Pippa flew low, weaving in amongst brambles and roots whilst Y/N, Ron, and Harry trudged along in her wake. The spiders kept trying to speed up or scuttle under fallen brush to get away from the metallic phoenix, but she flew around them persistently, refusing to let them out of her sight.
'Useful, isn't it?' said Ron as they almost lost the spiders under a nearby log before Pip gave out a metallic cry to show them where the spiders had gone.
'She,' said Y/N sternly. 'Her names Pippa, Pip for short.'
'It's a ring-' began Ron, but Harry elbowed him.
They followed Pip for roughly half an hour before another joined their little patrol. A low, almost growling was resonating through the forest, and it seemed to be getting louder. Fang heard it first and began growling and barking back, causing Y/N to stop and listen.
'Hold it,' he whispered to the other two. 'You hear that?'
They all stopped and strained their ears, it was hard to differentiate what was Fang and what was the distant entity but one thing was for certain, the distant one was getting louder and it was heading straight towards them, they could hear twigs snapping.
'Oh no,' said Ron as Harry and Y/N raised their wands. 'Oh no, oh no, oh-'
'Shut up,' hissed Harry. 'It'll hear you.'
'Hear me?' said Ron in an unnaturally high voice. 'It's already heard Fang!'
'Stupefy!' called Y/N, and his jet of red light spiralled off into the forest. The rumbling came to a sudden halt.
'Did you get it?' asked Harry.
'No chance,' said Y/N. 'Me being able to cast that spell doesn't stop me from being a second year, doubt it could even take down Fang.'
They waited in silence, listening carefully. The forest was unnaturally quiet, as though it was holding its breath.
'Do you reckon it's gone?' asked Ron.
'Pip, go-' but Y/N was cut off as a bright flash of light spread across their clearing. He shielded his eyes and staggered from the sudden light, but it didn't help. Ron and Harry had done the same and apparently it had made Fang jump so badly, he'd attempted to run and had gotten trapped in a tangle of thorns.
'Harry, Y/N!' shouted Ron. 'It's our car!'
'The bloody hell is it doing in here?' asked Y/N as he squinted at the blue Ford Anglia that had swerved into their clearing.
'It drove in here after we crashed it into the Whomping Willow,' said Ron brightly as he wandered over to the car. 'Blimey, it looks like it's gone wild.'
The cars doors were smeared with mud and covered in scratches from where it had travelled through the brush. Pip fluttered back over to Y/N and wrapped herself around his finger with another metallic cry before falling still.
Ron was examining the car and Harry was freeing Fang before glancing around the clearing.
'We've lost the trail,' said Harry. 'C'mon let's go and find them.'
'D'you know where they've gone, Pip?' Y/N asked the small item on his hand, but it simply gave another low cry. 'Well that's not promising, they can't have gone far-' but Y/N was cut off as something large and hairy grabbed him and lifted him bodily off the forest floor. He rose high into the trees attempting to kick at whatever was holding him as he heard Harry's yells from the floor below him.
His eyes fell on Ron who was still illuminated by the car's headlights, and the look on his face told Y/N all he needed to know. With a clicking noise, the creature holding Y/N began scuttling along the trees, heading deep into the very heart of the forest. He heard noises behind him indicating that both Ron and Fang had been grabbed, he couldn't hear Harry but figured he was most likely suffering the same fate.
Y/N was carried for what felt like hours, after a while he simply stopped struggling. This had been what they were after anyway and whilst it wasn't the way he'd wanted to get here, it was much quicker and easier. Soon, they broke into a large clearing and Y/N winced at the site below him.
Spiders. Not your normal house spiders. Spiders the size of horses surged over the clearing below them. The spider carrying Y/N made its way over to a gigantic web where it half dropped, half threw Y/N onto it. Y/N bounced slightly as he landed feeling the web under him, it was built like a houses foundation.
A moment later and Harry landed next to him, then Ron and finally Fang. Ron and Fang were both whimpering and Harry looked as though he wanted to throw up. Y/N withdrew his wand once again watching carefully.
The spider that had dropped Harry suddenly began speaking, a voice ringing out from in between menacing clicks and clacks of the chelicerae.
'Aragog! Aragog!'
From the centre of the web came crawling a spider that could rival a baby elephant, its legs curled around the web as it pulled itself into view. It had grey hairs in amongst the black and it's eyes were a pale, milky, grey.
