I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC

Hello guys, Badger here. I hope you guys are doing well. I have a nice long chapter for you guys today. Do you feel honoured? I don't know when I will be able to post the next chapter, as I have to focus on my College project. Why I chose to make a graphic novel for my final piece, I have no idea. I am glad the previous chapter was well recieved...at least I hope it was. I hope this chapter is also well recieved, as while I prefer longer chapters, I feel I made it a bit too long if you know what I mean? Anyway, please enjoy and I will see you at the end.

Chapter 25

Into the Chamber

Harry, Daphne and Susan entered the Medical Wing, lead by an Auror escort. After explaining everything that happened with Aragog to Susan, they went into the library, with fresh new information but came up short. It was quite frustrating, so they decided to pay another visit to James and Luna.

"You have ten minutes" The Auror said

"Thank you" Harry replied

The Auror nodded, before they left, closing the door behind them. The trio approached James and Luna, taking a seat in between their beds.

"I wish you were here with us" Harry said "Both of you…we could really use your help right now"

As Harry was talking, Daphne noticed something in James' hand. It looked like crumpled up paper and was easy to miss.

"Harry" She said "There is something in James' hand"

Harry looked to see paper crumpled in his right hand. He was unable to open James' hand, so he had to carefully pull the page from his frozen grasp. He uncurled the paper, to see it was a page from a book, which James must have ripped out. He read the passage on the page slightly, before his eyes widened in shock.

"Harry, what is it?" Susan asked

"James and Luna found this before they were attacked" Harry replied, before he looked to the door "Let's go, until we know for sure, I don't want anyone overhearing, just in case"

Daphne and Susan shared a look, but nodded, as they followed Harry out of the Medical Wing. When they were far away enough, from any possible eavesdroppers, Harry read the passage out loud.

"'Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it'" Harry read "This has to be it, the monster in the Chamber of Secrets…it explains why I can only hear it speak…it's a snake"

"Seems obvious now that you say it out loud" Daphne replied in a frustrated tone "How stupid are we…but, if its instant death, should you look it in the eye, how come Mrs Norris, James and Luna aren't dead?"

Harry thought for a moment, before he saw his own reflection in a nearby window. Daphne and Susan follow his gaze, where realisation comes to each one of them.

"None of them looked at it in the eye" Susan said "At least, not directly"

"Yes, Mrs Norris must have seen the Basilisk in a reflection in a window" Harry nodded "And remember, James and Luna were found with a mirror with Luna's name of it, they probably used when they found out what the basilisk was and ended up meeting its gaze"

"And remember what Aragog said Harry?" Daphne asked "There is only one creature that they fear amongst all others…with what the passage on that page says, everything fits…this is bad"

"But, how has it been getting around?" Susan asked "With a massive snake like a Basilisk, someone must have seen it"

Harry took another look at the page, where he shown them something written in the bottom right hand corner of the page, which looked like it was written in a rush; Moving through the pipes?

"Pipes…so its using the castles plumbing, when it wants to move unnoticed" Daphne clarified

Harry nodded, until a small moment of realisation came to him, as he thought.

"Daphne, do you remember what Aragog said about what happened fifty years ago" He said "A young girl, who died in a bathroom…what if she never left?"

"Wait, are you talking about Moaning Myrtle?" Daphne asked

Harry nodded, before McGonagall's voice rang across the corridor.

"All students are to return to their Common Rooms at once! All professors and Head Aurors to the second floor corridor immediatley!"

Harry, Daphne and Susan looked to one another, before it was agreed in a silent conversation that they were going to investigate. Rushing to the second floor, they stopped, as they peeked around a corner, to see McGonagall, Sprout, Filius, Snape, along with the rest of the Hogwarts professors were standing with Head Aurors, as well as Amelia Bones, their backs turned to them, as they looked at the opposite wall, where they could also see a few aurors laying on the ground.

