Author's note: I changed the summary, I know. Well, it's more descriptive now... don't you think? Thank you to all of you that have reviewed the story so far!
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE SECRET TUNNEL
It seemed that Professor Trelawney's prediction had to do with the green gem. It just felt that way. Now, instead of dreading Saturday, Harry wished that it would arrive sooner.
Ron and he walked out of the classroom a little dazed, but Ron seemed to recover after awhile.
"Do you think that she was lying? You know how Hermione always says things about divination being impractical and all? That's probably what happened today," he told Harry.
Harry nodded, but he didn't really believe Ron's words, just like he didn't believe his own.
Harry and Ron confronted Hermione the first time they could.
"I mean... what if she's not telling the truth? Professor McGonagall always said that-"
"-That divination is a very imprecise branch of magic," Harry groaned. "Really!" he added. "She went into a trance just like three years ago! Her eyes were rolled back and all!"
"But-"
"Hermione! Even Dumbledore said that she was having a real prediction back in our third year! It was exactly the same!"
"Well, Harry," Ron cut in, "Hermione and I weren't there, back in third year...."
"It was exactly the same!" Harry said, turning to Ron. "Don't you remember what she did today?"
"Of course. How could I forget?"
"You see?"
Hermione sighed. "Well then, Harry. How can we prevent it-the thing that's supposed to happen?"
He looked at her, not sure what to say.
"We can't let evil prevail," she continued, "so how do we stop it? Did the professor say how?"
"No-"
"Well, then. There's nothing that we can do. We just have to wait."
"Hermione's right," Ron said. "We can't do anything right now."
Harry sighed. "Fine, but I just feel that something's not right."
Hermione and Ron nodded.
"Nothing to do," Ron muttered.
But Harry's inner conscience told him otherwise.
* * *
Saturday seemed very long to Harry. He couldn't seem to concentrate on anything, especially homework.
"Harry!" Hermione squealed. "Haven't you done anything on your Charms essay?"
Harry nearly jumped at the sound of her voice.
"No," he said. "I mean, yeah. Hold on, no."
Harry looked solemnly at his parchment that only had one sentence written on it, feeling very stupid.
Hermione sighed. "I guess not."
At dinner, the three friends listened to Vetil, barely tolerating his repeated stories on how great flying was. Ron had snickered when Vetil told them that he had fallen off three times.
"When I fell, I knew how to slow down the process of the gravitational pull, so I floated safely to the ground and never got hurt!" Vetil said proudly.
Harry nodded. "Uh-huh."
Ron, Harry, and Hermione ate their dinner quickly, trying to hurry back to the Common Room and leave Vetil's unstoppable tellings behind. Ron and Harry left the Great Hall without even finishing their food.
Back in Gryffindor Tower, they settled down on the chairs in relief. Hermione started to read her extremely large book again. She was almost halfway through it.
Around 10:00pm, they started to discuss the topic of the green gem again.
"Why are you even receiving these dreams?" Ron asked.
"I dunno," Harry said.
Hermione sat in the silence that followed Harry's answer. She pondered the thought that Harry had received Voldemort's knowledge about Slytherin's like he had gotten the Dark Lord's power to speak to snakes. She was about to speak about this topic when the portrait door opened.
The headmaster came in.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron were shocked that Dumbledore had come to Gryffindor Common Room. The professor merely smiled.
"Ron? Can I speak to you for a moment?"
Ron, with questioning eyes, got up and followed the headmaster out, turning around briefly to shrug at Harry and Hermione.
"What's wrong? Is Ron in trouble?" Hermione asked, suspicious.
Harry shrugged. "I can't see why Dumbledore would need to talk to him...."
Hermione sighed. She looked down at her book once more.
Harry moved uncomfortably in his chair, anticipating the return of his friend. After ten minutes, Harry remembered his questions from yesterday at divination. In the light of what had happened, he had forgotten them.
