The Hospital Wing and the Astronomy Tower

Sirius Black stood stationed in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, just outside the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. It was half past seven, he had been standing there for over two hours and nothing had happened so far.

"Ah, well," he said to himself. "Maybe Voldemort's finally given up."

"Er, were you talking to me?" a sad sounding voice came from one of the stalls.

Sirius looked up in shock. "Who said that?" he said, raising his wand.

Myrtle floated out of her stall. "It was I, Myrtle," she said. "I've only been dead for more than fifty years, and already people have forgotten me."

"Oh, Myrtle," said Sirius. "Hello."

"You shouldn't be here," said Myrtle. "This is a girls' toilet."

"I'm a teacher here," said Sirius. "I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the headmaster has requested me to be here tonight."

"You're a teacher?" asked Myrtle. "I thought you were a pupil."

"Oh, well I'm not," said Sirius.

"Do you know?" asked Myrtle.

Sirius nodded.

"Does he ever talk about me?" she asked, her voice curious.

"Er, yeah, all the time," said Sirius, wondering whether it was wrong to lie to a ghost.

Myrtle smiled, making her appearance far more pleasant. 'I knew it," she said. "He visited me just last week."

"He did?" asked Sirius.

Myrtle nodded. "He came in here, asking if anyone strange had been hanging around lately, and I told him no, except for that horrible Blaise Zabini."

"Blaise was here?" asked Sirius.

"Yes," Myrtle replied. "She was here looking for something, but she wouldn't say what. Told me to mind my own business. This bathroom is my business."

"Looking for something?" said Sirius. "Did she lose something?"

"I think so," said Myrtle. "She was looking for it right over there, where you're standing, checked every sink. Don't know what her problem was, but when she reached that sink behind you, she got all happy, and left without another word. She's a strange one."

Sirius nodded, deep in thought.

***

"Harry," Hermione muttered in Harry's ear. "We really need to go."

Harry looked at Blaise, who was looking impatient, as though she had somewhere to go. He turned to Hermione. "All right," he said. "What should I tell Blaise?"

"I don't know," said Hermione. "Just say you'll be back in a bit."

"Why are we going anyway?" Ron moaned.

"Because, it's Harry's duty to protect the world from You Know Who," said Hermione. "He's the only one who can save us from this."

Ron's shoulders slumped. "But why are me and you going?" he asked.

"Because Ron, we need to be there," said Hermione. "We've got to be there, Harry needs us, we're supposed to be his friends."

"All right," said Ron. "But I'm only doing it for Harry. Can't wait untill You Know Who's gone."

"Er, Blaise?" said Harry, nervously.

Blaise looked up. "What?" she said.

"I, er, have to go somewhere for a few minutes," said Harry. "I'll be back in a bit."

Blaise felt relief wash over her; she had been trying to think of a way to get away from Harry without him being suspicious. "I'll be waiting," she lied.

As soon as Harry was gone, Blaise rushed off to find Draco and Ginny. She didn't have far to look, they were both seated at a table, Ginny looking anxious, Draco looking snobby. Neither of them were talking to each other, or even looking at each other for that matter.

"Draco, Ginny," said Blaise. "We've got to go, there's ten minutes left until eight o' clock."

"I'm not going," said Draco, crossing his arms. "You can go without me, I'm not in the mood to have my soul sucked out today."

Ginny sat and twidled her thumbs, not looking up.

"Come on you two," said Blaise. "You can't do this now! You're being so immature."

"I'm staying right here," said Draco, stubbornly. "And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Honestly," said Blaise. "You two have issues."

"No I don't," said Ginny. "I'm just special."

"And she's gone back to being five years old," said Draco, a touch of arrogance in his voice.

"What the bloody Hell's gotten into you two?" asked Blaise. 'Mood swings shouldn't be this bad."

"Who said anything about mood swings?" said Draco.

Blaise made a noise of frustration and stomped off.

"What's gotten into her?" Draco asked.

"I haven't seen Seamus for a while," said Ginny. "Where do you think he is?"

"Why would I care?" said Draco. "And why do you care?"

 "I don't," said Ginny.

"Then why did you mention it?" said Draco. "Actually, why did you notice at all?"

Ginny shrugged. "I just did." she said. "And where's Crabbe and Goyle?"

"Probably in the Chamber of Secrets having tea and crumpets with the dark lord," Draco replied.

"Why aren't we there?" asked Ginny.

"Because we don't want to be there," Draco replied.

***

"All we have to do is go to the chamber?" asked Ron.

"Yes," said Hermione.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all walking very slowly under Harry's invisibility cloak, making their way to Moaning Myrtle's toilet.

