Fate

by TheTrueSpartan

When Ron discovers that he can see the future, his entire fate is thrown off of its course. A story about adventure, friendship, growing up, and pushing forward through hardships. This story will get darker as it progresses, just like the original Harry Potter novels. It will cover all Seven Years of Hogwarts, but mostly from Ron's perspective. No Mary Sues, no Character bashing.

42. Chapter 42 - A New Alliance

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Chapter 42 is done and posted! It's 3 am, and my brain is cooked! But I really wanted to get this out by Monday morning.

Please enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, and I do not intend to make any money off of this. Harry Potter is the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling , and I take no credit of it whatsoever.

I was also inspired by Demon Eyes Laharl's: THE RED KNIGHT! and also from Random-Fruitcake04's: CHOICES! I hope you check them out as well because they are genuinely very good stories.

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Fate

Chapter 42 – A New Alliance

Harry Potter's POV

February 19th, 1993 (Before Breakfast)

"I hope his family isn't there" Neville sighed as they made their way down from Gryffindor Tower. "I don't think I have it in me to face them, Harry." Me too, Nev. Recent events had been nothing short of tragic for Harry lately. Not only was his best friend petrified for being a Muggle-Born, but on top of that, Harry had to swallow the fact that he had been horribly wrong about Ron's character this entire year. Even just apologizing to him had been the hardest thing that Harry had to endure recently, but that was mostly because his guilt was burning a hole through his head the entire time. And much to Harry's surprise, Ron had accepted his apology and even apologized back. For a moment, Harry actually believed that they could be friends again. But then Ron was attacked as well, and now he was petrified just like Hermione.

"If they are there, then we need to apologize to them as well, Nev" Harry told his best friend. "We owe it to them… Especially me." They gave me a home during the holidays, and I accused their son of being the Heir of Slytherin. Ron gave me a home for the holidays after he saved me from the Dursleys… The thought made Harry feel utterly ashamed of himself.

"I was the one who convinced you, Harry" Neville tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I should be the one to apologize to them."

"They gave me a home, Nev" Harry frowned at himself. "And I repaid them by accusing their son of being a potential murderer…" Neville didn't reply to that, and Harry knew exactly why. Neville wasn't the sort to make excuses when something went wrong, and they had both done a lot of wrong this year. They walked down to the Hospital Wing in silence after that, and Harry was glad that most of the students were still in their common rooms. He didn't have it in him to put up with their stares and glares right now.

The student body was now pointing the finger solely at Harry, especially after Ron's attack. Everyone knew that they were at odds, and Harry was now being accused of 'taking out the competition'. But Harry didn't even bother trying to deny it anymore. He just couldn't. He deserved this. He had pointed the finger at Ron when he was innocent, and now the others were doing that same thing to Harry. The Slytherins would glare at him no matter where he went, the Hufflepuffs would whisper behind his back when he passed them, the Ravenclaws would just stare at him like they wanted to study him, and the Gryffindors… The Gryffindors were becoming guarded and wary around him. They still defended him because he was one of their own, but he had heard people whispering when they thought that he wasn't listening. Did Ron go through this as well after Neville and I accused him? That thought sent another strong pang of guilt through Harry's chest.

"Well… here we go" Neville sighed as they entered the Hospital Wing.

"Nev, you don't have to do this" Harry smiled softly at him. "We saw him yesterday…"

"No" Neville replied firmly, determination flickering in his eyes. "I have to do this. I have to see him again, and apologize… Even if he can't hear me." Harry didn't argue that, but he couldn't help but feel a little proud of Neville. Harry felt some of Neville's determination pass into him, and that comforted him. I'm not alone. Neville will be right beside me. They made their way towards Ron's bed, and Harry shot a quick look towards Hermione's. I'm sorry I didn't listen, Hermione. Neville opened the curtain covering Ron's bed, and Harry's stomach twisted at the sight of Molly Weasley sitting by Ron's side. The Weasley matriarch looked at the two boys, and Harry immediately saw that her eyes were puffy and blood-shot.

"Mrs. Weasley…" Harry managed to croak, and Molly Weasley gave him a half-hearted smile.

"Harry, dear" Mrs. Weasley greeted, her voice hoarse from crying. "Are you here to see Ronnie?"

"Yes…" Harry nodded as he stepped inside. Mrs. Weasley's polite greeting didn't sit well with Harry, why wasn't she mad at him? Why wasn't she yelling at him?

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley" Neville piped in, his previously firm voice was now shaking slightly.

"Hello, Neville" Mrs. Weasley replied with a weak smile. "Why are you two here so early in the morning?"

"We just wanted to see him… before breakfast" Harry answered. It wasn't a complete lie, but the full truth was that they wanted to see Ron before his family came to visit him. Both boys already felt that they didn't deserve to see him, and the last thing they wanted to do was intrude.

"I see…" Mrs. Weasley said as she looked back at her petrified son.

"We're sorry about what happened to your son…" Neville said in a cracked voice. "And we're sorry for our role in it…"

"Your role?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she looked back at them, she had a confused look on her face. Both boys shuffled their feet, and Harry mustered all of his courage.

"We accused him of being the Heir…" Harry managed, and his eyes burned because of the shame. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Weasley… After everything you did for me… I'm so sorry…" His voice cracked a little at the end, and he had to sniffle to make sure that his nose didn't start running. Mrs. Weasley surprised both boys by quickly standing up and marching towards them. Harry felt his entire body tense at that, and it tensed even more as she engulfed them both in a tight hug.

"You two didn't do this to him" Mrs. Weasley whispered as she tightened her hug even more. "This isn't your fault." Harry was stunned by this, but then he slowly began to relax. He could feel Neville relaxing too, and Harry felt even more ashamed than when he first came in here. Why is she being so kind? She knows what we did… She knows that we made things horrible for Ron. Mrs. Weasley let them both go, and then she smiled at them weakly. "Thank you for visiting him, I know that he would be glad that you two came. And please don't worry too much, Ronnie will be up on his feet very soon."

"He will?" Harry asked her slowly. How? The Mandrakes were burned down, weren't they?

"Someone was kind enough to offer matured Mandrakes to the school" Mrs. Weasley replied, and something shifted in her eyes as she said it. Who offered that? Probably a parent of the victims. Or maybe just someone who wants this to end. The curtain suddenly opened behind them, and they all turned to see an older Slytherin girl walk in. She was incredibly pretty, had blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail, and she was carrying a vase with flowers in it.

"Apologies" the Slytherin girl said as she saw them. "I was just coming to drop off some flowers for Ronald." Harry, Neville, and Mrs. Weasley blinked at her. "They're from us sixth years."

"That's alright, please come in" Mrs. Weasley said after a second or two. The girl walked in and put the vase on the side table, and that's when Harry noticed all the other gifts by Ron's bed. There's even more gifts than yesterday. There were cards, gift-baskets, and a lot of sweets. This didn't surprise Harry too much, all the victims had received an extensive amount of 'get well gifts'. It was just jarring to see Slytherins acting like this. "Thank you for the flowers" Mrs. Weasley smiled at the girl. "They're lovely."

"You have my deepest sympathies, Mrs. Weasley" the blonde girl said in a kind voice. "If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call upon me and my friends." Harry and Neville just blinked at the older girl.

"Thank you" Mrs. Weasley smiled, but her surprise was evident in her voice. "And may I ask your name?"

"I am Carey Ductu" the girl introduced herself. "A Slytherin prefect, and a friend of Ronald's."

"A friend of Ronald's?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a murmur. "And how do you know my son?"

"We are both Slytherins" Carey replied calmly. "We are a very close house, and I have interacted with your son many times. He is quite brilliant."

"Th… Thank you…" Mrs. Weasley responded, she was clearly stunned by this encounter.

"I will leave you with him" Carey gave her a respectful curtsy. "And please remember my offer if you need anything." And just like that, Carey Ductu left. All three of them stood there quietly for a few seconds, but the silence was broken when the school bell rang.

"That's for breakfast" Neville said softly.

"Then you two should hurry along now" Mrs. Weasley smiled softly at them. As Harry and Neville were about to leave, Mrs. Weasley suddenly hugged them again. "Don't blame yourself for Ronnie, promise me."

"We promise…" both boys said together.

---

Theodore Nott's POV

February 19th, 1993 (Breakfast at the Sanctuary)

"No, Blaise" Daphne said with a scowl, and the other girls nodded with similar scowls.

"At least hear him out…" Theo sighed, he had expected this. We should have told them about our plan to involve the Gryffindors last night. At least that way they could have thought about it.

"This is happening whether you like it or not, Daphne" Blaise told her in an aloof voice, and Daphne's face flushed with anger. Not a smart move, Blaise. They were all on edge after Ron's attack, but Blaise had become particularly cold.

"What Blaise means to say is that this is important, and you need to hear us out" Theo said with a frown pointed at Blaise.

"This is betraying Ron" Tracey hissed. "Those two turned their backs on him, and then they accused him of being the Heir… So no, we don't need to hear anything."

"This is what Ron wanted" Theo told her, and the girls blinked at him. "Before he was attacked, he talked to Blaise about this."

"It's true" Blaise joined in, though he sounded like he didn't want to. "We spoke alone in the Sanctuary, and he told me that he wanted to make peace with them."

"That's convenient" Millie frowned. "The fact that he only spoke to you about this."

"Why he chose to confide in only me is irrelevant" Blaise retorted. "All that matters is what he wanted to do, and I agree with him now."

"Now?" Pansy asked.

"I didn't agree with it then, but it's necessary now" Blaise replied as he mixed honey into his porridge.

