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Author: Sovran Story: Meaning of One, Part Two: Chambers and Secrets Rating: Teens Setting: AU Status: Completed Reviews: 12 Words: 353,960
Ginny climbed up the boys' staircase to the fourth-year dormitory and crept inside. Lee, Fred, and George were all asleep with their curtains open. She tiptoed to the side of Fred's bed and knelt next to it. "Fred," she whispered, putting one hand on his shoulder. His eyes opened, but she put her hand over his mouth before he could speak. "I need to talk to you and George. Meet me downstairs?" He nodded, and she removed her hand. Fred climbed out of his bed and drummed two fingers on George's hand. George woke quickly, but he did not try to speak. Fred pointed at Ginny and then at the door. George nodded. "Two minutes," Fred whispered into Ginny's ear. Ginny slipped back into the common room and waited in front of the banked fire, concentrating on how she could explain everything to the twins. "What's up?" Fred said as he and George entered the room, both dressed and reasonably alert. "I think I've worked out the clue Hagrid gave us," Ginny said. The twins glanced at each other and then settled on the sofa in front of her. "Let's hear it, then," George said. "Okay. Back at Christmas, the four of us — Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I — sneaked into the Slytherin common room to find out if Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin." "Is that what you were up to? I knew it wasn't just the eggs." "No, that was just a bonus. Malfoy's not the Heir, and he didn't know who it was. But his father had told him that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened fifty years ago, and that time the monster killed somebody." George raised his hand. "Hang on, how did you hear all this? Was Malfoy just boasting or something?" "No, we brewed some Polyjuice Potion. Harry and Ron looked like Crabbe and Goyle, and they got Malfoy talking about it. Hermione went as Pansy, but he didn't want to talk to her, so she and I searched the dormitories for clues." "Impressive," Fred said. "Anyway, we know the Chamber was opened fifty years ago. Hagrid himself told us that he was here fifty years ago, and we know that he got expelled from Hogwarts." Fred nodded. "Right, so the Ministry thinks he had something to do with it. We guessed that already." "When we asked Hagrid about it," Ginny said, "he pretended not to know anything, but then he told us to follow the spiders. We found a load of spiders right next to where Mrs. Norris was Petrified. The weird thing was that all of those spiders were trying to get out of the castle. That's odd, isn't it? They usually like to stay inside where it's dark and warmer than outside." "A bit odd, yeah. So?" "So I think that Hagrid did have something to do with the Chamber, or at least he knew something about it. I think the Chamber is outside the school somewhere, maybe in the Forest. That's why no-one has been able to find it inside, and that's how Hagrid knows about it. He knows the Forest inside-out, and I'll bet he's been going in there since he was a student." "Okay," Fred said slowly. "What does that have to do with the spiders?" "They like places that are dark and quiet, remember? So if the Chamber of Secrets is buried in a cave or something, they might live close to it. All we'd have to do to find the Chamber is follow them home, just like Hagrid said." "Wait, wait, wait," George said, holding up both hands to stop Ginny's explanation. "If Hagrid knew where the Chamber is, why wouldn't he tell Dumbledore? He loves Dumbledore." Ginny had not considered that. "Well… maybe Hagrid hasn't actually found it. Maybe he caught someone going in there when he was a student, but that person escaped and Hagrid got blamed somehow." "But he could've followed the spiders ages ago," Fred said. "Yeah, but it's in a cave, remember? Hagrid can't fit into loads of places that normal-sized people can. And if he tried to tell anyone, who'd believe him? You heard how Lucius Malfoy and Fudge were today. People like them would've thought he was just making it up to save himself." "Hagrid would tell Dumbledore, though, and Dumbledore could find it if anyone could." "That doesn't mean he could open it, though. Only the Heir of Slytherin can do that." Well, then… What good is it going to do… for us to find it? "We… err…" Ginny began. Fred grinned. "Harry found the hole in that, did he?" Ginny shook her head sharply. "All right, fine. Maybe I've got some of the details wrong. The point is, Hagrid knows something about all of this, and he thinks we can learn something useful by following the spiders. So I'm going to do it and see what I can find. Are you two coming or not?" "The hell you are!" Fred said, straightening on the sofa. "Mum would skin us, never mind whatever's out in the Forest," George added. "And I just promised Dad I'd keep an eye on you." "But we need to know what Hagrid knows!" Ginny cried. "We could find out who the Heir is, or where the Chamber is, or what the monster is, or… or loads of things!" George snorted. "We could also get Petrified, or worse. No deal, Ginny." "Please! If we find out something useful, we can tell the professors and let them deal with it, but we have to go out there and look first." "Why not just tell the professors now?" Fred asked. "Let them follow the spiders." Ginny rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Do you honestly believe that any of them are going to take this seriously?" McGonagall… Shut it! "You never know," George said. "Flitwick seems like he'd appreciate something barmy like that." Fred nodded. "You tell anyone you want to tell, Ginny, and we'll back you up. But we can't let you go into that Forest." Ginny moved her hands and whipped both wands out of her back pockets. "You don't have a choice. If you don't want to go, that's fine, but I'm going." Her brothers eyed her nervously for a moment and then glanced at each other. Together, they shrugged. "Fine, Ginny," Fred said, sagging back into the sofa. "If you're so dead-set on doing this, we'll do our best to keep you from getting hurt." "But how are we going to get out of the Tower?" George asked. "We can't just sneak out through the castle," Fred said, his brow furrowed. "Those Aurors will know something's up if the portrait opens." "Can we wait for them to go the bathroom or something?" Ginny asked. George glanced at Fred again before speaking. "I doubt they both leave at the same time." Fred nodded. "You're probably right. Say, Ginny, do you still keep the Nimbus in the dormitory?" "Yes. Why?" "The Aurors are all inside the castle, as far as we can tell," Fred said. "If we have a broom up here, we can fly down the outside