potter."
"No," Violet whispered. "No, there's no way-" She understood. She knew exactly what Tom was about to reveal-maybe she'd even already guessed it, somewhere in the back of her mind.
And reveal it he did.
"I am Tom Marvolo Riddle," Tom declared, writing the name down with a spell in the air. He waved his wand, and the letters rearranged themselves. "I am Lord Voldemort."
Violet had no idea what to feel at that declaration, but Rose had been shocked silent and Tom used that advantage to continue speaking and explaining.
"It was a name I was using at Hogwarts with those I was...closest to," he told them. "Do you really believe I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? Keep the name of that foul Muggle man who abandoned my mother the moment he discovered she was a witch? When I carry the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself in my veins? No, I created a new name, one I knew wizards everywhere would recognize and fear to speak."
But now Rose smirked, evidently not impressed. "I'm not surprised Dumbledore never trusted you. He probably saw right through you!"
Tom was not pleased to hear that, and snarled. "That old man has been driven out of this castle by the mere mention of me!"
"He'd never leave Hogwarts! Not like this!"
Suddenly, there was a strange unearthly sound of music that caused everyone to fall silent. They all looked around, and then Fawkes flew into the chamber, carrying the-the Sorting Hat?
Tom dismissed the new additions almost immediately, not impressed. Was this the best Dumbledore could do for his precious Girl-Who-Lived? He didn't even care enough to come help her himself? But that was fine, because there was nothing special about Rose either. Rose hadn't done anything. It was their mother's sacrifice that had saved them that fateful night.
Violet knelt there in silence, listening to the two argue, and was surprised to hear about their mother. She'd had no idea about any of that. Wait, if they had only lived thanks to their mum, then what the heck made the Girl-Who-Lived title so special? When she refocused, it was Rose who was talking, a fire in her green eyes.
"I saw the real you last year," she was saying. "You're worse than a wreck, foul, and ugly, and so weak you have to hide yourself!"
Tom didn't seem bothered though. "Yes, I was right. There is certainly nothing special about you at all. Yes, I had wondered. We're rather alike, are we not?" Now that had Rose shutting up immediately. "Half-Bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles, Parselmouths." He smirked and spread his arms, still holding Rose's wand. "Now, let's see how the Girl-Who-Lived fares against Slytherin's monster."
He turned to face the largest statue and in Parseltongue, called out. "Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"
The mouth of the stone statue slid open, revealing a huge dark opening, an opening in which there seemed to be movement of some sort. Rose shut her eyes immediately. Violet didn't do the same. She stared as the snake began slithering out into the chamber, keeping her eyes on its massive body rather than its head and oh, sweet Salazar that thing was huge! The basilisk lowered its head and, not wanting to risk it, Violet turned around, her back to the beast.
What the hell was she supposed to do now!? No spell she knew was going to do anything against the basilisk, especially not spells a couple of second years would know! Her mind whirled as she thought fast, trying to figure out what to do. Her heart was pounding fiercely in her chest.
But before she could decide, there was a loud screeching that was followed by what sounded like pained hissing.
"No! Turn! You can still smell her!" Tom hissed out angrily.
Violet decided to take the risk and cautiously opened her eyes. She knew what happened immediately. Fawkes had attacked the basilisk and had pecked at its eyes, blinding it. That was a huge relief, but even without its deathly vision, the basilisk was still plenty deadly. She looked round and found her sister groping around, her own eyes still shut tight.
"Rose!" she called. "Open your eyes, dammit! It's been blinded. You can look at it."
Rose didn't argue and looked. But even she knew the situation was nowhere near resolved. As Violet dodged back, she watched her twin sister grab the Sorting Hat and put it on her head. She was just about to question what the hell she was doing, when Rose removed the Hat and pulled out a-a sword!?
Violet stared. Rose stood, brandishing the sharp silver blade, even managing to slice into the basilisk's tail. But she obviously didn't know how to properly wield such a weapon and overbalanced. And because of that, she wasn't able to dodge the swipe of the snake's tail and was sent flying across the room where she hit the opposite wall and was knocked unconscious.
But the basilisk, still able to smell her, advanced on Rose and Violet acted without thought and rushed forward, even as Tom, who had been watching in amusement, raised a brow in disbelief, amazed the Girl-Who-Lived had been taken out so quickly, leaving only the 'afterthought' to deal with the situation.
