A/N: Remember when I said 'buckle up'? This chapter and the next are... busy. Major character deaths ahead.

Chapter XXV

April 18, 1993

"What do you mean you're calling it off?"

"Harry, I've invested months into this political campaign. There still aren't enough votes to overturn the PPP. You made some waves, got some concessions. Mark it down as a partial victory."

"But, but we've been winning! I'm not ready to give up."

"Actually, you are. Without me running cover for you, there's little chance of you making it out of Hogwarts to attend any events. And while the Prophet loves writing about you, I doubt they'd be as interested to have you writing for them. It's over, Harry."

The Second Year sat quietly, stewing over Lockhart's words. He'd invested so much time and effort that to have that policy still on the books, bearing his name; it stung, deeply. He looked up to Lockhart, who was wearing a pair of glasses, examining himself with a compact mirror.

"What do you think? The lenses are just regular glass, but I think it makes me look more academic. I can see why you wear these, Harry."

Clenching his teeth at his professor's nonchalance, Harry tersely replied, "I wear mine because I can't see without them."

Lowering the glasses to hang on the end of his nose, Lockhart peered over the top of the frames at Harry in a very 'Dumbledore-like' manner. "What's got you in such a mood?"

"I thought we were trying to do something positive. Make a difference."

Lockhart pushed the glasses back up to his eyes with one finger. "We did. Haven't you ever lost before, Harry? There are times that you find yourself in a situation where there are only bad choices to be made. We're in one of those moments right now. Learn what you can, do better next time. But you lost this one. It's done."

Harry didn't reply.

May 20, 1993

There had been no attacks for a month. Without any developments to the mystery at Hogwarts, and the debate over the changes to muggleborn policy deprived of any fuel from Harry or Lockhart to fan the flames, the Prophet had slowed down their inflammatory reporting.

Hannah Abbott was grateful to have a break. Being so on edge the whole term had been draining. She didn't envy her brother, already graduated and having to live that life full-time. It had been a horrible year, overall; not just the specter of petrifications hanging over everyone's head, but also the 'scandal' around her best friend, Harry's withdrawal from the study group, and the disillusionment over Professor Lockhart.

'What was I thinking?' she thought, embarrassed over her long-standing crush on the idiotic Defense Professor. Shaking her head free of her musing, she glanced over at Susan. The two were seated near the fireplace in the Hufflepuff Common Room, putting the finishing touches on their Potions essay.

"How's it coming, Susie?"

"Ugh, I'm tempted to just take the 'T' and hand it in half-finished."

Hannah laughed at her pessimism. "Oh come on, we've still got a half hour until curfew. Look, why don't you read through my notes, and look over my essay. Just fill in some of the gaps by paraphrasing mine."

"You're a lifesaver, Hannah!" She glanced up from from her parchment, watching as Hannah stood and stretched. "Going somewhere?"

"I forgot to send a letter to my mum after dinner. Dad wanted to take us all on a trip to the Continent to discuss possible partnerships with some of the more exotic suppliers, and Mum wanted my input on which towns we'd stay at in between."

"Oh, that sounds fun."

"I hope so, because of course you're coming with us!" Susan squealed in happiness, tossing her quill and essay aside in her haste to excitedly embrace her best friend.

"Wow! This is going to be so fun!"

"I know! When was the last time we went on a vacation together? Four, five years?"

"Six! Please add on a thank you to your mum for me."

"It's already there. Now finish your essay, we can talk more when I get back, okay?"

"Okay!"

Hannah hopped up the stairs to her shared dorm room, grabbing her robes and making haste out of the Hufflepuff quarters. She pondered her best friend as she headed for the Owlery at a light jog. She'd been a little dishonest with Susan earlier; her parents hadn't wanted Susan to come, preferring it to be a family-only trip since Susan had spent the entire summer at Abbott Estates last year. 'Like I'd let her sit alone with only house elves for company!', she huffed. There was no way Hannah would let them exclude Susan.

