⚡⚡⚡
Inside the Gryffindor common room, Gemmalynn and Harry sat together on the sofa beside the fireplace as the redhead heiress flipped through the blank pages of the diary.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Gemmalynn complained and turned to Harry. "What are we gonna do?"
Harry shrugged. "I have no idea. If you and Hermione couldn't figure it out, what do you expect me to do?"
Gemmalynn sighed heavily and closed the diary, but noticed a bottle of ink sitting on the desk nearby. Her eyes widen when she thought of an idea and smiled.
Noticing her smile, Harry looked at her, confused. "What is it?"
Gemmalynn turned to him and her smile got bigger. "I have an idea." she told him.
Harry quietly watched Gemmalynn as she took a quill from the table. She dipped it, and hesitated as a drop of ink fell towards the blank page of the diary. The ink blazed briefly before vanishing as if it were sucked into the page.
Gemmalynn and Harry gasped loudly in surprise and looked at each other.
"I knew it!" Gemmalynn exclaimed, excitedly and wrote in the diary.
Our names are Gemmalynn Vell Peer Dumbledore-Gryffindor and Harry Potter
The words blazed and vanished. Slowly, oozing out of the page, came a response.
Hello, Gemmalynn Vell Peer Dumbledore-Gryffindor and Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle
"Harry, you try it." Gemmalynn said, eagerly as she handed Harry the diary and her quill.
"Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked and wrote his question in the diary.
Yes
"Can you tell us?"
No
Gemmalynn and Harry glanced at each other and frowned.
"Well, that was a buzzkill." Gemmalynn muttered just as the diary replied to them.
But I can show you
Gemmalynn's eyes widen in surprise. "That I didn't expect." she mumbled, intrigued, and turned to Harry, who smiled at her.
Gemmalynn and Harry waited and the pages of the diary fluttered wildly before stopping on the date June the Thirteenth. On the page, a tiny square shimmered like a window.
Gemmalynn lifted the diary as Harry grabbed her hand before closing their eyes. They pitched forward, spilling through the widening window, into a whirl of color and shadow before tumbling onto their feet in torch-lit corridor. Everything was desaturated, excluding Gemmalynn and Harry, who retained their true, rich colors of the present.
Gemmalynn and Harry glanced around, disoriented at just what happened.
Harry looked at Gemmalynn. "Gem, you okay?" he asked, worriedly.
Gemmalynn smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. No broken bones or anything major." she assured him. "How about you, Harry?"
Harry smiled back. "Same as you."
Gemmalynn turned around and saw a tall and handsome boy with pale skin, jet black hair, and dark eyes. She frowned in confusion, remembering the same boy she saw at the Mirror of Erised.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle. That must be him, the owner of the diary." Gemmalynn whispered to Harry, who nodded at her.
Riddle peered around a corner at the end of the corridor as a flurry of shadows danced on the wall beyond the boy, revealing the presence of others, unseen, in an adjoining room.
Gemmalynn and Harry slowly moved towards Riddle as low voices emanated from the shadows.
"Excuse me. Could you tell us where we are?" Harry whispered to Riddle, who didn't respond as if not hearing him. "Hello?"
Gemmalynn looked at Riddle in confusion. "As if he can't hear us." she mumbled and remembered what the diary told them. "It's showing us what happened in the past."
Harry looked at her and nodded in realization at what was happening. The two turned to Riddle and watched what was happening before them.
Riddle's eyes staked to the activity in the adjoining room, which was the Entrance Hall. A group of elder witches and wizards, Hogwarts Professors talked amongst themselves, then abruptly went silent as they made way for two young wizards, bearing a stretcher.
"Riddle."
Gemmalynn, Harry and Riddle turned around. Gemmalynn's eyes widen and gasped in surprise.
"Grandpa!"
Harry looked as surprised as Gemmalynn and they stared at Dumbledore, who was fifty years younger.
Gemmalynn grinned. "Grandpa looks so young!"
"Professor Dumbledore."
"It's not wise to be wandering around this late, Tom."
"Yes, Professor. I suppose I just had to see for myself, if the rumors were true."
Riddle glanced at the young wizards, carrying the stretcher out of the Hall, into the night. Gemmalynn followed his eyes and looked sadly.