"Potter is a Parselmouth" Theo told the group, and the girls looked at him like he was insane. I don't blame them, even I have trouble believing it. Just how many fucking Parselmouths are running around Hogwarts right now?

"A Parselmouth?" Daphne asked with a deadpan expression, and Theo nodded.

"The Sorting Hat told Ron" Blaise shrugged. "And I still believe that Parseltongue is the key to finding the Chamber. And since our Parselmouth is currently taking a nap…"

"Be careful, Blaise" Millie snarled as she cut him off. Blaise cocked an eyebrow at her, and then he sighed.

"Sorry, that was an unnecessary thing to say" Blaise rubbed his forehead with his left hand. "I'm just… I don't know."

"Angry at Ron?" Daphne asked, and Blaise nodded. "So am I… I think we all are." You've got that right. Damn idiot kept sneaking off, but we never stopped him. "But even if we're all angry with Ron, we can't fight amongst ourselves" Daphne said firmly, and then she shot Millie a quick look.

"Sorry" Millie apologized curtly.

"We have to stick together" Daphne told them. "Which means that we need to listen to each other… Even if we don't like it…" Daphne sighed out the last part.

"Daphne?" Pansy gasped. "You can't be serious? We can't trust those two Gryffindors, they'll turn on us like they did with Ron."

"Then don't trust them" Theo told her. "But trust us." Pansy's expression became a little subdued, and Theo nearly sighed in relief. Pansy always thinks with sentiment, I shouldn't have even worried that it wouldn't work this time around.

"So Potter really is a Parselmouth?" Tracey muttered, and both Theo and Blaise nodded. "Merlin… Why is he a Parselmouth?"

"I've been thinking about that actually" Theo spoke directly to her. "We all know that the Dark Lord is a Parselmouth, right?" The group nodded together. "And then he attacked Ron, and now Ron is a Parselmouth too. Guess who else the Dark Lord attacked?"

"Potter" Tracey answered with wide eyes.

"Exactly" Theo said sharply. "Ron told us that the Hat told him that he was now 'connected' to the Dark Lord somehow. What if Potter is the same? What if they're both connected to the Dark Lord in the same way?"

"And what way is that?" Daphne asked, she had gone a little pale.

"I don't know…" Theo sighed. "But I'm going to try and look more into it. I get the feeling that this is important."

"Right now the most important thing is that we have the chance to recruit another Parselmouth" Blaise jumped in. "Ron understood the value in that, and he understood the value in having eyes within Gryffindor."

"Strategically speaking, this is a good move" Theo added on.

"And Ron is quite good at strategy…" Daphne said softly. "I'm in."

"Me too" Tracey sighed.

"I'm in as well" Pansy said in a sulky tone. "But if they try anything shady, then we need to agree right now that we'll get rid of them."

"I agree with Pansy" Millie said as she swallowed her bite. "Ron's only problem is that he trusts people too quickly, we can't afford to make that mistake."

"Then let's discuss what we're willing to share with them" Daphne said as she looked to Blaise.

"We need tell them about the Basilisk, and the way it travels around Hogwarts" Blaise said.

"And we might need to tell them about the attacks fifty years ago" Theo added.

"Do we tell them about the Dark Lord then?" Tracey asked. "I don't think that's a good idea, given Potter's history."

"Then we'll stick with the common knowledge on the matter" Theo corrected himself. "Myrtle Warren was killed fifty years ago, Hagrid the Groundskeeper was blamed, and the Chamber was never found. Everyone who has done any research into the matter already knows this, so we should be safe."

"One problem with all of this" Millie interjected. "How do we tell Potter that we need his Parseltongue ability? We only know about it because Ron told Blaise, and Ron only knew because he is friends with the Sorting Hat. I don't want to reveal that information about Ron to those two." That is a good point, Ron would be so pissed if we revealed his secrets.

"We should just mention it off-handedly, I reckon" Pansy said. "Maybe we can hint that the Chamber can't be found by just anyone, and that we believe that someone has to be able to speak Parseltongue just like Salazar Slytherin could in order to find it."

"That's good, Pansy" Daphne smiled at the raven-haired girl. "Anyone have anything else to add?"

"What do we do if we find the entrance, or the Heir?" Tracey asked. "We know that we can't confront them, but those two are hot-headed Gryffindors… They'll want to take things into their own hands."

"If it comes to that, then I say we incapacitate them" Blaise answered. "Six against two are great odds."

"And after we do that, we go and tell Snape" Theo added on. "I'm not taking any chances with whoever this Heir is… They managed to overpower Ron, so I doubt that we'd stand much of a chance."

"Then it's settled, and we all agree on what we're doing?" Daphne asked, and the group nodded. "Okay then Blaise, set up a meeting."

"It's already set up" Blaise told her. "Today at lunch, in the courtyard."

"Open space…" Daphne nodded slowly. "And everyone will be at lunch anyway. Alright, then we'll meet Potter and Longbottom during lunch."

"This is going to be so awkward…" Tracey shook her head.

"Just don't hex them, and we'll be fine" Theo smiled at her, and she smiled back.

---

Molly Weasley's POV

February 19th, 1993 (Hospital Wing)

Molly adjusted her son's tie, and then she pressed down his collar. She had been fixing up his robes over and over again, mostly because it calmed her down. She felt like she was back at the Burrow when Ronnie was still too young to dress himself. He'd just walk into her room naked, and then he'd give her an innocent grin and ask her to dress him. She was glad that he had gotten out of that habit, but it still brought a smile to her face. Ronnie was always the carefree type when he was still very young, but as he got older, he became more… reclusive. More distant.

It had started sometime after his eighth birthday. Sometime after he had exploded her entire kitchen with a burst of accidental magic. He began studying harder, began exercising every day, did all of his chores on time, and he even became more protective of his siblings. Especially Ginny. Molly knew that Ron always felt somewhat jealous of Ginny, and Molly also knew that she was to blame for that. Pandora had told her why Ron tried so hard in everything after she had struck him for attacking Harry, he just wanted to be appreciated. It had seemed so harmless at the time, spending all of her time with her only daughter. And so Molly had never once noticed that Ron felt neglected. But she knew now… And so she knew that she had to change.

The only problem now was that she didn't even know where to start with him. He was just too different from the boy that Molly had raised. But she promised herself that she'd try harder with him once he was awake. And now he'd be awake by the end of next week, and that was all thanks to Mary Greengrass. Molly still couldn't comprehend why that woman was being so generous towards her son, but that didn't mean that she wasn't grateful. She already planned to invite the Greengrass Family over for multiple dinners during the holidays, and Molly would try and learn more about her son's house.

That was another harsh truth that Molly had to cope with. She had been slapped awake by her son's situation, and she had been forced to witness just how much the 'snakes' cared for her son. Even now, different people from different houses dropped by with flowers, sweets, and other gifts. But the majority of the well-wishers were Slytherins. Particularly the older students. And mostly females ones at that. Molly almost chuckled when she thought about her son's many female admirers, he seemed to be taking after Bill and Charlie in that regard. Must be his beautiful red hair, and his ocean blue eyes.

She would be lying if she said that she wasn't swayed by the support she had seen for her son. Maybe… Just maybe… She had been wrong this entire time. Maybe what Minerva had said truly held some merit. The individual defines the house, and not the other way around. What if removing him from Slytherin is a mistake? Doubt gnawed at her mind, and she released a tired breath. What do I do? Arthur is still adamant about removing him from Slytherin, but he hasn't seen what I've seen today. He hasn't seen how many people care for him.

"I'm sorry to intrude…" came a girl's voice, and Molly looked over to her with a smile. She had a brown complexion, and she was quite beautiful. Another female admirer? Ronnie, you scoundrel.

"Please come in" Molly invited her in, her own voice made her cringe internally. It sounded so harsh, and worn out. The girl stepped inside and closed the curtain behind her. Molly noticed that she wore Ravenclaw colors, and that intrigued Molly greatly. "What is your name, dear?" Molly asked the girl.

"Padma Patil" the girl smiled at her, and then she pulled out a card from her robes.

"I'm Molly, Ron's mother" Molly introduced herself while the girl placed the card on the nightstand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Weasley" Padma said softly. "I'm sorry again for intruding, I just wanted to see him and drop off my card. Lunch is almost about to begin, and so I thought that I'd come in before his friends do."

"It's alright, dear" Molly smiled at the slightly flustered girl. "I see that you're from Ravenclaw." The girl smiled and nodded proudly at that. "I've seen a few Ravenclaws drop by already, and I was wondering if you could tell me why…" Padma became a little nervous at that, and Molly decided to push her a bit more. "I just want to know more about my son's school life…"

"I came here because he and I are friends…" Padma shuffled her feet, and Molly could see an adorable blush on the girl's cheeks. "The other Ravenclaws most likely came by because they like Ron…"

"They like my son?" Molly asked slowly. "But he's in Slytherin…" Padma adorned a guilty look at that, and Molly smiled at her. "It's alright dear, I too went to this school when I was young. I know just how much rivalry exists between the houses."

"They like him because he's not like the other Slytherins" Padma answered Molly's question. "He doesn't bully others, and he doesn't care about things like where you were born or who your parents are. And he doesn't care which house you're in either. And he works hard in his studies, and that's always a plus with us. Most of us can't even understand why he's in Slytherin, he seems more like a Ravenclaw to me." Padma had no idea that she struck an old nerve of Molly's, but the Weasley matriarch didn't even care. Padma's word had felt like a soothing balm on a new wound, and Molly smiled at the girl lovingly.

"How do you meet him?" Molly asked Padma, she was Molly's favorite female admirer so far.

