Harry rushed straight to the Hospital Wing, with Ron right on his heels. Sure enough, he spotted his bushy-haired best friend lying utterly still. Her eyes were open and glassy, with her right arm outstretched. Neville was sitting by her bedside when they came in.

He glanced over as Harry and Ron sank down next to him. Neville reached into his pocket and pressed the mirror into Harry's hand, "Looks like she used it, but doesn't seem to have made a difference. What now?"

Harry stood up abruptly, "We really get to the bottom of this mystery. Remember I mentioned that Hagrid had a pet Acromantula? If it's still around, it could tell us who the real culprit is."

Ron's knees shook, "Y-you serious, mate? W-why did it have to be spiders, of all things! Couldn't it have been butterflies or something?"

Harry sighed, "I know it's hard, mate. Don't worry, I'll have your back. I'll ask Katie to come as backup. Nev, you're coming too, right?"

The pudgy boy nodded vigorously, "Absolutely! We'll do this for Hermione. I hope we finally get to crack this mystery once and for all."

The next day, they happened to run into Hannah, Susan and Ernie Macmillan. The boy stepped forward with an embarrassed expression, Susan had crossed her arms and given her housemate the stink-eye, and Hannah was tapping her foot expectantly. Hannah glared at Ernie and said, "Harry, I think SOMEONE needs to get something off their chest."

Ernie sheepishly said, "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry for ever suspecting you. These two have been trying to talk some sense into me for ages, and its finally hit home. I know for a fact that you'd never attack Hermione. I wanted to apologise for the stuff that I said."

Harry said nothing for a while before he finally said, "I will forgive you this time. But I will never forget this. Next time, use your brains instead of jumping to conclusions and believing anything from the rumour mill."

If anything, Malfoy was even more insufferable than usual. It took everything in their power to not hex him on the spot. Three days after the double-attack, in the Great Hall he loudly proclaimed, "I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now. Bet you five Galleons that the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger."

On cue, the taboo activated, deducting 150 points from Slytherin. Harry restrained Ron before loudly saying, "Malfoy, say that filthy word one more time and I will not hesitate shoot another boxing glove arrow at you. Maybe this time, I'll aim it where the sun don't shine."


A few days later, Macmillan sidled up to them in Herbology. He asked, "Malfoy seems awfully smug about all of this? Do you think he's the Heir of Slytherin? Bloke's been throwing around that slur like Halloween candy."

Harry scoffed, "In my honest opinion, Malfoy's all talk. He's nothing but a braggart. His father on the other hand, is pretty shady."

Ernie shrugged, "Got that right, Bloke gives me the creeps, that one. I'm a Pureblood as well, and my folks happened to meet him at a Ministry function. Oh I say! What's that?"

Harry looked and spotted a trail of spiders scuttling away. He murmured, "Bunch of spiders. Look like they're headed for the Forbidden Forest. I wonder why though…"

That night, Harry, Ron and Neville silently crept downstairs from their dorms after curfew. Fortunately, Katie was waiting for them in the Common Room. Harry handed his Invisibility Cloak to Ron and Neville, "Here… You two will need it more than us. Us Hunters have been trained for stealth. After all, can't have our prey be alerted of our presence, and we don't all have the luxury of an Invisibility Cloak."

Eventually, they all crept out of the portrait and padded silently down the corridors. Harry and Katie mostly stuck to the shadows, while Ron and Neville tailed them under the Cloak. Soon, they reached the Forbidden Forest, and they stopped briefly. Harry had a backpack with an Extension Charm on it, courtesy of Katie. From there, he withdrew a spatha, which he handed to Neville, and a spear, which he handed to Ron. Katie tugged off a pair of hairclips, which transformed into a bow and quiver full of arrows. Finally, Harry pulled out his Hunting knives and they advanced.

In two minutes, Harry's sharper eyes spotted a couple of spiders scurrying ahead of them. They stealthily followed the small arachnids for what felt like half an hour. Suddenly, a large hairy shape leaped out at them from the shadows, only to crash dead at their feet with Katie's arrow protruding from its gut. Harry gave an appreciative whistle, "Good shot!"

She preened, "I try… And it was about time I had to save your arse from something!"

