Revive

BOLD ITALICS = Parseltongue

Italics = Thoughts

Darkness loomed over the castle as students filed in for their supper at the Great Hall, ghosts flew around freely, teasing certain students that sat in their respective tables. A certain duo looked around anxiously, feeling uneasy due to the grey atmosphere despite the happy chatters of their classmates.

"I haven't seen Hermione." Ron whispered, tip-toeing to see if he can spot a bushy haired female.

"She wasn't in the common room when I returned after class." Harry whispered back, narrowing his eyes at the Slytherin table.

While the two Gryffindors searched for their friend Hermione, back at the Slytherin table, Draco was searching for his own friend, Stella.

"Crabbe, Goyle. Where is Stella?" he questioned, glaring at his friends who didn't have classes and had stayed in the common rooms supposedly with the young Gaunt. Both Crabbe and Goyle shook their heads, not knowing where the female had gone because she wasn't with them when they were escorted back to the dungeons.

"Somethings not right…." Draco muttered under his breath.

"Somethings not right." Harry whispered to Ron, noticing that Stella wasn't sitting with her housemates.

_________________________________________________________________________

Inside the brightly lit Chamber of Secrets, a female laid lifelessly on the floor as two students watched the life seep away from her second by second. Tom Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort, sighed in pleasure feeling energy grow within him as each second passed.

"Stel, I want to ask." Tom turned to the younger female, pointing to the jewelry on her wrist. "Who gave you that?"

Stella brushed over the bangle on her wrist, smiling to herself before replying, "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy did. Isn't it beautiful? I absolutely love it."

"My love, I ask of you to remove it this instant." Tom frowned, seeing the other's sweet smile.

The young Heiress shook her head immediately, placing her other hand over the bangle protectively. "No." she growled in parseltongue. The Dark Lord was not pleased with her response, immediately shooting out his hand and grasping her wrists painfully.

"Take. It. Off." he hissed back, not at all afraid of the girl who glared at him with all her might. "The Malfoys may be pureblood but I will not marry you off to such a man while I'm here."

Clawing at the other's hand to try and free her now reddened wrists, Stella felt she had stayed long enough. "Who are you to decide who I marry. I have to go, supper is starting and Draco would worry if he doesn't see me. Let go of me!"

"I have all the rights to decide who you marry. Your life is mine and I will not have another man sully you. That bangle is a mark of another." Tom hissed, his lips twitching from anger as he pulled her into his embrace. "Don't tell me you didn't know you accepted a betrothal gift from Draco Malfoy, cousin."

A light pink tinge formed across the female's face, realizing why everyone had looked at her the following day when she wore the bangle around school, showing it off. "Draco, you knew this wasn't a normal piece of jewelry didn't you. Is this...your confession?"

"You like him…" Tom gasped, seeing the ring of pink around her cheeks. "Remove it immediately or I will do so myself, it won't be pretty."

"I won't indulge in incest, that is the exact reason why father was demented. Second, Yes you cared for me when I was younger, yes you gave me a new life, but it was all for your own gains." Stella narrowed her eyes at the male who was now squishing her cheeks together. "And third, I do like him. I accept his gift and no one. NO ONE. Is going to make-."

Not another word came out of Stella's mouth as Tom had crashed his lips onto the younger, stopping her from saying anything else.

________________________________________________________________________

"Ron, let's go." Harry whispered, dropping his fork onto the plate with a soft clink before standing up. Sensing something dangerous, Harry knew exactly what had happened to his young friend who disappeared right before class started. Some would say Harry was rather slow despite him being the 'boy who lived', however his analytical skills do have their pops here and there and this was one of those moments. Ron, who was busy wolfing down the meal in front of him, turned to his friend quizzically.

"Ron stop eating. We have to find Hermione. I have a feeling she's in grave danger." Harry hissed, slapping his friend on the back. Running up to a certain Dueling instructor, Harry had asked for him to escort them back first to which he eagerly obliged. Ron wiped away at his food stained lip, stumbling after Lockhart and Harry. Harry led the way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, his pace quickening the closer they got. Unbeknownst to them, Draco Malfoy had snuck out to follow the three out of the dining hall.

"Harry, I believe the Gryffindor Halls are that way?" Gilderoy Lockhart motioned towards the opposite direction.

"Professor." Harry started. "You're a powerful wizard, right?" The haughty Professor flashed the two younger males a bright smile, adjusting his robe and ruffling his sandy blonde hair a little.

"Of course."

"Myrtle!" Harry called out, once they were inside the female's lavatory. A young ghost flew up to the three men, winking at the Professor before turning her attention to Harry and Ron.

"Hi~" Cooed Myrtle, drawing mini circles on Harry's chest. "How can I help you?"

"Uh….Harry, Ron. I don't believe it is proper being in the female's lavatory. With a female ghost at that." Lockhart fumbled, trying to exit before he was caught, as it would tarnish his image. Ron immediately dragged the male back, placing his broken wand out at him warningly.

"Myrtle, I have a question." The boy with the scar started, glancing at Lockhart who had his hands up as if saying 'don't hurt me'. "When you died…..do you remember what happened?"

