A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate your encouragement and support.

Chapter Eleven

"Ewwwww!" Hermione couldn't help the groan of disgust that escaped her. Sliding down an old sewer pipe was bad enough, but when she reached bottom, she'd attempted to land on her feet, only to tip forward, ending up on her hands and knees in the rank slime that coated the stone floor.

The tunnel was illuminated by the wands held upright by Harry and Ron, the latter stepping forward to perform a quick "Scourgify" on her.

"Thanks," she said, reaching in her pocket and pulling out her wand. "Lumos," and her wand added its glow to the others. "That was really revolting."

Harry laughed. "From what I remember, it doesn't get any better." He indicated the tunnel ahead of them. "It'll be partially blocked about halfway down. Lockhart caused part of the roof to cave in when he tried to Obliviate us."

With the three wands, the area immediately around them was well lit, but just beyond, the tunnel appeared to be an impenetrable black mass.

"It's like...walking into a black hole," Hermione said apprehensively.

"Yeah," agreed Harry.

"A black hole...?"

"Astronomy, Ronald. Didn't you pay attention to anything?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, right. Stars, black holes, comets...I remember now." Ron gave her a cheeky grin.

"Here!" Harry pointed with the wand, exposing a pile of rock that stretched from floor to ceiling, practically blocking the entire tunnel.

"That all fell when Lockhart...? You're lucky he didn't kill the lot of you!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Lucky he got my wand instead of Harry's," said Ron. "He meant to leave us in here."

"That rotten..."

"Seems you didn't feel that way about him back then," Harry teased.

Hermione huffed. "Look, could we please forget about my silly crush on Lockhart, and get to work on figuring out how we're going to get past all this?" From what she could see, the wall of rock was fairly solid, but the boys must have gotten through it before to bring Ginny out.

"There should be a decent-sized hole in the pile," Ron said. "I had plenty of time to move stone while I was waiting for Harry." He shuddered in remembrance. "It was a long wait."

The three of them spread out and focused the light upon the rock pile. The glow bounced off the irregular surface of the pile and cast shadows that moved and flickered. In Hermione's nervous imagination, they were the shadows of snakes that crawled along the walls and undulated across the floor. Not wanting to betray her anxiety to the boys, she kept her eyes on the rocks, resolutely refusing to look behind her.

"I found it," Ron called, and with a sigh of relief, she hurried over to join him.

Harry came up beside them and examined the opening with a critical eye. "It's small, but I think we can still get through it. So long as the rocks don't shift while we're climbing through."

Hermione aimed her wand and cast "Stabilis" at the base of the opening, and Ron and Harry repeated the motions, casting it at the sides. Satisfied that the pile would hold, they prepared to climb through.

"You first, Hermione," Harry ordered. "Ron and I will boost you up."

The two boys supported her until she was able to grasp the rocks at the opening itself. "I'm here," she called down to them. "Going through!" With a twist and drag, she pulled herself up and through, dropping her legs down on the other side, hanging on until she found purchase for her feet. Refusing to look down, Why does everything we do have to involve heights? she slowly moved over the rocky face until her feet touched solid ground. "Made it!" she called. Above her, she could see Ron's long legs hanging out of the hole.

He was almost through, when she chanced to look behind her, and in the light of the wand, she could barely make out the figure of an enormous snake lying coiled in the recesses of the tunnel. Sheer panic struck her, and she shrieked and inadvertently doused the light. Blundering backwards, she slipped on the loose rocks and fell with a painful yelp. She curled up and covered her eyes, hearing shouts and the sound of sliding rock around her.

"Lumos!" The area around her lit up again. "Bloody hell! What happened?"

"Hermione! Are you all right?"

She kept her face covered. "Oooh, don't look! There's a Basilisk right over there. I saw it. I..."

"We should have warned her," Harry said. "It's a skin. The Basilisk shed it. It was here when we came through before."

"A...a skin?" She kept her eyes tightly covered.

"Scared the hell out of us first time we saw it too." Ron was laughing. "Uncover your eyes. It's safe."