"As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message, as well as killed a few Aurors" McGonagall said "Our worst fear has happened; a student has been taken by the monster, into the Chamber itself…the students must be sent home…I fear this is the end of Hogwarts"

The sound of footsteps alerted them, where they saw Lockhart approaching them, dressed in more of his obnoxious robes with a cheerful smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry, I dosed off, what have I missed" He said, grinning wider

"I girl has been snatched by the monster Lockhart" Snape replied, taking delight in the grin leaving the idiots face, as he paled "Now you can take action"

"What do you mean…I can take action?" Lockhart asked

"Weren't you the one who said last night that you believe you know where the Chamber was located?" Snape replied innocently, raising an eyebrow

"Well, that settles it then" McGonagall spoke up "You can stop this threat Gilderoy…after all you are a legend…if you need Aurors to help, I'm sure Amelia will provide you with a small group"

Lockhart paled more, before he composed himself, with a smile.

"Very well" He said, "I'll be in my office…getting ready"

Amelia Bones watched Lockhart, eyes narrowing in suspicion, before she turned to McGonagall.

"Who is the student that's been taken?" She asked

"Ginny Weasley" McGonagall replied gravely "I took note of all the Gryffindor students and she wasn't amongst them"

Harry, Daphne and Susan watched in shock, as the group left down the corridor, with the Head Aurors levitating the bodies of their fallen Aurors, where they saw the message left behind on the wall; 'HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER'.

"What do we do?" Harry asked

"The Twins" Susan replied "We need to inform them about Ginny…she's their sister!"

"What do we do about Lockhart?" Daphne asked

"We'll worry about that afterwards" Harry said "Susan is right…Fred and George need to know what's happened to their sister"

Harry left no room for response, as he immediatley set off for the Gryffindor Common Room. Susan and Daphne followed after him, until they hid round a corner, when they saw a few guards standing outside the Gryffindor Common Room, though this time, they were more alert and ready for any possible attack.

"Of course" Harry said softly "Jinx"

The excitable elf popped silently next to Harry, where she immediatley stood to attention.

"Harry Potter called for Jinx?" She asked

"Yes, Jinx" Harry nodded, before he pointed down the corridor "See those Aurors…think you can distract them"

Jinx nodded, before she popped away again. The trio watched from around the corner, keeping an eye on the Aurors. It took a few seconds, but there was a small explosion in the opposite direction from them. This alerted the Aurors, causing them to rush to see what caused the explosion to happen, wands out ready.

"I love that elf" Harry smiled, "Okay guys, let's go"

The portrait guarding the Common Room remained still and lifeless, until they were standing in front of it, where the lady looked down at them, and she didn't look happy.

"No entry" She said "You are not of Gryffindor House"

"Lord Potter requests entrance into the Gryffindor Common Room" Harry replied, showing his Potter Family Ring.

Knowing that she can't deny the request of a Lord, the portrait swung open, allowing the trio to enter the Common Room. Thankfully, they found the Twins fairly easily, as they were alone sitting on the sofa's, looking quite confused, when they saw them enter.

"Harry, how did you guys get in here?" Fred asked

"And, why are you here?" George asked

"I'll explain 'how' later" Harry replied "But we have something you need to know"

"What is it?" George asked

"It's about Ginny" Daphne spoke up

"Ginny?" The Twins spoke in unison

"Is she okay?" Fred asked

"Has something happened to her?" George continued

"That…is why we are here" Susan sighed "She has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets"

"WHAT!" The Twins exclaimed, both looking murderous

"Ginny is our sister!" George growled

"Whoever took her, better not have hurt her" Fred continued, fury in his eyes

"Do you know where the Chamber of Secrets is?" George asked the group

"No" Harry sighed "Apparently Lockhart does, but I doubt it…but on the of chance he does, he doesn't know what the creature is"

"And you do?" The Twins asked in unison

"It's a Basilisk" Harry replied, which caused the Twins to pale

"Merlin" George said, in mild panic

"Harry, it may be dangerous, but let us come" Fred said "Ginny is our sister after all"

Harry looked to Susan and Daphne, where the two of them nodded without any hesitation.

