"I'll read this chapter, I think." said Dr. Nicodemus. "It may be best, if you let us read the ending parts. That way, the story keeps going on."

"Thank you." said Dumbledore kindly.

The Chamber of Secrets

"Thank heavens that you're reading." said Bill nervously.

"I don't think I really want to know." said Remus putting his hands to his ears.

"Me either." said Sirius doing the same.

"All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away," said Ron bitterly at breakfast next day, "and we could've asked her, and now…"

"It's not all that abnormal to walk up to a ghost and ask how they died. When you do, they tend to embellish it just a bit." said Bill. "Nick's story keeps changing almost every time you ask."

It had been hard enough trying to look for spiders.

"You looking for spiders again?" asked Charlie.

"No, spider searching was done." said Harry.

Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak into a girls' bathroom, the girls' bathroom, moreover, right next to the scene of the first attack, was going to be almost impossible.

"Gee, you make it sound like a bad thing." said Remus. "Protecting students."

"The teachers leading us about, is one thing, but Lockhart is something completely different."

"Understandable." said Sirius, Dr. Clark and Remus quickly.

But something happened in their first lesson, Transfiguration, that drove the Chamber of Secrets out of their minds for the first time in weeks.

"In Transfiguration? What the hell could be so important in there that…um…er…" said Sirius quickly but his voice faded into slight whimpers under McGonagall's furious stare.

Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today.

The visiting adults in the room went silent.

"Exams? After all that terror and the attacks, you're going to have them take the exams? They won't be thinking clearly. Especially the first years, fifth years and the seventh years. The first years will be too traumatized to think about their first tests, and the other two will ruin their chances for future careers." said Remus incredulously.

"The school had to continue on as normal." said McGonagall, "Dumbledore's orders."

"Doesn't put you in a good light." said Sirius shortly.

"I had a plan." said Dumbledore with a kind smile.

"Exams?" howled Seamus Finnigan. "We're still getting exams?"

"Go figure, a boy would be the first one to shout out." said Emmeline Vance with a smirk.

There was a loud bang behind Harry as Neville Longbottom's wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on his desk.

"I got nervous." said Neville meekly.

"You'd be foolish not to be nervous about those exams." said Remus with a comforting smile.

Professor McGonagall restored it with a wave of her own wand,

"It's always been commonplace to replace the legs of desks in my class." said McGonagall.

and turned, frowning, to Seamus.

"The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard"

"We couldn't even sleep without having nightmares, what makes you think we're studying." said Fred.

Studying hard! It had never occurred to Harry that there would be exams with the castle in this state.

"I couldn't even open a textbook and focus on a subject for the past few weeks." said Harry.

There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor McGonagall scowl even more darkly.

"That silenced everyone quite quick." said Ron.

"Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible, she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."

"Well, one thing we learned was that terrified kids will become savages and beat the crap out of the first thing that sneezes." said Sirius sending an angry look over to the Hufflepuffs.

"And that there is a Chamber in the school that holds a terrifying monster that can petrify people without much trouble." said Dr. Clark weakly.

"And Hagrid was framed for a crime he didn't commit." said Remus.

"And that Harry is in deep trouble for going in the forest." said Rudolph and Leroy.

"That too." said the three men in the bowl.

"And to think, once upon a time, I wished for people that cared about me." said Harry with a teasing smile. "What was I thinking?"

"You're asking for it." said Sirius, though the sternness in his voice didn't reach his eyes.

Harry looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers.

"All I could manage to do to them was make the bunnies themselves tap-dance." said Ron shaking his head.

What had he learned so far this year? He couldn't seem to think of anything that would be useful in an exam.

"Yeah, we didn't exactly cover Polyjuice Potions in Potions class, and running away from spiders won't exactly help in Charms." said Harry with a smirk.

Ron looked as though he'd just been told he had to go and live in the Forbidden Forest.

"I think I actually would have rather go in there as opposed to facing the exams that year. One wrong move with my wand, I would've blown up the entire class, and everyone in it." said Ron.

"Can you imagine me taking exams with this?" he asked Harry, holding up his wand, which had just started whistling loudly.

"You're doomed." said Charlie shaking his head.

Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.

"Goody, more good news." said Tonks rolling her eyes.

"Don't knock it, it was good news." said Harry.

"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Never happens when Dumbledore talks." said Rudolph with a smile.

"We were freaking out, thank you very much." said Dean.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"That would set the kid's minds at ease." said Kingsley.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.

"Now that would be good news. Hell, good enough reason to throw a party." said Tonks.

"Or cancel the exams." said Remus.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly.

"She's a Quidditch nut, but not that much of a Quidditch nut." said Charlie.

When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last.Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified.

"That IS good news!" said Sirius happily. "Though, catching the heir would have been better."

I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them.

"Not really, I don't remember much." said Justin rubbing the back of his head.

"Strange, Nick remembers, kept talking about it for months as a matter of fact." said Fred.

"How do you cure a ghost?" asked Dr. Clark. "You can't exactly pour a potion down his throat."

"We had to waft him through the potion." said Madam Pomfrey with a smile.

I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

"Sort of…" said Ron and Harry.

"What do you mean?" asked Remus.

"It sort of happened, the heir getting caught." said Ron.

"Fabulous." groaned Leroy, burying his face in Rudolph's chest. "'Sort of happened' when applied to catching a criminal means, you don't get him."

There was an explosion of cheering.

Seeing an opening in the fear and the terror, the school did an encore of the cheers and yells, to the amusement of the adults.

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in.

Malfoy shuffled his feet nervously.

"Didn't know it was that bad." said Leroy looking over at the small boy sadly.

Ron, however, was looking happier than he'd looked in days.

"Finally had something to look forward to, after the whole spider incident." said Ron with a slight smile.

"It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!" he said to Harry. "Hermione'll probably have all the answers when they wake her up!

"Hey! There you go! Then for about the millionth time," said Sirius smiling widely, then he bellowed "GO GET A TEACHER AND TELL THEM!"

Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days' time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they're over."