of the Tower with no-one the wiser." George nodded. "We've done it once or twice before. The trick is to fly slowly and stay in the shadows." "Okay," Ginny said. "Hang on, let me get the broom." Ginny darted up to Harry's dormitory and pulled the Nimbus out of his wardrobe. As she slipped back down the stairs, she began planning their route to the Forest. First they would have to find a spider to follow, and the best place to do that might be the window near Myrtle's bathroom. That was where she had seen spiders before, and she did not have any better places to start. When she reached the common room, she looked up just in time to see Fred wave his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" The white light struck her in the chest, and the broom fell out of her hands as her arms and limbs snapped straight. Before she could fall, George appeared at her side and caught her. He and Fred then carried her to a sofa, laid her on her back, and covered her with a blanket. She stared up at them, her eyes bulging with anger. "Sorry, Ginny," Fred said, leaning over her face. "We can't risk you getting hurt any more than you already are." Ginny strained to move her limbs, but she could only blink rapidly and glare at them. George moved up next to Fred, their identical faces filling her vision. "We're not trying to keep you from helping Harry. We just can't let you go into the Forest. You can't escape things as easily as usual for you, and the Forest is a nasty place at the best of times. I know you don't like that, but it's true." "So…" Fred grinned, his eyes glinting in the banked firelight. "We're going instead." "We'll find what there is to find, and we'll tell you everything," George said. "Then, if there's anything we can do for Harry, we'll help you do it." "Think of us as emissaries," Fred said. "Doing the dirty work while you lie here and do all the ordering about." "It's a change for us, but we're willing to endure it for your sake." They straightened, and Ginny saw the handle of the Nimbus as Fred picked it up from somewhere nearby. "Ready, George?" "Yeah," George said, nodding. Then he looked back down at Ginny. "We'll be back in a while, and then you can yell at us or hex us or whatever makes you feel better." Fred hovered on the broom next to the sofa. "In the meantime, try to relax. Between the heat you're putting out and that blanket, you'll be drenched soon." George climbed onto the Nimbus behind Fred, and they both waved to Ginny. Then they soared out of sight. She heard the rasp and creak as they opened a window, and then they were gone. Those… Bloody idiots! They should have… told someone. What makes them think they'll be any better off in there than I would? Ginny said, fuming. She belatedly recognised the feel of sweat beading on her forehead. It's not like they can Shift, either. Harry sighed. They're just… worried for you. They've heard about… your lessons. What—? Ginny cut herself off, remembering the spoon that she still could not reliably Transfigure into a fork. Tell that to Scabbers, then. But you couldn't… Put that back, could you? Ginny huffed. That doesn't— "Scabbers!" Ron's loud whisper carried across the empty room. "Come back here, you stupid rat. Scabbers!" Looking as far to her left as she could, Ginny saw Ron stumble across the room in front of the fire, hunched over with his hands outstretched. Halfway along the wall towards the girls' staircase, he abruptly switched directions and ran headfirst into an armchair. "Bloody hell," he muttered, straightening and rubbing his head. Then he spotted Ginny staring at him from the corner of her eye. "Ginny? What are you doing here?" She could not answer, so she rolled her eyes as obviously as she could. Ron crossed the room and looked down at her, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?" Ginny took a quick, deep breath and then released it in a rush, making as much noise as she could. She stared at him, blinking again, hoping he would understand that she could not move. "What—? Oh, hang on. Is it the Full-Body Bind?" She nodded with her eyes. "Okay. Be right back. I need to get my wand." He disappeared and returned less than a minute later. "Finite Incantatem." Ginny's muscles unlocked, and she heaved herself upright. "Those stupid plonkers!" "Who?" "Our idiot twin brothers. They hexed me a few minutes ago." He sat on the floor and frowned up at her. "Why would they do that?" As quickly as she could, Ginny told him what had happened, including most of her reasons for wanting to go into the Forest in the first place. When she finished, Ron stared at her in shock for a moment and then looked over at the open window. "I'm going after them," Ginny said. She drew her wand and pointed it down at Ron's head. "You can run to the professors after I'm gone if you really want to, but I won't let you stop me." He raised his hands and scowled at her. "I'm not trying to stop you, am I? But why bother following them? You'll have a hard time catching up if they're on a broom." "Because I need to know what's out there. I need to see it for myself. And if they do run into trouble, three wands are better than two." Ron glanced at her wand, and Ginny saw the doubt in his face. "And don't try to tell me I can't fight if I have to," she said. "You saw what happened to Scabbers." "Yeah, all right." He paused for a moment. "I'm coming, too." Ginny lowered her wand, momentarily shocked out of her determination. "What? I'm following spiders, Ron. You got that, right? Spiders?" "I'm not stupid," he said, clambering to his feet. His face was pale, but his back was straight and rigid. "Four wands are better than three. For Harry and Hermione, I can put up with those… those… things." Good show, Ron. But he— Ignore it. Just… Ignore it. "Okay," Ginny said, nodding. "Thanks." He shrugged and looked away from her towards the window. "I'll go get one of their brooms. We can use that." "Wait… their brooms are in the Tower already?" "Yeah. They brought them up here after the last match, and you lot haven't flown at all since then, have you?" "Those pillocks tricked me!" "They trick everybody," Ron said. "I'll be right back." When Ron returned a few minutes later, he was dressed and carrying a broom. Ginny retrieved the Invisibility Cloak from the armchair where she had left it, and the two of them looked out through the open window. "Ready, then?" Ron asked. He mounted the broom, and Ginny climbed up behind him. They tucked the Invisibility Cloak around themselves as best they could, and then Ron steered them outside. Ginny pointed to a line of shadow in the crevice where the round tower met the castle wall, and Ron flew into the dark column. Once hidden, they drifted slowly to the ground and found the Nimbus