Chapter 53

Percy's Point of View

We spent the Easter holiday's plotting. Unlike last year, our group of friends and we decided to spend the holiday at school, studying for our end of year exams rather than going home. Charles and the Weasley's all left however, so we had no chance of seeing Ginny then.

Speaking to Ginny face-to-face, we had decided, would be the best way to go for it. We would just ask her outright if she had noticed any strange gaps in her memory, or found herself doing strange things for no apparent reason. Our plan in writing looked rather easy. As ever, putting it into action seemed to take a fair amount more effort.

Tracking down a lone Gryffindor was a lot harder than it sounds. We tried the Library, the study-group classrooms, the Great Hall, outside by the lake, the astronomy tower, the kitchens, all the normal classrooms and - as a final resort - the Gryffindor common room. Of course, checking the Gryffindor common room might have been the first place someone might look for a Gryffindor, but (from our week there in November) we knew that the Gryffindor in particular we were looking for didn't actually spend much time there.

In fact, it wasn't until the second weeks into the summer term (the attack resulted in some Ministry Officials being called in in a last ditch attempt to keep the school both open and safe) that we ran into Miss Ginny Weasley, and (rather ironically) we hadn't actually been looking for her at the time. We'd been visiting Myrtle actually, and Alyssa, when Ginny had come into the bathroom.

It took us a moment to recognise Ginny. Her eyes were glazed over and trace-like, her face void of any emotion. She walked in slow but precise steps, which was odd considering she normally had a quick pace, and was easily spooked and quick to run. She held Riddle's diary in her left hand, while her right index finger and the inside of her middle finger were smudged with ink, as if she'd recently been writing.

Either ignoring or failing to notice us, Ginny strode over to the sink, hissing at it. $Open!$

A second later, Ginny had disappeared down the pipe. We turned to Myrtle, who smiled cheerily at us.

"Don't get hurt, though if you do die, you are of course welcome to share my toilet." She offered. It had become a little joke now, every time we went down to visit Alyssa.

"If Alyssa kills us, we'll be sure to take you up on that offer." I joked back, grinning at the ghost.

We jumped into the pipe right after Ginny. Echoing hisses reached us from elsewhere in the chamber as Alyssa moved around. Judging from her choice of language, Ginny had ordered her after the school's 'hatchlings' again. We scowled. Stupid Ginny for trusting the book. Stupid Tom for possessing her.

I all but stole all of our control and stormed down the familiar passages to find Ginny, uncaring of our loud, ringing footsteps that would give away our presence and position.

'Careful Percy.' Harry tried to warn me. I did try to listen to him, but anger was buzzing around in my head like a vexed hornet, distracting me from everything but my target. 'Tom could be a very dangerous wizard, even if he is possessing an eleven year old girl. Especially since he's possessing an eleven year old girl.'

'I know but... He just makes me so mad!' I growled. 'How dare he use and endanger our friends?'

Harry hummed in agreement, but seemed more concentrated on a backup plan should - or when - I messed everything up. I ignored his plotting thoughts and focused on the main chamber in front of us. In particular, I fixed our gaze on Ginny Weasley, who was sitting in the mouth of Salazar Slytherin's statue, watching us with alert cold eyes.

"Hello Tom." I sneered, storming towards the eleven year old girl.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at us. "Tom? My, my, my, we are getting presumptuous aren't we? For all you know, I could still just be simple little Ginny Weasley."

"Except that your answer ruled out any chance of that. Besides, Ginny prefers slouch. Only Slytherins sit with such rod-rammed posture all the time. And certainly no Gryffindors do." I growled in reply.

Tom waved a hand dismissively. "Technicalities. But if we're playing the guessing game, my immediate assumption would be that you must be Harry, except you wear Gryffindor robes. But, from you easy dismissal of the majority of Gryffindor's posture I might assume you don't like your house very much. So... Percy?"

I didn't bat an eyelid at his correct assumption. "Who I am isn't the issue here. The issue is however, who in Hades you are, and why in the name of the Olympians you have decided to attack Hogwarts. We don't take lightly to threats against our friends."

"Who am I?" Tom laughed. "Why, Potter, I would have thought that would have been obvious. I am Slytherin's heir of course."

"Of course." I sneered. "Slytherin's heir. Is that why you had to force Alyssa to do what you want her to?"

"Alyssa? I don't know anyone of that name." Tom looked genuinely perplexed. "You are falsely accusing me of deeds I didn't do!"

