Petrified {Book #2}

Conclusion

Final Chapter!-JK

Emma POV

Lockhart's spell had backfired, wow. all my respect for that guy had disappeared. The second thing I noticed though, after Lockhart, was the snake skin. I stopped paying attention to the conversation, and started walking over to it. "Em..." Mione said, "I think we should go," I nodded. I was positive they'd save us.

I don't feel like writing the battle and stuff because I want to make this chapter the final one.

Switch to Ginny POV

Where am I? What happened?The first thought I had was, the diary! As Harry hurried toward me, I sat up. Oh no, Harry's here. My bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in his hand. I drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down my face. What happened. My tears formed a puddle.

"Harry - oh, Harry - I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy - it was me, Harry - but I - I s-swear I d-didn't mean to - R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over - and - how did you kill that - that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary--" I stuttered.

"It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing me the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here--"

"I'm going to be expelled!" I wept as Harry helped me awkwardly to my feet. "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?"

Fawkes was waiting for us, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry urged me forward; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. I heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss.

After a few minutes'progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Harry's ears.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!"

I heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and we turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall.

"Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull me through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened?" How - what - where did that bird come from?"

I couldn't talk.

Fawkes had swooped through the gap after me.

"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself.

"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand.

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

"But--"

"Later," Harry said shortly, "Where's Lockhart?"

"Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."

Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself.

"His memory's gone," said Ron. "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 a danger to himself."

Lockhart peered good-naturedly up at them all.

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