Hermione peeked through her fingers, then lowered her hands, chagrinned. "I'm sorry. That was stupid of me."

"No harm done," Harry said, rubbing his backside. "We just made the descent a little faster than last time." He walked over to stare down at the snakeskin. "I'd forgotten how big that thing was..." He stopped speaking, lost in thought, a strange look on his face. Next to him, Ron shifted uneasily.

Hermione watched the play of thoughts across Harry's face. He'd taken on the monster at an age when most boys faced nothing more serious than the occasional hexing match with House rivals. He'd been thrust into the unimaginable, facing Voldemort for the second time in the persona of Tom Riddle, and nearly losing his life. The specter of another, and final confrontation with the Dark Lord, was hanging over his every thought and action, the inevitability of it staring him in the face. She reached over and touched his arm.

"We should go on. We've got a lot of ground to cover, if the Chamber is as large as you say."

Harry blinked, seeming to come back to himself from a long distance, then nodded. With a sigh of relief, Ron raised his wand and started forward. They fell into place beside him, moving cautiously, examining the walls of the tunnel as they passed. Nothing remarkable appeared. The walls themselves were of a light stone, discolored with streaks of mold and dampness. At the base of the walls, thin rivulets of water pooled and ran across the floor. The entire tunnel smelled of mildew and neglect, of age and ill use. Hermione shuddered and moved closer to the boys.

They came to a halt at the end of the tunnel, facing what appeared to be a solid wall. Carved into it were two large, intertwining snakes. The detail of the carving was meticulous – each scale on the serpents appeared to stand out individually, their open mouths sported elongated fangs that seemed to glisten with the moisture of their venom, the eyes of each huge emeralds that glittered in the light of the wands, casting malevolent looks upon the three humans who confronted them.

Ron gulped and gestured to Harry. "Your move, mate."

Harry stepped directly in front of the snakes, and Hermione could have sworn that in the flickering light of the wands, the snakes moved as if to get a better look at him. When Harry spoke, the hissing of his words echoed around them, as if answered by other, unseen snakes hidden in the long corridor. A sharp CRACK! rang through the wall, making them all gasp, and this time the snakes actually did move, slowly separating themselves and drawing to opposite sides of the wall. A large fissure appeared from floor to ceiling, and with a slight groan, the two sides of the wall slid apart.

Ahead of them stretched an elongated chamber, lined with towering stone pillars, each in the shape of a serpent. The tops of the pillars were lost in the dark ceiling of the immense chamber, but the serpents coiled back down so that their open mouths, fangs extended, presented a sort of reptilian honor guard for those who entered in.

Following Harry down the avenue of snakes, Hermione noticed that something was starting to take shape in the dim light ahead of them. Something huge. As they drew closer, the object began to assume features. They stumbled to a stop, staring up at the statue before them. An aged wizard, his long beard hanging almost to the foot of his robe, his eyes hooded, and his mouth twisted in a sneer. Hermione jumped as Harry spoke.

"That's it," he pointed to a spot at the base of the statue where the wizard's feet protruded from the folds of his stone robe. "That's where I found Ginny, lying right there." He paused. "I thought she was dead."

"That's Slytherin, isn't it?" Ron asked.

"Who else would be down here?" said Harry.

The features of the statue seemed to look down on her with disgust, and Hermione wondered if he somehow knew that a Muggleborn had invaded his sanctuary. She tore her eyes away and turned to examine the area around them. Several dark openings appeared in the walls, indicative of passages or doorways. Drawing the attention of the boys to the openings, Hermione suggested, "We could split up to cover the ground a little faster."

"Good idea," said Harry. "We can..."

"No!" Ron exclaimed. "No way. This is Slytherin's Chamber. There might be traps here, and they'd be set up to get any Muggleborn who came in here. It's too dangerous for Hermione to be alone."

Before she could argue the point, Harry had agreed. "We all stay together." He indicated an opening located slightly behind the base of the statue. "Let's start there."

It proved to be an alcove with a set of shelves located on one wall, empty except for a pair of old lanterns with rusted bases and cracked glass. A close examination of the others walls gave no indication of other doors or passages. Exiting, and passing behind the statue of Slytherin, they took the time to look among the folds of his robe, but the stone was solid.

