INTO THE CHAMBER!

MAY 1993

2nd Year

• • • •

A few days later, Harry, Annabelle and Ron were visiting Hermione in the Hospital Wing again. Annabelle sat by her best friend, as Harry took the old dried up flowers out of the vase next to Hermione's bed, putting in some new white flowers, before sat on the bed.

"Wish you were here, Hermione," The boy told the petrified girl, "We need you. Now more than ever."

Hermione just lay there with her glossy facial expression as Ron sighed sadly. The youngest Potter sibling watched as her brother rub Hermione's left hand with his thumb. The girl watched in confusion as Harry scrunched his eyebrows together, before taking a crumpled up piece of paper out of the petrified brunette's hand, a library book page, which he carefully removed and straightened out.

"How have none of us noticed that before?" Annabelle muttered to herself.

Ron glanced at the page, "What's that?"

Harry examined the page, his face lighting up, "Ron, Annie, this is why Hermione was in the library the day she was attacked," He said, glancing at the page and then back up at the two redheads as he got up, "Come on!" He ushered them out of the Hospital Wing.

The three second years walked through the corridor as Harry read from the page, "'Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land, none is more deadly than the . Capable of living for hundreds of years, instant death awaits any who meet this giant serpent's eye. Spiders flee before it...'" Harry looked up at Annabelle and Ron, "Guys, this is it. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk. That's why Annie and I can hear it speak. It's a snake." He revealed.

The pair looked at the dark-haired boy, processing the information they had just read.

"But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why is it no one's dead?" Ron asked.

They thought for a few moments.

Harry looked at their reflection in the window, "Because no one did look it in the eye," He realised, "Not directly, at least."

Annabelle nodded along as they walked along the corridor, "Colin saw it through his camera," She said, "Justin..." She trailed off, thinking.

"Justin must've seen the Basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick," Harry concluded, "Nick got the full blast of it, but he's a ghost. He couldn't die again."

"And that's why Hermione... had the mirror," Annabelle realised, "I'm certain she was using it to look around corners in case it came along."

"And Mrs. Norris?" Ron questioned, "I'm pretty sure she didn't have a camera or a mirror, you two."

The twins looked at each other.

Annabelle then licked her lips, remembering, "The water," She said, making the boys look at her in confusion, "There was water on the floor that night. She only saw the Basilisk's reflection."

The boys nodded in agreement, taking another look at the page, then walks to a nearby torch to more easily read the page, running his finger along it as he read, "'Spiders flee before it'. It all fits." He said.

"But how's the Basilisk been getting around?" Ron asked what all three of them were thinking, "A dirty great snake, someone would've seen it."

The second years glanced at the bottom of the page where the word 'pipes' had been scribbled down in ink, "Hermione's answered that, too."

"Pipes?" Ron exclaimed, "It's using the plumbing!"

"Remember what Aragog said about that girl fifty years ago, she died in a bathroom?" Harry reminded the two redheads, "What if she never left?"

Ron and Annabelle's eyes widened, "Moaning Myrtle." The pair concluded, making Harry nod.

Professor McGonagall's voice then echoed around the castle on the speakers, "All students are to return to their house dormitories at once," The woman ordered, making Annabelle, Harry and Ron glance at each other in surprise, wondering what could be going on now, "All teachers to the second floor corridor immediately.

This obviously made Harry, Annabelle and Ron hurry to the second floor corridor, as Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Madam Pomfrey, and Filch run up to the corridor wall they were next to, and Professor McGonagall directed their attention to a newly written message.

"As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message," McGonagall told the staff, as the three Second years walked into the corridor behind them, peeking out behind the corner of the corridor, "Our worst fear has been realized, a student has been taken by the monster, into the Chamber itself," Annabelle grabbed the sleeve of Harry's robe in shock, as their Head of House sadly looked at the others, "The students must be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts."

Lockhart then happily walked up to the group, "So sorry. Dozed off. What have I missed?" He asked, as he grinned at Snape and McGonagall.

"A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last." The Potions Professor answered.

Lockhart looked at him, slightly stunned, "My... moment?"

"Weren't you saying just last night you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" The Slytherin raised an eyebrow at Lockhart, who looked bewildered.

"That's settled. We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills, after all, are legend." McGonagall told the blonde man.

Lockhart cleared his throat, "Very well. I'll just be in my office, getting, uh... getting ready." He said, turning on his heels and walking away.

Filch watched him with a snarl, then glanced at Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall.

"Who is it that the monster's taken, Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

Professor McGonagall glanced solemnly at her, "Ginny Weasley."

Harry, Ron and Annabelle straightened up in shock, Ron quavering slightly

Professor McGonagall sadly walked away, along with the other staff; a second later, Snape followed them, revealing the newly written message to the three Gryffindor students.

Annabelle read the message, dread in her voice, "'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever'."

