[Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here, except for Jake
Watson.]
"Professor, I found something!" Hermione said excitedly, and a little too loudly. The sleepy librarian shot her a glare and rubbed her eyes. Professor Mcgonagall glanced up.
"What is it?" She asked back, acknowledging the glare Hermione received. Hermione pointed to a page in the thick book she was flipping through.
"Look at this. It says here that Basilisks only shed its entire skin when they have eaten something big and is extremely full. And that it feeds on flesh and blood." Hermione shuddered involuntarily. The professor paled.
"Oh my goodness. Try to find out as much info as possible. And record it. Here, use this. It's a pen that has been magicked. Just recite whatever you want to be written down on the parchment and the pen will write it for you." The professor thrust an ink pen into Hermione's hand. Hermione immediately got to work. She mumbled softly and the pen flew across the paper, writing furiously.
"Oh my goodness gracious. This book says there are 4 different types of Basilisks. One type can kill just by staring into it's opponent's eye and not anyone can kill it, and not with any weapon. The skin of this type is black and a very sickly yellow. The same two colours that was on the skin we found." The professor shook her head in disbelief and continued.
"The only person who can kill it is a true Slytherin heir. That means that person has to betray himself, for another person's life. If that person is selfish, the other person will be killed. And the snake can only be killed with the Slytherin sword." Hermione sat back in silent horror.
"That means it's very extremely hard to kill this Basilisk, because to find an unselfish Slytherin." Hermione's voice trailed off. The professor nodded her head gravely.
"Lets' go up to Albus's -Professor Dumbledore's- office to tell him the, the news. Right." The professor stood up and waved a thank you to the sleepy librarian. Hermione hurriedly packed up the pieces of parchment she used and snatched up the magicked pen. Then she rushed after Professor Mcgonagall.
They arrived at the office quickly. They met with Professor Snape outside.
"She's gone!" He cried out in a muffled voice. Hermione strained her ears, unable to believe what her Potions professor just said. Professor Mcgonagall's face turned crimson red.
"What?! What do you mean? Did you just say Ginny is missing?!" She looked as if she could punch Snape in his face. Snape meekly nodded.
"After all of you left, Professor Dumbledore left to check out the other students, make sure they're fine. I started giving Ginny the basics about Occlumency but I needed to go to the bathroom. So I told her to wait in Dumbledore's office while I rushed to the toilet. When I came back she was gone." Snape's voice quivered as he explained. Hermione gasped.
"What's going on?" Professor Jake said from the back. He walked towards Hermione and the other two professors. Harry, Ron and Draco followed him. They stared at Snape.
"Why the heck does HE look so worried?" Draco asked. Hermione was about to answer when Harry interrupted her.
"Wait a minute. Where's Ginny?" Harry cried out, alarm showing on his face. Snape's head lowered even more.
"Snape, where is she?" Ron and Harry yelled in unison.
"She's gone! And it's not my fault that bloody girl wanted to leave the damned office!" Snape snapped. Ron stepped forward and was held back by Professor Jake and Draco, but Harry just recoiled in horror.
"You, you, you- " Ron shouted at Snape. "How could you let her disappear?" Ron glared at Snape and refrained from showing his finger.
"Okay, calm down, Mr. Weasley. This is not the way this situation is to be handled. We'll find Professor Dumbledore at once and explain the situation to him." Professor Mcgonagall said firmly.
"That would be unnecessary. I'm already here, and I already know what happened. Follow me." The headmaster turned around and briskly walked off to one of the darkest corridors. The whole group hurried after him. Hermione caught sight of it first. She had to swallow a scream and gripped Draco's hand. Draco squeezed her hand. Stretched out on the floor was Filch. Next to him were smashed glass pieces and a little bit of water. His eyes were wide open, and his face deathly pale.
Harry had a feeling of déjà vu, and glanced up swiftly. Written on the walls was 'I've got her. Come get me.' The others were still getting over the shock of seeing the Petrified Filch, when they realized Harry was staring up on the wall.
"Yes, I'm afraid the Chamber of Secrets is once again, opened. He's back again, stronger than ever. We cannot be impulsive and act stupidly. We have to think ahead, about what Voldermort must do." Professor Dumblefore stated.
"But Ginny's in there, with him! Who knows what might happen to her!" Harry cried, his face crumpled in worry.
