A few months later, Johnny, Pansy, and Daphne walked back to the Slytherin Common Room, their footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor. The flickering torches cast eerie shadows on the stone walls, matching the unease that hung in the air.

Pansy glanced at Johnny, her eyes clouded with concern. "I'm sorry about Granger, J, I know you were friends for a while."

Johnny nodded, his expression grave. "I had nothing to do with it. I got rid of Riddle's diary, remember?"

Daphne frowned, her brow furrowing. "But if it wasn't you, then who could it be?"

Before Johnny could respond, a sudden change overcame him. His eyes glazed over, and his voice took on a chilling tone. "I have to go," he said, his words sending shivers down their spines. And just like that, he vanished into a puff of black smoke, leaving Pansy and Daphne stunned.

Pansy's voice trembled as she called out, "John? Where did he go?"

Daphne's eyes widened in realisation. "The girls' bathroom. That's where Myrtle was attacked, and that has to be where the Chamber of Secrets is."

Heart pounding with fear, Pansy grabbed Daphne's arm. "We have to go after him, Daph."

They hurriedly made their way to the girls' bathroom, their footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. As they pushed open the heavy door, they were greeted by a scene straight out of a nightmare.

Johnny stood before the sinks, his hand tracing the intricate patterns etched into the faucet. His voice rang out in a sibilant hiss, speaking the Parseltongue. The sink creaked and groaned, and with a surge of magic, it opened, revealing the dark entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

Pansy's heart raced as she called out, "J, stop!"

But it was too late. Johnny's red eyes glowed with determination as he stepped into the gaping opening of the chamber. The sink closed behind him, sealing him off from the outside world.

Pansy and Daphne exchanged worried glances before Pansy cursed loudly.

As Johnny ventured further into the Chamber of Secrets, the air grew colder and the darkness more suffocating. The faint sound of dripping water echoed through the narrow passage, adding an eerie ambiance to the scene. With each step, Johnny's heart pounded with a mix of trepidation and determination.

Finally, he reached a large, dimly lit chamber adorned with ancient carvings. At the center of the room, in front of the statue of Salazar Slytherin, stood a figure, a woman with striking red hair that cascaded down her back. Her piercing red eyes glinted with a mischievous spark, and a sly smile played on her lips.

"Well, well, well," Arachna drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look who finally decided to pay me a visit. I must say, your timing is impeccable, Johnny boy."

Elizabeth Olsen as Arachna Chrysanthemum

Johnny's brow furrowed as he took in Arachna's confident presence. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice laced with caution.

Arachna chuckled, the sound echoing through the chamber. "Oh, dear Johnny, don't you recognise me? My name is Arachna Chrysanthemum, the one who possessed you and caused all this chaos. But let me assure you, I'm not as evil as I seemed when I inhabited your body."

Confusion washed over Johnny's face. "But why? Why me? What do you want?"

Arachna's smile widened, revealing a hint of mischief. "Oh, Johnny, my dear, it was never about you. I needed a vessel, a means to an end. And you were just convenient. But now that I have my form back, I can finally show my true colors."

Johnny's eyes narrowed, a mix of curiosity and skepticism burning within him. "And what are those true colors?"

Arachna circled him slowly, her movements graceful yet filled with an air of unpredictability. "I'm what the No-Maj's might call an anti-villain, Johnny. I don't play by the rules of good and evil. I create my own path, my own chaos, and my own sense of justice, though occasionally I may follow the most powerful of the bunch. I'm not here to destroy the Wizarding World or cause mayhem. No, I have far more interesting plans, I just like to watch the world burn."

Johnny's apprehension began to transform into intrigue. "Interesting plans? Care to elaborate?"

Arachna grinned, her eyes glinting with excitement. "Oh, I could tell you, Johnny, but where's the fun in that? Let's just say I have a score to settle with certain individuals who have wronged me in the past. And I plan to do it with style."

A mixture of awe and concern filled Johnny's expression. "But what about me? What happens now?"