"Hermione?" he asked.
"Hmm?" she said, not looking up from her book.
"I, um... have a few questions."
There was a subtle pause.
"Like...?" Hermione questioned.
"Yesterday at divination, I thought of what would happen if I, er," Harry said, "found the gem."
Hermione closed her book and looked up at him.
"I, er," Harry continued, "wondered what I should do if I did happen to find it. The book said that it could possess people, so if I touch it... wouldn't it take me over?"
Hermione drew in her breath with her eyes narrowed slightly. "Go to Dumbledore," she said.
"Huh?"
"If you find the gem, go to Dumbledore. We can't risk you getting possessed by it, and I guess the headmaster may have an idea of what to do with it."
"Yeah, I suppose."
Just then, the portrait hole swung open. Ron came in.
"Hi," he said.
Hermione turned to him.
"Where have you been? He said a moment. Not thirty minutes!" she said.
"Twenty-six," Ron corrected, looking down at his watch.
"Oh! Big difference!" Hermione said in an exasperated tone.
"Well, all we did was go outside by the lake. He asked me if there was anything wrong."
Harry sat up. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
Ron threw up his hands. "You tell me."
"So, that's it?" Hermione pushed.
"Yes," Ron assured her. "Then, I came back."
Hermione sat back in her chair. "It doesn't seem like that would take twenty-six minutes."
Ron shrugged, at the same time, yawning.
"Are you two tired?" he asked.
Harry started to nod, but stopped. He felt tired, but he couldn't be. There was a long night ahead of him.
Hermione shook her head. "No. If you're tired, you should go to bed."
Ron nodded. "I think I will."
He left, saying a brief goodnight to his two friends.
Harry rubbed his eyes and blinked several times. He stifled a yawn.
"Harry," Hermione said softly.
Harry sighed. He knew what was coming, and all of a sudden, he felt more tense than sleepy.
"It's time," Hermione said.
Harry nodded, feeling the tenseness grow, like it was squeezing around the pit of his stomach.
Harry solemnly took out the invisibility cloak from his pocket. He had put it there that morning to keep in handy.
"Now," Hermione whispered, "remember to check everything! Absolutely everything! And go straight to Dumbledore if you find anything."
She gave Harry a reassuring smile.
He nodded. "I know." Then, he paused. "Shouldn't we tell Ron about me going to the Chamber of Secrets?"
"We didn't yet?" Hermione asked, digging through her memory. "I guess we didn't...."
Harry got up.
"Well, since he went to bed, I guess I can tell him tomorrow...." Hermione said.
Harry nodded. "Okay."
Then, he started toward the exit.
"Don't be back too late!" Hermione said.
"Yes, I know."
He opened the portrait hole and spread the invisibility cloak out before himself.
"...And Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Hmm?" he turned toward her.
"Be careful...."
* * *
Andeline was seated where she was the last time she had looked out on Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Vetil. She pulled her cloak around her and stared at the dark night, lit only by the stars, for it was a new moon.
Andeline dreaded the new moon. It was a time of darkness and shadows. It was a time of secrets from beyond the comprehension of one. It was a time when evil arose from within, and the brightness of the moon would not drive them away. It was a time of vulnerability, for the eyesight was limited, and protection was scarce....
Suddenly, Andeline sat up. She leaned closer to the window and squinted outside. Something had moved from within the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. It had been a subtle movement, but Andeline had seen it.
She shivered, peering into the darkness. It seemed to draw her to it. It seemed to compress her with a tightening sensation of fear....
Darkness....
Something whispered softly to her, and she turned around, looking for the source.
Darkness brings evil.... Evil destroys hope....
Andeline drew in her breath and stared out into the blackness of the Forbidden Forest once more. She didn't see anything. It must have gone away.
The Darkness will never leave....
* * *
The gem pulsed restlessly, but it soon subsided. Its energy had faded slightly, because a lot of it had been used. For the first night in many, the gem had sensed its common evil around itself, but the evil had left before it could be located.
