Bella had to admit, it was heart-warming to know that by tomorrow morning they would have Hermione back but she knew that they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to speak to Moaning Myrtle if the opportunity arose. Having never spoken to Myrtle before, Bella was apprehensive but she trusted her brothers judgement. Their golden opportunity occurred mid-morning when they were being led to their History of Magic lesson by none other than Lockhart.
"All these extra precautions are nonsense." Lockhart said with a shake of his head. "The petrified students will confirm that it was indeed Hagrid and we can all go back to normality."
"Yes sir, I agree." Harry said. Bella shared a look of confusion with Freya and Emily as Ron dropped his books in surprise.
"Thank you Harry." Lockhart said with a pompous puff of his chest. "I mean, we teachers have more important things to be getting on with."
"Exactly sir." said Ron enthusiastically. "We only have one more corridor to go, why don't you just leave us here."
Bella's lips split into a grin as she realised just what Harry and Ron were up to.
"You're quite right Weasley, I really should be preparing for my next class." Lockhart stood for a second and then strode off down the corridor.
"Gone to fix his hair more like." Bella sneered.
They let the rest of the Gryffindors pull ahead of them and just as Bella made to follow after her friends, a hand wrapped around her upper arm, keeping her where she stood. She turned her head over her shoulder and saw the hand belonged to Seamus. He was standing behind her with a worried look on his face.
"You need to be careful, Bella." He said quietly, pulling his hand away from her arm. "I don't want you to get yourself hurt."
"I'll be okay. We have to do this for Hermione." said Bella softly.
He stepped back from her with a sad smile on his face. He nodded his head slowly and turned on his heel, following after the other Gryffindors.
"You coming?" asked Ron from further behind her.
"Yeah." She watched Seamus catch up to Dean before she turned on her heel and followed quickly after the others.
The five of them were just celebrating Harry and Ron's quick thinking when the clip of heels on the stone floor echoed around them.
"Where do you think you're going?" It was Professor McGonagall and she looked furious.
"We - er - we were." stammered Ron.
"Going to go - go and see." added Bella.
"Hermione." said Harry. All eyes, including McGonagall's, turned to Harry as he spoke.
"We haven't seen her in so long." He continued hurriedly. "We thought we would sneak into the Hospital Wing and tell her not to worry, that the Mandrakes will be ready tonight."
McGonagall stood staring at the five of them and Bella was worried she was going to give them weeks worth of detention but when she spoke her voice was full of emotion.
"Of course." said McGonagall softly, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. "Of course, I understand how hard this must be for the friends of those who... yes Potter, of course you may go and visit Miss Granger. I shall inform Professor Binns where you have gone and inform Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission."
The five of them turned slowly and walked off down the corridor, hardly believing their luck. As they turned tr corner they could hear Professor McGonagall blowing her nose.
"That was awesome." beamed Ron.
They had no choice now but to visit Hermione in the Hospital Wing. They told Madam Pomfrey they had permission from Professor McGonagall and she let them in, all but reluctantly.
"There is really no point in talking to a petrified person." Madam Pomfrey spoke with frustration and they realised that she was right. Hermione had no idea that they were sitting beside her and they might as well talk to the wall.
"I wonder if she seen who attacked her." said Freya, perching on the edge of Hermione's bed.
"If he sneaked up on them, they won't be able to tell us." added Ron, a sad look on his face as he stared at Hermione's pale one.
Harry bent low over Hermione and grabbed hold of her right hand.
"What are you doing?" hissed Bella and Harry ignored her, tugging something that was locked tightly in Hermione's hand. After a few tense moments, Harry pulled back, a piece of parchment clasped in his hand.
The piece of parchment was torn from an old library book. Harry smoothed out the wrinkles and lay it on the bed for them to read.
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 a 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.
Written below in Hermione's neat handwriting was one word; Pipes.
"That's it." breathed Harry. "The thing attacking people, it's a Basilisk!"
"That's why we've been hearing that voice!" agreed Bella. "Because it's a snake and we understand Parseltongue!"
The five of them looked around at the petrified people in the Hospital Wing.
"The Basilisk kills people by looking them in the eye - but no one's died." said Emily softly.
"Because no one's looked it in the eye." said Bella. "Colin seen it through his camera. The film inside was burned but he was still petrified. Justin... he must have seen the Basilisk through Nearly-Headless Nick. Nick got the full brunt of it but he couldn't die again! and Hermione - Hermione and that Ravenclaw girl were found with a mirror. Hermione had just found out the monster was a Basilisk and I'll bet she warned the first person she seen to look around corners with a mirror."
"What about Mrs Norris?" Freya asked.
There was a silence among them as they were all trying to figure out how it had gotten to Mrs Norris.
"The water." said Harry slowly. "The flood from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Mrs Norris only saw the reflection."
Harry looked over the page laying on the bed with a renewed enthusiasm.
"The crowing of the rooster is fatal to it." Harry read from the page. "Hagrid's roosters were killed! The Heir of Slytherin didn't want any roosters ear the castle! Spiders flee before it! It all fits!"
"But how is it moving around?" asked Ron. "It'll be a huge snake, it can't just move around as it likes."
Harry pointed to the word written on the bottom of the page.
"It's moving through the plumbing." said Bella.
Ron jumped from his seat as though it was on fire.
"The Chamber of Secrets!" He said excitedly. "What if it's in a bathroom? What if it's in -"
The five pairs of eyes widened and they shared a collective gasp.
"You can't mean -" whispered Bella.
"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."