"I first spoke with him at Neville's birthday party before second year started" Padma answered with a smile, and she took a seat by Molly. "I knew of him already, but we had never spoken before. When we met at Neville's party, he and I had a great conversation about our studies. Then school started, and he randomly approached me in Herbology one day. He wanted to be my partner because he didn't want to be paired with Draco Malfoy, which I can understand. That boy is so…" Padma trailed off.

"Anyway" Padma continued. "I agreed because he told me that he'd owe me one, but the truth is that I was more than happy to pair with him. I was just trying to tease him a little."

"What happened then?" Molly asked, she couldn't stop smiling as she heard Padma talk.

"We paired up, and then Professor Sprout came in" Padma giggled. "She took one look at him, and then she asked him why he was standing with the Ravenclaws. Ron replied that he was 'Promoting House-Unity', and everyone laughed their heads off." Molly let out a hearty chuckle at that, and Padma giggled some more. "After class ended, he asked me another favor."

"What did he ask?" Molly asked as she slowly stopped chucking.

"He wanted me to keep an eye on Luna Lovegood" Padma smiled. "He was worried that she might have trouble fitting in, and I decided in that moment that I wanted to be his friend. I think he's very sweet."

"He's always been quite protective of little Luna" Molly smiled in nostalgia. "He used to visit her a lot when he was younger, and Ginny always followed after him." Molly was about to ask more questions, but the school bell cut her off.

"That'll be for lunch" Padma smiled as she stood up. "It was lovely to meet you Mrs. Weasley, but I need to go now. We aren't allowed to roam the castle alone, and I should go and find my friends."

"It's alright, dear" Molly said in understanding. "Enjoy the rest of you day, and thank you." Padma gave her a strong nod, and then she left. Molly watched her leave, and she smiled at Padma's retreating back. What a lovely girl. Molly turned her attention back to her son, and she noticed that his tie wasn't perfectly in the center. As she began to fix that, she thought about Padma's words. Padma had called Ron a very different sort of Slytherin, and that had eased Molly's heart a little more. I need to tell Arthur these things. I need to tell him what other people think of Ron. And I need to tell him that we might be wrong about our decision.

---

Harry Potter's POV

February 19th, 1993 (Lunch – Courtyard)

"So we're just going to tell them everything we know?" Neville asked, he sounded unsure.

"Yes, Nev" Harry sighed. "Look, we don't have much information to share anyway. We know about Riddle's Diary, but that was stolen by the Heir. We know that the Heir is definitely a Gryffindor, and we know that Hermione trusted them. That's pretty much all we have to go on… So yes, we should share everything."

"I don't know…" Neville sighed as well. "What if they decide to withhold information?"

"Then we tell them anyway" Harry replied, and Neville blinked at him. "Catching the Heir is the most important thing here, Nev. I don't care if we're not the ones to do it, but if our information can help them, then we share it."

"Alright, Harry" Neville nodded. "And I guess we do owe Ron…"

"Exactly" Harry smiled at his best mate. "So play nice… Ignore their insults, and just share the information when they ask. With Dumbledore gone, the attacks are only going to get worse." I still can't believe they outed him. What were they thinking? Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer of all time, and they sent him away? I'll never understand adults. McGonagall was serving as the temporary Headmistress now, and she had announced Dumbledore's suspension at breakfast. Ron's friends weren't at breakfast however, so I wonder if they know.

"Potter, you're here" came Blaise Zabini's voice from behind them. Harry and Neville turned to see Ron's friends coming their way, and they all held soft frowns. Wish me luck, Ron.

"Zabini" Harry greeted him, and then he nodded at Ron's friends. Daphne Greengrass stepped forward and eyed Harry.

"We've decided that it's in all of our best interests if we all work together" Greengrass said, though she didn't seem very happy about it. "And so we're willing to put aside our grievances for the time being. Catching the Heir is the most important thing right now."

"I agree completely" Harry smiled at her, and she cocked an eyebrow at his smile. Harry quickly straightened his features, he didn't want to overstep. "Neville and I are willing to share all of our collected information, and we want to work alongside you. Just like Ron promised us."

"Sorry if we don't take your words at face value, Potter" Pansy frowned at him.

"Pansy, it's alright" Theodore Nott said. "Look, we get that this isn't easy. But we're willing to give it a shot if you are. But Potter, if you try anything shady…"

"Then we'll have problems" Millicent Bulstrode finished for Nott. Harry could feel Neville beginning to puff out his chest, so Harry decided to cut him off.

"The Heir attacked our friends" Harry said, he was hoping to remind Neville that they were doing this for Hermione's sake. "I won't try anything… And even if you don't want to let us help you, we'll share our information anyway. Greengrass is right, catching the Heir is all that matters. Things are going to get a lot worse now, especially with Dumbledore gone." Ron's friends all blinked at him.

"What are you on about?" Tracey Davis asked. So they don't know. Why weren't they at breakfast this morning? No, Harry. Stop it. Don't ask unnecessary questions. It will drive them away.

"Dumbledore was suspended from his position as Headmaster" Neville replied. "It was announced at breakfast this morning, McGonagall is the new Headmistress. Temporarily, of course." Ron's friends all exchanged quick looks, and then they all nodded to each other. That's it? That's their reaction to Dumbledore being outed?

"Then we need to get started as soon as possible" Greengrass stated. "Meet us at the Black lake after classes end today."

"What about the curfew?" Neville asked her.

"Curfew doesn't start until six" Zabini answered. "Classes end at half past four, we'll have plenty of time to talk." And just like that, Ron's friends walked away. Harry let out a relieved sigh, they hadn't refused his help.

"That went better than we expected" Neville said softly. "Though I didn't like them calling you shady…"

"That's fine, Nev" Harry smiled softly. "What matters is that we can help them, and they can help us. We can go after the person who hurt Ron and Hermione." And they'll pay when we find them.

---

February 19th, 1993 (Black Lake – After Classes)

Harry watched as Neville attempted to skip stones on the water's surface. He was utterly horrible at it, and the stones would just sink straight away. They were waiting for Ron's friends again, and Harry pondered why they had chosen such a secluded spot. They probably don't want to be seen with us. I guess that's understandable considering how much our houses hate each other. Not to mention the Heir. If the Heir found out that we were working together, then that'd be the end of this investigation. Harry hated admitting this, but right now, he only trusted Neville. Harry even mistrusted some of the Professors. Hermione trusted people, and look how that ended for her. I need to keep my mind sharp, and I need to find facts before I can determine who the Heir might be. I can't make another mistake like I did with Ron.

"Use rocks that are more flat, Longbottom" came Nott's voice, and both Gryffindors turned to see Ron's friends approaching. "It's easier to skip those."

"Thanks for the advice" Neville said in a deadpan voice, and Nott chuckled.

"Just trying to help" Nott smirked in an arrogant manner. Ron's friends all sat down near Harry, and Neville came over and sat down beside him.

"Why does this feel like we're having an affair?" Davis asked with a sly smile, and Harry saw Greengrass roll her eyes.

"And how do you know what having an affair feels like?" Nott asked her, and Davis winked at him with her sly smile in place.

"Can we please just get on with this?" Zabini frowned at them. "I just had these robes cleaned, and I don't want to be out here for longer than necessary." Harry thought that this was a rather girly thing to say, but he didn't say anything. What kind of bloke worries about his clothes?

"We're ready when you all are" Harry said firmly, and that got him a nod from Greengrass.

"Before we start this" Greengrass said coldly. "We need to lay down some ground rules."

"Ground rules?" Neville asked with a furrowed brow.

"That's what she said" Pansy frowned at him.

"What kind of ground rules?" Harry asked as he ignored Parkinson.

"First of all, everything we talk about stays between us" Greengrass said, and Harry nodded. "Secondly, if we find the entrance to the Chamber, or find out who the Heir is, we go straight to Professor Snape."

"What? No" Neville refused, and Harry sighed. Neville hates that git, and so do I.

"You aren't making the rules here, Longbottom" Bulstrode said in a threatening tone. "We are. You can either take it or leave it."

"Why Snape?" Harry asked Greengrass.

"Because we trust him, and because he is our Head of House" Greengrass replied calmly.

"What about McGonagall?" Harry asked. "We can trust her too."

"That's reasonable, Daphne" Zabini interjected, and then he turned to Harry. "You will inform McGonagall, and we will inform Snape. Is that fair?"

"Thank you" Harry smiled softly at the dark-skinned boy, but Zabini cocked an eyebrow at his smile.

"Thirdly" Greengrass spoke. "Under no circumstances are we to confront the Heir. They are extremely dangerous, and definitely out of our league."

"But there's eight of us…" Harry said slowly. "We outnumber them eight to one…"

"They overpowered Ron" Nott sighed. "And you of all people should know how strong Ron is." Harry blinked at that, and he remembered what Ron had done to him. They make a good point, even if it's a bit cowardly.

"Alright, no confronting the Heir" Harry agreed.

"And what if they confront us?" Neville asked.

"Then begin praying to Merlin" Davis said in a humorous tone. "And then run away screaming."

"Are you serious?" Neville blinked at her, and she smirked at him.

"Usually, no" Davis replied. "But in this instance, yes I'm serious."

"And lastly" Greengrass went on. "Under no circumstances are either of you allowed to separate. Stick together at all times, and make sure no one is following you. We will do the same."

"Alright, we agree to your rules" Harry nodded. I was expecting harsher rules, but these are all just safety concerns.

"Good" Zabini said. "Make sure you stick to them. Now, let's discuss what we know."

"Alright" Neville said, and then he looked to Harry. Why do I have to keep talking? Whatever…

"Do you want us to go first?" Harry asked, and Nott shook his head.

