Chapter One: The Secret of Severus Snape
"Filius. Pomona. Severus." The magnified voice of Professor McGonagall was heard throughout all of Hogwarts. "Please come to the headmaster's office." Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape, in their classrooms, stood up, told them that they would come back soon, and left.
These teachers had no idea that it would be a long time before they came back to their classrooms and the classes.
Professor Sprout, however, was unable to come for the time. She was busy reviving the Petrified students in the hospital wing. "First," she muttered to herself, "Before I go to Dumbledore's office, I'm healing one of the victims. I'll start with… how about I start with Miss Granger? She's always been one of my favorite students." She took a vial out of her dirt-encrusted brown robes, that, in contrast to the robes, was glowing bright green.
She fed Hermione the potion and waited.
Hermione's mouth began to form words, but they couldn't be heard. A faint green glow spread from her mouth to her eyes, which began darting around. Eventually, it covered her entire head. She tried to sit up, but she could only move her head.
She looked around, gasped, and exclaimed, "Professor! Professor Sprout! The monster of Slytherin is a basilisk, and I know where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is! It's in the-"
"A basilisk?!" cried Sprout.
"Yes, of course!" she said as she began moving her arms. "I've done my research and I know that it must be! It's moving through the walls, through the plumbing, and the roosters are being killed, and the spiders are fleeing, and the-"
"Wait," Sprout said. "You mean those kill with one glance snakes! Oh, of course it's a snake… it's Salazar Slytherin's monster. Anyway, come on! We've got to get to Minerva's office!"
Hermione was confused. "McGonagall?"
"Lucius Malfoy threatened people and the whole school board to sacked Dumbledore- at least temporarily. We must alert the new headmistress and then you must tell her where the entrance is!"
Sprout swung open the hospital door, making a loud slam. Madam Pompfrey ran in from her office, livid with rage. "Pomona! Miss Granger! Just what do you think you're doing here, making all this noise?! My patients need rest!" She snorted. "Jump out of the sickbed and start a ruckus and waking up everyone else here! What are you two doing?!"
"We're going to the Chamber of Secrets," said Hermione.
"Chamber of WHAT?!" exclaimed Madam Pompfrey. "Now wait a minute! How would you know how to get in there?!" She drew her wand and pointed it at Hermione, who was now standing. As she healed completely, the glow was fading from her.
"Now, Poppy," began Sprout, clearly quite worried.
"No!" screamed the agitated Pompfrey. "One of you is the Heir of Slytherin, I know it! And the other is still allied with the Heir!"
"Poppy, you're not thinking clearly," said Sprout, while at the same time reaching for her wand. She was trying to make the motion discreet and unnoticeable, but it was easily caught by the keen eyes of Poppy Pomfrey, which narrowed instantly. "We just-"
"Expelliarmus!" shrieked Madam Pompfrey. Sprout took out her wand, but before she could cast a spell, Pompfrey's spell disarmed her.
"Stupefy!" she shrieked again. Sprout dodged. Pompfrey fired more hexes, but Sprout held up a cauldron lying by one of the beds and blocked them.
As Pompfrey tried to Stun Sprout, Hermione picked up Sprout's wand and pointed it at Pompfrey. "Petrificus Totalus!" she cried. Pompfrey froze and collapsed to the ground, Petrified.
Hermione handed the wand to Sprout. "Accio Wand," she said, and Hermione's wand flew from Pompfrey's office.
Sprout handed Hermione her wand. "Thank you very much, Miss Granger. Obliviate." She pointed her wand at Madam Pompfrey, whose face became dazed and strangely blank as her memories were modified. "In fact, I think you can be one of the people who adventure into the Chamber of Secrets to deal with the Heir and his serpent."
"Me?" gasped Hermione. "But I don't have advanced enough magic- I haven't learned any spells that can kill a basilisk-"
"You can help fight the Heir of Slytherin," pointed out Sprout. "You know sufficient magic to duel another wizard."
Hermione considered this option. "Fine," she said. "But I want Ron and Harry to come with me too."
"Ahhh…" said Sprout. "Well… I'm afraid… oh, Hermione, they've been… been… they've been eaten by giant spiders!"
"EATEN?!" shrieked Hermione.
"By giant spiders," confirmed Sprout.
She burst into tears and collapsed on the ground, sobbing and whimpering.
"On second thought," said Sprout, wiping her eyes too, "maybe you shouldn't-"
"N- no." Hermione stood up shakily. In her eyes, Sprout noted, there was still grief, but there was also fury and determination. Sprout had never seen Hermione like this, and if she hadn't known Hermione was on her side, she would have ran from her screaming. "I'm- I'm c- coming d- d- down th- there. I- I want to- to- to help."
"Okay…" said Sprout uncertaintly. "I guess… if you feel you're up to it… well, then…" She stopped talking, and they ran to McGonagall's office.
