Drip. Drip. Dip.
That was the first thing Hazel heard. Constant and echoing.
The smell of moss and damp was filling her nose. Her stomach was churning horribly.
Where am I?
The ground was hard and cold against her cheek. It felt like she'd been hit by a hammer.
She forced her eyes open.
This isn't the bathroom…
The chamber was dark except for a few beams of lighting coming from somewhere above them. She could barely make out the shapes of large, stone snakes reaching up to the ceiling.
Oh no…
Her heart was thumping nearly as madly as her head was pounding. Her mouth had gone bone dry.
Against the back wall was a huge statue of a sinister wizard sitting cross-legged with his rocky beard pooling in front of him. The symbol of the serpent was very prominent on his hat.
In front of the statue was a prone figure, red hair spread out behind her. The diary lay next to her in a puddle.
"Ginny!" Her legs gave out instantly. She scrambled her way over. Ginny was totally limp, "Wake up!"
"She's not going to wake up."
A boy was standing in the shadow, dressed in Hogwarts robes. There was something odd about him, like he was standing in fog. He was also holding her wand.
"Who are you?" Her voice was trembling as badly as her hands were shaking, "Are you the heir of Slytherin?"
"In a manner of speaking," He was quite handsome until he smiled. There was something very unsettling about it, "It's satisfying to see you're as shrewd as I expected, Hazel."
Something clicked. But it couldn't be…
"Tom?" He bowed his head, "I thought you were just a diary?"
That horrible grin grew larger, "Oh, I am so much more than that."
"I don't understand…how did you get here?"
"Ginny, she's been writing to me all year. She's poured her deepest secrets to me, shown me her soul. It seemed impolite not to take advantage of her generosity. She's been most helpful."
"What do you mean?"
"You still don't see it? Ginny has been the one opening the Chamber for me. She's been setting Slytherin's monster on the mudbloods, she's been directing it all. Right under Dumbledore's nose," He held up his hand. The outline was definitely less hazy, "Now she sustains me, fuels me. When the last of her life fades, so I shall be fully reborn!"
"No!" She hugged Ginny tightly, because she couldn't think what else to do. She couldn't be dying. She just couldn't be.
"There's nothing you can do to stop it," He laughed a cold, cruel laugh, "Her fate has been sealed, from the first day she chose to write in my diary."
"Why are you doing this?" Tears were stinging at her eyes.
"To finish what I started," he said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"But why? Why do you care so much about opening the Chamber of Secrets?"
"The Chamber? I don't care about killing mudbloods anymore. For months now, my goal has been your brother."
"Harry?" She tensed, "Why Harry?"
"I have answered enough questions," His handsome face became hard, almost unnatural, "Now you will answer mine. How is it that a baby of no magical skill managed to defeat the most powerful wizard of all time? How did you two survive when he was reduced to a mere husk?"
"What does it matter?" She put a hand to Ginny's cheek, "Please Tom, she's getting cold."
"Do not call me Tom," he hissed, "That name died with my filthy mudblood father. From now on you address me by my true name, my title, my destiny."
There was something in his face, something in his eyes and the realisation hit her like a brick.
"But you can't be," She whispered.
A sneer, "You are a bright girl, but you still haven't answered my question. How did you survive? Tell me!"
He pointed her wand at Ginny, and she shuddered violently in Hazel's arms.
"No! Don't hurt her," Hazel tried to shield her, but she didn't stop shaking, "It was our mother! She died to save us! She gave us some sort of protection!"
He lowered the wand. Ginny stopped shaking.
"So that's it?" He laughed, "The great Harry Potter survived by sheer chance? Saved by an ancient magic he didn't even understand? I'll be sure not to make that mistake a second time, when he arrives."
"Why would Harry come here?" She already knew the answer.
"You. Taking Ginny might have been enough, but with you here, he'll tear this school apart to find you. Good people are so predictable like that."
Ginny convulsed violently in Hazel's arms, and she hugged her tighter. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.