"With anyone else, yes, but not Hermione." said Remus fondly.

Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap.

"Were you okay short-stuff?" asked Bill coming over to sit beside her.

Ginny shrugged and looked away.

"Scoot, we're sitting here, now." said Charlie as both elder Weasley children sat on either side of her. "You look like you could use some big brother time."

"What's up?" said Ron, helping himself to more porridge.

Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn't think who.

"Yourself?" asked Zacharias snidely.

"She's braver and stronger than me, it wasn't me that she reminded me of." said Harry with a smirk. "Someone just as equally brave and strong as her though."

"Spit it out," said Ron, watching her.

Harry suddenly realized who Ginny looked like. She was rocking backward and forward slightly in her chair, exactly like Dobby

Ginny looked over to him in confusion, but slowly her confused frown turned to a smile. She knew what he was talking about.

did when he was teetering on the edge of revealing forbidden information.

"I still don't get what you mean." said Sirius confused.

"She knows something, and she's not telling." said Ron.

"I've got to tell you something," Ginny mumbled, carefully not looking at Harry.

"So who's she talking to?" asked a first year.

"Harry, but she was still suffering from her crush." said Hermione with a kind smile.

"What is it?" said Harry.

Ginny looked as though she couldn't find the right words.

"What?" said Ron.

"Nice Ron." said Angelina rolling her eyes.

Ginny opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Harry leaned forward and spoke quietly, so that only Ginny and Ron could hear him.

"Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?"

"Way to reassure her, mate." said Fred. "Pressuring her to talk to you is a great way to calm her down."

"You could have come to us, sweet-stuff." said George looking at Ginny.

"Didn't know who to go to. I though you two would have laughed at me." said Ginny quietly.

"When do we ever laugh at you, we laugh with you, not at you." said George.

"Unless you really deserve it." said Fred.

"Well…yeah." said George. "Like that time that you put hot sauce in our jell-o?"

"We're still trying to find a way to get you back for that one." said Fred.

Ginny began to giggle.

"Haven't eaten the stuff since." said the twins together. "And we used to love that slimy stuff!"

Ginny drew a deep breath and, at that precise moment, Percy Weasley appeared, looking tired and wan.

"Oh, what was wrong, Percykins?" said George in a baby voice.

"Did you go patrolling again?" said Fred.

"What's wrong with trying to protect the students?" said Percy indignantly.

"It's a problem when you don't even remember to sleep or eat, Perce." said Fred.

"That's why we snuck that sleeping potion in your tea that one time." said George.

"And left you in the laundry room." said Fred. "On a nice bed of pillows and linen, slept like a baby."

Percy snarled at his brothers, but it was short-lived.

"Thank you boys, no need for Percy to get himself sick." said Mrs. Weasely praising her sons..

Percy, Fred and George stared. "Who are you and what have you done with our mother?" said Fred and George together.

"If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty."

"PERCY! Leave your sister alone!" said Mr. Weasley. "Couldn't you see what she was like?"

Percy shuffled his feet nervously.

Ginny jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified, gave Percy a fleeting, frightened look, and scampered away.

"Huh?" said Charlie.

"You know, I've sort of wondered what that was about." said Percy absently.

"You were always going on about how you were willing to turn Fred and George in if they broke the rules." snapped Ginny. "I didn't want to be your first sacrifice down the path you chose."

Percy stared at his little sister. "Ginny, I never…not you…"

"Really? How was I to know that you were going to spare me?" she spat. "You threatened to take Ron to McGonagall when you saw him come out of the bathroom! You even ratted out Charlie when he snuck into the dorms late one night when he was still here."

"You did that? What the hell…?" said Charlie looking at his younger brother.

"Then you sided with that monster! Both of them!" shrieked Ginny pointing up to Umbridge and Fudge's empty seat. "Against Harry! What has he ever done to you? All he's ever done was protect this family! Better than you ever could, or ever will." she finished, her voice as cold as ice.

Percy sat in shock, his parted lips trembling.

Nightstrike cleared his throat and pressed on.

Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the center of the table.

"Percy!" said Ron angrily. "She was just about to tell us something important!"

Halfway through a gulp of tea, Percy choked.

"What the heck for?" asked Mr. Weasley curiously, trying to breeze past the rant his daughter had just released.

"What sort of thing?" he said, coughing.

"I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say…"

"Oh — that — that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets," said Percy at once.

"How would you know?" asked Rudolph curiously.

"How do you know?" said Ron, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, what he said." said Rudolph with a laugh.

"Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was — well, never mind — the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think she'd keep her word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather —"

"What the…just spit it out already!" said Sirius.

"I think his little sister walked in on him snogging someone." said Dr. Clark with a laugh.

"Oh that would be precious." said Remus with a laugh.

Harry had never seen Percy look so uncomfortable.

A few of the people in the Hall began to laugh, Percy looked just about as uncomfortable as the book described.

"What were you doing, Percy?" said Ron, grinning. "Go on, tell us, we won't laugh."

"Nobody would buy that if you're smiling like that." said Tonks with a smirk.

Percy didn't smile back.

"Pass me those rolls, Harry, I'm starving."

"Compared to Harry, you don't know the meaning of the word." said a seventh year Hufflepuff.

Harry knew the whole mystery might be solved tomorrow without their help, but he wasn't about to pass up a chance to speak to Myrtle if it turned up —

The adults in the room stared at the boy.

"And why is that?" asked McGonagall sternly.

"I just had a bad feeling." said Harry shrugging. "That it was really important to talk to Myrtle."

and to his delight it did, midmorning, when they were being led to History of Magic by Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Damn, I thought we were done with that imbecile." said Remus groaning.

Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all danger had passed, only to be proved wrong right away,

"Which was never very hard." said Harry with a smirk.

was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors.

"Oh…if he had said that in the teacher's lounge..." growled McGonagall angrily.

"There wouldn't much left of him to send him to the Hospital Wing after we would get done with him." said Professor Flitwick angrily.

His hair wasn't as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor.\

"Aww…poor baby." said Dr. Clark with a smirk.

