Magic? || Years 1-5

Back To Normal: Year 2

"You're alive,"

Was the first thing they heard.

Fitting, how it came from Myrtle, who looked rather shocked as she stared down at them.

"There's no need to sound so disappointed," Harry replied sarcastically, wiping his glasses.

"Oh well... I'd just been thinking... if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," Myrtle replied, her face flushing silver.

Amisty, even with the grim aura surrounding them, took a deep breath to keep from bursting out in a fit of laughter as they left the bathroom.

"Urgh! Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!" Ron groaned, stopping short as tears traced their way down Ginny's cheeks yet again. "Where now?"

Harry pointed over at Fawkes, who was flying through the dark corridor, illuminating it with his golden glow.

They followed, weaving through the hallways, their footsteps muffled by the carpeting, and ended up in front of Professor McGonagall's office. Harry knocked and, without waiting for an answer, pushed the door open.

There was a moment of tense silence as they waited outside, a silence soon shattered by Mrs. Weasley.

"Ginny!" The familiar redheaded mother threw herself to her daughter, as well as Mr. Weasley.

Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantel, a brilliant smile on his face, and Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk, breathing heavily.

Fawkes flew past them all, landing on Dumbledore's shoulder and nuzzling his ear affectionately.

And then Amisty was pulled into a hug with Harry and Ron by Mrs. Weasley.

"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?" She asked, squeezing them as tightly as humanly possible.

Amisty was struggling to breathe.

"I think we'd all like to know that," Professor McGonagall nodded, her voice lacking its usual strength.

Amisty casted her gaze over at Harry and Mrs. Weasley let go of them all. He walked over, placing the Sorting Hat, the sword, and the diary on Professor McGonagall's desk. And he told them the story, all of it.

How he could hear a voice no one else could, how Hermione found out about the pipes, how they had followed the spiders into that dreaded forest, how Aragog had sparked the hunch that Moaning Myrtle had been the last victim, and finally how the entrance to the Chamber was in that very bathroom. He paused, thinking of what else there was to say.

"Very well. So you found out where the entrance was -- breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add -- but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?" Professor McGonagall came to his rescue.

He started up again, now explaining the parts of the story Amisty didn't know. How Fawke's appeared out of nowhere with the Sorting Hat and how he got the sword from it, and then he paused.

His gaze flickered briefly to Ginny, and then nervously to Professor Dumbledore.

"What interests me most is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania," The Headmaster spoke softly, a faint smile on his face.

"W-what's that? You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not... Ginny hasn't been... has she?" Mr. Weasley stammered, his eyes wide.