A/N: Upon a thorough examination of my room (Not really) I have come to the conclusion that it must be haunted. Though I first suspected this when Kioko kept pointing out that a male poltergeist was making rude gestures behind my back. I have decided to name this ghost Bob, for the very reason that it annoys him to death. Bob was previously trapped within a glass jar when someone broke it, and then a mirror when he escaped, and now he is inside my camera after pushing my over the edge by tying me up and stuffing me into my sock drawer. Bob has been charged, also, with the spiking of my tea and stealing of my nail file so that he can open up some sort of passageway to hell that he clams is under my bed. I think he's just trying to find my stash of sugar. In any case, as a fair warning to you all, there may be some Bob interventions in later chapters. I will do my best to catch them before posting them, but you never know how tricky a ghost can be after being stuck in a camera.
The next day was Saturday so there was no prospect of school, however, the non-so-stressed Hotaru got up early that morning. Even though they'd stayed up late the following night.
She dressed up in a plain white dress with flowers and put on a pare of cute stubby bunny ears. She'd been making chocolate eggs for a while and figured she had a good stash of them. She'd use a basket to put them all in later. Come to think of it, she probably ought to go without the bunny ears until after breakfast. So she took those off, but didn't see anything wrong with going on to the Slytherin table with a dress that just screamed the words 'sunny day'. Well, it was just plain white and the only chain of lavender flowers she had acted as a belt, so it wasn't that bad. But you still must admit, that's not something you normally see at the Slytherin table.
However most didn't think it odd for Hotaru to wear something like that, though it made her look like a snowflake because her skin was almost as pale as her dress. There weren't many people in the Great Hall anyway.
The rest of the morning Hotaru had some fun with the stubby white bunny ears and passing out the chocolate eggs to everyone. Though after the 15th time she said 'Happy Easter!' it wasn't so much fun anymore. Though that passed when Kioko joined her. They just did the normal things, though not in the library because chocolate wasn't allowed. They had had a hard time convincing Madam Pince to let them eat biscuits in there, there was no way she'd let them take chocolate eggs in.
However, they couldn't put off going into the Chamber of Secrets for too long, and eventually they had to approach Harry on the subject.
"Hey Harry! I was just wondering, but um, where's the Chamber of Secrets' entrance?" Kioko asked, making Harry nearly chock on Hotaru's chocolate egg.
Hotaru sighed, "I had a…vision of some sort, more like heard words in my head. And they clued us towards the Chamber. We need to get in and find…something." She told him quietly.
Harry shook his head, "There's nothing in there but bones and a hallway of snake statues." He said.
"There wasn't anything particularly odd about the Chamber?" Kioko asked sarcastically. "Any one of those statues could be a clue. And besides, we have a key that we think might lead us to something in there."
"A key?" Harry asked.
Hotaru pulled the silver key from her sub-space pocket and showed it to him. But Harry shook his head, "Can't say I saw anything resembling that in there. Of course I was battling a basilisk so I can't talk. But I don't think you should go down there. If something happens we might not know until it's too late." He said cautiously.
"You'll know we're down there, and besides, we have Pandora and Calypso. They'll be able to get us out of any trouble." Kioko said waving it off.
"Still, it's not a good idea for you to go down there." He tried.
"Just tell us where it is." Kioko ordered.
"Okay. You know the girl's bathroom, the old one that Moaning Myrtle occupies?" Harry asked. Kioko nodded. "The door is the part with the sinks. But you can't open it unless you're parcel tongue so I wouldn't even bother." He told us.
Kioko rolled her eyes, "Harry, I own two of the most dangerous type of snakes there is, you think I'd have pets like that and not be parcel tongue? Get real, I'm not stupid. Now please excuse us because I don't feel like sitting through the backlash of your shock." She said, she then grabbed Hotaru and started marching down the hall before Harry could yell 'You're WHAT!?'
