———— lila pov ————

"How long has it been?" I asked breathlessly as I ran down the hall, trying to ignore the pain in my spine.

"Months," Malfoy said, much to my shock. I nearly tripped. "Exams were supposed to start this week."

"You're joking!" I exclaimed. "We must have already picked our electives by now! How's Dean? Is he alright? Hermione? What happened to me?"

We turned the corner. I'd started to break into a sprint, Malfoy speeding up to match.

"You were asleep and nobody could wake you up," Malfoy replied. "I was hoping you had died."

"Ha ha, very funny, Malfoy," I rolled my eyes. "Is Dean okay?"

"Yes, your boyfriend is fine," he spat out the word 'boyfriend' as though it were unpleasant on his tongue. "Won't shut up about how much he misses you."

"I missed him too," I said, though mostly to myself. "Hermione, is she okay?"

At Malfoy's silence, I looked over my shoulder. He was looking grimly at the floor, even as we both ran at full speed. I frowned.

"Malfoy?"

"Granger was attacked," Malfoy said shortly, sounding almost spiteful. "She was one of the last to be Petrified. She knew too much, I think."

I almost stopped in shock, but this new information reignited my anger and if anything I ran faster. Even so, I recognized the disappointment in Malfoy's voice. I'd have thought he'd be happy to see Hermione get attacked, but instead he too seemed angry. What had happened while I was gone?

"And you?" Malfoy finally asked, diverting the subject. "Can you explain how you flew into our common room from the wall when the last time I checked you were still in a magically-induced coma in the hospital wing?"

"Well, that's a long story." I sighed. "Basically I went looking for the Chamber, got knocked out and shanked by a possessed Ginny Weasley, and then I got trapped in Voldemort's diary by some kind of weird blood magic." I found the name came easier to me after the experience, even though Malfoy flinched like I used to months ago.

"He talked to me — well, the sixteen year old version of him — and now I know his plan. The beast is a basilisk — It's a giant snake, see, so that's why I could hear it's voice when it was about to attack—"

"I figured that part out," Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Didn't take much after Granger let slip that Potter was hearing voices too. Unbelievable, truly, that both of you would be able to talk to snakes."

"Well, now you can tell your father some more fun facts about his two least favorite people," I suggested. We finally reached Myrtle's bathroom. I ran to the sinks, feeling the small snake engraved there. I hummed, trying to picture it moving.

"Open up," I whispered, and the sink moved aside to reveal the entrance. I had a strange sense of déjà vu as I stared down at the bottomless tunnel. I looked back at Malfoy, who looked proficiently stunned.

"All this time," he breathed. Then he glared at me. "Why didn't you just say that in your stupid note? Why tell us to talk to Myrtle? She was useless anyway!"

"Hey! I heard that!" She protested from inside her stall. Malfoy ignored her.

"I knew you'd follow me," I replied. How did he even know about the note? "And I urge you not to do it now."

"Are you kidding?" Malfoy scoffed. "I'm coming with you."

"No you're not!" I protested.

"Yes I am." He pressed. He glared at me, long and hard. "You are so incredibly reckless, you know? For whatever reason I've decided to care about you and all you do is put yourself in danger."

He bit his lip nervously, as if trying to bite back anything else from slipping out. I felt my face flush again. What was wrong with me? "Malfoy, I don't have time for this—"

"Are you listening? I care about you!" He gripped my shoulders and shook me, expression uncharacteristically stern. "You've gone and made me like you, and so every time you do things like this I worry that one time your luck is going to run out."

I could see the panic in his eyes, the bags below them. For the first time, he seemed genuinely worried, gnawing at his lip, hair disheveled from running his hand through it. Something about the sight made my heart pang in my chest.

"I— Malfoy—" I stammered, unable to find words for some reason. "You can't— I can't let you—"

"Fine! But if you go in alone I'm getting the teachers." He insisted. "And we'll all go in after you."

He wasn't giving up on this. I sighed.

