Here's the next chapter. Probably only one more after this one for year two…but I'm not sure yet.

ShadeDancer

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

Warning: Some chapters (the ones including pranks and mimes) might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

Chapter 18: To Uncover a Secret

For a moment Hermione was caught up in her fear before she found that part of her that had lead to her being sorted into Gryffindor "I'll help you find the Chamber and then we can take the teachers there and hope they find Ginny alright."

Harry gave her an unidentifiable look "we can't depend on the teachers; they themselves are too frightened to do anything but write Ginny off as lost. Trevor or Snape would have been able to help, but Severus will have warded his labs so that no one can enter or even reach him until he finished brewing the restoration draught and Trevor is too worried over Blaise to be any help. I swore to Blaise that I would avenge this insult to her and Ginny being taken only makes me all the more determined. I could never face the twins again if I didn't try and help her. I'm going to kill the bastard behind this, them and that damned snake."

"I'm still going with you" Hermione declared bravely though inside she was literally quaking at the thought of going where the basilisk would be "Myrtles bathroom is on the second floor right where Mrs. Norris was attacked. It's always out of order because she always wails at anyone who's trying to go and it makes them uncomfortable."

"Fine" Harry nodded curtly "but you're only coming as far as the bathroom. It'll be too dangerous to come further and I won't have time to watch out for you. First I need to get to my dorm and grab a few things."

Wisely Hermione didn't protest on being left behind in the bathroom even though she had no intention of staying there and instead focused on Harry wanting to go to his dorm "won't you get caught going in? How will you be able to get back out without people stopping you? You can't—"

Harry held up a hand and stopped Hermione's questions "just follow me and stay quiet."

Staying close to the walls where the protection of shadows was the thickest Harry expertly navigated the hallways of Hogwarts, feeling an acute loss as he imagined that every step Hermione took was echoing loudly and would lead to their discovery. Blaise would have never made that much noise, but then he was being slightly unfair; Blaise had training that Hermione didn't and it had to be taking a lot of guts for Hermione to come with him. At last they arrived in the corridor next to where Lady Alyssa hung and Harry motioned quietly for Hermione to halt.

"Stay here" he whispered "I'll slip in and grab what I need and be right back. Don't move from this spot and don't look up from the floor. Keep your eyes closed if it'll make you feel better."

Harry was gone before Hermione could protest, slipping around the corner and hissing at Lady Alyssa to open up. Hearing the determination in his voice, Lady Alyssa opened immediately instead of attempting a conversation and Harry slipped through the slight opening before anyone in the common room could realize the opening was there. Indeed it didn't seem as if any of the Slytherins still in the common room were paying much attention to anything. It was ironic how people such as Draco Malfoy had been happily boasting about the Chambers opening when it first happened, but now all the purebloods were running scared since it appeared even their great lineage wouldn't save them from the creature of Slytherin. At least three of those attacked had been purebloods and one had even been a Slytherin. It was ridiculously easy for Harry to slip into his dorm and grab any weapons he could lay his hands on before slipping right back out past Lady Alyssa. Rounding the corner he found Hermione still standing where he had left her, wand in hand and head bowed to the floor, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Let's go Granger" he called softly, making enough noise so as not to startle the Gryffindor into shooting off spells.

Determinedly Hermione nodded and opened her eyes though she didn't take her gaze too high from the floor. Nodding his approval even though the girl wouldn't see it, Harry took up the lead again and stuck to as many side corridors as he could to get to the second floor girls lavatory.

… … … … …

Harry looked around the girl's bathroom in askance. The mirrors were cracked and dingy and dust lay everywhere that the water rippling lightly across the floor hadn't touched. Deep, wrenching sobs from one of the stalls told him where Myrtle was currently moping and Harry didn't blame the girls for never using this bathroom.

"Definitely the perfect spot for the opening to the Chamber of Secrets" Harry spoke sardonically "I wonder if Salazar planned for this to happen one day. The atmosphere certainly sets the mood for doom and gloom."

Hermione glared at him, thinking that he was making light of what they were about to do, but was interrupted before she could say anything by Myrtle.

"Oh" Myrtle sniffed as she caught sight of Hermione "it's you again. It looks like you got rid of your fur, pity. Did you come back with that horrible, ill-mannered boy again so that he could make fun of me?"

"No" Hermione hurried to reassure Myrtle before the ghost started weeping and wailing again "Ron's not with me, he's in the hospital wing. Harry and I, we came to ask you…ask you—"

"We came to ask you what you know about the Chamber of Secrets" Harry took over "and see if you've notice anything strange around here lately. It would be a great help."

Myrtle's all but stopped sniffing as she realized someone wanted to talk to her without making fun of her "the Chamber of Secrets was opened when I went to school here. I don't know whatever happened with it though, I died before then and decided to haunt Olive Hornby for teasing me about my glasses."

"You can't tell us anything else about the Chamber of Secrets" Hermione pressed.

"I told you I don't know anything else" Myrtle nearly shouted at the Gryffindor.

"What about anything strange" Harry interrupted before Myrtle decided to not talk to them anymore and destroy their last lead.

"Nothing except that girl and her rude friend skulking around my toilet and making some foul looking potion" Myrtle said "Did you see the fur she ended up with? She even had a tail. I was hoping the rude one would give it a pull, but he didn't. Nothing else strange has happened this year except for someone throwing a book through me. Let's all throw books at Myrtle since she can't feel it."

