~Harry's POV~
Ron is sitting next to Hermione while I sit next to Hollie, stroking her hand.
I look up at Bella, who is sitting the other side of the bed on a chair and she looks as worried as me.
"Wish you were here, Hollie. You were always the strong one – always looked out for me when I should have been looking out for you."
As I stroke Hollie's hand, I feel something and realise she's holding something – a screwed up piece of paper so I remove it and take a look.
"Ron, Bella, we need to find the others."
We leave the hospital wing and find the others with Neville and Edward in the common room.
"What's that?" Ron asks when I pull out the piece of paper.
"This was why Hollie and Hermione were in the library the day they were attacked."
"What does it say?" Ben asks.
"Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land, none is more deadly than the Basilisk. Capable of living for hundreds of years, instant death awaits any who meet this giant serpent's eye. Spiders flee before it..."
"That's it," Bella says. "That's what the monster is... and it would account for how we heard it and nobody else... it's a snake."
"But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why is it no one's dead?" Ryan asks.
"Isn't it obvious?" Ben says. "Nobody looked it in the eyes, at least not directly."
"Of course," Bella says. "Colin saw it through his camera... Justin must have seen it through Sir Nicholas... Mrs Norris through the reflection in the water... and Hollie and Hermione were using mirrors."
"But how is the snake getting around?" Ron asks. "A snake that big, someone must have seen it."
"Through the pipes," Edward says.
"Wait," Ryan says. "Remember what you told us about that girl Aragog told you about? The one who died in the bathroom 50 years ago? I don't think she ever left the bathroom."
'All students are to return to their house dormitories at once," McGonagall says over the tannoy. 'All teachers to the second floor corridor immediately.'
"We have to find out what's going on," Bella says. "Harry grab the cloak, the rest of you stay here."
"I'm coming too," Edward insists.
"Fine," Bella says.
I grab the cloak and the three of us hurry to the second floor just as the teachers approach.
"As you can see," McGonagall states. "The Heir of Slytherin has left another message. Our worst fear has been realized. A student has been taken by the monster into the Chamber itself. The students must be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts."
"They cannot close Hogwarts," I whisper. "This is my home."
"We'll figure something out," Edward whispers.
"So sorry," we hear Lockhart say. "Dozed off. What have I missed?"
"A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart," Snape says. "Your moment has come at last."
"My moment?" he stutters.
"Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"
Lockhart is speechless.
"That's settled. We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy," McGonagall says. "Your skills, after all, are legend."
"Very well. I'll just be in my office getting ready."
"Who is it that the monster's taken, Minerva?" Carlisle asks.
"Ginny Weasley."
I gasp.
When the teachers walk away, we see what is written: 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'
"We need to see Lockhart," I say. "He may be useless, but he's going to try and get into the Chamber."
We make our way to his office, only to find him packing his bags.
"Are you going somewhere?" Edward asks
"Well, yes. Urgent call. Unavoidable. Got to go."
"You coward," Edward says.
"You're running away?" I ask. "After all you did in your books?"
"Books can be misleading."
"I told you he was a fraud," Bella says.
"But why write those things?" I ask.
"My dear boy, use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done those things."
"You've just been taking credit for what other wizards have done?" I ask. "Is there anything you can do?"
"Yes, now you mention it. I'm rather gifted with Memory Charms. Otherwise, all those wizards would have gone blabbing. I'd never have sold another book. In fact, I'm going to have to do the same to you."
Edward holds out his wand so me and Bella do the same.
"Don't even think about it," Edward warns.
He puts his wand down.
~Ryan's POV~
I am sitting in the bathroom with Merida when Harry, Edward and Bella walk in with Lockhart.
"What's going on?"
"Lockhart is a fraud," Harry says. "He's coming with us."
"Where?"
"Into the Chamber," Bella says.
"Have you asked her?" Harry asks, looking around.
I nod my head before looking standing up.
"Myrtle," I call and she pops her head out of the cubicle.
"Yes!"
"Can you tell us how you died?" I ask sensitively.
"It was dreadful. It happened right here in this very cubicle," she explains as she floats over to one of the cubicles. "I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in."
"Who was it, Myrtle?" Harry asks.
"I don't know. I was distraught. But they said something funny, a kind of made-up language and I realized it was a boy, so I unlocked the door to tell him to go away and I died."
"Just like that? How?" I ask, not having heard this story before.
"I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes over there by that sink," she says as she points.
Harry goes to the sink and investigates before turning the tap, which doesn't work.
He looks closer.
"It's a snake symbol," Edward says and I look at him.
There's no way he can see anything on the tap from where he's standing.
"This is it," Harry says. "This is it guys. I think this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."
Bella speaks in Parseltongue and then there's clanking before the top of the sink unit rises and the basins move outward. The sink Harry was looking at moves down into the ground before a grate moves over it, revealing a tunnel.