"I'm afraid they are, Tom."
"About the school as well? They wouldn't really close Hogwarts, would they, Professor?"
"Headmaster Dippet may have no choice, I'm afraid."
"Sir? If it all stopped. If the person responsible was caught."
"Is there something you wish to tell me, Tom?"
Gemmalynn narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her fifty years younger grandfather and Riddle. 'Grandpa seems to know almost everything that's happening to the students, and Tom Riddle seem to know something.'
"No, sir. Nothing."
Gemmalynn watched as her grandfather quietly studied Riddle. She was almost certain they were thinking the same thing, Riddle knew something and wasn't telling the truth.
"Very well, then. Hurry along."
Dumbledore walked past Gemmalynn and Harry, obviously not seeing them, and as soon as he was gone, Riddle rushed towards the dungeon steps. Gemmalynn and Harry exchange looks and nodded before following after him. The two saw Riddle peering into the crack of the door.
"C'mon, Aragog. Gotta get yeh outta here. C'mon now. In the box."
Riddle stepped back and pushed the door. Gemmalynn and Harry saw inside the room, crouching by a box, was a young Hagrid.
Gemmalynn gasped in surprise. "Hagrid?" she mumbled in disbelief and frowned when she heard strange clicking coming from the box.
"Evening, Hagrid. I'm going to have to turn you in, Hagrid. I don't think you meant it to kill anyone."
Gemmalynn gasped in horror as Harry looked worriedly at her.
"No, yeh can't! Yeh don' understand!"
"Hagrid. The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered."
Gemmalynn and Harry's eyes widen in shock as they looked at each other.
"It wasn' him! Aragog never'd kill no one! Never!"
"Monsters don't make good pets, Hagrid. Now, stand aside."
Riddle drew his wand, blasted the closed door off hinges and extinguishing the torches within. Gemmalynn and Harry gasped in shock as Harry grabbed Gemmalynn and pushed her back.
A low-slung creature with a tangle of black legs, a gleam of many eyes and a pair of razor-sharp pincers, scuttled out of the shadows. As Riddle pointed his wand at it, Hagrid leaped to its defence.
"No!"
Riddle and Hagrid tumbled to the floor as the entire room whirled off its axis, spinning. Gemmalynn and Harry found themselves plummeting through color and shadow again, bringing them back inside the Gryffindor Tower as they groaned in pain.
"Ow."
"Okay, that hurt."
Gemmalynn and Harry opened their eyes and stopped groaning when they saw each other's green eyes. They blinked, processing what just happened before realizing their current position. Harry has fallen flat on his back with Gemmalynn on top of him, cushioning her fall.
Harry's eyes widen as he gazed at Gemmalynn, and swore he felt his heart did a leap and a million butterflies flying around inside his stomach. He admited that Gemmalynn was pretty ever since they met last year on his birthday, and there was no denying that he was attracted to her. However, he wasn't sure what exactly he was feeling. Maybe, before this moment, he already has feelings for her and he didn't even know.
'I like her.'
Harry's thoughts, feelings and their current position brought a blush on his cheeks.
'I have a crush on Gemmalynn Gryffindor.'
⚡⚡⚡
The next day, Gemmalynn, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked together across the Hogwarts' grounds.
"It can't be Hagrid. It just can't be."
Gemmalynn nodded in agreement. "I know. I can't believe it either. I won't believe it." she defended her half-giant friend.
Harry frowned slightly and turned to Gemmalynn. "But, Gem, you saw what happened fifty years ago. That diary showed us." he told her.
Gemmalynn shook her head. "As I said, I won't believe what that diary showed us." she insisted as Harry sighed heavily. "I've known Hagrid my entire life. He couldn't do such a thing, there must be a reason."
Ron glanced between Gemmalynn and Harry, who both have different beliefs. "Look. We don't even know this Riddle. He sounds like a dirty, rotten snitch to me." he said in doubt.
Harry looked at him. "The monster had killed someone, Ron. What would any of us done?" he asked.
Gemmalynn sighed softly. "Look, Harry, understand first that Hagrid is our friend." she reminded him.
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Why don't we just go ask him about it?" she suggested.
Gemmalynn turned to look at her in disbelief. "What?"