The next opening led them into a short tunnel that ended against a solid wall. This wall, however, had another serpent carved into it. At Harry's terse command, it curled into a circle, and a round door opened back into the rest of the tunnel. Ron stepped through, and made a quick survey.

"There's a stairway in here. Leads up. Probably the way Riddle came in and out of the Chamber when he was here," Ron called to them.

"That's our way out, then," Harry responded. "Come on back. We've got more to look at before we leave."

Ron rejoined them, and they headed for a small alcove on the far side of the Chamber. Hermione stared uncertainly at Harry. "You did have a plan for getting us out of here, didn't you? I mean, if we hadn't found the stairway?"

Harry looked sheepish, and Ron laughed behind them. "I don't believe this," Hermione said. "You actually brought us down here with no way to get us back!"

"I knew something would come up."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "As the Headmistress would say, 'Sheer dumb luck!'"

Ron snickered again, and she turned back to glare at him, only to collide with Harry, who had come to a complete stop at the entrance to the alcove.

"I think," he said quietly, "that we've found what we were looking for."

Inside was an immense chamber, giving the impression of having been created out of the solid rock. At one end was a desk made out of stone and still attached to the wall from where it had been carved. A throne-like chair of the same stone, with elaborately carved back and arms, was placed directly in front of the desk. The chair was cushioned in green and silver brocade.

"Oh, my," Hermione breathed. "Slytherin liked the dramatic, didn't he?"

"You could say that," Ron answered. "Look over here."

On the opposite side of the room, separated by a partial wall, was a bedchamber. The bed itself was a copy of the desk, elaborately carved, a great stone platform on which was placed a huge mattress covered with green and silver brocade linens and piled with brocade cushions. Heavy fringed curtains hung from the ceiling to the floor at the four corners. Next to the bed was a stone table topped by a cloth in the same shades. But what drew their attention was the silver casket on top of the table. In contrast to the ostentatious decor of the room itself, the casket was fairly plain, its only ornamentation the silver snake with ruby eyes coiled upon the lid.

Harry walked over and peered closely at the casket. "Do you think this is big enough to hold the Ravenclaw seal?"

Hermione joined him. "I looked at the replica in the Ravenclaw common room, and I think it would fit in here. But would Tom Riddle have left it out exposed like this?"

"Who would have come down here to look for it?" Ron asked. "No one knew about the Horcruxes back then, and Riddle had this chamber to himself."

"True," said Hermione. "Well, there's one way to find out." She reached over and took hold of the silver latch. Instantly, the snake struck, sinking its silver fangs into her hand. Hermione cried out and pulled back, cold pain like a shock shooting up her arm, and the snake returned to its coiled position.

Ron grabbed her. "Let me see!" She squeezed her eyes shut in pain as he examined the bleeding punctures in her rapidly swelling hand.

"It hurts, and it's...so cold," Hermione moaned. Ron produced a handkerchief and wrapped it tightly, attempting to stop the bleeding. He assisted her to the side of the bed, where she sat shaking.

Harry turned away from the snake, and looked at her with anxious eyes. "Y,okay?"

"My hand is throbbing, but otherwise I'm all right. Just cold." She stared at her wrapped hand. "I should have realized that a Muggleborn wouldn't be able to open Riddle's box."

"Maybe a pureblood," Ron suggested. He cautiously reached towards the casket. The snake reared up and prepared to strike, and Ron withdrew his hand. "Guess it will have to be you, Harry."

He nodded, then walked back over to the table. Stopping in front of the casket, he faced the snake and hissed out a command. The snake lifted its head, ruby eyes glittering, and hissed in reply. Harry spoke again, hissing at the snake in strange syllables. Hermione stared as her friend conversed with the silver snake. This was an aspect of Harry's character that always made her uncomfortable. His ability to speak Parseltongue seemed unnatural and dark. It made her wonder what other parts of him might be touched by dark magic. As she watched, Harry stretched out his hand, and the snake again made ready to strike. Dropping his hand back to his side, he turned to them and explained.

