LUCY:

I checked my watch. It was almost five in the morning, meaning Malachi would fly up to the window with my birthday gift any moment.

Between the strict limits on where students could go in the castle and my desire not to make a big deal out of my birthday, Cedric said he'd send Malachi at five with my gift so no one would see. I tried to tell him it was okay and that I didn't need anything for my birthday, especially not this year, but he said he at least wanted me to have whatever it was he had found. He seemed very proud of it, and I didn't have the heart to argue further, so there I found myself in my pajamas in the common room with my nose buried in my charms book. Final exams were approaching, and studying was a good way to distract myself from Hermione's absence when Ron and Harry weren't around to distract me in other ways.

True to his word, Malachi arrived at five o'clock exactly with a small box in his clutches. I let him in and curled up in an armchair, and he perched himself on the back of the chair as I read the note at the top of the box.

Dear Lu,

Happy birthday! I'm so sorry that your birthday looks so different this year. We'll have a proper celebration over summer, but in the meantime, this is for you. Go ahead and take it out, then read the rest of this for the explanation.

I smiled to myself. My brother had obviously put a lot of thought into this.

I pulled out a white long-sleeved shirt that sparkled slightly in the dim light from the fireplace. It was cool to the touch; I hadn't realized how hot I was in my thick flannel pajamas until I realized how good the shirt felt even just in my hand.

I know what you're probably thinking. A shirt? Really, Cedric? Well, it's not just any shirt. Remember the sweater Henry gave me for Christmas? This shirt is just like that. Henry taught me the charms; they were surprisingly tricky! It can go under your robes whenever you need it, so you don't have to worry about ever being too hot or too cold around that time of the month.

Happy birthday, Lucy. I hope you still have a good day today.

I love you so much, Lu. I can't believe you're already 13. Oh, and look in the box one more time. I believe I found an extraordinarily rare Chocolate Frog card you probably don't have yet.

Love, Cedric

I folded the letter and studied the shirt more closely before checking the box. I pressed it to my cheek, and a small sigh of relief escaped my lips. It was nice and cool. I returned it to the box and dug around the bottom for the card.

Once I found it, I flipped it over to see the picture before reading the words, and I blinked in surprise when it was my own face smiling at me. I couldn't have been more than six years old at the time, because I was missing both front teeth and my sweaty bangs were plastered to my forehead. I was laughing at whoever was behind the camera, my braids swinging with each giggle, and I figured it was safe to assume it was my brother. I flipped the card over to read the description.

"Lucy Diggory," it read, "was born May 23, 1980. Lucy is Cedric Diggory's favorite sister and Susan and Amos Diggory's favorite daughter. She plays as a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and has loved to fly since the day she was born. Her other talents include being remarkably brave and resilient in the midst of hardship and kind to everyone she meets. Her adventures are far from over --- in fact, they have only just begun --- but this witch will surely go far in life, because she has no shortage of heart and nerve."

My face burned, but I smiled from ear to ear. I flipped the card back over and watched the picture again.

"Is that you?"

I jumped and launched the card across the room. Harry laughed. "Sorry, I'll get that."

"It's okay," I squeaked, jumping from the chair and lunging forward to try to grab it, but he was faster. He studied the back of it for half a second before flipping back over to the picture and handing it back to me.

The smile on his face terrified me. I thought he had seen my birthday, but instead he said, "So it is you."

I laughed, feeling my face flame anew. "Yeah, it is. I..." I scrambled for a story as my face got hotter and hotter. "Cedric made it for me to try to cheer me up a bit. I'm okay, of course, I'm not not okay, but, well, he worries and-"

Harry chuckled. "It's okay. I understand."

I lowered myself back down into the armchair, holding the card close to my chest. "What are you doing up so early?"

He sank into the armchair across from me, adjusting his glasses. "Neville snores. I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. I figured I'd be alone down here, but then there you were with a Chocolate Frog card I'd never seen. I wasn't trying to sneak up on you-"

I giggled. "Yeah, it's okay. I know you wouldn't sneak up on me. I just didn't hear you. I was trying to figure out when the picture was taken." I got up and sat on the arm of Harry's chair, holding the card out so we could both see. "My brother got his camera when he turned eight, I think, and he definitely had a photography phase for the next couple of years."

"You're also missing teeth," he pointed out. "When did that happen?"

"I was five or six, I think." I furrowed my brow. "To be honest, I don't remember a lot of my early childhood. It's all kind of fuzzy. I remember certain things, of course, like getting my first broom and rescuing Tuck, but I don't remember losing my first tooth or anything like that. When did you lose yours?"

He stared into the fire. "I don't really remember, either. Everything was a bigger deal when it happened to my cousin, Dudley. Nobody paid too much attention to me, unless I did something wrong."

My heart twisted with sorrow. I wanted to ask him for more details, try to comfort him, but I didn't trust myself with such a delicate issue. I was a werewolf, after all. I didn't want to hurt him more than his family already had. "It must have been strange coming here, then, when everything was suddenly Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that," I said instead.

He nodded slowly. "It was." His eyes wandered back to the card in my hand. "I see the braids have always been around."

I laughed. "Yeah, pretty much. But the bangs are gone, thank Merlin. I can't imagine having to play Quidditch with my hair in my face."

Harry laughed too. "Well, I can't imagine playing Quidditch after taking a Bludger to the face, but you did that, too."

"Yeah, well, I paid the price later," I said, wrinkling my nose. I groaned. "We have Lockhart today, don't we?"

"I think so."

"Bloody hell," I muttered. "At least we have Professor Sprout first. I love her class."

That day, we were pruning Abyssian Shrivelfigs. I was working with Harry and Ron when a sheepish-looking Ernie Macmillan approached.

"I just want to say, Harry," he said, "that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well-"

He extended a hand, which Harry shook silently. Hannah Abbott approached, and she and Ernie started working across the table from us.

Ernie wasn't quite finished yet. "That Draco Malfoy character... he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think he might be Slytherin's heir."

"How clever of you," Ron retorted.

"Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie persisted.

"No."

Ernie and Hannah both looked up in surprise when they heard the decisiveness in his tone.

Over their shoulders, I spotted a line of spiders, climbing the window in a perfectly straight line. I gently elbowed Harry and gestured toward the spiders with my chin. He whacked Ron over the hand with his shears, and I couldn't help but snicker a bit. I could tell he was trying to be subtle, but really?

"Ouch! What're you... oh. Yeah. But we can't follow them now."

"Looks like they're going to the Forbidden Forest," Harry commented.