But, it didn't matter. Tonight, something had happened: something that would help the darkness conquer. The light was nothing right now... for the light had diminished like the gem's power, but unlike the gem, it would stay like that.
In a way, evil had a mind of its own, for it pushed away the light, hiding it in secret, for if the light was never found, then nothing would stand against the power of darkness....
* * *
Harry moved slowly down the dark halls towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He watched for signs of anyone watching before slipping through the entrance of the girls' bathroom.
Harry sighed. He took off the cloak and looked around the room warily.
"Myrtle?" he asked uncertainly.
Apparently, the ghost of the girl who died 50 years ago was not around. It was for the best. She would only slow Harry down if she were here.
He looked around before folding the invisibility cloak and putting it into his pocket. Harry took out his wand and walked toward the sinks.
A small snake was etched on one of the taps and Harry quickly found it.
He stared intently at the carving and said, "Open up."
It was in English.
Harry groaned. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated harder on the snake, making it look alive in his mind.
"Open up...." he hissed in parseltounge.
There was a low rumbling as the sink sank down below view and a hole appeared. Blackness filled up the pipe, and to Harry, it seemed as like it would swallow him whole when he stepped in.
Harry hesitated a little, hoping that no one would come, then he got in and slid down into the darkness.
The trip down was the same as it had been when he was in his 2nd year. The wind rushed onto his face as he slid down the pipe and on his sides, he spotted other pipes branching off.
Reaching the bottom, Harry got up and raised his wand.
He muttered, "Lumos."
A light flashed up from the point on his wand and lighted his way. He craned his neck and looked in all directions. The light seemed dim but it illuminated parts of the damp wall around him.
Harry started to walk very slowly. He held his wand over his head so that he could see farther ahead of himself.
He knew that soon, he would arrive at the cave-in.
As an answer, the rocks appeared just into his range of vision: the shapes growing more clear as he got closer. When he was right by them, he searched for the opening that led nearer to the entrance of the chamber. He walked along the rumble, and soon found the hole.
Harry squeezed through it and looked around. The basilisk skin was still there, as it had been about 4 years ago.
Harry eyed it, but quickly moved down the tunnel. He knew that it would be a few minutes walk.
The tunnel curved around a few times, but it finally led to the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.
The snakes were still there, their eyes gleaming in the light of Harry's wand. It seemed that they were taunting him, teasing him along his way....
"Open," Harry hissed in parseltounge, looking into the eyes of the serpents.
The wall parted, and Harry, remembering this part, walked in.
Upon entering, a small stench filled his nostrils. It was a decaying sort of smell....
Harry recoiled a bit, but made his way down into the heart of the dimly lit chamber.
The columns were still there, in their secretive style. The snakes that decorated them still seemed to watch Harry as he made his way closer to the statue of the basilisk. He stared warily around, hoping that there weren't any more basilisks around....
Then, the statue was looming overhead. Harry neared it, recalling its long beard that almost fell to the floor. As he came closer, he looked to the side, spotting the basilisk that he had killed. He turned away quickly, sure that the corpse caused the stench.
Harry craned his neck and stared up at the statue of Salazar Slytherin. It didn't look anything different from when he had last seen it. He remembered the statue's mouth would open if told to, but how would he get inside?
Suddenly, Harry spun around. His eyes darted left and right, up and down. He had heard something stir....
He quickly turned back to the statue. The faster he went to check if the gem was still there (which he thought was unlikely), the faster he could leave.
Now... what did he say?
"Open?" Harry said, sounding small. The word came out as a question more than an instruction.
He groaned.
What did Tom Riddle say last time? he wondered.
Harry sought back to the night during his 2nd year.
Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four....
That was it.
"Er," Harry started, "speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four...."
Nothing happened. He had spoken English.