Ron turned to Hermione. "That'd be a cheerful visit. Hullo, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?" he mocked.
"Mad an' hairy? Wouldn' be talkin' 'bou me, now, would yeh?"
Gemmalynn gasped in surprise as she, Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to find Hagrid behind them with a grin on his face before exchanging guilty looks.
"Hagrid!"
"No!"
"We're not!"
"What, no!"
Hagrid stared curiously at them, while Harry noticed the strange canister in his hand.
"What's that you've got, Hagrid?" Harry asked, curiously.
Hagrid glanced at the canister in his hand. "Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent. Fer the Mandrakes, yeh know. Accordin' ter Professor Sprout, they still got a bit o' growin' up ter do, but once their acne clears up, we'll be able to chop 'em up, stew 'em, an' get those people in the hospital un-petrified. 'Til then, you four best watch yerselves, all righ'?"
Gemmalynn smiled and nodded. "We will, Hagrid."
The four Gryffindors watched as Hagrid walked away, before noticing a frantic Neville running up to them with his face pale with fright.
Gemmalynn looked at him in confusion. "Neville? Are you okay? Did something happen?" she asked, worriedly.
Neville looked at her and nodded frantically. "Gem, I don't know who did it, but you better come." he told her.
Gemmalynn's gut feeling told her something bad had happened and turned to her friends, who looked as worried as she was.
"Lead the way, Neville."
The five Gryffindors ran towards the Gryffindor Tower and rushed straight to Gemmalynn and Hermione's room to find the door was wide open. The two girls' eyes widen in as they gasped loudly in shock.
"Our room! It's been opened." Hermione exclaimed in surprise and turned to Gemmalynn. "No one would ever try to enter the room of Godric Gryffindor's Heir."
Harry, Ron and Neville stepped back as they looked worried at Gemmalynn, who slowly and cautiously approached her and Hermione's room.
"How? Why?" Gemmalynn mumbled in horror and confusion.
Gemmalynn's space was a disaster. Her trunks riffled, her cabinet drawers flung open, her bed sheets and pillows were thrown to the floor. She backed away in shock as a worried Harry rushed to her side with Hermione and Ron closely behind him.
"What did I do?" Gemmalynn asked in disbelief.
Ron frowned as he glanced around the room. "Who would do this?"
Hermione crossed her arms angrily. "It had to be a Gryffindor. Nobody else knows our password. Unless, it wasn't a student." she said and shook her head. "No, that's impossible. It has to be a student, a Gryffindor!"
Gemmalynn sighed as she looked around her things with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Ron nodded in agreement. "Well, whoever it was, they were looking for something."
Gemmalynn abruptly stopped in her tracks and her eyes widen with worry. She knelt down in front of her trunk and rummaged through it, but stopped and turned to Harry.
"Harry! They took it! They found it and took it. The diary. Tom Riddle's diary is gone!"
⚡⚡⚡
Due to the second opening of the Chamber of Secrets, the atmosphere of the school was tense and gloomy. On Valentine's day, Lockhart decided to organise what he claimed as a 'morale-booster' event to cheer everyone up.
The Great Hall was decorated with large, lurid pink flowers and heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Being the vain, obnoxious attention-seeker Lockhart was, he wore a lurid pink robes to match the decorations. He also hired a dozen dwarves and made them look like cupids, by letting them wear golden wings and carrying harps.
All day long, the dwarves kept barging into the classes to deliver valentine gifts and cards, becoming an annoyance to the professors.
At Transfiguration, McGonagall was interrupted in her class when a dozen dwarves barged in and gathered around Gemmalynn and Harry with valentine gifts and cards.
"Harry and Gem are popular."
"The Boy Who Lived and the Heiress Who Lived, that's not surprising."
"Obviously, they're celebrities!"
The two Gryffindors eyes widen in shock as they glanced awkwardly at their classmates and McGonagall, who sighed quietly and shook her head at the side.
The dwarves placed the gifts and cards on Harry and Gemmalynn's table as Harry took nearest valentine card from the pile.
"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, his hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
Harry looked down in embarrassment as Gemmalynn laughed in amusement.