As bad a year as it had been, she couldn't be more proud of her surrogate sister. Susan had grown into herself this year, taking the teasing and gossip in stride. Hannah was filled with admiration at the strength that her fellow Badger showed, the kind of strength that Hannah hoped one day she herself would-

Hannah fell listlessly to the stone floor with a heavy thump. A slow, steady hissing sounded, and a moment later a small shadow darkened the Second Year Hufflepuff's corpse, standing over her briefly before wandering away. The body of Hannah Abbott lay, unseeing eyes wide open, in the middle of the corridor.

Draco was concerned, deeply so. He sat at the funeral service taking place near Black Lake, sandwiched between Pansy and Blaise, while Professor Sprout eulogized Hannah Abbott. Her family, of course, had taken her body to their family crypt and were holding a private service, but the faculty had decided to hold a separate funeral to allow the student body a chance to say goodbye.

Muffled sobs in front of him devolved into full on crying, and he glanced over to see Susan Bones bury her face in Potter's robes. While he couldn't call himself a friend to either Bones or Abbott, they were both purebloods from long and storied noble families. Not his friends, but neither were they his enemies.

Sprout finished her remarks, and Dumbledore stepped up to the podium to deliver his speech. Draco used the opportunity to look around at the assembled students. The mudbloods, of course, looked scared; given that four out of five attacks had been against their sort, that was understandable. But the terrorized looks worn by so many of those of the right kind of heritage were apparent to any observer.

'This wasn't supposed to happen.' His father had some hand in what was going on at Hogwarts. Draco didn't know the specifics of the plan, but it was obvious that he had in some way, shape, or form instigated the events of this year. So what went wrong? Why had a student, one with a lineage that stretched back further than his own, been caught up in this?

Draco, lost in his own thoughts, stared at Bones' shuddering form. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Dumbledore had been sacked three days after Hannah's memorial service, following the weekend. No one was particularly surprised, given that the daughter of such an important family had died on his watch. There was no controversy, no debate. Even the political faction that was ostensibly 'his' couldn't deny that unforgivable negligence had taken place on his watch.

Traveling cloak on, taking a moment to give one last look around his - well, Minerva's now – office, he called Fawkes to his shoulder and left for good. Rather than head down towards the exit, though, he walked up a staircase towards Ravenclaw Tower. Shaking his head at the simplistic riddle that the door knocker asked, he stepped into the Eagles' Common Room and asked a nearby prefect to summon the student he needed to see.

A few minutes later, Harry descended down the stairs, accompanied by Luna Lovegood. The former Headmaster gave the First Year girl a gentle smile, approving of Harry's protectiveness towards her. 'One of the few positive developments during an awful year.' "Harry, Miss Lovegood. I was hoping you might spare a few minutes to walk me to the gates?"

Luna immediately ran to gather her cloak, but Harry stared at Dumbledore intently, as if trying to divine the meaning behind this offer. Eventually, he nodded, just in time for Luna to come flying down the stairs from the girl's dormitory with her Ravenclaw robes.

"Harry, it's rainy out, you need more than just your uniform." He smiled at Luna's admonishment, conjuring some cloth and transfiguring appropriate attire.

"Satisfied?"

"Almost." She removed a piece of fabric from her own cloak, placing the beanie on his head. Dumbledore chuckled, trying to identify what sort of creature that the hat was meant to emulate; it looked like a cross between a possum and a pixie.

"What is that hat, Miss Lovegood?"

"It's a nargle, professor. This way, Harry will blend in with them so they don't steal his things."

"Smart thinking, Luna. Shall we, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore began walking with the two Ravenclaws, a sad smile on his face. "I can't think of a more deserving student to be the last to address me in such a fashion, Harry."

The Second Year merely nodded, walking alongside the elderly wizard. "Do you have any idea who the Heir could be, sir?"