I huffed. "Imbecile. You want the loyalty of a snake and yet aren't even so polite as to ask her for her name. Alyssa is a Basilisk, you twat."

"Now that is not a very nice word for a second year to be using." Tom teased, but then his face - Ginny's face - darkened. "And as for being polite to a snake. It's an animal. Why would it care about something as simple as a name?"

"A snake is just as alive as you or we. Why shouldn't it have emotions?"

Tom waved us off. "You are annoyingly repetitive and predictable. I really don't have the time or patience to listen to you right now. I already have to put up with Ginny's prattle. It's always 'Why doesn't anybody like me?', or 'I think I'm going mad Tom, I'm keep blanking out!', or 'Tom, why won't Charles even look at me as more than Ron's sister?' It's dull, repetitive and beyond annoying!"

"You emotionless son of a Fury!" I snarled. "Leave Ginny be! She didn't do anything to you!"

"Oh, shut up!" Before either Harry or I could react, he was pointing Ginny's wand at us. "Stupify!"

The world blacked out for me, but I presume Harry's back up plan worked, because when I next woke up it was the next morning, and we were in the Slytherin dorms.

'Morning sleepy-head.' Harry greeted me cheerfully, realising I was awake.

'What... what happened?' I groaned, moving our hands up to grab my aching head. I don't know why grabbing the outside of your head is supposed to help with a mental headache, but hey, it seems to work!

Harry smirked. 'I took control as soon as you dropped. Tom was stunned to see us apparently unaffected by his spell for long enough for me to bid him a not so very farewell and walk off down into the tunnels and away. Clearly he doesn't know the layout of the chamber too well, because it sounded like he got pretty lost looking for us.'

We laughed at that. But when we arrived up in the common room, the mood was strangely sombre, especially for eight o'clock in the morning. We might not all be morning people, but sad or serious wasn't normally a common emotion at this time.

Harry shot Draco a questioning look.

"Another attack." He mouthed back. Harry nodded.

'I wonder who it was this time?' I pondered, mentally making a note to visit Annabeth and Luna soon. We aimed to go once a day, but this week things kept getting in the way (homework, detention, Riddle...)

"It hasn't been said to you yet, but I'm sure you are all aware of the feeble situation that the school is in at the moment." Severus, who we hadn't noticed until now, spoke quietly. "We have been given a month, during which the Ministry has sent us Officials to locate and eradicate the source of the problem. We had been sure it was solved over Christmas, but it appears our solution was not quite what it seemed. As a result, several new rules have been put in place. You are not allowed to travel anywhere in a group smaller than your year group in Slytherin. Teachers will accompany you between lessons, and after lessons have finished you are to come straight back to your common rooms. Clubs have been closed for the time being. If you require a book out the library, please refer to the catalogue Madam Pince has created, and it shall be sent to you. It anyone is spotted alone a detention will be the least of your problems."

"But sir, what about our exams?" One of the seventh years called out. "The library doesn't have enough copies of books for all of us."

"Seventh years get priority. Any year before OWLs have the least priority, and so any books will be allocated to them only if unwanted by any older year. It's far from perfect, but it is the best we can do at the time being." Severus sighed, looking round the room before letting his eyes rest on us. "I know some of you have a passion for night walking. I strongly discourage any breaking of rules at this time. The threat is still unidentified, and therefore we have no idea how it is attacking students. Proceed with caution, for all our sakes, please."

When everyone started heading out to head up to dinner, we pulled Severus aside. "Sir, we... the Ministry, what will they do after they have identified the threat?"

"Depends what it is." Severus sighed again. "If it is a human, either expulsion or Azkaban I suppose. If it is a creature... well, I can't see any action other than slaying it being taken."

I gulped, and fixed our eyes on the ground. We didn't want that to happen to Alyssa!

"Harry, Percy." Severus tilted our chin up. "If you know anything, I implore you to speak. If we - as the teachers of Hogwarts - made no progress it is unlikely the Ministry will. And then Hogwarts will be closed."

We shook our head, thinking quickly. "We're sorry sir, we can't help with that. It's just... it seems so much more realistic, with death sentences hanging over the matter."

Severus pulled us into a hug. Neither of us were under any delusions that we were speaking the whole truth, nor that Severus believed us for a second, but we pretended for then. Severus knew we were upset about something, but also that we didn't want to talk about it.