'What is it?' he responded, his words were difficult to make out in amongst the noise of the other spiders in the clearing.
'Men!' called the spider who had spoken before.
'Is it Hagrid?' said Aragog, as he moved closer to the three boys and dog.
'Strangers!' called the spider that had caught Ron.
'Kill them, I was sleeping' called Aragog, but Y/N stepped forward.
'We came looking for you Aragog, we're friends of Hagrid. He sent us to you.'
The hollow was filled with the sound of angry pincers, clicking away, but Aragog paused.
'Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before,' he said slowly.
'That's because Hogwarts and Hagrid haven't been in this amount of danger before,' replied Y/N. Despite his want to get answers, he could feel his legs shaking. He knew he couldn't stop all these spiders. 'Not in fifty years!' he added.
Aragog turned slowly to face Y/N. 'Hagrid is in danger? Why has he sent you?'
'Because Hagrid has been taken away. They believe he has been setting a creature on the school!'
'That was years ago!' called Aragog. 'Years and years ago, the beast was sealed away after I had been blamed. They believed Hagrid had set me free to attack the school. However, I never harmed a soul out of respect for Hagrid.'
'They think he's done it again,' yelled Y/N. 'They think he's ordered the Basilisk to attack people!'
Aragog clicked angrily and the rest of the enclosure echoed it, Y/N knew he'd messed up.
'Do not speak that creatures name!' roared Aragog, looking in Y/N's direction.
'So that is what it is? It's not you?' said Y/N quickly.
'I? I was not born in the castle, my kind come from a far-off land, I was given to Hagrid as an egg. He cared for me and kept me hidden. Hagrid is a good friend and a good man. When I was blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here ever since, Hagrid still visits me, he even found me a wife. And you can see our family now.'
'The girl! Who was she?' called Y/N.
'I know not her name, only that she was found in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle other than the cupboard in which I grew up in. We like the cold and dark.'
'I want to kill it. The creature. I want it dead, help me!' said Y/N desperately, the clicking was getting louder and he knew the spiders were getting impatient.
'We will do nothing of the sort,' called Aragog. 'We fear it over all else, we will not go anywhere near it. Even now, we can feel its presence.'
'So you won't even fight it?' called Y/N, the heat rising to his face, his fists clenching. 'You'll just let it kill those in the castle?'
'The creature will do as it will, we will go nowhere close to it, humans in danger or not. The workings of that beast are not ours to control,' replied Aragog as he slunk back away into his hole, 'And nor are they yours. You shall die here. I won't deny my sons and daughters fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our home. Goodbye, friends of Hagrid.'
'Coward!' bellowed Y/N, raising his wand. 'Arania Exumai!'
It had been such a big target and yet somehow Y/N's spell spiralled straight between the legs of Aragog and crashed into a spider behind him. A dull hissing echoed through the clearing and the spider was flipped onto its back, it's legs curling. The clicking tripled in volume and the spiders surged forward.
'How dare you!' came Aragog's voice over all the others. Y/N span around and raised his wand. That snake had to die, and if these spiders were going to try and stop that. They'd have to die too.
'Arania-' but he was cut off as something long and sharp tore across his arm, ripping his robes. Y/N staggered clutching it, watching blood blossom from a wound as one of the spiders withdrew a spined leg. '-Exumai!' he finished, pointing his wand at the spider and again a hissing sound rang out as the spider was blasted backwards.
A loud noise like a siren blasted through the clearing. A bright flash of light appeared behind the spiders and many were sent scattering as Mr. Weasley's car came flying into the clearing. It slid straight down the net in front of them and came to a stop, its doors flying open.
'Get Fang!' bellowed Harry as he hopped into the passenger seat. Y/N took the driver and Ron yanked Fang into the back with him. Y/N had barely closed the door when the car span around and took off back out of the clearing and went careening through the trees. It clearly knew the path well.
Spiders leapt this way and that towards the car, but it barrelled straight through them as though they were just another branch and, before long, they were falling back as the car tore through the treeline.
Y/N and Harry span around to look at Ron, who had his mouth open in a kind of half scream.
'You good mate?' asked Y/N.
'You attacked that spider, you tried to kill that spider,' Ron said weakly.
'Oh yeah, next time, it can just eat us without a fight,' said Y/N. 'What else was I meant to do?'
'What was that thing you said that annoyed them?' asked Harry, leaning back into his seat. 'A basilisk?'