Just then, there was a quick cry from Ron, and they looked up to see more large shapes advancing on their position. They all raised their weapons, and the figures stopped. Harry took a tentative step forward, and the cart horse-sized spiders backed off even more. Deciding to risk it, he hissed and clicked at the spiders, "We're here to see Aragog!"

One large spider recoiled, "You speak our tongue? No wizard has ever been able to speak our tongue. The only known speakers are Parselmouths, and they speak to snakes. Very well, we shall take you to Aragog."

The Acromantula group led the four of them to a vast hollow. This hollow had been clear of trees and the stars shone on a vast horde of giant spiders. All of them were standing on a thick maze of inter-connected cobwebs, with the biggest one in the center. The spider that Harry spoke to, called out, "Aragog! Aragog!"

In response, a gap emerged from the central web and a spider, the size of an elephant, crawled out. He clicked his pincers rapidly, "What is it? I was sleeping."

"Humans have come, seeking an audience."

Aragog's eight milky eyes wandered around, "Is it Hagrid?"

"No, four strangers. But two of them seem different from the others."

Aragog sniffed a couple of times, "Yes… There is a touch of divinity among you. Step forward and announce yourself."

Harry spoke up in his normal voice, "I am Harry Potter. Wizard and demigod. The first and only demigod son of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. My companions are Katie Bell, witch and a Hunter of Artemis. As well as two wizards, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom."

Aragog's pincers clicked sharply, "You lie! I know the legends of Lady Artemis being a virgin goddess! She would have never broken her oath to sire a child! We should kill you where you stand, for your insolence!"

The enraged Acromantulas advanced, ready to kill the intruders. However, Harry yelled back, "It is no lie! Lady Artemis found a loophole in her oath. My birth parents, James and Lily Potter were having trouble conceiving because of an infertility curse. They prayed for divine intervention and Lady Artemis answered the call. With the help of a Blood Ritual, she helped my mother conceive. The only caveat of the ritual was that Lady Artemis is also counted as my mother."

That got Aragog to raise a hairy leg and the other spiders to pause. He spoke, "Is this true, young demigod?"

Harry nodded, "Yes… I am willing to swear on the River Styx, if it will get you to believe me."

After an agonising minute, Aragog made another signal and the spiders backed off. He said, "You have my attention, Son of Artemis. What brings you and your companions to my lair. Willingly, I might add?"

Harry took a deep breath, "Hagrid is in trouble. Over the course of this year, there have been a series of petrification attacks. We learned that the same thing happened 50 years ago, and Hagrid was accused. According to those reports, you were the culprit, but I had my doubts."

Aragog clicked his pincers fretfully, "Yes, it was years ago, and I remember it well. I was not born in this so-called Chamber of Secrets. I come from a distant land. A traveller gave my egg to Hagrid and he cared for me when I hatched. He was just a boy at the time and became my good friend. Soon, I was discovered and blamed for the death of a girl. I was forced to flee into the forest and have been living here, ever since. I never attacked anyone during that fateful year. It would have been my instinct to do so, but my respect for Hagrid always prevented me. The girl's body was discovered in a bathroom, but my home was in a cupboard in the castle. Our kind like the dark and the quiet."

Harry quickly translated for the others and Katie asked, "Aragog? Do you know what killed that girl, or the ones who are petrifying the students? Harry seems to think that the culprit is a Gorgon."

Aragog shook his head, "You are on the right track, but the creature is no Gorgon. The thing that lives in the castle is an ancient creature that we spiders fear above all else. I had often sensed the beast roaming the castle and begged Hagrid to let me go. We do not speak of it, ever. I never even told Hagrid the name of the dreaded creature."

Harry bowed respectfully, "Thank you Aragog, we will not push you any further, seeing as the subject is distressing you so. We shall take our leave now."

"Leave? I think not. My children are hungry and I cannot deny them fresh meat. Especially when it wanders willingly in our midst. Goodbye, son of the Huntress."

He slowly crawled back, as the other spiders emerged from their holes and began advancing, menacingly. The four students pressed their backs to each other and began hurrying out. Harry swapped out his Hunting knives for his own bow and arrow.