I bit my lip and nodded.

The rest of the class passed in a haze. I didn't want to go back to the Forbidden Forest. Not again. Not as a human. I hated being there enough as a werewolf, when I was a predator. But as a human, a small and defenseless human? As prey?

As we walked to DADA, the three of us lingered toward the back of the group to talk in hushed tones.

"We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again," Harry said. "We can take Fang with us. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he might be some help."

Ron played with his wand nervously. "Right. Er, aren't there... aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?"

"Not when it's not a full moon," I said, a little too quickly. Both boys turned to look at me curiously. I blushed. "I was working on my astronomy homework last night. The new moon was two nights ago. There won't be werewolves."

Harry nodded. "There are good things in there, too. The centaurs are all right, and the unicorns."

We took our typical seats at the back of the classroom just as Lockhart strode in.

"Come now, why all these long faces?" he asked.

I felt my ring grow hot against my finger as a flash of anger surged through me. I narrowed my eyes at Lockhart, but he kept talking.

"Don't you people realize the danger has passed? The culprit has been taken away-"

"Says who?" Dean snapped.

"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty!"

Ron sat up straighter in his seat. "Oh, yes he would!"

"I flatter myself I know a touch more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Mr. Weasley," Lockhart said with a cocky smile.

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Harry kicked him under the desk. "We weren't there, remember?" he whispered in a voice only Ron and I could hear. Ron relented, and Lockhart's lecture began, but I was too angry to actually pay attention. I fixed the professor with my best glare, my book sitting unopened on my desk.

Harry passed me a note, snapping me out of it. Let's do it tonight, it read.

I glanced over at him. His green eyes sparkled with amusement, like he was trying not to laugh.

I scribbled back, Sounds good, but what's so funny?

Harry's shoulders shook with silent laughter as he scrawled a reply. I've never seen you look so murderous, Lu, and I pity the poor soul who receives your full unbridled anger one day.

I snorted quietly, replying, I pity them too. Don't worry, I don't plan on exploding at anyone.

Unless they deserve it?

I snorted again and nodded. Harry smiled and returned his attention to the front of the room. Ron looked at us curiously, so I slid him the piece of paper. He snorted a quiet laugh too, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere. All three of ours were.

We stuck closer together than usual for the rest of the day, exchanging glances rife with meaning and trying to reassure each other as much as we could. An encouraging smile here, the brush of a hand there. None of us wanted to go back to the Forbidden Forest, but the sight of Hermione's empty chair gave us all the boldness to push on through the day.

That night in the common room, the twins challenged us to Exploding Snap. Ron and Harry reluctantly agreed, and Ginny and I sat together in Hermione's usual chair to watch. Ginny's heart didn't seem to be in it; she barely spoke at all, and her eyes were troubled. But with no way to get down to the Quidditch Pitch, let alone get my broom and fly around, I didn't know how to comfort her.

Harry and Ron kept losing, probably hoping the twins would give up and go to bed, but it was after midnight before they did. Harry threw the cloak over us all, and we began the trek down to the forest, careful not to run into anybody monitoring the halls. Fang was thrilled to see us, announcing our arrival with thunderous barks.

"Quick, feed him some treacle fudge," Harry muttered, "it'll glue his jaws together and shut him up."

I snickered, but complied. The dog seemed happy nonetheless, nearly knocking chairs over with how fast his tail was wagging.

"We won't need this," Harry said, tossing the Invisibility Cloak on the table. "It's pitch black in there."

I nodded. "We'll still have to be incredibly careful." I drew my wand. "Lumos maxima!"

Ron sighed. "Good thinking. I'd light mine, too, but you know, it'd probably blow up or something."

"Possibly." I took a deep breath to steady myself. "Are you two ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Harry said with a nod. "Ron?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm ready."

I scratched Fang behind his ears. "C'mon, boy, let's go on a walk."

I led the way. I loathed the forest, I hated being there, but I knew it the best. Harry had only been once. Ron had never been. I had been twice, though neither of them knew about the second time. We followed the spiders down the path, led by the glow of my wand and of the vibrant purple of my ring, but when they strayed from the path, Harry stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder.

"D'you reckon we should follow them?" he whispered. "Hagrid said never to leave the path."

"He also said to follow the spiders," I replied softly.

"We've come this far," Ron said with a shrug, and Harry and I nodded. I followed the spiders, the boys close behind on either side of me.

"Be careful," I warned. "Lots of brush, and brambles, and roots. Watch your step, and try not to let your robes catch."

We had been walking for probably close to an hour total when Fang barked. I reckon I jumped two meters in the air as I flew backward.

"What?" Ron asked, clutching my arm and looking around wildly.

Harry froze. "There's something moving over there... listen... sounds like something big..."

I nodded emphatically, stepping forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Harry. "I hear it."

Ron sounded as if he were going to be sick. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no..."

I reached back and grabbed Ron's hand to try to comfort him, but I could feel how badly he was trembling.

"Shut up, it'll hear you," Harry whispered desperately.

Ron's grip on my hand tightened. "Hear me? It's already heard Fang."

"I don't think it's a spider," I said, as a low rumbling noise shook the trees.

"What d'you think it's doing, whatever it is?" Harry inquired.

"Probably getting ready to pounce," Ron whimpered.

"Only one way to find out," I said, extracting my hand from Ron's grasp and stepping forward. A flash of light penetrated the darkness, making us all gasp and shield our eyes with our arms.

"Harry, it's our car!" Ron yelled gleefully.

"What?"

"Come on!"

The boys rushed forward, while I rubbed my thigh a couple of times, remembering what it had done to me a couple months prior. I glanced around to see if it was still guarding the unicorns, but I reckoned that the presence of the boys would have likely scared them off. I followed the boys into the clearing and hesitantly approached the car.

Ron's mood had improved considerably. "It's been here all the time! Look at it! The forest's turned it wild!" He sighed with relief. "And we thought it was going to attack us! I wondered where it had gone!"

I reluctantly pocketed my wand, the back of my neck tingling. I went to go stand by Harry, again shoulder-to-shoulder.

Harry seemed uncomfortable, too. "We've lost the trail. C'mon, let's go and find them."

Ron looked at us, but then his gaze drifted upward, his mouth slack with terror. I tried to draw my wand, but it was too late. Something grabbed me around my abdomen, pinning my arms to my sides.

"Lucy!" Ron shouted, but soon other acromantulas had snatched he and Harry and Fang up as well. We were carried along for quite a while before our captors unceremoniously dropped us to the ground.