'It's a note I found in Hermione's hand in the Hospital Wing. I needed them to confirm it for me and they did, I'll explain properly once we've stopped. Ferula,' he added pointing his wand at the still lightly bleeding wound on his arm.
'You going to be okay?' asked Harry, looking worried.
'Yeah,' said Y/N, wincing slightly as the bandages wrapped tight around him. 'Acromantula aren't venomous from their legs. It's the fangs you need to watch out for. It's lucky Hagrid gave me that book for Christmas, being a nerd might have just saved my life. Can't say I was expecting the spines to be that strong though. I read that they were stronger than normal spiders, but that was like a saw.'
It took about ten minutes before they finally began to see patches of sky in amongst the trees. The trip to the web had taken much longer. Or at least it had felt like it did. Finally, the car came to a halt quite suddenly at the treeline.
Harry and Y/N staggered out, Y/N grabbed Fang whilst Harry grabbed Ron. Fang didn't need much convincing and the moment he saw Hagrid's hut, he sped off in that direction. Ron however had to be almost carried by the two boys back to the cabin. They arrived at the door, opened it, and let themselves inside.
Fang moved straight over to his bed and curled up, whimpering, and shaking. Y/N sat down next to him and stroked him gently whilst Harry tried to bring Ron back around. Finally, Ron's eyes focused and he looked around at both of them.
'Good, now that you're back with us,' said Y/N sitting down at Hagrid's table and pulling the page he'd found in Hermione's hand out of his pocket. He smoothed it out on the table and Harry and Ron read quickly. Harry's eyes lit up.
'This makes sense!' yelled Harry looking at Y/N. 'Everything adds up!'
'Most of it yeah,' said Y/N. 'There's just still one or two bits I'm unsure on with this-'
But he was cut off as Harry shook his head and began pointing to different sections.
'King of Serpents, I'm a Parselmouth, that's why I've been hearing it everywhere and you guys can't. Murderous stare, no one's looked straight at it. Spiders flee before it! The caw of the rooster is fatal to it!'
'How does the rooster part make sense?' asked Y/N. 'I've never seen any around.'
'Exactly!' said Harry. 'The day I found Justin and Nick, I ran into Hagrid and he told me about how his Roosters kept being killed. He thought it was foxes.'
'It was the heir!' yelled Y/N, jumping to his feet. 'They knew that roosters could kill it, so they killed the roosters!'
Harry was nodding excitedly, but Ron was still looking confused.
'How's no one seen it?' he asked, looking at the two boys.
'Colin was found with his camera, that's why it was fried. He saw the basilisk through that. It's also why I couldn't detect any magic from it. It's a natural ability,' said Y/N.
'Justin must have seen it through Nick, Nick got the full blast but he can hardly die again. And Hermione and that Ravenclaw girl were found with a mirror. Hermione had just figured out the monster was a basilisk. She must have told the first person she ran into, who took out her mirror and-' but Harry cut himself off, looking at Y/N who had a very solemn smile.
'She's a genius. Absolute genius,' he said distantly.
'And Mrs Norris?' asked Ron, who seemed keen to change the topic.
'The corridor we found her in was flooded,' said Y/N as he refocused. 'She must have seen the thing's reflection.'
'But how's the basilisk been getting around? People would have seen a giant snake,' he asked.
'Pipes,' said Harry before Y/N could speak. 'It's using the plumbing, that's why I've been hearing the voice everywhere. It was in the walls, and you remember what Aragog just said?'
''The girl was found in a bathroom',' said Y/N, catching on.
'You don't think-' began Ron, but Harry and Y/N interrupted him.
'Moaning Myrtle!'
The three boys snuck back up the common room that evening, feeling elated. Y/N knew what he had to do. Well most of it, they still weren't sure where the Chamber was, but they had everything else they needed to be able to stop the basilisk.
Y/N didn't know whether the other two were doing the same, but he lay awake for a long time mulling over where it could possibly be. Eventually he settled on simply asking Myrtle once he got the chance.
This proved difficult, however.
Around a week passed where Y/N kept trying to break away from the students and sneak towards the bathroom, even attempting to sneak out past Professor Snape once or twice during his trips to visit Hermione, but every time he almost got caught and instead returned to Hermione's bedside, promising her that he would stop the beast.
McGonagall had announced that the exams were fast approaching earlier that same week, but Y/N did not care. There were bigger concerns right now. He was just getting to the brink of making it another night-time excursion when he had a breakthrough.