"Hey now, I can remember freaking out about my hair." said Rudolph.

"Yeah, but you mostly just braid it and have done with it." said Leroy.

"Sure, now. Before, I was a nervous wreck trying to get it to do things God never intended hair to do." said Rudolph with a smile.

"Mark my words," he said, ushering them around a corner.

"That never goes well, that's about as bad as saying 'Thing's couldn't possibly get any worse.'" said Michael with a laugh.

"The first words out of those poor Petrified people's mouths will be 'It was Hagrid.'

"I'm hoping that the next attack happens to him." said Sirius.

"If he was the only one attacked, I'd forget completely how to make the Mandrake draught." said Poppy with an evil grin.

Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."

"Stupid fool." muttered Moody grimly.

"I agree, sir," said Harry,

The school went completely silent.

Sirius stared at Harry in confusion. "What?"

"You'll see." said Harry.

making Ron drop his books in surprise.

"Forget dropping the books, I'd faint if I had been there in person hearing that." said Bill.

"Thank you, Harry," said Lockhart graciously while they waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass.

"His fondest wish, Harry agreeing with him." snarled Remus.

"I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night…"

"Why that loathsome cockroach! It is our duty to protect the students from any and all danger!" said Professor Sprout shortly.

"That's right," said Ron, catching on. "Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go —"

"You two are pretty good about going about and acting on the spur of the moment." said Moody impressively.

"You should hear Harry soon after this." said Ron.

"You know, Weasley, I think I will," said Lockhart. "I really should go and prepare my next class —" And he hurried off.

"Preping a class?" snorted Sirius. "More like to style his hair up."

"Prepare his class," Ron sneered after him. "Gone to curl his hair, more like."

"Awesome!" said Sirius with a laugh.

They let the rest of the Gryffindors draw ahead of them, then darted down a side passage and hurried off toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. But just as they were congratulating each other on their brilliant scheme –

"Note to self, never do that." said Harry. "Things only get worse when you do that."

"Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?" It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines.

"Unaccompanied students in these troubled times was only asking for another attack to happen." said McGonagall, she remembered this day, and they had lied to her!

"We were — we were —" Ron stammered. "We were going to — to go and see —"

"Never stutter. That won't help with convincing anyone." said Kingsley.

"Hermione," said Harry. Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him.

"What?" said the school.

"We haven't seen her for ages, Professor," Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron's foot, "and we thought we'd sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry —"

Moody laughed. "Now there's an insight to his real way of thinking. I wouldn't have come up with that one!"

Professor McGonagall was still staring at him, and for a moment, Harry thought she was going to explode, but when she spoke, it was in a strangely croaky voice.

"I wasn't too sure if that card was going to win me the game, or send me home." said Harry absently.

"Of course," she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear glistening in her beady eye.

"I've never seen you like that before, I wasn't too sure if you could act like that anymore." said Harry helplessly.

"Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been… I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you've gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission."

"I can't see anything wrong or make fun of that." said Sirius, "all it shows is that you have a heart."

"Who the hell are you?" asked Harry and Remus together.

"Hey…I'm…." said Sirius but stopping himself quickly.

"Say it." said the three people in the bowl eagerly.

"I'm…human…" growled Sirius.

"HA!" said Remus with a laugh.

Harry and Ron walked away, hardly daring to believe that they'd avoided detention.

"Screw detention, we were lucky she didn't lop off and kill us." said Ron.

As they turned the corner, they distinctly heard Professor McGonagall blow her nose.

"I'm sorry." said Harry guiltily.

McGonagall sent him a fierce look over his way, but her anger wavered when she saw him flinch.

"That," said Ron fervently, "was the best story you've ever come up with."

"It was!" said Ron defensively when his mother glared at him.

They had no choice now but to go to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that they had Professor McGonagall's permission to visit Hermione.

"Good idea, she might check up on the story." said Tonks appreciatively.

Madam Pomfrey let them in, but reluctantly.

"There's just no point talking to a Petrified person," she said,

"Well, there isn't." said Madam Pomfrey.

"You're about as good at sympathy as Hermione." said Ron absently. Hermione replied by shoving in elbow into his side.

and they had to admit she had a point when they'd taken their seats next to Hermione. It was plain that Hermione didn't have the faintest inkling that she had visitors, and that they might just as well tell her bedside cabinet not to worry for all the good it would do.

Hermione glared at both of the boys, who then looked at each other.

"It was nice knowing you." said Harry and Ron to each other.

"Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" said Ron, looking sadly at Hermione's rigid face. "Because if he sneaked up on them all, no one'll ever know…"

"Hadn't thought of that." said Kingsley, "Then we'd still be in the dark."

But Harry wasn't looking at Hermione's face.

"Oh that's nice." said Katie.

He was more interested in her right hand.

"What?" said Katie and Alicia. "Her hand?"

It lay clenched on top of her blankets, and bending closer, he saw that a piece of paper was scrunched inside her fist.

"James would be so proud." said Dr. Clark with a loving smile. Harry looked down and smiled to himself.

"Both of them." said Sirius.

Making sure that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere near, he pointed this out to Ron.

"Go on and get it out," Ron whispered, shifting his chair so that he blocked Harry from Madam Pomfrey's view.

Dr. Nicodemus lowered the book, then he and the rest of the Rangers, including the Aurors turned and stared at the two boys.

"You two are good." said Lionus with a smirk. "I'm going to have to keep an eye on you two, along with Miss Granger."

It was no easy task. Hermione's hand was clamped so tightly around the paper that Harry was sure he was going to tear it.

"Or snap her fingers off." said Harry.

While Ron kept watch he tugged and twisted, and at last, after several tense minutes, the paper came free.

It was a page torn from a very old library book.

"We replaced the book!" said Harry quickly.

Harry smoothed it out eagerly and Ron leaned close to read it, too.

"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death.

Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."

"IT'S A BASILISK? EVACUATE THE F*&^%*&^% SCHOOL!" yelled Remus.

Several adults and students then began to panic, no amount of sparks from Dumbledore's wand could bring them back to their senses.