"We'll go first" Nott said, and Harry blinked at that. They want to share their information first? Why? "Think of it as an act of good-faith."

"Okay" Harry nodded.

"We know what the monster of Slytherin is" Parkinson said, and both Gryffindors went wide-eyed. "It's a Basilisk, the King of Serpents."

"Oh Merlin…" Neville muttered as he paled.

"So it's a snake?" Harry asked, he didn't know anything about what a Basilisk was.

"Not just any snake, Harry" Neville said softly, he looked terrified. "My Nan told me that they are the most dangerous creatures known to Wizard-kind… They can grow up to fifty feet in length, and one look from them can outright kill you."

"Or petrify you, if you see their eyes through a reflection of some sort" Bulstrode added on.

"Every victim saw them from a reflection of some kind" Nott told them. "Except Filch's cat. The cat saw the monster's eyes, and it died outright. Colin Creevey saw it from a camera, Finch-Fletchley saw it through Sir Nicholas' ghost, your friend Granger must've seen it in a reflection…" Harry suddenly cut Nott off.

"She was found on the fifth floor" Harry told them. "And there are a lot of shiny armor-sets where she was found. That's why she must've been petrified…"

"I didn't know that a Basilisk could petrify you" Neville sighed.

"Well it can" Davis shuddered. "And Ron…" she suddenly trailed off, and then she restarted. "Ron saw it while he was running away from the Heir…"

"His posture indicates that he was trying to stand back up" Zabini said in a hollow tone. "So we think that he must've seen the reflection of the Basilisk on the wet floor."

"Wet floor?" Neville asked.

"That brings us to the next part" Greengrass sighed, she looked quite upset suddenly. Is she dating Ron or something? I've always wondered… They are awfully close to one another, even I can see that. "Every single attack has left the scene of the crime wet."

"She's right…" Neville muttered. "Remember Mrs. Norris, Harry? How we all slipped and wondered why the floor was wet?"

"Well, here's the answer to that" Greengrass said. "The Basilisk is moving around Hogwarts through the pipes."

"The pipes…" Harry all but whispered, something had just clicked in his head. That voice in the walls. That must've been the Basilisk! And that's why only I could hear it. It's a giant snake, and I can speak to snakes. Just like Slytherin could… It all makes sense.

"Which leads us to believe that the Chamber is connected to the plumbing system of Hogwarts" Bulstrode said softly. "Ron actually figured that out…" Harry smiled softly as he heard that. Of course he did. Harry didn't know why he felt proud of Ron for figuring that out, they weren't even friends anymore.

"Have they never renovated the plumbing system?" Neville asked. "Surely they would have found the Chamber if they did."

"That's exactly why we believe that the Chamber can't be found by just anyone" Parkinson said firmly. "We think that only an Heir of Slytherin can find it… Someone who speaks Parseltongue, that is." Parseltongue? That's what Xenophilius called it in Dumbledore's Office. Snake language…

"And if, hypothetically, someone could speak Parseltongue" Harry started. "How would they find the Chamber?"

"We don't know" Nott sighed.

"I guess they could just speak it?" Davis shrugged. "And then it might just open…"

"So it's like an activating ward?" Neville asked. "Our mansion's floo network can only be accessed if a Longbottom Family member speaks the address."

"I keep forgetting that you're a wealthy Pure-Blood, Longbottom" Nott said with a smirk, and Neville frowned at him.

"Not all of us care about things like Blood-Status, Nott" Neville retorted.

"Stop it" Greengrass said firmly. "We're allies right now, and fighting amongst ourselves will only help the Heir." Harry couldn't help but feel impressed with her. I didn't really think that she was this… tough. She seems like she's in charge with Ron gone, which is something that I would have never expected.

"Theo, stop provoking others" Zabini said in a disinterested tone, and Nott chuckled.

"Sorry" Nott responded. "Old habits die hard."

"Moving on" Greengrass said as she frowned at Nott. "That's everything we have on the Chamber and the Heir that's relevant. Your turn, Potter."

"Alright then" Harry said as he shot a look to Neville, and Neville nodded. "We know that the Heir is in Gryffindor…"

"What?" Parkinson asked with wide eyes. "How did you know that?"

"Wait, you already knew that?" Neville asked her, both Gryffindors were equally shocked.

"We weren't sure" Nott corrected them. "But we were sure that the Heir wasn't in Slytherin. So how do you know that the Heir is in Gryffindor?"

"Hermione…" Harry replied slowly. "She believed that the Heir was in Gryffindor… And after she was attacked, McGonagall asked us why she was exploring the castle alone at the crack of dawn. And then she asked us if Hermione had any friends that she trusted enough to roam around with. Besides us, that is."

"So Granger was onto the Heir's house?" Zabini asked, and Harry nodded. "Clever girl…" Both Gryffindors blinked at that. Did he just compliment a Muggle-Born witch?

"And they probably overheard her talking to us" Neville pointed out. "That's why she was targeted, I reckon."

"Wait…" Nott said, and Harry looked to him. Nott's brow was furrowed, and he looked like he was thinking really hard. "You said that McGonagall wanted to know if Granger trusted anyone in your house enough to roam around with at the crack of dawn…"

"Yes" Harry nodded. "That's why we started suspecting the Heir to be in Gryffindor. I think they approached Hermione, and then they lured her out. After that, they attacked her." Harry felt his blood boil at that. Damn coward.

"Merlin…" Nott muttered, and everyone looked to him. "What if Ron wasn't just exploring the castle? What if the Heir pulled the same stunt with him?"

"You think that the Heir lured Ron out?" Greengrass asked slowly. "Which Gryffindor could lure out both Granger and Ron?"

"You know who…" Nott said cryptically. "I'm telling you, she's the fucking Heir of Slytherin." She?

"Nott, who are you talking about?" Harry asked him quickly.

"It doesn't matter who he's talking about, because he's wrong" Bulstrode frowned.

"Oh c'mon!" Nott exclaimed, he sounded frustrated. "Who else could lure Ron out? Ron?! You know him, right? He's the most secretive and paranoid person that we've all met. And yet he lets his guard down and gets lured out?"

"Who is he talking about?" Neville asked Greengrass, and she sighed.

"Theo believes that Ginny Weasley is the Heir" Greengrass answered, and Harry and Neville just stared at Nott.

"Ginny?" Harry muttered. "The Heir?"

"Are you insane?" Neville asked Nott.

"I'm starting to believe him" Davis piped in, and everyone turned to her. Nott looked both grateful and smug at the same time. "We all know that Ron has a blind-spot where his sisters are concerned. So it would make sense that he trusted her enough to walk into a trap. As for Granger… Well she seems like the trusting sort. Potter, how was her relationship with Ginny?" Is she serious?! This is just stupid.

"They got along fine" Harry answered honestly. "Hermione really wanted Ginny to like her, and she tried hard to be her friend. At least in her own way…"

"She told Ginny to do her homework constantly" Neville added in a deadpan voice. The Slytherins all blinked at that.

"Hermione can be… odd" Harry said lamely. "But she means well. And she wanted to be Ginny's friend."

"Was it because Ginny is Ron's sister?" Greengrass asked with a dark look, and Harry gulped.

"Um… I don't know…" Harry said slowly. "Whatever her reasons, she trusted Ginny..." Is Greengrass angry with Hermione about this?

"See!" Nott exclaimed again. "They both trusted Ginny Weasley, and she lured them both out in order to attack them."

"Nott…" Harry sighed. "That's insane… Why would she attack her own brother?"

"Exactly" Bulstrode jumped in. "And how would she overpower Ron as well?"

"Look" Nott frowned. "I don't have all the answers, but what I do have is a strong basis for my suspicions. And since we now have Gryffindor allies, we can do something about my suspicions. Potter and Longbottom can ask around about her."

"And what if she is the Heir?" Zabini asked. "And she catches them snooping around her? They'll get attacked as well, and we'll lose our advantage."

"But at least we'll know for certain" Nott smirked.

"Hey…" Harry frowned at him, and he shrugged his shoulders. "Look, we can ask around… But I'm still not sold on Ginny being the Heir. It's too… too absurd."

"Well, there's no harm in looking" Davis said casually.

"Not for you maybe" Neville sighed. "But if she is the Heir, then we'll be in serious trouble."

"Then don't get caught" Parkinson frowned. "And this way, we can at least rule her out as a suspect. Even if it is a really ridiculous guess."

"It's not ridiculous…" Nott frowned. "Look, just ask around about her. How she's been acting, if she disappears, what her friends think of her, etc."

"And if we don't find anything?" Neville asked. "Then what?"

"Then we go back to narrowing down our list" Greengrass answered. "The fact that we know that the Heir is a Gryffindor helps us quite a lot."

"A Gryffindor who is trusted by both Ron and Hermione" Harry added, and Greengrass smirked a little.

"Exactly" Greengrass responded. "It's only a matter of time before we figure out who it is."

"Alright, we'll look into Ginny tonight" Neville said, though he sounded unsure about this. "What are you lot going to do?" The Slytherins exchanged quick looks, and they seemed to come to some agreement. How do they talk without talking?

"We want to examine all of the places where the attacks happened" Zabini replied. "But we can't do that tonight… The curfew starts soon, so we'll be doing that tomorrow. And since tomorrow is Thursday, we have two free periods in the morning. That's when we'll be looking around to make sure that we didn't miss any clues."

"Then we should meet up in the courtyard at lunch again" Neville suggested, and the Slytherin nodded. This is going really well! They must really want to find the Heir, and I can understand why. I feel the same way, and so does Neville.

