discontinued, re-write titled "Mind Over Matter".
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❞𝐘𝐨𝐮❜𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. . .❞
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Liliana Granger never sought out the adventures of life, she'd grown comfortable in what she knew and applied...
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"What can I say, I'm a gentleman."
For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ron, Liliana, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's and Liliana's case) blood and ink. There was a scream.
"Ginny!"
It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.
Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest.
Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder, just as Harry found himself, Ron, and Liliana being swept into Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace.
"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"
"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly.
Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry and Liliana, both hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the ruby encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary.
Then he and Liliana started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour the two spoke in turns into the rapt silence, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how themselves and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how he and Liliana had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom. . . .
"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted Liliana as she paused her turn of recounting the recent events, "so you found out where the entrance was 一 breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add 一 but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Granger 一 Potter?"
So Liliana and Harry, their voices now growing hoarse from all this talking, took turns telling them about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then, as Harry was talking he faltered.
He and Liliana had so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary 一 or Ginny. She was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic.
Riddle's diary didn't work anymore. . . . Sure he and Liliana could explain what Riddle said but how could they prove it had been he who'd made her do it all?
Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.
"What interests me most," said Dumbledore gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently hiding in the forests of Albania."
