Harry sat in an uncomfortable chair with a very rigid back, his head bowed. His chair was placed between Hermione and Daphne's bed, and he had a hand on Hermione's left and Daphne's right.
Feelings raged inside him, so strong he felt like he couldn't experience them all at once. In the three days since they had been Petrified, Harry couldn't stop feeling guilty.
They had needed him, and he had been off in a corridor, making out with Susan. Their Petrification was on him, and it was stupid to pretend otherwise.
Lily, Gabrielle, Astoria, and Susan had all been trying to convince him that he was wrong, but none of their words could shake Harry's internal loathing.
He'd gotten too complacent. After their almost effortless victory over Voldemort and Quirrell in the first year, Harry had assumed he could solve this situation with the Chamber in the same manner.
But now, Daphne and Hermione were Petrified in hospital beds. Harry had spent as much time with them as possible, while also doing his best to find out more on the Chamber.
He'd asked every teacher their thoughts on the manner, hoping one of them could give him some detail, some clue, but came up empty. He spent long, laborious hours in the girls' bathroom with Moaning Myrtle, he even went to the library. But nothing brought up any new information.
Harry sighed and squeezed the two girls' hands, and to his surprise, there was the sound of paper crumpling. Harry looked down at Hermione's hand, and saw that her closed hand had a ball of paper in it.
Harry carefully pried her fingers open, and extracted the crumpled up paper.
It was an entry in a Fantastic Beasts book, an entry on a basilisk.
Harry read about the basilisk, a giant snake that had a lethal gaze, unless the snake's eyes were viewed in a reflective surface. Then they were merely Petrified.
Harry glanced at Hermione incredulously, then looked back at the paper.
Spiders flee from its' presence, females known as the Queen of Serpents, etc. etc.
Then, a single word written at the bottom, in Hermione's neat handwriting.
Pipes.
Harry sat there for a moment, confused.
Then, looking back at the great serpent's size measurements, he understood. A creature like a basilisk couldn't move around the school through the corridors, it was just too big. But the pipes… that could work.
A terrible thought dawned on Harry. He knew for sure a confirmed basilisk location that was RIGHT next to a load of pipes. Myrtle's bathroom. Could it…
"Harry!" a voice exclaimed, and he turned abruptly to see Astoria and Gabrielle coming into the hospital wing.
"What is it?" Harry asked in alarm, rising to his feet.
"It's your stuff. When we went up to the boys' dorm to see if you were there, all your stuff had been torn through." Astoria panted.
"Seriously? By who?" Harry demanded.
"No clue." Gabrielle shook her head, "Malfoy and his lackeys denied any involvement, and, to my surprise, I actually believed him."
"Alright… look, I reckon I know where the entrance to the Chamber is." Harry said, "And I definitely know what's in it."
He passed the paper to the two younger girls, and they read through it quickly.
"A basilisk." Gabrielle breathed.
"Where's the entrance?" Astoria asked.
"It has to be somewhere that connects to pipes. Hermione clearly thought it was moving through pipes, and I trust her. So, I thought maybe Myrtle's bathroom. Plus, in all of our talks, she mentioned hearing a boy's voice in that bathroom. Maybe he was using some kind of incantation to open the Chamber." Harry said.
"Maybe. It's a stretch, though." Gabrielle chewed her lip thoughtfully.
Before their conversation could continue, however, Dumbledore's voice boomed through the school, completely unmissable.
"All students please return to your common rooms. Now. This is not optional." Dumbledore said, sounding unusually grave.
"We can't go to our common room! We need to get into this Chamber and figure out how to close it." Astoria exclaimed.
"No, let's go to the common room. We can use my Invisibility Cloak to get down to Myrtle's bathroom." Harry decided.
"You have an Invisibility Cloak?" the two girls asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I do." he nodded.
Harry, Gabrielle, and Astoria went back to the Slytherin common room. When Harry entered, Cassandra walked up to him.
"You three alright?" she asked in a professional tone, but her eyes were on Harry.
"Yeah, we're all good, Cassandra. Do you know why we've all been put on house arrest?" Harry asked the sixth year girl.
"Yes. A student was taken by the monster, into the Chamber." Cassandra said gravely.
"Who?" Harry asked.
"Not a clue." Cassandra shook her head. Harry hesitated. This was even more urgent now.
"Can I speak to you for a minute, in private?" Harry asked. She nodded, and the two of them moved to a secluded corner of the common room.