Lockhart's over-decorations and insensitivity led the rest of the staff, as well as Gemmalynn and Ron, to be extremely disgusted with it all. Valentine's wasn't as extreme as before Lockhart planned it.
⚡⚡⚡
Gemmalynn and Harry, dressed in their Quidditch robes, rushed down the staircase with Ron and Hermione following closely behind them.
Gemmalynn smiled happily when she saw Ginny at the bottom of the stairs "Ginny!" she greeted, excitedly the youngest Weasley.
Ron looked at his younger sister. "Hey, Ginny! Going to the match?" he asked.
Startled, Ginny looked up at the four, but her eyes lingered on Gemmalynn. She shook her head and walked away without a word.
Gemmalynn frowned. "Ginny's not acting like herself." she mumbled, worriedly.
Ron glanced at her and shrugged. "I tell you, she gets weirder and weirder by the day."
'Kill this time... Let me rip... Tear'
Gemmalynn gasped as she and Harry froze, hearing the voice again, while Ron and Hermione turned to the two.
"No. Don't tell me." Hermione said as she stared at their faces.
Gemmalynn and Harry turned as if following the sound, absently touching their fingers to the wall as they glanced around, while Hermione studied their fingers. The two sighed heavily in defeat and turned away, shaking their head.
"Nope! It's gone, again." Gemmalynn said and exchanged frowns with Harry.
"Gem, Harry, I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!" Hermione said and sprinted back up the stairs.
Gemmalynn looked confused at her best friend. "Hermione!"
"What is it?! What do you understand?" Harry yelled after Hermione, but she was long gone.
Harry and Ron turned to Gemmalynn in confusion. "The library?"
Gemmalynn looked at the two and grinned in amusement. "That's Hermione. When in doubt, go to the library." she said and turned back to the stairs, where Hermione disappeared to. "I hope she finds something."
⚡⚡⚡
Gemmalynn, Harry and their teammates marched towards the Quidditch tower as the cheers and yells of the crowd were heard.
Oliver turned to Gemmalynn, who was beside him. "Gem, are you sure you're ready to play? Harry can be the Seeker for today. What if your---"
Gemmalynn smiled happily at Oliver, interrupting what he was about to say. Her smile somewhat brought a blush on his face, before anyone could see, he looked away and faked a cough.
Harry, who was standing beside Gemmalynn frowned at Oliver. Meanwhile, Fred and George, who were at the back, narrowed their eyes suspiciously at their captain.
"I'm fine. My head is fully healed! I'm ready to win this game!" Gemmalynn said happily and looked forward.
Oliver smiled back at her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I trust you, Gem." he said and turned to his other teammates. "Okay! Listen up now. We play our game, Hufflepuff doesn't stand a chance. We're stronger, quicker, smarter."
Fred and George pushed their way towards the front and each hung an arm around Gemmalynn with a silly grin on their face. Harry chuckled in amusement as Gemmalynn struggled to get away from the twins.
"Fred! George!" Gemmalynn complained.
"Not to mention they're dead terrified."
"Gem will petrify them if they fly anywhere near her."
Oliver chuckled in amusement. "That, too."
Gemmalynn frowned as her teammates playfully teased her, while Harry just laughed. Just then, Professor McGonagall appeared, walking towards them.
"Professor McGonagall." Gemmalynn greeted the professor.
"This match has been cancelled." McGonagall informed the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.
The Gryffindors gasped in shock as Gemmalynn stood in front of McGonagall.
"What?! Canceled?"
Oliver stood beside Gemmalynn. "Cancelled! They can't cancel Quidditch." he protested.
McGonagall frowned at the two. "Silence, Wood! You will return to Gryffindor Tower now." she said before turning to Gemmalynn and Harry. "Miss Gryffindor, Potter, you two and I will find Mr. Weasley. There's something the three of you need to see."
By the tone of her voice, Gemmalynn knew something bad had happened and looked worriedly at Harry, who looked confused. After finding Ron, they went straight to the Hospital Wing.
McGonagall paused outside the door and turned to the three Gryffindors. "I warn you. This will be a bit of a shock." she warned them.
Gemmalyn, Harry and Ron exchange worried glances as McGonagall finally opened the door to find Madam Pomfrey leaning over a bed where a girl was lying. As she straightened up, Gemmalynn, Harry and Ron instantly recognized who the girl was.
