To the Victor goes the Spoils

For a famous celebrity...

She spends far too much time in the kitchens.

The Weasley Twins who go there for snacks as does every Hufflepuff can swear they would see her cook with the house elves.

When asked, she said she wanted to be a Chef growing up so she's practicing while early so she's a shoo-in for Culinary Schools after Hogwarts. She could care less about other careers!

That sent Wizarding Britain in a tizzy when rumors spread that the local celebrity...was an oddball.

The twins who are frequent visitors are thus, her Taste-Testers and they swear on their magic she's actually good, considering they watch her cook, confirming she really DOES create her goodies.

And it showed in her grades. She only ever bothered acing Core Subjects that wasn't History of Magic, and picked up Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures as Electives, but don't care for it much.

But still, her school life wasn't much eventful.

Save for the Chamber of Secrets incident where she followed voices she keeps hearing all year...and Ginny Weasley's odd behavior.

'Fred, George...have you two noticed that your sister's acting weird lately?' Hilda asked them.

'Ginny?'

'Act weird?'

They were genuinely clueless.

'I...I'm hearing voices lately and its always around the basement, dungeons and where the bathrooms are no matter what floor.' Hilda admitted. 'Its always the same. They want to kill, rip and tear someone. The first time I heard that, Mrs. Norris was petrified. Second was Colin Creevey and third, Justin Finch-Fletchley. Then I once saw your sister with bloodied robes with feathers...and Hagrid cries someone's killed his roosters.' the twins froze.

'G-Ginny's not capable of doing that!' which was Fred and George was anyone's guess, but twin-1 sputtered in protest.

'I don't want to believe what I saw which is why I'm asking if you noted any strange behavior in your sister.' said Hilda. 'Observe her for a while and avoid being out of curfew near the bathrooms...the bathrooms, and the lower floors are most dangerous outside curfew. The three victims are found on lower, but never upper floors. Which means the Chamber of Secrets is somewhere underground Hogwarts...and it can't go upper than Ground Floor.'

The twins began observing on her behalf as she doesn't like leaving the kitchens beyond classes and sleeping hours as she deems other locations in school useless to her and doesn't care for it. But more victims popped up since.

But one day, the twins saw too much.

'Hilda, Ginny's been going to Myrtle's Bathroom lately.' said one of the twins. 'She hisses something to a sink, and its actually a passageway underground!'

'She always has this black book with her too.'

'I see...I'll follow Ginny unnoticed.' said Hilda. 'If I follow her, I can hear what she's hissing for sure.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah. If you go upfront with her about it, she'll go defensive. We need all proof we can get before confronting her first.'

So Hilda, armed with her family's cloak took to stalking Ginny Weasley when she could with the help of the Weasley Twins who actually have a wonder-map...they memorized her patterns long enough to hide in the bathroom, covered in Hilda's cloak.

When Ginny went in and the door shut...

'...what did she say Hilda?'

'She said, ' Hilda stated 'open' but to the twins, it's hissing.

'Ginny...a Parselmouth?'

'There's no Parselmouth in our blood and we're all light-wizards...no way...just, no way!'

'What do we do?!'

Hilda knew the twins are terrified that their sister may be the Heir of Slytherin and what could possibly happen.

'Dolly!' Hilda called out as an Elf appeared. 'Dolly, we will go into the Chamber of Secrets!'

'WHAT?!' the elf squeaked. 'Missy Hilda, no!'

'We have to. We need to know what's going on.' said Hilda. 'In fifteen minutes that we're not back, call all Professors but NOT that moron Lockhart, he's useless and a moron! We need the reliable senior staff for a rescue mission incase things go shitty!'

Y-yes missy!'

Hilda repeated the parselmouth word to the snake heads in the sink to open the passage...but...

'What the hell? It's stairs to Ginny but to us it's a slide?!'

'Well, beggars can't be choosers!' Hilda swore as they slid down...and landed into a corridor full of shed snake skin.

'Eep...shed skin this large...' large and thick. An inch thick.

'Guys? Any ideas?' Hilda gulped. 'We're up against a huge snake that can gulp us in one go...what creature is this?'

'Like hell we know, its not in books that's for sure...'