And now he grew curious and despite calling out to the basilisk, remained where he was with Rose's wand, watching closely. If the Girl-Who-Lived hadn't managed to do anything, there was no chance this girl was going to be able to either. He wasn't worried. Well, not until he realized Violet had succeeded in stabbing the basilisk through the roof of the mouth.
Now Tom straightened to attention, anger growing. He raised the wand he was holding and stepped forward, but the basilisk was dying from a wound he couldn't heal with the minimal power he had right now, and Violet was leaning against the nearby wall, sweaty, dirty, and panting, the bloodied sword at her feet.
Trying to catch her breath and not yet sure of what exactly just happened, Violet looked up at the approaching teen from under the fringe sticking to her forehead. She glanced around, noticed the basilisk had stopped moving, and that Rose was still unconscious, and turned her gaze back to Tom.
As Tom came to a stop nearby, he noticed a peculiar smirk on Violet's face. His eyes narrowed. Cursing himself for his curiosity, he found himself speaking. "And what has you so amused?" he said stiffly.
"Oh, nothing at all," said Violet pleasantly. "Just that it's odd you don't seem to have any care for me at all, even though your future self and I got along quite well last year."
Tom raised a brow, interest snagged. "And what interest would I, past, present, or future, have in you?" he said, clearly not impressed.
Having caught her breath, Violet straightened up now. "Well, seeing as you-your future self, that is, informed me that I am really the Girl-Who-Lived, why don't you tell me? I wonder who the real afterthought is here?"
That both silenced and shocked Tom, that was for sure. Then his expression hardened and he took an urgent step forward. "What happened? Tell me everything."
And Violet did so, speaking quickly. This may have been Voldemort in front of her, in a sense, but she was still concerned about Ginny. There was no reason for an innocent girl like her to be involved in all of this.
Tom listened intently as she spoke, grey eyes never leaving her green, slowly fingering the wand he had taken from Rose. "I see," he murmured when she finished explaining that no one really even knew the truth. His eyes continued to search hers. "Little Ginny spoke of you as often as she did your sister, you know. She thought of you as very kind in your concern over her health. In fact, she spoke of you so often and with such positivity that I wondered whether she had a childish crush on you."
Violet blinked, but since she had no idea what to say to that, she kept silent. But something about Tom had changed, she noticed. Lightened, almost. Calmed. His eyes remained on her face, searching for something.
"My future self seems to be quite interested in you too." Tom smirked here and stepped towards her, getting so close Violet had to tilt her head back to look up at him. "Yes, I think I can see why." With his free hand, he gently brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. When Violet blinked again, he sighed softly and stepped back. "My future self has plans?"
Slowly, a little confused by what had just happened, Violet nodded. "I don't know what, but he sounded like he did, at least."
Tom inclined his head and looked down at his diary, and then at Ginny, and then back at her. "If I do indeed have plans in motion, and if they are what I think they will be, then that means my original plans have backfired and I will require as much of myself as possible. Which means..."
Tom walked over to the dead basilisk and without even pausing, broke off one of its sharp fangs. And then he calmly made his way back and knelt down by the diary. "Here." Pulling Violet down with him by the wrist, he pressed the fang into one of her hands. Stab the diary."
Violet started at Tom, completely caught off guard by the words. "S-stab it? But-but why?"
Tom merely smiled charmingly. "Because it will help my future self." Gently, he placed both of his hands over hers, positioning the fang over the diary. "You will have to lie about what took place after the basilisk was killed. Be cautious of Dumbledore-he has the habit of looking into people's minds when he believes they are lying to him."
So much had been said there that Violet had no idea how to react, let alone know what to say. "Tom-"
Tom smiled gently and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Stay safe, Violet. Once this diary has been destroyed, my future self will quickly be made aware of what took place down here. I am sure we will meet again."
He guided her hands down and stabbed, the tip of the fang sinking into the diary. Dark ink spewed out of it, and Tom began to glow. He got brighter and brighter, and then he was gone, leaving Violet alone.
Violet dropped the fang and picked up the diary. The fang had almost gone all the way through-every page had a hole through it. She felt strangely empty all of a sudden, but there was something in the back of her mind-a very faint voice, telling her that this happening was for the better, and like Tom had said, would help the current Voldemort with whatever he was planning.