"Apparently, the casket can only be opened by a Slytherin. The snake is just the first line of defense. It's telling me that anyone other than a Slytherin could lose their life attempting to open it."

"Oh, fine," Hermione spoke with exasperation. "Now we just have to find the odd Slytherin hanging around, drag them down here, and force them to open the casket for us. Isn't there any other way?"

"You've seen the effects of dealing with the Horcruxes. No doubt about it; this thing is booby-trapped," Harry replied.

"Can we carry it out of here?" Ron asked.

"Not without getting bitten. How's the hand?"

"Pretty painful," she admitted. "Since this appears to be where Riddle secreted the Horcrux, I vote we get out of here. We can't open it or carry it away. There's no point in staying."

"Right," Harry agreed. "Let's see where that stairway'll take us."

They returned to the tunnel and Harry demanded that the snake move. The round opening was large enough for easy access, and shortly they were climbing the stone steps. Sconces on the walls lit themselves, making the passage ahead of them clear for some way.

The stairs went on and on, and Hermione tried hard to ignore the pain in her hand and the feeling of cold that seemed to be moving up her arm from the snake bite. "Do you suppose that this actually leads anywhere, or is this just another Slytherin trick?"

Ron looked at her, a worried expression on his face. "We've come up quite a ways. I think we should be finding some kind of an exit along here pretty soon."

She shivered. "Can't be soon enough for me." Her legs ached with the effort of climbing, and even Ron and Harry had gotten quiet, when a pair of sconces exploded into life, clearly outlining a doorway. They opened it carefully, and found themselves facing the back of what appeared to be an enormous tapestry.

Hermione pulled out her wand and aimed it at the heavy cloth blocking their way.

"Ascencio!" and the tapestry lifted. Passing underneath it, they entered a hallway, clearly a part of the castle that they hadn't seen before.

"Where do you suppose we are?" Ron asked. "I don't recognize this area at all."

Shivering a little more, Hermione answered, "Let's start walking. We're sure to come upon a portrait, and we can ask directions."

One hallway led into another. They came across no portraits, no stairways, no rooms. Hermione felt as if her arm was encased in ice, and her face, neck, and shoulders were as cold as if she were facing into a frigid wind. She was beginning to shake uncontrollably. "I think...I think the bite..."

The boys looked at her in horror. "Bloody hell! We've got to get someplace where we can warm her up," Ron said to Harry.

Harry put his arms around her. "The castle. Luna said...we need a place to get warm...right now!"

Rounding a curve in the corridor, they came upon a door. Ron ran ahead and pulled on the handle, and the door swung open silently. "These look like living quarters."

Snape! thought Hermione frantically, and she tried to pull away from Harry. "No...no...we don't know what's in there..."

"There's bound to be a fireplace, and we can Floo you to the infirmary. Come on."

In spite of her resistance, they pulled her into the room. It proved to be a large study, with a couch and a pair of heavy, upholstered chairs grouped around a large hearth.

Harry guided Hermione into the closest chair, while Ron pulled out his wand and aimed it at the hearth. "Incen..."

"Expelliarmus!" Ron's wand flew through the air, and Harry's followed immediately after. A figure approached them from the far side of the room. "How the hell did you find me?"

Neither of the boys moved. Hermione stared as the figure came closer, certain that she was hallucinating. "Malfoy?"

Ron had moved back to flank Harry, and the two of them were blocking Malfoy's view of Hermione. Harry's face was a mask of fury. "Are you here to let more Death Eaters into the castle, you bastard!"

"Anyone in Hogwarts would kill you on sight, Malfoy!" Ron yelled.

Malfoy regarded them with an inscrutable expression on his face. "I bet you'd like to see that, Weasley, but the fact is...McGonagall hid me here."

"You're lying," Harry hissed at him.

"Not so, Potter." Malfoy kept his wand trained on them. "I'm a dead man, as far as the Dark Lord is concerned. I disobeyed a direct command." Just for a moment, something lost and frightened flashed across his face. "I couldn't kill Dumbledore, and he doesn't accept excuses for failure. Your Order hid me here."