"I'm afraid not. I suspect that they are disguising themselves as a student, based on Miss Greengrass' description following the attack on Mr. Finch-Fletchley. It is practically impossible that any student, even the most advanced Seventh Years, would be capable of wielding the sort of magic required to petrify students in such a manner."

"And Hannah?"

Dumbledore's eyes dropped, and he looked every one of his hundred and twelve years of age. "She was only the second student to die since I came to work at Hogwarts, and the only one to suffer such a fate since I took over as Headmaster. Failing her is something that I will never be able to make up for."

Harry's jaw tightened, but he accepted Dumbledore's apology as sincere. "What will you do now?"

"There are various associates that I look forward to reconnecting with. One, in particular, has very limited time left. I'll be away, but not that far." He peered over his spectacles, regarding Harry seriously. "Remember, I will not be truly gone, so long as there are those here that remain loyal."

The two looked over as Luna burst out of a set of bushes, covered in twigs and leaves but clutching some red berries in her gloved hand. "Look! Blaeberries!"

They had reached the gates. "Harry, despite our differences, I would like to work on repairing our relationship. That will be more difficult following the Board's decision to remove me, but nonetheless it is essential for reasons you don't yet know."

"What reasons would those be?"

"Now isn't the time nor the place."

Harry made a frustrated sound. "Okay, what about the Heir? You've got to give me something, Dumbledore."

The enormous gates opened and the former Headmaster stepped outside of the castle grounds. The gates rumbled, slowly beginning to close.

"The Chamber of Secrets opened once before, Harry. You'll find your answers with Hagrid. Farewell, and good luck."

The gates slammed shut with an ominous boom.

After dinner, Luna, Harry, and Neville walked out towards Hagrid's hut. Knocking on the heavy oak door, a beaming smile came over the enormous man's face as he saw who'd come calling.

"Little Luna! And Mr. Longbottom. Oh, what's this? Harry Potter! Why, I've been waiting for ya t'visit since yer Firs' Year."

"Hello Hagrid!" Luna said, breezing past the hulking man to plop down next to Fang on a chair.

"Mr. Longottom, how've yeh been doin' in your classes? Last time we spoke, y'was in a right panic over yer marks."

"I'm doing a lot better, Hagrid. Got a good group of friends that help me study."

"Aye, that's the way t'go about it. Care for a cuppa?"

"Hagrid," Neville began, "We came because Dumbledore told us you would know about the last time the Chamber of Secrets opened."

"Dumbledore tol' ya?" Hagrid digested this piece of news. "Real shame wha' appened to 'im. Great man, Dumbledore."

"Is there anything you can tell us? Hannah was our friend, Hagrid. She deserves justice." Harry nodded in agreement with his friend's words. Luna was being buried with licks from the wolfhound.

"Righ', well, it was a long time ago-" Suddenly, there was pounding on the door.

"You three, hide!" Hagrid made a 'shoo-ing' motion with one hand, and stepped towards the door.

Harry grabbed hold of Luna and Neville, focused hard on their shoes, and cast the Ascending Charm. The three of them rose rapidly, the force of Harry's charm pressing them flat against the ceiling as Hagrid swung open the door.

Cornelius Fudge, accompanied by two crimson-robed aurors and a blonde man that Harry recognized as Lucius Malfoy, stepped inside the hut. "Hagrid, good evening."

"Minster Fudge? Wha's this about?"

"With recent events being what they are, the Ministry can't be seen sitting on our hands. Action must be taken, you see."

Bushy eyebrows raised, Hagrid gave a confused agreement with the Minister's words.

"Excellent. Well, come along, then."

"To where?"

"I'm afraid until more answers can be confirmed, we'll need to detain you."

His bearded face pale, Hagrid gasped. "Not Azkaban prison!"

One of the aurors stepped forward. "I'm afraid so, Hagrid. Come along."