"Hermione!"
Gemmalynn gasped in horror and rushed beside Hermione's bed, close to tears. Harry and Ron quickly ran after her.
"She was found near the library. Along with this." McGonagall explained and handed Gemmalynn a small circular mirror. "Does it mean anything to you?"
Gemmalynn looked at the mirror in confusion as she shook her head. "No, not that I know of." she answered and glanced at Harry and Ron, who nodded in agreement, before looking back at Hermione. "What did you even do, Hermione?"
⚡⚡⚡
That night inside at the Gryffindor Tower, McGonagall stood in front of the somber Gryffindors with a parchment in her hand.
"All students will return to their house common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No exceptions." McGonagall announced as she rolled up the parchment. "I should tell you all this. Unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught, it is likely that the school will be closed."
With that, McGonagall turned around and left the Gryffindor Tower. Instantly, as one, the students began to talk amongst themselves.
"Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin. Why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?"
"They can't close Hogwarts. Where would we all go?"
"I don't care what anyone says. As long as Dumbledore's here, Hogwarts will be here."
Harry leaned closer to Gemmalynn and Ron. "We've got to talk to Hagrid, Gem, Ron. I can't believe it's him. But, if he did set the monster loose last time, even by accident. He'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets. And, that's a start." he whispered to them.
Gemmalyn frowned. "It can't be Hagrid." she whispered back and sighed heavily. "We must seek the truth."
"Are you two mad? You heard McGonagall. We're not allowed to leave the tower, except for class." Ron told them.
Gemmalynn and Harry exchange knowing looks before turning to Ron.
Harry smiled. "I think it's time to get my dad's old cloak out again."
⚡⚡⚡
That night, while all the Gryffindors were asleep, Gemmalynn Harry, and Ron quietly sneaked out of th Gryffindor Tower with Harry's Invisibility Cloak over them. They walked past an unaware Snape at the Entrance Hall and continued their way. When they were finally outside, they rushed towards Hagrid's Hut.
Gemmalynn gently knocked on the door and Hagrid opened the door with a crossbow in hand. The redhead heiress gasped in surprise and backed away, her back gently hitting the chest of Harry, who stood behind her. Harry's eyes widen as he shyly looked down.
Ever since he admitted to himself he liked Gemmalynn, he was conscious with every interaction they had.
"Who's there?"
Harry and Ron dropped the cloak on them and Gemmalynn, and Hagrid lowered the crossbow when he saw them.
"Hagrid."
Hagrid led Gemmalynn, Harry and Ron inside as Fang thumped his tail at the sight of the three Gryffindors.
"Fang!" Gemmalynn greeted, happily the enormous boar-hound.
Harry looked at Hagrid and pointed to the crossbow. "What's that for?" he asked, curiously.
Gemmalynn turned her attention away from Fang towards Hagrid. "Why do you have that, Hagrid?" she asked as well.
Hagrid shook his head. "Nothin', nothin'. I've been expectin'. Doesn't matter. Sit down. I'll make tea." he said as he nervously took the kettle, but accidentally spilled the water.
Gemmalynn, Harry and Ron stared at him, worriedly.
"Hagrid, are you okay?"
"Did you hear about Hermione?"
"Oh, yea. I heard, all right."
Gemmalynn and Harry glanced at each other as the redhead heiress nodded.
Harry turned to look at Hagrid. "Look. We have to ask you. something. Do you know who's opened the Chamber of Secrets?" he asked.
Hagrid was about to take a fruit cake, but stopped. He was about to answer when there was a loud knock on his door. Panicked, Gemmalynn, Harry and Ron quickly threw the cloak over themselves.
Sweating, Hagrid grabbed his crossbow, and pointed it at the door. "Come in."
The door opened and a grim looking Dumbledore entered the hut, followed by a portly man in a pin-stripe suit and bowler.
Gemmalynn narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 'Cornelius Fudge. What is he doing here?' she thought in confusion.
"Good evening, Hagrid."
Ron turned to Harry. "That's Dad's boss. Cornelius Fudge. The Minister of Magic." he whispered.
Gemmalynn and Harry exchange looks and elbowed Ron to shut him up.