"Fine, then." I agreed reluctantly. "But I'll make it quick. An hour, tops, and then you can send in the troops."

"Half an hour." He countered. I grimaced.

"Forty." I conceded.

"Thirty five." He pushed.

"Thirty seven— oomph." He knocked the wind out of me by pulling me into a sudden hug. We were chest to chest, and for a split second I could feel his heartbeat racing in time with mine.

Of everything I'd expected to happen this year, this had to be one of the last on the list. Seriously, what was going on?!

"I didn't think you were a hugger." I teased.

"Shut up. You're wasting time. Go!" He pushed me toward the pipe, and I stared down it once more. It didn't occur to me to be afraid. The adrenaline was overshadowing my fear, and the pain in my back had shifted to a dull ache. I took a steadying breath, then another, and stepped in.

I felt the sink close behind me as I continued to slide deeper and deeper underground. As I neared the bottom, I heard voices. I hit the ground with a thump.

Ron was there, moving rocks out of the way of a solid wall. Lockhart was sitting on the ground, looking befuddled. He saw me at once, and raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" He asked. Ron, focused on the rocks, let out an exasperated huff. "I just told you, my name is Ron. It's only one syllable — not that hard to remember."

"I think he's talking to me," I said. Ron nearly threw the rock at me. Once he saw me, he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Lila!" He ran up to me for a hug. I hugged him back. Lots of hugs today, apparently, but I was expecting one from Ron.

"You were — how did you?" He stammered.

"I'll explain everything later," I said. "Where's Harry?"

"In the Chamber by now, probably," Ron said. "Lockhart tried to wipe our memories so he could take credit, but he used my wand so it backfired and then the ceiling fell and separated us."

The professor sat and watched us curiously. His vacant expression suddenly made sense. Served him right.

"I see," I said. "Here, I'll help."

Using my wand, I removed several of the larger rocks out of the way to make a large enough space for a person to get through.

"You should stay here with Lockhart," I told Ron. "Make sure he doesn't get himself killed. I have a few scores to settle with Voldemort."

Ron winced. "Since when did you—"

Since I found out we're related. "Since I found out what a prick his teenage self was," I said instead.

"You — what?!"

"Like I said, I'll explain everything later," I told him. "See if you can move some more of them to make a bigger space. The quicker we can get out of here, the better. I'll see you soon."

I crawled through the opening of the rocks we had made and hopped out onto the other side. I ran along the expanse of the tunnel, past the snakeskin, and to an opening in the solid rock wall.

I shielded my eyes as I tried to tell what was going on from the shadows so as not to make eye contact with the basilisk. I heard large amounts of shrieking from the basilisk and yelling from Tom Riddle. A third party, a bird of some sort, was also screeching loudly.

I opened my eyes to see Tom standing there, yelling at the basilisk, Harry against the wall. A Phoenix was flying above, holding the basilisks eyes in its talons. I grinned. I wasn't sure how that happened, but I was lucky it did. I could see Riddle held Harry's wand. Ginny was laying in the middle of the chamber, looking as good as dead. I swallowed thickly. The diary was laying on the ground beside her, and I knew what I had to do.

"Expelliarmus!" I yelled. Tom Riddle was thrown back into the wall, Harry's wand flying into the air. The basilisk, momentarily confused, ceased its attack on Harry. Harry had suddenly produced a sword, and the Sorting Hat was laying beside him. I made a mad dash for the diary, and I grabbed both that and Harry's wand, tucking the diary under my arm, and Harry's wand in my pocket.

"Ah, there she is," Tom Riddle stood up gracefully from where I'd thrown him. He looked to the basilisk. "Don't worry about her, kill the boy."

I watched the basilisk strike blindly right where Harry was sitting. He plunged the sword through the top of its mouth into its skull, but not before a fang had sunk into his arm.

"No!" I yelled. The Phoenix flew over to Harry, who had slumped limply on the ground. I turned to Riddle wildly.

"You monster!" I yelled.

