And Then There Were None

Tears blinding her sight, Ginny rushed into the abandoned bathroom. She wiped her tears on her sleeve as she buried her face inside her salty palms. She thought about the moment before when she was talking to Riddle.

Ginny came out of the common room with her lucky quill and the letter in her hands as she headed towards the great hall. She was planning to write to mum about her jumper that she forgot to bring. She opened the letter along the way and took out a transparent parchment. While she was pondering about the letter she felt someone yank her into the girls' bathroom.

"Hey! What- Who did that?"

"Why Ginny I thought that you'd never forget me."

Tom merged from the shadows as he came face to face with Ginny.

Ginny gasped, "I-It's you. But aren't you... didn't Harry destroy you four years ago?"

"Yes, he did. But you see that was only my memory he killed, not entirely my soul," Tom explained. "Right after he destroyed my diary and killed my 16 yr old self, some parts of my soul was divided and trapped in that cursed underworld ever since, until someone from the Ministry of Magic decides to let loose a couple of dementors, allowing a part of myself to escape through the rift it caused." Tom smirked amusedly.

"You mean that awful Umbridge?!" Ginny exclaimed. "She tried to kill Harry! And it certainly isn't something to be happy about!"

"Hmmm...yes well Potter's still going to be on the route to death if he's planning to go to that island."

"What? What do you mean?"

"It's very simple really. That island that you and the others were invited to is a death trap. It was supposed to be to test your wizarding skills, but then I transformed the place into a dark castle with monsters unimaginable. The place is enchanted so it'll look like the most beautiful place you've ever seen, but I can't say the same thing when night falls."

"So, wait. What do you mean you've changed the place?" This Norbert Owen person sent the letters and even Dumbledore said that it was his island."

"First of all, I've designed this place long ago but never thought about using it. Secondly, Norbert Owen is just a shape shifter named Nagini and the real him is still in Romania. Furthermore, she was sent by a higher, evil mastermind who has took over when I fell from my rein. You could say that he was somewhat a superior person to me once. And he is somewhere in a cave plotting against Potter and the others. So unless you're looking forward to dying early I'd rip that letter."

Ginny stared in bewilderment. "Why are you helping me? You could have done anything with your last portion of your life, like planning for your next revival or something."

"Let's just say that I have my reasons."

Ginny looked at him suspiciously and studied his eyes. Awkward silence filled the air as Ginny sighed. As hard as it was for her to believe him and this information he was giving her, she no sooner let it go. Tom, seeing her change of face, broke the silence.

"So I suppose you'll want to tell Potter and your brother before they become too fond of the place. I've designed it so that everyone that got the invitations to wouldn't think twice of not going there."

Ginny was lost in thought. "Oh...yeah. I should probably go and tell them."

She turned towards the door and began to leave.

"Oh and one more thing," Tom said as Ginny stood still from her tracks. "If you can't coax your Potter and his little friends and change their minds, then they have no other choice but to face dire consequences. Because once they're there no one from a thousand miles away could ever hear a thing beyond that island." Tom paused and lowered his voice. "Not even Dumbledore."

Ginny stood still with shock and continued on towards the door. Before she left, she turned around and glanced at him with an expression that Tom has never seen before. With that she left leaving Tom to wither away and disappear into thin air.

The faucet ran as Ginny splashed cold water on to her face.

... not even Dumbledore...no choice... dire consequences...

Ginny turned off the faucet as she looked at her reflection. She didn't even want to know what the consequences were.

She clenched her fist, "I'm going to coax them if it's the last thing I do. Even if I have to bring Dumbledore into this."

She pulled herself together and left. But as soon as she left the bathroom, the floor started to get sticky, and after only two steps the floor started to suck her in like quicksand. Ginny gasped with horror as she frantically tried to grab onto the plant near by but managed to take the plant with her. Ginny hollered for her life. "HELP!!! HELP ME SOMEBODY!!!" It was almost up to her face and she closed her eyes shut...when someone grabbed her arm inside the quicksand surroundings.

***

"Wow, I'd better remind myself never to eat that pumpernickel pie ever again. Bleh, Yuck!"

"HELP!!! HELP ME SOMEBODY!!!"

"Huh?" She hurried down to the corridor and gasped. "Geez! Ginny!"