I scrambled to my feet and placed my hand on my wand, but I didn't draw it.

"Aragog!" one of the acromantulas called. "Aragog!"

I wracked my brain, trying to think of anything that could help us, but all I could remember was that acromantulas ate humans. This knowledge didn't make me feel any better, so I decided not to share it with Harry and Ron, who remained on the ground behind me, paralyzed with fear. Part of me wanted to join them and cower, but I was a werewolf. These creatures shouldn't scare me.

The largest acromantula I had ever seen emerged from a web, his eyes white and unseeing.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Humans."

"Is it Hagrid?"

"Strangers."

"Kill them. I was sleeping."

"We're Hagrid's friends," I said as calmly as I could despite the fear clawing its way up my throat. "Please don't kill us."

The massive acromantula paused before saying, "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before."

"We've come because Hagrid's in trouble."

"In trouble? But why has he sent you?"

"He's been taken to Azkaban for being suspected of petrifying students at Hogwarts." I cleared my throat. "His final wish was for us to follow the spiders, which has led us here. He believed you could help us."

The clicking of pincers resounded around us. I felt a trickle of sweat run down my spine.

Aragog sounded immensely worried when he spoke again. "But that was years ago, years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."

"And you... you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked from behind me.

"I! I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness..."

I looked around the clan, and I actually smiled.

Harry still sounded terrified. "So you never... never attacked anyone?"

"Never. It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet."

"But then..." Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Do you know what did kill that girl? Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again-"

The acromantulas again erupted with clicking and snapping.

"The thing that lives in the castle is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go, when I sensed the beast moving about the school," Aragog said.

"What is it?" Harry and I asked in unison.

"We do not speak of it! We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dreadful creature, though he asked me, many times."

I felt as if I'd been punched in the gut. "But you do know what it is?"

"Of course," Aragog said, backing into his web again. But as he was backing in, I saw his family closing in around us.

"We'll just go," Harry said.

"Go? I think not."

"But-" I started to say, drawing my wand.

"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friends of Hagrid."

I whirled around and saw exactly how many acromantulas there were, and how rapidly they were closing in on us.

"Protego!" I called, but it was no use. There were too many. I yanked Harry to his feet, and we both hauled Ron up. I looked around us wildly. "We need to run!"

A car horn blared, and the Weasleys' Anglia suddenly appeared, running acromantulas over left and right with its headlights blazing. It stopped in front of us, and the doors popped open.

"I've got Fang, get in!" I shouted. The boys scrambled into the front seats while I crammed into the backseat with Fang. I didn't even have time to put a seatbelt on before the car hurtled off, trying to get us out of the forest as fast as possible.

"Are you okay, Ron?" Harry asked.

Ron's mouth still hung open, and his face was as pale as a piece of parchment.

"Are you, Harry?" I gently shoved Fang's rear end away from my face and leaned forward.

"I'm not hurt," he said, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "Are you?"

"I'm alright," I replied, wrapping my arms around myself. "I just wish we had been able to find out what was in the castle."

Harry nodded sullenly, and the rest of the ride passed in silence. When we arrived at Hagrid's hut, I let Fang out, and he bolted to the front door with his tail tucked between his legs. Ron staggered out of the car and immediately began vomiting into the pumpkin patch.

I gestured to Harry to take care of Ron and disappeared into Hagrid's hut with Fang. He dove into his basket, and I gently wrapped a blanket around him, stroking his head gently.

"It's okay," I whispered. "You're safe now, alright?"

I rose from the ground just as Harry and Ron entered.

Ron wiped his mouth with his sleeve, still incredibly pale. "Follow the spiders. I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive."

"I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," Harry reasoned.

"That's exactly Hagrid's problem! He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban! It's exactly like Hermione said."

I immediately shoved my hands into my armpits so no one could see the way my ring burned with hurt. I stared at Norbert's blanket. "Ron... if not even good people can love monsters, who can?" When he had no reply, I shifted and continued. "I mean... you saw his family. None of that would have existed without Hagrid."

"You're right, we wouldn't have been nearly eaten if not for Hagrid and his soft spot for monsters!" He shivered, though the May night wasn't terribly cold. "What was the point of sending us in there, anyway? What have we found out, I'd like to know?"

"That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets," Harry answered, throwing the cloak over us.

Ron snorted derisively. We made our way back to the common room, all three of us still shaking beneath the cloak. I sank down into Hermione's chair as soon as we got back and massaged my forehead. Harry settled next to me, glancing at Ron.

"I'm going to bed," he said before either of us could say anything. "I'll see you two in the morning." With that, he rushed upstairs.

"He'll forgive Hagrid as soon as we get Hermione back," I said, noting the concerned expression on Harry's face. "I think he's just embarrassed about being scared, and it's coming across as anger."

He nodded slowly. "I think you're right." He paused. "I don't like that they wouldn't tell us what was in the Chamber. Like a monster version of Voldemort."

"Definitely," I agreed. I sighed and pulled my knees to my chest. "I haven't been able to shake the feeling that I'm missing something obvious."

"About the girl who died, right?"

I nodded. "I feel like I should know..." I immediately dropped my legs and sat up straight, whipping my head around to look at Harry. "Harry, what if it's Myrtle?"

"Aragog said she was found in the bathroom!" Harry's eyes bugged out of his head. "What if she never left? What if she's still there?" He jumped up. "I need to tell Ron."

"And I need to think of a way all three of us could get in there. It's out of order again, so I know no teacher would let me use her bathroom."

"I know you'll think of something," he said with a smile. "You always do. See you in the morning?"

I nodded. "See you in the morning."

He placed his hand on the knob, but he turned partway around and smirked. "Oh, and Lucy? Happy birthday."

I felt my face flush. "Thank you. I'm guessing you saw the card?"

"Yeah, I did. I didn't want to say anything since I know you don't like people knowing, but after the day you've had... reckon you've never had a birthday quite like it."

"To say the least," I huffed. "Well, thank you. And Harry? Would you mind not telling anyone else? It's fun to keep them guessing."

He grinned. "Your secret's safe with me."

Three days before final exams, Professor McGonagall announced that the Mandrakes were ready for cutting, and the petrified people would begin being revived that night. I was sitting at the Hufflepuff table with my brother, but I turned around to smile at Harry and Ron, who beamed right back.

When I turned back around, Ernie Macmillan looked as if he'd cry from relief. He offered me a shaky smile. "Sounds like we both get our best friends back tonight."

I nodded excitedly. "For sure we do."