"Harry, Percy." Severus pulled back to look at us. "I am your teacher, but don't forget I am your godfather too. If this is a demigod issue, or just something that is bothering you, as your godfather I will be here to help you."

"Any what if your duties as a godfather and a teacher clash?" I voiced my question quietly, offering our godfather a small smile. Severus shook his head, unable to answer.

"I want to say I was your godfather first, but..."

"But your duty as a teacher is important too." I shook our head. Harry pulled me back, giving me a small hug as he took over again.

"I'm sorry sir, but this is something we need to sort out ourselves this time."

Our godfather put up his mask to the world, but we saw the concern and hurt flicker in his eyes just for a moment. Harry hugged Severus. Just because we didn't need him this once, didn't mean we never needed him. For those weekend afternoons when Draco and we got to spend time brewing potions with him, or the dinner's at our house during the holidays, when we sometimes felt that he was the only one who understood why we did little things, like exclamations of 'Salazar!' or our offhand mentioning's of house politics, that (as Gryffindors) our family just didn't understand. But Severus would always manage to notice, steering the conversation away or explaining it better. Similarly, Severus could back us up when I did something definitively Gryffindor in the Slytherin common room.

Severus walked us up to breakfast, as Draco, Blaise and Theo had gone with everyone else up to the Great Hall. Out of habit we glanced towards our brother's seat on the Gryffindor table. One look at his forlorn face, and the empty seat beside Ron and he and we knew immediately who had been attacked. Granger. We frowned at this. Why we had no particular attachment to the brown-haired know-it-all girl, we had grown closer to her before Christmas when we had been working on our project. So while we didn't feel particularly sad for her, there was that tugging at something inside us, as if we should feel bad. It was... odd.

"Hermione." Harry said, sitting down besides Draco. "She was the one attacked, wasn't she?"

Draco nodded. "Apparently she had a mirror with her. Strange objects they keep finding people with. Cameras, mirrors, daggers..."

We froze. Hermione must have known that it was a basilisk that was attacking the school. And if she knew, she had no doubt had some information on them to show Ron and Charles.

"And she was found outside the library, near where Luna and the other Ravenclaw girl were found. Do you think it's a coincidence?" Blaise asked.

"No." I stood up. "Probably not."

Ignoring our friends bemused questions as to where we were going and what we had meant, we headed over to where Charles was, and sat down across from him.

"We're sorry about Hermione. We know it doesn't help any, but we're still sorry."

Charles nodded. "We were going to visit her at lunch time, McGonagall said she'd take us. Do you... do you want to join us? You could visit Annabeth and Luna too."

We smiled. "That would be nice, thanks."

We sat in an almost awkward silence for a little while, before starting up a conversation on Quidditch, if just to distract each other from our thoughts. Ron joined in with his unwavering faith that the Cuddley Cannons would win this year. I wanted to snort, but just about held in it. I mean, kudos to Ron for keeping his unwavering faith and support behind the Cannons, but they would need a completely new team before they had so much as a chance in the league this year. Oliver Wood watched us with narrowed eyes as we started planning a Quidditch match for the summer.

"You play against each other in the summer in Seeker matches?" The older boy asked. We both nodded.

"Yeah, so?" Our perfectly timed, synchronised answer had us grinning.

Wood shook his head. "And you still loose to your brother despite knowing all his moves, Charles?"

We laughed, and Charles ducked his head in slight embarrassment.

"Harry doesn't have set moves, Oliver. He's too impulsive for that."

"Oh, impulsive am I?" Harry teased. "Then what are you? I swear if you have so much as half a mind to do something you are off and doing it!"

"So what, you think things through first?"

"Most of the time." Harry nodded. "Yeah, I do. Percy... he's another matter."

'Hey!' I scowled in mock anger at Harry. 'That's mean.'

'Aw, did I hurt ickle Percy-baby's feelings?' Harry laughed, and I scowled properly now.

"Charles, you are official my favourite brother right now." I declared. "Harry's horrible."

The entire Gryffindor table burst out laughing.

'Now who's the mean one?' Harry pouted, and I smirked.

'Still you.'

Draco pulled us back, so we were walking a little behind the main group as we walked to our first lesson. "You still think we shouldn't tell Severus about the Basilisk?"

"Please, no!" I all but begged Draco. "Alyssa doesn't want to attack the school. It's a rather long story, but in short there is this diary that used to belong to a guy called Tom Riddle - an old head-boy right? Anyway, somehow Tom Riddle is possessing Ginny Weasley using the diary and then forcing Alyssa to attack people. If the teacher's or Ministry find out, then the wrong person will be framed."