"Okay, you guys are in" Harry replied "Now lets go and quickly…Even if I do doubt him, we need to get to Lockhart and inform him of what we know"

The Twins immediatley shot out the Common Room, not wasting any time. Harry, Daphne and Susan quickly caught up with them, as they made their way to the Defence Classroom. Not seeing anyone inside, they headed into the office, where they caught Lockhart, haphazardly packing up several bags and trunks, who froze when he saw them enter.

"Professor…are you going somewhere?" Harry asked

"Umm…yes" Lockhart paled "Urgent call you see, I have to dash"

"But what about Ginny?" George asked

"What about her?" Lockhart replied

"She is our sister!" The Twins roared

"Oh…umm…" Lockhart stammered "Don't get me wrong, such a tragic and unfortunate situation, no one regrets more then I…"

"Sir, you are supposed to be the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor" Susan scowled "You can't go now!"

"I'm not to blame" Lockhart snapped, as puts a few more things in a trunk "When I took the job, there was nothing in the description about the Chamber of Secrets and people either being petrified or taken!"

"You're choosing to run away?" Daphne asked, outraged "What about everything you wrote in those books?"

"Ahh…well" Lockhart replied "You have to understand, it was purely for money and fame…my books wouldn't even be as successful or sell as well as they have, if people knew I didn't do those things!"

"So you are a liar!" Harry snapped, with the others looking at Lockhart in various degrees of shock and disbelief "You're just a fraud who has taken credit for what other wizards or witches have done!"

"Is there anything that you can do?" Daphne asked, sceptically, folding her arms

"Yes, now that you mention it" Lockhart replied, standing straighter "You will find that I am strongly gifted in all kinds of memory charms…otherwise the wizards and witches I stole from would've gone around blabbing, meaning I wouldn't be able to sell single book"

Lockhart turns to his desk, where his wand was currently lying.

"In fact" He continued "I'm afraid…that I'm going to have to do the same to you lot!"

He immediatley turned, wand in his hand, only to see everyone else pointing their wands at him, causing him to pale even more.

"I wouldn't if I were you 'professor'" Susan spoke up "Put the wand down"

Knowing that he was outnumbered by a good amount, Lockhart reluctantly put his wand down, where Harry immediatley grabbed it and threw it across the room.

"Today's your lucky day Lockhart" Harry said "You finally have a chance to be the legendary hero, people believe you to be"

The group entered the girls bathroom shortly after, their wands still pointed at Lockhart, just in case he tried anything else. Moaning Myrtle was just floating around, quietly crying to herself, until she noticed that she was no longer alone.

"Oh, hello Harry" She said "What do you want?"

"I want to ask, how…you died" Harry replied, trying to choose his words carefully

"Oh…I see" Myrtle smiled, before it faded "It happened in this very cubicle…I hidden myself away because some boy was teasing me and making fun of me because of my glasses…I was crying then…I heard someone come in"

"Do you know who it was?" Daphne asked

"No" Myrtle replied "I was too distraught…but I heard them say something funny…it seemed to be some kind of foreign language, one I didn't recognise…I realised it was a boy speaking, so I opened the door to tell him to go away and then…I died"

"Just like that?" The Twins asked

"How?" Fred continued

"I don't know" Myrtle shrugged "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big yellow eyes, by that sink"

The group follows to where she was pointing, as she floated away. Making sure that the others still had their wands on Lockhart, Harry approached the sink and took a moment to investigate. He turns the tap, but no water comes out. He is about to try something else, when something catches his attention. Taking a closer look at the faucet, he sees a small snake engraved in the metal, which causes him to step back slightly, in shock.

"This is it" He said "The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!"

"All this time" Susan said, as everyone looks on in shock "It has been right under everyone's noses the entire time!"

"Can you open it Harry?" George asked

Harry didn't respond. He looked at the sink, before he hissed, requesting for the Chamber to open. Immediatley, the separate sinks begin to separate, the porcelain scraping along the tiled floor, before the moved, to reveal a large pipe, where the sink in front of him, sank into the floor, before a small grate covered back over it. Being the closest to the pipe, Harry and Daphne looked down, to see nothing but a dark pipe going downwards. Lockhart, too, take a glance down, looking nervous as he does so, before he composes himself, in fake calmness.