The Potter twins looked at Ron as he's becoming all the more devastated by his sister's abduction.

"Ginny..."

***

Harry, Annabelle and Ron raced into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and up the stairs to Lockhart's office.

"Lockhart may be useless, but he's going to try to get into the Chamber. At least we can tell him what we know!" The oldest Potter told the two redheads, before opening the door to the office and stepping inside, "Professor, we have some information for you," Harry started, before stopping as the three Gryffindor students watched as Lockhart stuffed some clothes into his trunk, which he then closed as he turned toward the scowling second years, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Um... well, yes. Urgent call. Unavoidable. Uh, got to go." Lockhart nervously rushed out.

Ron stared at him, outraged, "What about my sister?!"

"Uh, well, um... As to that, most unfortunate. No one regrets more than I."

"You're just going to leave Ginny?!" Annabelle exclaimed.

Ron stared at the man in disbelief, "You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. You can't go now!"

Lockhart nodded, as he stuffs his things in his handbag then moves around his desk, "Well, I must say, when I took the job, there was nothing in the job description about--"

Harry blocked his path as he tried to leave, "You're running away? After all that stuff you did in your books?!"

"Books can be misleading." Lockhart shrugged.

"You wrote them!" Harry exclaimed.

Lockhart slammed his bag on his desk, "My dear boy, do use your common sense! My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things!"

Harry narrowed his eyes at Lockhart, "You're a fraud. You've just been taking credit for what other wizards have done!" He realised.

"Is there anything you can do?" Ron asked him.

"Apart from being a massive liar." Annabelle added.

Lockhart looked between the three students, "Yes. Now you mention it. I'm rather gifted with memory charms. Otherwise, you see, all those wizards would've gone blabbing, and I'd never have sold another book," He idiotically gave away his plan, making Annabelle, Harry and Ron look at each other as Lockhart walked toward his suitcase, "In fact, uh... I'm uh...," Ron nodded at his friends, and they all reached into their robes to pull out their wands, "Going to have to do the same to you." The man collected his wand from his suitcase, whipping around to point it at the children, only to come face to face with the trio already having their wands trained on him.

"Don't even think about it." Harry told him through gritted teeth, pointing downwards, gesturing for Lockhart to drop his wand and the man reluctantly complied.

"Next time, try not to narrate your plan." Annabelle told the fraud.

***

In her bathroom, Moaning Myrtle was floating around crying as Harry, Ron, Annabelle and Lockhart entered.

"Oh? Who's there?" The ghost asked, before seeing Harry, making her smile warmly at him, "Oh, hello, Harry. What do you want?"

"To ask you how you died." The boy answered.

Myrtle smiled slightly, "Oh...," Her smile faded, "...It was dreadful. It happened right here in this very cubicle. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. I was crying, and then... I heard somebody come in."

"Who was it, Myrtle?" Harry inquired.

Myrtle choked up, "I don't know. I was distraught!" She cried, quickly floating towards the four, making Ron grab onto Annabelle's wrist in fright, causing the girl to subtly roll her eyes at the boy, "But they said something funny, a kind of made-up language, and I realized it was a boy speaking, so I unlocked the door to tell him to go away, and... I died."

"Just like that? How?" Harry asked.

"I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes, over there, by that sink." She said, pointing at the circle of sinks in the centre of the bathroom.

As Myrtle floated off to the stalls, Harry stepped forward to examine the sinks. Reaching up to the circular stone above the sinks, he moves his hand downward to the sink in front of him, turning the tap, but no water came out. At that second, something else caught his eye. Looking more closely at the tap, he saw a snake carved on it.

"This is it," Harry stated, taking a step back, "This is it, Ron, Annie. I think this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

Lockhart glanced at the sink in surprise.

"Say something." Ron told him Harry.

"He's right, Harry," Annabelle told her brother, "Say something in Parseltongue."

Harry swallowed thickly, and after a few seconds, he spoke, "Open up."

The circular stone above the sink rose, then all the sinks began to move outwards, making Harry, Annabelle, Ron, and Lockhart back away slowly as the sinks moved. The sink with the snake carved on its tap descended into the floor, then a grating slid over it. 

Lockhart stepped towards the opening that the sinks concealed and looked down into a very wide black hole.

Lockhart inhaled, then turned to Harry with a grin, "Excellent, Harry. Ah, good work. Well, then, I'll just be, uh... there's no need for me to stay." The coward rushed out, before he tried to run, but the three second years grabbed hold of him.

"Oh, yes there is!" Harry told him, as he, Ron and Annabelle pushed Lockhart backwards towards the passage with all their might before drawing their wands, "You first."

"Now, children, what good will it do?

"Better you than us." Ron said, making the Potter twins nod in agreement.

"Um, but... obviously, yes," The man mumbled, nervously turning around and gripping the sinks as he looked down into the passage before glancing over his shoulder at the trio again, "Sure you don't want to test it first?"