"Can't imagine Hermione Granger will be terribly pleased about final exams," Archie said. "Maybe we should wait until after exams to bring her back."

Cam swatted his arm. "Archie! Don't say that!" She offered me a sympathetic look. "Sorry. He doesn't think before he opens his mouth sometimes."

I laughed. "It's okay. He does have a point, but I would argue that she'll just be happy to be back, period. I'm sure the teachers won't hit everyone with exams right away. I mean, Justin's been gone since December. That's a lot of work to do."

"I'm just glad it's not O.W.L. year," Henry said, bumping his shoulder against Cedric's. "Can you imagine trying to study for those --- or even worse, N.E.W.T.s --- with all of this going on."

Cedric shuddered. "Hopefully next year is better. I really need to do well on my O.W.L.s to be a healer."

"Well, sounds like you have Divination in the bag," Archie said. "Just write some sob story about how you saw Voldemort returning in your crystal ball or something ridiculous like that, and Trelawney will eat it up."

I laughed along with everyone else, but a feeling of foreboding settled in me nonetheless. We all knew Voldemort was only temporarily at bay. I glanced behind me at Harry, who was talking with a laughing Ron and a blushing Percy now, and remembered Dumbledore's words. All I ask is that you help him as best you can, whatever may come next. I knew Voldemort might not be the next "next," but there would come a time whenever Voldemort would be next. And in that moment, I knew I would be there for each "next" that came Harry's way.

The next next came when Lockhart was walking us to History of Magic.

"Mark my words, the first words out of those poor petrified people's mouths will be 'It was Hagrid.'" I clenched my fist as fresh anger surged through me, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from protesting. "Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."

"I agree, sir," Harry said suddenly. Ron dropped his books, and I knelt down to help him pick them up.

I glanced up at Harry. "What?" I mouthed in exasperation. He shook his head and returned his attention to Lockhart.

The professor straightened up and smiled. "Thank you, Harry. I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night!"

Ron jumped in immediately. "That's right! Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go."

"You know, Weasley, I think I will, I really should go and prepare my next class-"

With that, he rushed away.

Harry turned to me. "Sorry, Lucy, it was the best distraction I could think of. Now we can go talk to Myrtle. I hope you know how painful it was for me to stroke his ego."

I managed a small smile. "I get it now. It's okay. Let's go."

We had nearly reached the bathroom when a voice made us all stop in our tracks. "Potter! Weasley! Diggory?" We whirled around to see Professor McGonagall squinting suspiciously at us. "What are you doing?"

"We were going to-" My voice died on my lips, but Harry finished for me.

"See Hermione," he said quickly. "We haven't seen her for ages, Professor, and we thought we'd sneak into the Hospital Wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry..."

I held my breath as she studied us, but I released it when her expression softened. "Of course. Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been... I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you've gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission."

We had no choice but to head up to the Hospital Wing after our incredible stroke of luck. But a lump formed in my throat at the thought of it. I had seen Hermione's face often enough in my dreams, asking me why I couldn't have done better. Seeing her lying there helplessly and silently on the hospital bed made everything worse.

Ron and Harry sat together on one side, and I sat alone on the other. I rested my elbows on my knees and hunched my shoulders and stared at the ground, unable to look at anything or anyone. I had kept myself occupied for several weeks, knowing I had to be strong for everyone else, but so close to her coming back, so close to solving everything, yet so far, the grief and hopelessness hit me --- truly hit me --- for the first time. Hermione had been so scared of being petrified. She had done something illegal to try to solve the problem before anybody else got hurt. I had promised to protect her. I had failed.

"Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" Ron wondered softy. "Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one'll ever know."

My breath hitched in my throat. I didn't even want to think of that. I forced tears away, not wanting to cry in front of the boys, and lifted my head. I couldn't bring myself to look at her face, but my eyes strayed to her right hand, the one with the ring.

"Hey Harry," I whispered, my voice hoarse, "what's that in her hand?"

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Madam Pomfrey was busy before reaching forward and extracting a piece of paper. After he had read it, his eyes bugged out of his head. He looked straight at me, his green eyes bright with sudden understanding.

"This is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber's a basilisk, a giant serpent! That's why I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It's because I understand Parseltongue!"

I slapped my hand to my forehead. "Basilisks kill people by looking at them. But nobody's looked at them directly, have they?"

Harry nodded excitedly. "Collin saw it through his camera. Justin saw it through Nearly Headless Nick."

"Hermione had solved it, so she probably warned Penelope to look with a mirror first," I continued.

"And Mrs. Norris probably saw the basilisk in the puddle on the ground," Ron concluded.

He read more from the page aloud. "The crowing of the rooster is fatal to it."

"Hagrid's roosters were killed," I muttered, everything suddenly clicking into place. "And spiders don't like it. The spiders always ran away from attack sites."

"But wouldn't people see a giant snake around the castle?" Ron asked tentatively.

Harry pointed to a word on the page in Hermione's scrawl. "Pipes. It's been using the plumbing. I've been hearing that voice inside the walls."

Ron jumped. "The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets! What if it's a bathroom?"

I slapped my hand to my forehead even harder. "Myrtle's bathroom." I felt anger rise in me again, but this time, it was with myself. "That's what's been bothering me all this time. It has to be Myrtle. She's what's been under my nose this entire time."

"What are we going to do? Should we go to Professor McGonagall?"

Harry leapt to his feet. "Let's go to the staff room. She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."

Ron and I nodded, and the three of us practically sprinted to the staff room. It was completely empty. I rocked back and forth on my feet, wrapping my arms around my middle and pressing my knuckles to my mouth. My heart raced. After a couple minutes, I cast a nervous glance at the clock.

"Shouldn't it be break now?" I asked, my voice sounding significantly higher than usual.

Harry nodded, looking as stressed and uncomfortable as I felt. Ron began to pace back and forth, picking at one of his cuticles.

Professor McGonagall's voice rang out a couple minutes later. "All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."

"No," I gasped, everything in my body going slack with horror.

Harry reached up to grip the sides of his head. "Not another attack? Not now?"

Ron came to stand between us, looking from me to Harry and back to me. "What'll we do? Go back to the dormitory?"

"No." Harry pointed to a wardrobe that appeared to be full of the teachers' cloaks. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."

"Are you sure we should be hiding?" I asked. Before either of them could answer, footsteps began to thunder around us and we dove inside. I found myself again between Harry and Ron, just like we had been the night at Hagrid's. I lifted my hands to my face anxiously, and the vibrant purple glow of the ring drew all of our eyes. Harry quickly reached out and laid his hand over the top of mine to hide it, lacing his fingers through mine and offering a reassuring squeeze, just like we had the night in the Hospital Wing.