"Cassie, I need to get out of this common room. I think I can stop all of this shit that's happening." Harry said seriously. Cassandra shook her head, white blond hair bouncing.
"No. I won't let you go into danger." she said resolutely.
"Come on. If somebody has been taken down there, they don't have much time." Harry pleaded. Cassandra stared at him, her resolve visibly wavering.
"Fine. But I'm coming, too." she said.
"The more the merrier." Harry nodded. Cassandra looked relieved he didn't argue.
"What do you need?" Cassandra asked.
"I need a way out of the common room and a minute to grab my Invisibility Cloak." Harry said quickly.
"Easy. Go get your Cloak." Cassandra said. Harry dashed up to his dormitory and found that most of his possessions were indeed strewn around his bed.
He ignored the mess and went straight for his trunk, opening it up and digging down to the bottom, where he pulled out a silvery cloak. He tucked it up into his shirt, and then hurried back down to the common room.
"You, Greengrass, and Delacour?" Cassandra asked him quietly when he returned.
"What?" Harry asked.
"You're taking those two, right?" Cassandra asked.
Harry looked over at the two younger girls, who were looking back at him with stubbornness in their gaze, as if they knew what he was considering.
"Yeah." Harry sighed after a moment, "Those two."
Cassandra raised her voice and ordered Harry, Astoria, and Gabrielle out of the common room to see Professor Dumbledore. Once out of the common room and alone in the corridor, Harry pulled out his cloak.
"You think we'll all four fit?" Cassandra asked.
"It'll be a tight fit, for sure." Harry admitted.
"I can do a Disillusionment Spell. You three use the Cloak, and I'll hang onto it." Cassandra instructed. Harry nodded, and Astoria and Gabrielle sidled up on either side of him. Harry draped the Cloak over their three bodies, then wrapped an arm around each them. Gabrielle cuddled up quite close, and Harry could feel her large breasts pressed up against his chest. Turning thirteen had transformed her from a petite girl to a complete knockout, for sure.
Harry felt a gentle tug on the Cloak, and took that to mean Cassandra was ready.
The four of them moved as fast as they could through the school. Harry would prefer to stop by the Hufflepuff common room and grab Susan, but none of them knew the password, and Harry wasn't even sure he knew where their common room was.
As they approached Myrtle's bathroom, Harry saw the chilling message on the wall, scrawled in blood beneath where the first message had been.
Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.
Footsteps sounded behind them, and Harry quickly guided the group back against a wall. Astoria grasped Harry's hand nervously as the footsteps grew louder.
Professors McGonagall and Flitwick appeared, standing before the message on the wall.
McGonagall looked pale and exhausted.
"It's just… I just can't believe it. Ginny Weasley. Gone." McGonagall sniffled. Flitwick patted her arm.
Ginny Weasley? Ron's pretty little sister had been taken into the Chamber? As much as he disliked Ron, the thought of leaving Ginny down there never crossed Harry's mind.
After a few more grieving minutes, the two of them moved on.
"It was Ginny?" Astoria asked, looking miserable, "We had class with her. She's actually pretty fun."
"We'll get her back." Harry assured them. What had he been thinking? He couldn't bring the two younger girls down into the Chamber. It wasn't right.
"Look, can you two girls go and tell my mum what we're up to? Maybe she can get some professor support going on, in case things go south." Harry asked the two younger girls.
Gabrielle looked at him with fiery eyes.
"I am not leaving you. Not right now, when you will need me most." Gabrielle said fiercely.
"Gabs-" Harry tried to appeal.
"I'm not leaving either." Astoria said, "I'm absolutely terrified, but I'm not letting you do this alone."
"You know there's no way in hell I'm letting you take this on without me." Cassandra said, though Harry couldn't see her.
"What's going on here?" a voice asked, and Harry turned to see that they had been snuck up on while they were talking. Lockhart, holding a suitcase with odd bits of clothing poking out from the zipper, as if it had been very hastily packed and closed.
Harry emerged from the Cloak, looking incredulously at Lockhart.
"Are you running away? I know you're useless, but you at least signed a contract to defend us from the bloody Dark Arts!" Harry exclaimed. Lockhart recoiled.
"I, well, I- I've had a very urgent owl, and I simply must be off." Lockhart lied.