Snickering, Kioko continued to jog on down the hall until she figured they were a good distance from Harry. They then started walking down the corridors, making their way to the bathroom that Harry specified.
It took a while, the castle was huge after all, but they finally got there. "Next time I'm using Calypso." Kioko panted.
"Agreed." Hotaru replied as they entered the bathroom. "He said it was that didn't he?" She asked, motioning to the sinks.
"Yeah, though how I'm going to open it without a snake nearby I'm not sure." She sighed.
"What are you doing here?" A winy voice asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry. We didn't see you there." Hotaru said to the ghost. "Is this you're bathroom?"
"It is since no one else wants to share it with poor, ugly, moaning Myrtle." She said crossing her arms over her chest in a pout.
"Well then, can you tell us which stall holds the Chamber of Secrets?" Kioko asked closing the door behind her.
Myrtle looked rather taken back, "Why, why ever would you want to go in there?" She asked.
"We need to find something." Hotaru replied.
"Well, when Mr. Bigshot Harry Potter went in that one was the one he looked at." She said pointing to a particularly dirty sink area. Kioko walked over to it and started examining it. "What are you trying to find?" The ghost asked Hotaru.
"Answers I suppose. Something clued me to finding them in the Chamber." Hotaru answered.
"No treasure? No maps or ancient spell scrolls?" She asked cocking her head to the side. "Most people who come in here looking for the entrance want some sort of treasure."
"You mean more people have come in here looking for it?" Hotaru gasped.
"Why of course, since the Basilisk was killed there could be a chance of something more than that being hidden down there." She said, "After all, why would Salazar Slytherin put the Basilisk there for no reason at all?" It sounded as though she was quoting someone else, or even several people.
"That, is a very good question." Kioko said, "Ugh, how do you open it?!" She exclaimed, looking for something. She dug around the dirt for something or other. "Ah, I see it!" She exclaimed.
"See what?" Hotaru asked, walking over to her.
"The snake that allows you to use Parcel Tongue. Hang on a second." Kioko said, she stared at the little snake painting for a bit, and then an inhuman hiss escaped her lips. The sound of movement could be heard as the section with the sink started to slowly move out of the way, revealing a long way down.
"I suggest we use brooms." Hotaru said looking down. She pulled her Firebolt out of her sub-space pocket and then used it as a sort of poll to gently take her downward, resting her feet upon the bristles. Kioko followed her in a similar fashion.
"Ugh, now I see why Harry was reluctant to let us go down here." Kioko said looking at all the bones and such below them. "It's downright unpleasant, didn't that Basilisk have any sense of hygiene whatsoever? I mean really!" she huffed.
"Why are you two going down there again?" Asked Myrtle from above them.
"To find answers to our very complicated questions!" Kioko hollered. "If you hear one of us shriek would you mind alerting Professor Sapphire that we're down here?" she asked.
"No problem. I like her." Myrtle called back.
"Here's another door Kioko." Hotaru said, pointing to the snake on the door.
"Open," Kioko hissed. Hotaru jerked her head towards Kioko, and then towards the opening door. How did she understand that?! Don't tell me I'm parcel tongue too. She sighed inwardly as they floated on through it with their brooms to keep them from the bones. "Drafty isn't it?" Kioko asked making a face at the décor.
Snake statues lined the hallway, pits of an ugly looking water lined the pathway which also had some water on it as well. "Look," Hotaru said, pointing to a particularly large snake statue. But that's not what she was looking at.
"Oh my gosh!!!" Kioko gasped, she zoomed over to the area beneath the statue and picked up the odd object. "It's the Basilisk's tooth!" She exclaimed grinning at it. "If I carved it just right it could make for a very deadly knife." She said putting it up in her sub-space pocket.
"Kioko…" Hotaru sighed.
"What? Harry should have taken it, now it's mine." She said looking innocent again. "Anyway, it think we should check out this statue, try saying that 'I am whatever' thing you did for finding the key again." Hotaru looked at her, "Hey, it could work."