She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, released it, and refocused. She had planning and sabotaging to do.
Violet stood back up, bringing the fang and diary with her, and walked over to Rose, the girl still unconscious. Kneeling, she put the fang in Rose's hand, closing her fingers around it, and set the diary down beside her. The longer everyone went around thinking her twin was the Girl-Who-Lived, the better. At least for now.
Hearing material shifting behind her, Violet glanced over her shoulder and saw that Ginny seemed to be stirring. Violet lowered down beside her just as Ginny's eyes flew open, and the moment they landed on the Slytherin, she began to cry.
"Violet! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was me! I'm the one who-!"
"Shh, calm down, it's alright. Everything's alright. The basilisk is dead. Rose-killed it."
Her half second of hesitation was all Ginny needed. "You're lying. It was really you, wasn't it?" she said immediately.
Violet raised a brow. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, dear Ginny."
Ginny, having lived with so many brothers, two in particular, understood immediately that, though she wasn't sure why, Violet obviously wanted to keep the truth quiet. So she decided she would too. She would lie as well, for as long as Violet did. She owed her anyway.
Violet helped Ginny up, made sure she was alright, and then the two of them went over to Rose and woke her up. Rose was beyond confused, but Ginny insisted Rose had killed the basilisk before stabbing the diary and passing out. Since the last thing she could remember was a lot of pain and a flash of light, it didn't take Rose long at all to believe that what she was being told was true.
Violet knew this was just going to make her sister even more smug and stuck up, but if lying like this helped Voldemort's plans in some way, then it was a small price to pay. Or so Violet told herself, still not really sure what her thoughts about the Dark Lord actually were. This entire thing was just very confusing.
With things settled, the three girls left the large chamber, backtracking up the long, winding passage until they made it to the cave in. Ron, surprisingly, had been hard at work, and had created a decent sized hole in the rocks that they were able to get through. Violet was actually impressed he hadn't made things worse instead, as she had been expecting.
She was the last to go through, and when she straightened, for once thanking her small body, her gaze landed on Lockhart, who was standing there grinning stupidly. She was confused at first until she remembered he had apparently lost his memory. Seeing as he wasn't going on about himself like he usually did, she believed it.
They used Fawkes, gripping the phoenix's feathers to fly out up the long pipe and back into the girl's loo, at which point they released the bird's feathers and followed him all the way to McGonagall's office, the many portrait people (Oh, so now they're awake?) staring and whispering after them.
They walked through the door, Fawkes flying through, and saw that not only was McGonagall in here, but Dumbledore, and Mr and Mrs Weasley too.
At first there was just silence, everyone staring at a very pale Ginny and Ron, and a very dirty and bloody Rose and Violet. And then Mrs Weasley practically tackled Ginny, hugging her tightly and thanking Rose over and over again for saving her daughter. Mr Weasley did the same, but he stiffly thanked Violet as well, clearly not comfortable with it, but even more uncomfortable to not do it.
Violet just shrugged it off. She hadn't saved Ginny for the idiotic adults who sat on their hands and waited for someone else to take care of the problem for them. Instead of watching the hugging fest between the four Weasleys and Rose, she glanced around the room.
McGonagall appeared very shocked, but Dumbledore, she noticed, was standing with Fawkes on his shoulder, beaming and oh no, was it possible for Fawkes to tell him what had actually happened in the Chamber? Oh, she really hoped not.
The phoenix trilled something now, and just a moment later, Dumbledore began to speak. "Now, tell me, dear children, what happened?"
Rose and Ron started, explaining everything they had learned over the year, everything they had done, and what had gone on in the Chamber of Secrets. Ron told Dumbledore and McGonagall about Lockhart and the cave in, and Rose took over from here, continuing on until she had 'blacked out', but sure she had been the one to kill the basilisk with the sword she had gotten from the Sorting Hat, and then destroyed the diary with one of the snake's fangs. But the way they told the story made it sound as if they had found and opened the Chamber first.
Violet told her own version, unable to lie about being the actual one to have first discovered the place, but other than that, she claimed that she had been knocked out and when she'd regained consciousness, the basilisk had been dead, Rose passed out, Tom had vanished, and Ginny had been stirring.