"Alright then" Harry said as he stood up, and everyone followed suit. "Do we have anything else to discuss?"

"No" Greengrass replied. "We'll go back first, and you two can follow after five minutes. We shouldn't be seen together." Harry and Neville both nodded at that. "Good luck, and don't get caught." The Slytherins left right after that, and both Gryffindors relaxed considerably.

"That went… well" Neville whispered softly.

"Yeah, it did" Harry smiled. "And we all learned something new, which is great." Harry turned to Neville and he saw that his friend looked… conflicted. "Nev, what's wrong?"

"I… I don't know" Neville gave him a tired smile. "I expected them to be…" Neville trailed off.

"Nasty?" Harry provided, and Neville nodded. "They want to avenge their friend just like we do…" Harry turned to the lake, and he thought about their words. They said that the Chamber might only reveal itself to those who speak snake language, but they have no clue that I can. Even Neville and Hermione don't know that I can. Harry felt his gut twist at that realization, maybe he should've stepped forward sooner. But the truth was that he was scared of the fact that he could speak with snakes. He had only done it once, but when Xenophilius had mentioned that Salazar himself could talk to snakes as well, Harry had panicked. Was the Hat right in trying to sort me into Slytherin? No! No, I'm a Gryffindor. And I need to come forward… For Hermione, and for Ron.

"Neville" Harry said softly, and then he turned to face Neville again. "I need to tell you something, and I need you to promise that you won't get scared…"

"What is it?" Neville asked, he looked quite concerned suddenly.

"I… I can talk to snakes…" Harry muttered, and Neville just blinked at him.

---

February 19th, 1993 (Gryffindor Tower)

"Do you see her?" Harry asked Neville. They were currently sitting in the common room, and they were trying to see if Ginny was in the room.

"No, I don't" Neville frowned. "I still can't believe that we're looking into Ginny Weasley…"

"Nev, we gave them our word" Harry responded. "We have to do this… Not to mention that it could help clear her name."

"I've heard that before…" Neville muttered. "That's what I said after I convinced you two to look into Ron…"

"That was different" Harry quickly told Neville. "With Ron, we broke so many rules. We put people in danger with our Polyjuice Potion stunt… Right now, all we're doing is having a look."

"Okay…" Neville sighed, he didn't sound convinced. "I still don't see her… Yeah, she isn't here. Maybe she's in her dorm."

"You see that girl?" Harry jerked his head towards a first year Gryffindor girl. She had thick glasses on, short brown hair, and she was reading a book. "That's Matilda Steward… She's Muggle-Born, and she's in Ginny's class."

"And therefore she shares her dorm" Neville put two and two together.

"Let's go and ask her if she's seen Ginny" Harry said. "And we can then ask her how Ginny acts around them." The two boys got up, and they walked over to Matilda Steward. The girl didn't even notice them as she was completely absorbed by her book. "Hello, Matilda" Harry greeted her, and she looked up and went wide-eyed.

"You're Harry Potter" Matilda gasped, and Harry forced on a smile. Trust me, I wish I wasn't. "And you're talking to me…"

"I am, can we sit with you?" Harry asked her, and she nodded fervently. Harry and Neville sat down with her, and Harry noticed that her cheeks had gone completely red.

"We just wanted to ask you some questions" Neville smiled at her. "Is that alright?"

"Questions?" Matilda asked meekly.

"It's alright" Neville quickly assured her. "You're not in trouble… We're worried about a friend of ours, and we were hoping to ask you how she's doing."

"Oh…" Matilda said as she relaxed. "Okay then, you can ask me some questions."

"We wanted to talk about Ginny" Harry told her, and Matilda suddenly adorned a guarded look. "Her brother was just attacked, and we're worried about her."

"I see" Matilda smiled softly. Good, that worked. For a second I was worried that she was going to clam up. "Ginny's a little odd, but I don't know her that well."

"Have you seen her recently?" Neville asked, and Matilda shook her head.

"She was in classes" Matilda replied. "But after classes ended, I haven't seen her."

"She didn't come back to the dorms?" Harry asked.

"No… She tends to disappear all the time, so I don't think that's too odd" Matilda replied honestly. She disappears? Now that I remember it, Ron yelled at her for it at the start of the year.

"She disappears often?" Neville asked with a concerned look.

"Yes, she does" Matilda shrugged. "I think she spends most of her time in the library. But now that I'm thinking about it… She stopped disappearing for a while…"

"Could you please elaborate on that?" Harry smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"After Yule break ended" Matilda replied. "She became… different. She began laughing more, she started spending time with us, and we even became friends. Before the Yule Break, she was quite reclusive. She didn't even give us the time of day, and she was always writing things down in her Diary." Diary? Harry and Neville exchanged quick looks, and Harry saw the panic in Neville's eyes.

"Her Diary?" Neville asked, and Matilda blinked at him. "Was it the black leather one?" There's no way it was the same Diary.

"Um… Yes" Matilda replied slowly. Oh my God… "She always had it with her, and she was constantly writing in it. We noticed her doing it quite often, but we never questioned it… Most of us have diaries. But Ginny did write in hers a lot, however she stopped after the Yule Break…" Matilda frowned to herself. "I think she wanted to spend more time with people than with her Diary." Harry had to pinch his own leg in order to keep his head clear, his mind was thinking things that were scaring him.

"And now she's writing in her Diary again?" Neville asked slowly, and Harry knew that Neville was thinking the exact same things as him.

"No, actually" Matilda sighed. "But she has been quite cold towards us for the last week or so… I just don't get that girl. Did that help?"

"Yes, it did" Harry managed a weak smile. "Thank you, Matilda."

"No worries" Matilda replied with a blush.

"Don't tell her that we were worried about her" Neville requested. "She is kind of stubborn, and she'd get angry with us."

"Okay" Matilda smiled at him. "I won't say anything, but I think it's really sweet that you two are worried about her." Harry and Neville left Matilda to her book, and they hurried over to their previous spots.

"Harry? Please tell me that you're thinking what I'm thinking…" Neville said, he had gone slightly pale in the face.

"I am…" Harry muttered as he sat down. "Ginny's Diary… might be the Diary. But what role does it play in all of this?"

"Maybe it showed her how to find the Chamber?" Neville guessed.

"It was empty…" Harry sighed. "We checked, remember? And Hermione did so many spells on it… We found nothing wrong with it." But we never wrote in it… Maybe that was the difference? Ginny wrote in it… But why couldn't we see her writing? Agh! This makes no sense.

"We still have to tell the others" Neville said with a firmer voice. "They need to know about T. M. Riddle's Diary."

---

Daphne Greengrass' POV

February 20th, 1993 (Free Periods – Morning)

They were all currently waiting in the common room because they had decided to wait until morning classes were truly underway. It would be much easier to explore the crime scenes without any intrusions. But Daphne just wanted to get started because she was sick of waiting, she wanted to get her revenge already. But Blaise had insisted on waiting, and everyone else had agreed with him. That meant that Daphne couldn't refuse, and it was driving her insane. It was so difficult to keep everyone happy and focused, especially when she was constantly doubting her decisions. She made sure that no one saw her doubt, but she knew that it was there. How does Ron do it so easily?

The more she thought about that, the more she realized that Ron never acted like a leader. He simply did what he wanted to do, but he did it in a way that meant getting the best outcome for everyone involved. Ron made it look easy because he wasn't even doing it. He didn't see himself as a leader, he saw himself as their friend. Daphne thought that was really sweet, but she also knew that it was naïve. Every group needed a leader, and every group need a chain of command. Otherwise there would be anarchy… Everyone always thought that their ideas were best, and that meant that a leader was needed to find the best outcome. Ron filled that role without even trying, and he managed to do that because he did want what was best for them.

All in all, Daphne couldn't wait for Ron to be back. It had only been a day since she decided to take the reins, but she was already sick of it. Blaise's cold indifference was extremely vexing, Theo's arrogance and smugness pissed her off, Tracey constantly making everything into a joke irritated her, Pansy's sulky behavior was difficult to cope with, and Millie's insistence that they take on a more aggressive stance against the Heir made no sense. How does he put up with all of this?! It's been one day, and if Theo acts all high and mighty again, I'm going to bite him! Daphne had never thought about their personalities as a leader-figure before. They were all so different, and yet with Ron around, they all worked like clockwork.

And before Ron, they had Draco Malfoy as their leader. Malfoy actually saw himself as a leader however, a very superior leader. Malfoy thought himself their better, and yet they had chosen to ignore his behavior. They didn't really feel like a united group under Malfoy, at least that's what Daphne thought anyway. Malfoy bossed them around, and they had slowly just started to stop thinking that that wasn't a good trait.

Pansy was completely spineless back then, and she just mimicked Malfoy in the hopes that he'd notice her. Theo and Blaise were like Crabbe and Goyle, except they had brains in their heads. Millie was exactly like Crabbe and Goyle, except she was a girl. And Daphne… Daphne was just cold to everyone. It was her way of protecting herself. She never felt right in that group, but she knew that this was her lot in life. Where friends were concerned anyway. She believed that it was better to be cold than to show weakness… That's what her father would do. But now it's all different. Now we have Ron with us… That is if his parents don't take him away. Daphne frowned deeply at that thought, what was going to happen then? Would she have to keep being 'in charge'? Or would they slowly go back to being who they were?

"Daph?" came Pansy's voice, and Daphne looked to her. "Is everything alright? You look quite annoyed about something."

"Everything is fine, Pansy" Daphne lied. "I just want to get started already." I even sound like Ron right now. He always says that he's fine when we can all see that something is bothering him, and now I understand why. The leader can't be weak. If the leader is weak, then everyone else is weak.