'Oh great, we're up against a super-snake...for now be quiet and let's stay soundless and invisible.' they did just that to go further ahead to be able to hide...behind the large door in the corridor was a large, dark hall. They had to use Lumos and risk being discovered by Ginny but the hall was empty, and they saw a door. They hurried to the door to listen in first.

'Well?'

'I hear nothing...'

'Hilda?'

'...gulp...what's a Basilisk?' behind her, the twins went white.

'Oh. my. god.'

'Ginny's talking to a Basilisk?'

'Its not her anymore...its a young man talking.' said Hilda. 'Ginny's with a young man around your age.'

'What?!'

'And he put the Basilisk away...when I say go, now's our chance.' Fred and George nodded as Hilda pressed her ears against the door...

'...how come we don't hear a thing but hisses but you could understand Hilda?'

'Beats me! That man...is saying that Ginny's useful. The seventh child of a pureblood family rich in power she's a wonderful sacrifice to his revival...'

'LIKE HELL?!' the twins roared in rage as they barged in.

'H-hey?!'

Beyond the Chamber was a collapsed Ginny and not far from her was a black book...and a young man in outdated Slytherin Robes. He was handsome, sure, but his eyes says it all, that he's...dangerous.

'Alright you wanker, what have you done to our sister?!'

xxx

Fifteen minutes passed by then, that Dolly called all Professors and told them what Hilda and the twins have discovered and are up to and what they talked about in the kitchens as all elves have known for days...that they rushed to the Chamber that was still open.

'Merlin's Beard, Ginny Weasley, a Parselmouth!' McGonagall choked. 'What will Molly and Arthur say?!'

'Worry about that later, we have students to rescue!' Flitwick snapped as they burst past the Chambers to see a blinded Basilisk thrashing about and a young man hissing at the creature while casting Killing Curses at the trio of students, and Ginny Weasley unconscious.

'Potter! Weasleys!' Professor Vector cried.

'Professors, that guy is a spirit of that Black Book!' Hilda cried. 'He's leeching off Ginny's magic, watch out! He's the Heir of Slytherin possessing Ginny!'

'So...it's you after all, Tom.' said Dumbledore with hard eyes.

'Oh, hello Professor.' said Tom with a cold smile. 'Its befitting that I am invincible at my current stage...I can kill both you and the Girl-Who-Lived while you can't even scratch me!'

'I think not!' one of the twins cried as the twins pulled a risky maneuver with the book and had the Basilisk bite it while the other twin conjured a sword and stabbed it hard on the head.

'NO!' Tom cried as his form was rapidly being destroyed, and the Basilisk falling to it's death with a loud 'THUD'.

'You two morons! You could have been snake food!' Hilda freaked out hysterically, running towards the twins and shaking both hard worriedly.

'ALL three of you would have been snake food!' McGonagall cried. 'What were you three thinking?!'

'Well...its all we got, mate.' said the twins. 'We tried everything on that book but no scratch. And we felt only two things might work...'

'Only two things?' Snape demanded.

'The Killing Curse or the Basilisk...but we can't cast it, we'd be in prison just for casting that, so...'

'Its indeed a risky, but good idea my boys...just...don't do that again.' Dumbledore sighed, hand on his chest. 'That's not good for our hearts...and we want the full details as soon as we get you kids to the Infirmary. Poppy, how's Miss. Weasley?'

'Very magically-drained Albus.' said Madam Pomfrey grimly. 'But when that boy was gone, her stolen magic returned like a flash flood, causing great strain to her body and magic, she'll need a few days in the Infirmary.'

And so...

Hilda told her share of the tale and the twins' denial so they investigated and saw it plain as day, before they decided to do their stalking mission today and got more than what they bargained for...and Tom Marvolo Riddle turned out to be a half-blood who became Voldemort...

The twins gave their side of the story for stalking their sister for days.

'But why Ginny?' Fred croaked out.

'Voldemort said it didn't he? Ginny's the seventh child of a pureblood line.' Hilda scowled. 'Wanker says she's a befitting sacrifice for his return. What an arrogant melodramatic poser!'

