For those wondering about the chapter title, it is meant to be literal, for the Chamber of Secrets. It's just my interpretation of the same chapter title.
Frodo managed to find a way to speak to Harry, Ron and Sam about Moaning Myrtle. If there was a way to get her to talk to them about the Chamber of Secrets, they would surely find a way to reach her.
"I'm telling you –" Frodo knew Harry already agreed with him. But could Sam?
"No, I believe you, Mr. Frodo," Sam said. Frodo sighed in relief.
"Good. I'm glad we're in agreement," he said, cheerful.
Classes resumed and so did the date of their final exams. Another piece of good news was made known that the Mandrakes would soon be ministered to those who were petrified. It seemed the culprit had given up, but then Ginny and Aria were in a complete disarray. Frodo knew something was wrong with Aria that same morning at breakfast, when the news was spoken, but when he looked at the Gryffindor table, Ginny was in nearly the same state.
"Aria, are you all right?" Frodo asked.
Aria opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Frodo tried again. "Aria, do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?"
Aria whimpered, doing her best to spit out what she wanted. Again, no words were spoken from her mouth.
"Aria, get out what you're trying to say!" Frodo gestured, desperate now to get her to talk.
"Frodo, she's in shock," Folco said, jokingly.
"Folco, you're not helping," he told him.
"Well, anything's better than having Aria lollygag in this manner," he answered.
Frodo grunted. "So what would you have us do then?"
A silence fell between them.
"Well, well…" Folco asked him, "What should we do?"
"I don't know." Frodo returned his gaze to Aria. "Aria, what is it? Please tell me."
Aria closed her eyes. She was in tears, trying to get words out of her mouth, but there was no response.
"You were fine a week ago." Frodo knew he wasn't helping matters, but he had to try.
Aria, while gasping for air, silently pointed to Folco.
"What is it?" Frodo asked, curious. "Is it something to do with Folco?"
"Um…" Folco blushed red in embarrassment and frustration. Frodo caught his gaze.
"Folco, what did you do?" Frodo asked him.
"It turns out I've got some studying to do." Folco stood up and rushed over to the Gryffindor table, right next to Fatty Bolger. Frodo rolled his eyes, snickering to himself. Poor Folco. Well, whatever was on his mind… Frodo returned his gaze to Aria. She was rocking back and forth in her chair.
Frodo sighed. If only there was something he could do to help his authoress.
-.-.-
In spite of Frodo's best efforts to help Aria, he knew that maybe she would get the help she needed and the whole matter resolved. By midmorning, however, on his way to History of Magic with the other Ravenclaws, he was fortunate to have Sindri leading them. Sindri, by now, looked like a complete and frightened mess.
"Professor Sindri –" Frodo was cut off by the auburn haired dwarf, who had a story or two to tell:
"Just to think of what might happen had we lost you to all of this, Mr. Baggins." Sindri went on, in a tired voice, "To think, you of all people should be protected. Protected from the authors and authoresses, protected as a hobbit, protected as a hero amongst your kind –"
Frodo snuck away while Sindri spoke. He was grateful to use his hand magic, at least he could sneak to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom – oh no! There was Professor McGonagall, leading Harry, Ron and – wait. Sam was with them, too! What was he doing sneaking about the castle? Unfortunately, Frodo's hand magic short-circuited, just long enough for him to stay behind a wall and allow McGonagall to see him.
"Mr. Baggins, what are you –"
"He's with us!" Harry inquired.
"Yes, and I want to visit Hermione," Frodo sagged his head.
McGonagall addressed him. "Well, in this case, you may go. I'll tell Professor Binns and Flitwick where you four have gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey you have my permission." She disappeared around a corner.
"Well, now we have to see Hermione," Harry told his friends.
"Thanks for bailing me out." Frodo looked at his hands. "My hand magic – I can't see to control it this year."
"I don't think you need to stay invisible now, Frodo," Harry answered.
Frodo grunted. "I suppose you're right."
"Come on. We should be off," Harry told his three friends.
As it turned out, Madam Pomfrey let them in, but reluctantly. Frodo approached Hermione's petrified state with his three friends. At first, it seemed like they weren't getting anything until Harry yanked out a piece of clumped up parchment, revealing everything they were searching for.
Harry breathed the truth to them, "The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk. It explains why Frodo, Sam, Aria and me can hear it speak… no one looked it directly in the eye due to seeing its reflection, including Mrs. Norris."
"How's the basilisk been getting around?" Ron asked.
