𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝; 𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡.𝐩

𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓻 2, 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 17: The Heir of Slytherin

~ chapter seventeen: the heir of slytherin ~

As the door slowly closed behind them, Y/N slowly climbed down the ladder and landed on the floor, standing aside so Harry could get down as well. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. She took a moment to take it all in. 

Standing very still as her eyes wandered the place, she listened to the chilling silence. Could the basilisk be here at this very moment, hiding somewhere? And where the hell was Ginny? 

"Come on," Harry muttered, lighting his wand and moving forward between the serpentine columns, Y/N hurrying after him. Every careful footsteps echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. Y/N kept her eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following them. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, she thought she saw one stir, but she didn't mention it to Harry. She didn't need to freak him out any more than he undoubtedly was. 

Then, as they drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue as high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. 

Y/N had to crane her neck to look up into the giant face above. It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor.

"Promise me I'm never going to be that old," Harry whispered in Y/N's ear, trying to crack a joke.

Despite a small voice screaming that now was not the time to be making jokes of any sort, Y/N let a small chuckle slip through her lips, but quickly composed herself once she'd realized why they were down here in the first place. "Okay, now where is Ginny?"

Harry, still chuckling at his own joke, looked at the feet again, and his giggles subsided as he nudged Y/N in the ribs.

"Ow!" She glared at him. "What was that f—" 

He pointed, and she glanced at the direction he was pointing towards. Between the feet facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair.

"Ginny!" Y/N muttered, sprinting over to her and dropping to her knees. "Ginny. No, Ginny. Please don't be dead. Wake up. Wake up! Please wake up." She grabbed Ginny's shoulders, shaking her, trying to wake her up desperately. Harry bent down beside her, putting a hand on Ginny's forehead, and what he felt made his eyes slightly widen, although he didn't say anything.

"She won't wake." 

Y/N's brows twisted in confusion when she heard the voice. She recognized it. But it couldn't be... how could he...

She and Harry traded glances before they whirled around to see a tall, black-haired boy walking towards them. He looked solid, as though if she wanted to, Y/N could touch him. Not that she wanted to. She knew exactly who he was.

"Riddle," she gritted out, setting Ginny down gently instead of dropping her on the hard floor; Ginny didn't need a concussion while she was already unconscious, in Y/N's opinion. 

"What do you mean she won't wake?" Harry asked, asking the question that had been burned into Y/N's mind. She's not...?"

"She's awake, but only just," Riddle replied.