"Please," She stopped herself saying Tom. Don't make him angry. He'll take it out on Ginny, "Please. Don't kill her."
It was pointless. He was smiling at her like he was enjoying seeing her beg. A fresh emotion came to her, through her despair. Anger. He had been forcing Ginny to open the Chamber. He'd forced her to attack her friends, to hide away, lied and poisoned her and now he was killing her. He didn't care about her, about Mr and Mrs Weasley, Fred or George or Percy or Ron. He was taking a daughter, a sister, from them and he just didn't care!
Her fingers ran over her own wrist, and she felt the chain bracelet there. She looked down and saw the two beads glowing in the light; one 'H' and one 'G'.
There was only one thing left to do.
She lowered Ginny gently to the floor and got to her feet. She could barely stand; her legs were shaking so much. She took a deep breath.
"Take me," she said.
Tom raised an eyebrow.
"Take me. Please," She forced the thoughts of Harry from her mind. He had the Weasleys. He would be okay. He was strong. Strong in a way she'd never been, could never be, "I wrote in the diary too. Please use me. Just let Ginny go."
Tom opened his mouth as if to speak but then stopped. He was thinking very carefully.
"You're more foolish than I thought. You are protected from me. I cannot harm you. You would give that up, for a girl who has lied to you all year? Stood to the side as you and your brother became pariahs? Left your friends to die and said nothing? You would give your life up for her?"
"Yes," Her fingers hurt from squeezing the beds so tightly, "You can take the life force of a Potter. All I want is that you spare Ginny."
Did she dare ask him to spare Harry too? No, he would never do that, and Ginny was running out of time as it was. There was no other way. Harry would stop him. She had no idea how, but he would stop him.
He was thinking about it. He was tapping her wand against his lip. All the while, Ginny was getting paler.
Come on, please.
He nodded, "She lives. For now."
Yes! It was a surreal feeling, to be so happy when she was so terrified. She couldn't keep hold of the beads now, her hands were shaking so much.
He pointed her own wand at her. The tip flashed and she flinched violently. Nothing happened. He looked at it in surprise and smirked, "The wand resists me."
He tossed it towards Ginny and pulled out a newer looking wand. Ginny's wand.
"This one will be more useful."
It was like she'd jumped into the lake. The icy cold feeling hit everywhere at once. She let out a gasp of pain and fell to her knees. She hadn't expected it to hurt so much.
I'm sorry, mum. I had to…
She choked. It felt like the air was being sucked from her lungs. The corners of her vision were blurring.
I'll see you soon…
There was a deafening roar that echoed in the chamber, "Leave her alone!"
"Ah," Tom lowered his wand. The pain stopped, "At last."
"Harry," She could barely see him, but she knew that walk, "It's a trap…"
And she passed out.
A terrible fear flooded through her, worse than anything she'd ever experienced. Her heart was throbbing so much, it hurt. Focus on that, anything to keep from passing out again. There was screeching, loud and violent hissing. Tom was shouting in anger.
What was going on?
She had never felt this terrible. Every joint was aching, and she felt so weak. Was this how Ginny had felt all year?
She was so strong.
Come on, open your eyes…
Everything was blurry but she could just make out a huge shape lying in front of her. That was Slytherin's monster? It was huge!
Harry was lying nearby, holding his arm. Tom stood over him.
"Here it ends," His voice sounded distant, like he was standing at the end of a long, echoey hall, "You bought yourself a few more years, but no one can escape Lord Voldemort forever."
No…
The fear grew more intense.
The diary…
It was a voice that wasn't her own. Where was the diary?
Something large and red landed on Harry's shoulder and put its head to his hand.
"Get away! Get away!"
The bird flew off.
"Phoenix tears," said Tom, "Well, no matter. In a few minutes, your sister's life will be gone. Then I shall see the end of the job myself. As it should have been, all those years ago."
The fear was growing, like a fire out of control. It felt like it was all that was keeping her breathing. She barely had the strength to lift her head.