Myrtle continued to rant about how unfairly she was treated and how Peeves was always tormenting her when Harry got fed up. Talking to the depressed ghost hadn't gotten them anywhere and he motioned to Hermione to slip away quietly as Myrtle didn't seem to be noticing them anymore. They had almost made the door when Myrtle said something to make Harry stop.

"The last time anything unusual happened in here that I know of was right before my death" Myrtle was speaking normally, her rant ended "I had hidden in here because Olive Hornby had been teasing me about my glasses again when I heard someone come in. They spoke in a weird language, it sounded more like hissing than words, but what got me was that it was a boy speaking. A boy in the girl's bathroom. I unlocked the door to tell them to go and use their own toilet when I felt my body seize up and I began to float away. I had died."

The last was said with such relish that Hermione shuddered, but Harry was now interested "how? How did you die? What caused it?"

Myrtle obviously didn't see this as too important as she vaguely waved a translucent hand in the direction of the sinks "I only remember a pair of big yellow eyes from over there. The best part was that I came back. I came back to haunt Olive Hornby. She was sorry she ever laughed at my glasses."

Myrtle continued to reminisce about how she had haunted Olive Hornby as Hermione and Harry went over to inspect the sink facing Myrtle's stall of death. It looked like all the other sinks. Dingy, cracked mirrors, but the other sinks appeared to have had water overflow the sides recently where this one hadn't. Experimentally Harry twisted the taps, slightly disappointed when nothing happened. No hidden door opened, they weren't suddenly whisked away to some hidden room, not even water flowed from the tap.

"Oh that tap has never worked" Myrtle informed them "they tried to fix it many times, but nothing ever happened. It's a wonder they never replaced it."

It was just an ordinary sink that hadn't worked even when magic had tried to fix it. That's what Harry's head told him, but instinct said differently. Harry tried twisting the knobs different degrees as if a combination lock but they turned without any indication that there were tumblers to catch and so he continued on. Ducking his head he looked under the sink, Hermione following his lead though neither had any idea what they were looking for. Suddenly Harry stood, Hermione nearly banging her head on the sink as she hurried to do the same.

"Myrtle" Harry addressed the sensitive ghost "you said the boy was hissing?"

"Yes" Myrtle was delighted to have the attention turned to her once again "and it sounded so dreadfully nasty, as if the boy hated everything."

Deciding that it couldn't hurt to try, Harry closed his eyes and imagined the snake he had seen in the pet store a little over a year ago "Open."

Harry opened his eyes in time to see the sinks move out slightly as the one right in front of them sank down into the floor to reveal a gaping hole in the floor.

"What did you do" Hermione shuddered both from the parseltongue and the sight of what had to be the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

"I merely hissed open in parseltonge" Harry shrugged indolently to cover his apprehension "I figure if the boy stood here and hissed something then it might work for me. Looks like I was right."

"I really think we should get a teacher" Hermione backed away slightly from the opening.

Harry sighed and shook his head "we've been over this before. The only two teachers I think could possibly handle this are indisposed; you saw how all the professors in the staff room wrote Ginny off for lost. I also swore to Blaise that I would make this bastard pay. Hopefully we can save Ginny as well. I don't know Ginny as well as I do the twins, but I consider her a friend along with most of the rest of her family. I'm going. You should return to your dorm. Tell a professor if you must, but I'll already be down there. Now get."

Harry turned from Hermione and took a deep breath before plunging down the hole and being sluiced down a huge pipe that was like a slide. It might have actually been fun if the pipe was slicked with slime and other stuff he was glad he couldn't identify. Harry couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu this trip was calling up, and even as he realized he must be nearing the end of the pipe he wasn't sure if he wanted to light his wand or not; he wasn't sure what he would find waiting for him. It was just like first year all over again, but this time he didn't have Blaise at his side. He just hoped that there wasn't a pile of Devil's Snare waiting at the bottom—that would be just a little too much déjà vu for him to handle. Harry went flying out of the end of the pipe.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys keep me going!

Applebottoms: you took the words right from my mouth.

CheddarTrek: Manuel and Trevor's reactions…that's going to be fun to write. (grins).

B. M. Gray: No crush on Ginny. He was already in a murderous state of mind, but Ginny getting taken into the Chamber itself made things more real. He already wanted revenge for Blaise, now he also realizes that there's nothing the teachers can really do. Also, since Bill works for the Darkov Clan and the twins are his friends, Harry has taken Ginny as a friend/under his protection.

Jlinmonchon: Of course it's a good thing, but if we advertise how much fun insanity really is more people will want to join in our fun and most likely ruin it.

Dreamweaver: One of my mom's bf's had a pitbull. Very protective, but it liked to bite feet and go after strangers. I do like the comparison to Harry, but thankfully Harry can also learn restraint.

Choas Babe: I have no intention of quitting and it's not like my family can do anything if I just disappear and my laptop happens to come along with me. Hehehe.

Poka: I'm not much of a HpHg shipper myself, at least, I don't write it. I will read it if things are done well though and it's not overwhelming the story.

Evansentranced: my brother and I do the same thing, that's where I actually got the idea to throw those games in there.

Posted On: July 8, 2005