"Bad business, Hagrid. Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things've gone far enough. Ministry's got to act."
"I never. You know I never Professor Dumbledore, sir."
"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence."
Gemmalynn smiled happily, hearing her grandfather believe in Hagrid like she does. She glanced at Harry, who nodded happily.
"Look, Albus, Hagrid's record's against him. I've got to take him."
"Take me? Where? Not Azkaban prison."
Gemmalynn's eyes widen in horror and quickly clamped her hands over her mouth from gasping.
"For a short stretch only. Not a punishment, Hagrid. More a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be released with a full apology."
Just then, there was a sharp knock on the door, and when Dumbledore opened it, to reveal Lucius.
"Already here, Fudge? Good, good."
"What're you doin' here! Get outta my house!"
"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your, do you call this a house? I simply called at the school and was told the Headmaster was here."
"And, what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?"
"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore, but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension. You'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch."
Gemmalynn scowled and tried to take the invisibility cloak off of her, when both Harry and Ron grabbed her arms, preventing her from exposing themselves.
"What with all these attacks, there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts. And we all know what an awful loss that would be."
"Now, see here, Lucius. Dumbledore suspended. No, no. Last thing we want right now. If Dumbledore can't stop these attacks. I mean to say, who can?"
Gemmalynn was more furious than ever. 'Definitely! No one!'
"That remains to be seen, but as all twelve governors have voted."
Gemmalynn glanced at Harry and Ron. "Or threatened." she whispered.
"And, how many did you have threaten before they agreed!"
Gemmalynn nodded in agreement with Hagrid.
"I would advise you not to shout at the Azkaban guards like that."
"Yeh can take Dumbledore! Take him away an' the Muggle-borns won't stand a chance! There'll be killings next!"
"Calm yourself, Hagrid! If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside. However, you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."
Gemmalynn's eyes widen in shock when her grandfather's eyes drift to her and Harry.
"Admirable sentiments. We shall all miss your highly individual way of running things, Albus and only hope your successors will manage to prevent any more killings."
Lucius strided to the door and bowed Dumbledore out, while Fudge, who was fiddling with his bowler, waited for Hagrid.
Hagrid stood his ground as he took a deep breath. "If anyone wanted to find out some stuff, all they'd have to do is follow the spiders. That'd lead 'em right! Tha's all I'm saying." he said as Fudge stared at Hagrid in amazement before walking out of the hut.
As the door slammed shut, Fang howled and scratched the closed door, while Gemmalynn, Harry and Ron emerged from the cloak.
"Hagrid's right. With Dumbledore gone, there'll be an attack a day." Ron said, worriedly.
Gemmalynn and Harry looked at the windowsill, and saw a trail of spiders escapes through a crack in the glass. They looked at each other and nodded
"Remember what Hagrid just said." Gemmalynn said and grabbed Hagrid's lantern. "Come on. Let's follow the spiders."
Harry looked at Gemmalynn and took the lantern from her. "Here let me." he offered and stood in front to illuminate the trail of spiders.
Gemmalynn smiled. "I don't mind, Harry."
Harry glanced at her and just smiled. As two moved to follow the spiders, Ron hesitated.
"What are you two doing?"
Gemmalynn turned to Ron. "You heard Hagrid. Follow the spiders." she said and gestured towards the trail of spiders.
"They're heading into the Dark Forest." Ron said, nervously.
"I know you're afraid of spiders, but we have to uncover the truth of the Chamber of Secrets and the attacks against the muggleborns." Gemmalynn explained and sighed softly. "I won't let them slide for what they did to the innocent petrified students, especially Hermione."
Gemmalynn turned around and walked towards the Dark Forest, with Harry closely behind her. Terrified, Ron grabbed Fang, followed after the two.
"Why spiders? Why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?" Ron grumbled as Gemmalynn tuned him out to focus on what was more important.
Fang crashed through low-slung branches and sharp brambled as Gemmalynn and Harry followed, while Ron gingerly followed behind the two. They flinched in surprise when Fang howled. They heard rumbling and branches snapping before it was quiet again. The three Gryffindors exchange confused looks.
"What was that?" Gemmalynn asked, curiously.
Harry looked ahead and saw something in the distance before pointing at it. "There's something moving over there. Something big." he said as Gemmalynn glanced at him, confused.
