''It says that the basilisk's indirect gaze can petrify things.'' Draco
said as he held the borrow library book to Harry's face.
Harry rolled his eyes, ''I thought we dropped this. Snape's right, this does sound stupid...''
''You know the weirder things are, the more likely they're true.''
Harry threw up his hands and gave an exasperated sigh, ''Why do I even bother?''
''Look can you just stop being a prat and just read this? It says that a direct gaze from a basilisk can kill people. Maybe we should be carrying around mirrors or something. I mean, worse case: we get petrified, but at least the mandrake potion can revive us. We get a full blast of this and we can end up dead. Are you listening to me?''
''Isn't jumping into stupid situations a Gryffindor thing?'' Harry snapped at Draco, knowing it would agitate him, he really didn't want to be humiliated any more right now.
Draco angrily scowled at him and then smack Harry's head with the book, ''Listen, after reading this, I remember the rest of what my father said, she said a girl died the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened.''
Harry reached up and rubbed his head, wincing, ''Did you have to do that? Geez, Fine, have you read your father's letter yet?''
''No.''
''Well?''
''I'll read it, but you have to read the book.'' Draco grumbled as he tossed Harry the book and he pulled the letter out of his robes and opened it with his clean buttering knife.
He unfolded the letter and started to read it.
When he was finished, he looked up at Harry, ''I think we might be right. The bottom of the letter says, 'P.S. carry a mirror on you.'.''
''I think we should talk to Snape again.'' Draco said, looking at his spoon, seeing if it could make an adequate mirror.
''He didn't believe us earlier, he's not going to believe us now. He's Snape, he's as paranoid as they get.''
''What about the Headmaster?''
''And what? Get patted on the head and have our mouths stuffed with lemon drops?''
''Well then, we can't do anything.''
''Why don't we look into this a little more. Maybe Snape will believe us if we have more substantial evidence.''
''Grrreat, more research...'' Draco muttered stabbing his roll.
''There aren't that many deaths at Hogwarts you know. The most recent one is around sixty years ago. It says here that Marinda Myrtle mysteriously died. But then it says that the Head Boy, Tom Riddle caught the culprit, which was a giant spider.''
''Try earlier.'' Harry whispered as he continued to look through the school's record to see if there had been any sightings of snakes.
''Everig Jarand was tricked by some students and managed to get flushed into the Lake. Since he couldn't swim and his legs were tangled up in seaweed, he managed to drown in the Lake.
''Who flushed him?''
''Uh, Ravenclaw girl... Korand Giela. It says here that her excuse was that he had cheated on her.''
''Geez.''
''Yeah, girls are bloody scary if you ask me.'' Draco muttered as he flipped back a little further.
''Anything else?''
''Well, the rest are deaths from the Grindelwald wars, which is not unusual.''
''We're not getting anywhere.'' Harry groaned.
Draco closed the record book and rested his head on it, '''m tired...''
Harry shot Draco a exasperated look, ''We've only been here for two hours.''
''Maybe we should ask a teacher.''
''Didn't we already talk to Snape?''
''Well, not him, someone else. Someone who's been here almost as long as Dumbledore.''
''No, we already got in trouble once with McGonagall. Besides, she's not going to talk to a bunch of Slytherins.''
''She's a teacher, she's supposed to counsel everyone, including Slytherins. Come one, what have we got to lose? We've already made fools of ourselves once. So now, we can only prove them wrong.''
''Alright, alright.''
''Okay, do you have your mirror?'' Draco said as he pulled out the circular object from his pocket.
''Mirror?''
''You moron! That's why we went back to our rooms! Why do you think we were there. Didn't I tell you already?! Last time a mudbl- AHH!'' Draco yelled as he felt a solid hand collide with the back of his head.
Draco quickly whipped around and found Hermione glaring down at him, ''You want to finish that word Draco?''
Draco quickly backed out his chair and ran behind Harry, ''Y-you stay away from me! I swear if I get sent to St. Mungo's for brain damage! My father will-!''
''Mr. Malfoy, lower you voice!'' Madam Pince bellowed from her desk at the head of the library. Draco winced and ducked down a bit now, he hissed at Hermione, ''Dammit Granger, what's wrong with you?''
''Nothing, it's just that name calling retards really displease me.''
''I hope that snake eat y-mph!'' Draco started, but his mouth was covered by Harry's hand. After Draco dislodged the intruding hand, he growled, ''Who's side are you one anyways Potty?!''