It was almost impossible for Harry to speak parseltounge without a real snake or a picture/image of one.
Harry narrowed his eyes at the statue, attempting to trick his mind into thinking it was a snake.
"Open?"
Harry groaned.
He muttered the phrase a few times, then said, "Open, open, open," several times.
It didn't work. The statue definitely didn't look like a serpent.
Harry wondered what Hermione would say if he went back with no news.
She'd probably make me come back or come herself.... he thought to himself, laughing inwardly.
No. Better to get this over with.... he told himself.
Muttering, "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four," again, a small glitter caught his eye.
Harry looked for the source, turning his head this way and that. He then waved his wand slowly over his head, and the sparkle shone again, for the briefest second.
Harry hurried over to the spot where it was located: the statue's feet. As he neared the spot where Ginny had once lain, he saw that the glimmer came from yet another small jewel, much like that of the two serpents at the entrance. The jewel was the eye of a small snake, carved onto the base of the statue; the gem was blue.
Harry wondered how he had missed it before, eyeing it with intrest. Then, a thought crept into his head.
Where a snake is, a passageway is usually there also....
He stared intently at the serpent and said, "Open," only this time, in parseltounge.
Instead of the usual rumbling, a hole simply appeared where a large portion of the statue had disappeared.
Harry stared, perplexed, at the staircase that had magically appeared in front of his in less than a second.
He hesitated briefly, then walked forward. He ducked into the hole and entered a small room that housed the staircase. He looked up in awe, seeing the stairs leading into darkness.
Harry kept his wand over his head as he made his way slowly and cautiously up the stairs. It felt as if he were walking on endlessly. Every step he took, another would appear, ten feet in front of him.
Finally, he reached the top. The staircase opened into a gigantic room. The ceiling was about a foot taller that Harry, but he could see that it sloped up into the darkness.
Only the light of his wand lighted this room, and the light was too dim to fill the vast darkness that surrounded him. He looked around quickly at what he could see (which was almost absolutely nothing).
I must be in the mouth of the statue, he thought. This is where the basilisk was.... This is where the gem should be....
Harry took a step farther into the room. He looked around, walking in more ever so slowly.
Then he saw it. A small table was lying in one corner of the room and a transparent box lay on top of it. It reminded Harry of the muggle jewelry shops he had seen. The transparent cube usually had something expensive or exotic in it....
Harry hastily went to the table's side, but as he neared, his excitement died. Only a small velvet pillow was inside the glass cube, and the gem must've been on that.
He sighed, trying hard not to think of what might've happened to the stone... or who got it....
It couldn't be Voldemort, could it? he asked himself.
He had never heard of the Dark Lord owning a gem, or using one, so perhaps there was hope that Salazar Slytherin merely misplaced the gem... or so he told himself.
Suddenly, a hiss came from behind him. Harry jumped. Could basilisks see better in the light or dark?
It doesn't matter 'cause they can smell.... Harry thought.
Nevertheless, he gripped his wand tightly and muttered, "Nox."
The light from his wand abruptly shut off and he was swept into darkness.
The hiss came again, and Harry moved sideways, away from the noise. He closed his eyes, inching towards what he hoped to be the exit.
What should I do? What can I do?
He heard the faint hiss again, too soft to be made out.
Can I control a basilisk? he thought. If I can't then.... The basilisk's weakness is its eyes.... Damage the eyes....
Then, from behind him, a voice hissed, "You are a parssselmouth, but you are a ssstranger to me...."
Harry didn't know what to say. He heard a small slithering sound coming toward him. Just then, he ran into a wall.
Harry turned around and saw two green eyes staring intently at him from the darkness. He drew back in surprise.
"Why are your eyes glowing? Are you a snake?" he asked in English.
"Anssswer me sssstranger...."
"Lumos," Harry muttered. Light flashed into the room and he blinked several times before he could see properly again.
A small, blue and green snake was slithering towards him; its eyes were sparkling green.