They all managed to crawl out of the hollow, but the horde kept advancing. One large Acromantula leaped at a terrified Ron. He slammed his eyes shut and blindly thrust out his spear. With an inhuman screech, the arachnid impaled itself and died on the spot. The swarm was relentless, but the quartet were able to keep them at bay, just barely.

Suddenly, an arrow came whistling past them and struck an Acromantula. Harry looked at Katie in askance, but she shrugged, indicating that it wasn't her. More arrows came raining down and his heart leaped, thinking that his sisters had come to save them. Then he had a closer look at one of the arrows, noting that they were more rudimentary, and then he heard hooves galloping.

Then he saw a group of centaurs hollering and firing arrows, before spotted a familiar centaur. He yelled in surprise, "Lord Chiron?! What are you doing here?"

Chiron called back, "Hello there Mr. Potter! Glad we arrived when we did! To be honest, it is quite the story. Shall we get out of Acromantula territory before we continue our conversation?"

Then another familiar animal galloped over, the unicorn that he rescued in First Year. So, the four student made a quick getaway, with Ron, Neville and Katie riding on the backs of some centaurs. Meanwhile, Harry was riding on his unicorn. The Acromantulas gave chase for a while, before giving up and crawling back to their lairs.

Finally, they reached the edge of the forest before dismounting their respective rides. He gently pat his unicorn's snout, "Thank you… Mistmane." Then, Harry asked, "So Chiron, why are you here? What's happening at Camp?"

His face grew grave, "There's been an incident… Thalia's tree has been poisoned. Lord Zeus was most displeased when he found out. In essence, I have been dismissed. The good news is that I was granted leeway to appoint my temporary replacement. If I remember correctly from your letters to Annabeth, your headmaster was also dismissed from his position. I met him the other day and we collectively decided to spend some time in each other's shoes. Your deputy headmistress McGonagall, is aware of the change, as is Lady Hecate, who vouched for me."

Harry hugged him, "I'm glad you're here, Chiron. Or is that Headmaster Chiron, now?"

He chuckled, "Officially speaking, I am Chiron Brunner. I had to admit though, it took some time to convince Mr Malfoy, but once Professor Daly mentioned that I was a Pureblood from America, he was sold on the idea. Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore is officially the new activities director."

Then, he morphed into his human form, as a person on a wheelchair. He wheeled himself forward, "Well enough about me for tonight. I suggest you four trot off to bed, now. We shall talk in the morning."

They split up and the four students made their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Once again, Ron and Neville were under the Invisibility Cloak, while Harry and Katie stuck to the shadows. When they were safely inside, they split up and went to bed.


The next morning, the events of last night eventually caught up to Harry. He reached over and shook Ron and Neville awake. The two boys woke up and he said, "Something just made sense to me. Remember Aragog mentioned something about the girl who died. He said that she was found in a bathroom. I mean, what if she never left there."

The answer hit both of them like a ton of bricks. Ron breathed, "Blimey! You don't think-"

The trio said in unison, "Moaning Myrtle!"

The same morning, Chiron was introduced as the temporary Headmaster in front of the whole school. Harry could hear Malfoy muttering, "Who the hell is this cripple? My father will hear about this. He promised me that he would be in charge of this school and would get rid of all the M- filth from this school."

Then, Sprout stepped forward, "Students, It gives me great pleasure to announce that Headmaster Brunner has promised to send for some experts in Herbology to help with the Mandrakes. Hopefully, we should be able to revive the petrified students very soon."

That announcement was met with raucous cheers. As breakfast began in earnest, Ginny Weasley slid in next to Ron, wringing her hands nervously. Ron looked at her curiously, "Hey Gin, what's up?"

He mumbled, "I-I need to tell you something…"

Harry gently asked, "Hey… don't stress yourself… Take your time. We're right here. Just breathe slowly and calm down. Then you can tell us."

However, just as she was about to speak, Percy shuffled in, wearily. He tiredly said, "If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I've just come off patrol duty and I'm starving."

She squeaked in fright and bolted away. In response, a concerned Mackenzie went after her. Ron shot him a confused look, "Oi Percy! What was that all about?"