Lionus stood up and shouted. "TEN SHUN!" the school went quiet. "Now, that's better, the threat is long gone, relax." he said sitting back down.

Everyone else sat slowly back down and settled into their chairs nervously.

"How did you do that?" asked Dean.

"A great leader can command anyone." said Viper proudly.

And beneath this, a single word had been written, in a hand Harry recognized as Hermione's. Pipes.

"Is that how the monster was getting about?" said Remus calming down.

"Glad I didn' find it." said Hagrid. "I woulda been killed."

It was as though somebody had just flicked a light on in his brain.

"Ron," he breathed. "This is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber's a basilisk — a giant serpent! That's why I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It's because I understand Parseltongue…"

"Crap, that makes everything come into focus doesn't it." said Charlie.

"You both a had better of gone to a teacher." said Bill warningly.

"We did." said Harry honestly, but the sides of his mouth twitched.

"Can't wait to hear this one." said Madam Bones with a groan

Harry looked up at the beds around him.

"The basilisk kills people by looking at them. But no one's died — because no one looked it straight in the eye. Colin saw it through his camera. The basilisk burned up all the film inside it, but Colin just got Petrified.

"I loved that camera, and I had some really good pictures on that roll." said Colin sadly.

Justin… Justin must've seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick! Nick got the full blast of it, but he couldn't die again… and Hermione and that Ravenclaw prefect were found with a mirror next to them. Hermione had just realized the monster was a basilisk. I bet you anything she warned the first person she met to look around corners with a mirror first! And that girl pulled out her mirror — and —"

"That's exactly what happened." said Hermione looking at Harry in shock.

Ron's jaw had dropped.

"And Mrs. Norris?" he whispered eagerly.

Harry thought hard, picturing the scene on the night of Halloween.

"The water…" he said slowly. "The flood from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I bet you Mrs. Norris only saw the reflection…"

"That's von hell of a memory you've got there." said Viper with an impressed look.

He scanned the page in his hand eagerly. The more he looked at it, the more it made sense.

"… The crowing of the rooster… is fatal to it!" he read aloud. "Hagrid's roosters were killed!

"He even remembered that, you're way too much." said Tonks shaking her head.

The Heir of Slytherin didn't want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened! Spiders flee before it! It all fits!"

"But how's the basilisk been getting around the place?" said Ron. "A giant snake… Someone would've seen…"

Harry, however, pointed at the word Hermione had scribbled at the foot of the page.

"Pipes," he said. "Pipes… Ron, it's been using the plumbing. I've been hearing that voice inside the walls…"

Ron suddenly grabbed Harry's arm.

"I had a brainstorm of my own right there." said Ron proudly.

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" he said hoarsely. "What if it's a bathroom? What if it's in —"

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," said Harry.

The people in the school took a sharp intake of breath.

"And you've been in there several times." said Sirius weakly. "You kids are the luckiest people on the planet."

"I'm taking a Calming Draught, Albus." said Remus reaching over.

"Pass 'em on." said Dr. Clark.

They sat there, excitement coursing through them, hardly able to believe it.

"This means," said Harry, "I can't be the only Parselmouth in the school. The Heir of Slytherin's one, too. That's how he's been controlling the basilisk."

"Dear me." said Bathilda worriedly.

"What're we going to do?" said Ron, whose eyes were flashing. "Should we go straight to McGonagall?"

"Finally! They're showing some sense." said Madam Pomfrey.

"Let's go to the staff room," said Harry, jumping up. "She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."

"Good, tell a whole bunch of teachers, one of them is bound to believe you." said George. But the teachers looked worried, when they went to the teacher's lounge that day…dear lord.

They ran downstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around in another corridor, they went straight into the deserted staff room. It was a large, paneled room full of dark, wooden chairs. Harry and Ron paced around it, too excited to sit down.

"But, then, where did you go?" said Professor Sprout, hoping they weren't in there for much longer.

But the bell to signal break never came.

"Huh? But then what told everyone that class was over?" said Sirius.

Instead, echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified.

"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."

"Oh, no, another attack." said Remus faintly.

Harry wheeled around to stare at Ron. "Not another attack? Not now?"

"What'll we do?" said Ron, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?"

"Oh, please yes." said Professor Flitwick worriedly.

"No," said Harry, glancing around. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe to his left, full of the teachers' cloaks. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."

"You know, I was sort of skeptical about how clever you were and if you were really holding back. Now I'm seeing, you do hold back quite a bit." said one of the Unspeakables.

They hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff room door banging open. From between the musty folds of the cloaks, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared.

"Those were the smart ones." said Mr. Weasley.

Then Professor McGonagall arrived.

"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

All around the room, where every guest and ever student third years and under sat, a collective nervous gulp went around the room.

Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' "

"Ginny began to start shaking.

"It's alright short-stuff, was she a friend of hers." asked Bill. But Ginny wouldn't reply.

Professor Flitwick burst into tears.

"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.

Both Charlie and Bill jumped about a foot in the air and enclosed their little sister in their arms.

"B-bu-but she's right here! She's not down there!" said Charlie nervously.

"She was saved from the Chamber of Secrets." said Dumbledore kindly.

"Who saved her?" asked Bill.

"She was saved by her brother Ronald, and Harry." said Dumbledore with a smile over to the two boys.

Charlie and Bill stared at their little brother; they didn't look at Harry, who was having a staring contest of his own to deal with.

"You went down there…?" said Remus grimly.

"Um…" said Harry slowly.

Harry felt Ron slide silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside him.

"I couldn't believe it, I thought she was gone." said Ron sheepishly.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"

"Always said what?" asked Sirius.

"That if another student had died from this, I personally would shut the school down myself." said Dumbledore sadly.

The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore.

"Hope mixed with desperation." said Harry.

"You aren't allowed to talk for the rest of the book. Or I'll tape your mouth." said Remus sternly.

But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming.

"What right does he have to be happy?" said Remus angrily. Harry opened his mouth, but swiftly a magical piece of tape went across his mouth, and then it faded. Harry tried, but he couldn't speak or remove it.