The gravity of the past year settled on my shoulders like a heavy blanket. My knees trembled under the weight of it all.

Professor McGonagall was the last to enter the room. Her voice was grave. "It has happened. A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

I felt my heart drop.

Professor Snape leaned forward, white-knuckling his chair. "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'"

Professor Flitwick began to cry. Professor Sprout reached forward to comfort him, looking near tears herself.

Madam Hooch looked the most shaken I had ever seen her. "Who is it? Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley," Professor McGonagall replied.

Ron's knees gave way, and he slowly sank to the floor of the wardrobe. I slid down beside him, Harry following me. I offered my other hand to Ron, and he clutched it desperately and leaned his head on my shoulder.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, blinking away a glimmer of tears. "We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow. This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said-"

The door suddenly slammed open, and a sickeningly cheerful-looking Gilderoy Lockhart burst into the room. "So sorry, dozed off. What have I missed?"

Professor Snape rose from his seat with murder in his eyes but a smile on his lips. "Just the man. The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

"That's right, Gilderoy!" Professor Sprout piped up. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

Lockhart was pale. "I... well, I-"

Professor Flitwick dried his eyes and sat up. "Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?"

"D-Did I? I don't recall-"

Professor Snape tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested. Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

Lockhart looked ghostly at that point. "I... I really never... you may have misunderstood..."

Professor McGonagall gave him a tight-lipped smile. "We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy. Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."

His typical aura of self-importance was gone. A cowardly and terrified man remained in its wake. "V-Very well. I'll... I'll be in my office, getting... getting ready."

As soon as he left, Professor McGonagall stood up straighter. "Right. That's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories?"

The teachers left slowly. Once they were gone, Harry and I helped Ron to his feet and stumbled to the common room in a daze. Ron went to sit with his brothers in a corner of the room, while Harry and I settled next to each other nearby. His eyes fixed on my ring.

"Bruised again," he said in a soft voice.

I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck.

To tell you the truth, I didn't hear a single thing Professor McGonagall said. I stared at my bruised side of the ring and the plain silver half that was beside it, getting lost in my own thoughts.

I wanted Cedric there. I wanted to sob into his shoulder about how unfair everything was, how Ginny should never have been taken, how I should have figured everything out sooner like Hermione had, how much my chest hurt at the thought of everything that had happened that year.

But Cedric wasn't there. I'd see him in the morning, on the train, heading home for the summer, probably forever.

I glanced over at the Weasleys. The twins were silent and stony-faced. Ron looked near tears. Percy's jaw was clenched, and his fingers were locked together as if in silent prayer.

"I need to send an owl to Mum and Dad," he said, his voice trembling as he rose to his feet.

"I'll go with you, Percy," I offered, rising as well.

"It's okay," he tried to say, but I laid a hand against his arm and looked him in the eye.

"No one should go anywhere alone right now," I said firmly, "least of all a Weasley. Let's go."

We walked to the owlery without a word. I stroked Malachi's feathers as Percy scribbled a letter onto a piece of parchment.

I offered my owl out on my hand. "You can use Malachi if you'd like. He might make home to Ottery St. Catchpole faster, no offense to Errol."

"Thank you," he replied, not making eye contact as he tied the letter around Malachi's leg.

"You're going to the Burrow," I told my owl, "not home. And you can stay home once you're there, Cedric and I will be home by this time tomorrow."

Malachi took off into the midafternoon sunlight. Percy and I watched him go in silence.

"You were the best at making her feel better," he said after a couple of minutes. "I would... I would give anything to see the smile on her face after she had ridden your broom just one last time. Nothing I ever did helped quite as much as that."

"I'm sure that's not true." I took a shaky breath. "I know you did everything you could to keep her safe, Percy. I know you did everything you could to keep all of your siblings safe. It's not your fault."

"Nothing like this ever happened with Bill or Charlie." His voice became angrier the longer he talked. "They have always been the natural leaders, the natural protectors. Always getting along so well with all of us so effortlessly. Nothing the twins do ever bothers them. They always have a kind word for me and for Ron and for everyone, really. And Ginny..." He swallowed hard. "They've always been Ginny's favorites. They're the coolest brothers. One breaks curses in Egypt, one studies dragons in Romania. The twins play pranks. Ron's best friends with Harry. And what does that leave me?" He sighed. "I'm sorry, Lucy, you didn't need to hear any of that."

I reached out to touch his arm again. "Don't be sorry, Percy. I'm sorry you feel that way." I paused. "You're a prefect. Your grades are incredible. I know you'll be Head Boy next year. And after you graduate, I know you'll do great things, even if it's not quite as exciting as what Bill and Charlie do."

"But I couldn't even-" His voice broke. "Ginny... I..."

"Hey." I wrapped my arms around him and held tight. "It's not your fault. It'll be okay, Percy."

He hugged me back, and I heard him sniffle. We pulled apart, and he wiped a tear off his cheek with the sleeve of his robes. "Thank you, Lucy. And thank you for coming with me."

"Of course," I replied with a nod. "Do you want to go back?"

He nodded, and we returned silently to the common room. He disappeared up to his dormitory, so I returned to my spot between Harry and George. Nobody said a word, because there was nothing left to say. Nothing could bring Ginny back.

When the twins left to pack their belongings, Ron turned to Harry and me. He croaked, "She knew something. That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all. She'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was... I mean, she was a pure-blood. There can't be any other reason."

"Wait, what're you talking about?" I asked.

"Ginny tried to talk to us this morning," Harry replied. "But Percy interrupted before she got the chance to say anything. He said she knew something about him she wanted to tell us, but it couldn't have been that after all."

Somehow, my spirits sank even lower. "Oh." Tears burned in my throat, but I swallowed them away. I had to be strong for everyone else. I could cry tomorrow, when I was home with Cedric. Today, everyone else needed me to hold on.

Ron swallowed hard. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not... you know..."

Harry and I exchanged a look, neither of us wanting to say what we were thinking.

Ron rose to his feet suddenly. "D'you know what? I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."

"Let's go," I said immediately, standing up and stretching my stiff legs.

Nobody tried to stop us as we left, which was just as well. It was nearly dark by the time we reached his office.

Harry knocked, and the door opened a sliver. "Oh. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Diggory. I'm rather busy at the moment, if you would be quick-"

Harry stepped forward. "Professor, we've got some information for you."

