"Yeah, size is no guarantee of power," said George. "Look at Ginny."
"What d' you mean?" said Harry.
You've never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?" – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

No, Harry had not ever been on the receiving end of one. He'd seen Ginny perform the spell once, however, and he never forgot it…

Tom Marvolo Riddle, heir of Salazar Slytherin, caster of anagram spells and all around naughty guy, was feeling pretty gosh darned good about himself. Honestly, he couldn't have planned it better if he tried; it was only a matter of time before the demise of Lord Voldemort was reversed - Ginny Weasley was about as dangerous as a flobberworm, and the only threat to him, Albus Dumbledore, was far, far away.

Closer, however, was Harry Potter. Riddle learned that he'd managed to defeat Lord Voldemort twice before, but…really…how much of a challenge could he be? Sheer fluke, his defeats had to have been. So, Tom Riddle, genius mastermind that he was, made Ginny write her final farewell on some wall in the halls of Hogwarts, and, as he had brilliantly planned, Harry would be lured into the Chamber of Secrets on an ultimately doomed rescue mission.

Riddle considered just how he was going to dispose of the Potter boy. There was just a smorgasbord of options from which to choose from. So he paced around the chamber, weighing up the usually trustworthy killing curse against the delightfully comical stare of the Basilisk. However, when he returned to the prone body of his soon-to-be-latest-victim, he found his soon-to-be-latest-victim-after-or-during-or-before-the-previously-mentioned-soon-to-be-latest-victim.

"She won't wake." Riddle told Idiot Boy, who was trying to rouse Stupid Girl who was lying on the floor.

"Tom? Tom Riddle?" Idiot Boy asked. As ifhe needed to be told his own name.

"What d'you mean, she won't wake? She's not – She's not?"

This was too good to be true! The golden boy of the light, stuttering and unable to comprehend simple statements. Riddle, however, kept a straight face and replied to Idiot Boy's incomplete question.

"She's still alive." Riddle could practically see the hope swelling in Idiot Boy's eyes. "But only just." Gad, he loved moments like these.

But Idiot Boy wasn't paying attention to him. He'd already picked up his wand again, and was straining to levitate Stupid Girl's body.

"Don't you want to know about me?" A rather offended Tom Riddle asked. "How I got here, what I'm doing, what I had for afternoon tea on June 6th 1944?"

"I've really busy right now, but if you want to help me, be my guest." Idiot Boy replied, a rather snappish edge to his tone.

"Wouldn't you like to know how Ginny Weasley got like this?"

"Yeah." Idiot Boy replied, still not abandoning his efforts to levitate Stupid Girl out of the Chamber. "I reckon that'll be useful."

"Put her down;" Riddle advised. "It's a rather long story and the Basilisk won't come until it's called."

Idiot Boy, to Riddle's great surprise, acquiesced. "How do you know about the Basilisk?" Idiot Boy questioned. "You thought the Acromantula, Aragog, was responsible for Myrtle's death."

Riddle suddenly realised that Stupid Girl was no longer in the air, and that Idiot Boy had his wand pointed at Riddle.

"Because…" Riddle was not about to let this turn of events deter him. Here was to be the great reveal.

"Unless you were the Heir of Slytherin and you were framing Hagrid all along!" Said Idiot Boy, ruining the revelation.

There was something very, very wrong with Tom Riddle – but Harry hadn't been able to place his finger on it. Now, it seemed to make sense – Riddle was the common factor here and fifty years ago, and the way he behaved, Harry thought that it would have been easy for him to pass the blame onto Hagrid – but how did he manage to open the Chamber again – he looked not a day older than sixteen.

But there was a familiarity to Riddle, like an old friend, half-forgotten. But Harry was not feeling in the least bit friendly to Riddle. Whatever and however he was, he was getting more solid, Harry noticed. His outline was getting more pronounced. And Riddle knew it.

"Well, you've got a decision to make, Harry Potter." Riddle advised. "Try to leave with the girl, if you wish."

"Or what?" Harry asked, thinking that the Heir allowing Ginny to leave like that was too good to be true.

"Stay here."

Harry weighed up his options. He had his wand - and Riddle was letting them go…

Riddle must've had something up his sleeve. The Basilisk could be waiting for them – and Harry would need his eyes open to levitate Ginny.

That was pure Tom Riddle, he'd have manipulated Harry right into a trap – but knowing that wasn't helping Ginny, who was fading with every passing second.