The diary…
There! It was still beside Ginny!
She reached out. It took so much effort just to lift her arm. She grabbed the diary, slimy and cold, and threw it towards Harry.
Harry lunged for it and stabbed it with something in his hand.
Tom screamed a blood-curdling scream.
Harry stabbed again. Tom was holding his head as his outline began to fade. He threw Ginny's wand to the floor.
Her vision was clearing!
"You will not deny me!" Tom pointed at Ginny as he vanished. Ginny sat bolt upright as if she'd been electrocuted and pointed her wand at Harry. There was a flash of light. Harry fell backwards.
"Harry!" She scrambled forward. She couldn't do anything else. There was no sign of Tom anywhere. The diary lay beside her brother in a pool of black ink.
"Hey," he smiled, but his voice was shaking. He was soaked in slime and sweat and blood. There was a horrible cut just above his heart, his uniform burned around it. What spell had Ginny used? How had she learned it? "You made it."
"No," The wound was bleeding. Her mind had gone numb, "No, no, no, no, no…"
"It's okay," he said softly. He was so weak, "You and Ginny are safe. That's all that matters."
The tears were coming again, and she couldn't stop them. She took his hand and held it as tightly as she could, as if that would stop him slipping away.
Please don't go Harry…please, I'll do anything…
She felt a warmth through her hand as she squeezed his. And she squeezed tighter. She was never going to let go.
Wait. What was happening?
The cut was healing over. She could see the skin pushing back together. It wasn't bleeding anymore.
Harry sat up with a gasp. His hand went to his chest, and he felt around it. He looked at Hazel, and Hazel looked back at him.
"What happened?" He croaked.
"I don't know."
"I thought I was gone."
"So did I!"
"It couldn't be Fawkes again. He needs to be beside me for his tears to work."
Right now, she couldn't care less how it had happened.
"How are you?" he squeezed her hand back and a fresh wave of tears came. She had been so close to never feeling that again.
"I'm okay," She really wasn't. Everything still hurt, her head was pounding, and she felt so incredibly weak. But there was such a feeling of happiness that none of it mattered.
She looked at the snake, "Did you do that?"
"Sort of. I had help."
"Wait, is that a sword?"
"Yup."
"How did you get that? And the Sorting Hat?"
"Fawkes brought them."
"Fawkes? As in, Dumbledore's pet?"
"It's a bit complicated. Maybe wait until we get up to the castle?"
"Fine, but you better tell it properly."
There was a groan from behind them. Ginny was sitting up and rubbing her head.
"Harry? Hazel?" Her eyes widened and she went tense, "Guys, you need to go! It's Tom, the diary! He's real! He wants you both-"
"Don't worry," Harry climbed to his feet with a pained grunt, "We've met Tom."
"Yeah. He was kind of good looking. Bit of a prat though."
"He's gone now, Ginny. He's not coming back."
Her lip started quivering, "Harry, Hazel…it was me. I've been opening the Chamber of Secrets. I've been setting Slytherin's monster on people. It was Tom, he was making me do it! I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't…I couldn't find a way to say. Tom said such horrible things would happen to me…"
"It's okay," Hazel hugged her, "Tom told me everything."
"I should have fought him off, I should have told someone," She bowed her head, "I should have told you."
"It's not your fault," Hazel said fiercely, "None of us knew what he really was."
"We'll tell everyone up at the castle," Harry nodded, "We'll make everyone knows."
"Thanks guys," Ginny didn't look any happier, "I'm going to be expelled, but I deserve it. I'm just glad no one died because of me."
Harry helped Hazel to her feet and the two of them helped Ginny up. It was hard to tell who was helping who more, "Come on, Ron's back at the entrance to the Chamber. We better get back up to the school."
Harry picked up the sword, Ginny took the hat and Hazel picked up the soaked diary. Fawkes fluttered down and landed happily on Harry's shoulder. The three of them limped from the Chamber, leaving Slytherin's monster and Lord Voldemort behind.