Just in time Jade remembered to shut her eyes. Before she shut them completely she turned towards her brother and found he had already reacted. Reassured she closed her own and waited.

Something heavy fell on the chamber's floor and Fawkes flew away from Jade's shoulder. The girl wanted to call the bird back but immediately felt guilty for it. What could a bird do against a Basilisk? She would only endanger Fawkes. She heard movement from the gigantic snake and backed away until her back bumped into the chamber's wall. Then she heard the sound of winds flapping.

"Not the bird, attack the human." she heard Riddle say angrily.

She wondered briefly what was happening, but assumed that Fawkes was causing a diversion. It seemed it had failed though as she heard the monster slither towards her. Before the snake could get close enough to her, Jade heard it cry in pain. She opened her eyes slightly to see Fawkes flying away from the head of the snake which was now covered in blood that was dripping from its eyes.

"Chris!" she called. "You can open your eyes Fawkes made the Basilisk blind!"

"Kill her!" hissed Riddle angrily.

The snake shook his head from side to side and launched towards the girl, fangs bared. Jade just had time to jump to the side and run as far as she could. Help me, she though, anyone help me! The Basilisk launched at her and she barely avoided the fangs , rolling away from the snake's enormous head. At that moment, she felt the Hat contract in her hand, as if an invisible hand had just squeezed it. Without thinking, she plunged her hand inside. To her surprise she felt something long and hard. She grabbed it and pulled it out of the Hat. In her hand was a silver sword whose handle was glittering with rubies the size of chicken eggs.

"Leave the bird. Kill the girl. And then kill the others." ordered Riddle.

Jade was on her feet ready to fight. She looked at the snake looking for a weak point. She couldn't see any and had to dodge the fangs once again before running away. But even as she ran she knew the snake was faster. In a second she took her decision. She stopped and in the same movement spun around to face her opponent. When the snake lunged at her, its mouth wide open, she threw her whole weight behind the sword and drove it in the serpent's mouth. However, one of the monster's fang had buried itself firmly into her arm. She let go of the sword and slid to the wall. The Basilisk wasn't moving anymore so she supposed he was dead. Suddenly, the fang broke as the snake fell sideways.

Using the last of her rapidly disappearing strength, Jade drew the fang out of her arm. She slumped against the wall, black spots darkening her vision. In a last surge of wisdom, Jade gripped the fang and threw towards her brother.

"Christopher! The diary!" her voice broke before she could say anything else.

That was enough for her twin, however and he rushed to the diary that had been left on the floor. The ghost-like Riddle could do nothing to stop the boy as he stabbed the book with the fang until Riddle disappeared in flurry of screams.

Jade meanwhile, had left herself sink in darkness. She had known it was too late for her the moment she had taken the fang out of her arm. Even as the snake tooth left her body, the venom inside had seeped inside her flesh contaminating her blood. She closed her eyes and waited for death to take her away.

She fell, in a dark hole. For a moment she thought she was back in the pipe falling towards the Chamber and its dangers. But this darkness was different. It was impenetrable; there were no right, no, left; no bottom and no top. It was infinite and absolute, cold and unforgiving.

Then Jade dreamed of a warm liquid falling on her arm. The liquid went inside her and warmed her entire body. As she felt warmth spread into her, light came to her eyes. It was coming from her own body and growing brighter and brighter as the warmth reached the furthest parts of her body.

Soon the light filled her vision and where there had been endless darkness, there was now endless light. The light was pure; infinite and absolute, warm and forgiving.

Oh, Jade thought, this is Life isn't it? As if an answer to her thoughts a melodious trill rang in the world of light. With an appeased smile, Jade abandoned herself to the warmth…

"JADE! JADE! Oh Merlin, she's smiling! Don't die Jade, even if it's peacefully!"

Jade's mouth twitch. Didn't that prat she had for a brother not know how to let people rest?

"She's fine, Christopher." said a calmer voice. "Fawkes already healed her. Phoenix tears can cure everything, remember?"

"But if it didn't work?" came the twat's voice filled with panic. "She's not waking up! JADE!"

The blithering idiot started shaking her like a sandbag.

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" roared Jade jumping to her feet and violently pushing her twin away. "Can't someone who nearly died have some peace and quiet?"

Jade breathed deeply to calm herself.

"It's good to see you're doing better, Ginny." she said smiling kindly to the younger girl. "We were worried, you know. Anyway we should be on our way, Ron was with us too but he got blocked by some rocks. He's been making a pathway for us." she led the red haired girl away by the shoulder without looking back at her brother.

"Don't leave me here!" whined the boy running to catch up.

Jade clicked her tongue.

"And here goes my well-made plan!" she said with fake disappointment.

Christopher pouted playfully and Ginny giggled at the twins' antics. Jade winked to her twin. The mission make Ginny better was a success!