Annoyed, Ron and Annabelle looked at each other in annoyance, before poking Lockhart with their wands, sending him into the passage, screaming as he disappeared into the darkness. A second later, they heard a loud crash, as Harry, Ron and Annabelle walked up to the opening, looking down it.

"It's really quite filthy down here." Lockhart told them.

"Alright," Harry said, turning to the other two, "Let's go."

 Ron and Annabelle nodded in agreement.

"Oh, Harry?" Myrtle called out, making the trio look up at her, "If you die down there, you're welcome to share my toilet." She giggled, making the two redheads uneasy.

"Uh... thanks, Myrtle." Harry smiled awkwardly at her, before turning to the opening, and jumping into it, Ron and Annabelle jumping in immediately after.

Harry, Annabelle and Ron screamed as they went down a slide, which lead to a small pit filled with animal bones, most likely the Basilisk's feeding area, as Lockhart brushed the dirt off his robes when the students landed, before they immediately got to feet and pointed their wands at him.

Ron glanced around at the muck around them, "Ugh."

"At least it's not Devil's Snare." Annabelle told the boy, wiping her dusty hands on her school trousers.

Harry winced as he kept stepping on bones, "Now, remember: any sign of movement, close your eyes straight away." He told them, before he turned and ventured into the passageway behind them.

"Go on." Ron and Annabelle told Lockhart, Ron's wand still locked on the man, who reluctantly followed Harry into the passage with the other two second years right behind him.

Coming to another passageway to the right, Harry beckoned Annabelle, Ron and Lockhart to follow him, "This way."

The four walked into a cavern-like room with a massive and lengthy snakeskin on the floor.

Ron furrowed his eyebrows, as Harry walked along the snakeskin, "What's this?"

Lockhart, feeling nervous, said, "It looks like a... snake."

"No." Annabelle said softly, shaking her head.

Harry nodded in agreement with his sister, examining it, "It's a snakeskin."

"Bloody hell," Ron breathed out, "Whatever shed this must be sixty feet long. Or more."

Lockhart then fainted.

Annabelle rolled her eyes, "Of course."

"Heart of a lion, this one." Ron sarcastically said.

Suddenly, Lockhart grabbed Ron's wand and got to his feet, breathing wickedly and pointing the broken wand at Harry, something that made Annabelle look at the man as though he was an idiot - which he was, "The adventure ends here, children. But don't fret. The world will know our story. How I was too late to save the girl," He pointed the wand at Ron and Annabelle, "How you three tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body. So...," He pointed the wand back at Harry again, "...You first, Mr. Potter. Say good-bye to your memories," He waved the wand, "Obliviate!"

The wand emitted green light from where Ron had taped it together, causing Lockhart to fly backwards, slam into the wall, then fall to the floor.

"Saw that one coming." Annabelle mumbled to herself.

A couple of seconds later, a rumbling began, then rocks began to fall from the ceiling. Harry took cover as huge rocks go flying over him, while Ron backed up, grabbing Annabelle's robe, making her do the same, as they pressed themselves up against the wall as the rocks formed a massive pile between them and Harry.

Once the rocks had stopped falling, Ron and Annabelle coughed from the dust produced by the them.

"Harry!"

The boy in question pulled his robe free from one of the rocks.

"Harry!"

Harry ran over to an opening in the big pile of rocks separating him from Ron and Annabelle, "Ron! Annie! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Ron called back, nodding.

"Yeah, we're okay!" Annabelle told him.

Lockhart then groaned and sat up, looking at the two redheaded Gryffindors, "Hello. Who are you?"

"Um... Ron Weasley and Annabelle Potter." The former told him.

"Really? And, uh... who-who am I?"

Annabelle looked down at him, "An idiot."

Ron then realised what had happened, making him turns towards Harry again, "Lockhart's memory charm backfired! He hasn't got a clue who he is!"

Lockhart picked up a small rock as Harry watched through the opening, "It's an odd sort of place this is, isn't it?" He tossed the rock in his hand, then glanced at Annabelle and Ron, "Do you live here?"

Ron took the rock from the man, "No."

"Really? Well-" Ron cut Lockhart off by smacking him on the back of the head with the rock, knocking him out, causing Harry to wince slightly and for Annabelle to laugh.

Ron glanced at Harry through the opening again, "What do we do now?"

"You two wait here, and try and shift some of this rock so we can get back through," The eldest Potter instructed them, "I'll go on and find Ginny."

Ron and Annabelle nodded, as Harry turned and climbed down from the pile of rocks.

"Okay."

"Harry," Annabelle called out through the gap, making her brother turn around, "Be careful." She told the boy, making him nod and send her a small smile, before walking away, further into the chamber and out of sight of his worried sister and friend.

Lockhart's unconscious figure groaned, making Ron look between the man and Annabelle.

"You and Hermione found that attractive?"

"Oh bugger off."