The third floor corridor slowly began to fill with students and faculty alike, their attention focused on the message, crudely written in blood along the wall. Stepping to the front of the crowd, Albus Dumbledore ran a hand along one of the streams of blood, his worst fears becoming very real. He suddenly felt very old, too old for this. Behind him the pupils were already in a fit of hysteria, many of them exchanging words of fear or terrified cries between one another.
The young boy, Harry Potter turned to Ron Weasley who did not look well at all. In fact he looked like death; he wasn't taking Hermione's petrifaction well at all. But could Harry blame him? She was the only one who could have worked any of this out. "Ron. Ron!" Grabbing his arm and shaking it, Harry forced Ron to look at him. "Are you okay?"
Taking in a deep breath, Ron attempted to compose himself. "Fine." His smile was weak and probably false but it was the most Harry could hope to get out of him. "Can you read what it says?"
Shaking his head, Harry pushed himself onto his toes, leaning up as far as he could over the people around him. "No."
On the other side of the crowd, Harry could distinctly hear the voices of Severus Snape and Gilderoy Lockhart. "Ever dealt with something like this on one of your great 'adventures,' Lockhart?" Snape asked sounding positively bored.
Apparently not having heard the sarcastic tone in his voice, Lockhart replied. "Erm… not exactly, well not in my published works at that rate. I might have run across something similar in one of my top-secret ministry assignme-"
"That was rhetorical professor."
In the meantime, by the message on the wall, McGonagall and Dumbledore exchanged a concerned glance between each other, speaking in hushed tones. "The pupils must be sent home immediately headmaster. If what the message says is true then none of us are safe."
"I couldn't agree more professor." Albus turned towards the crowd, his voice rising. "Severus, Gilderoy." With his right hand extended, he motioned the two of them over. "Hogwarts must be evacuated. Severus take all of the pupils and tell them to meet in the Great Hall in one hour. Gather all of their belongings and get them on the train."
"Of course headmaster." Bowing quickly, Snape turned on the heel of his foot and made his way through the crowd of pupils, his voice rising as he instructed them all to move, carrying out Dumbledore's orders.
Albus looked over at Lockhart, giving the worried looking professor a reassuring smile. "I understand you've had experience with situations like these before."
"Well… yes."
"Then you seem like the best man for the job of entering the Chamber of Secrets and stopping the monster." McGonagall gave Dumbledore a knowing smile and chuckled lightly.
"Of course, an excellent idea, But I really think I should…"
"It's settled then. Good look professor Lockhart." Already beginning to walk down the corridor, a jittery Gilderoy Lockhart jumped in front of Dumbledore, holding his hands up.
"Wait! I think that… it might be better if I stay and guard the pupils in the Great Hall. Far away from the Chamber… in the Great Hall."
Dumbledore, seeming very amused, nodded his head and smiled softly. "An interesting proposition, Lockhart, Very well, McGonagall and I will deal with the monster ourselves. Go help Severus in the Great Hall." Giving Gilderoy a pat on the shoulder, Dumbledore looked back towards the writing on the wall.
"It almost looked like he was going to have a heart-attack there Albus." McGonagall noted with a sly smirk on her lips.
"Almost."
The crowds around the corridor had nearly dispersed by this point, mostly thanks to Snape but a little credit was due Lockhart's way for moving a group of girls who seemed terrified for his welfare. By keeping to the edges of the corridor, Harry and Ron had managed to avoid detection up to this point, just wanting to get a good look at the message. As Snape pushed one of the larger groups aside and hurried them into the grand staircase, Harry and Ron finally got a good look at the writing.
The power of the chamber has been unleashed,
Tomorrow you will all be dead.
"Harry… what do we do?"
"I don't know." Feeling just about as helpless as the rest of the school, the two friends followed the crowds as they departed the corridor and stepped out onto the grand staircase.
Breaking through the deadly silence a high pitched scream boomed around the staircase coming straight from above them, followed by a torrent of other screams. All eyes turned upwards to find the source of the scream. As they looked a body fell from the highest stairway and landed in a heap down below on one of the other stairways. Peering over the banister, Harry and Ron stared down at the body, watching as Snape arrived on the scene within moments. "She's dead."