A/N: Thanks so much to all who've reviewed! Also, thank you to my anonymous reviewers, whom I don't get to personally thank, so I'll use this note to give you my appreciation. :)

Chapter Fourteen

Malfoy looked surprised at Harry's reply, but after a moment, the corner of his lip turned upward and he smiled slightly. They stared at one another momentarily, suddenly unsure where to go from here.

"So this entire time, you felt the same way." Malfoy began as he walked toward Harry. "You were also—"

But Harry didn't smile, knowing what Malfoy was referring to. "No, I wasn't. I've never been like that. In fact, I still don't think I am."

Malfoy stopped smiling, but didn't stop drawing near Harry. "I see. So you're not—"

Harry found himself becoming angry. "I don't like men, Malfoy! I have been straight my whole life and I think that I still am. I just don't know what it is about you, but—"

But Harry cut himself off, reddening. Malfoy regarded him carefully, like a doctor examining a patient with unfamiliar symptoms.

"Potter, you don't have to be gay to like one particular man," he finally said. "In fact, it makes more sense than anything that you're not gay. We've spent an enormous amount of time together and we have a lot in common."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Then how do you explain the fact that I've been friends with Ron and Hermione for years—and we have quite a lot in common—and I never once liked them as more than friends?"

Malfoy looked uncertain. "I don't know. I can't explain it." He then looked more determined as he glanced at Harry. "But I do know that you can't just ignore this."

Harry glanced at Malfoy's resolute expression and realized that he didn't want to ignore it. He didn't want to give up whatever it was that he and Malfoy shared. So Harry slowly stepped toward Malfoy, until they stood only a foot apart. They were very similar in height, so they stared straight ahead at one another, as though expecting the other to make a move.

Finally, Malfoy slowly brought his hands forward and gripped Harry's shoulders, bringing them both closer. Harry was reddening more than ever as his heart thudded quickly. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip nervously and noticed the distraction in Malfoy's expression as he watched Harry do it. Then, Malfoy ceased gripping Harry's shoulders, and instead brought his arms around him, and leaned forward.

Their lips were nearly touching, but neither made a move. Malfoy looked deeply into Harry's eyes, as though asking for permission. Harry stared back as intensely, but said nothing.

Malfoy smirked slightly. "Well, Potter? You've been rash around me before. You've never hesitated in hexing me. Is this any different?"

Harry smiled, his heart beating so fast it was nearly in his throat. "I think this is pretty different."

Malfoy wrapped his arms more tightly around Harry and tilted his head to softly press his lips to Harry's. At the touch, Harry tensed, but after a moment, brought his arms around Malfoy and pressed him close. Harry didn't expect the sensations that he felt—Malfoy's musky smell, the softness yet rigidity of his lips, and the warmth of his body pressed against Harry's. Hesitantly, Harry opened his mouth slightly as Malfoy's tongue ran over his bottom lip.

But before Harry could truly appreciate what was going on, they heard footsteps in the hallway outside the storage room striding very purposefully toward the door. Harry immediately pushed Malfoy away and the latter turned quickly. As the footsteps neared, Malfoy only gave Harry a brief look before turning to smoothly open the door of the storage room, both hoping they didn't look as flustered as they felt, knowing full well their faces were red.

Standing outside the storage room was one of the Aurors that Harry had seen leaving the castle with Ron earlier today. Harry recalled his name after several moments—Williamson. The Auror had a long ponytail, was quite tall, and wore a grim expression as his glance flickered between Harry and Malfoy.

"Harry," the Auror began. "You've probably heard about the excursion we made today to the Dark Forrest under Dawlish's orders."

Harry nodded, not knowing what could've happened to make him look so morose. It had taken him several moments to swim up from the experience he and Malfoy had just shared. "Did something happen?"

Williamson seemed to hesitate as he answered. "We were in the Forrest for some time, but we couldn't find any children or Dementors. So we began returning to the castle, when we passed by the Whomping Willow and a horde of Dementors flew out at us from some kind of passage under the tree. Ron was facing the front of our team, and they only seemed to be after one of us, so they grabbed Ron—"

"What?" Harry asked, completely stunned. "What do you mean they grabbed Ron?!"

Williamson looked grimmer. "That's exactly what I mean. The Dementors took him and flew in the castle's direction, but it was so dark by that time, we weren't sure exactly where they took him. We've been searching the grounds for over an hour. There was no sign of Ron or the Dementors."

Harry's face turned white. He was so shocked, he couldn't even think of what to say. It was one thing that the Dementors took victims that Harry hardly knew or had only spoken with several times. But it was quite another when his best friend was taken.