"But Ginny was only in first year back then. Now she's in fifth year. She can protect herself. But she can only hold him back for a few minutes, the most 20 minutes. Voldermort's really powerful. We'll send Mdm Pomfrey down straight away." Dumbledore responded, taking charge. When Filch was safely in the infirmary, the group hurried to Dumbledore's office.
"I'm going down there." Harry announced firmly, his fists clenched. Snape bit back a comment about Harry wanting to save the day.
"Me too." Draco said, shocking the entire group into silence. Despite what was happening, Hermione couldn't help but feel glad that Draco was going to help Harry. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Working together. Incredible.
"I'm definitely going too." Ron declared, determined to save his sister, the youngest Weasley.
"Albus will have to stay up here. To make sure the rest of the students are okay. Snape, you follow them to the door of the Chamber and stay there, but don't go in with them. If they need help, you can get it in the quickest time possible. Jake, you go down with them. They'll need an adult with them." Professor Mcgonagall said to all of them. She looked at the headmaster askance. He nodded in agreement.
"We can't kill it unless we find a true Slytherin heir who is unselfish enough to save another person's life." Professor Mcgonagall said softly.
"The only Slytherin here is Malfoy." Ron spat out. Hermione shot him a warning glance. So did Harry.
"How are we going to find out if Draco is a real Slytherin heir?" Hermione asked the professors. Professor Jake frowned and Snape shrugged.
"I know how. See if he can pull out the Slytherin sword out of the Sorting Hat. If he can he's a definite Slytherin heir." Harry explained. Dumbledore nodded, confirming Harry's explanation. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"Where's the hat?" He asked. Dumbledore turned to the back, pulled a hat from a shelf and held it upside-down in front of Draco. Hesitantly, the younger boy reached in. All of them held their breath. Draco frowned then his face cleared. With a flourish, he pulled out a gleaming sword. On its handle was a delicate carving of a snake.
"Oh my god, Malfoy, you did it. You're a Slytherin heir." Harry said disbelievingly.
"Will you do it, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked, eyeing the handsome Malfoy clutching the sword in front of him.
"Yes. I will." Draco replied. With those three simple words, he felt like his shoulders were suddenly lighter.
"Good luck, guys." Hermione said. She locked eyes with Draco and gave him a special smile.
[Authors note: Okay, the action starts in the next chapter. Review please.]
"Professor, I found something!" Hermione said excitedly, and a little too loudly. The sleepy librarian shot her a glare and rubbed her eyes. Professor Mcgonagall glanced up.
"What is it?" She asked back, acknowledging the glare Hermione received. Hermione pointed to a page in the thick book she was flipping through.
"Look at this. It says here that Basilisks only shed its entire skin when they have eaten something big and is extremely full. And that it feeds on flesh and blood." Hermione shuddered involuntarily. The professor paled.
"Oh my goodness. Try to find out as much info as possible. And record it. Here, use this. It's a pen that has been magicked. Just recite whatever you want to be written down on the parchment and the pen will write it for you." The professor thrust an ink pen into Hermione's hand. Hermione immediately got to work. She mumbled softly and the pen flew across the paper, writing furiously.
"Oh my goodness gracious. This book says there are 4 different types of Basilisks. One type can kill just by staring into it's opponent's eye and not anyone can kill it, and not with any weapon. The skin of this type is black and a very sickly yellow. The same two colours that was on the skin we found." The professor shook her head in disbelief and continued.
"The only person who can kill it is a true Slytherin heir. That means that person has to betray himself, for another person's life. If that person is selfish, the other person will be killed. And the snake can only be killed with the Slytherin sword." Hermione sat back in silent horror.
"That means it's very extremely hard to kill this Basilisk, because to find an unselfish Slytherin." Hermione's voice trailed off. The professor nodded her head gravely.
"Lets' go up to Albus's -Professor Dumbledore's- office to tell him the, the news. Right." The professor stood up and waved a thank you to the sleepy librarian. Hermione hurriedly packed up the pieces of parchment she used and snatched up the magicked pen. Then she rushed after Professor Mcgonagall.
They arrived at the office quickly. They met with Professor Snape outside.
"She's gone!" He cried out in a muffled voice. Hermione strained her ears, unable to believe what her Potions professor just said. Professor Mcgonagall's face turned crimson red.
"What?! What do you mean? Did you just say Ginny is missing?!" She looked as if she could punch Snape in his face. Snape meekly nodded.
