Chapter 37:

Harry, Ron and Neville ran up to the castle after returning Fang home and Ron had finished throwing up the contents of his stomach in the aftermath of his fear. Now they knew for sure though Hagrid might not understand some of his monster friends would hurt humans he wasn't the heir of Slytherin. And Myrtle was the one who had been killed.

As they stood in the entrance Hall Harry looked at his friends. "We need to tell McGonagall. I think I know where the entrance is now too. It's in Myrtle's bathroom. There are snakes on one of the sinks. I'm not sure how to get in from there though."

"But it's the entrance," Neville said. "So they can talk to Myrtle and ask her and get in and get rid of the monster."

"We'll talk to her in the morning then."

But in the morning McGonagall had announced exams were back on and none of them had a chance to talk to her before they were swept up in the studying. Then a week before the exams were scheduled to happen Harry with Ron and Neville who was studying at Hermione's bedside saw something in her hand.

"Do you see it?" he asked Neville and Ron who looked up from their books.

"Get it out," Ron urged him.

Harry managed to squirm the paper out of Hermione's hand to see it was a rolled up paper of an old library book. He read out loud the description of the basilisk then Neville pointed out Hermione's handwriting at the bottom.

"You were right Harry," Neville told him. "It's through the sink."

"The basilisk is traveling through pipes," Harry said. "It's a giant snake, a serpent. That's why I've been hearing the voice and nobody else has heard it. Because I understand Parseltongue."

"No one looked the Basilisk straight in the eye either," Ron realized. "So no one died. Hermione figured it out and planned ahead with the mirror. She saved her life along with that prefects."

"And Collin's camera saved him," Neville nodded. "Justin must have seen it through Nearly Headless Nick. No one saw it directly."

"We need to tell McGonagall," Ron said. "Now."

Together the three boys ran downstairs ran towards McGonagall's office. The head of house looked at them. "You shouldn't be walking around without an escort or an adult."

"We know where the chamber of secrets is," Harry told her. "And what's inside it."

McGonagall stared at him. This boy would never stop giving her heart attacks, first the sorcerer's stone, then this. "Tell me everything."

As the three boys talked over each other McGonagall's face grew paler and paler. She looked at them all. "Go straight back to the Common Room. I'm calling a staff meeting. It will all be taken care of. I will come and talk to you when I can. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know the Mandrakes are almost ready now too."

The boys exchanged glances and nodded. Running up the stairs. Together they waited in a huddle as they waited for news. Ginny came and sat next to Ron. "What are you three whispering about?"

"We know where the chamber is," Ron told her. "We've just told McGonagall. You can't tell anyone until she says it's okay. Do you hear me? Don't go anywhere either."

Ginny nodded paling then ran off. Ron's eyes followed her worried as Harry felt something strange and familiar buzzing in the air fading as Ginny left. He was quickly distracted by Neville talking about the Basilisk and how it could be defeated. Soon almost everyone was asleep except them or the older students. Ron was looking around again worried when the portrait hole swung open and Professor McGonagall came in.

"Professor," Percy said standing up.

"Take the prefects and wake everyone," she told him. "I have an announcement."

Soon everyone was gathered and looking at Professor McGonagall. Ron nudged Harry and whispered. "Have you seen Ginny? I thought I told her not to run off."

Harry searched for the long red hair but saw none. He was distracted by McGonagall starting to make her announcement.

"We've found the chamber," she said. A hushed silence fell over the room. McGonagall continued. "We know what is inside and Professor Lockhart has volunteered to go down to stop it."

There were gasps and cheers. Harry, Ron and Neville exchanged glances. This wasn't good. McGonagall continued talking and telling them about the mandrakes and how everything would be handled.

"We need to find Lockhart," Ron said. "Ginny's still not back. What if she's been petrified, or killed?"

"We'll find her," Harry promised. "I have the cloak in my pocket. We just need to slip it on and follow McGonagall when she leaves."

Ron and Neville nodded. Then when everyone got up for bed they threw the cloak over themselves and pushed through the crowd following at McGonagall's heels through the portrait hole. She started back toward the staff room and they followed her. Then she gasped and they turned to follow her gaze.

Ron almost fainted and Harry heard Neville muffle a squeal. In front of him were more words painted on the wall. Her Skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.

"Ginny," Ron moaned. "I told her… We need to find her! We need to tell Lockhart."

McGonagall was running off and Harry met Ron's eyes. Ron eyes widened and he nodded. Together they ran behind her. She was standing in front of the staff. "It has happened. A student was taken by the monster. Right into the chamber itself."

Flitwick squealed as Sprout put her hands over her mouth in surprise. Snape steeled himself and looked at Mcgonagall asking how she knew. McGonagall told him about the writing at the wall. Then she put her mouth in a straight line. "We'll start taking an attendance of the students. But if you plan to go Gilderoy I urge you to go now."

Lockhart was white as he looked at her. He smiled. "Yes, yes. Of course. The girl's bathroom. I just need to get some stuff from my office."

Ron nodded his head in the direction of Lockhart and they followed to his office. Following him through the door they pulled off the cloak. Lockhart shouted surprised. "Oh! Harry!"