A few days before their exams were due to start. Professor McGonagall got to her feet at the staff table and made an announcement that the Mandrakes had matured to the point of being able to be cut. That night they would be able to revive those petrified. Y/N's eyes connected with hers, she beamed and Y/N made up his mind.
'We have to find it, today,' he whispered to Ron and Harry. 'We can't let them wake back up to it still existing.'
'What exactly are we meant to do? We have no leads-' said Harry, but he was cut off as Ginny slunk into the seat next to Y/N, shaking from head to toe.
'Gin?' Y/N asked, turning to look at her. 'You okay?'
Ginny shook her head and took a deep shaky breath.
'I need to tell you something, something about-' she gestured vaguely towards McGonagall.
'Is it from the diary? About the Chamber?' asked Y/N and she nodded.
She took another deep breath-
-And Percy Weasley swept along the bench towards them.
'If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, only just come off patrol,' he said.
Ginny sprang to her feet and scurried away. Y/N threw Percy glare and chased after her, ignoring the cries from Harry and Ron. He ran into her in the Entrance Hall and grabbed her shoulder and she stopped dead still.
'Not this time Gin. You've been dodging me for weeks now. Tell me what's going on.'
'Get off me Y/N,' her voice was calm, unnaturally so. It unnerved him a little.
'Ginny, come on-'
'I said get off, L/N.'
Y/N withdrew his hand and drew his wand, pointing it at her. Fear bubbling up in his stomach. That hadn't been Ginny's voice.
'Who are you?' he spoke carefully, watching her for any reaction.
'You already know who I am, L/N,' spoke the high cold voice. 'Incarcerous!'
Ropes sprang up around Y/N and bound him on the spot.
'How do you-? I don't even know this spell,' Y/N snarled. Ginny began laughing, a high cold laugh that made Y/N's hair stand on end and sent his stomach plummeting.
Ginny turned to face him, however, the eyes he looked into. Weren't Ginny's. The slit like pupils gazed back looking murderous.
'Leave her alone,' Y/N snarled, fighting against his bonds but they were too strong. 'How are you even doing this? Didn't we deal with you last year?'
'Because she is weak,' said Lord Voldemort. 'She is weak and allowed herself to be controlled. So weak in fact that I am stronger than her, even in this form.'
'And what form would that be?' snapped Y/N.
'Unimportant,' replied Voldemort, twisting Ginny's face into a painful smile. 'You shall never see her again anyway. Goodbye L/N.'
He raised Ginny's wand and Y/N closed his eyes, but the spell never came. He opened one eye gingerly to see Ginny staring at him, her eyes were back to normal and swimming with tears, and her entire arm was shaking. She turned and began sprinting away up the marble staircase.
'Get back here!' snarled Y/N, fighting against his bindings. A moment later, he felt something slice through them as though an invisible sword had cut him free. He glanced around quickly and saw no one so instead gave chase up the marble staircase.
Corridor after corridor he sprinted down, searching every last corner he could, even going so far as to ignore the bell for lessons. He was about to sprint up to the Gryffindor common room when he realised he had another perfect opportunity.
'Myrtle first,' he muttered as he went sprinting off towards her bathroom. He turned down the corridor and began running up it towards the door to her bathroom before stopping dead.
The wall of this corridor still supported the writing from Halloween, but now another sentence was written below it in the same deep, red, glittering blood.
Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever
'Y/N, what on earth are you doing!' Professor McGonagall was striding up the corridor towards him. Y/N pointed wordlessly at the writing on the wall. Professor McGonagall read it and gasped clutching at her heart, and leaning against the wall for support.
'Ginny was acting weird at breakfast so I followed her, she ran off and-' he gestured vaguely at the wall again.
'So she-?' asked Minerva, looking at him and he nodded.
'I think so.'
'I must announce this,' said Professor McGonagall, straightening up and attempting to compose herself. 'Return to your common room at once, Y/N.'
'Yes Professor,' said Y/N turning back to read the writing as she bustled off. A few minutes later and he heard her voice throughout the corridors.
'All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please.'
Y/N did not move, he continued staring at the text on the wall before stepping into the bathroom. Moaning Myrtle was sitting on top of one of the toilet stalls and glanced around when he entered.
'Oh, hello,' she said solemnly. 'What do you want this time?'
'I want to know how you died, Myrtle,' he said, gesturing her down to join him.
Myrtle's face lit up, as though this was the best question she could have possibly been asked, and she swooped down to stand in front of him with a sort of spectral swagger.