"Pomona, what took you so long?" asked McGonagall. "And why is Miss Granger here?"
"P- professor," said Hermione, still shaking in shock, misery, and terror, but also still furious, determined to help, to stop the basilisk and Heir however she could. "it's- it's a basilisk in- in the Ch- chamber of Secrets! And- and I know where the en- the entrance is."
"I and Hermione will go," said Professor Sprout. "We need one of you too, though. Minerva?"
"No," said McGonagall. "I'm going to notify Headmaster Dumbledore. Immediately. We must be fast if we want to save Weasley."
"Ron isn't dead?!" gasped Hermione. "He's in the Chamber? And… wait… the spiders are in the Chamber? No! Their mortal enemy is the basilisk! That can't be, Professor! There can't be spiders in that Chamber!"
"No," said Sprout. "You misunderstood her, Hermione. Ronald's-" She paused at the more formal name. "Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley, is currently captured by the Heir of Slytherin. She's in the Chamber of Secrets right now."
"Ginny?!" shrieked Hermione. "No! Come on! Professor Snape- you come- do you know Parseltongue? I mean, you are the Head of Slytherin…" she said hopefully.
"Not very well," Snape admitted. "I was not born with it, and though I have studied snakes I find it very difficult to imitate their speech. It's possible to learn it, of course-"
"Yes," said Hermione. "Emeric the Evil did it. He used it to kill 43 people in a massacre sometime between August 10, 1443 to October 15, 1444. The exact date is unknown, though- since this was during the Middle Ages. Many people have the misconception that he was born with it based upon his own lies and upon-" She froze as she noticed Snape was glaring at her.
"Now that you're done wasting all of our time, I will continue. I am unable to imitate most snake phrases in this… form. But there is something secret that will certainly help in this situation. Something none know of but Dumbledore and I. Dumbledore trained me in case we ever needed Parseltongue for anything." And Severus Snape swung his cloak in front of him, and the cloak collapsed to the ground, with no Severus inside.
There was a rustling noise, and then a giant, black, scaly serpent with cold red eyes slithered out from the black heap of fabric.
Hermione gasped. Flitwick shrieked in surprise and toppled off of the stack of books that he was standing atop of. Sprout stuttered something, surprised enough that she sounded like the old Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirrell.
"Severus!" exclaimed McGonagall. "How did you learn? It takes years of training to become an Animagus! When did you- it's illegal- unregistered- with no time- teaching-"
Ignoring her, Severus transformed again and slithered out the door, leaving Hermione and Sprout to follow him.
"Where is it, Hermione?" asked Sprout.
"First floor girls' bathroom," said Hermione, leading the way. "The one that has a toilet that's haunted."
"By whom?" asked Sprout.
"By a victim of the basilisk from fifty years ago," responded Hermione, "when the Chamber was first opened. Moaning Myrtle."
As if on cue, a voice moaned, "You don't have to call me Moaning Myrtle." The ghost of the toilet, Moaning Myrtle, was floating outside the bathroom door. "My name's Myrtle. I'm Myrtle Elizabeth Warren. A pretty name, don't you think? No reason to call me Moaning Myrtle. Anyway, why are you coming in here?" she asked Professor Snape. "You're not a girl. And you're a teacher!" Sprout opened the door, ignoring Myrtle's loud, sad, angry, and obnoxious rambling.
The snake looked at Hermione. She thought that the expression might have been one of a question. "If you're wondering, I'm sorry, I don't know where it is," said Hermione.
The snake's eyes rolled up into the top of its head.
"I know it requires you to speak Parseltongue, and it's in here somewhere. I just don't know where." The snake made what Hermione thought was a sneer, though she couldn't be sure.
"I know where it is," Myrtle said. "The passageway you're looking for. The one that goes underneath the lake."
"Where?" Sprout asked quickly.
"Well, I never said I'd tell you, did I?" Myrtle looked at her smugly, as if she had won an important debate against her.
"How dare-" Sprout began, but Hermione cut her off.
"Seems like you're taking after Peeves," Hermione said. "Answered just like he would."
"I'm nothing like that- that- that poltergeist!" Myrtle retorted indignantly.
"Ever since this thing died," Hermione lied to Sprout, "she's been getting worse and worse, according to Filch. Filch said he's going to try- and I support this- to get her removed as well as Peeves. Definitely a-"
"That sink!" shrieked Myrtle, terrified. "The one with the snake-shaped faucets! Mention to Filch how helpful I'm being!" Then she dived back into her toilet with an enormous splash.
"Open," Severus Snape (or, as Sprout and Hermione were both thinking of him as at the time, Severus Snake) hissed. They couldn't understand what he was saying, but they deduced it after the sinks opened apart to reveal a long tube.
Severus transformed back into his human form. "Well?" he said to them impatiently. "What are you waiting for?" He jumped in. Hermione and Sprout jumped after him.
