The Mysterious Department

Arc Two: The Mystery Continues

Chapter Ten: Diary of a Snake

A book was lying in a puddle of water on the second floor of the girl's bathroom. A curious girl stood over it, picking it up and shaking the water out of it's pages. Did this belong to someone? Who had dropped it here?

She took it with herself, adding it to the stack of her books in her arms, and decided she would leave it in a lost and found. But as she traversed the hall, it dropped from her arms as if it had a mind of its own, and flipped open to a page in the middle.

As she watched with wide eyes, words bled on the page. In elegant script.

Help me it said.

And then it began to glow gold.


In Lupin's evening class, Hermione noticed that Ron was barely able to pay attention. He was distracted, fidgety, and pain flickered across his face from time to time. Additionally he performed worse on his classwork than normal. When class was over, Hermione asked him about it. "What's wrong Ron?"

He hesitated before speaking. "It's..I'm just worried about my sister." He rubbed his hands together, unsure if he should speak on this topic at all.

"Did something happen to her?" Ginny struck Hermione as a responsible girl. What troubles could she have gotten up?

"Not necessarily. I'm just worried about her. Something's going on in the school."

"What is?" Hermione asked, leaning in eagerly into his space to hear better, already wondering if it was an artifact. This would be her chance to help out.

"There's been attacks. Two students turned to stone, bloody writing on the walls, and the rumors going on that," at this he looked on to see if anyone was listening. No one was, the halls churning with chattering students and adults, none who paid the slightest attention to them. "The chamber has been opened," he whispered, as if he was afraid to even mention this for fear it would cause him harm.

"What chamber?"

"The chamber of secrets. Created by Salazar Slytherin to protect purebloods. Whatever beast is inside it, it has been going around hurting muggle borns."

"And the school hasn't caught it?" This was ridiculous! The school should be doing whatever it could to stop this. It should be shut down! Students sent home until this could be righted. What was wrong with the school that it wasn't doing this? Wizarding policy was weird.

"They can't find the chamber. Or who opened it. And Dumbledore has already had Aurors come in and search for it, but nothing was found and there is no discernible proof or enough harm done for the school to be shut down."

That was- just- ugh, Hermione had to take a deep breath because it was frustrating her. Honestly.

Ron went on. "And I'm worried for Ginny because I don't want her to get hurt. Technically she won't because she's halfblood but she's been acting odd. Off. Lost in her own world."

"You should talk to her. We should talk to her." Something sounded fishy. Which meant it was time to investigate as it could be the work of an artifact. And Hermione wanted to be there to double check.

"I know where her room is. It's in the Gryffindor tower." Ron lead the way, climbing up a most interesting set of stairs. Stairs that moved. They made Hermione's head hurt trying to navigate them. They would climb up the flights as they switched and turned silently.

She was afraid she would fall off. Heights weren't her thing, and as she looked over the stone banister as the stairs swung to the left to a doorway, she gulped. "Ron, has anyone fallen off or died on these stairs?"

"Huh, don't think so. Maybe one or two did, but they were first years and they only broke a bone."

That wasn't reassuring. Hermione couldn't be happier when they finally got to solid ground.

They got to a portrait of a fat woman, who happened to be in the process of looking into a mirror. "Password."

"Tripplegnots," he said and the portrait swung open to reveal a passageway to a room inside. "My sister told me it, in case I want to visit her," he explained as they entered a red and gold common room. The fireplace was crackling merrily despite the fact summer was almost upon them. It was empty save for two students reading in the armchairs.

"The girl dormitories are up the left."

But when they got to Ginny's room, it was empty and a mess. Like someone had gone through it, looking for something. Either that or trashed it in anger. "What happened here?" Ron gaped in shock.

"We need to find her. She'll know," Hermione said as her eyes went over the sheets, shredded. To the parchment, balled up. To the books all over the floor. And the clothes out the trunk. "Any idea where she might be at this hour?"

"The Quidditch field or Hogsmeade."

And so they went there. On the field there were a couple of Gryffindor's passing a ball back and forth from each other as they zoomed through the air. "Oi, Lavender. I have a question!" Ron waved down one of the girls and she lowered gently on her broom.

"What's up, Ron." Her blonde hair fluttered in the air, stray hairs not tied by the bandanna coming free.

"Have you seen my sister?"

"Ginny said she's feeling ill so she didn't come to practice today," she answered.