"I told you…" said Remus warningly.

"Remus..." said Dumbledore in a warning like tone.

"It'll only stay till this chapter's over." said Remus shortly. Harry glared at Remus.

"So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?"

"I'll kill him with my own hands if I can manage it." said Bill angrily.

He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred.

"It wasn't 'like it' it was 'it.'" said Snape with a scowl.

Snape stepped forward.

"For god's sake hex the man." said Sirius, positively begging Snape.

"Just the man," he said.

"Wait, what?" asked Sirius, unclasping his hands.

"The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Lockhart blanched.

"That's his mind screaming 'MOMMY!'" said George with a laugh.

"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"I — well, I —"sputtered Lockhart.

"He's backfiring on himself, this is priceless." said Dr. Clark with a laugh. "Do you really have to tape Harry's mouth, I'm not too happy about that." he added with a frown. He looked at Harry, but he only shrugged.

"He always dances around me punishing him with his talking, I'm not letting him get away with it this time." said Remus angrily.

"Just like his grandpa." said Rudolph with a chuckle.

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius.

"When we were little, his grandpa would always manage to get out of trouble, talked his way out of anything. Drove me just about mad." said Rudolph. "I'd get punished some of the time, not his though."

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.

"D-did I? I don't recall —"

"Didn't recall? He told me the day before." said Flitwick with a laugh.

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

"Students would have been petrified left and right." said Dr. Clark shaking his head.

Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.

"I — I really never — you may have misunderstood —"

"Bull, you make sure that no one misunderstands you." said Professor Hooch.

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."

"Free reign to choke yourself." said Remus.

Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue.

"Who'd want to rescue him?" asked Dean.

"Rudolph asked me that once. Lockhart's not my type, I like older men." said Leroy with a sly smile.

He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble.

"Wuss." said Charlie, still hugging his small sister.

"V-very well," he said. "I'll — I'll be in my office, getting — getting ready."

And he left the room.

"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got him out from under our feet.

"You sneaky…" said Remus with a laugh.

"I have my moments." said Professor McGonagall smugly.

The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."

"You're about to find out that two of yours are out." said Sirius. Harry shook his head.

"We made it back in time." said Ron who was looking at Harry.

The teachers rose and left, one by one.

It was probably the worst day of Harry's entire life. He, Ron, Fred, and George sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, unable to say anything to each other. Percy wasn't there. He had gone to send an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then shut himself up in his dormitory.

The Weasley family went silent.

No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer.

"She knew something, Harry," said Ron, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all. She'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was —" Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. "I mean, she was a pure-blood. There can't be any other reason."

"Good reasoning lad." said Dr. Nicodemus kindly.

Harry could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline. This was the worst he had ever felt. If only there was something they could do. Anything.

"Harry," said Ron. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not — you know —"

Harry didn't know what to say. He couldn't see how Ginny could still be alive.

"Thanks for not saying that." said Ron.

"D'you know what?" said Ron. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."

"You really thought that he was going in there." said Remus staring at Harry and Ron.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Well?" asked Remus.

"Uh..Moony? Are you hysterical right now?" asked Sirius.

"Little, why?" asked Remus quickly.

"Cause you're asking him a question that he can't answer, his mouth is all taped up." said Sirius.

"Oh, right, what is he doing?" said Remus looking at Harry.

Harry began to quickly move his arms and hands spastically.

"Is he okay?" asked Neville worriedly.

"Hang on." said Dr. Clark watching Harry closely. "He said that Lockhart was the only one they knew going down into the Chamber, it was Ginny's only hope."

"How the hell do you know that?" asked Remus.

"Sign language, I taught him that years ago, can't believe he remembered." said Dr. Clark he looked at Sirius "That's enough silent treatment."

Sirius nodded and waved his wand over Harry's mouth.

"Ow." said Harry as the final piece of the tape was taken off, it fluttered down onto his lap. "Let's put tape onto your mouth, and see how you like it." he sent a scowl up to Remus, then he slammed the piece of tape on his mouth.

"What the hell?" said Remus as he pulled the tape off.

"You hurt me one more time as a form of punishment, I'll kick your ass." said Harry sourly.

He stood up and sat between Leroy and Rudolph, Remus stared at Harry as he lounged on the sofa, then he was smacked twice in the back of the head.

"You better find a way to get him back over here." snarled Dr. Clark and Sirius.

Because Harry couldn't think of anything else to do, and because he wanted to be doing something, he agreed.

"So it was Ron's idea, huh?" said Fred proudly.

"Damn, we would have gone with you to save Ginny." said George.

"You guys were stressed enough." said Ron.

The Gryffindors around them were so miserable, and felt so sorry for the Weasleys, that nobody tried to stop them as they got up, crossed the room, and left through the portrait hole.

Darkness was falling as they walked down to Lockhart's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. They could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps.

"You mean he was actually preparing to go down?...Nah…" said Sirius shaking his head.

Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it.

"He was freaking out like you wouldn't believe." said Ron with a smirk.

"Oh — Mr. Potter — Mr. Weasley —" he said, opening the door a bit wider. "I'm rather busy at the moment —if you would be quick —"

"Professor, we've got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you."

"Er — well — it's not terribly —" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. "I mean — well — all right —"

He opened the door and they entered.

Remus bit his bottom lip. Don't go in there! He couldn't think of a way of convincing the boy to come back and sit, but he would have to think of something very quickly.

His office had been almost completely stripped. Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade-green, lilac, midnight blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.

"Are you going somewhere?" said Harry.

"Bloody coward." snarled Sirius.

"Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call — unavoidable — got to go —"

"The only unavoidable thing you have to worry about is Ginny in the chamber!" said Kingsley angrily.

"What about my sister?" said Ron jerkily.

"Well, as to that — most unfortunate —" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I —"

"Bullshit." said Remus through gritted teeth.

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Harry. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"

A small ripple of laughter fluttered about the school.

"Well — I must say — when I took the job —" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description — didn't expect —"

"Well that 's your own stupid fault, isn't it?" said Fred.

