It was a Saturday morning, and Harry Potter awoke suddenly, only to find himself surrounded by piles of books and papers. Ron, who was trying to read the book, Secret of Hogwarts You Never Knew, but didn't realize that he was holding it upside-down, set the book down and rolled his eyes with a laugh when he saw Harry had only just woken.

"You missed breakfast again, mate," he said. "But don't worry, I brought back something for you to eat." He reached into his tattered knapsack and pulled out half a muffin. "I got a bit hungry on the way here, but at least I saved you something, right?" Bare-eyed Harry just nodded and felt blindly for his glasses on the nightstand. When he located them and put them on, the whole world became clear again, and Harry saw Ron's knobby hand waggling a small piece of a corn muffin in his face.

"Gee, thanks Ron," Harry said "But I'm a bit confused right now. What's with all the books? You don't read." Harry said this last bit matter-a-factly which left Ron incredulously bruised.

"Don't you remember mate?" Ron said. "We're hunting today. Hunting for the Chamber of Secrets. I've been reading up to see where I might be able to find it. I thought I told you last night, but maybe you were already asleep. It was nearly eleven and you were out cold. But anyways, I think that there could be a hidden door a bit down the staircase and on the same side of the wall as Gryffindor house. In a book I read, there were these strange markings on the wall ..."

Harry tuned out, not caring much about what Ron was saying. If anyone was to know where the chamber was, it would be that brainiac of a girl Hermione Granger. Nevertheless, he still couldn't remember a bit of what Ron was saying he'd told him. Come to think of it, Harry didn't remember anything from the night before. It was almost as if someone had cast a memory erasing charm on him. He could hardly remember what he'd done after dinner or when all these books were brought into his dorm. "Well," Harry said, stretching his arms up and walking to the closet to get into his robes, "Now that I'm up, let's find Hermione, shall we? I'm sure she'll be finishing off a stack of books about twice the height as the one we've got here," Harry joked.

"I'm not opposed," Ron said.

The two boys put on their shoes and left the dorm room, without the knowledge that before the next time they'd return, one of them would go through an experience that was utterly life-changing.

Hermione Granger had found the Chamber of Secrets. She was sure of it. She'd read through at least 50 books last night, and thought, contrary to what rumours had suggested, that it was located in a room with a indetectability charm just before the Gryffindor commonroom. For an eleven year old girl, she was bloody brilliant. For some reason, she just had this burning need to visit. As soon as Ron sent her a message that he and Harry were awake, Hermione ran to the commonroom with a map drawn out carefully of the exact location of the chamber, and how to get there.

"You see Harry?" Ron said proudly. "I was right! This is exactly where I told you the Chamber of Secrets was this morning! Harry do you know what this means? I'm actually not as bloody stupid as Hermione makes me feel during potions!" Harry just nodded his head and chuckled silently to himself, remembering how he'd nodded off during Ron's last verbal victory lap without his friend even noticing.

"So," Hermione said loudly, obviously demanding attention from the two males in the room, who lay lazily on the sofa while she stood up straight and authoritatively, like a professor giving a lecture. "I know Ron, that you have to make Quidditch practice in about half an hour, so obviously you won't be accompanying us, but if we need you, I'll send you a pulse through my wand and you'll know that we are in danger."

Ron unwrapped a chocolate bar his twin brothers George and Fred has given to him the previous day as a half-birthday gift and took a big meaty bite. "Okay, sure, sounds good," he said, obviously far off in chocolate fantasies, and thinking nothing of the fact that his friends could be in grave danger less than an hour from now.

"Harry. Are you ready to do this?"

"I guess so, show me the way," he said, his voice cracking a bit.

Hermione noticed this and just giggled. She felt it'd be awkward to make a remark.