Give It a Year

“It all makes sense now doesn’t it? Why it’s been getting around, why no one’s been killed because they haven’t looked directly into its eyes .. it all fits.” Harry hummed to himself reading over the paper Hermione had scrunched up in her hand. “See! The pipes, we better tell McGonagall or someone about it now hadn’t we? We can’t keep this kind of information to ourselves.” I said to Harry and Ron, they both nodded. “The staff room maybe, there should be a lot of teachers there by now.” Ron suggested, Harry and I nodded. We raced all the way to the staff room, we were about to knock when McGonagall’s voice echoed through the hallways, “Could all students return to their dormitories immediately, All teachers please report to the staff room immediately.”

“Another attack, that can’t be good..” Ron muttered, it was anything but good. “If you all would follow me.” McGonagall’s shrill voice was sad and echoed through the corridor. Harry, Ron and I made a run for the staff room, “what do you think happened? Who do think was attacked?” Ron asked, I barely opened my mouth before the voices of the teachers echoed through the corridor signalling they were coming into the staffroom. “Quick! In here.” Harry pulled us into the staffroom wardrobe just as the teachers started to pile in. There were whispers and murmurs amongst the teachers, some confused some not. “It’s finally happened, a student has been taken by the beast.” McGonagall announced in horror. I almost choked on my own breath, Ron prevented it however. I was thankful for that. “Who? Who is it?” Professor Flitwick sounded as though he was in tears, I would presume he is. “Ginny Weasley.” Ron almost fell, it was my turn to hold him up. “We’ll have to close down the school, send the students back to their homes as soon as possible… this is the end of the Hogwarts, I’m afraid..” McGonagall’s voice shrunk as she said this. Lockhart interrupted, in this moment I actually respected Snape, “Ah just the man, you were just saying you knew the way to the chamber of secrets, a girls been taken down there, your moment has come.” The sneer in Snape’s voice was present but it was no time to laugh at this, not in this situation.

“Ah yes, well leave you to it then Gilderoy.” McGonagall murmured as they all cleared out. We waited a few moments, “I bet Ginny knew something, I bet she was going to tell us something and that’s why the basilisk took her, there isn’t any other reason.. she is a pureblood.” Harry whispered, I nodded and rubbed Ron’s back, “We’ll get her back.” I whispered.

“Maybe.. if Lockhart’s on his way down there we can help him out.” Harry lit up and opened the wardrobe door. Ron nodded, “We can tell him what we know, where it might be and what’s inside it.” I was doubtful he’s a fraud but Ron was feeling hopeful and I didn’t want to ruin that for him.
His office wasn’t a far walk, but it took a lot of sneaking due to teachers not wanting any other students taken, killed or worse. When we walked into Lockhart’s office even I hadn’t expected this to happen. The gutless git was packing his bags to leave. “Oh Mr Potter, Weasley.. Miss Diggory-.”
“What are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to be heading to the chamber of secrets?” I sneered folding my arms. He was pacing quickly but stopped at my words then continued. “Well you see, something rather important has come up, unavoidable.” He muttered. Ron was flabbergasted, “What about my sister!?” Lockhart stopped in his tracks, “well that is most unfortunate and I send my condol-.” I cut him off grabbing the collar of his stupid periwinkle robes and pulling him down making him eye level with me. “You listen Lockhart and Listen well, if I had the chance to save my sibling but some git was too cowardly to do so I’d be so angry. You help Ron Weasley and his family or I tell everyone how much of a fraud you are.” I glared at him and pushed him back.

I snatched his wand out of his hand and pointed it at him, “you might be good at memory charms but you’ll never.. ever be able to stop an angry mother with her only girl in the family dead. A memory charm won’t stop an angry mother from getting to the person who was too Lazy, cowardly and too arrogant to save her daughter.” I was angry, beyond angry. I knew that if it was me in that situation my mother would go off, even dad and Cedric would.

“C’mon then.” Harry intervened, he lead ahead while Ron and I had our wands pointed at Lockhart from the back. “Thank you.” Ron whispered. I nodded, not feeling the need to speak more.
Moaning Myrtles bathroom wasn’t like it was the other times we’ve been there, she was still however moping in her cubicle as per usual. “Oh.. you.. what do you want?” her voice was small and she had been crying..again. “To ask you how you died..” Harry answered slowly knowing that he could offend her any second. Even to my surprise she didn’t throw a tantrum, in fact her whole demeanour changed as though no one’s ever asked her that question before. “Well.. it was very dreadful.. right in this very cubicle. It was horrible, I was hiding form Olive Hornby who was making fun of me.. that was when someone came in and they said something but in a different language… I couldn’t understand so I opened the door and then I died.”