"Your eyesss," Harry hissed. "Why are they green?"
The snake brought its top portion upright and stared into Harry's eyes.
"Yoursss are alssso...." it said.
"But... why do they glow?"
"I am ssspecial...." the snake answered. "I am immortal...."
Harry didn't exactly know what to do. He had never seen this snake before, and it felt awkward speaking to it.
He looked around for the staircase.
"What is your purpose of being here?" the snake asked.
"To find a gem...." Harry answered warily.
The snake cringed. Its eyes sparked in submissive fear.
"Yesss.... The man who made this place put it here...." it said.
"Well, where is it?" Harry asked apprehensively.
The snake flicked its head. "It usssed to be over there... but not anymore...."
"Then, where isss it?"
Again the snake showed fear, even more this time.
It wavered a bit then said, "Someone came... very evil that one was.... He took the gem... and he used it...."
"Who wass he?"
The snake lowered its body. It moved out of the light.
"Darker than of all darkness. He brought evil into the blackest places.... He told me to call him the Dark Lord...."
Harry choked out, "Voldemort?"
"Yesss.... But he was originally called Tom Marvolo Riddle...."
A sickening sensation built up. Harry let out his breath. He had been right. Voldemort had taken it, and used it. All the lies in the world could not cover up the plain truth.
The snake looked up at Harry.
"Why do you want it?" the snake asked.
Harry snapped back into reality.
"What?"
"Why do you want the gem? It is all evil, but I do not sense evil in you...." the snake said.
"Not to use it.... To make sure that no one will use it for bad purposes...." Harry answered.
"I see...."
Harry watched as the snake slithered back into the light.
"Perhapsss," it said, "he put it in the secret tunnel...."
"What?"
The snake cocked its head in confusion.
"You have never heard of the Secret Tunnel?"
Harry shook his head slowly. Then he said, "No," in case the snake didn't know what shaking his head meant.
"I thought that you would know.... No wonder why you didn't check in there...."
The snake slithered off, hissing, "Follow me...."
Harry hurried after the green/blue snake, not wanting to lose it.
"It isss here...." the snake stated, after stopping at the other side of the room.
Harry went to the wall. There was no tunnel. It looked like a normal wall to him: solid.
The snake quickly hissed, "Thisss isss where I ssstay.... I will be here if you need anything...."
It slithered off into the darkness.
Harry watched it leave, then turned his attention back to the wall.
It was very dusty. He thought he saw some lumps in it, but couldn't be sure.
To get the dust off, Harry blew on it. The gray specs swirled around him and filled his nostrils.
Harry sneezed.
After the dust had cleared, and Harry had caught his breath again, he looked up at the wall. It was now cream colored, and a crack ran from the top to the bottom. Two serpents were carved on either side of the crack. Their eyes were black jewels.
Harry reached out his hand and wiped off the excess dust. Then, he traced the crack with his first finger.
This must be another passageway, he thought.
Breathing in slowly, Harry thought of the possibilities that the gem might be located in the so-called Secret Tunnel. It was worth a try....
Staring at the two serpents, he hissed, "Open...."
A deep rumbling filled the room. The ground under Harry's feet shook with might, and he grabbed the wall for support, afraid that he might lose his balance and fall.
It felt like an earthquake was happening. Harry hoped that the statue wouldn't crumble.
Suddenly, the wall was gone, for it had parted, and Harry stumbled forward without support. Losing his balance he fell. He stayed crouched on the ground. He was sure that if he got up, he would topple over again....
Then, the rumbling ceased.
The silence took Harry by surprise, and his ears faintly ringed from the memory of the noise. He shook his head a little bit.
Slowly, Harry got up. He looked into the statue's mouth, where he had come from. Then, hesitantly, he turned and stared down the passageway that led into darkness. From what he could see, it was muddy and very long....
The Secret Tunnel.... he thought.