"Ah, yes, well done Harry, very well done" He said "I guess there is no need for me to stay!"

He turns, in hopes of quickly escaping, only to stop when his path is blocked by Susan and the Twins pointing their wands at him. He then looks behind him, to see Harry and Daphne doing the same.

"No, no" Harry said "You're going first, sir"

"Now, what good would that do?" Lockhart asked

"Better you then us" Susan replied

"Well…I suppose you have a point" Lockhart muttered, before he approached the entrance

He stood by the edge, looking down below at the darkness of the pipe. He mutters to himself, telling himself that he can do it, as he edged closer. Harry rolled his eyes, before he jabbed him in the back with his wand, causing Lockhart to fall into the pipe, where he let out a, rather unmanly scream. His screams get fainter, until they hear a small thud.

"Think he's dead?" Daphne asked, after a few seconds of silence

"We can only hope" Harry sighed "Let's go"

"I'm not going" Susan spoke up, causing everyone to look at her in shock

"What?" Harry asked "Why?"

"Someone needs to inform someone of what's happening" Susan replied "You guys go on ahead, I'll get the professors and Aurors"

"Fine" Harry sighed "Be careful"

"You too" Susan replied, pocketing her wand and rushing from the room

"Ready guys?" Harry asked

The others nodded, though they seemed a bit reluctant. Harry looked down the pipe, seeing nothing but darkness. He took a small breath, before jumping into the pipe. It was very disorientating, as Harry slide down the pipe, at quick speeds and not being able to see where he is going. After a few moments, he eventually shot out the other side and onto the ground below. He immediatley stood up and pointed his wand back at Lockhart, who raised his hands in a non-threatening manner. A few moments later, they were joined by the Twins and Daphne, who pointed their wands at Lockhart, until they realised what they were standing on. Below their feet were dozens of old bones…most were from small animals but some, seemed human in origin.

"Okay…" Harry spoke up, as he looked down a small passage way behind Lockhart "That seems to be the way…remember, avoid looking the Basilisk in the eye, come on"

Harry lead them down the passage, Lockhart following him, with the others keeping their wands pointed his way. They walked through jagged and rocky passage ways, before they came across a large open area, where they found something lying amongst the stone, which seemed dozens of feet in length. Harry took a closer look.

"What is it?" Daphne asked

"It's a snake skin" Harry replied, cautiously running his hand along it "It must have shed at some point"

Harry wasn't sure what happened, but he heard spells fly, followed by a thud. He turned to see, The Twins standing over an unconscious Lockhart.

"What happened?" He asked

"Lockhart tried to grab Daphne's wand" Fred replied

"Thought he could escape, assuming us to be distracted" George added

"The two of them knocked him out quicker then he could blink" Daphne informed

Harry looked at Lockhart's unconscious form with a small amount of disgust, before he shook his head slightly.

"What shall we do with him?" He asked

"I'll stay with him" Daphne replied "You guys can go on"

"Are you sure?" Harry asked

"Yes" Daphne nodded "Susan will be here soon…and someone needs to make sure this idiot doesn't do something like this again…now go, and be careful"

Harry wants to protest, but one glare from Daphne stops him from doing so. He nodded, before he and the Twins continued down the passageway, whilst Daphne sat on a rock, her wand pointing at the Lockhart. They continued their way, until they came up to a large, circular door, with snakes on it. Harry looked at it for a moment, before he hissed, asking for it to open. There was a clanging noise, as a metal snake slid around the door, before it opened, with a loud metallic creaking sound. Seeing that the way ahead was safe, the three made their way through the door, where they came across the Chamber. Large snake statues were laid out, evenly on each side, leading to a large statue of Salazar Slytherins face, which was surrounded by a moat. However, the Twins attention was on the person lying on the ground in front of the moat. Ginny. They immediatley ran towards her, Harry following after them.