Draco nodded, but looked slightly sceptical. "That kind of makes sense. Do I want to know how you discovered this though?"

"Well, you know how the Weasley's stayed over during Christmas?"

We told Draco everything, making sure that we didn't leave a detail out.

"So you've been dreaming about this guy since last summer?" Draco asked, still a bit sceptical.

"Demigod dreams remember?" I reminded him. Draco was about to reply, but we had already arrived at Charms, so he put the subject aside for a while as the lesson commenced.

Right before lunch we had Transfiguration with the Gryffindor's, and so we told Draco, Blaise and Theo we'd meet them in a little bit and followed Ron and Charles with Professor McGonagall to the Hospital Wing to see Hermione and Luna and Annabeth.

We moved first over to Annabeth and Luna's bed, removing the dead flowers and conjuring a new bouquet of bright daisies. We noticed that their bronze dagger had been returned, and now lay glinting on their bedside table. Gently pulling aside her outer robe, we unbuckled her sheath from her skirt and sheathed the blade in it.

"Everything's falling apart her guys." Harry told them quietly. "The Ministry have been called in to try and track down Alyssa and the school has tightened its security to the point we can hardly breathe without the teachers knowing about it. "Hermione was attacked last night, and we found out for sure that Ginny really is the one ordering Alyssa, but only because Tom Riddle is possessing her! It's a right mess. But somehow I bet you two would find some brilliant plan in that head of yours to sort it all out."

I smiled as Harry continued. "It won't work as well, but we'll try and step up in your place. Just... please don't kill us if it all goes too wrong?"

We placed the notes for all her missed classes - carefully provided by her friends in her year - on the growing pile beside her bed.

The door shut quietly behind McGonagall just a few moment before we hear a quiet exclamation from Charles. We gave Luna and Annabeth a quick farewell before moving over to see what Charles had found. He was holding an old piece of parchment that looked like it had been ripped from a book. We frowned. Hermione really wasn't one to destroy books in such a fashion. So why would she rip a page from a book?

"Look at this!" Charles beams. "It all makes sense!"

"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live for many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."

Harry glanced at the page. "Sorry, but what makes sense? It's just a page on Basilisks."

"The attacks!" Charles exclaimed in a hushed voice. "A basilisk must have been the culprit. Remember a while ago, there was that whole hubbub about the killed roosters?"

"No." We shook our heads. "That can't have reached the dungeons, sorry."

"Oh," Charles looked confused as to how to continue for a minute, before picking up his story again. "Well, earlier in the year someone killed all of Hagrid's roosters. We've also noticed columns of spiders leaving the castle and last night -"

Charles cut off abruptly. He glanced at us, then continued. "Last night, both Hagrid and Dumbledore were arrested under suspicion of having a part in opening the Chamber. Hagrid was apparently accused of being the culprit last time, and so fell under suspicion this time too. He sent us to talk to his good friend the acromantula Aragog. Long story short, before trying to eat us he wasn't the monster attacking students, but that a girl died last time and they don't speak of the monster. Their greatest enemy, right?"

We nodded, still not particularly liking where this trail of thought was going. "But then why isn't anyone dead?"

Charles was stumped for a moment. "They didn't look at the Basilisk directly! Colin had his camera, Justin looked through Nearly-Headless-Nick, didn't he? And a ghost can't die twice! Annabeth and the prefect had the dagger, and Hermione her mirror."

We sighed. "It's all very well knowing what the monster is, but what about the chamber?"

Charles grinned, and the last bit of hope we had that they couldn't get into the chamber and Alyssa might live shrivelled up and died.

"That's where we might need you. We think the chamber might be in Myrtle's bathroom, but it stands to reason Slytherin wouldn't let just anyone in. We'll be needing a Parselmouth of course."

Ron spluttered. "You're a Parselmouth?!"

We sighed, casting angry eyes at Charles. "Yes. But that doesn't mean we're going to go along with your hair-brained scheme!"

Again, Charles grinned, and we were immediately reminded of all the potential blackmail material he had on us that he was probably about to call upon in the next few minutes.

"No! Charles, no! Just because you have no sense of self preservation, doesn't mean we don't!"

"So should I tell mum you're still going for swims in the Black Lake and little night walks in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Charles!"