It was at that moment that Harry, with a rushing sense of horror, realised what was happening. Riddle was draining Ginny of her strength.

"Magic…is a wonderful thing, Harry." Riddle said amiably. "But very it can be very complex. To use it properly, you have to understand how." Riddle strode over and pointed at Ginny. "I suppose the real reason the girl got like this is because she spilled her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"How?" Harry asked, throat dry.

"Though the diary. My diary." Riddle pointed at the little black book lying on the floor near the toes of the statue of Salazar Slytherin. "Ginny's been writing to me for months. I was kind and sympathetic; and Ginny simply loved me. She poured all of her pitiful worries and woes into my pages." Riddle explained gleefully. "How her brothers teased her. How she came to school with second-hand robes and books. How-" Riddle's eyes glinted. "She didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her."

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

"It's very boring," Riddle went on, "Listening to the silly troubles of an eleven year old girl. But I was patient. I wrote back. I was kind, I was sympathetic. Ginny simply loved me."

"No one's ever understood me like you do, 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 laugh, a high, cold, cruel laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs on Harry's neck stand on edge. "If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed." Riddle continued, proudly. "So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be just what I wanted…I grew stronger of 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…"

Harry fought to keep the disgust and revulsion that he felt contained in his stomach. Was this Wizard inhuman, incapable of empathy? Apparently. "What d'you mean?" Harry asked, whose mouth had gone dry.

"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry didn't believe. It couldn't possibly be true. Riddle had to be lying – or twisting the truth.

"She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She sent the Serpent of Slytherin on the four Mudbloods and the Squib's cat."

"No." Harry whispered.

"Yes," Riddle said, calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries… far more interesting, they became."

"Dear Tom," he recited, watching Harry's horrified face. "I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me… There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad… I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!'"

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. Your whole fascinating history." Riddle replied. His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and his 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. "I had 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 realize 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 Dippet to 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 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…"

"Call it…Slytherin curiousity, Harry Potter." Riddle turned to the gigantic statue behind him, and hissed – but Harry understood what he was saying. "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horror struck, 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 he shut his eyes as he clenched his wand tighter than he ever had before.

Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. 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."

The Basilisk was moving toward Harry. He could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way – Voldemort was laughing – Harry tripped.

He fell hard onto stone and tasted blood. The serpent was barely feet away, he could hear it coming…"

He tried to hex the monster, but his spells bounced harmlessly off the creature's hide.

"It takes quite a lot of power to penetrate the hide of Basilisk." Riddle said conversationally.

Something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall, his wand knocked from his grasp.

Waiting for fangs to sink into his body, Harry felt himself being dragged away from the wall.

"Another interesting, often overlooked ability of the Basilisk is that it can constrict its victims. Not that it usually needs to - the venom is one of the most potent known." Riddle explained, as Harry felt the gigantic serpent coil around him, letting him breath for now.

"A Basilisk can crush a Giant." Riddle went on. "How's Dumbledore precious little boy now?" Riddle asked.

Harry gasped. The Basilisk was constricting him slowly, drawing out the agony. He felt the coils tightening, crushing his bones and squeezing the air from his lungs. Worst of all, Ginny…Thinking of her, Harry managed draw out a last, desperate plea.

"Help! Anyone! Someone, please, help me!"

But there was no one to – suddenly Harry felt the air rush back into his lungs, the crushing weight of the Basilisk was lifted from him…he was flying through the air...

He smashed into the ground, in agony and aching all over. A huge bang echoed around the chamber. Harry felt someone pull him across the floor.

Ron. Ron. It had to be Ron. How he managed it, Harry didn't know.

"Harry. Speak to me, please."

That wasn't Ron. Ron's voice was deeper…It couldn't be…

"Ginny?" Harry squinted his eyes open. The Basilisk was nowhere to be seen; he was behind a pillar. Ginny was sitting next to him, an expression of utmost concern gracing her pale features. "Ginny, you've got to get out of here." Harry told her. "Listen, you follow the Chamber back out, and you'll find Ron."

The ecstasy that Harry had felt when he saw Ginny alive dropped out of his heart. Ginny was shaking her head. "It wouldn't matter. I won't be safe no matter what the physical distance between me and Riddle is. Even now he's…" Ginny shuddered violently and then composed herself. "Trying to regain control. If he's left alone; he could send the Basilisk back up the tunnel to Ron, or unleash it again on the school. Harry, there's hundreds of students there; I needn't say what that could mean."

"So what's left?"