"Pipes, Ron. It's been using the pluming. We've been hearing the basilisk's voice inside the walls," Harry added, referring to himself, Frodo, Sam and Aria.
Ron grabbed Harry's arm. "What if the Chamber of Secrets inside a bathroom! In –"
"In Moaning Myrtle's bathroom!" Harry said.
Coming to the conclusion that the Heirs of Slytherin must also be using Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to open the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, Ron, Frodo and Sam charged downstairs. Just as they went inside the staff room – a large, paneled room full of dark wooden chairs – to get McGonagall, her voice, magically magnified, told all the students to head to their House dormitories and all teachers to head to the staff room immediately. At that, Harry, Ron, Frodo and Sam hid inside a wardrobe as the staff arrived on the scene.
"The Heirs of Slytherin left another message, right underneath the first," McGonagall told the teachers assembled. "'Their Skeletons will lie in the Chamber forever.' That's all they say."
"Who was taken?" Madam Hooch asked.
"Ginny Weasley and Aria Breuer," McGonagall said.
Frodo froze on the spot. Could it… no. That couldn't have been what Aria was trying to warn him all year? It made no sense. He felt Ron slide down to the wardrobe floor a few inches away from him. Just then, another bang of the staff room door sounded, but it wasn't Dumbledore. It was Lockhart and Sindri.
"I'm sorry. Are we late?" Sindri asked.
"It seems we have need of your assistance after all, Sindri." Snape told him, "Don't you know where the Chamber of Secrets is?"
Frodo looked up. Maybe Sindri did know where the Chamber was hidden. There was no denying it now. Frodo had to go in and save his authoress… with Sindri's help. But how?
"That's settled. We'll leave you and Sindri to it, Lockhart," McGonagall informed the two professors. "Tonight would be an excellent time for it."
"Oh, yes. I shall head to my office," Sindri said, heading out the door.
The teachers rose and left the office.
-.-.-
The Ravenclaw common room was very still, if not respectful. Frodo hardly found the words to say to his fellow Ravenclaws. But then, over the past year, he and Aria hadn't been very close. Then why was he so bothered? Maybe Aria knew about the Chamber of Secrets, maybe she didn't. Why then did he want to save her?
"Frodo," it was Pearl, Pippin's sister. She sat down with him. "I know what it's like to lose someone, to lose a friend."
"What does it feel like?" Frodo felt his insides moving all over the place. Why had he asked this question, when there were others –
"Frodo, maybe you need to talk to someone. Someone who could help you." Pearl lowered her head, admitting calmly, "I know it's hard, and I know it feels like we forget our friends, but…" she smiled softly, "…even when they're gone and far away, somehow they come back to us, in thought and in memory."
"Memory?" Frodo looked at Pearl then. Understanding crossed his eyes. Of course, Mairon's diary, but how… the diary showed him a memory… but the diary was gone… it was… no. Aria had the diary? Down in the Chamber? It sounded crazy, but then it was a crazy night. He stood up, thinking he lost his mind. "I'll see you later."
"As you wish," Pearl told him.
Frodo looked back at her. She looked so helpless. He was torn: stay with Pearl or help Aria… he chose the latter and zipped out of the door, down the stairs, before he had second thoughts. He didn't need to turn invisible this time, for the staff was running around the place, hectic and fearful of what would happen next. He made it into the Authors and Authoresses' Chambers without a synch. And Sam was right there, waiting for him by the door to Sindri's office.
"Sam, you're here," Frodo said, catching his breath.
"Before you say anything, I…" Sam was interrupted by Frodo, who told him:
"Let's go!" Frodo plummeted into Sindri's office. The sun was setting lower in the sky. As for Sindri, Frodo couldn't believe it. "Where are you going, professor?"
"Well…" Sindri hesitated, "as you see, I've got to go. Big day tomorrow."
"You're not goin' to help Miss Aria!" Sam cried.
"My business, my blunder. Excuse me," Sindri said, heading towards the door. Frodo blocked his path.
"You can't leave!" Frodo called, trying to keep his voice even, "What about those adventures you wrote?"
"Experimental," the dwarf told him.
"They're your works, your adventures. The truth is right there in the…" Frodo was cut off by the dwarf, who clearly had more to say.
"Frodo, my lad, do you not understand." Sindri explained, "All those adventures I went on – I didn't go on. They were other dwarves' adventures. I was merely there, writing their experiences, which should have been rightfully mine."
"You're a fraud!" Frodo accused. "You took works from other dwarves?" He spoke calmer, but just as unforgiving, "How dare you. How do you call yourself a dwarf?"