Percy choked on his tea. He coughed, "Nothing! Nothing! Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was – well, never mind – the point is, she spotted me doing something. So I kind of asked her to keep it between us. It's nothing really…"

Harry had a mischievous grin, "She didn't walk in on you 'in your skivvies', did she?"

Ron also had a mischievous grin, "Oh! You did not! You weren't wanking yourself, were you?"

Percy was scarlet, "Don't be ridiculous! I was not- Never mind… It's nothing! Drop it!"

Afterwards, Harry went up to visit Chiron, who informed him that someone had poisoned Thalia's tree with Elder Python venom. The biggest suspect was none other than Luke, prompting a fuming Harry to swear revenge.


Later on in between classes, Harry, Neville and Ron managed to sneak in to see Hermione in the Hospital Wing. He wanted to see if she had managed to find some extra information before her petrification. This was done under supervision from Professor McGonagall, and she left them with Madam Pomfrey before leaving. Especially since every professor had been tasked with escorting their students to their respective classes.

Ron and Neville stood by as Harry examined the still body of his friend. Then he noticed that her outstretched right hand was clutching a piece of paper, tucked firmly inside her palm. Eventually, he managed to deftly manoeuvre the parchment without tearing it.

Together, the trio read, "Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many centuries, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its method of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eyeball shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."

Under the paragraph, he noted that Hermione had written the word, 'Pipes'. The answer hit him and he staggered in shock. Harry muttered, "Skata! I've been going about this all wrong! This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber is a basilisk – a giant serpent! That's why I've been hearing that hissing voice! Damn it! I've been so fixated on the fact that the culprit is a monster from Greek mythology, I forgot that the wizarding world has its own monsters as well."

Neville asked, "But if its stare causes instant death, then how come no one's died?"

Harry replied, "It all makes sense... Nobody has looked at it directly in the eyes. Colin saw it through his camera and the gaze simply burned the film. Justin saw it through Sir Nicholas. Obviously, Nearly Headless Nick can't exactly die again. Hermione and Penelope Clearwater saw it through the mirror."

Ron finished for him, "And it was flooded when Mrs. Norris was attacked. She must have seen its reflection in the water. Harry! The roosters!"

Harry snapped his fingers, "That's right! Hagrid reported that his roosters were being killed. I bet you that someone was not taking any chances. Also, all those spiders running away from the castle!. They knew that the Basilisk was there, and wanted to escape it."

Then Ron asked, "But surely someone would have noticed a bloody big snake in the castle! How can something that big, not be noticed by anyone?"

Harry smiled, "Hermione figured it out already. The pipes! The basilisk was using the plumbing to move around unnoticed."

Neville paled, "B-but that means that the Entrance to the Chamber of Secrets! What if it is a bathroom!"

Harry grinned, "Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, to be precise. There's got to be someone here, who's a Parselmouth. I can speak to any animal, and I've had rock solid alibis."

Ron stood up, "Come on… Let's go find McGonagall! She should be in the staffroom. Harry! Get a message to Sirius! He'll want to know about this!"

The trio walked out of the Hospital Wing, and then bolted for the staff room. As they ran, Harry said, "Neville! Can you get a message to Sirius? Also, if you happen to find Katie, tell her to meet us near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom!"

The boy nodded, "Got it!", and then he split off. Turning a corner, he and Ron almost ran headlong into Professor McGonagall. They froze in their tracks and her lips tightened, "Mr Potter and Mr Weasley… I trust there is a reason why you two are running around the corridors like hooligans."

Harry bowed in apology, "Sorry professor, it won't happen again. We think we've solved the mystery behind the attacks."

Her face registered some surprise, but then grew sad, "Yes about that, I was looking for the two of you anyway. Come with me to the staffroom. I will inform you two and the faculty together. Also Mr. Potter, I think it's time that the other faculty know the truth about you. Just the Heads of House, though. Before his dismissal, Headmaster Dumbledore and I were discussing that prospect, and Headmaster Brunner said the same thing."

He breathed out, "Okay professor… If you think that is the best course of action, I will respect that."

The three of them entered, and soon afterwards, Professors Snape, Flitwick and Sprout entered. Snape took a look at the two boys, "What are you two brats doing here? Up to no good, as usual."