Taking a deep gulp of air, Hagrid looked around his hut. "If anyone were interested in findin' answers, all I can say's t' follow th' spiders. Follow th' spiders. Oh, and someone'll need ter feed Fang while I'm gone."

Fudge cocked his head, while Malfoy rolled his eyes. The aurors formed up alongside the groundskeeper and marched him out of the hut. "Shall we go inform the new Headmistress of our expectations, Minister?"

"Certainly, Lucius, after you."

As soon as the hut emptied, Harry released the charm that he had maintained, the three students falling to the floor. "Jeez, Harry, need to work on cushioning charms next, wouldn't you say?"

"What do you think he meant, follow the spiders?"

"No clue, but it's our only lead right now."

"Perhaps he was referring to the acromantula colony?"

The two boys swiveled their heads towards the First Year in surprise. "Acromantula colony? Where?"

"In the forest, of course."

"There's an acromantula colony in the Forbidden Forest? You've been there?" Neville was dumbfounded, and even Harry was incredulous.

"Not just yet, no, but I heard some centaurs mention it while I was looking for unicorns one night." Luna reclaimed her seat next to Fang. "Shall we head out and find it?"

"We will not, no. You're staying here." Harry responded emphatically. "Neville, let's go."

The Gryffindor looked hesitantly out the door, then sighed and turned to follow Harry. "You'll take care of Fang, won't you Luna?"

She gave him a jaunty salute, and he closed the door behind him. "Where should we start?"

"Well, let's take Hagrid's advice. Can you give us some light?"

With Neville's lumos charm lighting the way, the two boys set off into the forest. Tramping through the woods for what felt like an eternity, they delved deep into the pitch black of the night.

"Harry, take a look at this." Neville lowered his lit wand, displaying a line of spiders steadily walking in the same direction. "Guess that we found our path."

Walking in the direction that the spiders traveled, the sounds of the forest began to fade away. In the silence, occasional chittering sounds were heard, along with faint rustlings of the leaves in trees overhead. Coming across the first sign of acromantula webbing, Neville extinguished his wand.

"Figured we might as well try to avoid announcing that we're here."

Harry agreed, however it was too late. Two spiders, each the size of Fang, dropped from the trees in front of them.

"Come, friends of Hagrid. Father would speak with you." They whispered in deep voices.

Harry set off behind the two spiders, while Neville hesitated. "Are you sure about this?"

Pausing only momentarily to give a glance over his shoulder, Harry replied, "I imagine it's a bit late to turn back now, Nev."

With a sigh and a muttered "Gryffindors charge ahead," Neville hurried to catch up to his friend. The acromantulas led them deeper into the forest, to a section of old growth trees so tall that their canopy blacked out every speck of the night sky.

A mammoth shape emerged from a hollowed out trunk, speaking in a cavernous tone. "What brings two humans to my nest?"

Neville stepped forward. "Hagrid sent us. The Chamber of Secrets has reopened."

"We are aware of the return of the Evil One."

"What evil one? What is inside the Chamber?"

"We dare not speak its name. To my people, it shall only be referred to as I have."

Neville looked to Harry and shrugged, as if to say 'what now?'

"We had hoped that Hagrid could tell us about the first time that the Chamber opened."

"I can tell you that tale. I was but a hatchling then. Friend Hagrid raised me inside of the castle. A female student was killed in a bathroom, close to the ground floor. Another boy, with the stench of dark magic upon him, tried to lay the responsibility upon me. I was nearly killed, and only survived due to the loyalty and protection of Friend Hagrid. I have since honored that loyalty and granted him safe passage through my family's lands."

Neville clapped his hands together. "Okay, so the last time the Chamber opened, a girl died in a bathroom near the ground floor. I guess that's our next stop. Thank you, uh... I didn't catch your name."

The enormous spider rumbled with amusement. "I am called Aragog. And though you may be friend to Hagrid, to my sons and daughters, you are... food."

