Ginny was sitting beside Hermione gently stroking her hair when Ron and Harry entered. Embarrassed she sat back looking again at that book which she had been paying so much attention to all year. Harry gently stroked Hermionie’s hand, wishing with all of his might that she would just wake up and tell them what to do, “We need you, now more than ever.” He whispered.

Ron nodded, “I wish she was here too Harry, she always knew what to do,” he said gently.

Harry was running his fingers over his petrified friends hand when he noticed something that felt a bit odd. He picked up the hand and turned it over. Nobody noticed that Ginny had left the room with a haunted look on her face. Harry noticed a scrap of paper in Hermione’s hand and he gently took it out so as not to tear it. Curious as to what it could be.

“I’ll bet it’s a message, open it Harry!” Ron said excited.

“Shhh!” Harry stated as he gently unfolded the piece of paper and started to read,

“Of all of the dark creatures, none are more deadly than the basilisk. Capable of living for hundreds of years. Instant death meets anybody who sees this giant serpents eye. Spiders flee before it,” Ron read rather puzzled.

“Ron it all fits!” Harry said as if a light had just gone off in his head, “that’s why I can hear it speak...it’s a basilisk...a giant snake!”

“Visiting hours are over boys!” Madam Pomfrey stated. The two boys stood and left the room in thoughtful silence. Silently walking together when Ron stopped and looked at Harry.

“But then if death meets everyone who sees its eyes, how come nobody is dead?” Ron asked.

Harry looks at the window, kind of puzzled as he stared at his reflection something else seemed to click in his mind, “because nobody did look it in the eye. Not directly at least. Collin saw it through his camera, Justin...Justin must have seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick, but he’s a ghost he can’t die again. Hermione had the mirror, I bet you anything she was using it to look around corners to ensure that she didn’t get harmed. Mrs Norris...there was water on the floor the day that she was petrified.”

“Then how it a huge snake getting around Hogwarts without anybody seeing it? It’s just impossible Harry!” Ron stated.

“Hermione has answered that for us,” Harry said. The word pipes was clearly written in the margin of the paragraph she had found, “the only one to be harmed by the basilisk was found in a bathroom. What if she never left?”

“Moaning Myrtle!” Ron stated, then he took Harry’s hand, “let’s go find her!”

“All students are to return to their house dormitories at once,” Minerva McGonagall's voice filled through the castle as if by magic. “all teachers to the second floor corridor immediately!

“As you can see, a second message has been left for us from the heir of Slytherin, a student has been taken into the chamber itself. Our worst fears have been realised! Students will have to be sent home immediately. I’m afraid this is the end of Hogwarts,” McGonagall said.

“No Minerva,” stated Snape, “No, give me three hours in which to find out what’s going on. I shall work it out...somehow.”

“Oh Severus thank you!” McGonagall stated, “thank you,” she went to hug him but then wisely thought better of it, “if there’s anything I can do, anything at all.”

“I’ll ask,” Snape said determinably, a strange look in his eye said that he wouldn’t be asking for help. Not if he could arrange it, not from anyone.

 “So sorry, dozed off. What have I missed?” Lockhart asked.

“A young girl has been snatched by the monster Lockhart, your moment has come at last!” Snape sneared.

“M...my moment?” Lockheart seemed to turn this interesting shade of grey.

“Haven’t you been saying all along that you know where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?” Snape asked determinably. He knew that Lockhart was nothing but a phoney. Maybe now would be his chance to be able to show that idiot just what happens to people who talk above their level of magic.

“Well then that’s settled,” McGonagall smirked, “we’ll leave you to deal with the monster Gilderoy, your skills after all are legend. Dealing with a monster like this should be easy work for you!”

“Severus,” Sprout stated, “that offer comes from all of us. Not just Minerva,”

Severus turned his back on the scene as did Lockhart. Although the difference was, whilst Snape walked determinably towards his study to find answers Lockhart fled to his office to begin, rather the cowardly escape.

“Who is it that the monster has taken Minerva?” asked Sprout.

“Ginny Weasley,” McGonagall stated.

Harry and Ron who had been listening close by realised then that they had to take some kind of action. When clearly the words “Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever” were written in blood on the wall Ron panicked. Someone..was going to kill his sister! Thinking quickly Harry rushed to Snape’s office shortly followed by Ron. If his father was going to do anything to help Ginny then maybe he could find out what it was? Snape paced his office a little and thought over the situation. He had to get to the chamber for the Weasley girl, Molly would be devastated if she lost her only daughter. But how is it possible that he could do that he didn’t have enough information as to what could be in there, how these events even started. Severus ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, when there was a knock on the door. He opened it.

“Harry what is it? I really don’t have time for your little games right now,” Snape said gently trying to smile, there was no reason to try and scare the boy half to death.

However a smile from Snape felt like a death sentence to both Harry and Ron who knew that Snape was NOT a person who was known for smiling! Him being his usual growly self would have been a lot more calming, a smile obviously meant that there was a dangerous situation being confronted.

“I heard everything about Ginny being taken,” Harry said.