"After all of you left, Professor Dumbledore left to check out the other students, make sure they're fine. I started giving Ginny the basics about Occlumency but I needed to go to the bathroom. So I told her to wait in Dumbledore's office while I rushed to the toilet. When I came back she was gone." Snape's voice quivered as he explained. Hermione gasped.
"What's going on?" Professor Jake said from the back. He walked towards Hermione and the other two professors. Harry, Ron and Draco followed him. They stared at Snape.
"Why the heck does HE look so worried?" Draco asked. Hermione was about to answer when Harry interrupted her.
"Wait a minute. Where's Ginny?" Harry cried out, alarm showing on his face. Snape's head lowered even more.
"Snape, where is she?" Ron and Harry yelled in unison.
"She's gone! And it's not my fault that bloody girl wanted to leave the damned office!" Snape snapped. Ron stepped forward and was held back by Professor Jake and Draco, but Harry just recoiled in horror.
"You, you, you- " Ron shouted at Snape. "How could you let her disappear?" Ron glared at Snape and refrained from showing his finger.
"Okay, calm down, Mr. Weasley. This is not the way this situation is to be handled. We'll find Professor Dumbledore at once and explain the situation to him." Professor Mcgonagall said firmly.
"That would be unnecessary. I'm already here, and I already know what happened. Follow me." The headmaster turned around and briskly walked off to one of the darkest corridors. The whole group hurried after him. Hermione caught sight of it first. She had to swallow a scream and gripped Draco's hand. Draco squeezed her hand. Stretched out on the floor was Filch. Next to him were smashed glass pieces and a little bit of water. His eyes were wide open, and his face deathly pale.
Harry had a feeling of déjà vu, and glanced up swiftly. Written on the walls was 'I've got her. Come get me.' The others were still getting over the shock of seeing the Petrified Filch, when they realized Harry was staring up on the wall.
"Yes, I'm afraid the Chamber of Secrets is once again, opened. He's back again, stronger than ever. We cannot be impulsive and act stupidly. We have to think ahead, about what Voldermort must do." Professor Dumblefore stated.
"But Ginny's in there, with him! Who knows what might happen to her!" Harry cried, his face crumpled in worry.
"But Ginny was only in first year back then. Now she's in fifth year. She can protect herself. But she can only hold him back for a few minutes, the most 20 minutes. Voldermort's really powerful. We'll send Mdm Pomfrey down straight away." Dumbledore responded, taking charge. When Filch was safely in the infirmary, the group hurried to Dumbledore's office.
"I'm going down there." Harry announced firmly, his fists clenched. Snape bit back a comment about Harry wanting to save the day.
"Me too." Draco said, shocking the entire group into silence. Despite what was happening, Hermione couldn't help but feel glad that Draco was going to help Harry. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Working together. Incredible.
"I'm definitely going too." Ron declared, determined to save his sister, the youngest Weasley.
"Albus will have to stay up here. To make sure the rest of the students are okay. Snape, you follow them to the door of the Chamber and stay there, but don't go in with them. If they need help, you can get it in the quickest time possible. Jake, you go down with them. They'll need an adult with them." Professor Mcgonagall said to all of them. She looked at the headmaster askance. He nodded in agreement.
"We can't kill it unless we find a true Slytherin heir who is unselfish enough to save another person's life." Professor Mcgonagall said softly.
"The only Slytherin here is Malfoy." Ron spat out. Hermione shot him a warning glance. So did Harry.
"How are we going to find out if Draco is a real Slytherin heir?" Hermione asked the professors. Professor Jake frowned and Snape shrugged.
"I know how. See if he can pull out the Slytherin sword out of the Sorting Hat. If he can he's a definite Slytherin heir." Harry explained. Dumbledore nodded, confirming Harry's explanation. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"Where's the hat?" He asked. Dumbledore turned to the back, pulled a hat from a shelf and held it upside-down in front of Draco. Hesitantly, the younger boy reached in. All of them held their breath. Draco frowned then his face cleared. With a flourish, he pulled out a gleaming sword. On its handle was a delicate carving of a snake.
"Oh my god, Malfoy, you did it. You're a Slytherin heir." Harry said disbelievingly.
"Will you do it, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked, eyeing the handsome Malfoy clutching the sword in front of him.
"Yes. I will." Draco replied. With those three simple words, he felt like his shoulders were suddenly lighter.
"Good luck, guys." Hermione said. She locked eyes with Draco and gave him a special smile.
[Authors note: Okay, the action starts in the next chapter. Review please.]