Someone had been to the library while they were gone and put all the books back on their shelves. Luckily, the bookcase that had been knocked over had not been moved back into place. Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the small chamber with the statue and stood looking at it, unsure what they should do next.
"Well, I guess we just put the sword into its scabbard," Harry said. "And then jump out of the way, in case it opens a trapdoor to the chamber right where you need to stand. Hermione, are you sure you've told us everything about the chamber that you know?"
"Of course I have," she replied. "Would I keep anything like that from you?"
"You forgot about the key until I mentioned it," Ron pointed out.
"Okay, so I forgot. If you had bothered to read the journal, you wouldn't have to trust me when I say that's everything I know."
"If you had put the journal down long enough for someone to start reading it, maybe I would have."
Harry ignored the bickering behind him as he slid Gryffindor's sword into the statue's sheath. He stepped back and waited for something to happen.
Hermione and Ron grew quiet as they saw Harry had made his move. They looked around, but nothing had changed.
Then the griffin statue began to move. It blinked its eyes for a moment. Then it seemed to bow slightly, though it might have just been stretching, and shuffled to the right, revealing a door in the wall. Harry walked up and pushed it open. He entered the chamber, followed by Ron and Hermione, who were followed by the statue.
Harry found himself in a small circular room, hung with tapestries depicting lions in the Gryffindor colors. At one end was a fireplace, with a brightly burning fire lighting up the room. In the middle of the room was a table with another book on it.
Harry turned to see what his friends were making of it. Ron was waving his hand slowly through the air, staring as red and gold sparks showered down where he moved. Hermione was already providing an explanation.
"Strong concentration of magic. The energy you create by moving against it discharges as the sparks. I've never seen quite so many, the magical concentration in here is quite strong."
"It must be, to keep the fire burning so long." Harry started to turn back to the chamber, but something odd caught his eye. The statue that had followed them into the chamber had continued to change. Before, it had just looked like a moving statue. Harry had seen enough animated objects around Hogwarts to not find anything strange about it. But now its movement had begun to smooth out, becoming less jerky and stiff, and it was slowly changing color.
Ron noticed Harry staring at it and turned around. His eyes widened. "Harry, you don't suppose it's coming to life, do you?"
Hermione also turned and looked. Almost all of the stony greyness had been replaced with a soft golden brown color.
"I think it is, Ron," Harry said.
He walked over to the griffin, which bowed again. This time there was no mistaking the purpose of its movement. Remembering the lessons he had had with Hagrid's hippogriffs, Harry bowed back. The griffin let him reach up slightly and stroke its beak. It felt completely real.
Ron walked over and began petting the griffin, and Harry turned to the book on the table. It was a thick, heavy book with a red cover. There was no title indicated anywhere. He opened it to the first page and began to read.
Hello, Harry Potter, it said. Harry looked up and then at the first line again. He thought he had seen the book printing his name in the space out of the corner of his eye, but every time he looked directly at it his name was firmly in place. He gave up on spotting it and continued reading.
My name is Godric Gryffindor. I am one of the four founders of Hogwarts. By your reading this, I know that you have found and opened my secret chamber. Well done. You already have my sword; now that you are here I am able to give you what you no doubt are in need of. Answers. I built this chamber for the protection of the school. Salazar Slytherin, another of the founders, has built a chamber in one of the bathrooms where he is raising a basilisk serpent. You will find everything you need to defeat it in this room.
But I already killed the basilisk, Harry thought. This sure would have been handy two years ago, but what good is it now?
This book you hold is a collection of all of the spells I know, along with several that I have created myself that no others know about. Some of them may be useful to you. I leave it up to you to decide which ones to learn and use. In addition, I have left my pet griffin here to aid you. A person sitting on its back is impervious to all forms of magic. Be warned, as you cannot be harmed by spells while riding it, neither can you cast spells. Its name is Galahad. Good luck, and may the forces of good prevail.
Harry watched as the griffin nuzzled Hermione while she rubbed its head. "Come on," he told them. "We've got some spiders to kill, and we need to make a plan."
Almost done! Thanks to everyone who likes it. And don't expect any updates next week; I'm going on a vacation. But I will work on writing it! In the meantime, you could always write more reviews.