"That's odd. Ginny would never miss practice. She only did it once when she had the dragon flu and the school forbade her from going," he muttered to himself, as they strode off.

"And we know she's not in her room. So that means she might be covering something up, or she's in the infirmary. Let's split up. I'll check with Madame Pomfrey and you go to Hogsmeade and check out Ginny's favorite spots there. We'll meet back in an hour, okay?" Hermione asked, mind formulating what she would do already.

"Right," he nodded his head, before turning on his heel and leaving.

Hermione had a feeling that Ginny wouldn't be with the school healer but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"And who are you?" the healer asked with a disapproving stare at Hermione's inquiry, barring entrance to the room with her body.

"I'm Ron's friend. He's worried for his sister Ginny and just wants to know if she's not here. She said she doesn't feel well." When the woman didn't budge, Hermione added on. "Look, you don't have to let me in, but just let me know if she's there or not."

"And why can't he ask himself?"

"Because he's looking for her in Hogsmeade."

"And why would he do that if he knows she's sick and wouldn't be out on town?"

This woman really wasn't making things easy. "Because we think something happened to Ginny. Something bad. Something related to the chamber."

The woman paled at this, shooting Hermione a sharp look. "Don't speak so loudly on that!"

"Then let me know if she is okay," Hermione said, taking out her magical Department badge. She didn't want to flash it, but she didn't have much choice. "This is part of an ongoing Ministry investigation."

Healer Pomfrey looked it over with a skeptic gaze. "I thought the Ministry had already checked and found there wasn't enough cause for panic? That the statues who had been students had only been a prank gone wrong? An reenactment by some bored students."

"I'm from a different department in the Ministry. One who handles such cases expertly unlike the Aurors. Now will you answer my questions?"

"Dumbledore didn't tell me you were coming."

Hermione held in an irritated breath.

"It must have slipped my mind," an wizened voice from behind her spoke up and Hermione felt relieved to see the old man there, though partially shocked that he had come out of the blue. He smiled at her warmly. "It is good to see you once more Hermione. Though I wish it had been under more pleasant circumstances. Now, Madame Pomfrey, why don't you answer the detective's questions. I need to have a word with her afterwards." He moved to the side, giving Hermione privacy.

The healer looked like she still didn't trust Hermione entirely but she pursed her lips. "Very well. Ginny came in earlier in the week, complaining that she felt ill and out of control sometimes. That she found herself blanking out and when she came to a moment later she was doing something else. I gave her some herbs for it, told her to rest the night here because it could be due to stress and bad nourishment. Sometimes students tend to forget to eat and sleep because of finals. And she is a sixth year who also plays sports; she has a busy schedule. She became better so I discharged her and let her go. After that, she didn't come back with any other complaints."

"Thank you. That is all," Hermione said and left to sit down next to Dumbledore who was waiting patiently on a stone bench, looking out the window. Dusk was falling. "I am glad you are here. I had a feeling sooner or later you would become involved in the affairs going on in this school. Though, I had feared to think it was an artifact," he said. He did not look at her as they talked.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure it is one, but Ginny is acting strangely and perhaps it is linked to the chamber of secrets being opened."

"I can tell you more on that. I will tell you anything you need to know so that you can help my students where I have failed. The ministry do not believe the rumors, but I know there is something more to them. Students turning to stone can only mean one thing. Especially if they are muggle born."

"Alright. Tell me all I need to know and I shall handle this case." Hermione was only too ready to leap into action and prove her worth.

"A long long time ago, when this school was founded, one of the founders, the man who created the house of Slytherin, one associated with purebloods and cunning people, sometimes evil, people, reputably made a chamber. One which housed a massive beast that was a snake that would protect purebloods. Though the chamber was never found, it is now thought to be opened, summoned to cleanse this school of the muggle borns who walk it's halls."

"And who summoned it?"

"That is what we do not know. Nor how it could even be opened. All we know is that our housekeeper's cat was killed and their blood used to write a warning message on the wall that the chamber was open."

"And what of the students who were turned to stone?"

"Would you like to see them? They are held in the infirmary."

"And they have not been helped?"

"Making a potion to help them takes a while. Our potions professor is working on it as we speak. The incidents have only happened in the past three weeks. The chamber was opened in the first we believe, and each victim was found once per week."

They rose and walked into the infirmary and Pomfrey shot Hermione a nasty look, like 'you again?'