"You have no idea where he is then?" Harry finally asked.

Williamson shook his head slowly. "The other Aurors are still looking for him, but McGonagall plans to close down the school soon, so they can't be out for much longer—"

"She can't possibly still close down the school now! Not when Ron could be out there, trying to fight them off!" Harry shouted, surprised that McGonagall's original plan was still an option. "We have to find him, and before those creatures perform the Kiss on him!" Harry was very tempted to add, "If they haven't already," but decided to stay positive lest his anger get the better of him.

Williamson was silent, possibly because there was nothing for him to say. They had made no progress on finding out where the Dementors were hiding in the past five months. Ron could be anywhere.

Suddenly, Malfoy made a surprised noise and pointed toward the far end of the hallway. "Potter, look!"

Harry turned to look in the direction he was pointing and felt his insides freeze. From the end of the hallway, thin tendrils of fog were reaching out into the hallway, coming up from under a door. The temperature in the corridor suddenly dropped about twenty degrees as the fog spread throughout the hallway and Harry shivered.

"I don't believe this," the Auror at Harry's side said slowly. "Could they really be—"

"In the castle," Harry finished. "Just as we'd thought all along."

"But where exactly are they?" Williamson said, walking toward the spreading fog.

Harry immediately brought his hand forward to stop the Auror. "You don't know how many there are. I think it's too dangerous to go looking just yet."

"The fog is coming from Myrtle's bathroom," Malfoy said suddenly, sounding surprised at this revelation.

Harry looked down the hallway carefully and recognized the door to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. How could he have forgotten it? Ron, Hermione, and he had spent a great deal of time in that bathroom their second year, while brewing the Polyjuice Potion to trick Malfoy into telling them if he was the Heir of Slytherin. And most importantly, he couldn't forget that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets lay in that bathroom, etched into the only sink that didn't work. Of course, Malfoy also had little reason to forget the room, as he had come there many times his sixth year after toiling in the Room of Requirement with the Vanishing Cabinets.

"You're right," Harry said slowly. And the more he considered it, the more something familiar nagged in the back of his mind. He'd heard something recently that seemed very important now—something to do with bathrooms—

"Malfoy!" Harry said suddenly. "Do you remember when Hestia Paddock went missing—and Tracey told us that when she got upset, she often locked herself up in the bathroom? For hours?"

Both Malfoy and Williamson gave him an odd look, obviously not understanding the connection. Malfoy replied, "Yes. What about it?"

"What if on the day Hestia disappeared, she locked herself in the girls' bathroom? And didn't come out?" Harry said fervently, feeling that given this crucial clue about the fog coming from the bathroom, he now had it all figured out. "What if she never came out?"

Malfoy's eyebrows knitted. "I don't understand. Why wouldn't she be able to come out of the bathroom?"

"The Chamber of Secrets! The entrance to the Chamber lies in Myrtle's bathroom," Harry stated. He noticed that both Williamson and Malfoy looked astounded by this fact, but Harry continued nonetheless. Explanations could be saved for later. "What if Hestia was in that bathroom when she got attacked? What if that's how the Dementors have been attacking everyone—through Myrtle's bathroom—through the Chamber of Secrets?"

Both Williamson and Malfoy looked stunned by this. But the more Malfoy seemed to consider it, the more his befuddled expression cleared and became grim.

"That would explain why it's been so cold in the Dungeons for months, ever after the weather improved in all other parts of the castle," Malfoy said, deep in thought. "The Dementors must have been in Myrtle's bathroom, waiting for either a victim to come in, or attempting to attack by coming out into the hallway itself."

The Auror seemed to be piecing it together as well. "All the victims have been girls, and all Slytherins. It all makes sense! Only Slytherin girls would've gone into Myrtle's bathroom, since no other House lives near the Dungeons."

Harry nodded. "Yes. And after the Dementors attacked Mafalda by coming out into the hallway, they realized that leaving the evidence behind would be too obvious. And they would be found. So instead they waited for the victims to come to them."

Malfoy's expression became bleaker. "They've been under our noses the whole time. Just down the hallway."

"Well, now that we know where they're hiding, and now that we have the poison and the antidote, we can kill them," Harry stated determinedly. "And find Ron."

Williamson had pursed his lips. "Something else is nagging at me though. I remember hearing that some second years saw fog in one of the passages into the castle a while back. Why would the Dementors be hiding in the Chamber of Secrets if there are also signs of them in other parts of Hogwarts?"

Harry noticed Malfoy's expression change as his eyes widened.

