Pennelope and the Chamber (Harry Potter love story) book 2

Out of the Chamber

I opened my eyes and moaned. I stood up and looked down at Ginny as she stood up, too.

We each looked at each other and hugged one another.

"Ginny, you're all right," I said as I hugged her.

She pulled back and smiled. She kept shifting her eyes to the right.

I slowly turned and saw Harry, he was covered in blood and ink, I looked up at his face; it was covered in sweat and dirt.

I shifted my eyes to the dead basilisk on the floor and bursted out crying.

"Harry - oh, Harry - we tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I - I c-couldn't say it on front of Percy - it was us, Harry - but I - I swear we d-didn't mean to - V-Voldemort made us, Harry, he t-took us over - and - how did you kill that - that thing? Where is V-Voldemort?" I sobbed.

"The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary -" Ginny said crying also.

"It's all right," Harry said softly, he held up the diary. Although it had a big hole in it, "he's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Penny, lets get out of here - and Ginny"

"We're going to be expelled!" Ginny cried as she swept past Harry. "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 started walking out of the Chamber, I heard a stone door closed behind me with a soft hiss.

After a few minutes we walked up a dark tunnel, a soft sound of rocks shifting was coming ahead of us. I gripped Harry's arm.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, breaking from my grip and speeding forward. I gave a tiny sigh. "Ginny and Penny are okay! I've got them!"

I heard a little cheer and smiled. We turned a bend and I saw a big wall of rocks and saw Ron's head through a gap and giggled at his cheerful face.

"Ginny! Penny!" Ron thrust and arm through the gap and pulled Ginny through. "I think you two should be alone for a little bit."

I rolled my eyes and turned to Harry.

"Did you - did you save us? You know, back there," I said, and motioned behind me.

"Well, maybe -" he started but I threw myself at him and layer my head on his shoulder.

"Harry, I swear. You are the best friend ever! I don't know what I'd do without you!" I mumbled.

I felt him hug me back.

"And I have a question," I said, I pulled back and nodded towards the bird on Harry's other shoulder. "Where did that bird come from?"

"He's Dumbledore's, Fawkes," he said as the bird flew through the gap.

"How come you have a sword?" I raised my right eyebrow.

"I'll explain when we get out of here," he said.

"But -"

"Later," he said shortly.

He kissed my cheek and crawled through the gap. I smiled at his gesture, he's never done that before . . . I hope he does it some more.

"Are you coming?" I heard his voice call.

I crawled through the gap, on the other side I saw Ginny crying and Ron looking awkward.

"Where's Lockhart?" Harry asked.

"Back there," Ron said, jerking his head toward a giant pipe. "His memory's gone. The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's danger to himself."

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

"No," I said, raising my eyebrows. I turned to Ron and hugged him.

He was sort of taken aback by my gesture but hugged back, well, more like awkawary patted my back.

"Have you thought of how we're going to get back up this?" Harry said to Ron.

Ron shook his head, but Fawkes the Phoenix had swooped down past Harry and started fluttering in front of him, he was waving his long golden tail feathers.

"He looks like he wants you to grab hold . . . " I said looking at the bird. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull you up there -"

"Fawkes," Harry interrupted. "Isn't and ordinary bird." He turned to face us. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Lockhart -"

"He means you," Ron said sharply to Lockhart.

"You hold Ginny's other hand. Ron, you hold on to Penny's leg-"

"Why not her hand?" Ron questioned, smirking.

"Well . . . So she - to hold on to me," Harry said blushing.

"Why can't I hold your hand?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows.

"Penny, you hold my waste, so you can hold all the weight of them," Harry said thinking fast.

Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat onto his belt, Ron awkwardly bent down and grabbed my ankle. I turned to Harry and, instead of holding his wast, I wrapped my arms under his armpits and held onto his shoulders, resting my head next to his.

Harry reached out and grabbed Fawkes's tail feathers. The next second, we were flying up the pipe.

"Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!"

I heard Lockhart yell. The chill air blew through my air. I laughed as we flew higher and higher.

But then it was over - all five of us fell to the floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"You're alive," Myrtle goggles at Harry.

"There's no need to sound disappointed," I said grimly as Harry helped me off the floor.

Harry flecked blood off his glasses, and some of it landed on me!

"Oh, well . . . I'd just been thinking . . . If you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," Myrtle said blushing silver.

"Urgh!" I gagged, and pushed Harry out of the bathroom.

"Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Penny!" Ron said. I turned around and glared at him. He gulped, "where now?" He said, with a high pitch tone as he glanced at my scowl.

Harry pointed towards Dumbledore's office.