“how, what was it?” Harry persisted, Ron and I still stood on guard and when Lockhart turned we both sneered at him and raised our wands higher. “well I don’t know, but all I remember is starring into a pair of big yellow eyes.. right over there.” She pointed to the sink in front of her cubicle. Harry and Ron looked at the sink up and down, “maybe say something in Parseltongue.” I spoke up, harry nodded and to my relief and Ron’s, it opened. “we have to go down , down to save Ginny.” Harry said, I admired him for his courageous attitude, he was as loyal as anyone I knew, in fact I think he was just as loyal as family. I made Lockhart go first, then Harry, then Ron, I turned to Myrtle and smiled, “thank you Myrtle.” And plummeted down the slimy hole. It was dark at the other end, harry was smart and cast Lumos to illuminate the small cavern we were in.

“We must be miles under the school..” I murmured to myself. It went unnoticed which I didn’t mind, we had better things to worry about than how far under the school we were. “Any movements and close your eyes. Something caught my eye, “Harry.. is that.. that a shedding?” a giant snake skin scaled for meters and meters before stopping. If that’s the basilisk than we don’t stand a chance unless a magical creature double that size or quicker came in to save the day. Lockhart fainted, I giggled a little scared of a snake skin? Wow he really is a brave one isn’t he? In a split second, I barely even saw it, Lockhart took a dive for Ron and pulled Ron’s wand out of his hands. I pointed my wand , as did Harry at Lockhart. “It ends here.. I’ll tell Dumbledore that the sight of poor Ginny Weasley’s mangled body made you lose your minds, and here, I have had very good practice at memory charms.. any last words?”

I glowered, as did Harry and Ron, but just wait, wait until Mrs Weasley gets a load of this fraud. Same with Cedric and Dad, they’d be furious. “Obliviate!” I think the circumstances didn’t go in Lockhart’s favour, a big light emerged out of the wand and a big explosion sounded. The ceiling shook and the shockwave sent Him flying back leaving him on the ground unconscious. The ceiling concaved which separated Harry from Ron, Lockhart and I. “Harry! Are you okay!?” Ron shouted, “Yeah! How about you guys?!” his voice echoed loudly, it was a wonder the basilisk didn’t hear, “We’re fine Harry! I’ll try and get us out of here to help out.” I yelled, peering at Lockhart than the wall of stones and debris separating us. “No its fine, I’ll go on!” his voice sounded quieter as it reached the end.

“Please be okay Harry..” I murmured to myself. “Well.. you watch him and I’ll try and get that wall down without bringing the entire school onto us.” He nodded and I turned to the wall of debris. I started moving the smaller rocks out of the way and worked my way up until it left an appropriate size hole to walk through. It wasn’t long by then until Harry returned with Ginny, she was crying. “Ginny! What happened!” Ron was worried and ran to the two. She just sobbed harder. “Is that Fawkes?” I asked looking at the bird I encountered in my first year of Hogwarts. Harry nodded, “We better get out of here. It was Tom Riddle all along, he is, he was.. Voldemort.”

“At least he’s gone and Ginny’s okay and we did all without idiot over here.” I pointed at Lockhart. Ginny gasped, “is that.. professor Lockhart?” she was horrified, I shook my head sighing, “was and no we won’t get in trouble he’s a dim-witted git anyway but we’ll have to take him back up with us wont we?” Harry and Ron nodded. We all held on tight to each other as Fawkes pulled us up and out of the chamber and onto the floor of moaning Myrtles bathroom. We scrambled up and followed fawkes all the way until we were inside professor McGonagalls office.

After moments of silence and standing around Mrs Weasley came in, “Oh Ginny! You saved her! You all did! Oh wonderful but how?” she peered at Harry, McGonagall intervened, “yes I’d like to know that myself. I think we all would like an explanation.” We were all silent, until Harry spoke up telling the whole story, from start to finish. Hearing it from someone explaining out loud, really did sound like we should’ve died down there. It was really astonishing, Ginny was getting worked up, I don’t blame her she was only in her first year, “I’ll take her to the hospital wing.” I smiled faintly as Dumbledore suggested she’d go. “I don’t think so Miss Diggory, we still want you three here.” McGonagall stopped me sternly. I cursed and nodded but Dumbledore however interjected, “I think it would be best if Miss Diggory and Mr Weasley escorted Gilderoy to Poppy and see what she can do.” I nodded and went with Ron taking Lockhart with us.

“Hermione!” I didn’t exactly shout as I dropped Lockhart on the ground and ran to her throwing my arms around her. “Valora! You did it, all of you, well done!” I squeezed her tightly, as we pulled apart an announcement rang through the school, “All students who have been petrified are now cured, the beast that lies in the chamber has been executed. We offer food and drinks to those who wish to greet there newly replenished friends after weeks of being petrified, in the hall. Thank you.”
“A feast? This late?! They can’t they absolutely can’t.” Hermione tutted, I smiled at her and laughed, “they can Hermione, but its good to see you back.”

It was a hectic year, Quidditch, studies.. although the exams were cancelled much to mine and Hermione’s displeasure. But I couldn’t have asked for better friends, I know the next school year shouldn’t come as a surprise to me as I am in the same year level as Harry Potter but its hard to grasp things like a giant snake going around petrifying people, I doubt next year would be any better, but I can only hope.