"Me too" Pansy gave her a comforting smile. "All this sitting around is really annoying, and I just want to catch the Heir already."

"All in good time" Daphne said, even though she completely agreed with Pansy. But acting rashly will cause us more problems than it will solve.

"Oh shite…" came a whisper from Theo. "Malfoy is walking over to us…" Daphne looked to where Theo was looking, and she saw Malfoy walking to them with a smug smile. His two bodyguards were grinning creepily, and Daphne strengthened her resolve. Take charge Daphne, and don't show any weakness.

"Good morning you lot" Mafloy greeted them, and everyone looked to him with calm expressions.

"Good morning, Malfoy" Daphne greeted him back, and Malfoy looked to her. Good, now he knows that he's dealing with me. "Can we help you with anything?"

"No, I just wanted to say hello" Malfoy replied. Say hello? Or weasel your way back in? "Hello, Pansy" Malfoy looked to Pansy.

"Hello, Draco" Pansy replied, and Daphne frowned internally. She just gave him an opening by using his first name.

"How are you doing?" Malfoy asked Pansy with a smile.

"I'm fine…" Pansy replied. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great, Pans" Malfoy replied, and Daphne saw Pansy's cheek redden a little because of the pet name. Daphne also caught Blaise's eye, and he jerked his head towards Malfoy. He wants me to interfere?

"Malfoy, what do you want?" Daphne asked in a cold tone.

"I just wanted to see if you were alright" Malfoy lied arrogantly. "And I wanted to make peace with you all."

"Then wait until Ron is back" Tracey jumped in with a bitter tone.

"Oh, right" Malfoy nodded slowly, his smirk still in place. "I forgot that he got petrified…"

"Be careful, Malfoy" Mille snarled as she stood up, and Malfoy's gorillas glared at her.

"You should be careful too" Malfoy said with fake concern. "I wouldn't want you lot to get attacked by the Heir of Slytherin as well."

"Thank you for the concern" Daphne said coldly, she didn't miss his implication when he emphasized 'Slytherin'. "But we can look out for ourselves."

"Maybe you should act on your own advice, Malfoy" Theo said with a smirk.

"I'm always careful, Theo" Malfoy retorted.

"You've said your piece?" Daphne asked, and then she quickly followed that up with dismissing him. "Good, now leave us." Malfoy flushed a bit at that, and Daphne smirked slightly. She knew exactly where to press in order to annoy him; his massive ego.

"I see that Weasley's taught you his manners…" Malfoy said bitterly. "I came here to make peace, and you don't even have the decency to negotiate with manners."

"We know what you wanted" Daphne said as she stood up, and she looked right into his grey eyes. "Don't try and outwit us, Malfoy. Unlike Ron, we understand how Pure-Blood politics work. You come here when Ron is missing, and you start looking down on us… Don't even bother trying to deny it. And we've heard enough. Now leave." Malfoy and Daphne just stared at each other, neither of them backing down. And then, Malfoy smiled cruelly.

"I hope the Heir realizes that you lot are no better than Weasley" Malfoy said in a venomous tone. "And that they put you down, just like they put him down." Daphne clenched her jaw at that, and she could see that Millie was seconds away from attacking Malfoy. We can't get into trouble yet, we need to check the attack sites.

"Are you done?" Daphne asked in a cold tone, and Malfoy just kept smiling. "Leave."

"You let her be in charge, Blaise?" Malfoy suddenly asked as he turned to Blaise. "Her? Really? The Blood-Traitor's slag?" Daphne was just stunned by his remark, but before anyone could say anything, Pansy stood up and slapped Malfoy so hard that the sound echoed throughout the room. Everyone was left in dead silence, and they just stared at Pansy's flushed face. Even Blaise had lost his disinterested look, and he was just staring with wide eyes.

"Get out…" Pansy hissed, her face contorting in anger. Malfoy just stood stunned in his spot, his left hand covering his left cheek. "Leave us alone!" Pansy suddenly shrieked at him. Malfoy's face went from surprised to hateful immediately, and he just glared at Pansy.

"Your parents should be ashamed of themselves for raising someone like you" Malfoy said in a hateful voice, and then he turned around and stomped away. His gorillas followed after him, and the three boys disappeared into boys' dorms. Everyone just stared at Pansy for a few seconds, and when Daphne noticed that Pansy was about to start crying, she immediately moved over to her.

"Pansy, it's alright" Daphne said softly, and Pansy started sniffling. "Please don't cry… That's what he wants." Unfortunately, that didn't work and Pansy started crying softly. The boys looked extremely uncomfortable at that, and Daphne let out a soft sigh. "Theo, Blaise… can you guys go ahead please? We'll join you on the first floor shortly" Daphne told them, and both boys nodded and left. Boys… Daphne didn't miss that Pansy shot a quick look towards Blaise as he left, and that made Daphne frown internally. Maybe I shouldn't have sent them away.

"Pansy, sit down with me" Tracey said as she moved closer to where Pansy was sitting before. Pansy sat down, and she kept crying. Millie and Daphne kneeled in front of her, while Tracy put an around her shoulders and shushed her softly. Pansy managed to calm down within a few short minutes, and Daphne felt that she could now thank the crying girl.

"Thank you, Pansy" Daphne smiled Pansy, and Pansy sniffled. "You didn't have to do that for me…"

"Yes, I did" Pansy said stubbornly, her voice cracking a little. "He took it too far…"

"Well, thank you for that" Daphne said softly.

"And good job" Tracey said humorously. "That was the greatest thing that I've ever seen." Pansy let out a small laugh at that, but it sounded more like a wet cough. At least she's smiling now.

"I'm with Tracey" Millie joined in. "If we ever get into a fight, I want you watching my back."

"Okay…" Pansy said with a smile and sniffle. "We should go and join the boys."

"Are you sure?" Daphne asked.

"Yes, I'm fine now" Pansy rubbed her eyes clear. "I don't want to waste any more time."

"Alright then" Daphne smiled at Pansy. Definitely not spineless anymore. No, now she's braver than most. The girls walked up to the first floor in silence, mostly because they didn't want to think about their recent run in with Malfoy. And if they just talked like nothing had happened, well that would just feel fake and unnatural. So they stayed quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. When they finally saw the boys, the silence was broken.

"This is where Mrs. Norris was attacked" Millie said in a sad tone.

"Yeah" Theo said softly. "She was left hanging on that torch" Theo said as he pointed it out. "It's definitely low enough that a first year could reach it." At least they're not bringing up Malfoy, though I suspect that it's for the wrong reasons.

"And Myrtle's ghost was attacked in her bathroom just down the hallway" Tracey said as she looked in its direction.

"We already checked it out" Blaise told them. "Her ghost is still in there…"

"Merlin" Daphne sighed. "Why would they just leave her there?"

"She's already dead" Theo said coldly. "And it is her bathroom."

"Theo, that's a horrible thing to say" Tracey frowned at him.

"Well, it's the truth" Theo shrugged. "There is literally nothing to be found here, so let's go up to where Finch-Fletchley was attacked." They all went up to where the Hufflepuff boy was attacked, and this time they had to sneak around a little bit. There were classes in progress, and they didn't want to get caught sneaking about.

"This is where Potter found Sir Nicholas and Finch-Fletchley" Daphne said as she remembered Ron getting roughed up. That brought a frown to her face, and she cursed the idiots who had started yanking him around.

"I'm going to go to the loo really quickly" Pansy whispered to Daphne, and Daphne nodded.

"I'll join you" Daphne said, and then both girls went to the girls' bathroom that was just down the hallway. They missed Blaise looking at them both leave with his eyebrows furrowed. Once they were inside, Pansy quickly looked in the mirror and gasped.

"I look horrible" Pansy fussed as she began swatting her hair in place. "Oh, my eyes are so puffy… Why didn't you all say anything?!"

"We didn't want to worry you" Daphne smiled sheepishly. "Well I didn't, I don't know about Millie and Tracey."

"The boys saw me look like this" Pansy frowned as she freshened up her appearance. The boys, eh?

"Which boy are you worried about more, Pansy?" Daphne teased, and Pansy turned around and huffed at her.

"Both of them" Pansy said stubbornly.

"Both boys?!" Daphne laughed. "Pansy, that's really naughty." Pansy's face went crimson at that.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Pansy exclaimed. "Ugh… Could this day get any worse?"

"Don't tempt fate" Daphne chuckled, and then she walked over to Pansy. "Here, let me help." Pansy stood still while Daphne dabbed her eyes with a wet handkerchief. She's wearing light make-up. Maybe I should start wearing light make-up too. I bet Ron would like that.

"Don't ruin my make-up" Pansy warned her.

"I won't, now stop talking please" Daphne said as she lightly cleaned Pansy's eyes. "There, they don't look as puffy anymore."

"Thank you, Daph" Pansy sighed as she looked back in the mirror. "Ugh… I hate my nose…"

"Why?" Daphne asked as she looked at Pansy's button nose. "I think it's a really cute nose."

"I like your nose better" Pansy sighed.

"My nose is a little too long" Daphne frowned at her reflection. I have my father's nose.

"No, it isnt" Pansy gave her a deadpan look. "You know who has a long nose?"

"Who?" Daphne asked.

"Ron" Pansy giggled, and Daphne couldn't stop her own giggle.

"It is a bit big, isn't it?" Daphne smiled. But I still like it.

"It matches his face, but mostly because he's taller than most boys in our year" Pansy smiled. "How tall do you think he'll be once he's fully grown?"

"I don't know" Daphne shrugged. "If he keeps growing at the rate he is, I'd say around six feet? Maybe a little more?"