“You did WHAT? You were supposed to be in your house room being a good boy!” Snape said angrily, “luckily for you I don’t have time to deal with you right now, you  had better return to your house or I will make your bottom Gryffindor red!”

Harry blushed, but continued, “but sir,” he said, “there’s something you don’t know!”

“What is it Harry, spit it out, come on quickly, I don’t have time for this!” Snape said.

“I think Lucius Malfoy might have slipped the diary to Ginny when we saw him at Flourish and Blotts when we were buying our school books!”

Whatever Snape was expecting Harry to have to say, that was not it! The look on Snape’s face said that he had just had the flash of an idea. Lucius Malfoy had been at the school three times that he was aware of that year. For a man who didn’t like to bother himself with school affairs unless he knew that he could make a name for himself, it was a surprise for him to frequent so often. He would most certainly hold the key to more information. The question was how to get it from him without him becoming suspicious. He was after all a strong believer in the work of Voldemort and was grooming his son to become one of the inner circle Death Eaters if he could possibly arrange it. Severus shuddered at the thought, another soul lost to the dark side, but unfortunately he couldn’t think of Draco right now there was more pressing matters to deal with.

“Thank you Harry, now return to your house,” Snape stated as he gently ushered his son and his friend out of his study. Severus took his floo and prepared himself, he had to go to Malfoy manor...now.

Harry and Ron were left in front of Snape’s study and Ron banged his fists against the door. “hey! What about my sister!” he screamed.

 “ Let’s go talk to Lockheart,” Harry said as he started sprinting away, again forcing Ron to chase after him.

 “Lockhart may be useless,” Harry said as they started walking towards his office, “but at least he is going to try to get into the chamber. At least we can tell him what we know!”

“Professor we have some information for you!” Harry said running into his office and seeing Lockharts suitcase out and he is packing things as fast as he can... “Going somewhere?”

“Yes...um...urgently needed elsewhere...must go!” Lockhart stated trying to do up his buldging suitcase.

“What about my sister?” Ron asked.

“Yeah...um...sorry about that,” Lockhart stated... “But my business is far more important than one child...I have to go!”

Ron’s reaction to that was to put his wand RIGHT against Lockharts chin.

“You are going with us, to the chamber,” he stated coldly.

Harry stood beside him, surprised by Ron’s actions but never the less happy to support him. After all...it was for Ginny.

“Besides you have done so many things in your books maybe you can be some help,” Harry stated.

“Books can be misleading, do you really think they would have sold as well for my books if I didn’t say that I had done all of those things?” Lockhart asked.

That got Harry rather upset. He was used to being taken for granted by his relatives and would not just stand there and let some idiot take advantage of somebody else! “So you have just been taking advantage of what other wizards have done! Is there anything that you can do?” Harry asked.

“Yes, actually,” Lockhart turned out of Ron’s grasp and pointed his own wand at him, “I am quite good at memory charms, otherwise those wizards would have gone blabbing and I would have never sold another book In fact I’m going to have to do the same to you!”

But by the time he had even raised his wand half way Harry already had his wand pointing at his nose. “Don’t even think about it!” he said.

Ron gathering himself together pointed his wand at Lockhart too, Lockhart lowered his wand and Ron took it away from him. “Myrtle could be the last girl that was killed by the monster in the chamber,” Harry said, “let’s go find her!” They walked in single file with Harry leading and Lockhart prodded along by Ron’s wand at his shoulders. Luckily they did not run into any teachers, because Harry could only imagine the look on Mrs Weasley or even Snape’s face if they saw or even heard of that particular scene.

“Myrtle, what happened?” Harry asked when they got to the bathroom.

“the monster...I screamed and screamed but nobody came...it took her....down there,” she pointed at a faucet...which had an interesting design near the handle...it looked like a couple of snake’s wound into each other.

Harry looked at it for a while...as if it was a great puzzle that he simply had to work out.

“Harry say something..say something in parseltongue!” Ron exclaimed.

“Open,” Harry said.

“No Harry...that was in English, try again!” Ron said.

Harry moved his head left and right, trying to convince himself that the snakes on the handle were real and could speak back if he spoke to them and he started making a great deal of hissing sounds the likes of which Ron had never seen before and even Lockhart took a step back. Which made it much easier to push him down the hole that opened.

“It’s really quite filthy down here!” came his voice from the hole.

“Oh Harry...if you die down there..you’re welcome to share my toilet!” Myrtle giggled.

“Um...thanks Myrtle...I’ll let you know,” Harry said as he took Ron’s hand.

“Ready to go?” he asked. Ron nodded. Ron wrapped his arms around Harry and they jumped together. Down, down, down they went into the hole. For a brief moment Harry contemplated the book Alice in Wonderland, a book that he had read once at primary school in the library. The hole itself was like a giant slide and the boys screamed and clung to each other tight as they went down the hole. But soon they reached the bottom. There were bones and dirt, animal skins and snake skins all over the place. Not the kind of place that one would wish to be but Ron loved his sister so much. He hated the thought of losing her and as for Harry he simply didn’t want to see his best friend that upset. Or to lose a friend to evil.

“Now remember,” Harry stated, “any sign of movement and you close your eyes straight away.”