An almost deafening round of chittering rang through the trees, hinting at just how many spiders were watching.

"But, Hagrid sent us! You said he had safe passage!"

"Hagrid does, and always will. You, though, are not Hagrid. Children! It is time to feast!"

Spiders dropped out of the trees, racing towards the boys at full speed. Jerking Neville behind him, Harry raised his arm and more than a dozen stone spikes rose out of the ground at a breakneck speed, impaling the first wave of acromantula.

"Arania Exumai!" Neville's shouted incantation alerted him to danger from behind, and Harry swung around, a firestorm exploding in front of Neville with a wave of his hand. Several dozen spiders were incinerated instantly.

A sudden weight against his back propelled him into Neville, the boys sprawled into the dirt in the darkness. In an instant, Harry screamed out as two different sets of pincers sliced into his back.

"Harry?"

There was a flash of green as Harry's eyes lit up, brighter than Neville's lumos charm from earlier. A magical shockwave blasted back the spiders that swarmed over the two Second Years.

Jumping to his feet, Harry pulled Neville up and dragged him over to the base of an ash tree at least a hundred years old. The tree trunk was double the width of the two boys put together. With the solid wood at his back, Harry prepared to make his stand.

Conjured pikes impaled spiders as they approached. Iron swords lopped off forelegs, sending charging acromantula face first to the dirt. Bursts of white-hot fire shot out to the left and right occasionally, stopping the monsters from flanking the two.

"Harry, from ab-oof!" Three spiders, each weighing nearly a hundred pounds, landed on top of them, immediately sinking their fangs into Harry's arms and chest.

Adrenaline pumping hard, Harry pushed, sending the spiders rocketing to their deaths, splattered against the trunks of the tightly packed tree line. Conjuring another set of stone spikes to rise out of the ground, he quickly waved his hand in a tight circle over his head. The ash tree, groaning and creaking in protest, began to shake its limbs like a wet dog, sending fifteen spiders tumbling to the ground.

On and on it went. Neville cast his repelling charm when he could, but Harry was running a one-man charnel house, butchering acromantula at an incredible rate.

"ENOUGH!" The attacks ceased as Aragog emerged from his refuge, his smaller brethren crowding around him. "I admit that we underestimated you. You may return to the castle, with the assurance that none of my family will attack you on your way. Never set foot in this forest aga-"

A huge iron edge, twenty feet in length, sliced Aragog in half, taking ten nearby acromantula with him, vanishing just as it passed through huge arachnid. A frenzied rush of enraged spiders immediately charged the two boys and died, burned alive in a hellish inferno. The few remaining spiders fled in terror.

Neville looked around at the killing field, undecided if he should feel horrified or awestruck. He slapped Harry on the back. "Thanks, mate, thought we were done for!" His hand came away sticky, and Harry's only response was short, quick breaths. "Lumos. Merlin's beard!"

Harry's robes were shredded, hanging from him in tatters. His school uniform beneath was soaked through with blood, from the multiple wounds inflicted by the acromantula. Neville could only imagine how much venom was coursing through his veins.

Slinging one of his friend's arms over his shoulders, he suppressed a shudder at the feel of blood trickling down his collar. Neville took off towards the castle, screaming for help as loudly as he could.

"And that's when a group of centaurs came upon us. They had seen the light from Harry's fire, and were scouting to see what the situation was. They carried us back to the edge of the forest. You know what happened from there."

"Poppy, what is Potter's condition?"

"He'll live, but I'll need staff from St. Mungo's to carry out a blood purification ritual. I've pumped him full of blood replenishers and antivenom serums, but he'll need the purification ritual to cleanse the acromantula venom."

"What possessed you to go into the Forbidden Forest at night?"

"We were trying to figure out what happened the first time the Chamber of Secrets opened, but Hagrid was arrested before he could tell us. He told us to follow the spiders."

