Chapter 10: Moaning Myrtle and Bewildering Basilisks
A/N: I'm am so so sorry this update has taken forever! I've just been so busy but I shall now be able to find some time to write...hopefully.
Enjoy the chapter!
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The attack on Colin Creevey caused several dramatic changes to occur around the school. Mainly, the Gryffindor to Slytherin behaviour worsened and the students were accompanied everywhere by the strange Boemen. The teachers also eyed all the students with suspicion and Albus Dumbledore had a rather unnoticeably brighter twinkle to his eyes.
Harry and his friends increased their efforts of searching for the chamber. It was a few days before Harry remembered that he hadn't managed to see Myrtle; as after intercepting the professors and Creevey he hurried back to his common room.
When Harry asked his friends if they had seen a ghost called Myrtle anywhere around the castle, he received two grimaces from Hermione and Luna.
"There's a ghost who haunts a girl's bathroom on the second floor. No one really goes in their because, well ... Myrtle always complains at people." Hermione told them.
"I think she's quite nice, a little lonely though." Luna added.
It was decided that Hermione and Luna, being the only girls, would go to Myrtle's bathroom and try to ask her about her death, if she didn't consider that too rude.
Harry, Draco and Neville were waiting anxiously, pacing up and down Harry's room, for the girls to return. They didn't come back until it was almost curfew, ensuring that Luna, Draco and Neville would need to use the cloak to return to their dormitories.
But Luna and Hermione brought some very interesting news. 'Moaning' Myrtle had been all too willing to share the sordid secrets of her death with interested parties.
"She was murdered in that bathroom - the one on the second floor." Hermione informed the boys. "She remembers seeing a 'pair of great big yellow eyes'" she continued.
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This started constant trips to the library in ever second of free time available to look for a monster capable of killing with only its' eyes. They had so far only found a few candidates such as the gorgon - elusive creatures that the monster Medusa descended from.
Hermione had also found reference to something called a 'Basilisk' and something about 'it's prey perishing with only a single glance from the fearsome beast.''. It certainly gave a new seriousness to 'if looks could kill...'.
Currently the researching was divided up with Hermione and Draco searching for more information on Basilisks or Gorgons with Harry, Neville and Luna looking for other creatures.
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It was too his surprise that one rainy March day, Draco discovered what creature dwelled in the chamber of secrets.
"It says here a Basilisk is 'the king of serpents' and also that 'The Basilisk is used as the emblem for the ancient house of Slytherin.'" He read aloud from the book.
"That must mean that in Slytherin's secret chamber resides a Basilisk." Hermione deduced.
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Now that they had the possible location of the chamber and also had a strong suspicion of the creature that dwelled there; naturally the next step was to explore.
Unfortunately this was easier said than done for the five, as they found their time consumed with homework, revision or quidditch practice. They had agreed to explore the chamber, only when they were all together.
This opportunity came during the first week of the Easter holidays. It found Draco, Neville, Luna, Hermione and Harry all trooping down to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The bathroom itself was gloomy and depressing...similar to the ghost who resided in it, Harry mused.
Neither ghost, nor bathroom inspired people to visit, as the paint flaking off doors only barely still on their hinges and a ghost that would regularly throw temper tantrums did not usually warrant guests.
It was too Myrtle's surprise that she was revisited by the two girls and some of their friends. Although they were boys. "This is a girl's toilet. What are you doing in here?" she asked snottily.
"Hello Myrtle. We came because we wanted to ... investigate your death?" Harry finished uncertainly - not wanting to annoy the ghost and have a certain headmaster alerted to his presence.
Thankfully, Myrtle responded with glee only too happy to point out the place where her 'demise had ever so tragically occurred'.
She pointed to one of the faded and grubby sinks as she informed them that she saw two big yellow eyes - almost confirming their view that the monster was a basilisk. Harry looked over the sink a few times and apart from the tap not working it seemed just as ordinary as any of the other sinks in the bathroom.
Harry turned his back on the sink and let out a hiss of frustration. To everyone's surprise this caused the grate bellow the sink to slide away allowing the sink to descend into the floor. This revealed a large concrete tunnel which Harry approached cautiously. He looked down the tunnel and as far as he could see, it appeared endless.
"We are going to need a way back up." he thought out loud.
After Hermione transfigured a few strips of cloth, from their robes, into a long thick rope ladder they threw one end of it down and waited until they heard a clunk, indicating it had reached the bottom of the shaft. It was clearly only a temporary measure but it would do for now.
"Well. Here it is." Draco proclaimed, unnecessarily.
"If you don't want to go down, now would be the time to stop. We're pretty sure that it's a basilisk down there and I wouldn't blame anyone for stopping now." Harry proclaimed, only to have the other four pass looks of sheer amazement.
"I don't think he quite gets it. Do you?" Hermione asked Neville.
"Nope, he just doesn't." He replied.
Luna took pity on Harry and explained "We're your friends, Harry. We're part of the adventures too.".
Grinning at his friends, Harry started to climb down the rope ladder into the darkness.
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It took a while but Harry eventually reached the bottom of the tunnel. It ended in a large room, it's floor littered with what appeared to be bones.
He waited at the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets for his friends to finish climbing down the hastily transfigured ladder.
When they had all reached the bottom of the chute they looked around the dimly lit room to see the room lead off to another tunnel. They walked through the long pipe to a different, even larger chamber.
There was nothing of note in it so they carried on walking through it. Eventually the chamber led to an intricately carved stone door. There were many snakes carved upon the door, showing it to be the enterance of Slytherin's Secret Chamber.
Harry opened the door again with another hiss, having rightly guessed that the way to open the chamber was to speak parseltounge. The large, imposing door swung open to show another even larger chamber - the main chamber it seemed.
The room was lined with statues of snakes and they led to the largest statue that any of them had ever seen. It was a man's face carved into the wall - Salazar Slytherin himself.
It was from behind the wall that Harry and Hermione both heard the hissing of the Basilisk.
"Who so dares to disturb the mighty Basilisk?". In the large chamber the hiss echoed, making it sound even more menacing to the students.
"I, Lord Slytherin." Harry informed the Basilisk.
"Welcome, My Lord. What do you require?" the Basilisk hissed out in a suddenly polite and patient tone, still behind the statue.
"There have been attacks on students in the castle. Were you...Do you know who was behind them?" asked Harry, revising his question quickly when he remembered that he was talking to a large and incredibly dangerous snake.
"It was not I. I have been slumbering for many years now." The snake replied.
Harry thanked the snake and then, after promising to return to him soon, the five left the chamber and began the walk back through the tunnels to the bathroom.
The question on everyone's mind: If the Basilisk, and so Slytherin's Monster, was not responsible for the attacks...who was?
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A/N: Eik! Again so sorry for the time it took me to write this chapter! Not got too much planned for tomorrow, so I shall try to write then! Hope you enjoyed reading and please review!
Kate