'It was dreadful!' she called, looking as though she couldn't wait to relive it. 'It happened right here, in that very stall,' she pointed towards the one she had been sat on, 'I remember it so well. I had been hiding because Olive Hornby had teased me about my glasses. The door was locked and I was crying, then I heard someone come in. They said something, a different language I think. Must have been cause I didn't recognise it. But what really got me was that it was a boy who was speaking, so I unlocked the door to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then-'
Myrtle's entire body swelled as though she was a balloon.
'- I died,' she finished, somewhat lamely.
'How?' asked Y/N.
'No idea,' said Myrtle. 'I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes. My whole body seized up and then I was floating away… And then I came back, I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby. Make her regret ever making fun of my glasses.'
'Where did you see the eyes?' asked Y/N and Myrtle pointed at the sink next to them, the same one Y/N had tried to use previously that had produced no water, he got up and began examining the sink. Noticing that the taps resembled coiled Serpents, he checked the ones next to it, they were completely normal.
'Myrtle you wonderful, wonderful girl,' yelled Y/N, turning to face her. Myrtle looked shocked, but then seemed to blush a little and started twirling her hair around her finger.
'You really think so?' she cooed.
'Absolutely,' said Y/N. 'Look. I've got to go and get Ron and Harry but do me a favour, keep an eye out, if anyone comes in or out let me know when we come back okay?' Myrtle gave a sort of fake salute and nodded excitedly and Y/N sprinted out of the bathroom and back up towards Gryffindor common room.
It was a testament to how hard the news had hit the school that no one was in the corridors, and he got back to the common room without incident. He gave the Fat Lady the password and sprinted across to Harry and Ron, ignoring the perplexed looks he got from the rest of the room.
'Ginny's-' began Ron, but Y/N cut across him.
'I know, I've found it. The Chamber.' Both boys bolted upright in their seats.
'You sure?' asked Harry and Y/N nodded.
'What are we waiting for then?' called Ron and together the three of them left the common room, moving back down towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
'Wait!' said Harry. 'Lockhart's looking for it too, having a fully grown wizard could help! We should tell him what we know.'
'As much as I disagree with calling him fully grown, I think you might be right,' said Y/N. 'Let's grab him and go.'
So the trio changed course, moving instead now towards Lockhart's classroom. They were just coming to a halt outside of it when they heard a lot of noise coming from inside, hurried footsteps, banging, and clattering.
Harry knocked on the door and the noise stopped immediately. There was silence for a moment before the door crept the tiniest inch open. Y/N stepped out of sight.
'Ah Mr Weasley, Mr Potter,' said Lockhart as he opened the door wider. 'I'm rather busy at the moment, if you would be quick-'
'We've got some information for you. We think it'll help you,' said Harry.
'Er, well, it's not terribly, I mean-' Lockhart looked very uncomfortable.
'Flipendo,' said Y/N lazily and Lockhart's door flew open sending him backwards. Y/N pushed Ron and Harry in and followed after them, closing the door behind him. 'We aren't here to chit chat Lockhart. Listen to what we've got.'
'Ah. Hello L/N, should have known you wouldn't be far,' said Lockhart coldly.
'Yeah, hate you too, now shut up and listen-' but Y/N went quiet as he looked around. Two large trunks stood open and most of Lockhart's possessions were crammed inside, his photographs were stuffed into boxes on the desk.
Harry had noticed too.
'Going somewhere?' asked Harry.
'Er, well, yes. Urgent call, got to go,' said Lockhart as he ripped a poster of himself from the back of his door and began rolling it up.
'What about my sister?' said Ron angrily.
'Well as to that, most unfortunate-' his eyes fell on Y/N and he stopped dead, looking worried.
'You're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher! This is your job!' yelled Harry.
'Yeah Lockhart,' said Y/N slowly. 'Come on, if you're so great, show us what you can do. All those amazing things you did in those books.'
'Books… can be… misleading,' said Lockhart slowly.
'I knew it,' growled Y/N.
'What?' asked Harry, looking between them.
'He's a liar, none of the stories are true,' said Y/N.
Harry turned to look at Lockhart, who merely grimaced.
'Now, 'not true' is a strong phrase. Twisted possibly, but there is only truth to them,' said Lockhart defensively.
'You didn't do any of it, did you?' asked Harry, drawing his wand.
