I shut my eyes, and ran, my hands feeling the wall beside me, running blindly. Then, I heard terrible ripping noises. I stopped dead in my tracks, and tripped, falling to the ground.

I anticipated feeling the deadly fangs pierce my skin, but nothing happened. My eyes opened a crack, and then all the way, staring in amazement.

Fawkes was blinding him. The Basilik's eyes were scratched out. I cheered. Now I could actually use my eyes! "Thank you!" I cried. "Thank you!"

Riddle was screaming. "YOU CAN STILL SMELL HER! GET HER! KILL HER! KILL HER!"

The poor snake was confused. Even with it thrashing blindly around, I was still in danger. I picked up the Sorting Hat, my last weapon.

"Please help me!" I screamed at it. I caught sight of something silver sticking out of the top. It was heavy.

I pulled it out. I stared in more amazement. It was the most beautiful sword I had ever seen. It was long, heavy, silver, and had rubies adorning its hilt.

Riddle was still screaming at it, and it lunged at me. I screamed, ducking, and it hit the wall, hissing and spitting blood. It lunged again, right for me, and I swung back the sword, and with strength I never believed my puny self to have, I stuck the sword right into it.

However, I did not come out uninjured. A single Basilik fang was stuck into my arm. My arm burned as if it was on fire, burning alive slowly. It was over. The poison was spreading—I could feel it.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny," I croaked. Fawkes was at my side again. I slid down the wall. "You were brilliant, Fawkes…"

Fawkes shed a single tear. He dropped right onto my wound. I stared, my eyes widening as the deep wound in my arm sealed up as if it had never been there. The pain vanished at once.

Riddle approached me. "And so, beautiful little Haile dies here. I will watch you die now. I will see you suffer and writhe in pain and…why aren't you in pain?" He glanced at Fawkes and closed his eyes, clearly exasperated. "Phoenixes and their healing powers….No matter. I shall kill you myself."

He raised my wand.

Suddenly, Fawkes dropped the black diary in my lap. I looked up at Riddle, grabbing the diary, and leaning forward, now on my hands and knees. I grabbed the Basilik fang.

"No!" Riddle yelled.

I stabbed the diary with the fang.

Riddle screamed, falling to the floor. I stabbed it again and again and again until Riddle stopped screaming, gone.

I stood up, victorious, but shaking. I couldn't believe what had just happened. "Fawkes…I can't thank you enough," I told him, shakily.

I took the sword out of the dead Basilik's mouth. I grabbed the Sorting Hat as well, and walked over to Ginny. She sat up, color flooding back to her cheeks. She looked at me and burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

I embraced her tightly, so happy she was alive, so happy I had been here in time, to save her, to kill the thing that had killed Myrtle and attacked my friends, and excited to see Ron's face when he saw her.

We sat there, sobbing into each other's arms. I finally grabbed her, and pulled her to her feet. "Let's go," I told her. "Ron's waiting."

I calmed all of her worries on the way back. I told her that I knew everything. Fawkes followed us silently.

We finally reached Ron. He had managed to break through the rock. "RON!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "RON, I'VE GOT GINNY!"

Ginny started sobbing again, as Ron raced forward and embraced her. "How will we get back up?" I asked, frowning.

Ron shrugged. "I'm not sure," he said.

Lockhart ambled up to us. "Oh, hello," he said, happily. "Nice place down here."

"Yeah…" I mumbled. Fawkes landed on my shoulder, offering me his feathers. "You want me to grab hold?" Fawkes nodded.

"How could a bird…" Ron started, but I shook my head.

"Fawkes is not an ordinary bird. I'll explain everything when we get out of here." I grabbed hold of Fawkes' long, gold feathers, Ron held on to me, Ginny held on to Ron, and Lockhart held on to Ginny.

Fawkes' soared right up, as if we all were weightless. Soon, we were back Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I glanced at myself in the mirror. My hair was a complete mess. My face, my clothes, and my skin was caked in dirt, blood, and sweat.