''I'm on the side where the both of you shut up stop trading blows. Now sit, Madam Pince is still staring at you like a hawk.''
Sure enough, Harry was right and Draco quickly took a seat in the chair that was farthest away from Hermione.
Harry turned to Hermione, ''I know you hate it when people say...m... that word. But you can't go around smacking people to make them stop.''
''Some people need to have it beaten into their heads.''
''Okay, I admit Draco is a little dim.''
This earned Harry a kick in the shin under the table from Draco.
Harry grimaced and then went on, ''But you're only making him paranoid.''
Hermione huffed, ''Fine. But he has to make an effort not to say it.''
Harry turned to Draco and Draco grumbled as he settled his chin onto the table, ''Fine Granger...''
''Good... now what is this about mirrors?''
Harry hesitated for a second, but then decided that maybe telling her was for the best.
By the time he finished, Hermione expression was mixed with worry and skepticism, ''A basilisk? Those things are huge, an adult usually grows up to thirty to forty feet. How can anyone not notice one going through the school?''
''We don't know. We're trying to figure that out.'' Draco said in a bored voice, he swore, if he had to hear or tell that story again today, he'd go insane.
''Look, it wouldn't hurt to just carry a mirror. A pocket mirror or anything, I'm sure you girls usually carry mirrors on you anyways.''
''Yeah yeah, fine, I'll carry a mirror...should I tell Ron?''
''That'd be a good idea.''
''Okay. Anything else?'' Hermione asked, getting ready to leave.
''No. Just... be careful.''
''Right''
They decided to talk to McGonagall early Saturday morning, right before the Quidditch game, they figured that she would be distracted enough not to ask too many questions. But would still manage to provide some useful answers.
Well, it didn't really work. In fact, she was even more cautious because the Quidditch game was Slytherin against Gryffindor and she thought that Harry and Draco might have been trying to pull a trick of some sort.
''So much for good timing.'' Draco muttered.
''Well...''
''We could have asked her yesterday. And besides, it's not like we got any useful information. She repeated everything we read in the reports and Hogwarts, a History.''
''Well, she did say one thing. Even though she wasn't even a student here at that time, the Headmaster was a Professor here.''
''So, I guess we'll have to talk to him after all huh?''
''Yeah, guess so. But let's keep it to the point. Just look concerned. I don't think we should let on that we know more than we should.''
Harry rolled his eyes, ''I thought we dropped this. Snape's right, this does sound stupid...''
''You know the weirder things are, the more likely they're true.''
Harry threw up his hands and gave an exasperated sigh, ''Why do I even bother?''
''Look can you just stop being a prat and just read this? It says that a direct gaze from a basilisk can kill people. Maybe we should be carrying around mirrors or something. I mean, worse case: we get petrified, but at least the mandrake potion can revive us. We get a full blast of this and we can end up dead. Are you listening to me?''
''Isn't jumping into stupid situations a Gryffindor thing?'' Harry snapped at Draco, knowing it would agitate him, he really didn't want to be humiliated any more right now.
Draco angrily scowled at him and then smack Harry's head with the book, ''Listen, after reading this, I remember the rest of what my father said, she said a girl died the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened.''
Harry reached up and rubbed his head, wincing, ''Did you have to do that? Geez, Fine, have you read your father's letter yet?''
''No.''
''Well?''
''I'll read it, but you have to read the book.'' Draco grumbled as he tossed Harry the book and he pulled the letter out of his robes and opened it with his clean buttering knife.
He unfolded the letter and started to read it.
When he was finished, he looked up at Harry, ''I think we might be right. The bottom of the letter says, 'P.S. carry a mirror on you.'.''
''I think we should talk to Snape again.'' Draco said, looking at his spoon, seeing if it could make an adequate mirror.
''He didn't believe us earlier, he's not going to believe us now. He's Snape, he's as paranoid as they get.''
''What about the Headmaster?''
''And what? Get patted on the head and have our mouths stuffed with lemon drops?''
''Well then, we can't do anything.''
''Why don't we look into this a little more. Maybe Snape will believe us if we have more substantial evidence.''
''Grrreat, more research...'' Draco muttered stabbing his roll.
''There aren't that many deaths at Hogwarts you know. The most recent one is around sixty years ago. It says here that Marinda Myrtle mysteriously died. But then it says that the Head Boy, Tom Riddle caught the culprit, which was a giant spider.''
''Try earlier.'' Harry whispered as he continued to look through the school's record to see if there had been any sightings of snakes.