'My dear boy,' Lockhart said, looking at Harry. 'Use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover, no dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a hairy chin, I mean, come on-' Lockhart slowed his rant and eventually stopped glaring at Y/N who was doubled over, howling with savage laughter.
'No wonder you couldn't stop that chair,' he said through teary eyes. 'Doubt you've ever cast a spell for yourself. Just taking credit for things other people do.'
'There was more involved than that!' said Lockhart indignantly. 'I had to track these people down, ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charm.'
'Not that stupid wig?' asked Y/N, smirking as he pointed at the two headdresses still perched on Lockhart's desk.
Lockhart drew his wand and turned to face the three of them, Y/N raised his own as well, the smile dropping from his face immediately.
'I've had enough of you slandering my name L/N. And I can't exactly have you all blabbing my secrets everywhere.'
'I've been waiting a long time for this Lockhart, all year in fact. Let's go.'
'Expelliarmus!' yelled Harry. Lockhart's wand went flying out of his hand and Harry caught it.
'Harry!' called Y/N lowering his own wand. 'He was mine!'
'You took too long,' shrugged Harry.
They both turned to face Lockhart who immediately went scrabbling backwards, tripped over his own trunk and fell. Harry and Y/N both raised their wands, pointing them at him.
'Very useful trick that Professor Snape taught us. Probably should have stopped him,' said Harry savagely. He looked as angry as Y/N felt.
'What d'you want me to do?' asked Lockhart weakly. 'I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do.'
'Good news,' said Harry, pulling Lockhart to his feet 'Y/N here does, and what's inside it. Let's go.'
Y/N and Harry pushed Lockhart out of his office and down towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, they sent him in first and Y/N could see that he was shaking. They followed him inside and Myrtle giggled before soaring over.
'See anyone?' Y/N asked her and she shook her head. 'Brilliant, thanks Myrtle, I owe you one.'
'Just promise to come and see me more?'
'I'll see what I can do,' he said with a slight smile at her before turning back to Harry. 'Myrtle told me that someone came in here the night she died and said something in a different language, then she saw a pair of eyes from there,' he pointed at the sink. 'It's got some snakes on it, I think the heir might have spoken Parseltongue.'
Harry walked forward and Y/N pressed his wand into Lockhart's back, pushing him to follow.
'But-' Harry began as he glanced across the taps on the sink, 'open up' he added. He looked around at them and Ron shook his head.
'English, mate.'
Harry turned his attention back to the tap and began slowly moving his head side to side as though trying to track something wriggling and this time when he spoke the semi-familiar hissing and spitting noise left his lips. The tap glowed an almost blinding white and began to spin. A moment later and the entire sink sank into the floor revealing a pipe large enough for any of them to look into.
Ron gasped.
'Watch Lockhart,' said Y/N at once stepping forward. 'Grab some other teachers if you can, I'm going down there.'
'Not alone you aren't,' said Harry immediately. 'We're both going.'
'Both?' said Ron. 'You're hardly going down there without me.'
Y/N breathed a sigh and smiled around at his two friends. 'Afraid that means you're coming too, Lockhart,' he added. Lockhart started spluttering, but Y/N seized his arm and threw him towards the pipe. He staggered at the edge, wobbling before slipping down it and disappearing from view.
Y/N hopped in after him and he heard Harry and Ron follow along. The trip down was not pleasant, it was almost like an extremely slimy slide. Y/N kept his arms as close to his chest as he could whilst still keeping his wand ready. Wandless or not, he didn't trust Lockhart.
He had little reason to worry however as a moment later, he slid out of the pipe directly onto the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He took a little bit longer getting up than he usually would have done.
Ron and Harry landed nearby, both looking pale but determined. Lockhart however looked as though the snake had already killed him.
'We must be miles under the school,' said Harry, his voice echoing through the chamber.
'Under the lake probably,' said Ron, glancing around at the slimy walls.
'Not the most welcoming of sights,' added Y/N. 'Lumos!' his wand tip ignited, and Harry followed suit. Ron drew his wand, however he didn't seem to want to risk casting a spell.
Y/N pointed his wand at Lockhart then flicked it up towards the tunnel, gesturing him to go ahead. Lockhart crawled to his feet and moved off, the other three boys following close behind. Even with the wands lit, the tunnel was almost completely dark, their reflections cast long shadows along the wall and more than once Y/N jumped as one of them seemed to move erratically.
'Remember,' Harry whispered. 'Any sign of movement and close your eyes, straight away.'