It was worth a shot, 'I am the Messiah of Silence' she tried, wondering if it would work. After about a minute of nothing happening it was evident that that wasn't it.
Kioko dismounted her broomstick and put it up. She started feeling around the statue, examining it. "You look up there for something, I check out this area around here." She said.
Hotaru moved to a better sitting position on her broom and then started looking around the top. "This place is caked with dirt, try not to remove any above my head." Kioko called.
"Alright." Hotaru said. She started feeling around the head.
*********
After an hour of searching that statue the two finally gave up, "There's obviously nothing here to fit a key." Kioko sighed. "And we've been here for a good long while. What do you say we come back tomorrow?" She asked.
"Well, I just get this feeling that we're missing something." Hotaru sighed. They had searched from top to bottom, removing all the dirt with magic, and looking at every feature of the statue, and still found nothing.
"Maybe the key doesn't go into a keyhole." Kioko commented, deep in thought. "Let's try a few things. Take out the key and start tapping the statue with it." Hotaru did so, she pulled out the key and then touched the cool metal onto the statue in several different places. She even tried putting it in any of the snake's open mouths, tapping it on the eyeholes, and pressing it to any chipped part of the statue, wondering if it's actually a keyhole.
"This isn't working." Hotaru sighed.
"Okay, let's try the other statues." Kioko suggested. "Try this one first." She said, gesturing to the one next to her. Hotaru flew over to the statue and started tapping the key to any part of it, she put it in it's open mouth, tapped the eyes, the nose. But nothing happened. She tried the one next to it, spending about 15 minutes on that one. She did the one next to it, using only 10 minutes. And the one after that, 12 minutes. By this time she was about to give up. Maybe the key had nothing to do with the chamber at all, she thought as she tapped the key to the 5th one down the hall. She was about to turn to do the next one when Kioko suddenly gasped.
The water, it was starting to drain into all the sides and leave the pathway completely dry. The 5th snake statue began to move backwards, revealing a scaircase that went down into a dark pathway. Hotaru landed on the ground before the stairs and looked at Kioko, who looked back. "Well, Salazar Slytherin has a knack for dramatics doesn't he?" she said.
Something thumped into Hotaru's mind. How would Salazar Slytherin know how to make it so that you must speak the silent language to get the key, and then make it so that the key activated a door? Hotaru looked at the silver key with all the royal blue gems, wasn't green the normal Slytherin color? Why did the key have blue gems instead of green?
"Are you coming?" Kioko asked, already making her way down the stairs. Her wand lit and her broom put up.
"H-hai!" Hotaru answered. She put her own broom as well as the key up and pulled out her wand. She followed after Kioko as she stepped cautiously down the stairs. They used the wall for support, and it seemed ages before they finally found the bottom, but when they did, it was rather exciting and disappointing at the same time.
"Well what do you know? All those idiots Myrtle was talking about were right when they said Slytherin had a trove of treasure down here." Kioko marveled. The room was full of shelves, desks, dressers, chests, and all sorts of odds and ends, like the ones in Dumbledore's office. The room was illuminated by a single magic chandler and several unique lanterns lining the walls
"Wow. Look at it, it's beautiful." Hotaru breathed as she picked up a stone that looked like the night sky.
"Oh look, it's one of those watches that predict the weather." Kioko said picking up what looked to be an antic watch. She opened it up. "Looks like rain Thursday." She said before pocketing it. Hotaru did the same with the night stone. Kioko then moved on to a strange mechanism that had several rings, each bigger than the other, circling themselves on a different axis for each of them. In the middle was a small sphere that had a lavender mist to it. "Wow, we could get rich just by selling this alone." She said, putting it into her sub-space pocket as well.