leaning against the shadowed castle wall. They dismounted, propped the twins' broom next to the Nimbus, and then rearranged themselves under the Cloak. "We saw those spiders across from Myrtle's bathroom," Ginny said. "So… err… to the left of the main doors, from out here." "Great," Ron said. "It'll take us an hour to get that far under this thing." "All we have to do is find a spider," Ginny said. "Maybe we'll spot one sooner." "That's no better," Ron muttered. Huddled close together beneath the Cloak, they set off around the wall of the castle. If this goes… bad, we will never… be okay. I'll be careful, I promise. She sighed. I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, Harry. I always want you to talk to me, no matter what you have to say. Do you really… have to do this? Yes, I do. You said I needed help if I was going into the Forest. Now they're going, so they need help. What would you do? I don't think… That's the real reason. It's reason enough. But… Ginny's memory stirred, and she heard her own voice in her mind. "It would still have been wrong, though. Neither of us can do things like that. We have to stay together. We can… we can do more that way. We're stronger that way." Ginny's breath caught as she remembered the searing pain in Harry's back and the choking fear she had felt while she lay on the floor of the hospital wing, frozen and helpless. You were right, Harry said. Weren't you? It's not the same. We're not together now, and I'm trying to fix that. But— Ron stopped abruptly, and Ginny ran into his back. "Spiders," he said, his voice tight. "Three of them." Ginny followed his pointing finger and saw three small spiders, each a bit larger than her thumbnail, crawling away from the castle across a patch of bare earth. "Come on, then," Ginny said. She slipped in front of Ron, trying to block his view of the ground, and set off after the tiny arachnids. As Ginny expected, the spiders led them into the Forbidden Forest, moving slowly enough that she and Ron had no trouble keeping up even while remaining hidden beneath the Cloak. Once they were well into the trees, Ginny pulled off the Cloak, rolled it up tightly, and tucked it firmly into the back of her jeans. Wands in hand, she and Ron stepped further into the Forest. More spiders soon joined the original three that Ron had spotted, some of them as large as Ginny's palm. Within a few minutes, there were so many spiders that they formed a continuous stream winding its way deeper into the Forest. Ron's breath was loud and harsh at Ginny's side, but his steps did not falter. "Think we should make a light?" Ginny asked in a whisper. She heard Ron take several deep breaths before he responded. "Yeah, if you want. Lumos." The white light highlighted the undergrowth around them, and Ginny saw even more spiders moving parallel to their path. "Bugger," Ron whispered. "Steady on, Ron." "Why did it have to be spiders? I hate spiders." His voice rose as he spoke, and Ginny knew that her brother was fighting to remain calm. "D'you think we've got a shot at the World Cup this time?" "What? Gryffindor?" She shot him an incredulous look, and he shook his head. "Oh, sorry, miles away. Err… too soon to say for sure. It's a long way off." "Still," Ginny persisted, "you can tell who'll make the national team, can't you?" Ron wiped his free hand across his mouth. "Some, maybe. You can bet Amesbury will be a shoe-in, and—" They both stopped abruptly as a distant noise reached their ears. "What was that?" Ron asked. "Dunno," Ginny said, turning in a complete circle with her wand ready. "Sounded like…" "Shouting?" "Yeah. Come on." Ginny set off after the spiders again, setting a faster pace. They had gone only a few dozen yards when they heard a familiar voice yell from somewhere ahead of them. "Run!" Ginny said. She took off down the path, heedless of the spiders dying beneath her shoes. Heavy footfalls told her that Ron was close behind. As they ran, the sounds from ahead became clearer. "I really don't think that's necessary!" one of the twins said. "All things considered—ahh!" His voice cut off in a sharp yelp as the other twin bellowed, "Stupefy!" Both brothers began shouting spells, the incantations overlapping into a roar of jumbled words. Through the trees, Ginny saw flashes of red, orange, and white light. She broke into a full-out sprint, forcing her way through the undergrowth and ignoring the pain of jagged branches and brambles. At last she emerged into a clearing and froze for a moment, her eyes wide. Fred and George stood back-to-back in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by thousands of spiders. Small ones covered the ground so thickly that that the forest floor looked like a dark, rippling blanket. Larger spiders hung from the trees and walked over the smaller ones. Ginny saw a spider the size of a housecat hanging from a nearby tree. She gaped at it, but then she spotted one the size of a Labrador crawling across the clearing. Each time she thought she had surely found the largest of them, she saw another even larger. "Kill them," a harsh voice said. She followed the sound and saw a spider larger than her father's car standing in front of a huge dome made entirely of dull grey webbing. Its pincers moved in time with the words. "Avenge your brethren!" The horde of spiders pressed closer to Fred and George, who began firing spells again. Belatedly, Ginny recognised the inert shapes of several medium-sized spiders at their feet. In the next moment, she realised that the black of the forest floor was creeping steadily up the twins' legs. Ginny blinked, recovering from her shock, and darted forward into the clearing. "Get back!" she shouted. Be careful! "Ginny, no!" Fred yelled, brushing a Galleon-sized spider out of his hair with his free hand. She leapt over a mass of spiders and spun around, putting herself between the twins and the gargantuan spider. "Stay away from them!" The dripping pincers flexed again. "What is this?" "More," said scores of scraping, clicking voices. "More humans." The words spread around the clearing in a disjointed ripple as other spiders repeated the words. "Hagrid?" "No." Ginny suddenly realised that the largest spider's many eyes were clouded and its black bristles were dusted with grey. Its pincers flexed silently for a moment and then clicked together. "Kill them all, then." "No!" Ginny pointed her wand straight at the terrifying creature. "Ignis Caeruleus!" A spurt of blue fire flared from her wand, but it evaporated within seconds. "Come on! Ignis Caeruleus!" The flames spurted a bit further, and hot sparks fell to the ground. The small spiders there screeched faintly and fled from the heat. George aimed his wand at a cat-sized spider near his