Hermione refrained from looking at her. Dumbledore lead her to the back where he pulled the curtain around three beds hidden from view. All were turned to stone, no doubt about it, but one of them held an item in his hand. A camera.

"Did he manage to take a photo of the being?"

"He tried to- but any film that was inside was fried by it."

Hermione tapped her chin as she peered closer. "Hmmm, so this beast can somehow do this by touch? I don't see any wounds however. Maybe it can cast magic?"

A girl was lying on the bed next to his. "She was found staring through the form of a ghost in the closed second floor bathroom."

Hermione cataloged that.

She walked over to what looked like a ghost- turned to stone.

"Who is this?"

"A resident ghost. Moaning Myrtle was found frozen in the flooded bathroom on the second floor. That bathroom is closed indefinitely because that is where Myrtle died and we do not want any other girls to get the wrong idea."

"Died?"

"Yes, many years ago. Before I was headmaster here. But now that we are mentioning her death it reminds me, there was a similar case of the chamber being opened. But whether the rumors then were true or not, or how it was even closed, is lost to time." He waved a hand through the air, denoting his uncertainty on this matter.

So, if this beast was an artifact, it meant it had been used before. Never neutralized or captured.

"Let me know if anything else happens or if you can think of more clues or information. I'll be in touch." She would need to go back to the Department and do some research on this.

"Anything, to help my students," he smiled sincerely. "I wasn't sure this was worthy of the department's notice but I am glad someone has deemed it so. Thank you for taking the time to help, Hermione."

"Just doing my job."

Hermione then left to go meet up with Ron. She was happy to see Ginny was standing by him, though Ginny herself didn't look happy. She stood there while he berated her. Hermione was too far away to hear what he was saying and when she got closer, he stopped.

"I found her in one of the cafes," he reported, looking upset.

"I don't know why you're upset. I wasn't doing anything wrong," she shrugged, acting like a spoiled brat.

"I'm upset because you lied about being sick to skip practice and go to a cafe!"

"So," she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Everyone does it from time to time."

Hermione could sense this argument wasn't going to get anywhere, so she intervened. "Ginny, why was your room a mess?"

Ginny shrugged. "Because I made it a mess."

"So you threw all your clothes out, ripped your sheets and papers?" Hermione gave her a hard look.

"Yes. I was frustrated. Finals are approaching. Now, can I leave? Or are you going to send me to Azkaban for skipping practice and messing up my room?" she asked nastily.

"Fine, you can go," she said and Ginny left, turning quickly on her heel.

"She's never acted like this before," Ron shook his head.

"Something's bothering her. But what," Hermione mussed before turning to Ron. "I'll figure it out, I promise you. Just keep tabs on her, okay?"

"Sure."


"Are there any artifacts that can turn one into stone?" Hermione tried to casually ask as she helped Luna carry a box into the warehouse.

"No. None."

"Any spells that could turn one to stone?"

"There's temporary jinxes. But nothing that can cause long term statue-ism," she replied, placing her own box onto a shelf labeled as 'junk' before turning to Hermione and taking the box from her. "Does this have to do with the chamber of secrets?"

Hermione felt it would be pointless to deny Luna's guess. "How do you know about it? The papers are mum on the issue."

"I know a great many things, just like how Bellatrix will not be happy you are going behind her back to do this case."

"Ah, so there is an artifact involved then!" That was all the confirmation needed. Luna frowned, as if she had been duped.

"Yes, but it's most certainly not the beast." She set the second box on the shelf.

Hermione's victory smiled faded. "What do you mean? The elves were artifacts."

"Yes, but everyone who goes to Hogwarts knows the legend of the chamber. And it is more a curse than an artifact. If you're looking for one, look for something that could have opened the chamber. Something that could have awakened the beast, or the snake of Slytherin."

"But snakes cannot turn others to stone. Unless you think this is a snake related to that of Apophis."

Luna placed her hands on her hips, staring off into the distance behind those swirly glasses of hers. "Hmm, I hadn't thought of it that way. Maybe there is a connection. I would have to cross reference every time the chamber opened to Apophis's awake cycles. But for now, look up some mythical animals in the bestiary."

"I'll take it you're not telling Bellatrix then?"

"Only because this artifact will hurt her."

Hurt her? How? "Why do you say that?"

"I'm not at liberty to explain that to you. She'd have to tell you herself."

Naturally. No answer once more. Hermione was slowly getting used to not having answers given to her. She moved on to another pressing point.

