Harry was leading the two Slytherins back through the castle, glad that everyone but the first and second years was out at Hogsmeade so that they did not see the unlikely trio together.
"So let me make sure that I have all of this straight? You want me to tell you what really happened at the end of my first year and second year and then we can talk more about your really cool thing? I thought the rumour mill had covered that more than well enough. Something about me arm wrestling Slytherins monster last I heard."
He avoided using the word Ice in case there was anyone listening in, but judging by how Tracey giggled whilst Daphne gave a small smile as he spoke he could have come up with a better phrase to cover it. Daphne took only a moment to take in what he had said before she quietly raised a question.
"We all know that the only thing the rumour mill never gets right is the truth. What I don't understand is where you are taking us anyway Potter? I really do not need Malfoy getting word that we have been seen hanging out with you." Harry shook his head in amusement but made sure not to be spotted smiling at her comment, Malfoy was obviously not too well liked even in his own house.
"Don't worry, we are almost there. I just think that this story is one best shown rather than me trying to tell it." Reaching his destination Harry opened the door and bowed in an over exaggerated manner.
"Welcome ladies, to the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets." Looking up he saw the two girls looking at him with skepticism on their faces, though Tracey was the one who spoke up.
"Potter, this is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. What game are you playing with us?" Deciding to grandstand a little longer, something he had to admit he was enjoying probably slightly more than he should, Harry wagged his finger in the girls direction.
"Is that anyway to talk about Myrtle girls? I will tell you now she was key in solving the case of the Chamber of Secrets."
"Really Harry? After you not visiting this year I was just beginning to believe that you didn't care about me at all!" Myrtle's voice made Harry wince slightly at what he had said, that was karma for his cockiness right there. He saw Daphne smirk slightly making it clear that she had caught his wince, but he supposed that what he said had been true, so he turned and smiled at the translucent figure.
"Yes, without you telling us what had happened the first time the chamber opened I would never have found the entrance in time to save Ginny." Myrtle looked happier than he had ever seen her and she flew through him doing the ghost impression of a hug. Managing to ignore the cold feeling passing through him Harry turned back to the matter at hand.
"Myrtle, I am about to show these two the chamber of secrets. I know you can probably get in there whenever you like but would you like to come with us?" Myrtle turned back to him with an expression that made Harry worry that he was about to get another hug, before she seemed to reign herself in and nodded slowly.
"I-I can't get through the wards without you opening it all up I think Harry, obviously Slytherin didn't trust the ghosts of Hogwarts to keep its location secret when he built the chamber. Are you sure... I mean I would love to come with you, but I know what your friends say about me..." Thinking back to what first Hermione and then Ron had said both to and around the young ghost Harry could understand why she was a little unsure as to whether he really wanted her to come with them.
Harry shook his head and stepped up to Myrtle, deciding to do something he had never thought he would try and went to hug the ghost. He passed into her of course but he ignored the cold and maintained his place as he spoke quietly.
"Don't ever think of yourself as other people say you are Myrtle, the only opinions that matter are those of your friends. If I listened to everyone when i was younger, I would never have made it where I am." Harry was referring to his childhood, with his relatives trying to force him to think of himself as nothing but a freak who was completely useless.
But with Daphne and Tracey nearby who he didn't completely trust with such personal information he kept it vague enough that they would probably think that they meant last year with the Heir of Slytherin business. Myrtle didn't respond for a second and Harry was about to pull back and look at her when Tracey suddenly burst out laughing. Turning to look he saw the auburn haired girl almost hunched over as the laughter continued to grow in volume.
Obviously his confusion at what was so funny was clear on his face as Daphne, who had merely giggled for a moment before resting her features into a small but warm smile, decided to let him in on the joke as she closed the door to the bathroom and brought out her wand to cast what he assumed would be a silencing charm.
"You obviously have more super powers than we were made aware of Harry Potter, you're the first person I have ever heard that can make a ghost faint dead away..." Stepping forwards and then twirling round, Harry saw what she meant. Myrtle was floating as always, but her cheeks were a dark blue and her eyes rolled back into her head. Harry's blush matched the ghosts in short order as Tracey managed to control her laughter for just long enough to add a comment to Daphnes own view.
"D-Daph, can you imagine, Potter doing that to the Baron! He..." That was as far as she got before her laughing fit continued, Daphne being unable to prevent a full laugh of her own resonating round the room, obviously the mental image amused her as much as it terrified Harry to his very core.
It took a couple of minutes for Myrtle to recover to a cognisant state, which was more than enough time for Harry get back into the required mind to use the snake carving on the sink to open the Chamber entrance. Looking down the dark slide-like tunnel into the ground, he could almost feel the skepticism of the two Slytherin girls rising once more.
"Sorry girls, last time I didn't have time to see if there was a more... lady friendly route down to the chamber. Any ideas?"
