What If? Year 1

Chapter 41

"Goldie!" Harry and Ron shouts when I pass them in the corridor, "We went to visit Hermione, and she had a note in her hand. We can't figure it out, but we thought you could." They hand me the note.

Of the many fearsome beast and monsters that roam out land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its method of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fans, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flees before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to is.

"She did find the answer," I breath, "she probably found it and rushed out to find a teacher."
"So that means that you and I can understand Parseltongue," Harry says.
"But no one has died," Ron reminds us, "It says that the Basilisk stare is deadly." I think to all of the areas where people were attacked.
"What if they didn't make direct eye contact with it?" Harry asks.
"Yeah," I reply, "Hermione and the Ravenclaw girl used a mirror, Colin saw it through his camera. Justin... he must have seen it through Nearly-Headless Nick, and well he's already dead." Ron's jaw was towards the floor.
"And Mrs. Norris?" His voice showing his eagerness.
"She saw it through the water," Harry says. I read through the note again and gasp.
"...the crowing of the rooster... is fatal to it! Hagrid's roosters were killed! The Heir of Slytherin must have killed them!"
"How is the basilisk been getter around the place? I would think that you.. someone would have seen it."
"It's going through the plumbing," I explain to them, "Hermione and I have had that theory since the being of Spring Term. That's why Harry has been hearing voices in the walls."
"The entrance!" Ron shouts, "What if it's in the bathroom? Like-.."
"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Harry exclaims. Excitement courses through my body.
"What are we going to do?" Ron asks.
"We need to go straight to McGonagall, she'll know what to do."
"Let's go to the staff room, it almost break." We all run to the door of the staff room. Ron and Harry start to go into the room, but I stop them.
"Maybe we should just wait out here," I tell them, "I'm not sure that were supposed to be in there." Harry and Ron nod, so we wait outside, pacing next to the door. The bell to dismiss the classes never rings.
"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers to the staff room. Immediately please." McGonagall's voice was magnified over the entire castle.
"Not another attack," Harry complains, looking to Ron and I, "Not now."
"What'll we do?" Ron asks, "Go back to the dormitory?" Harry shakes his head.
"We're going to hid in the closet," he says. I shake my head.
"I'm going to Myrtle's bathroom," I tell them both, "you get the teachers, and I'll meet you there."
"Um, no," Harry scolds, "You'll get hurt."
"I'll be careful, I have a mirror." I wink at him before walking away. I make sure to check around each corner. I watch McGonagall walk past with Sprout.
"Someone's been taken, Pomona," McGonagall says, "they left another message, right under the first one." I cover my mouth, so to not make any noise. The walk past, and I hear footsteps after them. Snape strides past, looking very worried. I listen for more footsteps, but none come. I make my way straight to Myrtle's bathroom. I open the door and I am given a terrible scene.
"I didn't mean to, Goldie, you must believe me," Ginny sobs, "Please, please, please... it wasn't me. Oh, Merlin.. it's terrible, I don't remember."
"Gin, we've gotta go to the common room."
"I can't go, he's going to kill me!" I notice the blood running down from her nose.
"Ginny, it's going to be okay.. please, just let me take you to the common room at least."
"I can't go, I can't go.. he's talking to me.." Her sobs rack through my body.
"Gin, please," I plead, "Can I go get a teacher than? They can help you."
"NO." The voice wasn't Ginny's, but it came out of her mouth. I back away from her, but she gets up. Her face was stained with tears and blood, but her face has no emotion.
"You can't.. now you must STAY!" Ginny's hand is soon on my throat and my back is against the wall.
"G-ginny?" I squeak out, trying to breathe, "W-wh-.." Her grasp tightens around my throat and I gasp.
"You know who I am," the voice growls, "Say it." I look down at Ginny, and her eyes were red.
"You." The grasp tightens even more and I cannot breathe anymore.
"Help," I can barely choke out before I pass out.

I open my eyes, and Tom, Ginny, and I are standing over my body.
"Bloody hell," I say, staring at Tom.
"Now, Miss Potter," Tom sneers, walking around me, "You can do nothing but watch as these events unfold. And then you're going to die a slow agonizing death." I look at him.
"I'm not going to just watch you kill my friends." I snarl back.
"You are powerless."
"I will find out how to help the teachers, and we will stop you." I spit back.
"You can try, little one. You can try." I spin on my heel and walk out. I stalk to the common room, hoping that Harry and Ron were there. The common room was crowded and I try to find them. Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting together, probably just getting the news of Ginny. I find Ara and tug on her shirt.
"Screw off, Peeves," she snaps.
"Ara, please." I pull on her shirt again, trying to pull her over to the dorm stairs.
"Goldie?" she whispers, "oh, bloody hell." She follows where I pull. I take her to the dorm and I try to take a quill. I start feeling weak, and I drop it.
"What is it?" Ara asks, "Where are you.. is Ginny okay?" I pick up the quill again, and write an H. I try to write the rest, but I drop the quill again. I hold the quill in both hands and write out, 'elp me.'
"Yes, I'll find.. Harry and Ron have gone to Lockhart, but I don't trust him. I'll try to find McGonagall."
"Thank you," I say weakly, but she cannot hear me.
"Be safe, I can't loose you too." Ara tells me.
"You too."