"Um… Sorry to interrupt" came Tracey's voice, and both girls turned around. "But Theo and Blaise are getting restless, and Blaise told me to tell you that he thinks that you should 'gossip like a couple of fishwives in your own time'." Daphne and Pansy both frowned deeply at that.

"He's such a…" Pansy fumed. "Such a…"

"Arsehole?" Tracey provided, and Pansy nodded firmly. "That he is, but in this instance, he's right. We don't have time to waste, so let's go already." Daphne and Pansy followed Tracey out, and they both frowned at Blaise when they got there. But Blaise had a distant look on his face, and he ignored the girls. That seemed to annoy Pansy a lot more than it should, and Daphne could take a guess as to why. They then went up to the abandoned third floor corridor, and Daphne had fight to keep it together.

"This is where Ron was attacked…" Tracey said in a meek tone.

"So he gets lured out" Theo said, though he was talking to himself. "He meets the Heir, and then he… He must've figured out that this was a trap. Why else would he fight back?"

"Theo?" Millie asked, and he shushed her.

"I'm trying to make a mental image of the situation" Theo told her. "So he figures it out, and he fight the Heir… He begins losing, and the Heir manages to hit him a few times. That would explain the bruises and the cut lip. But he gets away, and he tries to run. Somehow he gets knocked over, and then he sees the Basilisk's reflection."

"The floor was already wet then?" Daphne asked, and Theo frowned.

"He didn't know that the Basilisk was out here" Blaise frowned as he looked in the direction of a close-by bathroom. "So he might've been in one of these abandoned classrooms."

"If I were to ambush someone, I'd choose the classroom at the end of the hallway" Theo said, and then he began marching towards it. Everyone followed after him, and they all entered the classroom. It was dusty, and it looked like it hadn't been used in years.

"Everyone span out and look around for anything that's out of place" Daphne said, and they all separated. Daphne looked by the door, and she narrowed her eyes at everything. But her eyes shot open when she saw a small dark red smudge on the inside of the entrance door. Daphne walked closer to it, and her skin crawled when she realized that it was blood. Ron's blood… It was just a tiny smudge, but it made her feel lightheaded. This is where he was attacked… And where he fought off his attacker all by himself… She wanted to hurt the Heir so much in that moment that it scared even her. Daphne took a step back, and she noticed some dried up drops of blood on the floor by her feet. Daphne just stared at them, her head swimming a little. This is where her friend was attacked.

"Daphne? Did you find something?" Tracey asked softly as she walked up to her. Daphne just pointed to the drops of dried up blood by her feet, and Tracey went wide-eyed. "Oh Merlin…" Tracey muttered.

"Guys!" came Millie's voice, and they all turned to her. She was standing in the far corner of the room, and she was holding a very familiar wand in her hand. "This is Ron's…" Millie then walked up to Daphne, as did the rest of them. They all huddled in a circle, and Millie showed them Ron's wand.

"So this is where he was attacked by that fucking cunt" Theo frowned. No one told him off for his language, they could all understand his anger because they felt it too.

"They never checked this room?" Pansy asked softly. "Why?"

"Probably because they found him outside in the hallway" Blaise guessed. "They probably assumed that he was attacked outside, and that he never came in here."

"And they were probably in a rush" Tracey added. "They did find him right before dinner started, McGonagall cancelled it last second remember?"

"I found some blood too…" Daphne said softly. "By the door, that is. It's probably his…" Everyone just stood there with grim looks, and a terrible silence fell upon them. Daphne wanted to kill the Heir so badly right now, and that scared her. Ron killed that Mountain Troll back in first year, and he didn't even bat an eye. I want that right now. I want it so that I can use it when I find this Heir.

"Let's go" Blaise broke the silence. "We have one more place to check out, and none of us want to be in here anymore." They all nodded and began making their way up to the fifth floor.

"Here, Daph" Millie said as she handed Ron's wand over. "You should return this to him when he comes back." Daphne gave her a weak smile, and she took the wand. It felt cold in her hands, almost as if it was dead. Daphne put the wand next to hers in her inner robe pocket. Her anger with Ron had begun to subside as she thought about why he was there. He was lured out… He had trusted this person, and they had abused his trust. And then he had fought back, but he was left petrified. He probably figured out that they were the Heir, which means that he knew that the Basilisk was coming for him. He must've been so scared. But even as he got petrified, he didn't show it.

"I'm guessing that this is where Granger was attacked" came Theo's voice, and Daphne was ripped out of her thoughts. We're already here? Daphne looked around, and they were in a hallway with a bunch of knight armors.

"I never thought that I'd say this…" Pansy said softly. "But I feel really bad for Granger… She trusted this person, and they attacked her…"

"She probably saw the reflection off of one of these armors" Tracey said. Daphne looked around, and she saw Blaise looking off in the distance. He held a dead serious expression, and he looked like he was quite annoyed.

"Blaise?" Daphne called out to him, and everyone looked to him.

"There's a bathroom right at the end of this hallway, isn't there?" Blaise asked, and Daphne blinked at him.

"Yeah, a boys' bathroom" Theo answered.

"Four bathrooms…" Blaise said as he adorned a contemplative look.

"What do you mean by 'four bathrooms'?" Daphne asked him.

"I first noticed it when you and Pansy went to the bathroom" Blaise said softly. "Every single place where an attack happened had a bathroom close-by."

"Oh fuck…" Theo muttered, and everyone looked to him.

"Exactly" Blaise frowned, he looked quite angry. What's going on? "We are so fucking stupid!" Blaise exclaimed, and the girls flinched a bit. "The Chamber is connected to the plumbing system, and we never thought to check out any of the bathrooms! Dammit!" The girls just stared at Blaise, and Daphne slowly put it all together.

"No wonder no one saw that thing" Theo shook his head. "It has multiple ways to leave the Chamber, not just the entrance to the Chamber. We assumed that it just used the pipes to move around, but we never even thought about where it would exit from. We just assumed that the entrance was its only way of entering the school."

"Every bathroom is an exit point for that thing?" Tracey muttered as she went pale.

"Oh Merlin…" Pansy whispered. "I am never going to use another loo in this school again…"

"The entrance has to be in one of the bathrooms then" Daphne said quickly.

"Exactly" Blaise responded. "Which means that we need Potter in order to find it."

"Then let's go to every bathroom with him at lunch" Millie suggested.

"Not every bathroom" Theo corrected her. "Just the four where the attacks happened."

"We have you now, you bastard" Blaise said, and they all smiled in excitement.

---

Harry Potter's POV

February 20th, 1993 (Courtyard – Lunch)

"How do we even start explaining the Diary to them?" Neville sighed. "Not to mention the fact that we lost it…"

"We didn't lose it" Harry corrected Neville. "It was stolen from us."

"By Ginny Weasley…" Neville chuckled dryly. "This is such a damn mess… And none of it makes any sense." I couldn't agree more, Nev.

"Once we tell the Slytherins, we should look for more proof" Harry suggested. "We know that Ginny has a black leather Diary, but we don't know for certain if it's the Diary. We can't make random accusations… again…" Neville nodded fervently at that.

"They're coming over" Neville said as he looked over Harry's shoulder. "And they seem to be in a rush…" Harry turned to see all six Slytherins coming over with a quickened pace.

"What happened to you guys?" Harry asked, half of it was from concern and the other half was from curiosity.

"We think that we may have figured out where the entrance is" Greengrass said quickly, and both Gryffindors went wide-eyed. Are they serious?!

"What?" Harry mumbled.

"But it doesn't matter because we need a Parseltongue to open the entrance" Nott frowned. "So we're going to have to just tell the Professors our best guess, and hope that we're right." Best guess…

"And what if you're not?" Harry asked slowly. I need to step forward. I should step forward.

"Well, we don't have a choice" Davis sighed. "We have four guesses, and we are just going to have to roll the dice with them."

"What if you didn't need to roll a dice?" Neville asked suddenly, and then he looked to Harry with a serious expression.

"What are you on about?" Zabini asked slowly. "Potter, what's he on about?" Harry looked at Neville, and his best friend gave him a firm nod.

"I can… I can speak to snakes" Harry said as he mustered his courage, and the Slytherins just blinked at him.

"What?" Millie asked.

"Are you serious?" Davis asked with a deadpan expression.

"Potter, Parseltongue is hereditary" Parkinson stated with a frown. "How would you even have that ability?"

"It's the truth" Neville frowned at them all. "Harry, show them like you showed me." Harry suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. Thanks for putting me on the spot, Neville… You arse. The Slytherins just stared at Harry, and Harry cleared his throat.

"My name is Harry Potter" Harry said.

"That was English…" Nott stated as he just stared at Harry, and Harry's cheeks burned from embarrassment. Neville, I'm going to kill you!

"Harry, try again" Neville said as he patted Harry's back in an encouraging way. Harry drew in a sharp breath, and he tried again. C'mon, I can do it.

"My name is Harry Potter" Harry hissed, and the Slytherins went wide-eyed.

"What the fuck?" Nott muttered, and Harry knew that it had worked.

"How's that even…" Parkinson muttered.

"Potter, how can you speak Parseltongue?" Greengrass asked with a shocked expression.

"I don't know…" Harry replied truthfully. "I only know that I can…"

"Where do you think the entrance is?" Neville asked quickly, an excited smile on his face.

"The four bathrooms near all the attack sites" Zabini replied, but he kept his eyes on Harry. "Let's go to them now…"

"Alright" Harry replied, both Gryffindors had completely forgotten about the Diary. They found the entrance, that's brilliant! Harry would be lying if he didn't admit that he was impressed with Ron's friends. They were certainly a capable lot, and that was hard to admit.