"Professor Lockhart we know who's in the chamber," Harry said. "It's Ginny Weasley."

"Yes," Lockhart nodded. "If you all leave now I'll go and get her."

Neville looked behind him. "Why is your trunk open?"

"Oh… it's…"

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"Urgent call," Lockhart said. "I need to go immediately."

"What about my sister?" Ron yelled.

"Well, as to that – most unfortunate. No one regrets more than I-"

"You're the Defense teacher! You can't go now! Not when you have to help us get past the Basilisk!"

"Well- I must say – When I took the job- nothing in the job description open basilisks-"

"So you're running away," Neville deduced. "After everything you said in your books."

"Books can be misleading."

"You wrote them," Harry yelled.

Lockhart explained they were fakes and the memory charm he used. The three boys exchanged glances as he pulled out a wand and said he'd perform a memory charm on them. Harry pulled out his own wand and disarmed Lockhart. Ron caught the wand and they told Lockhart they were taking him into the chamber. They marched him down to Myrtle's bathroom at wand point. As they entered Myrtle looked up.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want this time?"

"We know how you died," Harry told her.

"You do?"

"You saw some eyes," Ron guessed. "Near a sink."

"You do know!" Myrtle pointed at a sink. "It was there. I was crying because Olive Hornby made fun of my glasses and I heard a boy and when I looked up there was this big pair of bright yellow eyes."

Harry walked over to the sink and looked at the sink. He traced the snake with his finger.

"Harry. Say something. Something in Parseltongue. Only the heir of slytherin could do that."

"Or so they thought," Neville agreed.

"Open up."

Ron shook his head. Neville looked at Harry. "That was English."

Harry stared at the snake and repeated his request this time it came out as a strange hist. The sink glowed and the tap spun as the sink slid backwards opening up to expose a large pipe.

"I'm going down there."

"Me too," Ron said.

Neville looked at them both. "You're not leaving me behind this time. Even in a body bind."

Lockhart said they didn't need him but then he saw the wands pointed at him. Ron was scowling at him. "You can go first."

"Boys, boys, what good will it do?"

Harry pushed his wand against Lockhart's back and Lockhart slid down the pipe. Harry followed and soon came Ron and then Neville. They all landed in a large tunnel, bigger than the one behind the mirror in the fourth floor they used to practice dueling.

"We must be miles under the school," said Harry.

"Under the lake probably," Ron agreed.

Harry stared into the darkness and lit his wand. Lockhart, Ron and Neville followed watching the tunnel. Harry looked back at Neville and Ron. "Remember, any sign of movement, close your eyes… right away…"

Lockhart squeaked but Neville and Ron just paled nodding in the ghoulish light. Then as they walked around a bend Ron grabbed Harry's shoulder. His voice croaked as he pointed out there was something there. Together they found a huge snake skin.

"Ginny," Ron said nervously. "Facing something like this… Do you thinks she's…"

Ron was shut off when a shout echoed through the chamber. The shout of a little girl. "No! I… Oh merlin… I…"

Then her voice quieted and the echoing stopped for a second before it turned into nervous giggles, and then weird broken laughter that hide Ron looking at Harry panicked. "That doesn't sound like Ginny. At least not like she normally does."

"Something's wrong with her," Neville agreed.

"We'll find her soon," Harry told them. "At least now we know she's alive."

Then Lockhart dived at Ron pulling Ron's wand out of his hands before the boys realized what happened. "I suppose your sister will have to rescue herself, you see your adventure ends here, boys! I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you three lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body – say goodbye to your memories!"

He held Ron's wand up and tried to obliviate them but was sent flying back as the tunnel crumbled. Harry dove out of the way and the collapsed rock became a wall behind him.

"Ron! Neville! Are you alright?"

"We're fine Harry," Neville asked. "Are you?"

"We're okay," Ron agreed. "This git's not, though. He got blasted by the wand. What now? I can't get through, it'll take ages."

Harry looked around. He told Ron and Neville to wait with Lockhart for an hour before going back to the school. Ron said they'd try and tunnel through a little meanwhile. Harry continued forward to the end of the tunnel where he found a solid wall with two snakes decorated with Emeralds. Harry hissed open in parseltongue and walked into the chamber.

He was at the entrance of the chamber and past him were stone pillars covered with serpents. He pulled out his wand and moved forward when he reached the last pillars and a statue of a face. Sitting at it's base was Ginny who was pale, shivering and mumbling to herself. "Please, don't do it… I don't want to do it…"

"Ginny," Harry said.

She looked up at him and let out a hollow laugh before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell. Harry caught her before her head hit the ground and tried to shake her awake. "Don't be dead- please don't be dead-"

He flung his wand to the ground as he tried to shake her awake not realizing it had landed next to the diary Ginny had been holding minutes ago. He begged her to wake up while someone formed out of the mist behind him and picked up his wand toying with it.

"She won't wake."

Harry was staring at someone now, someone who shouldn't have been there. He was blurry which might have been Harry's vision yet Harry was sure it wasn't. He looked at the boy in Hogwarts robes. "Tom- Tom Riddle?"