"I don't know, you think we should be taking any of this? I mean, what if Salazar Slytherin didn't want anyone to have it?" Hotaru asked. "After all, he did put it in the Chamber of Secrets, and he did go to such lengths as to hide the key in a forbidden corridor. And even then we had to use a password, in the silent language. A language very few people can use mind you."
"Well, it's guardian is gone, so there's nothing to stop us is there?" Kioko asked.
"Oooooo, you found the treasure!" The two jumped nearly out of their skin.
"Myrtle!" Hotaru gasped with relief.
"When you didn't come back up for a while, I got concerned." She said, though there wasn't much caring in her voice.
"We thought you might have been another guardian." Kioko said. "So don't do that!"
"Humph! Confusing me for a Basilisk now are you?!" She exclaimed.
"No, no. You just scared us that's all." Hotaru said smiling. "You won't tell anyone about this place though, will you?" She asked.
"Of course not, what would I have to gain by telling anyone other than absolutely no thank you's? Everyone takes my advice for granted, but follows it anyway. Well, sometimes. Besides, only parcel tongues can open the Chamber." She said. "Well, I don't suppose you found your answers. Just the stuff everyone else wanted." She commented.
Hotaru sighed, "I was so sure we might be getting somewhere too…" She said looking around the room. Nothing but things that would make a treasure hunter's day. No walls with inscriptions on them, no particular books written in the Silent Language, nothing that seemed would help them. She sighed again.
"Oh, don't be so down Hotaru. Here, lets go try out the rest of the snake statues. You only had to tap this one to get it working, so it won't really take too much time." Kioko suggested.
It didn't work, they were hopeful at first, but none of the other snakes moved or even stirred when Hotaru tapped the key on them. Nothing. So they went back into the room, and the two of them sighed at the same time.
"Well…we can always come back tomorrow, it's Sunday after all, and look through all this stuff thoroughly." Kioko said.
"Yeah…we'd better get back now." Hotaru agreed. She called Pandora to her and the two left, though they made a quick stop to the bathroom to close the door back up after Myrtle had come back, after that they went on to their room and made their way around the school again to make sure no one would be missing them.
Hotaru didn't think there would be any more excitement for the day and was merely passing the time by reading and giving out chocolate eggs to anyone who came within reaching range. Well, it was a bit interesting when she had a slight run-in with Crabbe and Goyle. She held out two eggs and said, "Happy Easter!" With a smile. Then things got really interesting. They screamed and ran, leaving Hotaru with the two eggs and very, very, very, confused.
Then a familiar snicker directed her attention to Draco and Harry walking down the hallway…beside each other! "I just informed them that they can no longer pick on Potter or any of the Weasleys, as if that wasn't mind-boggling enough. And then you walk up to them looking like a snowflake in summer and offer them chocolate with a cheerful voice. The idiots are having a large overload."
"Oh…Happy Easter!" She said, handing them the eggs she was going to give Draco's lackeys. "I see you two are finally getting along. Why the sudden change of heart?" She asked.
"We're not plotting against Kioko if that's what you're thinking!" Harry exclaimed. Hotaru busted out into a fit of giggles.
"Smooth, Potter, very smooth." Draco said sarcastically.
It seemed as though Harry was greatly resisting something along the lines of sticking his tongue out at Draco (A/N: Okay that might not be true but I just had this vision and it made me start laughing very hard).
"Don't worry, I won't tell her. Though she probably already knows, and hardly cares." Hotaru commented.
"We're expecting her to know, because she knows everything. But that will be her downfall. You see, if she knows and we don't do anything for months, she's going to start stressing herself out over what it is we're planning to do to her, and right before O.W.L.s, therefore if we are able to stress her out so much she gets a worse grade it'll be a satisfying revenge." Draco said.
"That's his plan. My plan was to blow up one of her books. Though that may backfire…" Harry stated.
"That was not your first suggestion." Draco said, looking a bit sick.
"What? What was his first suggestion?" Hotaru asked.
"Don't tell her! Whatever you do, don't tell her!!! I was not in my right mind when I suggested that!!!" Harry defended.