feet. "Ignis Caeruleus!" A bright ball of flame incinerated the spider and a dozen tiny ones nearby. "It works!" George shouted. "Ignis Caeruleus!" Again. Try… Again. Groaning with frustration, Ginny pointed her wand almost directly at her feet and cast the spell a third time, repelling a score of the smallest spiders. She heard a harsh gasp and looked up. Ron was half-sobbing, but he was hurling bright, erratic fireballs at the ground a few yards away as he worked his way across the clearing towards them. Beside her, George was using Bluebell Flames to repel the bulk of the spiders while Fred crouched at his feet, removing the spiders from both of their legs. "Ignis Caeruleus!" Ginny shouted again. The spiders near her shoes fled, but the larger ones nearby merely paused before stalking further towards her. A snapping sound from overhead drew Ginny's attention. A spider as wide as she was tall was hanging head-down above them, its glistening pincers gaping a few inches above George's head. Ginny screamed and raised her wand to point directly into its maw. "Ignis Caeruleus!" The spell finally worked properly. A fireball the size of a dinner plate seared through the spider's body, leaving its legs to fall harmlessly onto George's shoulders. Yes! Ginny heard a terrified keening sound and glanced around for its source. Ron! It's Ron! Her brother was only a few yards away now, but he was surrounded by spiders and his face was grotesquely contorted with fright. He had stopped moving and was stumbling jerkily in a circle, launching blue fire towards whichever spiders were closest. "George!" Fred shouted. "This way on three! One, two, three!" Together, the twins burned a hole in the carpet of spiders between them and Ron. "Ron, jump!" He spun towards them, spotted the opening they had made, and leapt desperately into it. Then, with another long bound, he joined them in the centre of the clearing. What's—? Fred steadied Ron with one hand and nodded. "All together this — Ginny!" She felt it at the same time he shouted. Something massively strong pulled on her hair, flaying her scalp with pain and dragging her away from her brothers. She stumbled backwards, giving her enough slack to turn her head halfway towards her attacker. A huge spider, nearly as large as the old one, was reeling in a thick strand of webbing that was anchored to her long hair. She screamed and raised her hands to her hair, trying to pull it away from the sticky web. No! "Let her go!" Fred shouted. He sent a small fireball under Ginny's left elbow, but it splashed against the ground well away from the monster that was dragging her. "Ginny!" George bellowed. "Ginny, you have to do it yourself, we can't reach it without hitting you!" With one hand still tugging her hair, she aimed her wand as well as she could. "Ignis Caeruleus!" Another fireball sprang forth, but it merely struck the spider on one leg, making it screech and yank her towards its jaws. Cut! Need to… cut… How? "Come on, Ginny!" Fred shouted. "Shit," George said more quietly. Then he raised his voice again. "If it kills you, Harry will never wake up! Never!" The truth of his words seared her as surely as any flame. With a loud cry of anguish and fury and primal need, she threw herself closer to the spider. From there, she was able to face it fully and raise her wand directly into its faceted eyes. "Ignis Caeruleus!" The spider vanished in a blinding nova of blue fire. The massive fireball shot across the clearing without even slowing down, incinerating hundreds of spiders and leaving a furrow of black ash in its wake. Yes! Again! Ginny howled again in triumph and then spun back towards her brothers. Two more spells, one to either side of the three boys, gave them a moment to focus on the creatures at their feet. Ginny stepped back amongst them and looked around for the next threat, her mind still incandescent with fury. She spotted the huge old spider retreating into its web at one side of the clearing. Coughing the smoke out of her throat, she pulled Harry's wand out of her pocket with her left hand and aimed both wands at the retreating figure. "Ignis Caeruleus!" Twin fireballs leapt from the tips of her wands and blasted across the clearing, but they only gouged into the woven webs of the huge dome. The monster's voice echoed from somewhere inside. "Attack! Kill them!" "Ginny!" one of the twins shouted. "This way!" She turned and saw another large spider approaching her brothers from the opposite side. "Ignis Caeruleus!" Up! Check… up! "Ignis Caeruleus!" She sent half a dozen fireballs into the sky in all directions, slaughtering scores of spiders and setting the tops of the trees alight. "Over here!" Ron screamed. Ginny obliterated the spiders in front of him and snarled in frustration as the horde of tiny spiders began to reach their feet again. "Bugger this! Get down!" "What?" Fred cast a Freezing Charm along the leg of his trousers, and a few dozen spiders fell away. "The spiders are all over the gr—" "Do it!" Ginny bellowed. "NOW!" George glanced at her, swore loudly, and then yanked Fred and Ron downwards so that they all crouched at her feet. Ginny faced away from them and raised her wands towards the largest mass of spiders. "Ignis Caeruleus!" She cast the spell over and over again, as fast as she could speak the words. With every thundering heartbeat she turned a bit to her left, obliterating more spiders. "Ignis Caeruleus!" Blue flame erupted into her vision, new bursts blinding her before her eyes could recover from the previous ones. "Ignis Caeruleus!" When she had made one complete circle, she started another. "Ignis Caeruleus!" Weeks and months of helplessness, frustration, and anger boiled in Ginny's mind. "Ignis Caeruleus!" Harry shouted the incantations along with her. Ginny could feel their magic flowing through her arms. "Ignis Caeruleus!" She could hear spiders screeching in agony. Smell their ash. Taste their death. "Ignis Caeruleus!" She did not care. They would not hurt her brothers. They would not kill her. They would not destroy Harry forever. "Ignis Caeruleus!" "Ginny, stop!" "Ignis Caeruleus!" Something moved at the edge of her vision. She destroyed it. "Ignis Caeruleus!" "Ginny!" Strong arms clamped around her shoulders, pinning her arms at her sides. The bright patches in her vision faded slightly as her spells faltered, and she spotted the smouldering outline of the dome into which the spiders' leader had vanished. Inside, illuminated by the surrounding flames, was an outcrop of bedrock split by a jagged cave mouth. The creature was in there. That place could be the Chamber of Secrets. Growling, Ginny twisted out of the confining grip and aimed both of her wands at the cave. "Ignis Caeruleus!" She stepped away from