But they heard nothing as they continued on bar their own breathing and footsteps, echoing dimly throughout the tunnel. Then suddenly, all of them jumped as a loud crunch sounded around them.
'Was just me,' said Ron. 'I stepped on… wait…'
Both Y/N and Harry turned their wands downwards to see what looked to be hundreds of small animal bones and carcasses strewn around the floor.
'Lovely,' muttered Y/N as he kicked what was definitely a rat's skull away from him. 'Glad to see we've found its feeding ground.'
'Do you think-?' began Harry.
'No,' said Y/N firmly. 'She's not dead.'
'She can't be,' Y/N thought as they pushed on, 'I'm not about to break my promise to two of my friends.'
They rounded a corner and stopped dead, squinting into the darkness ahead of them. Something huge and curved lay right across the tunnel in front of them. It wasn't moving.
'There's something up there,' said Ron weakly.
'Maybe it's asleep,' muttered Harry.
'Don't suppose Hagrid's book tells you how to kill a basilisk, Y/N?' said Ron, his voice a little higher than usual.
'Not a word,' said Y/N, 'Be ready,' and he pointed his wand at a nearby loose bone. 'Wingardium Leviosa.' The bone levitated into the air and Y/N knocked it lightly against the side of the tunnel, a dull echoing thud rang out and the snake did not move.
Harry crept forward slowly his wand held high and, as the long, vivid, poisonous green skin came into view, it was revealed to be empty. Shed skin, by a creature that was at least twenty foot long.
'Brilliant,' croaked Y/N, stepping forward too. Ron made to follow, Lockhart however collapsed to the floor.
'Get up,' snarled Ron turning his wand on Lockhart. Lockhart stumbled up and then dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground. Y/N and Harry span around their wands raised, but it was too late. Lockhart straightened up, clutching Ron's wand, and pointing it between them.
'The adventure ends here boys!' he said. 'I shall take some of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl and that all of you tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body.'
'And what about when the attacks continue?' snarled Y/N.
'I'll be long gone' said Lockhart, a dark smile curling his lips. 'I'm going to enjoy this, L/N. Obliviate!'
'Protego!' yelled Y/N, the familiar shield formed around him, but it was unnecessary.
Ron's wand exploded like a cannon and Lockhart was sent flying backwards. The entire tunnel began to shake and tremble. Harry and Y/N threw their arms over their head and staggered backwards as the ceiling began to come crashing down to the floor.
Both ran and climbed over the loose snakeskin just as the rumbling came to a halt, both turned to be faced with a solid wall of debris.
'Ron!' Harry shouted, running forward. 'Are you okay Ron?'
'I'm here!' came Ron's voice from the other side of the rock wall, and Y/N let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. 'I'm okay, this git's not though' he added, and they heard a dull thud followed by a moan of pain. 'Think he got blasted by Y/N.'
'I didn't do anything,' called Y/N. 'Mine was just a shield charm to block his spell. Your wand backfired, he hit himself.'
Ron laughed savagely which was followed by another 'ow!' as he apparently kicked Lockhart again.
'What now?' Ron called, 'We can't get through. It'll take ages to move all this.'
Harry and Y/N looked around. Harry up at the ceiling and Y/N further down the corridor.
'I'm going,' Y/N said, turning to Harry. 'We can't leave Ginny, stay here. Help him clear the tunnel.' but Harry shook his head.
'Wait there,' Harry called through to Ron. 'Wait with Lockhart, we'll go on. If we aren't back in an hour-' he trailed off into an uncomfortable silence.
'I'll try to move some of this rock,' called Ron in an oddly shaky voice, 'So you can get back through, stay safe. Both of you.'
'See you in a bit,' called Harry and, with a nod to Y/N, the two set off further into the tunnel.
Before long, the sound of Ron moving rocks aside was gone and the tunnel curved upwards. Y/N's body was shaking. He couldn't figure out whether it was fear or adrenaline but whatever it was, he was glad Harry was with him. Having someone else there made it easier to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
They crept around another bend and came face to face with a solid wall containing two intertwined serpents. Their eyes glistening with emeralds.
'You know what to do, Harry,' said Y/N, before turning his back on the door and watching up the tunnel behind them. Harry stepped forward and Y/N heard the faint hissing sound followed by the sound of cracking stone.
He turned back in time to watch the two serpents uncoil and pull away from the door as it shifted and slipped open, and Y/N and Harry stepped inside.