"You mean you're running away?" said Harry disbelievingly. "After all that stuff you did in your books-"

"Books can be misleading," said Lockhart delicately.

"You wrote them!" Harry shouted.

"Good luck getting past that one, Dazzle Gums." said Sirius with a smirk.

"My dear boy," said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. "Do use your common sense.

"I did, all we had to go one was your word that you did it. If it was common sense that you didn't do all those things, you never would have sold any of your blasted books." said Harry with a smirk.

"Umm...Harry...I..." said Remus quietly.

"I don't want to hear it." said Harry stubbornly.

Remus looked down hurtfully.

Rudolph leaned over to Remus and whispered. "I suggest you find some sort of peace offering. Worked for us in the jungle. Does he have a favorite snack or something?"

"I dont' know of..." he looked up quickly and hurried out of the room. Harry took no notice.

My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things.

"Well...we can charge him with fraud at least." said Moody with a large grim like smile.

No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves.

"Would rather hear about true events, despite what the hero looks like." said Tonks sourly.

He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip. I mean, come on —"

"He always put looks before actual talent." said Sirius with a snort of disgust.

"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously.

"I've seen it done it the Muggle world. But with people here going about how they're better than they are, it was shock that this world and the Muggle world was nothing different. Both places are similar." said Harry with a smirk.

Umbridge thrashed about in her seat, gag still on her mouth. Tempest gave her a sharp slap across her face.

"Behave." she spat.

"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that.

"The hell it isn't." said Harry.

"He's as feisty as Lily was." said Rudolph patting Harry's head.

"No, I think she could give him a run for his money. She was a terror when you got her all wound up." said Leroy with a laugh. "Remember when I ate her plate of cookies she was making for McGonagall that one time? I had to hide in our closet for two weeks, just to escape her wrath."

"I've still got the footprints on my shorts from all the time you stood in there." said Rudolph with a smirk.

There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it.

"Horrible...absolutely criminal...going to get him." muttered Madam Bones angrily.

If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms.

"That's a shock, he couldn't do it in school, what made him think he could do it then." said Sirius.

No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog."

"He still thinks that he's more famous than Harry?" said Kingsley with a laugh.

"He's always been a delusional moron." said Sprout angrily.

He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them.

"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."

He pulled out his wand and turned to them.

Sirius, Dr. Clark, Rudolph, and Leroy went deathly quiet.

"Good thing Remus isn't here, he go off and bite Lockhart if he ever gets the chance." said Sirius in a cold whisper.

"I have half a mind to tell him just where he is." said Dumbledore coldly.

"Awfully sorry, boys, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" screeched Mrs. Weasley.

"Do not worry, he doesn't hurt either of the boys." said Dumbledore with a malicious smile.

"With that smile, how can we believe you?" said Lionus with smirk.

Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book —"

"That's a plus." growled Fred.

"We didn't know about this part of the story." said George angrily.

"Didn't want you two sent up for murder." said Ron shrugging.

Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, "Expelliarmus!"

Cheers erupted in the school, then Remus entered. He was carrying a large plate of what looked like small pie pieces.

"What did I miss?" asked Remus looking around the room somewhat confused.

"Harry disarmed Dazzle Gums when he tried to oblivate him and Ron." said Sirius excitedly.

Remus almost dropped the plate in shock. "He...he did what?"

"Yeah, but Harry was faster than Lockhart was, it was cool." said a squeaky first year boy.

Harry didn't look back at Remus when he came back. He was still cross at him for taping his mouth shut, his Uncle Vernon had done that years and years ago, and he thought he and Sirius were different than his Uncle had been.

"Harry, I um...I went down to..uh...I got something for you. To say, I'm sorry for putting tape on your mouth." said Remus quietly.

Harry still did not look at him. Leroy smiled sadly and cupped his hands under the boy's chin.

"Come on, Harry. He's new at raising kids, he doesn't know what is a good thing or not." said Leroy kindly.

"Common sense helps." muttered Harry darkly.

"Give him another chance, Harry, after the life you've had, you know what is a good thing and what's a bad thing. He's not too sure." said Rudolph.

"He had a childhood, he could tell." said Harry still angry.

"Once he got bitten, Harry, his whole life changed, he didn't have as happy a childhood as you think. His own family began to shun him, it doesn't rate on the scale of abuse you have, but still..." said Leroy.

Harry sighed, turned on the sofa and faced Remus. "Alright, I'm listening."

Remus gulped and sighed. "I...I'm sorry that I did what I did. I said I was going to settle down and I didn't. I'm really sorry and well, I got you these..." he handed the plate to Harry. He took it slowly and stared at it in shock. It was piled high, not with pie slices, but treacle tart.

Harry reached for one immediately, but withdrew his hand quickly. Remus's face fell, but was confused when Harry went back to the bowl and ducked underneath it. He pulled his knapsack out from under the bowl and withdrew what looked like several wrapped treats.

"I guess we both sort of forgot to take things a little easier, let's bury the hatchet. I won't hurt your feelings, as long you don't hurt me." he handed the treats to Remus.

"What are these?" asked Remus.

"Well, I tried my hand at making Mars Bars, and I found out that I could improve the recipe with some simple ingredients. Try them out." said Harry with a smile.

"You have got to be kidding me. Treacle Tart? That's your attitude changer?" said Rudolph with a laugh.

"Salt water taffy had the same effect on James, don't you remember?" said Leroy with a smile. "He could be pissed off about not getting the dark wizard he was after, give him a piece and he's all smiles."

"How's the chocolate?" asked Sirius.

"I will never piss off Harry again." said Remus thickly, the entire candy bar crammed in his mouth.

"Just, don't try and punish me for stuff that's happened years ago. When we get to year five, then by all means, let me have it." said Harry fairly.

Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window.

"You could have used that wand." said Moody. "Seeing as how Ron's wand is unpredictable."

"Lockhart's wand would have been the same way, besides it worked out for the best." said Harry.