"Ginny!" Fred said loudly, shaking her hoping that she will wake up "Ginny wake up"

"Ginny, please don't be dead" George pleaded, as he knelt with his brother "Ginny wake up!"

Harry knelt next to Ginny as well, where he saw her holding the diary. He was about to check her pulse when something interrupted them.

"She won't wake" A silky voice spoke.

The three of them looked to see a young boy standing a few feet away. A boy that Harry recognised instantly.

"You are Tom Riddle aren't you?" Harry asked, to which the boy nodded "What do you mean Ginny won't wake…she isn't…"

"She is alive" Tom replied, much to the Twins relief "but only just"

"Who are you?" Fred asked "You don't look like a ghost"

"I'm not a ghost, merely a memory" Tom replied, as if the situation offended him "A memory preserved in a diary for about fifty years"

"Can you help us?" George asked "We need to get out of here, there is a Basilisk around"

"The Basilisk won't come until it is called" Tom said

"What do you mean?" Fred asked

"The Basilisk will only come out, when it is called for" Tom replied

"Look, that doesn't matter right now" Harry said "We need to save her!"

"I can't do that Harry" Tom replied, making Harry's eyes widen "You see, as poor Ginny grows weaker…I grow stronger"

The trio looks confused for a moment, until realisation came to them all.

"So you figured it out" Tom said, "Yes, Ginny is the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets"

"Bullshit!" The Twins roared "She would never!"

"But she did" Tom replied "Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny had the Basilisk attack Mrs Norris and your friends, Ginny wrote the messages on the walls!"

"Why would she do that?" Harry asked calmly, though he didn't like what he was hearing

"Because I asked her too" Tom smirked "I found that I can be very….persuasive"

"Hang on, hold on a minute" Harry said, when a thought came to him "Why did the Basilisk attack James and Luna…the Basilisk was supposed to be used to attack Muggleborns and Half-Bloods…why would it attack them, they are both Purebloods"

"Yes, I admit, that was unintentional" Tom replied, as he crossed his arms "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time…after they were attacked, I had Ginny order the Basilisk back into the Chamber…though, whilst I am not sorry about Luna, I am sorry about James being attacked"

"James?" Harry asked "Why would you be sorry about James?"

"You mean you don't know?" Tom tilted his head curiously

"Know what?" The Twins asked

"After the attack, I checked up on James' family history" Tom explained "And I was surprised at what I saw…James has ties with the Slytherin Bloodline"

"What are you saying?" Harry asked

"You friend James has Slytherin blood in him" Tom smirked "Making him an heir to Slytherin!"

DUN DUN DUUUUNNNNN!

What! James is an Heir of Slytherin!

I know you guys want to find out why and you may be mad that it ended here, but I felt like it made a decent cliff hanger. How is he an heir to the Slytherin line, will be explained don't worry, though, this may make you confused as to why he didn't hear the Basilisk when Harry could. This will also be explained, so don't get into a hissy fit about continuity.

Anyway, where to start with this chapter? The page ripped from the book was kept practically same to canon. The passage of the Basilisk I found on the Harry Potter fandom.

I felt like the Twins needed to be there when they went after Ginny. They are her brothers. I know it seems kind of pointless for Susan and Daphne to be there, only to just separate from the others, but I felt trying to write for all the characters taking part in the battle with the Basilisk would be difficult, so I had them narrowed down to Harry and the Twins. It seemed natural. Harry is also taking on more of a leadership role. This will appear more in future chapters. This is only the start.

Then we come across the shocking reveal. It wasn't until writing the attack on James and Luna when the idea came to me. I felt it would be an interesting scenario. Would this cause distrust between James and Harry, especially with a massive secret like this being given to Harry by Tom Riddle of all people? We'll have to see. As I said, James' relation to the Slytherin bloodline will be explained.

We are almost at the end of the Chamber of Secrets era. Only a few more, and that will be it and we will move on to the Prisoner of Azkaban era, which I am really looking forward to. I have a few ideas I have been waiting to show you for so long!

Until then, I hope you enjoyed the Chapter and I hope to see you in the next.

Badger out.