Of course, she remembered what Tom had told her, and when speaking to Dumbledore, was careful to keep her eyes on his forehead, just in case. She'd always gotten an odd, probing feeling from him, and wondered whether that had been him looking into her mind. She didn't like that at all.
"I see," said Dumbledore slowly, gazing at them carefully. "What I wish to know now is how Voldemort was able to do this to Ginny when I have been informed that he is currently hiding in Albania." When Rose showed him the diary, he took it from her, examined it closely, and seemed almost...awed.
"Yes," he said slowly, "he always was one of the brightest Hogwarts has ever seen. Very few know Voldemort was once Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, you see. But he sank deeper and deeper into the Dark Arts after he left the castle and he changed, undergoing dangerous magical transformations up to the point where he became unrecognizable. No, few were able to connect Lord Voldemort to the handsome, charming, Head Boy we once knew."
He sighed rather sorrowfully, and then assured them that Ginny wasn't in trouble, and sent all the Weasleys and Lockhart off to the hospital wing. The door had barely shut behind them when he dismissed Violet as well. "There is more I would like to discuss with your sister," was all he said to her in explanation.
A little annoyed since she had just as much to do with this all as Rose, Violet merely gritted her teeth and left. She walked down the corridor, turned the corner, and bumped into something rather hard. Knocked off balance she stumbled, and a large hand came around her, landing on her back, steadying her.
"Miss Potter? Forgive me, I didn't see you there."
Violet blinked, looked up, and realized she had just bumped into Lucius Malfoy. Oops? "Oh, please don't worry, I wasn't paying attention either."
He smiled as he released her, then got a better look at her and frowned. "What on earth has happened to you? You're filthy!" Even as he said it, he pulled his wand out of his cane and waved it over her, cleaning her somewhat.
Violet looked at him closely, judging him. She was sure he was here because of Dumbledore. He'd been the one to get rid of the Headmaster, having gotten the other members of the Board to agree with him-probably through blackmail. "Well, the Chamber of Secrets is a filthy place," she said with an unconcerned shrug.
"The-the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Yes. Ginny Weasley was taken down in there, and has now been rescued, and the problem taken care of. Slytherin's monster is dead. It's fortunate that there were no casualties this time, isn't it? Especially considering one of the victims is a close friend of mine." And when the man paled just a little, stiffening just slightly, Violet finally had the last answer she had been looking for, the final piece of the puzzle coming into place. "You should hope Voldemort doesn't find out how exactly Ginny ended up with that diary. I'm sure he won't be pleased."
The man's eyes widened. "I beg your-"
"Have a nice day, Lucius," she began in English and finished in Parseltongue, before walking past him.
Bold. That had been a bold move. But she hadn't said anything the man didn't already, or wasn't soon going to know.
Having walked away, Violet missed the way the man's eyes flashed, missed the smirk that crossed his face, missed the way he inclined his head in her direction...
Violet had only just entered Slytherin's common room when Theodore was in front of her, blue eyes filled with concern.
"Where were you? I was knocking on the door to your room but you weren't answering. You didn't get caught out there, did you?" Then his eyes narrowed as he looked at her face closer. "Are you alright? You look pale." He didn't believe her at all when she said she was fine, and told her just that.
Violet was the one looking at him closely now. How much should she tell him? How much could she trust him with? Trust wasn't an easy thing that came to her, but he was her friend, and a person couldn't have friends without trust. He had confided in her as well, telling her about his father, and what little he remembered about his mother before her death, and how his father had treated him as he grew up. That hadn't been easy for him to talk about, but he had done it anyway.
Reaching a decision, Violet grabbed him by the arm and led him to her room, shutting the door behind them. Once the two were seated, Violet, still hesitating slightly but trying to build her courage (For Merlin's sake, she had just killed a massive basilisk! How could this be harder than that!?), began to speak, and once she started, she found that she couldn't stop.
She told him nearly everything-about the orphanage and how her life there was, what had happened the previous year with the Philosopher's Stone, and most everything that had just happened down in the Chamber of Secrets as well. One thing she didn't tell him however, was what Voldemort and Tom had told her, and how she felt about him-them?-in return. No, that she wanted to keep to herself for now.
Theodore was shocked to hear all this. He was angry at Dumbledore and Rose, and claimed to hate the Matron as much as he hated his own father, which was a whole lot, evidently. Then he shook his head and fixed her with a stern, blue gaze. "You have to tell me this stuff next time," he said firmly. "Stop keeping me in the dark and I swear I won't tell anyone a word about any of this."