"It'll help you," I added. "Defeat the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, I mean. That's a very brave thing for you to do, Professor." I flashed my most flattering smile, but he didn't puff up as usual. In fact, he looked more uncomfortable.

"Er... well... it's not terribly... I mean... well... all right... come in..." he stammered, opening the door for us.

His office looked like a disaster zone. All of his belongings had been hastily packed into boxes. The walls were bare.

"Are you going somewhere?" Harry asked coldly.

"Er, well, yes. Urgent call, unavoidable, got to go-"

"What about my sister?" Ron's voice was steely.

"Well, as to that... most unfortunate, no one regrets more than I-"

"'Most unfortunate?'" I demanded. "Professor, she was eleven years old! She has six older brothers and parents who loved her! Would you like me to tell them what you said? I'm sure they'd be happy to teach you a new hex or two-"

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!" Harry exclaimed.

"Well, I must say, when I took the job, nothing in the job description... didn't expect-"

Harry was as horrified as Ron and I were. "You mean you're running away? After all that stuff you did in your books-"

Lockhart hesitated. "Books can be misleading."

"You wrote them!" Harry exclaimed.

"My dear boy. Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip. I mean, come on-"

"I knew it was all too good to be true," I spat.

"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" Harry asked.

"Harry, Harry, it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog."

I was so angry that spots of red danced in my vision. I couldn't speak. I was only distantly aware of the scarlet fury burning my finger. I wished I had possessed the foresight to take the ring off before talking to that incompetent and lying fool.

He locked his trunks with a grunt. "Let's see. I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left." He drew his wand and pointed it at us. "Awfully sorry, children, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book-"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry and I shouted simultaneously.

Lockhart's wand flew into the air, and its owner was thrown back against a wall. Ron caught it and threw it out the window as Lockhart hit the wall.

"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," Harry muttered.

"Speak for yourself." I smiled at Lockhart, who was staring at us stupidly. "I learned that one from Ginny's brothers. You know, the ones who'd love to teach you a couple hexes for saying their sister's disappearance is 'most unfortunate,' but not worth your time?"

He didn't move from his spot on the ground. "What d'you want me to do? I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."

"You're in luck. Lucy?" I stepped forward and helped Harry haul Lockhart to his feet, both of us keeping our wands pointed at him. "We think we know where it is. And what's inside it. Let's go."

Lockhart and I entered the bathroom first, where we found Myrtle in her typical place.

"What do you want?" she asked glumly.

"Good evening, Myrtle," I replied with a smile. "We'd like to ask how you died, if you're willing to share that with us."

"Ooooh, it was dreadful! It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then... I died."

"How?" Harry inquired.

"No idea. I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away... and then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."

I was somewhat disturbed by the story as a whole, but Harry was focused on the end goal. "Where exactly did you see the eyes?" he asked.

Myrtle pointed to the sink in front of her toilet. "Somewhere there."

Harry, Ron, and I rushed over to look at it. It was perfectly ordinary, except for one tap with a snake etched into it. Harry reached forward to try to turn it.

"That tap's never worked," Myrtle called.

"Harry, say something. Something in Parseltongue," Ron suggested.

"But..." Harry squinted as if he were thinking hard. "Open up."

He glanced to us for confirmation.

Ron shook his head. "English. Try again."

The second time, a hissing sound came from his mouth, like it did in December at dueling club. The sink immediately glowed bright white, and disappeared altogether, leaving a massive pipe in its place.

"I'm going down," I said immediately, glancing at the boys.

"Me too," they said in unison.

After a pause, Lockhart grinned. "Well, you hardly seem to need me, so I'll just-"

"Colloportus!" I hissed as he put his hand on the doorknob. He jiggled it, but the door was completely locked from the inside.

"You can go first," Ron offered.

He approached the opening slowly. "What good will it do?" he asked miserably.

"Fine, if you're going to be a coward, I'll go first," I said, sliding past him and staring down into the blackness.

Harry stepped forward. "Lucy, you don't have to-"

I swung my legs over into the pipe and smiled as bravely as I could. "Hey, it's okay. I'm a Gryffindor, aren't I? Besides, this isn't for me, or for him. It's for Ginny."

I gave myself a final push and took off down the pipe.

I had lots of time to think as I slid through centuries of slime.

I thought about Ginny, the closest thing I had ever had to a little sister. My whole life, Cedric had taken care of me. To be able to care for someone else the way he cared for me fulfilled a need I didn't know I even had.

I thought about Cedric. I realized altogether too late that I had never said goodbye to him. Everything had happened too quickly. I hoped he didn't have to hear about my skeleton remaining in the Chamber forever, too, but I hoped that he would understand why I did what I did, if it came to that.

I thought about the Weasleys. The unthinkable had already happened to them; they had already lost a sister, possibly forever, despite their best efforts to protect her. I wanted to do everything I could to bring her back if possible, or bring them closure if not. But I would never know what was possible or impossible until I tried.

I thought about Harry. All I ask is that you help him as best you can, whatever may come next.

I hit the stone floor with a squish of sludge. I scrambled out of the way, not knowing how far behind me everyone else would be.

"Lumos maxima!" I whispered, watching as my wand burst to life. The tunnel was so dark it seemed to swallow most of the light from my wand. All I could see was wet stone.

Lockhart, Harry, and Ron came a few seconds later.

"We must be miles under the school," Harry mused.

"Under the lake, probably," Ron agreed.

Harry lit his wand. "Remember, any sign of movement, close your eyes right away," he said.

I nodded, and we proceeded down the tunnel, crunching over the skeletons of dead animals. Around a bend, Ron gave a small gasp.

"There's something up there," he whispered, gripping my shoulder.

We all stopped instantly.

"Close your eyes," I whispered, wriggling free from Ron's grip and inching closer to whatever it was. I realized it was snake skin, Slytherin green and several meters long.

"Just the skin," I muttered. "You can open your eyes."

"Blimey," Ron said, his voice small.

A muffled thump made me turn around. Lockhart was on his knees, speechless and pale.

"Get up," Ron snapped, leveling his wand at the man.

He did, but as he did so, he lunged forward and snatched Ron's wand from his hand and sent my friend sprawling to the ground.

"Ron!" I gasped, rushing forward.

Lockhart pointed his wand at us, and I skidded to a stop. "The adventure ends here! I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you three tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body. Say good-bye to your memories!"

I put on a burst of speed as Lockhart lifted the Spellotaped wand.

"Obliviate!" he shouted.

The wand exploded, and an explosion rang out through the stone tunnel. I slipped on the wet ground, and before I could regain my balance, something hard and heavy slammed into my head, and my world went black.