"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," said Harry furiously,

"The first spell Snape teaches you becomes your pretty much favorite. I don't think I'll ever get over that." said Tonks.

Snape stared hard at the boy, who had taken his old seat back in the bowl.

kicking Lockhart's trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at him, feeble once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him.

"Twelve years old and he knows Ranger protocol about not taking your eyes off a criminal." said Nightstrike in awe.

"That's Auror protocol too." said Moody defensively.

"And you guys got your first trainings from whom?" said Nightstrike with a sneer.

"What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."

"First time that whole year he was right." said Remus with a smirk.

"You're in luck," said Harry, forcing Lockhart to his feet at wandpoint. "We think we know where it is. And what's inside it. Let's go."

"God, this is precious! When he was younger, he wanted to be the leader of the pack, the dominating male, and here you are. A shrimpy, underfed scruffy little toddler telling him where to go and what to do." said Sirius laughing hysterically. "I love you!" he engulfed Harry in a tight hug.

They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

They sent Lockhart in first.

"Good plan, he can be replaced with another ludicrous idiot." said Professor Sprout shortly.

Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking.

"That made my day." said Harry with smirk. "Ron and I weren't shaking, but he was."

Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet. "Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Harry. "What do you want this time?"

"Wow, normally she ignores people when she doesn't want to be overly-dramatic." said Lavender.

"She must like you." said Parvati.

"How do you have a relationship with a ghost?" asked Dr. Clark.

"You can't, you just go nuts after a while." said Sirius in a whisper.

"To ask you how you died," said Harry.

Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question.

"I haven't met a ghost yet that doesn't love telling their death story." said Dumbledore with a small smile.

"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish.

"That's how all their stories start." said Fred rolling his eyes.

"It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses.

"I swear, children can be just as cruel, if not more so, than the most hardened criminals." said Dr. Nicodemus sourly.

The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then —" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I died."

"Poof? Just like that?" said George.

"How?" said Harry.

"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes.

"Well there's a discovery, you can't really look into a Basilisks eyes without getting killed, and really after you kill one, the color disappears. Have to write that one down." said Charlie.

My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away…"She looked dreamily at Harry. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."

"Oh, she haunted Miss Hornby for many years." said Dumbledore, "After a while, I had to step in and tell Myrtle to come back to the castle."

"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry.

"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.

"Nice to know she cares about what killed her." said Hannah.

Harry and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face.

"He's never had to face any sort of dark creature." said McGonagall with a scowl.

It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below.

"Harry took over when I squirted him and Lockhart with water." said Ron.

"You can fix sinks too?" said Sirius.

"The Dursley's never wanted to pay for a handyman. They can't wait for the day that I finally learn how to fix cars." said Harry

"That day will never come for them, you aren't ever going back to them." said Remus

"But you still learn how to do that if you really want to." said Dr. Clark with a smile.

"Good, cause there is a really nice car down at the Little Whinging Junk yard." said Harry.

And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.

"The past Headmasters and staff of the school have searched for the Chamber of Secrets for over two hundred years. And it takes three second years a little under a year to find it." said Flitwick shamefully.

"You lacked what they had an abundance of." said Lionus wisely.

"What was that? Luck?" asked Snape with slight disdain.

"Imagination." said Lionus.

"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.

"Harry," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."

"But —" Harry thought hard. The only times he'd ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he'd been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real.

"Open up," he said.

He looked at Ron, who shook his head.

"English," he said.

"Well that sucks." said Fred.

"Yeah, how are you going to get down there now?" asked George.

Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive. If he moved his head, the candlelight made it look as though it were moving.

"Open up," he said.

Except that the words weren't what he heard; a strange hissing had escaped him,

and at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

"And of course you and Ron are going to slide down into." said Remus sighing.

"Hey, we toss something down there to make sure it was safe." said Ron defensively.

"A stone won't tell you it's safe." said Sirius.

"It was something a little more worthless than a rock." said Harry with a smirk.

Harry heard Ron gasp and looked up again. He had made up his mind what he was going to do.

"I'm going down there," he said.

"We've got to do something about your 'saving the world' fetish you've got going on." said Sirius.

"Huh?" said Harry in shock.

"Not that definition of 'fetish'." said Sirius with a laugh. "There's another one that works with this."

"I hope so, I was just about ready to smack you." said Harry with a smile.

"You're so violent." said Fred with mock surprise.

He couldn't not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Chamber, not if there was even the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Ginny might be alive.

"Okay, that is a slightly good reason, but you really should have gotten a teacher to go down instead." said Remus.

"We…" said Ron.

"A real teacher, not a pathetic faker." said Remus stopping Ron quickly from finishing.

There was a pause.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just —"

"Isn't that nice." said George wickedly. "He's volunteering to go first."

"Such a brave and senseless soul." said Fred rapturously.

"Give the Basilisk indigestion for us!" said the twins together.

He put his hand on the door knob, but Ron and Harry both pointed their wands at him.

"You can go first," Ron snarled.

"GO RON!" said the Weasley's together in unison.

White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the opening.

"Boys," he said, his voice feeble. "Boys, what good will it do?"

"Better you than them." said Dr. Clark.

Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe.

"I really don't think —" he started to say, but Ron gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly.

"Harry noticed the looks of shock on the other people's faces. "I waited till he hit bottom." he reassured them. "That's the first rule of a slide." he added with a smirk.

He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go.

It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons. Behind him he could hear Ron, thudding slightly at the curves.

"Kept forgetting to keep my feet together." said Ron.

"That's okay, I just about dislocated my shoulder trying to grab onto a passing tunnel." said Harry.

And then, just as he had begun to worry about what would happen when he hit the ground, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in.

"Well, at least the Basilisk wasn't waiting for you at the end of the tunnel." said Sirius worriedly. "With it's mouth open."

"I would have liked to have not realized that little tidbit of information." said Dr. Clark.

Lockhart was getting to his feet a little ways away, covered in slime and white as a ghost.

Several people laughed maliciously at the old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's misfortune.

Harry stood aside as Ron came whizzing out of the pipe, too.

