Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Writers Notes: thanks to my beta HGranger89 and thanks to pgoodrichboggs, Lucyole, FlowerChild23, gisela19wwe, Whatanidea15, smithback, leonix2009, Nanyln, Fast Frank, lia a karas, Smootsmokey and FrancineHibiscusto for the positive feedback.
Time seemed to stand still as the staff starred at the haunting message and the petrified young witch. It was a hellish nightmare that children were petrified, but a student, no, a young child being held captive down there where the monster dwelled was too much to bear, and no one wanted even to imagine what could be happening to Ginevra Weasley at that very moment. The Hogwarts staff could barely breathe let alone process what had just transpired.
Severus had witnessed acts that could drive even the strongest man mad, but this vile attack on innocent children terrified him more than the depravity of the Dark Lord. His eyes shifted from the message to tiny Hermione Granger; she was so fortunate that she had only been petrified and would soon be back to her usual, insufferable know-it-all, self. He felt weak and useless that he could not protect these students that were left in his care ten months of the year.
Minerva picked the young witch up in her arms, "I will take her to the hospital wing," she breathed deeply and wished Dumbledore was here right now, "the rest of you, search the castle for any trace of the girl."
They all silently nodded, all except Lockhart who looked more petrified than Miss Granger. The Headmistress fixed her face into a stoic expression before disappearing down the hallway. Severus could tell she was desperately trying to keep herself together for the good of everyone.
The teaching staff split into pairs to begin their search for the youngest Weasley. Usually, Severus would pair with Minerva, as she was the only staff member he could tolerate. Instead, he wound up stuck with Lockhart. As they trudged through the corridors, Severus had a sick feeling that this would become a body recovery mission; it wasn't that Severus was pessimistic, but the odds of finding the Chamber and the girl alive were not in their favor.
"You know Severus; I once killed a whole nest of Basilisks," Lockhart boasted and patted Severus' back, "you have nothing to fear with me by your side."
"It will be a sad day in hell if I need you around to protect me Gilderoy." Severus returned with disdain.
Suddenly, Severus heard a noise and shoved Lockhart flat against the wall, ordering him to be quiet. "You," Severus hissed, "make yourself useful for once, check around the corner."
Lockhart was weighing his options, and he slowly gulped and true to see around the corner using a mirror. "It's … Potter?" Lockhart spoke dumbfounded, "And Weasley. They're entering the girl's lavatory." He turned to Severus with a clueless look, "Why are they here?"
"They're either more brave or stupid then you are," Severus was going to wring their necks when he got his hands on them. Merlin, can't they be normal kids and cease with the Gryffindor heroics.
"Move," Severus drawled. He gestured to the bathroom with his wand when Lockhart didn't move he shoved him towards the lavatory entrance. Then, Severus blasted the door off its hinges, finding two dunderheads starring up at him in terror.
In the background, Moaning Myrtle was shrieking madly, flooding the floors with toilet water. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose to fight off a migraine growing behind his eyes. Letting his hand drop to his side, he glared up at the insolent ghost, "Cease your wailing immediately, before I send for the Bloody Baron to sort you out."
Myrtle ceased immediately before dunking herself in the toilet one final time and disappeared.
Shifting his gaze back to the Boy-Who-Lived and his ginger sidekick, he snapped, "Explain yourselves. Now."
They both began to shout over each other, their words indiscernible and almost as intolerable as the ghost. Holding up his hand to silence them, Snape spoke, "Enough. You are risking your safety being here, return to Gryffindor Tower immediately and I may forget to inform the Headmistress of your recklessness."
"No Snape you have to listen," Potter protested, "the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is here."
'Merlin, he's just like his father, always trying to talk himself out of every situation,' Severus thought, before snapping, "Enough! You will return to Gryffindor Tower."
Potter rolled his eyes in frustration before whirling around to face the sink. He suddenly let out a strange hiss, and the tap in the middle of the room glowed with bright white light; the sink shrank into the floor, exposing a cavern, large enough for a grown man to slide down. Before anyone could react, Potter, with his reckless Gryffindor bravery, jumped down the hole screaming.
"NO!" Severus shouted, grabbing Weasley tightly by the wrist before he could follow suit.
Snatching Lockhart by the scruff of the neck, Severus shoved the cowering man down the hatch. The man disappeared with a terrifying howl that sounded like a six-year-old girl. Hopefully, the basilisk would attack the charlatan and Severus could snatch Potter and Ginevra and run for their lives.