After trying several of the suggestions such as 'give me stairs' and 'take us to the chamber', getting nothing in response. It was a still blushing Myrtle that suggested they shouldn't try such complicated phrases, considering that Slytherin would have been the only parselmouth at that point he would probably have kept it simple. She also went into a spiel about Arithmancy equations and the complexity of activation words that Harry honestly lost track of in the first two sentences, but he followed her suggestion and tried one word phrases.
It was as he said "down" that the small section of flooring he was on began to shift down into the tunnel, Daphne and Tracey jumping to join him on the platform before it got too far away from them. It was not the most comfortable journey, the platform had obviously been designed for a full grown wizard to stand on comfortably, which meant the three of them were forced to grab each others sleeves and pull themselves together to fit down the pipe.
Luckily Harry had been facing the sink entrance when the platform had begun moving, meaning he was facing out of the group rather than inwards which would probably have made things much more awkward. Myrtle floated through him part way down before looking round in wonder at the pipe tunnel. "I have never seen a pipe this big before here, I thought I had travelled all of the ones in the castle. I wonder what the chamber looks like?"
There was an inquisitive tint to Myrtles voice that reminded Harry that underneath it all Myrtle had originally been in Ravenclaw. Before he could answer her unintended question, the platform reached the base of the tunnel and brought them out into the entrance chamber. Deciding to try something that had occurred to him when Myrtle spoke of keeping the phrases simple Harry stepped out and clapped his hands.
"Lights!" To his immense relief there was a draw upon his magic and the torches built into the sides of the chamber burst into green flames, illuminating the corridor up until the basilisk skin and the caved in section. Myrtle floated up to one of them and poked at it for a moment before nodding.
"Magefire torches, probably some kind of replication and preservation charms on the oil that is being burned that allow them to be usable after all this time."
"Forget the torches Myrtle, come and have a look at this skin. You too Tracey, what are you still doing over there?" Tracey seemed to be too busy trying to avoid the small animal skeletons to deign that with an answer, Daphne striding purposefully forwards to reach the aforementioned skin to run a hand over it softly. Harry walked up slowly, stepping agiley between skeleton pieces to reach her.
"Looking at this really doesn't compare to the real thing." Obviously he had been quieter than he thought as she jumped at the sound of his voice, a layer of frost covering the basilisk skin as she whirled around.
"Potter! Don't do that!" Harry couldn't help but smile somewhat cheekily at the Hermione-esque tone that slipped into Daphnes normal steady speech, but he quickly realised that wasn't helping when Daphnes glare deepened and her hands rose rather menacingly.
Ducking into the tunnel that Ron had made through the cave in even as a snowball sized piece of ice impacted into the area he was stood in moments before, Harry decided it would be best to move thing along before he aggravated the girl any further.
"This way everyone, the main chamber is through this mess that Lockhart caused." That prompted an explanation of what he had meant by that, so as they walked up the corridor to the massive doors leading to the chamber he explained the story behind his first trip into the depths of Hogwarts.
"That's what happened to Lockhart? How has Weasley managed to not boast about getting rid of the useless braggart all of this time?" Harry shrugged, considering what had happened with Ron's wand and his lack of actual involvement with dealing the basilisk, the Weasley probably preferred the other rumours that were going around about the whole incident that had him valiantly assisting in the fight with Slytherins monster.
Reaching the main chamber doors, Harry was a little confused as the doors had closed themselves since he had left last time. Deciding it was probably nothing to worry about, Harry shifted to the side to let the others through the rockfall passage.
"Welcome everyone, we have made it to the chamber of secrets. Open Prepare to be entranced by the majesty of the most truly hidden place in Hogwarts." The doors opened at his command as he slowly turned from the others to the chamber, speaking with a humoured tone as he for once relished the attention he was getting for something that wasn't for the Boy-Who-Lived bull that he was used to.
He finished his turn as the doors opened up enough for him to see inside the still lit chamber, his tone changing to shock, disbelief and finally terror as he took in the scene before him.
"And now you should all... run!" The basilisk, who he had slain by stabbing it through the mouth the year before with the sword of Gryffindor ... was gone.
A/N: HAHAHAHA So much fun! Whilst I am sure most of you saw that cliffhanger coming, I felt if I was actually going to turn the plot bunny into a proper story I needed some drama. Also, I never understood why Harry never used the Chamber of Secrets after his second year. It would have allowed him to get away from the pressure of the tournament, then Umbridge and her cronies etc etc.
I know Harry acts differently in this chapter to how he acts in the book but I have always seen him as the fighter for the underdog and someone who understands being bullied and ostracised, which is what has happened to Myrtle before she died.
Myrtles character also may raise a couple of questions, but I like to think that how you treat a person affects how they act around you. So a show of kindness and respect can go a long way to making someone a lot more hospitable.
Let me know what you think by reviewing and favouring the story. The good, the bad and the downright ugly are all welcome.
Defias out!