"Can't you do anything original?" Sam dared to ask the dwarf.
"Well, I may not have Lockhart's talent for memory charms, but I do know how to absorb and control magic. Otherwise, all those dwarves would have told was the truth of their adventures, and I wouldn't have a scrap of it." Sindri searched for his wand, "and it seems I will have to do the same to you two, if you try…"
"Expelliarmus!" Frodo cried, watching Sindri's wand fly right into his hand. Inside, Frodo sighed in relief. If Snape taught him one thing that year, it was Expelliarmus. And a good thing, too, for Sindri had no choice, but to follow them to the Chamber of Secrets.
"Boys, I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. Even if I could…" Sindri was stuttering.
"Lucky for you, we do. Come on," Frodo said, as Sam let Sindri lead them first out of his office and down a shortcut leading directly to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Frodo looked around, once Sindri and Sam had left the portrait hole: the bathroom was still the same. Frodo smiled at Harry, as he, Ron and Lockhart reached the bathroom at the same time. "See you've brought Lockhart."
"Had to. He was about to leave," Ron said, as Frodo, Sam and Sindri joined them on the other side.
As they were in Myrtle's bathroom, Moaning Myrtle explained how she died: that a boy picked on her about her glasses and she ran into the bathroom to be alone. As she was crying, she heard a boy speaking in strange language. When she unlocked the door to tell him to use his own bathroom, she died. Harry asked her how, at which Myrtle explained that she saw a great big pair of yellow eyes over by one of the sinks, the sink that didn't work.
Harry understood that this sink was the gateway to the Chamber of Secrets. At first, the sink wouldn't open. Then he spoke in Parseltongue and it worked, and just him alone. He didn't understand why only he could open it when… he gave up on the thought. Before Lockhart left the bathroom, Ron gave Lockhart a push and their DADA teacher fell into the entrance. He was okay, but he wasn't the only one who didn't want to leave.
"Um… you boys don't need me now…" Sindri attempted to leave, until Frodo and Sam pointed their wands at him. They led the dwarf right back to the entrance. "Um… are you sure this is for the best…" Sam pushed him a little, but just that much sent Sindri down the gaping entrance.
Harry went next, followed by Frodo, then Sam and Ron last. The journey down was a slippery dark slide. There were pipes to be seen on either side, stretching out and expanding in different directions. When the pipe leveled out, Harry and Frodo landed sprawled on the floor, Sam and Ron whizzed out behind them.
Frodo clambered to his feet on the damp floor. Following Harry's advice about movement in the air, Frodo followed him through the first tunnel. It was dark to see in a lot of places, with the moonlight creeping in at some places. At least he could hear Sam and Ron leading Lockhart and Sindri behind them. That was when he spotted the skin. Like him, Frodo wandered close to Harry to check it out, only to look back at Lockhart and Sindri, who had grabbed Ron and Sam's wands.
"You know, I was going to point out what would happen when we reach a paradox in time and space, but this is so much better." Sindri turned a wicked grin in Frodo's direction, "So here's to the end of the R…" Just then, the dwarf's wand absorbed Lockhart's spell, absorbing it inside himself.
A loud bang against the wall and a snap of a twig, the wall collapsed. Frodo and Harry were trapped on the other side. Frodo was astonished and nearly caught in a daze.
"Sam! Are you okay, Sam?!" Frodo asked through the crack. He was glad Harry let him see through the opening.
"I'm fine, but Sindri broke my wand!" Sam announced.
"We'll stay and shift some of this rock!" Ron answered.
"Frodo and I will go on. If we're not back in an hour…" Harry paused. Frodo understood. They had to find Ginny and Aria, who had already been down in the Chamber for hours.
The tunnel turned and turned again. As they inched closer, Frodo could feel his blood grow colder. But he wasn't about to give up on Harry, or Ginny, or Aria. And while Ron and Sam shifted the rock in the distant background, before Frodo and Harry rested a huge stone wall with two giant stone serpents encasing the other side. These stone serpents felt alive.
"Open," Harry said, his words hissing.
The serpents parted and the wall opened, allowing Harry and Frodo passage through to the next room. They wasted no time, as they shakily walked inside.
All right, so the idea for me being in the Chamber of Secrets with Ginny was LOTCR's idea. I think it is a good idea, so we can bring Sam in on the journey with Frodo. Just figured, I might as well start bringing in more of Frodo's hobbit friends. With that said, thanks for reading. :) More is to come and finding out who are the Heirs of Slytherin…