"Have you seen Riddle's Diary?" Ginny asked.

"Yes – it's back there, near the statue."

"Here's your wand. I don't know what use it will be against Riddle. Can you get to Riddle's diary?" Ginny asked, helping Harry.

"Yes."

"Good. I'll distract Riddle. If my plan goes well, we'll be able to destroy the diary and Riddle along with it; but if it fails, I need you to get the diary out to Professor Dumbledore. I'm sorry to burden you with it, but I cannot trust myself to carry it."

"Yes, I'll take it."

"You must understand, Harry." Ginny looked wildly earnest. "If needs be, you must leave me here."

"I…"

Ginny looked straight into Harry's eyes. Her eyes were full of a fire that Harry had never seen before. "There are fates worse than death, Harry. I need you to promise me that you'll do it."

"Come out; come out, wherever you are!" Riddle's voice taunted.

Throat too tight to speak, Harry nodded.

"Good luck." Ginny said, and leapt out and began to fire blasts of magic at Riddle; spells were not enunciated as Ginny's fury unleashed itself across the ancient chamber. Harry pelted along the side, his lungs on fire, but he didn't slow. Riddle was laughing still. Shards of rock and clouds of dust were whipped up in a maelstrom by Ginny's relentless attack.

When the dust began to settle, the carnage was apparent. Great chunks had been carved out of the stone pillars. Slytherin's face was smashed up. But Riddle stood in the middle of the Chamber, unscathed.

"Did you really think that would have the slightest effect on me?" Riddle asked. "Or upon my faithful tool of cleansing? There is nothing you can do to me, Ginny Weasley, for you are mine. Go on; give it your best shot. Lord Voldemort is waiting."

The Basilisk began to slither again, its massive jaws nearly ready to grab Ginny.

Ginny kept her aim steady at Riddle's head. "Engoria…Mucosa…Chiroptera…Totalus."

Ginny swung her wand around at the last second, a flimsy pink spell-line hitting the Basilisk on the face, where it appeared to be harmlessly absorbed into the skin of the monster. Slamming her eyes shut, Ginny dived behind the nearest pillar as Riddle's insane laughter erupted once more. Harry continued to sneak around behind and through the rubble to find the diary, protect form the stare of the monster which was thrashing about in discomfort.

Riddle's laughter was dying down. He was starting to get a very bad feeling in the pit of his pseudo-stomach. The Basilisk reared and hissed, trying to get relief from the pain in its head.

The rumbling grew louder, and suddenly a loud ripping noise echoed around the Chamber, before a terrific rending occurred as the Basilisk's top jaw was torn from its body, the great snake collapsing with a massive thud onto the chamber, and huge, cattle-sized bats of dust and mucus flapped around the mangled, bloody remains of the Snake's head.

Riddle, for once in his life, could only stare, slack-jawed, but he managed to compose himself.

"I underestimated you. If I knew your potential, I would have…" Riddle trailed off. "But no matter, no matter…you cannot best Lord Voldemort like you can any mere mon-"

Ginny rudely cut Riddle off by throwing a Basilisk fang at him. Ducking instinctively, Riddle turned to see the fang sail towards the Potter Boy, before, in a flash of understanding, Riddle saw what was about to happen just before it did.

The fang embedded itself, quivering, in Riddle's diary. Riddle and Ginny screamed. Riddle spun on the spot, his outline was fading – who did he go for?

Harry pulled the fang out, and hesitated. Riddle went after Ginny.

"Harry, stab it!" Ginny screamed. Riddle lost some of his form, but Ginny was screaming in agony, and so was Riddle, a horrible cacophony of noise that amplified itself around the Chamber. Harry pulled the fang out again, and then plunged it in further. Riddle's roar of anguish and Ginny's scream was the loudest yet. Suddenly, the noise stopped, and the silence was terrifying. Riddle was gone, and Ginny collapsed to the ground and did not rise.

Heart pounding madly in his chest, Harry ran to Ginny's side. She was pale…but then Harry felt it, sluggish and weak, but there none-the-less. Ginny's blood was still pulsing through her veins.

"Riddle…" Ginny began weakly, her eyes fluttering open. "Does not let go so easily."

"He's gone?"

"I feel like myself; like I haven't felt in months. Yes, I think he's gone."

The feeling of the moment was surreal. They had won, but there was no feeling of celebration. Sorrow and relief was mixed about inside the ancient cavern, coated with mud, blood and mucus.