''Everig Jarand was tricked by some students and managed to get flushed into the Lake. Since he couldn't swim and his legs were tangled up in seaweed, he managed to drown in the Lake.
''Who flushed him?''
''Uh, Ravenclaw girl... Korand Giela. It says here that her excuse was that he had cheated on her.''
''Geez.''
''Yeah, girls are bloody scary if you ask me.'' Draco muttered as he flipped back a little further.
''Anything else?''
''Well, the rest are deaths from the Grindelwald wars, which is not unusual.''
''We're not getting anywhere.'' Harry groaned.
Draco closed the record book and rested his head on it, '''m tired...''
Harry shot Draco a exasperated look, ''We've only been here for two hours.''
''Maybe we should ask a teacher.''
''Didn't we already talk to Snape?''
''Well, not him, someone else. Someone who's been here almost as long as Dumbledore.''
''No, we already got in trouble once with McGonagall. Besides, she's not going to talk to a bunch of Slytherins.''
''She's a teacher, she's supposed to counsel everyone, including Slytherins. Come one, what have we got to lose? We've already made fools of ourselves once. So now, we can only prove them wrong.''
''Alright, alright.''
''Okay, do you have your mirror?'' Draco said as he pulled out the circular object from his pocket.
''Mirror?''
''You moron! That's why we went back to our rooms! Why do you think we were there. Didn't I tell you already?! Last time a mudbl- AHH!'' Draco yelled as he felt a solid hand collide with the back of his head.
Draco quickly whipped around and found Hermione glaring down at him, ''You want to finish that word Draco?''
Draco quickly backed out his chair and ran behind Harry, ''Y-you stay away from me! I swear if I get sent to St. Mungo's for brain damage! My father will-!''
''Mr. Malfoy, lower you voice!'' Madam Pince bellowed from her desk at the head of the library. Draco winced and ducked down a bit now, he hissed at Hermione, ''Dammit Granger, what's wrong with you?''
''Nothing, it's just that name calling retards really displease me.''
''I hope that snake eat y-mph!'' Draco started, but his mouth was covered by Harry's hand. After Draco dislodged the intruding hand, he growled, ''Who's side are you one anyways Potty?!''
''I'm on the side where the both of you shut up stop trading blows. Now sit, Madam Pince is still staring at you like a hawk.''
Sure enough, Harry was right and Draco quickly took a seat in the chair that was farthest away from Hermione.
Harry turned to Hermione, ''I know you hate it when people say...m... that word. But you can't go around smacking people to make them stop.''
''Some people need to have it beaten into their heads.''
''Okay, I admit Draco is a little dim.''
This earned Harry a kick in the shin under the table from Draco.
Harry grimaced and then went on, ''But you're only making him paranoid.''
Hermione huffed, ''Fine. But he has to make an effort not to say it.''
Harry turned to Draco and Draco grumbled as he settled his chin onto the table, ''Fine Granger...''
''Good... now what is this about mirrors?''
Harry hesitated for a second, but then decided that maybe telling her was for the best.
By the time he finished, Hermione expression was mixed with worry and skepticism, ''A basilisk? Those things are huge, an adult usually grows up to thirty to forty feet. How can anyone not notice one going through the school?''
''We don't know. We're trying to figure that out.'' Draco said in a bored voice, he swore, if he had to hear or tell that story again today, he'd go insane.
''Look, it wouldn't hurt to just carry a mirror. A pocket mirror or anything, I'm sure you girls usually carry mirrors on you anyways.''
''Yeah yeah, fine, I'll carry a mirror...should I tell Ron?''
''That'd be a good idea.''
''Okay. Anything else?'' Hermione asked, getting ready to leave.
''No. Just... be careful.''
''Right''
They decided to talk to McGonagall early Saturday morning, right before the Quidditch game, they figured that she would be distracted enough not to ask too many questions. But would still manage to provide some useful answers.
Well, it didn't really work. In fact, she was even more cautious because the Quidditch game was Slytherin against Gryffindor and she thought that Harry and Draco might have been trying to pull a trick of some sort.
''So much for good timing.'' Draco muttered.
''Well...''
''We could have asked her yesterday. And besides, it's not like we got any useful information. She repeated everything we read in the reports and Hogwarts, a History.''
''Well, she did say one thing. Even though she wasn't even a student here at that time, the Headmaster was a Professor here.''
''So, I guess we'll have to talk to him after all huh?''
''Yeah, guess so. But let's keep it to the point. Just look concerned. I don't think we should let on that we know more than we should.''