'Actually Miss. Potter, in Arithmancy Seven is the most powerful magical number...if one did rituals with magic, most witches and wizards will surely ensure that there's that number in the whole process for more magical boosting and support.' said Professor Vector darkly. 'Poor Miss. Weasley would surely die and revive him with her formidable powers.' the teenagers gulped.

'Didn't know that...'

'Oh hell, how do we tell mum and dad that?'

'Well...on the bright side, you two can sell that Basilisk for a hefty sum since its your kill.' Hilda pointed out. 'There's a crap-ton of snake skin in there, fangs, bones and venom for potions maniacs, and goblins might want the hide and meat, you'd get a killing.'

'Really?!'

'Really.' Hilda nodded. 'You'd get millions easily and the ironic part was, voldie-puss unwittingly made you guys rich.' she cackled. 'Ain't this a kick in the balls!'

'Miss. Potter, language!' McGonagall chided.

'It seems we have arrangements to make.' Dumbledore smiled. 'I recall you boys have a brother working for Gringotts? And I have your parents to call as well.'

xxx

Headmaster's Office...

'Well, this case is solved permanently.' Dumbledore mused. 'Solved by three reckless children.'

'They're lucky, really lucky.' Professor Burbage shivered. 'Good thing they thought of having a House Elf call for us or we wouldn't make it in time. That beast is huge! And under control of the Dark Lord no less!'

'I see the irony that he's a half-blood for all his posturing and promoting bloodline supremacy.' Professor Sinistra snarked. 'He really is a poser.'

'But a dangerous one.' said Dumbledore, shaking his head. 'It opened sixty years ago back when he was a student here and I, Transfiguration Teacher at the time. He placed the blame on poor Hagrid and his pet Acromantula but while that's obviously impossible, as you know, the Ministry...must be seen doing something...and injustice was wrought.' he said grimly. 'He was skilled at committing crimes and making someone else pay for it. And the problem now is how did young Miss. Weasley get that black book?'

'Well, we can't ask her now, we can only ask her when she wakes.' said Sprout. 'But her wand contains records of the Killing Curse...'

'We will snap that wand, burn it, and tell Ollivander of the circumstances.' said Dumbledore. 'We must keep this secret for her sake as Cornelius will surely make the poor child pay for what she did not do, for the Ministry must be seen doing something.'

'I'm starting to hate that phrase.' Snape scowled. His fellow professors looked in utter distaste as well.

'Don't we all...but alas, politics and the need to look good for good ratings to be re-elected.' Dumbledore shook his head in disapproval. 'We must do this carefully for the children.'

'Its clear who's the Parselmouth though.' said Snape. 'The twins hear hisses but Potter hears words instead.'

'There's that too.' said Dumbledore. 'She doesn't know...or realize her ability.'

'She really doesn't know much about our world.' said McGonagall. 'Her ambition is to become a first-rate Chef she's in the kitchens most of her spare time. The twins and Hufflepuff swear she's always there she may as well sleep there. She never once showed interest in our culture beyond manners and that's it. That could bite her back one day. I'll have to talk to that girl about this. She cannot be socially-inept about our culture!' she bit out tersely, doing a huffy armfold.

'I leave that to you, as her Head of House.' said Dumbledore. 'I have to pick up Ollivander and the parents. Keep this situation a secret as much as possible.'

xxx

And so, Bill Weasley came with a team of Goblins late at night, with Hilda having to assist as she knows how to open the Chamber. As its a victory kill by the Weasley Twins, they indeed, have free reign over what to do with it. So on Hilda's advice, they sold it to Gringotts instead, the whole thing, though they're not interested in the sheddings that Snape took.

That monster cost 20 million Galleons due to its size and age, hence a powerful and just-as-valuable creature. A small fortune the twins poured into the family accounts but kept 30% to themselves and set up a separate vault just for them.

'This is more than enough to open our dream shop!' they said, which was why they were fine with pouring the rest into their family account.

While the rest of the family went pale in horror at what happened to their youngest and what the twins and the resident celebrity had done, they also paled in shock at how much the twins earned for selling their kill on Hilda's suggestion due to rules as it was them who killed the fabled monster and not her with the teachers as witnesses. They were in utter disbelief.

While they were glad Ginny's safe, they were also glad that they got something out of it at least!