"I'm so sorry, Harry." Ginny began to cry. "So sorry. You got hurt. I'm sorry…"

Harry didn't know what to say, so he wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulder. It was clumsy and awkward, but Ginny understood what he was trying to express.

"Come on, Ginny, let's get out of here."

The going was slow, but they had all the time now. Harry, with a broken body and Ginny with the tortured mind leaned on each other as they went, both drawing their strength from the other. Ginny was crying silently.

"It's ironic, isn't it? A silly little diary I found in my Beginners Guide to Transfiguration could cause all this." Ginny said through her tears.

Harry squeezed her shoulder sympathetically, and then stopped. His expression was furious. "Did you say you found it in your Transfiguration book?"

Ginny, slowed by Harry, paused as she replied. "Yes, I had thought, in the beginning, that Mum left it for me…why do you ask?"

"Because on the day we went to Diagon Alley, Lucius Malfoy handed you your book."

Ginny swore. "I do not want to be Lucius Malfoy when Dad finds that out."

"I do not want to be Lucius Malfoy, period." Harry said. Ginny chuckled weakly.

"Dad…he and Mum are going to be furious with me…I've been wanted to go to Hogwarts since I was a baby…and now I'll be expelled." Ginny's eyes welled up with fresh tears.

"I'm sure they'll just be relieved you're back, Ginny. They'll still love you even though you made a mistake. A mistake I shared in too, I must add. As for expulsion, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will understand – and if he's not back, Professor McGonagall is the fairest teacher I know. I can't see either of them punishing you for something that was in no way your fault."

Ginny smiled. "Thank you, Harry." Then she frowned. "Harry, you mentioned that Ron was up the tunnel. Why wasn't he with you?"

"Oh, I totally forgot about Lockhart." Harry began to explain. "We thought we knew where the Chamber was, so we went to tell Lockhart, who was going to try and rescue you. It turns out that Lockhart was a complete fraud."

"Never would have guessed." Ginny said blithely.

"And he used Memory Charms on the real Witches and Wizard who performed what he said he had in his books to keep his secrets. So I disarmed him and Ron and I took him down into the Chamber. We had thought he'd fainted, but he grabbed Ron's wand and tried to Obliviate us. But Ron's wand backfired and brought down a rock fall which separated us. Lockhart got blasted with his own spell."

Harry heard noises, rocks being moved. Ron was just around the corner.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, then wheezed as he lungs caught his enthusiasm.

"Harry?"

"Ron!" Ginny took over.

"GINNY!" Ron pelted up the tunnel and wrapped his sister in a crushing embrace.

"Ginny, you're safe." Ron turned to Harry and wrung his hand endlessly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He then realised Harry was injured, and helped Ginny to support him. Lockhart, looking lost, wandered over to the three.

"Goodness me. Do you live here?" Lockhart asked.

Ron raised his eyebrow but Ginny giggled.

"Do you think Professor Dumbledore'll let us keep him?" she asked. Harry laughed, but stopped himself, wincing. Don't make me laugh.

"Sorry." Said Ginny, smirking.

At last the three, with Lockhart following confusedly in toe, reached the tunnel they'd slid down.

"Hmm…" Ginny began, assessing the climb. "We'll be able to help you up, Harry, wouldn't you agree, Ron."

"Indeed I would." Ron replied sagely. "However, we will be…tragically, you know… be forced to leave Lockhart here."

Ginny and Ron grinned at each other, before they began to help Harry up the tunnel.

The going was slow.

"Harry, it'll help us if you relaxed." Ginny advised.

"Sorry Ginny, I'm just not feeling very relaxed at the moment."

"Well, I'll just have to do something about that. A lullaby!" Ginny was struck with a sudden inspiration.

"Err…" Harry began, remembering the horrible songs which Aunt Petunia still sung to Dudley.

"A-whim-away, a-whim-away, a-whim-away, a-whim-away, a-whim-away, a-whim-away, a-whim-away, a-whim-away.

In the school, the mighty wizardry school the lion sleeps tonight," Ginny sang tunelessly. "In the caverns, these ancient caverns the lion sleeps tonight… A-wheee-he-he-he-a-whim-whum-whum-whum-away!" Ginny went on and on. "Come on, Ron, back me up!"

Ron just stared at her, but Ginny was not discouraged.

"Ron, status report." Harry asked about the climb.

"So, the good news is, this song is almost over."

"Well that's music to my ears." Harry replied.

Ginny giggled, Ron and Harry smiled. They were free at last.