her brothers towards the opening, her feet dragging in drifts of ash. With each step she sent two more fireballs into the cave, blackening the surrounding rock and igniting the trees beyond. Smoke blocked her vision almost completely after a few steps, but she marched forward blindly and relentlessly. Just when she caught sight of the mouth of the cave through the smoke, a deluge of cold water hit her from behind. She spun, wands raised. Ron and the twins ducked, but Fred and George both kept their wands pointed at her and spewing water. "Stop it!" she shouted, lowering her wands. "You first!" Fred said, his voice hoarse. "Look around, will you? We have to get out of here." As the liquid assault faded, she blinked away the lingering afterimage of blue flame and looked beyond her brothers. Through the shroud of smoke, she saw the trees at the edge of the clearing burning with yellow and orange flames, and as she watched the fire spread to fill one of the few remaining gaps in the ring around them. There were no spiders in the clearing. There were not even any corpses. There was only a thick layer of ash coating everything that was not on fire. "Did you get the ones that were on you?" Ginny asked, half-raising her wands again. "Yes, thanks," George said quickly, rising to his feet and coughing into his fist. "We don't need any help there." "We have to get back to the castle before we're trapped by the fire," Fred said, lifting the collar of his jumper over his mouth to filter the smoke. "Come on." Ginny turned back towards the cave and peered into the smoke-shrouded entrance. "But the Chamber of Secrets could be right in there!" "It's not, Ginny," Fred said, crossing to stand next to her and grabbing her arm with his free hand. "It's just a cave." "How do you know?" Ginny asked, coughing and blinking her stinging eyes. "Cover your mouth!" Fred began pulling her away from the cavern. "That big spider told us before he decided to eat us. I'll explain once we get out of here, but I swear this place has nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets. Come on. And stay low!" Crouched almost double, he pulled her towards the largest gap in the ring of fire, and George and Ron followed them. She scanned the trees for lingering spiders but did not see any. "Which way is the castle?" she shouted over the crackle of the flames. She coughed again and finally pulled her soaked jumper up to cover her mouth. "Not sure," George said. "We were using a tree as a landmark, but it's gone now." "Uphill, Hagrid said." Fred pointed ahead of them. "We just need to get around the fire first." They ran as quickly as they could until they escaped from the spreading flames and the worst of the smoke. When Fred paused to get his bearings, the four of them were all panting and coughing. Ginny scanned the Forest around them. Yards above their head, a gnome-sized spider scuttled along a branch. She aimed Harry's wand and focused on restraining her magic. "Ignis Caeruleus." A fireball no larger than her hand shot into the trees and hit the spider. Burning fiercely, it tumbled off of the branch and fell to the ground near Ron's feet. He yelped and leapt away from it. "Ginny, that's not helping," George said, spraying water into the smouldering foliage. "Those things were going to bloody eat us, George," Fred said. "She can kill as many as she likes." Ron made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a moan, and Ginny focused on her youngest brother. His head jerked erratically as he tried to watch the ground and all of the surrounding trees at the same time. His breathing was ragged, and his soot-stained face was streaked with bright trails of moisture. He moved his wand back and forth from one hand to the other, scrubbing his free palm against his shirt each time. "All right, Ron?" Ginny asked, fighting to keep her voice steady and calm. He nodded frantically, but neither his eyes nor his breath slowed. When he swapped his wand to his left hand again, Ginny saw that his palms were pink and completely free of ash. "Ron." Ginny grabbed his wrists and held them as tightly as she could until his arms stilled. "All right?" He gulped twice before meeting her eyes. "Y… yeah." He glanced over his shoulder. "'M all right. Just… too many… bloody… things…" "They're gone now, though, right?" "Yeah," he said, nodding more smoothly. "Yeah, you… you got them. You… I couldn't have…" He licked his lips. "I mean, there were just so… and I couldn't… and you… you did." "Forget it. I'll be damned before I let anyone else get hurt right now." She shivered, knowing that she had almost been too late to save any of them. "Yeah, but… you know… not everyone would… That is, I would, but I… couldn't. And I knew you… err…" Fred snorted and then coughed again. "I think he's trying to say 'thank you.'" "No, he's not," Ginny said, meeting her youngest brother's eyes and squeezing his wrists gently. She swallowed, trying to moisten her parched throat. "I love you, too, Ron." George sighed and ran his hand through his hair, revealing traces of red among the soot. "Yes, that also. But mostly thanks. That was… that was incredible." "I said forget it," Ginny said, dropping Ron's arms. Please, she added silently. They probably won't. "Bloody terrifying is what it was," Fred said. Harry? Are you okay? I mean… George laughed, though it sounded more like a cough. "Her or the spiders?" "Both." I am if… You are. "Can't argue with results, though." "I don't plan to argue at all." Okay. Ginny nodded to herself, forcing back a sob. We're all right. "Hmm. Good point. Better safe…" The twins spoke together. "… than toasted." Ginny's face flushed. "I was just trying to… I mean, I didn't plan to… It was just…" Fred grinned. "You've got something in common with Ron after all. Can't make a complete sentence." "Never mind, Gin," George said. "I'm glad you came." Trying to look stern, Ginny said, "You shouldn't have come by yourselves." She used the wand in her left hand to dry her clothes, keeping the other at the ready. The twins both snorted. "Clearly," George said. "But it wasn't a good idea for you, either." "Ron was keeping the spiders from crawling up the inside of your jeans there at the end, you know. With his bare hands." "In retrospect, it was shockingly good thinking. I'm almost proud of him in spite of all the whimpering." Ginny shuddered at the thought and remembered the raw skin of her brother's palms. "I didn't notice. Thanks, Ron." He shrugged, keeping his back to her as he watched the Forest. "Bit busy, were you?" Fred said, rolling his eyes and lighting his wand. "Come on. Uphill is that way, as best as I can tell, but we have to stay away from the fire." They set off again, trying to go around the distant glow