Professor Snape grabbed Weasley by the shoulders and snarled, "Unless you want Gryffindor to remain at zero points until the turn of the century and remain in detention until you leave this institution in five years, I strongly suggest you remove yourself from my sight and notify the Headmistress immediately."
"My baby sister is down there you great git!" Ron shouted, his face beet red, as he attempted to attack a teacher with his fists.
Severus was at his wit's end dealing with these dunderheads. He was wasting time and had to find Potter, Lockhart and the Weasley girl. Fed up, he stunned Ronald, knowing the boy would be much safer here.
Summoning his Patronus, Severus gazed at the shimmering doe briefly, with wistfulness in his eyes before speaking, "Go and find Minerva, tell her the Chamber of Secrets is located in the girl's second-floor lavatory. Potter and Lockhart have gone down into the Chamber, and I am following. Keep the children away from here."
As the doe cantered off, Severus slid his long legs into the dirty pipe and launched himself into the darkness, hoping to get there in time before the Chosen One get himself killed.
Severus bruised himself a few times as he slid helplessly down the long, dark and slimy pipe. Finally, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out landing on his knees. Knowing his body would not thank him later, some days he felt ancient, despite his relatively young age of thirty-three.
Potter already had his wand lit with Lumos, Lockhart was huddled nearby looking like he'd been sick. Severus picked himself up and lit his wand as well making the dark chamber just a tad brighter. Luckily, he was used to skulking the halls of the castle with just his wand to light the way.
"Six hundred points from Gryffindor, you arrogant, foolish child." Severus hissed, trying to stay quiet in case the beast was nearby. "Your parents sacrificed themselves for you, and you recklessly running into danger is a poor way to repay them."
"Don't you dare talk about them!" Potter yelled.
"Be silent!" Severus snarled as he carefully scanned the area around him, "Can you hear the beast?"
"No," Potter said disdainfully, as he looked around for Ron, but he didn't appear out of the pipe. "Wait? Where Ron?"
"Where he belongs, not foolishly risking his neck." He aimed his wand at Lockhart and turned to glare at the boy, "remain behind me, do as I say, and no more silly Gryffindor bravery from you today." Severus hissed, and he turned to Lockhart, "Go on Lockhart, I heard you gloat all year long about facing far worse dangers. A Basilisk should be child's play for you."
Lockhart shuddered and swallowed before Severus motioned the wizard to move.
Severus avoided stepping on the animal bones that littered the floor, while Potter inspected a massive snakeskin. The snake that shed it must be at least twenty feet along. The coward fainted, falling to the cold, hard ground at Potter's mention of how long the snake could be. Severus rolled his eyes in annoyance, and when he took his eyes off the clown, Lockhart tried to steal Snape's wand. Unfortunately for the audacious imbecile, Severus was much quicker. Snape grabbed the moron, shoving him against the cavern wall, and held his arm against Lockhart's larynx, while his wand was trained at the blond man's face.
"Severus... Severus... please be realistic the girls probably gone." Lockhart was spluttered, fighting for air.
"Keep talking, and so you'll wish you were gone too," Severus threatened, applying more pressure to Lockhart's neck.
"Severus," he whined pathetically.
"Quiet! Keep moving Gilderoy, and if you ever try to steal my wand again, I will not contain my rage."
"Severus, I'll report you to Minerva she'll sack you for this," Lockhart cried desperately.
"How can you be such a coward?" Harry roared, losing his patience with both professors, "after everything you did in your books?"
"Dear Merlin, boy do you have any comment sense. I didn't do any of those things."
"You didn't?" Severus spat sarcastically, "what a fucking shocker." The wizard tilted his head and motioned Lockhart to continue walking, "Now, move along, before I give in to my temptation to stun you and let you be Basilisk food."
Pushing Lockhart to the front of the queue, with Snape's wand poking into his back, the trio crept along the tunnel. Potter kept pace behind him while Lockhart used his hand mirror to check around the twists and turns of the shaft. Finally, they emerged from the tunnel and faced a door with two snakes intricately carved upon it, with no means to physically open the entrance.
"Potter, use Parseltongue to open this now," Severus hissed quietly, Potter nodded and approached the door and cleared his throat. He hissed at it in a low tone, sending shivers down Severus' back as his mind flashbacked to the Dark Lord. The serpent parted as the door creaked open.