"Well no…it just came so fast." Myrtle answered, tapping her chin trying to remember. "All I saw was a pair of big yellow eyes and poof. I was dead."

"Did Hermione and Stella come in here in the afternoon?" Ron asked, remembering that the two females had used this restroom because it was 'the closest'.

"Why yes." Myrtle smiled. "Ooh that Stella girl was feisty, I liked her."

"Where? And I mean, where did they disappear to?" Harry narrowed his eyes, adjusting his glasses to see where the young ghost pointed to. Walking over to the sinks, Harry examined it closely, noticing an engraved snake on a tap over one of the sinks.

"It's here. Stand back." he announced, eyes focused on the snake. "Open Up." he hissed out in parseltongue. The snake twisted causing the floor underneath them to rumble before revealing a secret passage chute down to the Chamber of Secrets.

"You first Professor." Harry smiled, motioning for Ron to "escort" the older wizard down first.

"Harry. Ron. This is not proper. Perhaps we shoouuuuuuuuuuld-." Before the dashing young Professor could finish his sentence, Harry had already kicked him down into the hole. Draco watched from afar, seeing what was happening.

"Stella...what is going on." Draco thought to himself, his heart beating faster and faster, worried that the young Gaunt had gotten into deep trouble. Once Harry and Ron entered the concealed trapdoor, Draco hurried in as well before it closed on him.

THUD CRACK THUMP FWAP

"Malfoy? What do you think you're doing here?!" Ron gasped out, seeing who had landed on their nutty Professor. Holding his still unreplaced wand out, Ron narrowed his eyes at the Malfoy who looked between the two Gryffindor.

"Same reason why you three are here." he muttered, standing up and brushing out his clothing. "Only I'm finding my Stella."

"Your Stella?"

"You followed us?" Harry questioned the same time his friend had asked, holding his wand out at the Slytherin who had dropped in with them.

"Does it matter?" Draco rolled his eyes, looking around their surroundings. "And yes. My Stella. I believe you've seen the bangle she wore."

"So it's true...?" Mumbled Ron while he fidgeted uncomfortably. "You two are-"

Glancing at the Professor whose legs had given in the moment he slid down the tunnel. "You seriously brought this phony? You've got to be kidding me." Draco growled out in annoyance.

The red headed Weasley rolled his eyes at the other, latching onto Lockhart's arm to stabilize him. Feigning weakness, Lockhart dived for Ron's wand, knocking him over. His once fearful face now replaced with a gleaming smile as he held out Ron's broken wand in front of him.

"Well, it has been quite a journey with you two uhm three. I believe it is time I turned you over to the headmaster as you three have sadly lost your minds at the sight of whoever lurked down in the Chambers. While, I, Gilderoy Lockhart oh so bravely saved you out of the dark tunnels of the Chamber of Secrets."

Waving Ron's spellotaped wand in front of him with a disgustingly evil smirk ,"Obliviate!"

The spell unfortunately backfired on him, causing it to explode in his face before sending him flying backwards a few feet and crashing into the wall. The entire floor rumbled once again as chunks of the tunnel ceiling thundered onto the floor, creating a divide between the four. Once the dust cloud dispersed Ron and Lockhart stood on one side while Draco and Harry stood on the other.

"Ron!" Harry shouted. "Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine!" Ron's muffled voice called back. "I'm with this blasted git. He doesn't look alright though…." Gilderoy Lockhart looked around him woozily, giggling softly as his eyes locked onto the red headed male in front of him.

"Hi. What's your name?" he questioned before pointing at himself. "What's my name? Oooo rocks! I like rocks!"

"This is why you don't bring an airhead around." Draco sighed, rubbing at his temple and dusting his robes off.

"Shut your mouth Malfoy." Harry hissed, running up to the pile of stones and tossing them aside to reveal more underneath.

"Wait there with Lockhart." Draco called out, turning away from Harry who had stopped digging. "We'll go. We don't have time."

"Ron! Try and shift the rocks to make a pathway." Harry yelled out. Ron's grunting noises could be heard on the other side as he strained to lift the heavy rocks.

"Leave it to me! Go and find Hermione!" Ron's shaky voice called out.

Soon the distant grunting noises faded out as Draco and Harry set out to find the two girls that disappeared. The path twisted and turned almost unending; as each turn they took, both Draco and Harry's sense of uneasiness heightened.

"Is she….the Heir to Slytherin?" Harry questioned, trying to break the awkward silence between them.

"I don't know." Draco started, looking over his shoulder at the boy behind him. "As for me, I hope she is."

"What?" Harry hissed, narrowing his eyes.

At last, a large door revealed itself after the final turn they took, a large entwined serpent was carved onto the great door, with beautiful shiny emeralds that looked exactly like Stella's deep green eyes.

"Well, what are you waiting for." Draco muttered, holding his wand out. 'Stel….I hope that even if you wanted to dirty your hands. You'd let me be the one to do it for you.'

Harry approached, his breathing sputtered as he took a sharp inhale.

"Open."