"What?"
Just then, a blaze of light splintered the trees, blinding them.
"Gem, Harry! It's our car!" Ron exclaimed, excitedly.
The Ford Anglia appeared before the three Gryff. It was scratched and mud-smeared, with bits of earth and grass sprouting from its headlamps and hubcaps.
Ron circled around it in wonder. "It's been here all the time! Look at it. The Forest has turned it wild."
Gemmalynn looked away and covered her mouth. "It was wild to start with." she mumbled.
Harry nodded at Ron and turned to Gemmalynn. "Did you say something?" he asked in confusion.
Gemmalynn turned to him and shook her head. "Nope!" she lied and glanced back at the trail. "Let's go. We don't have any time to lose. We don't want to lose the trail."
Gemmalynn, Harry and Ron entered a hollow ribboned with shadows. Enormous trees tower over them, strewn with strands of white webbing.
As Ron stepped on a strand and kicked it off queasily, Gemmalynn and Harry peered up ahead. At the far end of the hollow, the spiders stream toward a dark opening. The three Gryffindors approached the opening as a clicking sound emanated from within, echoing in the branches of the tall trees. Growing louder, Ron faltered as he glanced around nervously.
"I don't have a good feeling about this, Gem, Harry."
Gemmalynn nodded in agreement. "Me too, Ron, but don't panic. You have us." she assured him.
As Gemmalyn and Harry stepped into the mouth of the cavern, the air suddenly crackled with movement. Twigs snapped as a huge shadow emerged, slowly engulfing Gemmalynn and Harry.
Gemmalynn gasped loudly as she flinched in surprise, and, in instinct, Harry protectively stood beside her. They both peered up and saw an ancient spider. The large spider advanced towards them as they slowly backed away.
"You do not come from the forest. Your hearts beat like men and a woman."
Gemmalynn stared at the large spider closely and saw that his eyes were milky white, realizing he was blind. "Yes. We're friends of Hagrid." she said and stepped away from Harry, who pulled her back behind him.
"And, you. You're Aragog, aren't you?" Harry asked.
"Hagrid has never sent men or a woman into our hollow before."
"He's in trouble. Up at school, there've been attacks. They think it's Hagrid." Harry told Aragog.
"They think Hagrid had opened the Chamber of Secrets. Like before." Gemmalynn added.
Ron's eyes darted warily as a pair of spider's legs curled slowly around the trunk of the tree to his left. Terrified, he nudged both Gemmalynn and Harry, who ignored him and were focused on Aragog.
"That's a lie! Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets!"
Gemmalynn smiled. "I knew Hagrid would never have done it."
"But, if Hagrid never, wait a minute. That means, you're not the monster!" Harry said and Gemmalynn nodded in agreement.
"The monster was born in the castle. I came from a distant land, in the pocket of a traveler."
Harry frowned in confusion. "But, if you're not the monster, what is it that killed that girl fifty years ago?" he asked.
"We do not speak of it! It is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others."
Gemmalynn looked deep in thought. "An ancient creature that even spiders fear?" she mumbled in confusion.
"But, have you seen it?" Harry asked again.
"I never saw any part of the castle, but the cupboard in which Hagrid kept me. The girl was discovered in a bathroom. When I was accused, Hagrid brought me here."
Ron looked up and saw more spiders in high and low branches, dropping downward like paratroopers. Terrified, he grabbed both Gemmalynn and Harry's arms to get their attention. Gemmalynn and Harry turned to him, slightly annoyed.
"What?"
Too scared to speak, Ron pointed upward. Gemmalynn and Harry glanced at each and looked up as their face turned pale.
"That's not good." Gemmalynn mumbled as she, Harry and Ron slowly backed away from Aragog.
Ron glanced between Gemmalynn and Harry. "Can we panic now?"
Gemmalynn turned to him. "Not yet." she whispered and looked at Aragog. "Well, thank you. We're just gonna go."
"Go? I think not. 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. Goodbye, friends of Hagrid." Aragog said, turning around and disappeared into the shadows of the cavern.
"We are done for." Gemmalynn said and turned to Ron. "You can panic now!"