"We must be miles under the school," said Harry, his voice echoing in the black tunnel.

"Keep your voice down!" hissed Rivers.

"Aw…I was hoping the hysterics bypassed you." said Harry. "You hadn't spoken in a while."

"Terror silenced my tongue." said Rivers meekly. "You have a very terrifying life."

"Under the lake, probably," said Ron, squinting around at the dark, slimy walls.

All three of them turned to stare into the darkness ahead.

"Lumos!" Harry muttered to his wand and it lit again. "C'mon," he said to Ron and Lockhart, and off they went, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor.

"It's not easy to be quiet when your sloshing through a sewer." said Harry.

The tunnel was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked monstrous in the wandlight.

"Lockhart screamed twice." said Ron with a smirk.

"Remember," Harry said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away…"

"Getting around the fangs however, not a clue." said Harry.

"One problem at a time." said Lionus.

But the tunnel was quiet as the grave,

"Not the best time to use that analogy." said Remus.

and the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud crunch as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat's skull.

"Such a happy sound." said Sirius.

"That's nasty." said Harry. "I understand where you're coming from, but it's still nasty."

Harry lowered his wand to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones. Trying very hard not to imagine what Ginny might look like if they found her,

The Weasley family shuddered, and all converged around Ginny.

Harry led the way forward, around a dark bend in the tunnel.

"Harry — there's something up there —" said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry's shoulder.

They froze, watching. Harry could just see the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn't moving.

"Maybe it's asleep," he breathed, glancing back at the other two. Lockhart's hands were pressed over his eyes. Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast it hurt.

Dr. Clark looked quickly over.

"I'm fine." said Harry quickly.

"You are now lad. You had a weak heart." said Dr. Nicodemus. Harry looked quickly over in shock. "The malnutrition, your cores working in overdrive just to keep that heart pumping, despite the fact you should have died by the age of seven, and the fact that I've told you about before."

"Then what solved it? Or does he still have it?" asked Dr. Clark. "Why didn't I see that in hospital when he came the time I met James?"

"The pod cured and strengthened his heart." said Dr. Nicodemus. "And we look quite a bit deeper than what normal means do."

Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edged forward, his wand held high.

The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least.

Several people whimpered in fear.

"Blimey," said Ron weakly.

There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way.

"Foolish coward." said Moody with a snarl.

"Get up," said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart.

Lockhart got to his feet — then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground.

"I'm going to kill him!" shouted Mr. Weasley, "First for wanting to abandon Ginny, then for tackling Ron!"

"I'll help!" said Mrs. Weasley.

Harry jumped forward, but too late — Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron's wand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face.

"Oh, no…" said Tonks.

"He didn't oblivate the boys. If he did, they wouldn't have the faintest idea what is going on." said Kingsley.

"The adventure ends here, boys!" he said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body —

"And Albus would have killed him for taking the boys down there." said McGonagall.

"If I didn't kill him, I'm sure the entire staff would have." said Albus.

say good-bye to your memories!"

"He's a dead man, after I get ahold of him." growled Remus angrily.

He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head

"Oh, that's right! He's got Ron's wand! I wonder how that went?" said Charlie eagerly.

and yelled, "Obliviate!"

The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb. Harry flung his arms over his head and ran, slipping over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor.

"Not a good thing." said Charlie worriedly.

Next moment, he was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock.

"Ron! Where did you get to?" asked Mr. Weasley as his wife sobbed.

"I was alright." said Ron trying to reasurre his family, which was difficult, as both of the twins had him in an unintended choke hold.

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

"I'm here!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the rock fall. "I'm okay — this git's not, though — he got blasted by the wand —"

"Sort of says that Lockhart's unconcious." said Moody with a smirk.

There was a dull thud and a loud "ow!" It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins.

"Good boy." said almost all of the adults in the room.

"What now?"

"Kick him again, this time in the face." said Remus.

Ron's voice said, sounding desperate. "We can't get through — it'll take ages…"

Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it. He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic,

"So that means that you've tried with smaller stuff, huh?" said Seamus.

"Rocks shaped like Dudley, yeah." said Harry with a smile.

and now didn't seem a good moment to try — what if the whole tunnel caved in?

"It was my only way out, that wouldn't have been the best idea. And anything could have happened to Ron over there." said Harry.

There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks.

"Kicked him again." said Ron proudly.

They were wasting time. Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours… Harry knew there was only one thing to do.

"Wait there," he called to Ron.

"You had better have had a meek and mild year this year." growled Remus.

Harry looked from side to side, then looked back at Remus.

"Right, never mind." said Remus sheepishly.

"Wait with Lockhart. I'll go on… If I'm not back in an hour…"

There was a very pregnant pause,

"I didn't want to say it." said Harry looking down.

"And I didn't want to hear it." said Ron.

"I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady.

"I didn't want to think about losing my sister and best mate all in the same twelve hours." said Ron quietly.

"So you can — can get back through. And, Harry —"

"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his shaking voice.

"So you didn't want to die either, that's good." said Sirius wiping the sweat off his brow.

"I'm fond of living thanks." said Harry.

And he set off alone past the giant snake skin.

Soon the distant noise of Ron straining to shift the rocks was gone.

"What about your wand?" asked worriedly.

"Buried under the rocks." said Ron.

The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry's body was tingling unpleasantly. He wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what he'd find when it did. And then, at last, as he crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.

"The Real Chamber of Secrets." said Severus in a hushed voice. Malfoy gulped, as well as the rest of the school.

Harry approached, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive. He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker.

"Open," said Harry, in a low, faint hiss.

The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.

"Just run in and grab Ginny and get the hell out of there, no sticking around." said Remus frantically.

"That was the game plan yeah." said Harry slowly. Harry then swung his legs up onto Sirius' lap.

"What's wrong? You're legs hurt again?" asked Sirius quickly.

"No, just, giving you something to hold onto, this won't be an easy chapter." said Harry.

"They never are." said Dr. Clark turning pale.

"I'll read the next one." said Lionus. "I won't faint from shock."