Don't Act Like You Know Me

Year 2 - You Owe Your Life to Him

"Hermione, I missed you so much," Draco released Hermione out of the hug. A tear slipped down his face.

"Draco, are you crying?" Hermione said in a soft voice, barely audible.

"No." He immediately wiped the tear off of his face, as if it irked him that it was even there in the first place.

"That's sweet," Hermione produced the best smile she could.

"I'm glad you're back, Hermione."

"It's good to be back."

Draco kissed Hermione's still pale hand and slipped her a sly wink. "I'll let you rest." Draco began to walk away when-

"Draco?" Hermione asked. Draco turned.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"I-" Draco awaited her answer. "Never mind."

"Okay," he smiled and shut the curtains behind himself. That left Hermione to her thoughts. What was she about to say?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry plunged the Basilisk fang into the front cover of the diary as Tom's screams faded away. Ginny sat upright. "Harry, it was me. But I swear, I didn't mean to. Riddle made me. He wrote to me, took me over, I didn't even know whose diary it was. I found it inside my cauldron. The day we all went to Diagon Alley and..." Ginny looked at Harry's wounded arm. "Harry, you're hurt!"

"Ginny, you need to get yourself out. Follow the chamber. You'll find Ron." Suddenly, Fawkes flew over head and landed next to Harry. "You were brilliant, Fawkes. I just wasn't quick enough." Harry felt something warm on his arm. He looked down to see Fawkes' tears dripping onto his wound. His arm sealed itself up almost instantly. "Of course. Dumbledore told me. Phoenix tears have healing powers." Harry looked up at Ginny. "It's all right, Ginny. It's over. It's just a memory." Harry stood up and offered Ginny his hand. She pulled herself up and took it. They walked hand in hand all the way back to where Ron was. Ron had successfully cleared a couple of large rocks for a small crawlspace. Harry crawled through first. Ron looked up. 

"Harry, is she?-" Ron cut himself off as he saw his little sister. "Ginny!" Ron's eyes lit up. He ran to hug his little sister.

"Oh, Ron! I'm so sorry!" Ginny cried.

"Ginny, it's okay. I knew you wouldn't do it if you were in the right mind set."

"Thanks, Ron. But you really should be thanking Harry. He killed the Basilisk." Fawkes flew in. 

"It was really all this guy's doing," Harry pointed to Fawkes. "And Fawkes has a plan to get us out of here. Fawkes stuck out one of his bird feet. Harry grabbed on. "You, there."

"Do you mean me?" Lockhart giggled. 

"Yes. Grab onto my foot." Lockhart groggily took Harry's foot. "Tighter." Lockhart grasped Harry's foot tighter. "Now, Ron, you grab onto Lockhart's foot." Ron grabbed Gilderoy's foot. "And Ginny, grab onto Ron's foot." Ginny took Ron's foot. "Alright, everyone hold on tight! Ready, Fawkes." Fawkes pushed off of the ground and flew himself and the four humans attached to him out of the chamber. Harry still had the diary and the sword, of course. He would never leave something like that. Harry collapsed on the bathroom floor when Fawkes landed. He was so unbelievably tired, but he had to see Dumbledore. 

"Do you think Hermione is cured yet?" Harry asked, laying on his back, out of breath.

"No idea. What I do know is that we have to go to Dumbledore right now," Ron said.