of the fire. It spread as they walked, however, and they could not find a way to get closer to the castle. George stopped next to a fallen tree. "This isn't working, Fred." "I suppose we could just send up sparks or something, but…" "Yeah," George said, nodding. "I don't fancy getting caught this time." At that moment, Ginny saw a flash of flame in the trees ahead of them, well away from the burning line in the Forest. "What was that?" Fred asked. "Lumosfacila." Ginny aimed the yellow light of her wand into the tree and saw a familiar red shape. "Fawkes!" He trilled briefly in response. "What? Dumbledore's phoenix?" "Yeah. Come on." She extinguished her wand-light and led them towards the bird, who remained still and silent. When they reached the tree where Fawkes had appeared, however, he took flight and soared to a different tree, giving another trill as he landed. "That's clear enough," George said. "Let's go." The four siblings followed Fawkes through the Forest. They started out moving quickly, but Ginny soon began to slow as her adrenaline faded and fatigue began to overwhelm her. Weeks of hardly eating had left her with no stamina, and she clenched her hands to hide how much they shook. The boys looked tired, as well, but she could tell that they were slowing down to stay with her. All four of them were breathing harshly and coughing due to the smoke they had inhaled. After a while, Fawkes led them towards an orange glow that could only be part of the spreading fire. They followed him cautiously, but as they approached, the faint light faded. A few minutes later they walked across a broad strip of scorched earth which was scattered with filthy puddles and steaming embers. Beyond that area, they trudged steadily uphill through untouched forest. After what seemed like an hour, Fawkes settled in a tree, trilled once more, and then vanished in a burst of flame. When Ginny and her brothers reached that tree, they could see Hagrid's cabin through the remaining foliage. "Thank Merlin," Fred said. They crept towards the very edge of the Forest, hiding behind a large shrub and looking up at the castle. The main doors were open, and light from the Entrance Hall silhouetted a row of four people spaced evenly across the doorway. As Ginny watched, a tiny shape that could only be Professor Flitwick stepped out of the castle, followed closely by at least a hundred cauldrons and buckets all hovering in the air. He set off towards the Forest at a trot amidst his floating fire brigade. "I'll bet those are Aurors at the door," George said. "They'll see us the minute we go out onto the grounds." "We can—" Ginny stopped, panicking, and reached behind her. The Invisibility Cloak was still jammed into her waistband, glued in place by the ragged end of the rope-like web hanging from her hair. "We can get past the Aurors." "What? How?" Fred asked. "I have an Invisibility Cloak," she said, tearing it free of the webbing and unrolling it. Fred stared at it. "Blimey. A real Invisibility Cloak?" "Yeah. It was Harry's dad's." "Explains a lot, that does," George said. "S'not big enough," Ron muttered. "What?" Fred asked. Ron wiped his mouth with his filthy sleeve, and Ginny saw how pale his cheeks had become. "Three is tight," he said faintly. "Four won't work." Fred looked at Ginny with a wounded expression on his face. "Ron knew about it? That cuts to the quick, baby sister, it really does." "Never mind that now. Ron's right. We should probably go two at a time to make sure our feet don't show. I'll take each of you up to the brooms. I think you can hide there without being seen." Ginny threw the Cloak over her shoulders and held it open. "Let's go, Ron." Slowly and carefully, she and Ron crept back up to the castle. He had draped his arm over her shoulder to help hold the Cloak in place, but his grip was tighter than necessary and his arm was leaden. Ginny supported him as well as she could and did not try to make him talk. She wanted to say that she was sorry for putting him through the whole ordeal, but she did not think he was in any state to listen, much less to respond. When they finally reached the dark niche next to Gryffindor Tower without being noticed, Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait here," she said. Ron nodded, and Ginny started back towards the Forest, moving more quickly. The twins were sitting against the trunk of a large tree when she arrived. "Who's next?" "You go on, Fred," George said. "Age before beauty." "Oi!" Fred said in mock indignation. "Don't insult Ginny like that!" "Just come on," Ginny said. "The longer we wait, the more likely that somebody will get caught." Fred joined her beneath the Cloak, and they moved out into the open. "Told you the Forest was dangerous," he said quietly. "I never said it wasn't." "It was quite an informative trip, though." Ginny had almost forgotten why she had wanted to go into the Forest in the first place, but at his words the sense of urgency and hope came rushing back. "What did you find out? How do you know the Chamber isn't out there?" "Easy, Ginny," he whispered. "I don't think it's anything we can really use." "Okay," Ginny said, taking a deep breath and trying not to sound disappointed. "But you learned something, right?" "Yeah. That huge spider that was talking? His name is Aragog. He used to be Hagrid's pet, once upon a time." "What? Hagrid's pet?" That's not so… surprising. "Shut up and listen, will you? We haven't got all night. Yes, the spider is Hagrid's pet from back in his school days, and that whole mess of them are — or at least were — his descendants. He used to live in a cupboard, but then someone found him, and he had to go into the Forest. That was fifty years ago, when Slytherin's monster was attacking people, and I guess the teachers thought Aragog was the monster. So they expelled Hagrid because they thought he'd opened the Chamber of Secrets." Bollocks. "Oh, come on. Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin." "I know, but most people believed it. Anyway, Aragog isn't the monster. The funny thing is that he knew what the monster is. He just wouldn't talk about it. He said it's the spiders' mortal enemy, and they don't even say its name. That's why they've all left the castle. I think the little ones must only go in for food these days." Ginny sighed. "So the Chamber is in the castle, after all." "'Fraid so, Gin." But where? How can Dumbledore… miss it? No idea. "What else did you find out?" "Well, we also learned that really big spiders will eat people, but you may have worked that one out for yourself." They approached the base of the Tower and saw Ron pressed into the shadowy crevice at its base, his palms flat against the stones and his eyes locked on the ground. "Ron probably worked it out, too," Fred continued in a whisper. "Poor bloke." Ginny left Fred with Ron and made one final trip to the Forest's edge to get George, who silently supported her as she stumbled across the grounds. Halfway back to the castle, he squeezed her shoulders. "Good to see you awake again." "What do you mean?" He snorted. "You know good and well what I mean. You've been walking around like someone who'd been Kissed for weeks, but tonight you were awake. Angry, perhaps, but awake." He's right. "Well, I couldn't let them eat you." "But there's more to it than that, isn't there?" You know… He's right. Ginny's steps faltered until she stopped, and George stayed at her side. "I thought I could help," she said, swallowing her disappointment. "I thought I could get Harry back right away. Instead, I nearly got us all killed." "It worked out in the end. And Ginny…" He turned to face her and put his hands on her shoulders. "We all want Harry back. That's why Fred and I went in there. That's why Ron came with you, even though he could barely put two words together and he probably won't sleep soundly for a month. I'm pretty sure we'd all do it again, too." Ginny hugged him tightly. "Thank you, George. I'm sorry for everything." She choked out a laugh. "Harry says thank you, too, but he's not part of any hugging." "Well, that's a relief." George pulled away and looked down at her solemnly. "Just try to stay awake, okay? That's really what we're all after." Me, too. She sighed. "I'll try. It's just hard, is all." They crossed into the shadow of the Tower and found Fred by himself. "Ron started vomiting everywhere, so I sent him up on the Nimbus," he said. "No-one was looking." One at a time, Ginny ferried the twins up to the common room under the Invisibility Cloak. Ron was waiting there, sitting on a sofa where he could see both the window and the portrait hole. His face was pale and shiny, but his breathing sounded normal aside from the occasional wheeze. "Best clean up a bit," George said, coughing into his hand. "If we go to the showers at this hour, we might wake someone up." They used their wands to clean their clothes and skin as well as they could. Between them, they managed to get most of the spider webs out of Ginny's hair, but it was still a mess after being coated with ash, soaked in water, and then coated again. Fred brought a jar of Murtlap Essence down from his trunk, and they used that to mend the worst of the scratches and scrapes they had acquired as they ran through the Forest. Ginny had one gash on her arm that would not quite heal, but the Murtlap made it shrink enough that none of them worried about it. "I can't believe none of us got bitten," Fred whispered to Ginny. George and Ron were a short distance away, treating the last of their injuries. "The little ones must not have had pincers yet." She nodded. "The big ones were bad enough." "Where'd you learn that trick with two wands, anyway?" "What do you mean?" He nodded towards her pocket. "You were casting spells out of both wands at the same time. I've never seen anyone do that before." "Oh." She shrugged. "I didn't really think about it. I just tried it, and it worked." When they had cleaned and healed themselves as well as they could, the four siblings went to their separate dormitories. Ginny put away the Nimbus, changed into her t-shirt, and settled into bed. She felt drained in ways she could not describe, but she could not yet sleep. The battle with the spiders and her complete loss of control were too fresh in her mind. She felt horrified, but she could not deny that she also felt triumphant. You did… what you had to do. But then I kept going. Just like Ron with the troll. If the twins hadn't stopped me, I… She remembered the mouth of the cave and how determined she had been to enter it, no matter what was inside. I'm not sure I would have made it back. So… The twins needed… you, and you… needed them. That's okay, right? I suppose so. But I don't think we would ever have done that if you had been with me. I… We felt… together, for a minute or two. In a way, but neither of us was thinking clearly. We were just… I dunno… really wanting the same thing. Well, either way… we're okay… now. Right? Ginny knew it would take her a long time to even recognise everything she was feeling. There had simply been too many staggering blows to her emotions within a few short hours, and she still was not confident that her thoughts and feelings were really hers to begin with. For the moment, however, she and Harry and her brothers were safe in spite of her colossal stupidity, and that was enough. Yeah. We'll manage. The dormitory door creaked open softly, and Ginny froze, listening. Light footsteps crossed the room, and Ginny had spent enough time with Harry to recognise that they belonged to an adult. A moment later, her curtains parted and Professor McGonagall appeared in the gap. McGonagall was wearing her usual robes, rather than a dressing gown, and her face and hands were dirty and grey in the dim moonlight. When she saw that Ginny was awake, she stepped inside the curtains and closed them behind her. Then she lit her wand, casting a soft white glow and revealing a coating of grey powder on her hair and clothes. "Are you all right?" McGonagall asked, perching on the side of the bed. Ginny bit her lip for a moment before answering. "Shouldn't I be?" "Perhaps. Perhaps not." The professor brushed ash off of her sleeves and onto the floor. She absently Vanished it with her wand. "There was a fire in the Forbidden Forest tonight. Hundreds of trees were completely destroyed. It would have been more, but a few of us and the centaurs managed to contain it. I believe a water sprite assisted, also." Ginny was glad to hear that the fire had been put out, but she simply nodded. "That's good." "It is. The interesting part is that we first noticed the fire when a ball of blue fire flew straight up out of the Forest and into the sky. I have never heard of a natural fire doing that before." "Nor have I," Ginny whispered, swallowing. McGonagall nodded. "While we were fighting the fire, I discovered the remains of dozens of spiders some distance from the fire's centre. I knew that a large colony of Acromantula resided in the Forest, and I assumed that the fire had reached their lair. "Then I remembered that Hagrid had said something about following spiders earlier today, and I wondered if the two events might somehow be related. But I know everyone who heard Hagrid's comment, and I could account for most of their locations." Ginny had clung to the idea that she might not get caught, but Professor McGonagall clearly knew the truth, or at least most of it. Ginny sat up and stared down at her hands. "Professor, I—" "I