Draco approached Hotaru and whispered something in her ear. "Um, Harry, I never thought I'd say this to you. But if I ever catch you carrying that 'plan' of yours out, I will rethink my pacifist ways." Hotaru told him, feeling slightly sick (and a bit defensive) herself. (A/N: I'll just leave this tidbit up to your imaginations and pity those of you with extremely creative minds)
"So!" Harry said, quickly changing the subject, but he couldn't really think of anything else to say. So there was just a pause.
Hotaru smiled slightly, "I'll just leave you two to come up with a better plan then, see you later." She said walking off.
*********
"How much time did you say we have?" Hotaru asked after Pandora teleported them to the treasure room in the Chamber of Secrets.
"About 3 hours give or take. I told Snape we might be inaccessible for the next few hours and when he prompted me on it all I told them was that we were doing something for Setsuna and couldn't tell him what. He'll keep our cover for at least that long." Kioko answered, "We'll start with this side of the room." She said moving over to a cluster of what looked to be books and scrolls.
"Hai." Hotaru answered and followed suite.
"Whoa, these curses were deemed illegal 10 years ago." Kioko commented picking up a book, she then put it away in her sub-space pocket. Hotaru gave her a stern look. "What?" She asked.
"I don't think we should really take very much of this." She said.
"Spoil sport. We found the key, we have a right to it!" Kioko defended.
"Well, you'd think Salazar Slytherin had a reason for using the Basilisk to guard all of this!" Hotaru exclaimed. "There's obviously some things in here he doesn't want anyone else to have!"
"Like this diary for instance." Kioko commented picking up a rather handsomely designed book.
"You're missing my point! We can't just take everything in here!" Hotaru stated, taking the book away from Kioko.
"Why not? We found the key, we spent all that time looking for this place, we're not finding what we want, might as well improvise!" she said happily. But her smile died down when Hotaru was still giving her a stern look. "Who's gonna know anyways?! Okay how about this, if we find out that we weren't suppose to take something we'll put it back. We won't get in trouble for it because no one will be able to prove that we have it. And besides, how do you intend to make a thorough search if we don't take what we've already looked at out of the picture?"
Hotaru sighed in defeat, Kioko did have a point, and what could it hurt?
********
Journal Entry, Chamber of Secrets: Well, yesterday we didn't find much, well, in the way of answers. But we did find some interesting stuff in the Chamber, each of us took an item in turn and examined it before putting it up. We spent most of our time in our dormitory room taking closer looks at the books and scrolls. Let's just say I learned quite a few interesting spells going through those books, and reluctantly learned how to make a potion that does a collection of…interesting things when consumed, and a good many other assorted…things when applied to the flesh. But we didn't find much on Mistress 9 or any of these 'mysteries' Setsuna was talking about.
Earlier today I had scheduled my Career Advice appointment with Professor Snape. To my dismay Umbridge was there with her notepad. I sat down in the chair that was obviously meant for me and waited a bit while Snape went through some papers that were probably my status reports.
"Well Miss Tomo," He began, "It seems with your records you could get a job just about anywhere." He said. "What kind of a thing are you looking for?" He asked.
"Well…" I trailed off, I hadn't really given it much thought. I couldn't very well say Auror in front of Umbridge.
"I do believe Miss Tomo would like a job at the Ministry, wouldn't you dear?" Umbridge asked sweetly.
"Um…actually I was thinking about being a healer." I told them truthfully.
"Ah, but a bright young girl like yourself would do so well in the Ministry! Wouldn't she Professor?" Umbridge stated.
"I believe she could do well anywhere. Might as well pick the one she wants." Snape replied calmly.
"And she wants to be in the ministry, right dear?" Said Umbridge.
"Miss Tomo, If you would like to be a healer I suggest taking N.E.W.T.s in Healing, of course, Potions, Arithmancy, Charms is always a good class to take, and last I'd suggest Transfiguration." Snape said, almost defiantly. "Is there any other career choices you might conceder?"