"We're going to be late!" came a drunken sounding voice from behind them. They all held their breath and Crabbe and Goyle made their way along the corridor.

"What're they doing here?" hissed Ron.

"I don't want to know," Harry whispered.

"We'd better hurry up," said Hermione.

"We're going as quick as we can," said Harry.

They walked a little farther, but stopped when they saw Seamus walking absent-mindedly down the stairs. It wasn't until Seamus walked straight into Ron, knocking him into Harry that the trio noticed Blaise Zabini had been right behind them ever since Crabbe and Goyle passed them. Harry had been knocked into Blaise, and the invisibility cloak had fallen off of him.

"Blaise!" Harry cried out when he saw her.

"Yes, Harry," said Blaise. "And I know exactly what's going on." She paused for a moment when Seamus tried to walk through her. "Well, I don't know what the Hell's up with him," she said, gesturing to Seamus.

"Out of my way," Seamus said tonelessly. "Must take sacrifice to the master."

"What are you on, Seamus?" asked Ron.

"Out of my way," Seamus repeated.

Blaise moved. "You could at least say please," she snapped.

Seamus walked quickly, but crookedly down the corrider, stumbling into suits of armour on his way.

"I wonder what's gotten into him," said Hermione.

"He's been smoking good old shamrock and weed," said Blaise. "But never mind that just now. I know what you three are up to, and it's none of your business, so I think you ought to let go, you won't play hero this time, Potter."

"Blaise, what's wrong with you?" said Harry. "Why are you acting like this?"

"You see, the events that are taking place as we speak can't be controlled by you," said Blaise. "You won't be able to save this day, no matter what you do."

"You're reminding me of Trelawny," said Ron. "I don't like it."

Blaise laughed. "All I'm saying is that someone's going to die tonight," said Blaise. "And if you try to change that, there's a good chance you'll be the one to go."

"Wait wait wait," said Hermione, holding up a hand. "First of all, I'd like to know how you got out of the Great Hall; you obviously don't know about the hole under the Gryffindor table, and you aren't wearing an invisibility cloak, which lessens your chances of escape. How did you do it?"

"I thought you knew everything, Granger," said Blaise. "I thought you knew all about me."

"What are you talking about?"Â asked Hermione.

"But then again, if you knew, you wouldn't let Harry near me, you care too much about your friends," said Blaise.

"Will you just tell me what you're talking about?!"Â Hermione snapped.

"I'm a Nagin," said Blaise. "I can turn into a serpent."

"You mean Animagi," said Ron, in a know-it-all tone that was extremely rare for him.

"No, I mean Nagin," Blaise said. "I didn't have to go through a complex process to become one, I was born that way."

"Well," said Hermione. "I never would have thought it."

"What?!" Harry almost shouted.

"I'm sorry I never told you," said Blaise. "Okay, I'm not sorry, but anyway."

"This is too much for me," said Harry. "How could you?"

"Don't worry,"Â said Blaise. "This doesn't change a thing, if you don't want it to. Do you forgive me?"

"I'll think it over," said Harry. "Later. There's much more important matters at hand right now."

"Wow, you're taking this well," said Blaise. "Harry Potter really is forgiving and wonderful."

"I never said I forgive you," said Harry.

Just then, Seamus came rushing past, dragging Draco by the collar, with Ginny trailing behind.

"Will you help me?" said Draco, rather rudely.

"Move out of my way," said Seamus, walking into Blaise repeatedly.

"Say please," said Blaise.

"Will you help me, please?" Draco sneered.

"What the bloody Hell's going on?" Ginny cried. "I thought you said you changed your mind."

"There's not much I can do right now," Draco muttered. "I'm being dragged by this- this oversized leprechaun."

Seamus finally seemed to realise that walking around Blaise was easier than walking through her, and he stepped through heading up the stairs.

"Stop them!" said Ginny.

"Ginny, go back to the hall," Ron directed. "I don't want you to be here." Then, without looking back to check whether she had gone, he shot up the stairs after Seamus, Draco, Blaise, Harry, and Hermione.

Ginny followed Ron, deciding not to listen to her brother.

When they had reached the entrance to Moaning Myrtle's loo, Seamus stopped to push the door open and stepped inside, dragging Draco inside with him, and Harry, Blaise, and Hermione right behind. Seconds later, Ron followed, with Ginny on his tail.

Once inside the bathroom, everyone stopped for a moment to stare at the scene before them.

Sirius Black was half sitting, half lying, unconcious against the wall, with Moaning Myrtle standing over him. There was a large hole in the wall where the sink used to be. The entrance to the chamber.