know, Ginny," McGonagall said, reaching up to Ginny's hair and gently pulling out a clump of sodden webs. "Are you sure you're all right?" "Err… mostly," Ginny said. She pushed up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal the partially-healed gash. "I think I got caught on a branch while I was… while I was running from the fire." McGonagall put the glowing tip of her wand next to Ginny's arm. "This has already been treated somehow." Damn. "The twins keep some Murtlap Essence in their trunks, so I…" She coughed harshly. "Sorry. So I borrowed it." "That was a good choice, though I do not wish to think of what this looked like before the Murtlap." With a flick of her wrist, the light vanished, and then Ginny felt a warm tingling on her arm. When the light returned, her skin was whole and unmarked. "Thanks." "Why did you go into the Forest, Ginny? I have asked you repeatedly not to leave the Tower." The older witch's tone was smooth and calm. She sounded as though her anger had burned itself out already, leaving only worry and disappointment in its wake. Ginny decided that she would have preferred the anger. As quickly as she could, Ginny explained her theory that the Chamber of Secrets was in the Forbidden Forest. In retrospect, she could see that it was barely rational at all, and she did not try to hide that. McGonagall sighed when Ginny finished. "And so you went into the Forest yourself instead of notifying me because you knew I would not let you go. Just as you knew I would not let you visit the hospital wing at night." Ginny nodded, coughing softly again. "Well, this time you were correct. I most certainly would not have let you venture into the Forest. Instead, I would have told you that Hagrid had a pet Acromantula many years ago which now lives in the Forest. I would have told you that Hagrid was blamed the last time the Chamber was opened, though Professor Dumbledore and I are perfectly well aware that he was not at fault. I would also have told you that a fully grown Acromantula is most certainly monstrous, but it is not the Monster of Slytherin and never has been." Ginny put her hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. "You knew?" "Yes, Ginny, I knew," McGonagall said, patting her knee. "I would have told you if necessary, but otherwise I saw no point in recounting something which does not help anyone and which is very painful for Hagrid. I hope you can understand that." Ginny nodded. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought about how utterly pointless the entire journey had been. She truly had risked the lives of three of her brothers for nothing. But… Wait… That's not all. Fred said… She blinked, focusing on the memories Harry showed her. "That's not all he said, though," she told McGonagall. "The old spider — Aragog — also said that the Chamber of Secrets is in the castle, not outside. And he knew what the monster is, but he wouldn't tell th—" She coughed once more, a fit that went on longer than she expected, and this time she was glad for the distraction. "Err, he wouldn't tell me what it is. Did you know that, too?" She desperately hoped that something they learned might be useful. "No, I did not," McGonagall said, tapping her fingers against the duvet. "The Acromantula knew about the Monster of Slytherin? You're sure of that?" "Yes. He said it was the spiders' mortal enemy, and they didn't talk about it. They wouldn't even tell me what it is. Just that it's in the castle and they're all scared of it." "That is interesting. I'm not certain what it means, but it is interesting. What happened next?" "Err…" Ginny improvised quickly. "He said they were going to eat me, and he ordered all the other spiders to kill me. That's when I started using the Bluebell Flames. I… umm… got a bit carried away." The professor nodded. "I suppose that is understandable if you thought you were to be eaten." See? "Then I ran," Ginny said. "I got a bit lost, but…" She hesitated, but she could not see why Fawkes' intervention should be a secret. "I saw Fawkes, Professor. He led me back to the castle." "Fawkes?" Ginny nodded. "I was a bit surprised to see him, you know?" "Yes, I believe I do. Still, Fawkes' presence is always reassuring, isn't it?" "Yes, Professor." McGonagall straightened and looked sharply at Ginny. "And how did you get out of the Tower? For that matter, how did you return?" The twins will kill me for telling her. You'll be… even for… keeping them out of it. "It was simple, Professor. I have the Nimbus Two Thousand here in my room, so I just took it downstairs and flew out through the window of the common room. Afterwards I flew back in." The professor nodded. "Ah, yes. I should have remembered. You were aided by James Potter's Cloak, I assume?" "Err… yeah." "You are not the first student to leave the Tower that way. James himself did it once that I know of. But I shall have to block that exit for now. It is simply too dangerous." "I understand, Professor." "Good. One more question, Ginny." McGonagall paused and gave her a shrewd look, though it was not as demanding as it had been moments before. "Were you alone in the Forest tonight?" Ginny coughed and looked away. "Yes." "I see. In that case, I will send Madam Pomfrey to the common room at six o'clock this morning to tend that cough of yours. If you happen to know of anyone else who might need her assistance for any reason, please bring them with you. She will not ask any questions." "Erm… thanks. I'll meet her then." "You're welcome." McGonagall pursed her lips and then picked up Ginny's hand in her own. "Ginny, the person who went into the Forest tonight is the same person who fought a troll last year. The same person who rescued the Philosopher's Stone, and the same person who refused to be mistreated over the summer. That person is not Harry, or Ginny, or even Ginny without Harry. It is Harry and Ginny. One person, even with two names." Harry drew out Ginny's memory of the first time they had met Luna, and Ginny could not help a tiny smile. "Luna calls us Alex," she whispered. "Ah, yes. Very well, it was Alex who did all of those things and Alex who went into the Forest this evening. Alex is still with us, Ginny. You are still the same person you have always been. Otherwise you would never have survived tonight. Try to remember that." Neither of them knew what to say. Ginny nodded. "There will be consequences for your excursion this evening, but we can talk about that tomorrow. For now, I'm glad you're safe." Professor McGonagall grinned suddenly, which looked very strange on her normally-serene features. "Your friend Miss Lovegood is truly a treasure. Goodnight, Alex." "Goodnight, Professor."
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