"Lucy! Lucy, please, wake up!"

I opened my eyes slowly. Ron's face swam in my vision. I blinked hard. "What happened? Where am I?"

"No, no no no, not you too," he moaned, sitting back and staring up at the ceiling.

"Not me too? What do you-" Everything came back to me all at once, and I pushed myself to a sitting position. The rapid motion was too much for my throbbing head, and I nearly fell back down as stars danced in front of me. Ron lunged forward and caught my shoulder.

"No, don't move," he said. "You're hurt, badly. I thought you were dead at first."

I forced away the pain and the dizziness and looked around. "Where's Harry? What happened? Where's Lockhart?"

"My wand backfired and caused an explosion, and the tunnel collapsed. A rock hit you in the head and knocked you out. Harry's on the other side of the rubble --- he's gone on to find Ginny. And Lockhart, well... I think he obliviated himself. He wanted to come help you when he saw what happened, but when I told him to get away before he hurt you again, he smiled and nodded and walked away up the tunnel, whistling to himself. I called after him to wait at the foot of the pipe for us. I hope he can still follow directions."

I took a deep breath. "We need to go help Harry," I said, grabbing my wand off the ground.

"Lucy, no, I can do it by myself, you're-"

"I can do this." I planted my feet and managed to stand. I shook my head to clear the fuzz and the stars.

Ron stared at me, slack-jawed. "Lucy, no, I-"

My head really did hurt. I had never experienced so much pain as a human, without a transformation being a part of it. I thought about agreeing, and resting my head back down against the cool stone floor.

All I ask is that you help him as best you can, whatever may come next.

"We have to help Harry. Both of us." I walked toward the massive wall of broken rocks. "I don't think we should use magic to break through it. I don't want to risk bringing the whole tunnel down."

He nodded. "One rock at a time?"

"One rock at a time," I agreed, tucking my wand into my pocket and beginning to tug at the rocks.

We worked in silence for the next several minutes, occasionally hissing in pain when we cut our fingers on sharp rocks or when our fingers got pinched beneath particularly heavy ones. We could hear nothing from the other side of the wall, nothing at all, but we kept working feverishly.

After what seemed like an eternity, a hole wide enough for me to fit through was created.

"I'll go help Harry," I said. "I can fit through."

"At least wait for me to go with you," he protested. "Please. Lucy, you really are hurt. I don't know how you're still alive, honestly, let alone standing and helping and thinking about going to help Harry."

You can thank my werewolf level of pain tolerance for that, I thought to myself. Before I could make a verbal reply, Harry's voice came through the hole.

"Ron! Ginny's okay! I've got her! Is Lucy okay?"

"Ginny!" I screamed, launching myself through the hole and wrapping my arms around her. She hugged back weakly, crying into my shoulder.

Harry chuckled. "I guess so."

Ron reached his arm through the hole and yanked his sister to his side. Harry glanced at me before climbing through, and his eyes widened. "Lucy, you..." He reached forward and gently wiped his thumb across my forehead.

"What about it?" I asked. "I mean, it hurts, but-"

He showed me his thumb, which was bright red with blood. I studied him, and pointed to a crimson blood stain on his right arm, which was the same arm holding...

"Harry, is that the Sword of Gryffindor? And the Sorting Hat?" I asked incredulously. "And what happened to your arm?"

"I'll tell you later," he said with a crooked grin. "Come on, let's get out of here."

I crawled through the hole first, Harry right behind me. Ron's arm was still firmly around his sister's shoulders. "Harry, what happened? How? What? Wait, where did that bird come from?"

Fawkes flew through the hole. "Fawkes," I breathed. "He's Dumbledore's."

"How come you've got a sword?"

"I'll explain when we get out of here," he said, glancing at Ginny. Tears streamed down her face, and I reached forward to dry them with the cleanest part of my robe. She gave a great shuddering sob and collapsed on top of me.

"But-" Ron protested, looking despairingly at Harry.

"Later." Harry's voice was firm. "We need to get the girls out of here. Say, where's Lockhart?"

Ron pointed over his shoulder. "Back there. He's in a bad way. Come and see."

"Let's go," I said softly to Ginny, looping an arm around her trembling shoulders. The pain in my head grew more and more intolerable as my adrenaline levels dropped, and I could feel my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. The boys reached Lockhart first, who was sitting on the mouth of the pipe and swinging his legs while humming an unfamiliar tune.

Ron sighed. "His memory's gone. The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."

Lockhart smiled. "Hello! Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

Ron turned to Harry in a See? kind of gesture. "No, we don't live here," he replied.

Harry stepped forward and looked up the pipe, tucking the sword and the Sorting Hat into his robes, then turned to look at Ron. "Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?"

Ron shook his head, and Harry turned to me. "Have you, Lucy?"

I shook my head too, but as I did so, my vision swam. I staggered slightly, fighting to stay on my feet. The boys rushed forward, Ron grabbing Ginny and Harry grabbing me.

"How hard did she hit her head?" he asked Ron tightening his grip around my arm as I leaned my head against his shoulder. "How on earth is she still alive?"

"It took her forever to come to. And I tried to convince her to stay down and not help," he replied with a shrug, "but she refused to listen."

Fawkes the phoenix swooped down in front of us and stared at Harry.

"I think he wants us to hold onto him," I said.

"Lucy, you're not thinking straight," Ron said, his voice thick with concern. "We're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there."

Harry stiffened suddenly. "Fawkes isn't an ordinary bird. We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart, take Ginny's other hand."

"He means you," Ron said to the dazed man.

"Lucy, just hold onto me," he said. "I don't want you losing consciousness again on the way up and letting go. It might be a little rough. Ron, you can grab my robes."

I wrapped my arms around Harry's chest and buried my pounding head against it. He grabbed Fawkes's tail feathers with one hand and placed the other firmly on my shoulder to keep me pressed up against him. Suddenly, we were airborne.

Harry's arm tightened around me as I started to fade out again. "I've got you, Lu," he said softly, and I forced myself to stay conscious.

Soon, we had landed again on the floor of Myrtle's bathroom. The sink returned to its normal state, and I fell to my hands and knees.

"You're alive," Myrtle said. "All of you."

Harry took his glasses off and began cleaning them. "There's no need to sound so disappointed."

Her face took on a more silver hue. "Oh, well, I'd just been thinking... if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet."

"Thanks," he replied awkwardly. "We should probably, er, get out of here." Harry reached forward and offered me a hand. I tried to push myself to my feet on my own, but I stumbled and fell against Harry. He shook his head and smiled as he looped his arm around me to prop me up. "When will you just let us take care of you?"