When Violet didn't say anything, Theodore stood and approached her, setting his hand on her shoulder and leaning in, touching his forehead to hers. "We have to trust each other, Violet. We're friends. We have to tell each other these things."
"I know," said Violet finally. "I know. You have to understand how hard this is. So I'll try. Okay?"
Theodore smiled, paused, then rather matter of factly, said, "You smell terrible."
Violet released a watery laugh and punched him half heartedly. "I'd like to see you trudge around in the Chamber of Secrets and fight a sixty foot basilisk and come out smelling as nice as always!"
An hour later, everyone had gathered in the Great Hall for a sudden and unexpected feast. It was the middle of the night and most everyone was in their pyjamas, but no one seemed to be arguing, and sat around eating and chatting cheerfully, happily discussing the supposed death of Slytherin's monster and the closing of the Chamber of Secrets. They were all safe now, and that was indeed a good cause to celebrate.
Not long into the feast, everyone who had been petrified came into the Hall, the potion having worked successfully to cure them. Violet watched Finch-Fletchley go over to Rose and shake her hand, and then she was tackled and shoved into Malfoy beside her as she was smothered by a lot of bushy, brown hair. Hermione was here now too, fully cured, and Violet returned the hug tightly, making a mental note to tell her everything she had told Theodore earlier. She trusted her just as much as she did Theo.
It was nearly three in the morning when Hagrid returned, the arrest and charges against him having been dropped since he obviously hadn't had anything to do with the Chamber or its monster. Dumbledore then informed everyone that the end of year exams were being canceled and, unfortunately, Gryffindor ended up winning the House Cup again, thanks to the four hundred points Rose and Ron had been awarded. Violet had been awarded points too, but not nearly enough to win...
The next day, as everyone was beginning to leave the castle to head for the train, Violet found herself cornered by Fred and George, their expressions serious.
"Thank you for saving our sister," they said together.
Violet raised a brow, pretending she had no idea what they were talking about. "I'm afraid you have the wrong twin."
They exchanged a glance, but the expressions on their faces didn't change, and they looked back down at her. "No, we don't."
"We know it was you."
"And we know you're keeping it quiet."
"That's fine by us-we won't question it."
"But you still deserve our thanks."
Violet blinked. "How could you possibly know?"
They smirked. "We have our sources," they claimed in unison.
Violet couldn't help it. She laughed.
Violet, Theodore, Hermione, Neville, and Luna were all seated together in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, on their way back to London. Ginny would have been with them too, but Ron had made her sit with him and Rose, and not wanting to argue right now, still shaken by everything that had happened, Ginny just agreed.
Violet, gazing out the window, found herself thinking back to what Tom had said down in the Chamber, about how he and Rose were so alike. But Violet thought that those words actually applied even more for her and Tom, because like him, she too was living in an orphanage. Rose may be living with Muggles, but at least they seemed to care for her. Neither she nor Tom were treated nearly as well in their respective orphanages.
And while she knew she had never met Tom before the incident in the Chamber, he had looked oddly familiar to her. Had sounded familiar too. Just like his name had sounded familiar. Why? His past and present selves seemed to think the same way in regards to her too. The thought made her smile slightly...
When the train came to a stop, the students all descended and goodbyes were exchanged. Violet watched her friends all head off first, and then walked out of the station, reluctantly making her way back to Starlight.
The moment she walked through the door, the other children fell silent and the Matron, who was seated in the same room, levelled her with a cold look.
"Back, are you? Wash your hands. You're preparing lunch with Ashley. Five minutes."
"Yes, ma'am." Violet returned to her room, hid her shrunken trunk, then heaved a sigh and prepared to suffer through another summer in this decrepit building.
But what Violet didn't know was that at this very moment, her Head of House was having an argument with her Headmaster about why exactly she was being told that she had no choice but to stay in the orphanage. Unfortunately for Violet, her Head of House was losing that argument. It wasn't looking good for her.
That's it for now. Seriously, you guys keep forgetting that things are staying fairly close to canon for now. So no, the diary was not going to be saved. I have my reasons and they will be explained at the appropriate time, just like everything else. Anyway, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!