Luna grabbed a hold of her and almost pulled her out when all of a sudden she tripped on a thick piece of root and slipped into the floor with Ginny. Then the floor returned back to normal with Ginny and Luna lost in the darkness beneath.

~~~~~~~~*

"All packed, you guys?" Hermione said as she heaved her heavy suitcase beside her.

"Hermione, we're not leaving for another three hours!" Ron exclaimed.

"Well it's good to be prepared ahead of time just incase Prof. Owen mentions anything else."

"Alright! But what about the tenth person?"

"What about it?"

"I heard it was Pansy Parkinson," Harry nonchalantly commented.

Hermione half chocked on her pumpkin juice. "What!? How do you know?"

"Well I heard it from over at the Slytherin table just minutes ago. Plus you can tell just by looking at her," Harry said informally.

Both Hermione and Ron turned around to see a gleeful Pansy jumping all over Draco and talking excitingly to her friends. Meanwhile Owen was at the table glancing over there himself.

"Hmmm... bossy and full of energy, that's exactly the kind of person that the group needs; a person who can take charge. I'm pretty sure that I've made the right decision and I'm sure that's the kind of person that I picked the last time. Yeah...I guess that is the better choice than that black haired asian in the ravenclaw house. I heard she flies well but didn't hear anything else in particular."

Hermione and Ron objected. "But isn't Pansy always like that?"

Harry poked at his Ham as he looked up. "Yeah, but she kind of sticks out of the crowd more than usual, don't you think?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Plus she's making a racket! I hope I don't have to share a dorm with her."

"Oh yeah! I heard from Dean yesterday that that island we're going to is haunted. He said that his gramps went there once for an Auror exploration in his younger years and three of his men disappeared right under his nose."

"Really? Yeah, Harry, you were there too, remember?"

"Oh yeah, but isn't Dean always telling crazy stories? I mean Dumbledore wouldn't let us go to that island if it wasn't safe," Harry said.

"Yeah, I guess."

Harry stood up and stretched. "Alright you know I think I'm going to start packing, I'm not that hungry today."

Ron and Hermione looked at him as he left. "You know I think I scared him or something."

~~~~~~~~~*

"I took care of the red head, Master."

"Good. She was very crucial in ruining everything. Such damage one's once apprentice can do," he mused as Wormtail nodded his head up and down wildly.

"Hmm, but it's a pity that she couldn't get through that thick headed Potter and those dim-witted friends of his when she had the chance. But it's no matter, now that they are going to leave Hogwarts, away from Dumbledore's watch."

Wormtail opened his mouth to speak but closed it immediately. "What is it?"

"N-Nothing sir."

He glared at him doubtfully and then forgot about it.

~~~~~~~~~~~*

"Everyone meet at the harbor at fifteen minutes to five!" Owen announced.

Harry and Hermione were already packed and waiting for Ron. It was a beautiful day outside with a hint of orange and pink in the sky. The Great Halls were filled with chattering students as they prepared to leave in groups of three or four. Draco and his usual group of friends were getting ready to leave the building with Prof. Moody in chaperone.

"Harry, we're gonna be the only ones left. Where's Ron?" Hermione said impatiently.

Harry who was looking at Draco the whole time didn't hear Hermione.

"Harry!"

"Huh? What? Oh...I don't know maybe he's still getting ready."

Over where Draco was Pansy drawled, "Awwww...what's the matter Potter? S-scared already?" A howl of laughter came from Blaise and Millicent, while Draco was fumbling with something in his hand.

"Come on, come on that's enough, let's all go outside and start our walk up to the harbor," Moody hushed.

Suddenly Draco's attention was to Moody. "Wait, we're walking? Aren't we going in carriages?"

"No, we're walking. It's only a short way...About fifteen minutes tops."

"But it's almost sunset."

"What are you talking about boy? Sunset's not for another two hours."

"What's the matter Malfoy? Scared of the dark?" Ron teased Malfoy in the doorway.

"Ron! There you are! We were wondering when you were coming." Hermione helped Ron with his luggage.

"Right then, come along! We don't want to be behind the schedule," Moody assisted.

"Locomotor Trunk!" Hermione said to both Harry's, hers and Ron's suitcase.

Soon they were out of the Great Hall and had walked all the way to the H&H harbor.

The raft that they were planning on traveling in looked three times it's size and almost looked like a crew ship only the three rafts were literally piled on top of each other. The paddles were extra long and reached from the top to bottom, so that the person would have to paddle from the top raft, instead of rowing from the bottom.

"Is everyone here?" Owen did a head count. "Okay let's go! Everyone go into any spare seat and let's take off!"

"All right there Alastor?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm fine. Let's go already come on!" Owen pulled Moody into the raft and they set off.

And so they embarked on a perilous journey that could cost them their lives. As Hogwarts was getting farther away, their way of escape was harder to reach.

And somewhere inside two girls were plunging deeper and deeper into darkness while Dumbledore looked out his window with great concern.