"Lockhart, I have a guess where the entrance to the Chamber is. You could at least come, and help out as much as somebody of your, uh, talent could." Harry said. A bit of cannon fodder never hurt anyone. Other than the cannon fodder, of course.
"Right. Course. However, about that, um, talent. See, I've not really done all the things I mentioned in my books." Lockhart said timidly.
"No!" Harry gasped in utter sarcasm, though Lockhart seemed to miss it.
"Yes, yes, it's all true. I've never done anything heroic. I do have a bit of a gift though. I'm rather talented at Memory Charms." Lockhart said, and raised his wand.
Stunned, Harry couldn't react in time.
"Oblivi-" Lockhart began, but was cut off by Cassandra's voice, shouting the Disarming Charm. The Disillusionment Charm she was using vanished when she cast the Disarming Charm, though, and she was visible again.
Lockhart's wand arced high above their heads, then landed in Cassandra's hand.
Lockhart paled, then grew even paler as Gabrielle and Astoria emerged from the Cloak.
"I've decided you'll be coming with us, in case we need bait for the giant motherfucking snake down there." Harry said simply. Cassandra stepped forwards and grabbed Lockhart, taking the lead as she manhandled him into Myrtle's bathroom. Harry grabbed his Cloak off the floor and led Gabrielle and Astoria into the bathroom.
Harry hung the Cloak on one of the stalls, then looked at the three girls and Lockhart.
"Alright. Uh, see if you guys can find any sort of symbol for Salazar Slytherin." Harry shrugged.
The five of them searched the bathroom efficiently (Lockhart being threatened whenever he slowed down). Astoria was the one to find it, a small snake carved onto a tap.
"Good job, Storey." Harry complimented her, and her cheeks went a bit rosy as Harry went up to the snake. An odd feeling arose inside him.
"I think it wants me to say something in Parseltongue." Harry said, feeling an indescribable sensation.
"Try 'open.'" Cassandra suggested.
"Um… open." Harry said, trying to his damnedest to switch languages.
The sink began to give a low groan, and Harry took a step back, using an arm to guide Astoria backwards as well, unintentionally placing his arm between her breasts.
She clung to his arm, not letting him move it. The group watched as the sink creaked and groaned its way down, lowering into the floor to unveil a dark chute leading down into the unknown.
"Well, I, ah, jolly good. Somebody ought to go tell the headmaster." Lockhart tried. Cassandra rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the chute, and Gabrielle mercilessly shoved him into it.
She looked triumphant as he screamed all the way down. After a minute, there was a low groan.
"He sounds alright." Cassandra said, and moved to go next.
Cassie went down, then Gabrielle, leaving Harry with Astoria.
He turned to look at the scared dark-haired girl, clinging to his arm. His hand came up to stroke her cheek, and her dark green eyes met his emerald green ones.
"Do you still want to go down?" Harry asked gently. Astoria nodded.
"Alright. Do you want go before me or after?" Harry asked.
"Can I go with you?" Astoria asked. Harry nodded.
"Of course." Harry said.
They moved together to the chute, and Astoria sat down on the edge of it. Harry sat down behind her and wrapped his arms securely around her stomach.
"Don't tell Gabby about me being scared." Astoria implored. Harry laughed.
"I'll take it to the grave." Harry swore, and pushed off into the darkness. He held onto Astoria the whole way down, and the two fell out onto a very strange substance.
"Ugh. Is this snake skin?" Harry groaned.
"Think so." Gabrielle said disgustedly.
Harry heard Cassandra grunt, and looked over to see that Lockhart had wrested his wand back from Cassandra, though it looked a broken, from the fall or the reclaiming Harry didn't know.
"Obliviate!" Lockhart shouted, but the burst of light emerged from the wrong end, and it hit Lockhart dead in the chest. He fell backwards into a pile of snake-skin.
"What an idiot." Harry shook his head, "You alright, Cassie?"
"Yeah." she said, rising to her feet. Her school robe was a bit torn, so she shrugged it off, leaving her in just her sweater and skirt.
Harry moved to the mouth of the tunnel leading onwards, and peered into it. He touched the side of the mouth, and there was a loud crumbling noise.
"Harry!" Astoria screamed, and Harry heard Gabrielle shout some sort of spell, and Harry suddenly found himself flying backwards, further into the tunnel just as the entrance to the tunnel collapsed.
Harry held his hands over his head and hoped that it would stop there, his heart racing as rocks kept falling.