Fawkes' led us out of the bathroom. Ginny was still crying. Ron and I held her hands. I kept saying soothing things to her, and Ron kept thanking me. "You're amazing, H," Ron muttered.

Fawkes led us straight to Professor McGonagall's office. How good it felt to be back in Hogwarts. Alive. With Ginny.

I knocked and entered, Ron, Lockhart and Ginny filing behind me.

As we entered, silence flooded the room. Then Mrs. Weasley shrieked and flung herself at Ginny.

Dumbledore was there, too, looking at me like he was the proudest man in the world. I stared back, and smiled.

They made me tell them the whole story. I did, though reluctantly. I told them everything. I conveniently left out the part about Riddle kissing me though. That was plain disgusting.

After Mrs. Weasley began to scold Ginny about writing in strange diaries, and Ginny was choked up again in sobs, Dumbledore ordered her parents to take her to the hospital wing.

Professor McGonagall said, "The petrified victims will be waking up any minute now."

"Hermione!" Ron and I exclaimed together.

Dumbledore smiled at us. "Minerva, would you please alert the kitchens to prepare a feast?"

McGonagall nodded. She paused to pat us both on the shoulders. She then left briskly. Dumbledore was still smiling at us. "Mr. Weasley? Could you please escort Mr. Lockhart up to infirmary?" Dumbledore asked Ron.

Ron shot us suspicious looks, but dragged Gilderoy Lockhart out the door. Lockhart waved enthusiastically before Ron shut the door.

"Only loyalty could have summoned Fawkes down to the Chamber," Dumbledore told me, a twinkle in his brilliant blue eyes. "I thank you."

I nodded, waiting. There had to be more.

"You met Tom Riddle," Dumbledore stated, as if he was choosing his words carefully. "What did you think of him?"

My mouth dropped. "Professor…he's Voldemort! He's evil, he's cruel, he's…" My voice dropped. "like me…"

"Like you?" Dumbledore said. "Ah, yes. But you, of course, are not evil, nor mean. The likeness between the two of you is because of when he attempted to kill you that night he left some of himself inyou. That's why you can speak Parseltongue."

My mouth dropped again. "He left some of himself in me?" I repeated, dumbstruck.

"Yes. Haile…do you remember when you were being Sorted?" he asked me.

My eyes lit up. "Professor, I do! The Sorting Hat…it wanted to put me in Slytherin! I should be in Slytherin!" I cried desperately. "With Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle and that awful Parkinson girl…and—"

I stopped, looking up sheepishly. Dumbledore, however, merely looked amused. "Haile Regina, do not fret. The Sorting Hat did not put you in Slytherin for what reason?"

"I asked not to be," I said lowly.

"Exactly. That is where you differ. Our choices show what we truly are, much more than our abilities. Though you possessed Slytherin-like qualities like Riddle himself, you chose to be in Gryffindor."

I nodded, taking it all in.

Dumbledore spoke again. "And Haile…did you see the sword you pulled out of the hat?"

I looked down at it. It lay on Dumbledore's desk. I examined it, this time more thoroughly. I noticed a name engraved on the hilt.Godric Gryffindor.

I looked up, excited.

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of a hat," he said, rather cheerfully. "Now, Haile, please proceed down to the feast."

We both stood, and I walked to the door. I turned around, and said, "Professor…there's one more thing. When you asked me earlier in the year if there was anything I'd like to talk about…I said no. I lied. I was hearing the Basilik move around the school. But I thought you might think I was crazy."

Dumbledore smiled at me. "It's alright, Haile. Things turned out all right, didn't they?"

I hesitated again. "There's just one more thing I'd like to say."

"I am overjoyed at this new honesty," Dumbledore replied. "Please, continue."

"When we were down in the Chamber…Riddle…well, kissed me," I said, hurriedly, my cheeks blushing.

To my surprise, Dumbledore threw back his head and laughed. I stared, confused, until Dumbledore said, wiping tears from his eyes, "Though Lord Voldemort is no longer a man persay, the Tom Riddle preserved in that diary was."