"Excellent, Bella," Lockhart says. "Good work. Well, then, I'll just be... there's no need for me to stay."
He tries to make a run for it but Edward stops him which is remarkable considering he wasn't anywhere near the door.
"You first," Edward orders.
"Now, children, what good will it do?"
"Better you than us," Ryan says.
"But... obviously, yes."
He turns and looks down.
"Sure you don't want to test it first?"
Bella pushes him down and he screams until we hear a crash.
"It's really quite filthy down here."
"Alright, let's go," Bella says.
"Be careful, Ryan," Merida says.
Ryan nod before the four of us jump down.
We slide down the pipes until we land a few inches away from Lockhart.
"Now, remember, any sign of movement, close your eyes straight away," Edward says.
Bella, Harry and me go first with Edward forcing Lockhart behind us.
We continue until we find what looks like a snake.
"What's this?" I ask. "It looks like a snake."
"It's a snake skin," Bella says.
"Whatever shed that must be 60 feet long, or more," I say.
Lockhart faints.
"Stupid coward," Bella says. "Ryan, stay here and make sure he's not faking – keep your wand at the ready."
"Why can't Edward do that?"
"Because Edward won't leave my side."
I look at her boyfriend before I nod and take my wand out as the others head further into the tunnels.
~Bella's POV~
As we walk through the tunnels, we have our wands at the ready and Edward holds my hand.
We reach a door which has seven snakes on it.
"Open," I say in Parseltongue.
The snake heads move as another snake slithers past them in a circle, then the door opens so we go inside and stop at a ladder going down.
It's at least four feet but Edward grabs the two of us and jumps down without even hurting himself.
"How?" I ask.
"Never mind that now," he says so we look around.
There are stone snake heads in the water running along either side of the path and at the far end looks like a stone face with flowing hair.
Edward takes my hand as we walk about the path until we see Ginny laid out on the ground.
The three of us hurry over to her.
"Ginny! Ginny, please don't be dead. Wake up, wake up."
"She's not dead," Edward assures us.
"She won't wake," we hear a voice and look up.
"That's Tom Riddle," Harry whispers.
The young man approaches, wearing a Slytherin uniform.
"Tom," Edward says like he knows him.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Edward Cullen. Seems I'm not the only one with a secret."
Me and Harry look at Edward.
"What's he talking about?" I ask but Edward just stands and looks at Tom.
"Don't try anything," Tom warns.
"What do you mean she won't wake up?" Harry asks. "She's not...?"
"She's still alive, but only just."
"Are you a ghost?"
"A memory preserved in a diary for 50 years."
Harry puts his hand on Ginny's.
"She's cold as ice. Ginny, please don't be dead. Wake up."
"You've got to help us, Tom. There's a Basilisk," I say.
"It won't come until it's called," he says and we stare at him, realising he's the Heir.
We look up and realise he has our wands, which we'd all put down while we were checking on Ginny.
"Give us our wands, Tom," Edward demands.
"You won't be needing them."
"We've got to go. We've got to save her," Harry says.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Harry. You see, as poor Ginny grows weaker, I grow stronger. Yes, Harry, it was Ginny Weasley who opened the Chamber of Secrets."
"No," I say. "She couldn't. She wouldn't."
"It was Ginny who set the Basilisk on the Mudbloods and Filch's cat... Ginny who wrote the threatening messages on the walls."
"But why?" Harry asks.
"Because I told her to. You'll find I can be very persuasive. Not that she knew what she was doing. She was, shall we say, in a kind of trance. Still, the power of the diary began to scare her. She tried to dispose of it in the girls' bathroom, and then who should find it but you? One of the three I was anxious to meet."
"And why did you want to meet us?" I ask.
"I knew I had to talk to you, meet you all if I could. So I decided to show you my capture of that brainless oaf Hagrid to gain your trust."
"Hagrid's our friend," Harry says. "And you framed him, didn't you?"
"It was my word against his. Only Dumbledore seemed to think he was innocent."
"I'll bet Dumbledore saw right through you," I grin.
"He certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after that. I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was at school so I decided to leave behind a diary preserving my 16-year-old self in its pages so that one day I would be able to lead another to finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."
"Well, you haven't finished it this time," I say. "In a few hours, the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was petrified will be alright again."
"Haven't I told you? Killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore. For many months now, my new target has been you two and your sister."
"No!" Edward shouts before he races round to the back of Tom so fast I didn't even see him move but Tom catches him with the Killing Curse and I scream Edward's name as he falls to the ground, but Tom stops me going to him.
"How is it that three babies with no extraordinary magical talent were able to defeat the greatest wizard of all time?" Tom asks. "How did you escape with nothing but a scar while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"
"Why do you care how we escaped? Voldemort was after your time," I ask.
"Voldemort is my past, present and future."
He uses one of our wands to write his full name on the wall then he waves his hands and the letters rearrange.
We look on in horror as the letters spell out 'I am Lord Voldemort!'
