Death is but the Next Great Adventure

Sex Talk

In the last chapter: Harry goes down into the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny. Down there, he encounters a full-bodied Tom. Tom sicks the Basilisk on Harry, and despite Tom's orders, the snake tries to kill Harry. Harry ends up killed by the Basilisk, but not before getting Tom to promise to not hurt Ginny. When Harry wakes up, Tom's back in the diary and Ginny's awake. They have a heart-to-heart about Ginny's experience over the past year and the two bond. Harry promises Ginny that Tom will be safe with him.

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Harry was right to think that Dumbledore had caught wind of the absences and had the entire staff searching the castle for the two missing students. Severus Snape had been walking down the corridor with the bloody message still drying on the wall when Harry and Ginny emerged from the entrance of the chamber via wandless magic on Harry's part. Not wanting the entrance to the chamber to be discovered, Harry threw the invisibility cloak over both he and Ginny as Snape angrily stomped past the bathroom without a second glance.

Harry didn't take off the cloak until they were far enough away that nobody would be able to come close to discovering where the entrance was. Then they were conveniently found by Minerva and Poppy near the grand staircase. Poppy ushered Ginny away to the medical wing immediately, and was only barely dissuaded from dragging Harry along with her when Harry vehemently assured that he was fine and would see her as soon as he was done meeting with Dumbledore, which is where McGonagall was trying to take him at that moment.

The headmaster was waiting for him in his large office, littered with discarded old books and metal trinkets, sipping at a ginger tea. McGonagall left as soon as he was seated, leaving Harry alone with the genial headmaster. Albus didn't waste much time before asking Harry what had happened.

Harry explained coming across the writing on the wall, explained that he had been curious about the diary ever since he'd seen it slipped into Ginny Weasley's cauldron by someone in concealing long robes that day in Diagon Alley. He told a detailed but slightly altered account of the year's events with the diary and discovering a wizard named Tom Riddle and Salazar's Chamber of Secrets. He went through briefly how he had his suspicions about the recent petrification's and where the chamber might be located. Then he went back to that night and how he knew Ginny was in trouble. When he went on to the events inside the chamber, Dumbledore stopped him politely for the first time in his long explanation.

"And how exactly did you get into the chamber, Harry? From what little I know of it, it can only be opened by the 'Heir of Slytherin'?" He inquired non-accusingly. Harry hesitated.

'Tell him. He already knows you're a parselmouth, he had a spy in Little Whinging and they told him about the incident at the Zoo. He just wants to know if you trust him enough to tell him. We haven't done much to gain his trust. This'll help us in the long run.' Death spoke up from over his shoulder, the gentle suggestion deciding Harry's next words. Harry trusted his friend, so he didn't wait much longer to debate it himself.

"I'm not the heir, but I'm a parselmouth, which I suppose is a gift almost exclusive to the Slytherin line and how the chamber is opened. I don't know how or why I am one, but I know I'm not the heir. Such a title would have come up with the rest of my inheritances at Gringotts." Harry answered and Dumbledore only nodded, but Harry could tell he was pleased with the truth.

With that out of the way, Harry continued to explain how he'd come across the scene in the chamber. Tom having taken a temporary physical form, telling Harry that he was the wizard before Voldemort and he needed to drain Ginny of life to give himself a permanent physical body. He told Dumbledore that Tom had sent the Basilisk after Harry to keep him from stopping Tom and that Harry had to transfigure a sword out of a quill in his pocket because he didn't know any spells that would have worked against the snake.