"Maybe…shop owning." I answered, thinking of Kioko's choice career.
"Ah, that, of course, would best require Potions, Arithmancy, Charms, Composition of Magical Objects, Ancient Runes, and an option of Herbology depending on what kind of a store you want to own." He said. And before Umbridge could say anything, "My suggestion is that you continue taking all the classes you are, considering the fact that you can handle them all, and then you will have a whole range of jobs to chose from. It will also look very good on your resume." He stated.
"My thoughts exactly Professor!" Umbridge said, delighted.
Miraculously I was excused in less than a following 5 minutes, during which Umbridge rambled on about how I'd do well in the Ministry. I resisted the erg to say "Are you sure you want another Glandria to deal with?" That might not have gone over too well.
Later after that, when classes were over, Kioko and I were about to go back to the Chamber of Secrets when suddenly Draco busted into the Loo, "They've done it this time!" He said loudly.
"Who's done what?" I asked, a bit startled.
"The Weasley twins of course. They're asking for it now. Turned one of the corridors into a swamp. We've cornered them in the great hall, come and see." He beckoned. Kioko and I quickly picked up our books and followed him, thankfully the Great Hall wasn't that far away.
"So!" exclaimed Umbridge triumphantly when they got there. "So…you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"
The scene reminded me so much of the time Trelawney was sacked I refused to even look at Umbridge. Fred and George, however, turned to her without the slightest hint of fear and said, "Pretty amusing, yeah."
"I've got the form, Headmistress," Filch said, nearly crying with happiness, "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting…Oh, let me do it now…"
"Very good Argus. You two," She said to Fred and George, "Are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."
But then the two did something that not even Kioko had expected. "You know what? I don't think we are." Said Fred. "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."
"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself." George agreed.
"Time to test our talents on the real world, d'you reckon?" Asked Fred.
"Definitely." George answered.
"What are you two planning?" Kioko demanded loudly.
"Accio Brooms!" They said at the same time.
Crashing sounds could be heard coming down the corridor, something like a chain rattling caught in my ears. I looked around and we ducked just in time to evade Fred and George's brooms speeding to their owners. One had a chain attached to it, as if it had been bolted down or something.
"We won't be seeing you." Fred said to Umbridge, who looked downright outraged.
"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch." George added as the two mounted their brooms.
The two looked around at the students, "IF anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated up stairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley—Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes," Fred said loudly, "Our new premises!"
"Special discounts to Hogwarts Studants who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," George added, motioning to Umbridge.
"STOP THEM!!!" Umbridge shrieked, but just as the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off into the air, the iron chain hanging dangerously above us.
"Give her hell for us, Peeves." Fred said.
And the Poltergeist that was bobbing overhead tipped his hat and gave a bow. Then the two wheeled about and busted out of the door into the sunset. Even I had to applaud, it was quite a show.
However, the day didn't quite end there. After finishing our homework, Kioko and I pretended to go to our dormitory for an early turn-in. We then proceeded to the Chamber of Secrets, the same area, and used about an hour of our time going through all that stuff. Didn't find anything, of course, but I suspect we might not, ever.
This is getting ridiculous, I'm getting tired of all this waiting! Why can't we find the answers now!? Why all this tedious searching with no results? I'm getting tired of it. Sigh, hopefully we'll find the answers before it's too late. If not, then unfortunately we'll be in a bit of a scrape.
A/N: Wooo, I just got over a nasty stomach virus, so my writing was delayed. Otherwise I'd have probably had this chapter out yesterday. Anyways, keep the reviews coming, they're a great source of inspiration! And so is this Tea!!! All hail the tea!!! …..BOB!!! DID YOU SPIKE MY TEA AGAIN?! BAD BOB, BACK INTO THE CAMERA WITH YOU!!!