Arachna's smile softened, a touch of unexpected warmth in her eyes. "You, my dear Johnny, are no longer under my control. You're free to choose your own path, to make amends for the actions committed while I possessed you. Consider this a second chance, a chance to prove yourself."

"Or," Arachna smirked. "You could join me, I'll be your mentor, your guide through such troubling times. How about it, Johnny boy? You and I against the world?"

"It seems our conversation will have to wait," said Arachna after Johnny was about to reply. "Look," Arachna nodded back to the entrance of the chamber.

Ginny Weasley walked towards them, her eyes glazed over.

"Did you possess her too?" Johnny asked, staring at the innocent girl.

"That would be me," a new voice said through the darkness. A figure emerged, a figure Johnny recognised to be a young Tom Riddle from the diary. "When you so carelessly threw my diary away, I had to find a new vessel to continue our work on the Mudblood's."

Johnny's mind raced, trying to process the gravity of the situation. "But Ginny... How could you do this to her? She's just a kid!"

Arachna's laughter echoed through the chamber, sending chills down Johnny's spine. "Oh, my dear, naive Johnny. Ginny was but a vessel for him, a means to an end. She served her purpose well, and now she will die."

Tom Riddle stepped forward, his gaze cold and calculating. "Indeed. Together, we will rid the wizarding world of those impure bloodlines, those who taint the purity of magic. And you, my friend, have a choice to make. Will you join us or stand against us?"

Johnny's heart pounded in his chest as he weighed his options. The allure of power and the promise of belonging to something greater tugged at him, m

Before Johnny could respond, the door of the chamber opened again and allowed for Tom to hide back in the shadows. Harry was running towards them, falling to his knees beside Ginny who had collapsed when Tom revealed himself.

Arachna's sarcastic tone dripped with amusement. "Well, well, if it isn't the famous Harry Potter. How delightful to have you join our little gathering."

"Are you alright?" Harry ignored her, turning to Johnny. He nodded weakly, his eyes still upon Ginny.

"She won't wake," said a soft voice.

Harry jumped and spun around on his knees.

A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him.

"Tom - Tom Riddle?"

Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face.

"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not - she's not -?"

"She's still alive," said Johnny unemotionally, the red tint to his eyes. "But only just."

Harry stared at him and then back to Tom. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen.

"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly.

"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary. For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there - but there were more pressing matters to deal with.

"You've got to help me," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk... I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment... Please, help me."

Riddle nor Johnny moved. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again.

But his wand had gone.

"Did you see -?"

He looked up. Riddle was still watching him - twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers.

"Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it.

A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly.

"Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny's dead weight. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes--"

"It won't come until it is called," said Johnny calmly.

Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer.

"What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it--"

Riddle's smile broadened.

"You won't be needing it," he said.

Harry stared at him.

"What d'you mean, I won't be -?"

"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."

"Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later--"

"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand.

Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here ...

"How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly.

"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"What are you talking about?" said Harry.

"The diary," said Riddle. 'My diary. Johnathan wrote in it just before Halloween and it allowed myself and Arachna to bend his mind to our control, then Little Ginny, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes - how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how -" Riddle's eyes glinted "- how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her..."

All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them.

"It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom... I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in... It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket..."

Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck.

"If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted... I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her..."

"What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth had gone very dry.

"Haven't you guessed yet, Potter?" said Johnny hissed, his unearthly red eyes staring into Harry's soul. "It was me that opened the Chamber of Secrets. I was the one that strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. I was the one that set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat."

"No," Harry whispered.

"Yes," said Riddle, calmly. "Of course, Johnny didn't know what he was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen the mental breakdowns he had, so much more amusing," he laughed, watching Harry's horrified face. "Then he threw the diary and I found a new pet to play with."

Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms.

"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you came in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet..."

"And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry. Anger was coursing through him, and it was an effort to keep his voice steady.

"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole fascinating history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust--"

"Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice now shaking. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but--"

Riddle laughed his high laugh again.

"It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student... on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls... but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realise that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance... as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!

"Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippetto keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed... Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did ..."

"I bet Dumbledore saw right through you," said Harry, his teeth gritted.

"Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," said Riddle carelessly. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."

"Well, you haven't finished it," said Harry triumphantly. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again--"

"Haven't I already told you," said Riddle quietly, "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been - you."

Harry stared at him.

"Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery - particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue...

"So, Arachna brought Johnny here for a chat and I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her... She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last... I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter."

"Like what?" Harry spat, fists still clenched.

"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you - a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent - managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.

"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."

"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."

He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry - I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

Harry's brain seemed to have jammed. He stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others... At last he forced himself to speak.

"You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred.

"Not what?" snapped Riddle.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days--"

The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed.

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true.

Riddle opened his mouth, but froze.

Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Johnny's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Johnny felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle.

A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.

The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle and Johnny.

"That's a phoenix." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.

"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently.

"And that -" said Johnny, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat--"

So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet.

Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once.

"This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"

Harry didn't answer. He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting.

"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice - in your past, in my future - we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

Harry was thinking fast, weighing his chances. Riddle had the wand and a possessed Johnny. He, Harry, had Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, neither of which would be much good in a duel. It looked bad, all right... but the longer Riddle stood there, the more life was dwindling out of Ginny... and in the meantime, Harry noticed suddenly, Riddle's outline was becoming clearer, more solid... If it had to be a fight between him and Riddle, better sooner than later.

"No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul--"

Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile. "So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful countercharm. I can see now... there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. And the three of us are probably the only three Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike... but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know."

Harry stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him..."

He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Harry, fear spreading up his numb legs, watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed - but Harry understood what he was saying ...

"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder.

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole.

And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and as he shut his eyes tight he felt Fawkes'wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents?

Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Johnny, his eyes still on Harry, felt it shudder - he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice:

"Kill him."

Harry tripped. He fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming.

There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars.

He couldn't help it - he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on.

Johnny's body trembled as he fought against the dark forces that had possessed him. His mind was clouded, his thoughts twisted, but deep within, a flicker of his true self remained. With every ounce of strength he could muster, Johnny pushed back against the grip of the possession, determined to regain control.

His muscles strained, his hands clenched into fists, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he resisted the malevolent influence. The struggle was intense, as if a battle was raging within him, a battle for his very soul. The possession fought back, trying to maintain its hold on Johnny, but he refused to surrender.

With a mighty roar, Johnny broke free. He stood tall, his eyes blazing with determination and defiance. The darkness that had clouded his mind was replaced by a newfound clarity, fueled by his sheer willpower.

Harry's mouth fell open as he watched Johnny float in the air. He had two scarlet energy balls in his hands and Harry held his breath as the earth below him shook like a mini earthquake. Still floating, Johnny lifted both his hands from his sides and four boulders he pulled from the wall floated, before he flicked his wrist and they went soaring at the Basilisk.

"No! No!" Riddle screeched as the creature wailed in pain.

The Basilisk writhed in agony as the boulders struck its massive form. Its scales cracked and shattered under the force, causing it to let out a deafening roar. But Johnny wasn't finished yet.

With a wave of his hand, Johnny summoned a vortex of scarlet energy that swirled around him. The power of Arachna flowed through him, enhancing his abilities and granting him control over reality itself.

The once dimly lit chamber was now bathed in a brilliant glow, as if the sun itself had descended upon them. The Basilisk, weakened and disoriented, found itself entangled in a web of energy that held it captive. Johnny's eyes glowed with an intense fire as he focused his powers, encasing the creature in a prison of swirling scarlet energy.

With a final surge of power, Johnny unleashed a torrent of scarlet energy that engulfed the Basilisk. The creature let out a final, anguished cry as its scales burnt. The skeleton of the Basilisk hit the stone floor with a thud. The chamber fell silent, the air heavy with the aftermath of the battle.

Johnny slowly descended to the ground, his expression a mix of exhaustion and triumph. Though suddenly, he felt a searing pain in his arm. He looked down, seeing a dislodged Basilisk fang. Johnny laughed unexpectedly.