"You? You're the Heir of Slytherin?" Harry asks.
He looks at us.
"You're Voldemort?"
"Surely you didn't think I was going to keep my filthy Muggle father's name? No, I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak when I became the greatest sorcerer in the world."
"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world," Harry scoffs.
"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me."
"He'll never be gone. Not as long as those who remain are loyal to him."
There's a squawk and I see a red bird flying towards us with something grasped in its claws.
"Reba?" Harry asks quietly.
The bird drops whatever it has in its claws and Harry catches it then we watch the bird fly back out.
Harry unwraps the item to reveal a wizard's hat.
"So this is what Dumbledore sends his great defenders?"
"That was not Dumbledore's phoenix," Harry says. "It was our sister's."
Tom moves over to the head and holds out his hand.
"Speak to me Slytherin," he says in Parseltongue.
We watch in horror as the mouth of the head begins to open.
"Let's match the power of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin against the famous Potter children."
There's hissing as the snake appears.
"Don't look at it, Bella," Harry says.
"Run!" I say so Harry takes my hand and we run back to the tunnels.
"Kill them! Parseltongue won't save you now Potters. It only obeys me."
I hear the snake coming after us but we keep running.
Harry slips on the wet, pulling me down with him but we stay down so not to see its eyes and await death.
I hear the bird again and we watch the reflection as Emberlee's phoenix scratches out the snake's eyes, making it blind.
"No!" Tom shouts. "Your sister's bird may have blinded the Basilisk, but it can still hear you."
Reba flies away as the Basilisk roars in pain and fear.
We stand and carefully move back but one of us makes a noise and the Basilisk stops shaking and stares at us.
"Split up," I say as I push Harry the opposite way to me.
~Harry's POV~
I run into the tunnels, the giant snake behind me until I hit a dead end so I stop and turn but stay put.
The Basilisk is at the end of tunnel and it heads toward me so I lower myself to the floor, feeling a large stone so I pick it up and throw it.
The snake moves back and I sigh with relief as it disappears down the tunnel.
I quietly move out of the tunnel and when it's out of sight, I run back to where Tom is, only to find he has hold of Bella and is standing over Ginny so I drop down next to my friend's sister.
"Yes, Harry. The process is nearly complete. In a few minutes, Ginny Weasley will be dead, and I will cease to be a memory. Lord Voldemort will return, very much alive. And then I have some loose ends to tie up."
"Ginny?" I ask before looking up at my sister.
Tom pulls her hair back and she winces in pain.
The snake bursts out of the water and looks around, listening for movement.
"Harry," Bella whispers and I look to where she's looking.
A sword appears in the hat so I pick it up and run to the face which I begin to climb as the snake tries to figure out where I am.
I end up face to face with it and swipe the sword at it as it tries to strike me.
I climb higher before it strikes where I was standing.
It strikes and makes me fall and I almost lose the sword, but I manage to grab it and stick it through the top of the monster's mouth and through its head.
One of its teeth breaks from its mouth and imbeds in my arm as it backs off and thrusts around in pain.
I pull out the tooth and grab my arm.
The Basilisk let's out one final roar before it drops dead and Bella smiles at me.
I climb down and Bella looks at my arm with concern before I drop the sword, collapse and crawl to Ginny.
"Remarkable, isn't it... how quickly the venom of the Basilisk penetrates the body? I'd guess you have little more than a minute to live. You'll be with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry."
I put my hand over Ginny's.
"Funny, the damage a silly little book can do especially in the hands of a silly little girl."
I take the book from Ginny and open it before I pick up the tooth.
"What are you doing?"
I lift up the tooth.
"Stop, no!"
I stab the tooth through one side of the book, making ink leak out and a light appear from Tom's chest which makes him release Bella. She goes over to Edward and begins to weep over him.
Tom comes at me so I stab the other side of the book so more ink leaks and more lights appear from him.
I close the book and stab the book one last time, making him explode in a flash of light.
Ginny wakes up suddenly and looks around before she sits up.
Then Edward gasps and Bella stares at him in shock.
"But he killed you."
"What? No!"
"I heard him use the Killing Curse."
"He was just a memory so couldn't really hurt me. I was just knocked out."
She looks at me and notices I'm holding my arm.
"Harry," Bella says as she drops down beside me and looks at my arm. Ginny looks round at us.
"It was me. But I swear, I didn't mean to. Riddle made me, and... Harry, you're hurt."
"Don't worry," I say. "Bella, you need to get Ginny out of here."
Reba appears again and lands next to me before she looks at me.
"You were brilliant, Reba," I say. "I just wasn't quick enough."
She lowers her head and I watch as she allows five tears drop from her eyes onto my wound which heals straight away.
"Of course," I say as she looks back up. "Phoenix tears have healing powers. Thanks."
"It's alright, Ginny, it's over," Bella says. "It's just a memory."