"It's a trick," Ron said. "McGonagall would have to know you were here. And so would others; somebody'd have told us."

"I suppose you mean Lupin," Malfoy said. "He knows, and you're right, McGonagall knows."

"Why would they agree to shelter you after what you did?" Harry spat at him.

Malfoy looked stricken. "Because...because my mother asked them to." He dropped his wand hand and sat down heavily in a chair. "They left her body in front of the manor yesterday...I suppose because she wouldn't tell them where I was."

Hermione knew her own face was as white as those of her friends. Narcissa Malfoy had come to McGonagall to beg for sanctuary for Draco and had paid for it with her life. Whatever his father was, his mother had loved him and proved it with the ultimate sacrifice. He and Harry had something in common now.

"Malfoy..." Harry started to speak.

"Save it!" Malfoy cut him off. He tossed their wands back, and as the boys caught them, turned to leave the room.

"No! D-don't l-leave!" Hermione attempted to come to her feet, but her legs, cold and stiff, buckled beneath her and she sank to her knees with a moan. Her teeth were chattering, and every muscle ached with her shivering.

"Bloody hell! Incendio!" Ron lit the fire, and together he and Harry pulled her closer to the warmth.

"What's happened to her?" Malfoy demanded.

"Snakebite," Harry responded tersely. "Get a blanket!"

Moments later, Malfoy was draping a blanket around her shoulders, but in spite of the covering and the heat from the fire, she was still shaking uncontrollably.

"Can we Floo to the Infirmary from here?" Harry asked.

"I don't think so." Malfoy was still trying to hold the blanket around her. "I've only spoken to McGonagall, so I think the only connection is to the Headmistress's office."

"Talk to her, then," Ron insisted. "We've got to get her to Madam Pomfrey."

Malfoy stepped over to the hearth and threw in a handful of Floo powder. "Headmistress McGonagall," he requested.

A moment passed, and then the Headmistress appeared in the flames. "What is it, Mr. Malfoy."

"Potter found me," he said flatly. "He's here right now with Weasley and Granger."

"Oh dear," she replied. "That is most unfortunate."

"Granger's hurt," he continued.

"Step back, Mr. Malfoy. I'm coming through."

A quick assessment of the situation, a few sharp commands, and Hermione was in a bed in the hospital wing,U1 wrapped in heavy coverings, while Madam Pomfrey bustled about furiously.

"Really, Miss Granger," she sputtered. "You are getting quite as bad as Mr. Potter. I shall have to name the wing after both of you." She gestured to Harry and Ron, who assisted Hermione to sit up, then she handed her a vial. "Drink it down...all of it!"

Hermione gagged at the bitter taste, and debated whether or not to vomit. She felt the potion burn its way down, and warmth seemed to spread out and fill her. Slowly, the shaking eased, but as the cold receded, the pain in her hand increased.

Apparently, Madam Pomfrey expected that reaction, for a Pain-Reducing Potion quickly followed the first, and a potion-soaked dressing was wrapped around her hand.

"That should take care of it. Consider yourself lucky that the potion on the teeth of that snake was an old one, and easily reversed."

Harry leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Sheer dumb luck?"

Hermione gave him a playful glare. Madam Pomfrey passed her wand over the arm, and the extremity was wrapped in a soft sling. "That should do it. You'll stay here tonight, and if there are no complications, you'll be out tomorrow." Picking up the empty vials, she shook her head at them and walked off.

"McGonagall's going to be in here shortly, demanding an explanation," Ron told them. "How much are we telling them?"

"Everything," Hermione said. "We need their help if we're going to destroy that Horcrux."

"Destroy it!" Ron exclaimed. "We have to find it first, and we don't know for sure that it's in there if the casket won't open."

"We'll get it open," Harry insisted. "The Horcrux has to be in there. Why else would Voldemort have practically killed Ginny to keep everyone away from the Chamber?"

Hermione looked at Harry. "You realize that we'll have to bring Draco Malfoy into this, don't you?"

"Why?" Ron demanded.

"Simple," She told him. "He's our Slytherin."

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