Harry stared at the tiny little snake engraved on the tap. He visualised it moving, hissing, basically coming alive.
"Open!" he commanded for the fifth time. He turned to Danny and Danielle, back in their human forms watching him with bored expressions.
"Nope, English again," Danny informed him. Harry growled in frustration.
"You sure you can speak snake language," Danielle commented. Harry scowled at her.
"I've done it before. I just need to focus more. I've only ever spoken it when I've seen a snake or been spoken to in it before. I need to trick myself into speaking to a snake. It took a few tries the first time," Harry explained and went back to focusing on the silver snake.
Danny sighed softly and glanced at Danielle.
"What do you say we try it Phantom style?" Danny whispered to her. Danielle grinned and nodded. She turned herself intangible and sank through the floor before coming back up beside Harry.
"Is there meant to be a long tube going down below us?" she asked him. Startled, he jumped back from her.
"Ah! Geez, don't do that!... ye-yeah. That's what I'm trying to open. How did you know about it?" Harry answered. Danny stepped over to them and with a flash of light changed into his alter ego, shoving the chest into a more comfortable position under his arm.
"Harry, stop thinking like a wizard and start thinking like a halfa. We don't need to open a door to get into a room if you catch my drift," Danny explained.
Danielle smiled and changed into her own ghost form. Harry frowned.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. Danielle rolled her eyes.
"Harry, remember how I pulled Hermione away from that falling tree? Remember what I told you I could do? I can turn myself and others intangible. Me and Danielle can literally sink through the floor and access that tube," Danny explained. Harry's eyes widened in realisation.
"Oh, then why didn't we try it that way first?" Harry inquired. Danny shrugged and grabbed Harry's arm.
"Honestly, I was kind of hoping to hear some snake language," Danny admitted as Danielle grabbed Harry's other arm. Before Harry could scowl at either of them, he felt a strange coldness and lightness and the floor seemed like quick-sand as he slipped through the stone floor.
Then Danny released Harry and flew ahead with the chest and to check that the tunnel was clear, while Danielle flew down after him, holding Harry so he didn't free fall the rest of the way. Within seconds they reached the bottom and Danielle released Harry's arm. They scanned the cavern before Harry pulled out his wand and whispered, "lumos" and the tip erupted with light. Danny glanced at Harry.
"Good idea," he remarked and he and Danielle charged their hands with eerie green light. They began to walk through the rocky cave and came across the cave-in Lockhart had caused when Harry last came to the chamber. Harry crawled through the small gap he'd fit through when he was twelve while the two halfas simply turned intangible and walked through the wall of rock.
"So, how did Danielle get her powers?" Harry ventured, his voice echoing through the cave. Danielle glanced at him.
"I… guess I can tell you the truth, I was cloned from Danny by Vlad Plamsius," Danielle answered softly. Danny glanced at her. Harry blinked in shock.
"Wait, she's… you're a clone?" Harry exclaimed. Danielle nodded.
"An imperfection," Danielle muttered bitterly.
"Dani, you know that no one thinks that," Danny interjected. Danielle scowled at him.
"Vlad does," Danielle reminded him. Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I wouldn't listen to king cheese head. He's not exactly mentally stable," Danny pointed out. Danielle averted her eyes sadly. Danny watched her, sadness apparent in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" Harry inquired, bewildered by the reaction. Danny shook his head.
"No, it's just a difficult topic for Dani. Being a clone I mean. By law, she technically doesn't exist," Danny explained. Harry nodded slowly, understanding that it would be hard for anyone to be told that they don't legally exist.
Danny stumbled suddenly and caught himself by floating in the air. They all looked down and the halfas gasped at the sight of a massive snake skin.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot that was down here," Harry commented. Danny frowned.
"What is it? I mean there's no way a normal snake is that long," Danny inquired. Harry nodded.
"No, it's a basilisk's skin. A massive snake that can kill you by making eye contact," Harry answered. Danny and Danielle stiffened.
"Hang on, you knew that thing was down here," Danielle whispered fearfully. Harry nodded.
"But it's alright. I killed the one in the chamber. That was what killed Myrtle," Harry informed them. Danny frowned.