"The first place is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom" Greengrass told the Gryffindors. "We'll work our way up from there." They all quickly rushed to the bathroom, and once they entered it, Harry immediately saw Myrtle floating around. She was black and smoky, and Harry felt his stomach twist a little at the sight of her terrified face. Myrtle was annoying, but this was just cruel.

"Now what?" Neville asked as he looked at Myrtle. "Poor Myrtle…"

"I know right…" Bulstrode said, and then her cheeks reddened when she realized that she had just agreed on something with a Gryffindor.

"Potter, say something in Parseltongue" Nott told him.

"Open up" Harry decided to say, and all the Slytherins frowned at him. "English?" Harry smiled sheepishly, and he could see Davis fighting to not laugh. Even Greengrass and Parkinson looked a little amused with his sheepish smile. "Open up" Harry hissed, but nothing happened.

"Well, now what?" Neville sighed, and then a sudden creaking sound made him yelp. Every single head shot towards the sinks, and they all saw a white light come out of one of the taps. They all stepped back slowly, shock etched upon their faces as they saw the tap begin to spin. And then, the sink began to move forward silently. And it then sank into the bathroom floor, revealing a pipe that was wide enough for a man to slide into. All they could do was stare at the entrance with dread, but then Nott suddenly broke the silence.

"I don't know about you lot" Nott muttered. "But I think that we should get the fuck out of here…"

---

Ronald Weasley's POV

"You… You're…" Ron struggled to mutter, his throat had closed up. "You're the Entity…" Ron managed to say as he pointed a shaking finger at 'Ginny'. His 'sister' grinned and looked at him hungrily, and her dagger-sharp teeth made Ron's knees weak.

"At long last, we finally meet one another" the Entity spoke, there was a certain malice in its tone that wasn't there before.

"Where am I?" Ron asked as he started to back away slowly. His entire body was shaking from fear, and he just couldn't stop it.

"You are in the deepest recesses of your own mind, Champion" the Entity answered as it slowly took a few steps forward. It eyed Ron in a manner that made his skin crawl, and Ron's instincts told him to run. He shot a quick look towards the door leading out of the house, and the Entity noticed where he was looking. Neither of them said a word, but Ron knew that the Entity was waiting for him to make a move.

Ron took in a slow breath, and then he bolted for the door. The Entity put its right hand up and snapped its fingers, and Ron's 'family' exploded into meaty chunks. Ron screamed in surprise as he was completely covered with his own family, and he lost his footing and landed on the floor with a strong thud. Ron immediately jerked his head up and looked around the room, and it was painted crimson with blood, guts, and jagged bones. Ron felt soaked, and that feeling made him gag hard. He gagged over and over again, but nothing came out. When the Entity started laughing in its terrifying voice, Ron let out a strangled scream.

"Fuck!" Ron screamed as he tried to stand up, but the floor was slippery and he fell back down. Ron landed right in front of what was left of one of his siblings, and his eyes burned with tears of fear. The Entity kept laughing, and Ron got up with a running start. He stumbled to the door, and he flung it open in a mad panic. He didn't even wait to see where he was stepping, and as soon as he stepped out of the house in a hurry, he realized that his feet didn't make contact with any ground. But it was already too late, and now he was falling straight into a dark abyss. Ron screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell deeper and deeper, and then… Darkness.

---

Ron woke up, and the first thing that he noticed was that he was in pitch black darkness. For a few seconds, Ron actually contemplated if he was still asleep, but then he remembered what had happened. Ron stood up slowly, and he looked around. His breathing was shallow, and he was starting panic.

"HELLO?!" Ron yelled, and his voice echoed. "IS ANYONE THERE?! HELP ME!" Ron was met with nothing but his own voice, and he put his hands on his head as he cussed under his breath. Where the fuck am I?! Ron then realized his head was dry, and so he felt the rest of his face and body. I'm completely dry…

"Champion, finally you are awake" the Entity's voice echoed, and it sound so much worse because of the echoing. And then, thousands of crimson toad-like eyes appeared around Ron.

"Fuck…" Ron muttered with a horrified expression as he looked all around him. They were everywhere, all different sizes, and they all held a certain bloodlust and malice in them. "Where am I?"

"We have already told you where you are" the Entity spoke, and Ron heard it growl as it finished. Ron swallowed slowly, and then he tried to stand up straighter. His body felt tense, and it quaked slightly from fear and adrenaline.

"Why am I here?" Ron asked after a few seconds, and then he looked around at the terrifying eyes encircling him.

"We decided that it was time to finally speak with you" the Entity replied. "Your weakness can no longer be tolerated."

"My… my weakness?" Ron muttered.

"You showed mercy to the Lord of Serpents" the Entity growled, and Ron's ears rang a little.

"Lord of Serpents? What does that even mean?" Ron asked.

"You had them both in your grasp, Champion. And you let them go."

"Ginny…" Ron gasped as he figured out what the Entity was referring to. He had taken her and her possessor off-guard, and he had bound them with an ethereal serpent. But then… Then he had panicked. It was his little sister staring back at him, and that's all that he could think about. "I couldn't hurt her…" Ron whispered. "I couldn't…"

"WEAKLING!" the Entity bellowed, and Ron screamed in pain as his eardrums burst. Ron keeled over and screamed again, but he heard nothing. And then, the pain just stopped. "Get up, you insect" the Entity commanded, and Ron slowly stood up. He was literally shaking from fear at the realization that the Entity could hurt him in this place.

"My ears…" Ron muttered meekly, were his ears healed?

"So weak" the Entity said in utter disdain, its voice drilling itself into Ron's head. "You are a disgusting, ugly little creature." Ron flinched at its words, and his eyes burned. He felt so… small… and scared…

"What do you want from me…?" Ron cried softly.

"Your death would satisfy us the most" the Entity hissed, and Ron's face contorted as he let out a whimper.

"Please don't kill me…" Ron managed to cry out, why was this happening to him? What did he do to deserve this? "I've done nothing to you…"

"You have done us nothing but ill your entire life" the Entity replied.

"I don't… I don't understand…" Ron sniffled. "I've done nothing… I swear…"

"We should skin you alive" the Entity said in low, menacing tone. "But that would change nothing for us. We would still remain trapped within this never ending cycle."

"Trapped?" Ron asked as he rubbed his eyes. "What do you mean by… trapped?" Ron sniffled loudly. "And what cycle? I don't understand…" Ron was met with silence, and he stared at the eyes around him. "Talk to me! Tell me what you mean!" Ron shouted in frustration, but he was met with more silence. "Just give me the fucking answers I need! What are you?! Where did you come from?!"

"There exists a dominion of creation so far beyond your Universe, you cannot even imagine it. We are beyond your comprehension. We… are the Eyes of the Void." Ron went dead silent at the Entity's response, and he waited for more but nothing came.

"What is your name…?" Ron whispered.

"We have many, but you cannot understand them. Your meager mind cannot even begin to grasp their meaning."

"What are you? And what do you mean by beyond my Universe?" Ron asked desperately.

"That is all irrelevant, all that matters is your success. It is the only way for us to finally be free of you."

"What the hell…?" Ron blinked, this was making him even more confused. "You want me to succeed in saving Fred?"

"We care nothing for your kin, Champion. Our goal is the destruction of the Lord of Serpents. That… is your true purpose."

"Lord of Serpents…" Ron muttered. "The Dark Lord?"

"A pathetic, toothless worm that claims immortality. As if he could even comprehend such a thing" the Entity said with utter hatred.

"You hate him, don't you?" Ron asked softly.

"Almost as much as we hate you, Champion." Ron flinched at that, and he tried to steady his breathing.

"Is that why… why you tried kill me?" Ron asked as he remembered his scars. "Because you hate me…"

"Yes, and we succeeded in taking your life." Ron's eyes widened at that.

"What?"

"We attempted to kill you, and the parasite that clung to you. But he escaped, and you succumbed to your wounds."

"Then how am I… alive?" Ron asked as he looked around with wide-eyes.

"We managed to pull your soul back into your body" the Entity replied.

"Why? I thought you wanted to kill me?" Ron asked. "And how can you even do something like that?"

"If you had died, the cycle would begin again. Your death would have achieved nothing, and so we intervened. You now exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it."

"So you're going to kill me?" Ron asked, his eyes beginning to sting again.

"Not yet, but eventually. When you have served your purpose, we will make sure to end you. Nothing will save you from us. Not even Her."

"Her?" Ron sniffled, it was taking everything in his power to not cry. He was only twelve, and he didn't want to die. Especially because of something that he didn't even understand.

"We grow tired of your never ending questions, and your sniveling, pathetic demeanor. This exchange… is over."

"Wait!" Ron shouted. "You can't just leave me in this place! The Heir is going after my friends! You have to do something!"

"Must we?" the Entity asked in a terrifying growl, and Ron paled.

"Please…" Ron begged. "They don't stand a chance… Please…"

"Consider this your punishment then" the Entity responded. "Your friends will pay for your weakness, and when you find yourself knee deep in their blood, you will know who is to blame." And then, the thousands of eyes closed, and Ron was left standing in pitch black darkness. Ron put his hands over his head as he let out whimper.

"No… no, no, no…" Ron whimpered. "Let me out, please. I need to help them… I need to help Ginny…" Ron's crying echoed throughout the darkness, but his prayers fell on deaf ears.

---

AUTHOR'S NOTES: And there it is! I know many of you were looking forward to this chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Ron finally learnt a little more about the Entity, and the Entity's purpose is somewhat revealed. Please let me know what you think!

See you all soon!