McGonagall closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. 'Honestly, the man lacked even a teaspoon of common sense.' "Mr. Longbottom, you're sure that you're not injured?"

He looked down at himself, clad in bloodstained robes. "No. It's all Harry's."

"Very well. Mr. Longbottom, I must insist that you cease this, this investigation of yours. Especially in light of what happened to Miss Abbott," even now, her breath hitched slightly at the thought of the deceased Hufflepuff, "your safety is the paramount issue right now."

"Professor, er, Headmistress, wait! The acromantula, they told us that the events last time centered around a girls lavatory near the ground floor."

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Longbottom. You may return to Gryffindor Tower."

Neville stood firm. "I'd like to stay. And I'd like to see Susan Bones, I'd rather her hear the story from me."

McGonagall narrowed her eyes at Neville's defiance. "You may remain here overnight for observation, but you are to stay out of the way, especially during the purification ritual. Miss Bones can wait until morning." Neville nodded glumly. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

He shook his head, and moved towards a nearby bed. Now that they were safe in the castle, he felt the weariness deep in his bones. 'I nearly died tonight.' Lying on the cleanly pressed hospital bed, he looked over at his friend's pale and sweaty form. Harry had saved him tonight, no question about it. Determined to keep watch despite his exhaustion, Neville raised himself to a seated position.

Suddenly, his jaw dropped, and he shouted out, "Luna!"

May 26, 1993

Susan waited anxiously for the healers to finish the blood purification ritual. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on? I could have come with you."

"You would have been keeping Luna company in Hagrid's hut. There's no way Harry would have let you come with us."

"What? Why? I could have helped!"

"Neither of us could stand it if something had happened to you or Luna."

Susan angrily blew a strand of dark red hair away from her face. "Of all the times for old-fashioned sexism..."

"Call it what you want, you were closer to Hannah than any of us. You don't need to be battling giant spiders, Susan." It was true. The Hufflepuff was a wreck, hair wild and askew, wearing a wrinkled uniform.

"Did McGonagall read you the riot act?"

"She did."

"Good."

Just then, the healers stepped out from behind the privacy barrier, conferring quietly with Madam Pomfrey before making their way towards the fireplace. The school mediwitch removed the privacy barrier, casting a few diagnostic charms and beckoning the other two Second Years to approach.

"You've got fifteen minutes, then it's a Dreamless Sleep Potion for him to go along with the Muscle Knitting Solution. Come see me for a tardy slip for your classes before you leave."

Susan hurried to Harry's side, grasping his hand in her own. He lay in the bed, shirtless, covered in sweat from the ritual, the sheets beneath him stained with the greasy, black, viscous acromantula venom. She looked over the half-healed lacerations from the spiders, the jagged line in his side and the perfectly round puncture mark on the center of his belly from Veronica Haslett, and the older, more faded scars from his years with the Dursleys.

"By the gods, Harry..."

He feebly reached for the sheets with one hand, but she grabbed a hold of it, both his hands now in her grasp. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too. Nev, that you?"

"Yea, it is. Harry, I'd say I owe you a life debt."

"Whazzat?" His mouth felt like sandpaper.

"We'll talk about it later. Just relax."

He took a deep breath. "Firs' flur. Girls bathrum."

"I told McGonagall, Harry. She said she'll look into it."

"Harry." Susan's voice was serious, despite her shaky tone. "I want you to promise me you won't try to find the Heir."

His eyes swiveled in her direction. "Please, Harry. I don't want to b-bury two friends." She sniffed, trying to rein in her emotions. "I can't lose you, too."

He closed his eyes, and let out a grunt that sounded somewhat like 'okay'.

"Promise me!"

Harry opened his eyes, squinting towards her, and gently squeezed her hands. "Promise." He mumbled.

Susan let go of his hands to wipe her eyes. She hesitated, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, then to his cheek. "Get better soon, Harry."

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat, two potions vials in her hands. "Times up. Please wait by my office."

