The three left the common room, half running, with the Fat Lady calling after them, "Where do you three think you're going so early?" but they gave no response. They walked all the way to the girls' bathroom Moaning Myrtle haunted, but, as they entered —
"Where do you two boys think you're going?"
The three looked and saw Professor McGonagall rushing to the scene.
"Do I have to ask why you boys are following Miss Granger into a toilet?" she asked sternly. "I hope you're not becoming deranged or anything on that matter. This school's seen enough, you know." She looked towards the waist of Hermione. "Have you gained a few pounds, Miss Granger?"
Hermione sort-of glared at her, and McGonagall looked ashamed.
"Oh, what am I saying?" she said. "I've been a little over the top ever since Albus died. You three would never harm the school in any way. Well, I should go continue my story. That should keep me in a better mood." And she walked off through the corridors.
"That was a close one," said Ron, as they entered the girls' bathroom.
There, they saw Moaning Myrtle staring out a round window at the top of the bathroom wall. She turned around, and smiled at the sight of Harry.
"Oh! Hello, Harry!" she said, smiling happily. "Have you come to be a naughty boy again?"
"Er — no," said Harry. "We're going into the Chamber."
"Oh, my brave little Harry is becoming a big boy now," giggled Myrtle. She glared at Hermione. "Why are you coming with?"
"Harry asked me —"
"Oh, it seems no one cares about how Myrtle feels about this situation!" she moaned.
"Oh no," muttered Ron underneath his breath.
"Here I am, mourning, moping, mourning Myrtle," she squealed, "just staring out the window, thinking about the boy that just made fun of me!"
"Boy?" asked Harry curiously. "What boy? What did he look like?"
"Well," she said, smiling once more at Harry, "he had bright blonde hair but dark blue eyes, and a look of pure evil on his face. Resembled that Malfoy boy, but only a little different."
Harry knew who it was. It was the person he had been suspecting all year.
"Perifius."
"That little bloke?" Ron asked. "How did he —"
"We've got to go in the Chamber!" exclaimed Harry, and rushed over to the sink he entered five years ago.
He bent down, and, making sure in Parseltongue, said, "Open up."
To that, the top of the sinks lifted, and they all separated and moved forward, revealing the same dark hole he had jumped down with Gildeory Lockhart five years ago.
"I never imagined the Chamber to be like this," said Hermione, who had never been in the Chamber of Secrets before, since she was petrified at the time.
"I'll go first," said Harry, "but remember. There's a Poisonous Grasp at the entrance. Make sure you do not touch it at all!"
Harry leaned forward, and let himself fly through the hole. He slid down the rock edges for several minutes, and eventually landed in a damp room full of bones on the ground.
To his left was a large, moving, dark green plant. It was the Poisonous Grasp. Harry made sure he was a safe distance away from it, and waited for Ron and Hermione. The plant did not attack him at all.
Hermione slid down and landed on her bottom, making sure her baby would stay alive, and Ron followed afterward. They stood up, and stared at the Poisonous Grasp, surrounding their way forward.
"Blimey," said Ron. "Is there any way to get through that thing?"
"Oh! What was the spell that destroyed them?" Hermione asked herself. She looked up, and seemed to be thinking of the spell.
Harry knew it. He held up his wand and said, "Descendio!" The Poisonous Grasp descended slowly to a small little leaf to floated to the ground.
"Wicked!" exclaimed Ron.
Harry moved forward. "C'mon, let's get going."
Ron followed, but Hermione stayed where she was.
"Are you coming, Hermione?" Ron asked her.
"No, I don't think so," she replied. "I mean, even if the Poisonous Grasp is gone, what if I die? What if I lose the baby?"
"Just c'mon —"
"No, she's got a point," said Harry. "Okay, Hermione. We'll be back, but make sure you're not attacked by the time we get back."
"I'll be fine," she said.
"Just in case," began Harry, and hesitated. He added slowly, "Goodbye."
Tears began swelling in Hermione's eyes. "Bye," she said.
Harry and Ron walked over where the Poisonous Grasp had stood, and into another room, where three large snake skins now laid. They eventually reached a circular doorway where around ten sculptures of snakes lied on, five on one side and five on the other.
Harry said, "Open," in Parseltongue.
The door opened in response. It revealed a huge, dark, gloomy chamber with the ten serpent sculptures and the huge statue of Salazar Slytherin at the end.
Harry climbed down the long ladder to the walkway, with Ron following. The Chamber was empty; the only people there were Ron and Harry. Harry hoped the basilisk or something else wasn't hiding somewhere. Also, little light shown upon them, and was difficult to see sometimes.
"Dumbledore said it was in one of the serpent statues," said Harry, pointing at the five serpent statues on one side and five on the other. "Let's split up. You go left."
Harry went right, splitting up with Ron. He entered a tunnel with five openings for each of the serpent statues. He glanced in the first one as he walked by; nothing. The second one; nothing. The third; nothing. Suddenly, in the fourth, he saw a green metal cup, with the mascot of Slytherin carved into it. He picked it up, but had no clue how to destroy it.
He walked out of the tunnel, and didn't see Ron standing there. Instead, he saw a blonde hair boy smirking at him. It was Perifius Malfoy.
"So famous Harry Potter came to try and destroy the dark lord," Perifius sneered. "What you didn't know is your Mudblood friend is being attacked right now this instant."
Harry lost his train of thought. Hermione was going to die. "What?!" he exclaimed. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"
"It is not I that did anything. It's the dark lord's command. I rebuilt that Poisonous Grasp. You see, that Mudblood. She doesn't deserve to live. Either did your Mudblood mother, and because of her, you."
Suddenly, Perifius began growing taller. His head turned into a huge serpent-like face, with its eyes closed for the moment, and the rest turned into a tail. He was a Basilisk.
Harry covered his eyes, and prayed for something to happen. He hoped he wouldn't be tricked in looking into the basilisk's eyes. It hissed and he heard it slithering towards him quickly. He opened his eyes, and didn't see the eyes of the basilisk. What he saw in front of him was the sword of Godric Gryffindor, the very sword he destroyed the previous basilisk with.
He picked up, and, while closing his eyes, began waving it fiercely. Suddenly, he heard the basilisk scream, and opened his eyes. The basilisk's eyes were closed, and looked like it was in severe pain. Harry had stuck the sword right into its chest. It began growing smaller, and eventually turned into Perifius. He was bleeding terribly, but Harry didn't know what could help him. He walked up to him and pulled the sword out of him.
Ron came out of the other tunnel.
"I found it," said Harry. "I found the Horcrux." He showed Ron the cup, and explained about how Perifius transformed into a basilisk. Ron asked how to destroy it, but a thought came to Harry. "Perifius said Hermione was being attacked!"
The two ran to the ladder that would take them up to the upper level. As they reached the top, they saw the huge Poisonous Grasp alive once more, moving its vines wildly.
Suddenly, Harry heard someone scream frighteningly. It was Hermione.
"HERMIONE!" yelled Ron with anxiousness.
Harry held up his wand and said, "Descendio!" The Poisonous Grasp descended and left a small leaf. It revealed a body of a girl lying on the ground, who seemed to be unconscious. That body was Hermione's.