They continued exchanging playful banters all the way until they reached the place where they had left Ron. By the time they joined the older Weasley, the younger one was close to tears. With the twins joking all the way, she had barely had time to breath with her laughing so much!

Ron was quite glad to see that his sister was not only alive but also happily laughing. He hugged her tightly, asking her all the questions he could think of concerning her well-being may it be physical or mental (well obviously you would be worried for their sanity if someone whom you thought to be on the brink of death came back laughing). Having ensured that everything was alright, Ron finally released his sister and agreed to go back to the surface.

While the Weasley's had their reunion, Jade and Christopher had had their own small one. Christopher had after all been worried for his sister as she had nearly died only minutes ago, and Jade even with her light-hearted comeback had seen death from up close. They exchanged a brief hug and kept their hands locked as they walked back to the entrance. They both knew that they had been very, very close from being separated. For twins, being separated was an end in itself. Jade didn't know what it would feel like not having Christopher with her but she was pretty sure it wouldn't very different from losing half of yourself.

"Have you thought about how to go back up?" asked Ron as he examined the pipe.

"Not at all." said the twins in unison.

"Can you please not say it with such relaxed expressions." sighed Ron frowning at their bright smiles.

Jade let go of twin's hand and walked to the tunnel. She was deep in thoughts as to how they should go back up when Fawkes started fluttering above her.

"He looks like he wants you to grab hold…" said Ron perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to carry."

Jade glared at the red haired boy.

"Are you implying that I'm fat?" she asked offended.

The red haired boy rolled his eyes at her.

"I don't think anyone in this world would be able to call you fat." he replied.

"Yes, because there isn't an ounce of fat in your body, Jade." said Christopher truthfully.

"I was more thinking along the lines of: because you'd get killed in the next minute." said Ron.

This earned a heavy punch in the stomach. The red haired boy groaned in pain and clutched his stomach.

"All right," said Jade turning her back to her victim. "Let's go. Everyone hold on to each other."

Christopher immediately grabbed her left arm while Ginny attached herself to her waist. Ron who seemed to resent her for the punch held on to his sister. Jade placed the Hat and the sword which she taken back before leaving into her belt and grabbed the Phoenix' tail feather. Their bodies sudden felt extremely light, and they were soon flying upwards at high speed. It was a matter of seconds until they reached the end of the pipe and arrived in Myrtle's bathroom where Fawkes dropped them on the wet floor. The ghost goggled at them.

"You're alive!" she said in wonder.

"I do like it when people have such endless trust in my success." remarked Jade to no one in particular.

When the little group entered the Hospital Wing, there was a long silence. It was Mrs Weasley who had been called there along with her husband and sons who broke it first.

"Ginny!" she cried flinging herself onto her daughter.

She was quickly joined by her husband. Soon the whole Weasley clan was assembled around the little girl. After a while, Mrs Weasley freed her daughter and turned to Jade and Christopher.

"You saved her!" she cried with tears rolling down her cheeks. "You saved her!" she repeated hugging Christopher tightly.

She then turned to hug Jade but she had already been beaten to it by Fred. The red haired boy was hugging Jade so tightly she was afraid to die from lack of breath.

"F-Fred, air!" she managed to choke out.

"Oops sorry." said the boy beaming at her. "Don't know my strength and all that!" he added with a wink.

She nudged him playfully before she was hugged by Mrs Weasley. She was then claimed by George, though the second red haired twin didn't hug her quite as long or tight as his brother. In fact, he was being overly careful as to let her breath which ended up being quite ridiculous and making everyone laugh.

Then began the arduous task of retelling the events of the last few hours. Jade who was starting to feel a bit tired let her brother and Ron retell the story while she sat on a nearby bed.

"Very well," prompted McGonagall after Christopher had told her the extensive tale of how they had found the Chamber. "so you found out where the entrance was – breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way (flattens our record, said Fred) – but how on earth did you all get of there alive, Potter?"

"That was all thanks to Jade." said Christopher proudly motioning to where his sister sat.

Jade suddenly found a sudden fascination for her nails as all eyes turned to look at her in wonder. Then Christopher began telling them all how they had talked with Riddle, how Fawkes had arrived just in time to deliver sword and hat and how his sister had heroically slayed the monster saving the all!

"What interests me most," said Dumbledore gently. "is how Voldermort could enchant Ginny while my sources tell me he is hiding in a forest in Albania."

Mrs Weasley was about to protest but Jade didn't give her time.

"It was his diary." she explained. "He had placed the memory of himself from fifty years ago in a diary which Ginny came across and wrote in. As Ginny confined in the diary Riddle gained power until he could finally possess her."

Dumbledore took the diary with great interest, muttering 'brilliant' under his breath.

"What I am interested in," cut in Madam Pomfrey. "is why you are leaving a young girl who was dying minutes ago without rest!"