"You've come too late, child," he told me. "The boy who lived is already dead."

He smirked at Harry, but his expression hardened immediately. Harry was getting up. The Phoenix was gone. Suddenly, I saw the fang that was in Harry's arm drop to the ground in front of me. I watched the Phoenix fly back to Harry from above me. Almost on impulse, I knelt to the ground with the diary and grabbed the fang. Riddle was too focused on Harry to see me.

"Of course, healing powers," Riddle muttered to himself.

"Forgotten about me, Tom?" I asked. He whipped around to see me, the fang raised above my head. For the first time, I saw terror in his cold eyes. My own eyes narrowed. "I told you I'd kill you, and now," I smirked, "I'm going to make myself proud."

I plunged the basilisk fang into the diary. Ink spurted from the diary in rivulets, staining my hands and the floor. Riddle was screaming, writhing in pain, glowing and glowing until the light became blinding and he was gone. The ink stayed, however, and I was covered in it. The diary was sizzling from the basilisk fang.

I didn't realize how hard I'd been breathing. I looked over to Harry. He was still standing, looking at me the most shocked I'd ever seen him. He walked over to the dead basilisk, and from it pulled out the sword from before.

"What happened?" He asked me.

I shook my head, feeling the sudden rush of adrenaline fade. "I feel like I died and came back to life."

There was a quiet groan from the middle of the Chamber. Ginny was waking up. Harry and I both rushed over to her. He put a hand behind her head to help her sit up. I sat beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder for comfort. She looked to Harry, to me, to the basilisk, and to the destroyed diary in my hand. She began to weep.

"Harry - I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy - it was me, Harry - but I - I s-swear I d-didn't mean to - R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over - and - how did you kill that - that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary—"

"It's okay, he's gone now," I told her. "I killed him."

"C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here," Harry said, helping her to her feet as she continued to cry.

"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny sobbed "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and - w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"

"We'll explain everything that happened to them," I told her. "They'll understand. You're not going to be expelled, Ginny. Not if I can help it."

After a few minutes in the tunnel, we made our way back to the pile of rocks. Ron had made a much larger crawl space in the time we'd been gone.

"Ron!" Harry called to him. "Ginny's okay! We've got her!"

Ron cheered from behind the wall. His grinning face appeared in the hole as he extended an arm to pull Ginny through. "Ginny! You're alive! What happened? How - what - where did that bird come from?"

The Phoenix reappeared and flew in after Ginny.

"He's Dumbledore's," Harry told him, climbing in himself.

"How come you've got a sword?" Ron asked. I followed Harry through the space and slid out the other side. Both of them looked to me.

"You have a lot of explaining to do too," Ron said.

"I will, once we're alone and we get out of here," I told him. "It's a very long story."

"Where's Lockhart?" Harry asked.

"Back there," said Ron, motioning with his head. "He's not doing too well. Come and see."

We walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe, following the Phoenix.

"His memory's gone," Ron explained. "Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. He's a danger to himself."

"Hello," Lockhart said pleasantly. "Odd sort of place, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No," said Ron, exchanging a look with Harry.

"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" Harry asked Ron, motioning to the pipe. Ron shook his head.

"I sent Malfoy to fetch the teachers, they'll probably find a way in soon," I told them. Both boys whipped around.

"Malfoy?!" They both exclaimed.

"I woke up in the Slytherin common room," I shook my head. "Like I said, I'll explain later. It looks like the Phoenix has a plan."

Dumbledore's bird was waving his tail feathers at them. "He looks like he wants you to grab hold," Ron said. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there—"

"Fawkes," Harry said with realization, "isn't an ordinary bird. We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Lila, you can hold Ginny's Professor Lockhart—"

"He means you," said Ron to Lockhart.

"You hold Lila's other hand," Harry tucked away the Sorting Hat and sword into his belt. I tucked the diary in my skirt pocket and grabbed onto Ginny (still sobbing) and Lockhart. In seconds, Fawkes was tugging us all back up through the pipe.