I didn't really understand at that moment, but I didn't press the subject.

Lucius Malfoy entered at that moment, looking horrified. Dobby followed him. I gasped. I started to say his name, but Dobby shook his head hurriedly.

I remembered that Lucius had no knowledge that Dobby had ever visited me. Lucius and Dumbledore began having a heated conversation about his return and the Chamber while Dobby whispered in my ear, "Lucius is the one that gave Ginny Weasley the diary."

I nodded, and then spoke up. "Mr. Malfoy," I said, loudly. He turned around to look at me, practically snarling. "Aren't you the who gave Ginny the diary?"

Lucius turned pale, and he hissed, "Prove it." I said nothing. "Come, Dobby. We're leaving."

He swept from the room and I looked at Dumbledore, with a new idea forming in my mind. "Professor…may I return the diary to Mr. Malfoy?"

"Certainly."

I ran from the room, ripping off my shoes and socks as I did. I stuffed a sock into the diary and caught up with Lucius Malfoy.

"Mr. Malfoy, here's the diary," I said, shoving it at him.

He took it aggressively and looked me over. "You could use a bath," he said, coldly.

"That diary is probably dirtier than me," I told him, smiling widely. "It must be caked in sweat, dirt…blood…"

Lucius thrust the diary at Dobby. "Carry it."

Dobby opened up the diary to wear I had stuffed the sock.

"Come, Dobby."

Dobby stood rooted to the stop.

Lucius whirled around. "I said, come."

"I'm free," Dobby squeaked, holding up a sock. "You, Master, handed me a sock. I'm free! FREE!"

Lucius looked at me, really snarling this time. "Haile Potter," he said, his eye twitching. "The Girl Who Lived. This time." He gave me the meanest look ever and stalked away.

Dobby looked at me and broke into a humungous grin. "You are the best witch alive!" he squealed, hugging me, and disappeared.

I smiled after he was gone.

The feast lasted all night. It was by far the best fun I had ever had. Even caked in dirt, blood, and sweat, people were constantly coming up to me, hugging me, apologizing, and thanking me. Ron and I had won the House Cup with two hundred points apiece. Exams had even been cancelled.

The best part was talking to Hermione again. "You solved it!" she exclaimed. "I knew you would! Oh, I'm so proud of you two!" She hugged us both.

The rest of term flew by. I was sad when it was the last day, the day we boarded the Hogwarts Express for home. I met Malfoy on my way down to the library, returning books last minute.

"Potter," he growled.

"How goes it, Draco?" I asked scornfully.

"My dad's been sacked as a governor," he told me. "You set our house-elf free. What is your problem?"

"You're my problem!" I told him. "You're a malicious little punk who needs to get over himself!"

He narrowed his eyes. "You'll pay for this."

I sighed. "Unfortunately, Draco, I'm pretty sure I'm just getting started."

He stalked away. I waved.

On the ride home, the Weasleys minus Percy, Hermione, and I had a compartment to ourselves.

"Say, Ginny," Ron said, "what was it that Percy was so secretive about?"

Ginny burst out in giggles. "I caught him and his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, kissing one day. He was really embarrassed over it."

We all burst out laughing. "Don't make fun of him!" Ginny cried.

Fred and George looked at each other. "Never…" they said in unison. Then Fred pulled out a notebook and made a note.

"What's that?" I asked them in an undertone.

"Our personal book on making our brother's lives miserable," George said, winking. "Write that down, Fred. Penelope Clearwater…caught kissing. Good."

I laughed, and I felt as light as air.

As we left the train, Ron and Hermione hugged me. And Ginny. "Haile, thanks," she said, smiling.

"Have a great summer, guys," I told them. "I hope to see you soon."

I looked over, and saw the Dursleys waiting for me. I sighed. Another great summer after another eventful year. I hoped next year would be a perfectly normal, Voldemort-free year.

Well, I would get half my wish, I suppose.