"Wait, didn't you say that Voldemort controlled the monster in the Chamber of Secrets?" Danny recalled. Harry nodded.
"Yeah. He's a descendant of Salazaar Slytherin. One of the founders of Hogwarts and he created the Chamber of Secrets to contain the basilisk to kill any muggle borns in the school. Voldemort controlled Ginny like I said to open the chamber a few years ago. But only Myrtle was killed by that basilisk. Most students were petrified because they saw the snake's eyes but didn't make eye contact. Like Hermione, she saw it's reflection in a mirror. Justin saw it through Nick and Filch's cat saw it's reflection in a puddle of water. Why? Is that important?" Harry explained. Danny nodded.
"Did Myrtle ever find out that that was what happened?" Danny prompted. Harry shrugged.
"Does it matter?" Harry questioned.
"Yeah, it explains why Myrtle is so afraid of him. If he was the reason she died, then there might be residual feelings about being in his presence," Danny answered.
"Makes sense to me. I mean most ghosts aren't afraid of other ghosts unless they're stronger than them. Myrtle is always intangible and Voldemort isn't very powerful right? So it could be a psychological thing. Jazz would love this opportunity to learn about ghost psyche," Danielle mentioned. Danny nodded.
"Would be nice for her to focus on someone other than me," he mumbled. Harry blinked.
"So, she's been so afraid this whole time because she subconsciously knew that he was the person that killed her," Harry summed up. Danny shrugged.
"Maybe, I'd have to ask to be sure but Myrtle really hates talking about Voldemort," Danny replied and he landed beside the large vault-like door decorated with snakes.
"This is the entrance," Harry announced and began to focus on the snakes again. Danny rolled his eyes.
"Come on," Danny urged and took Harry's arm and phased them through before Harry could warn him of the ladder on the other side. Danny yelped as he walked off the ledge and caught himself in mid-air, still holding Harry. Danielle phased her head through and then laughed.
"Now I get how you got your powers," Danielle remarked with a giggle. Danny glared at her as he gently lowered Harry to the ground.
Danny scanned the room and whistled at the skeleton of the basilisk at the other end.
"That the snake?" Danny asked. Harry nodded. Then the three of them walked up to it and Danielle examined its dangerously sharp teeth.
"Why does it need such sharp teeth if it's deadly to even look at it?" Danielle inquired. Harry glanced at her, having been looking at the massive carved statue of Salazaar Slytherin.
"Don't touch that! Basilisk's have really potent poison. It kills in minutes and it keeps that poison after death," Harry exclaimed. Danielle jumped back in surprise. Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Personal experience?" Danny asked. Harry nodded.
"I killed that one by ramming a sword through the roof of its mouth and accidently made a fang puncture my arm. It wasn't pleasant. Thankfully Fawkes, a phoenix, was here and it healed me. Phoenix tears have healing properties," Harry explained. Danny nodded and Danielle backed away a couple of steps.
"Alright, best get to business. Dani, care to lend me a light?" Danny requested as he changed to his human form. Danielle rolled her eyes and charged her fist with bright green light. Danny sat down on the ground and pulled out the instructions and read through them and opened the chest.
"Harry, any ideas for a new password?" Danny asked as he put the thermos inside. Harry blinked with surprise before biting his lip. He smiled and nodded.
"Merope. It was his mother's name. Not a lot of people know who Voldemort was before he gave himself that name. He never knew her since she died during childbirth," Harry suggested. Danny nodded and set the password.
"Sounds good to me," he retorted. Once the new password was set, he locked the chest.
"Now, we just have to hide it," Danny announced and got back up and with another flash of light changed into his ghost form.
Harry nodded and then scanned the room.
"Well, would probably be a good idea to hide it in one of the rooms off here. And to put it somewhere no living person could reach," Harry suggested and walked down a tunnel. Danny and Danielle followed him and then they phased the chest into a small gap behind a grate high up on the wall. They returned to the cave-in and they then built the rocks back up to make it even harder to get to the main chamber and flew back into Myrtle's bathroom. Their task complete.
And the situation has been resolved.
One last chapter, just wrapping a few things up and bringing us to the end of the year.
Let me know what you thought of the story so far.
Until the next chapter.