May 31, 1993

"How's Fang been doing?"

"He sleeps a lot, but he's always happy to see me. He misses Hagrid, though." Luna's feet dangled from her standard position on the tree branch. "How is your book coming along?"

Perrault's ghostwriter had shown up not long after Harry got out of the Hospital Wing, summoned by Lockhart to document his 'adventures' from this year. It had been a surprisingly cathartic exercise to tell someone everything that had happened. "Okay, I guess."

She surveyed his training area. "You were surprisingly restrained tonight, Harry."

"Guess I just felt more like sitting here in the peace and the quiet."

"It is a bit rare to see you without Susan nearby." The Hufflepuff had taken it upon herself to watch over Harry and Neville like a hawk, making sure they stayed out of trouble. "It's nice to have new friends, but I'm glad that the night time is still just ours."

"I can't believe the aurors didn't find anything." He'd kept true to his word and had avoided looking into the hint they'd received about a girl's lavatory, but the lack of progress being made was frustrating. "C'mon down, we should head back inside."

She hopped down from the branch, and the two Ravenclaws made their way through the tall grass, neither realizing it would be the last time they would ever visit the clearing they'd grown so close together in.

June 2, 1993

Harry wandered into the Great Hall for lunch, slightly irritated at the way the students fretted over the upcoming exams. 'Who cares about grades after the year we've had?' he asked himself, casting a scornful gaze over the student body. He made his way towards the Hufflepuff table to sit with Susan and Luna, but was waylaid by Daphne waving him over.

He took a seat across from her, where she sat alongside two First Year Slytherin girls. "What's up, Daphne?"

"Harry, this is Flora and Hestia Carrow." The two girls giggled and waved at him, while Daphne rolled her eyes in irritation. "They insisted on telling you this themselves."

"We were in the second floor bathroom, in one of the stalls-"

"What, together?"

"Go ahead, tell him what you were doing." Daphne apparently didn't have much patience for the First Year twins.

"We were, uh, chatting with a ghost that haunts that bathroom."

"You mean you were bullying her. Harry, they're talking about Moaning Myrtle. She's quite a bother, so most of the time that bathroom is deserted." He nodded his understanding.

"Anyway," one of the twins said, shooting Daphne a dirty look, "We heard someone come in and start hissing, you know, like a snake. There was a loud rumbling sound, and then nothing. When we took a peek out of the stall, the bathroom was empty."

"There, you told him, now go sit somewhere else."

"Whatever, Greengrass. Bye Harry!" The twin on the left batted her eyelashes at him, while the other flipped her hair over her shoulder and winked.

"Hissing like a snake?"

Daphne nodded. "Do you know anything about Salazar Slytherin?"

"Just that he was one of the Founders. The bad one, right?" He asked, shooting her a grin.

She chuckled in response to his snark. "Right. He was known for being the first recorded parselmouth in England."

"Parselmouth?"

"Someone who can speak parseltongue, the language of snakes." Harry went rigid in his seat. "There have only been a few others since. Harry, the most recent parselmouth in Great Britain was, well, it was the Dark Lord."

"What?!"

Daphne nodded, looking around to make sure they won't overheard. "Given the way that almost every attack was against a muggleborn, it would make sense that someone related to the Dark Lord was responsible. The parseltongue could be the reason that no one has been able to find any evidence of the Chamber."

Harry sat, deep in thought. "Where on the second floor is this bathroom?"

Harry left Transfiguration, glad to be done with classes for the day. Ever since McGonagall had taken over as Headmistress, she'd been twice as tough on her classes, probably due to her increased responsibilities. He idly wondered who would be teaching the subject next year. Susan fell into step beside him, not making conversation, just taking comfort in his presence. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave a brief squeeze, walking her down to the Badger's Den so she could get changed and drop off her books.