McGonagall interrupted sharply, "Professor Snape! They are here on my request, and this partly involves them, anyway. My dear colleagues… It has happened… Two students have been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

There were various exclamations of shock from the other three Heads of House. Harry and Ron were also shocked, and the demigod stammered, "W-who were the students?"

McGonagall was white as a sheet, "Ginny Weasley and Mackenzie Dursley… I am truly sorry Mr Potter and Mr Weasley. There was a new message right underneath the first one. It read, Their skeletons will lie in the Chamber forever."

Harry clenched his fists, "They're not going to die… Not on my watch! I promised Mackenzie that I'd look out for her. I'm not going to break that promise now."

He caught McGonagall's eye, as well as Professor Daly, who happened to walk in. They both nodded and he breathed out. "Professors… There is something you all need to know about me. Long before I was born, my parents had trouble conceiving. As it turned out, my mother was hit with a curse, rendering her barren. However, they soon found an Ancient Greek ritual from the Black Library. Unfortunately, it was not a Fertility Ritual, but a Summoning one. In the process, they managed to accidentally summon Lady Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt. With the help of another ritual, she helped them conceive, but the catch was that she is also counted as my parent."

He paused and took in stunned expressions from everyone, except for those in the know. Harry continued, "I know this might sound unbelievable, but the Greek Gods are real. Many of them have often taken mortal forms and sired children with regular humans. Mother Artemis was an exception because she is a virgin Goddess and vowed to never fall in love. My conception was a loophole in her oath."

Professor Daly spoke up from near the back, surprising everyone. She said "He's telling the truth. I can sense that most of you are sceptical, especially you, Professor Snape. However, Harry is telling the truth."

Then, right in front of their eyes, she transformed into another form. She was wearing white robes with ornate silver designs. Finally, she was holding two burning torches. Daly said, "I am Hecate, Greek Goddess of Magic, the Mist, crossroads and many more."

Everyone in the room could feel her power oozing from her. Flitwick got on his knees and bowed, "My lady, it is an honour."

She transformed back and spoke up, "Arise, please. There is no need to bow. I was merely making a point. Now Mr. Potter, I believe you have something to tell us?"

He nodded eagerly, "Yes Milady. As per our investigation, we have discovered that the Monster of Slytherin is none other than a basilisk."

All of the professors were in shock. However, Hecate scowled, "I told that foolish son of mine that breeding a basilisk was a terrible idea. Sadly, Herpo was always a black sheep in my family."

Snape blanched, "Y-you mean, Herpo the Foul was your son? How many Wizarding children are demigods?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "That are a handful of demigod wizards in this current generation, and Potter is the only one in Hogwarts. However, the Founders were also demigods. Godric was the son of Zeus, Rowena was the daughter of Athena, Helga was the daughter of Demeter and Salazar was my son. Magically speaking, my son was the most powerful. The other three inherited magic through my blessing. Anyway, we have derailed this conversation, and you have my apologies."

Harry said, "Milady, I wish to seek permission to hunt this monster and kill it before it can harm anyone else."

Snape scoffed, "You, Potter? What can you do, foolish boy! You are just a child! Better to leave it to us, as we are adults. Can't have you inflate your ego, just like your fath-"

Hecate wandlessly silenced him and shot him a murderous glare. The air felt heavy in her magic and she snarled, "Have care how you speak, Severus Snape. Lady Artemis will not take too kindly to anyone who insults her. Especially when someone questions how she has raised her own child. As for Mr. Potter, his credentials as a demigod speak for themselves. Last year, the Olympian Gods were on the brink of a civil war. Someone had stolen Lord Zeus' Lightning Bolt and his brother Poseidon was accused. Mr Potter and three others, embarked on a quest to find the Lightning Bolt and prevent this war. He and the son of Poseidon fought and killed Medusa the Gorgon. Mr Potter also singlehandedly defeated the legendary Chimaera, as well as Echidna, the Mother of Monsters. Finally, Mr. Potter and his companions journeyed to the Underworld to look for the Lightning Bolt."

With a wave of her hand, a projection lit up and replayed all of the events of his quest. By the end, Ron's jaw was on the floor, and the faculty were stunned into silence. Even Snape gazed at him in a new light, afterwards Hecate dispelled the projection.