"You are quite right, Poppy, of course." said Dumbledore his eyes twinkling. "We will all leave Miss Potter to rest. Perhaps it would be best if she stayed in the Hospital Wing." he suggested.

Madam Pomfrey nodded enthusiastically and Jade got up. She didn't leave though.

"Professor Dumbledore, I have a question of my own to ask." she said looking the old wizard straight in the eye.

"Ask away, my dear." said the headmaster with a curious twinkle in his gaze.

"I have been doing a lot of thinking on my being a Parseltongue, you see. It seems Voldermort is the heir of Slytherin, however I am pretty sure the Potters or the Evans are in no way related to Tom Riddle. Therefore I have been asking myself why I have such ability when it is supposed to be hereditary. Of course it would have made sense for Christopher to be a Parseltongue as he most likely shares a bond with Voldermort through that scar of his. But it doesn't make sense for me to possess it. Also when I was sorted, The Hat had told me that I would do well in Slytherin. I was hoping you might be able to give me answers." she finished.

The old headmaster was thoughtful for a while.

"I do not believe that your ability to speak with snakes has anything to do with Voldermort. I believe that it simply come from your ancestry. As you must well know, pureblood families such as the Potters have married their sons and daughters to other pureblood families, and with time it has formed a complex web of parentage that links all the purebloods. It is therefore not impossible for you to be related to Salazar Slytherin in some way." he paused studying her. "As for doing well in Slytherin, it seems to me that you indeed have the making of a young snake. Please remember, that being in Slytherin doesn't make you Dark, it simply shows that you have cunning and intelligence which are not bad traits."

The raven haired considered his answer for a moment before nodding.

"Thank you, sir. Then I will be going to rest." she said leaving behind Madam Pomfrey.

"Ah, please wait a moment, Miss Potter." said Dumbledore effectively stopping the young girl in her tracks. "I wish to tell you as well as Mr Potter and Weasley something." he said gathering them before him. "First of all, I seem to remember telling Mr Potter and Weasley that I would have to expel them if they broke any more school rules." the three students glanced at each other in horror. "Which just shows that the best of us sometimes have to go back on their words." continued Dumbledore to their relief. "You will all receive Awards for Special Services to the School as well as two hundred points each for Gryffindor."

After a lot of cheering Jade was finally able to go to bed and get some sleep. That night she enjoyed a blissful sleep devoid of nightmares.

The next day a feast was organized and classes were cancelled. In the middle of the feast Jade left the Great Hall for the bathroom. On her way back she met Lucius Malfoy storming to the Entrance, followed by a cowering Dobby.

"Hello Mr Malfoy." she said sweetly, placing a discreet hand in her pocket. "Such an amazing coincidence, I just had something to give to you."

The blond man who had stopped short when she had greeted him, watched her calculatingly.

"And what would that be?" asked the man coldly.

Jade carefully pulled the diary out of her pocket and threw it towards him.

"Something you forgot." she told him.

The man glared at her and threw the diary towards Dobby who caught it deftly. Then he turned on his heels and made to leave.

"You should open that diary Dobby, it seems Mr Malfoy here has kindly given you a gift." said the raven haired girl loudly enough that Lucius Malfoy would hear her.

Once again the man stopped to watch her calculatingly, this time with a hint of annoyance. Dobby carefully opened the book and took the sock which had been placed between the pages.

"Master gifted Dobby with cloth!" squeaked the elf in delight. "Dobby is free!"

Malfoy looked at the sock with cold fury before turning to Jade.

"You accursed child!" he said raising his black cane. "How dare you?!"

Jade could only watch in helpless fear as the cane was raised to hit her. She was preparing herself to receive a most painful blow when an unexpected voice was heard.

"Father." came a familiar drawl, as Draco Malfoy strolled in. "I wasn't aware that you were in Hogwarts." said the blonde.

"I'm afraid I was here for business." replied the older man curtly.

Malfoy junior then turned, aka Madboy, then turned towards Jade as if he had just seen her.

"Oh you were there as well, Potter." he said. "You must forgive me, you're so insignificant without your brother by your side that I hadn't noticed you."

The raven haired girl glared at her eternal rival.

"I see that rudeness runs in the family." she said storming off with a last wink to Dobby who disappeared with a smile.

As she joined her friends at the Gryffindor table, a strange thought made its way to her mind. Had Malfoy (Draco Malfoy that is) just saved her?...No way, she thought to herself, he most likely just conveniently walked in to insult me, maybe he really didn't notice me at first…The thought quickly left her as she joined in the conversations around her. But still, had he?

And here goes the third chapter of the day and the last of the second book of the Jade series! I hope you enjoyed it and please send me your reviews!

I was wondering whether it felt like Christopher hadn't done anything during the fight against the Basilisk and if he was perhaps a bit too inactive. Please send me your opinions!

I will do my best to write the first chapter of the third book as soon as possible but I can't promise anything as I have important exams coming up!