Watching the barrels shift closed behind her, he hefted his bag and started walking up the stairs towards Ravenclaw Tower when a booming sonorous charm rang out from all around him. "All students, return to your dormitories immediately. All students, return to your dormitories immediately." It was clearly McGonagall, but what was going on?

Harry took a chance and darted out of the stairwell at the second floor, rushing through the halls and only just managing to hide behind a suit of armor near the girl's bathroom that Daphne had described. A message, like the one near where Mrs. Norris was found, was scrawled along the wall.

Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.

McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape, and Professor Bathsheda Babbling, the Ancient Runes Professor, stood together nearby.

"You're sure there's nothing?"

Babbling shook her head in frustration. "No. I can't detect any active wards, not even anything that might be masking something else. As far as I can tell, this is just a normal bathroom." A loud wail sounded inside the lavatory, clearly audible even from the hallway. "Well, a normal, haunted bathroom."

McGonagall clutched her wand tightly. "Alert the Ministry, request a response team of aurors." The Ancient Runes Professor nodded and hurried away, leaving the other three professors standing in the hallway. "I can't imagine any way that Hogwarts won't close now."

"According to the attendance logs, Ginny Weasley was the only student who didn't attend any of today's lessons. Two pureblood students dying in the same term? There's no way that we'll be back in the fall if the perpetrator isn't caught."

Hogwarts was closing? Permanently? Harry's mind raced to the Statute of Secrecy. Most of the students hadn't finished their OWLs. Would the muggleborns be obliviated and have their magic bound? Would Norm and Diane, would Hermione and her parents have their memories wiped?

"Filius, Severus, return to your Houses and do a head count. We need to find out if there is anyone else missing. Perhaps if we can identify the perpetrator, it will give us a clue how we can access the Chamber." She snapped off a Patronus charm, presumably to Professor Sprout.

Harry didn't wait to see what happened next. He needed to get into that bathroom. But if it was really someone close to Voldemort down there, he needed some help. Someone who would believe him. Someone that trusted that he was the only person that could access the Chamber to save the girl that was trapped down there. Someone like Gilderoy Lockhart.

Sneaking back towards the staircase, he ran up one flight, rushing into the Defense Professor's office. Lockhart was stuffing his possessions into an overcrowded trunk, waving his wand and gathering his things from around the room.

"What, you're leaving? With everything going on?"

"Oh, Harry! Well, you see, with Miss Weasley's disappearance, it's unlikely that the school will remain open. No reason to delay in packing, you know. Why do tomorrow what you can do today, and such."

If the school really was closing, his year-long apprenticeship with Lockhart was up. "You're a coward and a fraud."

Lockhart's mouth quirked upward, but he continued packing, only remarking to Harry, "Perhaps, but I'm alive, and I'm going to keep it that way."

"I know how to access the Chamber of Secrets."

"So eager to seek death's embrace, Harry?"

He walked over put a hand on the lid of Lockhart's trunk, stopping the professor's packing for a moment. "We can stop the Heir, and save the Weasley girl. What kind of book will you be able to write after that?"

Lockhart rocked back on his heels, regarding Harry with a contemplative look. "How delightfully mercenary. Looks like you learned more from me than you would have thought, eh?"

"Are you in, or out? I could use some help gaining access to the lavatory."

"You're sure you can take this Heir of Slytherin?"

"I've taken on a troll, a Defense Professor, a psychotic woman, and about two hundred acromantula. You tell me."

"Quirrell was-, you mean you were-, by all that's magical, Harry, I never would have guessed..." Lockhart reared away from Harry like the Ravenclaw had grown a second head.

"I'll need some of this parchment if you don't mind." He scribbled a quick note, tearing the parchment in half and transfiguring the side he hadn't written on into an envelope, which he addressed to Susan Bones, placing it on Lockhart's desk in the Defense classroom. "Come on, Professor, let's move."

"Lead the way, Harry." Unbeknownst to the Second Year, Lockhart's grip on his wand tightened.