Just then, the door flew open and Lockhart sauntered in, beaming. He cheerily said, "So sorry – dozed off – what have I missed?"

Sneering very heavily, Snape drawled, "Ahh, Professor Lockhart… Just the man we were looking for. Two girls have been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come."

Lockhart blanched, and Sprout caught on to what Snape was doing, "Oh yes, I remember! Weren't you saying last night that you've known all along, where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

Flitwick was next, "If I'm not mistaken, you mentioned that you were sure you knew what was inside it?"

With a vindictive gleam in his eye, Snape finished, "I certainly remember you saying that you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before the Headmaster's dismissal. According to you, the whole affair was bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

McGonagall hit the final nail in the coffin, "We leave it in your capable hands then, Gilderoy. Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We were thinking of sending the students home anyway, so they will be out of your way. You can tackle the monster all by yourself, a free rein at least."

The blond peacock gazed desperately around him, but there was no help. He feebly spoke, "V-very well… I'll – I'll be in my office getting – getting ready."

With that, he bolted, and McGonagall sighed with relief. After a few beats, Hecate said, "I trust that all that we have said, will not leave this room? The Wizarding World is not ready to learn of the existence of the Greek Gods. However, I trust all of you to a degree. I need all of you to swear to never reveal the truth of Mr. Potter's lineage to anyone until we say so. Swear it on the River Styx, so that it will be binding."

One-by-one, the professors took out their wands and swore the oath. Finally, Harry said, "Professors? Please may we go to slay the Basilisk? The longer we delay, the more danger, Ginny and Mackenzie will be in."

Sprout asked, "Mr Potter, I'm not doubting your prowess, but wouldn't it be wiser to call for the Aurors and go with them?"

Harry shook his head, "Professor Sprout, I'd rather not delay, because every second wasted wait for the Aurors, will put Ginny and Mackenzie at even more risk."

McGonagall nodded, "Very well, Mr. Potter. Go and find them. Good luck."


The two of them hurried out of the staffroom and went in the direction of Myrtle's bathroom. Along the way, they met Lavender, who was looking pretty panicked. She exclaimed, "Harry! Ron! There's been another attack and-"

Harry interrupted her, "We know, Professor McGonagall informed us. We think we know what's been attacking the students-"

She perked up, "Let's go find Professor Lockhart! I'm sure he will know how to beat the monster! Maybe we will feature in his next book! Parvati's going to be so jealous!"

With that, she rushed off to the DADA office, and the two boys chased after her. As the three of them reached, they heard a lot of activity inside. The trio could hear scraping, thumps and frantic footsteps pacing about. Lavender knocked, and it cracked open to reveal one of Lockhart's eyes.

He exclaimed, "Oh! Mr Potter, Mr Weasley and Ms Brown! I'm rather busy at the moment, so if you would be quick."

Lavender excitedly said, "Professor! Harry and Ron have some information for you. We think it might help you in your quest to slay the monster!"

He spluttered before finally opening the door. The room was completely stripped bare, except for a few posters. There were also two large trunks that were in the process of being filled. Lavender cocked her head curiously, "Umm… Professor? Are you going somewhere?"

He blustered, "Er, well, yes. Urgent call – unavoidable – got to go.."

Ron snapped, "What about my sister and Harry's cousin!"

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

Lavender squeaked, "But-but! You're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher! You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"

He replied while continuing to pack, "Well, when I took the job. This wasn't part of the job description."

Lavender felt her heart breaking in two, "Y-you're running away! After all that stuff you did in your books! You were a hero! Everyone admired you! I admired you!"

He delicately replied, "Books can be misleading. Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. The witch who banished the Bandon Banshee has a hairy chin!"

Harry was incredulous, "So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?"

He patronisingly said, "Harry, Harry, Harry… It's not as simple as that. There was work involved, especially tracking these people and getting their stories. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them, so they won't remember a thing. If there was one thing I excelled in, it was Memory Charms. That being said-"

He whipped out his wand and pointed it at the three of them, "Obliviate!"