"So you know what the artifact is?"

"Only one thing could open the chamber up, but we've never been able to get our hands on it. Perhaps you can change that fact."

Luna hurried out of the warehouse. "Wait, Luna, so tell me what the artifact is! The quicker I can get it, the faster I can finish this case."

"I'm going with you on this case," she stated breezily. "I won't let this artifact slip from our Department again."


"This is Luna." Hermione introduced to Ron after yet another of their evening class had let out. "She's going to help us with your sister and with shutting down the chamber."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ron," he stuck out his hand but she was paying him no mind. She was wandering over to a stone wall and tapping on it. Pressing her ear to it like she was listening to something.

Er," he looked on at her oddly.

"Don't mind her, that's just how she normally is," Hermione explained quickly.

"Hermione, did you read up on mythical animals like I told you too?" Luna asked as she kept her ear to the wall and moved alongside it. Several students gave her odd looks and moved out of the way.

"Yes. And I narrowed my search down to all reptile like creatures."

"And you said the bloody writing on the wall was on the second floor, close to the closed bathroom. The same bathroom where Moaning Myrtle's ghost was found frozen, as was the girl's, and where Collin Creevy's statue form was found not far away?"

"Yes, which means that the beast is coming from that area. It must have a nest there."

"Or, it's using the water pipes to travel," Luna pried her head away. "That's how it is getting around to the bathroom. The bathroom is merely where it exits."

"Which would explain moaning Myrtle's death decades ago." Hermione began to think hard, tapping a finger to her chin. "If Moaning Myrtle died as opposed to turning to stone, and only turned to stone now...and the girl who was found looking through her form only turned to stone too...whereas Collin was looking through his camera and turned to stone...it must mean that this beast can kill with it's looks."

"Which means it's a basilisk," Ron answered, surprising them both. They looked on at him. "What?" he shrugged. "The basilisk has been in folk lores for ages. I used to love reading books about it when I was younger."

"Then how do we fight it?" Hermione asked him.

"We can't look into it's eyes or else it'll kill us. And I'm guessing looking into reflections will simply turn us to stone." Ron answered.

"So then how do we trap it if we can't look at it?" Hermione mussed.

"That's why I'm here," Luna said, patting her tote bag. "Sometimes, the things we capture can be used to help.

Using artifacts? Hermione wasn't so sure about that. But she would trust Luna on this.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's head to the girl's bathroom and find that basilisk's nest," Ron said with a grim determination.

They headed in the direction of the second floor bathroom. They were closed off and forbidden from students entering because of all the incidents around the area. Given all that had happened, Hermione was surprised magical protection or guards were not put in place in this area. Seriously, the school could be doing so much more.

They gave Ron an odd look when he too went inside the girl's restroom. "What?" he gave them a look back. "There's no girls in here and we're trying to solve some issues."

They gave the restroom a look around, Ron calling to their attention and they went to where he stood, peering over a sink. The faucets were designed as snakes and they had emerald's set into their eyes, giving them an alive look. Ron looked fairly certain this was the place. "The beast must be getting through the sink."

"But how? It wouldn't be fitting through the pipes," Hermione said. "Shouldn't we look at the loos more?"

"No, he's right," Luna said, peering at the object with a hand on her chin. "I can see faint lines, but nevertheless lines that indicate there is something more behind this. Also, look at the floor." Hermone looked down and saw scrapes on the marble, like something heavy had been moved against it.

"Huh, so the sink opens up and lets the beast out. But surely a beast can't do this by itself."

"No, it cannot. Which means someone in this school is helping it," Luna concluded.

"So we should find them first," Hermione said but Luna was already shaking her head no.

"Whoever they are, they must have the artifact that can control this beast. However, right now the beast is more dangerous to us and to this school. We need to destroy it without alerting the person and then we can go after them."

That sounded like a good plan. "The only issue is, how are we going to get this open if we don't have the artifact used to open it."

"There's more than one way to get into something. I know a man who can help with this," Ron said as they looked down at the sink.

"With opening the sink? Can't we just try an opening spell first?" Hermione looked on at him as if he was daft.

"No," he shook his head. "We need to speak parseltongue in order to open this, if what we think is true of the beast wandering these halls. And I know just the guy. We only need to find a fireplace."

A/N: Decided to do a slight twist on the Chamber of Secrets. Can't imagine Bellatrix will be happy when she finds out Hermione is working a case behind her back :0