"Heartbound Secrets | Hermione Granger x Reader (GXG)

|| 31. The Mightiest of All Four

"Alright!" Ron and Hermione responded. Harry and Y/N cautiously made their way through the debris, wands at the ready, searching for any sign of danger.

They halted as they reached the end of the tunnel, confronted by a massive, circular vault-like door adorned with six serpent bodies etched onto its metallic surface. The snakes had emerald-green eyes that appeared eerily lifelike.

Approaching cautiously, they hissed, "Open."

One by one, the serpent engravings retracted, and another snake emerged from the side where they were all connected, its sinuous body coiling around the vault before disappearing once more into its original position.

A pronounced hissing filled the air, as if the room had been fermenting in silence for centuries. Then came a low rumbling, and the door began to creak open, releasing a hollow echo that sent shivers down their spines.

With wands held protectively, they took slow, deliberate steps into the passage, eventually reaching the end with a ladder leading downward. Harry turned to Y/N, indicating for her to step back.

"I'll go first, keep an eye out," he instructed. Y/N nodded, and Harry ascended the ladder with measured effort. Upon reaching the bottom, he gestured for Y/N to follow suit. Both of them scanned their surroundings with vigilance, their eyes darting about.

The platform they stood on was narrow and lined with serpent head statues. At the far end, there was a sculpture of a bearded man, his hair cascading down the walls, his face gleaming and reflecting in the water below.

They took careful steps forward, mindful not to slip on the wet surface. But their caution was shattered when they saw a familiar red-haired figure lying unconscious on the floor, shivering.

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, both he and Y/N rushing down the narrow platform, their footsteps echoing through the eerie chamber. They knelt beside the girl, their hearts pounding in their chests.

"Ginny, wake up!" Y/N softly pleaded, gently shaking the girl's limp body as she lay on the damp ground.

"Please don't be dead. Wake up, please, wake up!" Harry's voice cracked as he joined Y/N, his desperation evident in his hoarse, weary tone. Y/N scanned the chamber, trying to figure out how to get Ginny out of this place safely.

"Please wake up, Ginny," Harry continued, his voice growing louder, his eyes filled with worry and fear. But their hope was dampened when a strange yet oddly familiar figure approached them.

"She won't wake," the figure said softly, almost eerily. Harry turned his head sharply.

"Tom—Tom Riddle," Y/N said calmly, her eyes widening at the sight.

"What do you mean she won't wake?" Harry demanded, sitting up straight, his voice trembling. "She's not... she's not...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"She's still alive, but barely," Tom replied, answering Harry's unspoken question. He approached them, and Y/N couldn't help but notice the small smirk on his face.

"Are you a ghost?" Y/N asked, her curiosity mixed with a hint of fear, a nagging feeling telling her that this man was trouble.

"I'm a memory, preserved in a diary for fifty years," Tom explained, his hands clasped behind his back, that smirk never leaving his lips.

Y/N gently grasped Ginny's wrist, checking for a pulse, her eyes widening at the icy temperature, the girl's skin almost bluish-pale. "She's cold as ice."

Desperation filled the air as they continued to plead with Ginny, unaware that the boy had discreetly picked up their dropped wands. Their soft whispers and pleas to awaken Ginny echoed through the chamber.