Johnny slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But he knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as he dropped the fang and watched his own blood soaking his robes, his vision went foggy. The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull colour.

"Johnny!" Harry yelled. He slid beside Johnny. His breath was coming out short and ragged. He looked extremely pale and tired but he managed a weak smile.

"Y-you... you alright?" Johnny asked, groaning in pain. A patch of scarlet swam past, and Johnny heard a soft clatter of claws beside him.

"Fawkes," said Harry thickly.

Johnny felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced him.

He could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of him.

"You're dead, Johnathan Grindelwald," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Grindelwald? He's crying."

Johnny blinked. Harry, Riddle and Fawke's head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Johnathan. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Johnny felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning, yet he couldn't help but laugh.

"Phoenix's tears have healing abilities," Johnny rasped, still laughing as Riddle looked horrified, as if he only just remembered.

"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him - I said, get away--"

Johnny raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet.

"Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course... healing powers... I forgot..."

He looked into Johnny's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just us, boys... just us..."

He raised the wand ...

Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap - the diary.

For a split second, Johnny, Harry and Riddle, wand still raised, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him and plunged it straight into the heart of the book.

There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, staining Johnny's trousers, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then--

He had gone. Harry's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.

"Well that was dramatic," Johnny shook his head, earning a laugh from Harry who helped pull Johnny to his feet. His head was spinning as though he'd just traveled miles by Floo powder. Slowly, Harry gathered together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from floor.

"Where the bloody hell did that come from?" Johnny asked as he limped towards Ginny.

"Pulled it from the hat but you beat me to killing it," Harry shrugged.

Then came a faint moan from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring. As Harry and Johnny hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry and Johnny, in their blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in Johnny's hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.

"Harry - oh, Harry - I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy - it was me, Harry - but I - I s-swear I d-didn't mean to - R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over - and - how did you kill that - that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary--"

"Hey, it's all right," said Johnny, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole.

"Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here--" Harry said but was cut off.

"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and - w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"

Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Both Harry and Johnny urged Ginny forward; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. Johnny heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss.

After a few minutes'progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Johnny's ears.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up ahead of the other two. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!"

They heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall.

"Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How - what - where did that bird come from?"

Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny.

"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself. "You alright, Johnny?"

"Fine," Johnny muttered, taking Harry's outstretched hand and allowing him to pull Johnny through the hole.

"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand.

"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever.

"But--"

"He said later," Johnny said shortly.

Harry agreed with Johnny. He didn't think it was a good idea to tell Ron yet that Johnny and Ginny has been the ones opening the Chamber all year, not in front of Ginny, anyway. "Where's Lockhart?"

"Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."

Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself.

"His memory's gone," said Ron. "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 peered good-naturedly up at them all.

"Hello," he said. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry and Johnny.

Johnny bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe.

"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to them.

Ron and Harry shook their heads, but Fawkes the phoenix had swooped past Johnny and was now fluttering in front of him, his beady eyes bright in the dark. He was waving his long golden tail feathers. Johnny looked uncertainly at him.

"He looks like he wants you to grab hold..." said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there--"

"Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart--"

"He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart.

"You hold Ginny's other hand--"

Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and took hold of Johnny's jumper while Johnny held onto Fawkes's strangely hot tail feathers.

An extraordinary lightness seemed to spread through his whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, they were flying upward through the pipe. Johnny could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!" The chill air was whipping through Johnny's hair, and before he'd stopped enjoying the ride, it was over - all five of them were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat, the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place.

Myrtle goggled at them.

"You're alive," she said blankly to Harry and Johnny.

"There's no need to sound so disappointed," Harry said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses.

"Oh, well... I'd just been thinking... if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver.

"Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!"

But tears were still flooding silently down Ginny's face.

"Where now?" said Ron, with an anxious look at Ginny. Harry pointed.

Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. They strode after him, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office.

Johnny knocked and pushed the door open.