Both Ron and Fang whimpered as the spiders drew closer, clicking feverishly. Suddenly, they heard a long, loud horn bleated and a blaze of light ignited the hollow as the Ford Anglia came thundering over the rim and down the slope, knocking the spiders out of its path. As it screeched to a halt, the doors flung open.
"I'm sorry I called you wild!" Gemmalynn apologized loudly to the car and Ron turned to her with a frown.
"Hey!"
Harry grabbed Gemmalynn's hand and dragged her towards the car. "Let's go!"
Gemmalynn, Harry, Ron and Fang leapt inside the car, and Ron shifted the car frantically.
"Ron, hurry up!" Gemmalynn said as she turned around and saw a spider appeared at Harry's open window.
"The windows! Roll up the windows!" Harry said, frantically at Ron.
"Ron! Come on!" Gemmalynn urged.
Ron shook his head in panic. "I can't! It's stuck!"
Just then, a hairy leg reached through Ron's window. Instantly, he hit the gas and shifted the car into reverse. Spiders scattered, except the spider on Harry and Ron's windows, clinging tightly to the side. As the car zoomed backwards out of the hollow, Harry rolled his window tight, snapping off the spider's legs. The car jet out of the hollow and landed with a loud thud.
Gemmalynn turned around to check the spiders and gasped in horror. "Ron!" she cried out loudly.
The other spider was pulling Ron from the car. Gemmalynn whipped her to wand out and pointed it towards the spider.
"Arania Exumai!"
A blinding flash of blue light burst out of Gemmalynn's wand and blasted the spider into the shadows whipping past.
Ron grinned at Gemmalynn. "Thanks for that, Gem!" he said, gratefully.
Gemmalynn nodded happily. "Don't mention it."
The three Gryffindors went silent and heard a distant clicking. As the car flew over a ridge, they saw a sea of spiders heading straight for them like a herd of raging wildebeest.
Gemmalynn turned to Ron. "Gas on it, Ron!"
Instantly, Ron placed his foot to the floor and spun the wheel, sending the car sliding away, while the spiders stampeded after them. The Anglia slalomed through the forest, skimming past trees as the spiders charged towards them. Harry peered ahead and saw an area of fallen trees with an opening, one narrow escape route.
"That way! It's the only way out!" Harry said, loudly and pointed at their escape route.
Gemmalynn looked back. "And, hurry! They're catching up!" she cried out in panic.
Ron jammed the accelerator just as a giant spider dropped in front of the escape route.
"We are as good as dead." Gemmalynn mumbled in horror.
Harry looked at Ron. "Can you get us in the air?" he asked.
Ron nodded as he jostled the gear stick, but it was jammed. "Flying gear's jammed!" he cried out frantically as the spiders behind them drew closer.
Gemmalynn groaned in annoyance. "Oh, for crying out load!" she complained loudly as she leaned over from the backseat and clamped her hands over Ron's on the gear shift and pushed it with all her might.
The Anglia's wheels lifted and it flew up leaving, the furious spiders below. As the car flew over the trees, Gemmalynn let out a relieved sigh and slumped back to her seat.
"Remind me never to go back there." Gemmalynn said as Ron nodded in agreement, still recovering from the spiders. "And, tell Hagrid his pet spider was very welcoming."
Harry chuckled tiredly as Gemmalynn did the same. When the car landed beside Hagrid's hut, Fang immediately bolted free. The three Gryffindors climbed out the car wearily as they looked back at the forest.
"'Follow the spiders! Follow the spiders! If he ever gets out of Azkaban, I'll kill Hagrid." Ron complained, loudly.
Harry glanced at Gemmalynn and flinched when he saw how she was glaring daggers at Ron, but said nothing.
Ron noticing Gemmalynn's glare, faked a cough. "I mean, what was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out?"
Gemmalynn rolled her eyes at him as she calmed herself. "Harry and I found out something important while you were scared out of your wits!" she told him.
Harry nodded in agreement. "We know one thing. Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets." he said.
Gemmalynn smiled in relief. "I knew Hagrid's innocent. He didn't do anything wrong!" she said, happily, but frowned in confusion. "Well, maybe one thing, letting Aragog roam around the dark forest with his children."
Instantly, Ron nodded in agreement while Harry laughed in amusement.