Despite how cold I was, I felt a slight blush creep into my cheeks. I smiled back. "Cedric says I've something of an independent streak."

"A stubborn streak a mile wide is more like it," Ron teased as we stepped into the corridor. "Where do we go now?"

"The Hospital Wing," Harry replied.

"No," I said, watching as Fawkes disappeared around a corner. "I think we should follow him."

"Lu-" Harry started to protest.

"Please?"

"Alright," he relented. "But if you faint, it's not on us."

"Fine by me. Follow that phoenix."

He led us straight to Professor McGonagall's office. Harry knocked, then pushed the door open.

The crowd of people stared at us in silence at first.

Then Mrs. Weasley screamed, "Ginny!" Mr. Weasley rushed after her, and they threw their arms around their daughter.

Professor Dumbledore smiled proudly, whereas Professor McGonagall looked as if she were trying not to faint herself.

Mrs. Weasley then Harry, Ron, and me tightly. "You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "I think we'd all like to know that."

Harry brought out the Sorting Hat, Sword of Gryffindor, and Tom Riddle's mangled diary with the hand that wasn't still firmly grasping my shoulder, setting them on a nearby table. I was half-listening as he recounted hearing the basilisk in the pipes, Hermione being the one to realize that a basilisk was what he was hearing, following Hagrid's clue about the spiders into the Forbidden Forest, following Aragog's clue about Myrtle, and finding the entrance in her bathroom.

He paused, and Professor McGonagall prodded him along. "Very well. So you found out where the entrance was --- breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add --- but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"

He talked then about the pipe that led us all the way down there, and the backfiring Memory Charm and the subsequent explosion that separated him from the rest of us.

His grip tightened around me. "Once Ron said Lucy was alive and that he'd keep Lockhart from hurting her even more, I kept going. Tom Riddle was waiting in the chamber, and we started talking. He took my wand, and I think he was about to use it against me when Fawkes showed up, with the Sorting Hat. When Riddle set the basilisk on me, Fawkes blinded it, and the Sorting Hat gave me the Sword of Gryffindor."

He paused again, and looked at Dumbledore, who smiled gently and knowingly.

"What interests me most is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania."

The whole room seemed to gasp at once, except for Harry, who relaxed next to me.

Mr. Weasley swallowed hard. "W-What's that? You-Know-Who? En-Enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not... Ginny hasn't been... has she?"

Harry grabbed the diary and held it out to Dumbledore. "It was this diary. Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen."

Dumbledore took it from him and studied it. "Brilliant. Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen..." He looked around the room before continuing, noting the confusion on everyone's faces. "Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school, traveled far and wide... sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

Mrs. Weasley held her daughter tighter. "But, Ginny... what's our Ginny got to do with... with... him?"

Ginny spoke for the first time. "His d-diary, I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year-"

Mr. Weasley went rigid with shock and horror. "Ginny! Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!"

Ginny cried harder. "I d-didn't know. I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it, and-"

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Miss Weasley should go up to the Hospital Wing right away. This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort. Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up." He smiled down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice, and I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

"Hermione! She's okay!" Ron gasped.

Dumbledore nodded. "There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny."

Ginny and her parents left, all still pale as ghosts.

Ron came to stand by my other side as Professor Dumbledore looked at Professor McGonagall. "You know, Minerva, I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

She nodded. "Right. I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, and Diggory, shall I?"

"Certainly," he replied. When she left, Professor Dumbledore smiled at us.

"I seem to remember telling you boys that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," he said with a twinkle of mirth in his eyes.

They both stiffened next to me just the same.

"Which goes to show," he continued, "that the best of us must sometimes eat our words. You will all receive Special Awards for Services to the School and let me see... yes, I think one hundred fifty points apiece for Gryffindor."

We all flushed bright red.

Dumbledore smiled at our reaction before turning his attention to the back of the room. "But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure. Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

Ron jumped slightly. "Professor Dumbledore, there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart-"

Lockhart looked pleased. "Am I a professor? Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?"

Ron silenced him with a look and went on. "He tried to do a memory charm and the wand backfired."

Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "Dear me. Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"

"Sword? No, haven't got a sword. That boy has, though, he'll lend you one."

Harry and Ron snickered, but I couldn't bring myself to laugh. Looking at Lockhart's face, the green glow of the memory charm, it all made my head spin. Maybe it was the pain in my head getting to me, maybe it was the fact that I hadn't slept in more than 24 hours at that point, but something about this just felt... strangely familiar. But all I knew was that my head was killing me, and I couldn't make it much longer without passing out.

Professor Dumbledore glanced at me with an unusual look in his eyes, as if he could tell what I was thinking and how I was feeling. He turned to Ron. "Would you and Lucy mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the Hospital Wing? I'd like a few more words with Harry."

Ron and I nodded, and we left the room with Lockhart in tow.

"You're staying in the Hospital Wing too, you know," Ron said as we rounded the corner. "You look horrible."

"Thanks," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

We had nearly reached the Hospital Wing when I spotted Cedric at the end of the hallway.

"Do you mind-?" I squeaked, glancing at Ron then back to my brother.

"Go," Ron said, nudging me forward, "I've got this idiot under control."

I sprinted down the hallway as best I could with my spinning head and slimy robes. "Cedric!" I called.

He whirled around just as I plowed into him.

"Oh, Lucy," he sighed, holding me so tightly I thought my ribs might crack. "You're okay."

"More or less," I chuckled, my knees beginning to buckle just from the sheer relief I felt.

He held me at arms-length and studied me with his healer's eye. "What happened to you? Down in-"

"You knew?"

He huffed a laugh. "Of course I knew. The second Henry woke me up saying someone had saved Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets, I knew it was you."

"Well, it was really Harry," I said with a shrug, pointing to my forehead. "I got taken out of the fight early by a falling rock."

"If you have your wand, I can fix that up for you," he said. I passed it to him, and relief instantly flooded my body.

"Thank you," I breathed, sighing in relief as I tucked my wand away. "Now I need to go find-"

"Lucy!" Hermione screamed from behind me.

I spun around and sprinted toward her. She launched herself at me so excitedly I would have surely fallen to the ground had Cedric not just healed me. Hot tears burned my eyes and my throat as I saw that my ring was complete once again. Both halves shone a brilliant yellow.

Joy. No words could truly describe what I was feeling in that moment, but joy was just about as close as it got. For the first time in what felt like forever, everything was okay.