Harry was faster and activated his shield, covering himself, Ron and Lavender. The spell impacted the Celestial Bronze shield and ricocheted back, nailing Lockhart, blasting him backwards, knocking him unconscious.

There was dead silence in the room, save for Lavender Brown's heavy breathing. The girl's heart ripped itself to shreds as she replayed the events in her head. She gasped, "I can't believe… He was about to… He lied to all of us…"

Then she hugged Harry suddenly, "Thanks for saving us. Now go and save those two girls. I'll spread the word about Lockhart."

Nodding, they split up, with the girl running back to the Gryffindor tower. Finally Harry and Ron reached Myrtle's bathroom, and Katie came jogging up a few minutes later. She handed him his rings and placed her hands on her knees, wheezing slightly. She panted "Got the message from Neville. He said that Sirius and the other Aurors are currently conducting a raid elsewhere. So they will be delayed a bit. Right now, it's just us. What are we up against?"

Ron muttered, "A freaking Basilisk. We think that the Chamber is in Myrtle's bathroom."

They entered and found the ghost idly floating around. She spotted them, "Oh, it's you. What do you want this time?"

"What happened to you when you died. We think that you were one of the victims when the Chamber was opened, 50 years ago."

The ghost girl looked positively thrilled at the prospect and began chattering like there was no tomorrow. She explained excitedly, "OOO! It was absolutely dreadful! Happened right here and I died in this very stall. I remember it well because I was hiding here after Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked and I was crying, then I heard someone come in. They said something in a different language, I think. However, I did note that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door to tell him to go and use his own toilet. And then I died. I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away. Now I'm a ghost and I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby!"

Katie asked, "Where did you see the eyes?"

Moaning Myrtle pointed to a nearby group of sinks in the middle of the room. Harry went to observe one of them and noticed that one of the copper taps had the engraving of a tiny snake.

He tried to turn it but it refused to budge. Then Ron suggested, "Why not say something in Parseltongue? Harry, you can speak to any animal, right? Surely you can talk to snakes as well."

He nodded, "Good idea."

Then, Katie beckoned to Harry, "I've got some parchment with me. We can leave a message here for Sirius, asking for some Parselmouths. Also, Harry pass me one of your Hunting knives."

He handed it to her and she used it to tear three strips from their robes. Harry then turned back to the sink, imagined that he was talking to a snake, and hissed, "Open up."

A second later, a hidden mechanism activated and the sink moved away. When it finished, a large pipe, with a yawning opening big enough for people to enter, lay before them. Harry took one look at it, "For Ginny and Mackenzie. See you on the other side."

He jumped down, with Ron and Katie hopping in after him after leaving a message for Sirius and the Aurors. Myrtle called after them, "If you die, you're welcome to share my toilet! If you live, do put in a good word for me to go to Elysium?! Heck! I'll even take the Fields of Asphodel!"

The trio slid down a seemingly endless slide. Harry threw up his arms and whooped, "Whoo! This is just like at Disneyland!"

Eventually, the pipe levelled out and they shot out of the end. Ron landed with a wet thud, but the other two tucked and rolled before stopping with a crouch. Getting their bearings, they observed the dark room surrounding them. Harry retrieved his wand from its holster and chanted, "Lumos."

Even with the light source, it was still hard to see. Soon, they heard crunching sounds from their feet, and realised that they were the bones of various small critters. Harry even noticed the remains of a few Myrmekes littered around.

Just then, Ron grabbed his shoulder, "Harry, there's something big over there!"

Sure enough, there was something huge and curved, lying across the tunnel. However, it lay motionless, so Harry crept forward for a closer look. Just to be safe, he unsheathed one of his daggers. Then he relaxed, "False alarm. It's just its skin."

They surged forward, but the next room was empty, save for a pile of rubble. The bad news was that it was blocking the entry to the next room. Fortunately, there was enough space for Harry to squeeze through. Despite his lean body, he was always shorter than Ron. He carefully crawled through and called back, "See if you two can find another way through."

Harry surged ahead and wandered through a long tunnel, until he reached a solid wall. However, there was a circular door, which had two entwined serpents on it. Once again, he hissed for the door to open and he crawled through, wondering what awaited him on the other side. He had to find Ginny and Mackenzie, he just had to.