"That's because they're not only hiding in the Chamber of Secrets," Malfoy said slowly, piecing the clues himself. "They're using all the passages into Hogwarts."

His words caused Harry's stomach to drop and fill with dread. "You don't think—"

"They're hiding in all the Hogwarts passages. And I don't think they'll be hiding for long," Malfoy said resolutely. "I think they're planning an attack."

These words certainly didn't make Harry feel any better. "They could be anywhere then. They could be in that passage that led from Hogsmeade and the one that's in front of the witch statue. And even in—"

"The Room of Requirement," Malfoy finished. "There's a passage from Hogsmeade that leads to the Room of Requirement and it would only be too easy to hide in a Room as bewitched as that one."

Harry didn't think he could stand any more revelations. "In that case, we can't wait any longer. If they're really hiding in all parts of the castle, we need to be prepared for them, if they do attack, and before they can take any more victims."

"We can split up the team of Aurors to cover all the possible passages," Williamson spoke up. "And we'll set an extra lot by the Room of Requirement."

Harry nodded. "I think that's the best we can do. With all the Aurors guarding the passages, we can at least stop them from fully infiltrating the castle. As for the Chamber of Secrets, I have a feeling that that's where they took Ron. There's a passage that leads out of the Chamber and into the school grounds." He glanced at Williamson. "I think you saw the Dementors going toward the grounds when they disappeared into the passage into the Chamber. That's why they seemingly disappeared into thin air."

Malfoy gave him a sharp look. "So what do you plan to do about that, Potter? Go into the Chamber itself!?"

Harry returned his look with determination. "That's precisely what I'm planning to do. Now that the poison and the antidote are done, we can test them out in the Chamber."

Malfoy gave Harry an apprehensive look. "Potter, this isn't a game! This isn't Snape's Potions classroom, where you can just try something today, and if it fails, try again tomorrow. You could die trying to take on a horde of who knows how many Dementors!"

But Harry rounded on him. "Oh, really, Malfoy? Tell me something I don't know! I've been warned of dying about a dozen times in my life—how is this time any different?"

Malfoy pursed his lips and didn't reply. Harry could tell that he was genuinely worried, perhaps because Malfoy had never really considered the prospects of Harry dying until now. As they were faced with this very real possibility, Malfoy now finally realized the consequences of what they were getting themselves into.

Williamson looked between them and seemed to have nothing to add to that particular conversation. "I'll leave you two to figure out what to do about the Chamber of Secrets. In the meantime, I'll round up the Aurors and set up teams in front of the Hogwarts passages. By the way—you wouldn't happen to know exactly where they're all located? It's been some time since I've last been at this school."

Harry felt his robes pockets, until he found a large, folded piece of parchment, which he handed to the Auror. "That's the Marauders' Map. Tap it with your wand and say, 'I solemnly swear I'm up to no good,' and it'll reveal the entire castle. It'll show you where everyone at Hogwarts is currently located and it also has secret passages marked on it. Follow the Map and you should be able to find all the possible passages the Dementors could be hiding."

Williamson looked at the blank piece of parchment in wonder as he examined it. "That's bloody useful. Where did you get this?"

Harry chuckled. "It's exchanged too many hands to explain exactly how I got it. But I would appreciate it if you didn't lose it. Or give it away."

Stashing the parchment into his robes pocket, Williamson smiled at him. "Thank you, Harry. I wish you the best of luck in the Chamber. We'll do our best to cover the rest of the castle."

Harry nodded. "Good luck to you too."

Williamson left after that exchange, striding down the hallway hurriedly and purposefully. Malfoy and Harry stared after him for a moment, before Malfoy turned to Harry with a concerned look.

"Potter, do you really think this is all true? That the Dementors are hiding out throughout the castle and that they took Weasley into the Chamber of Secrets? This all seems rather farfetched."

Harry gave him a brief look as he strode back to the storage room. "Then how else do you explain everything that's happened? All the pieces fit—the fog coming from Myrtle's bathroom, the cold temperature, the victims all being Slytherin girls. There's too much evidence pointing to everything we've just come up with."

Malfoy followed him into the dim storage room and proceeded to scan his shelves for something. He seemed to accept that whether the ideas were farfetched or not, they needed to set into action if they planned to save Ron from the Dementors.

"We need to hurry," Harry said, as he crouched next to the cauldrons containing the poison and the antidote. "I don't think the Dementors will wait very long if they plan to Kiss Ron." Harry didn't want to admit just yet that Ron might already have been Kissed.

Malfoy had scooped up several vials from the shelves and was now pouring the black poison sludge into two vials and the milky blue antidote into another two. He capped them firmly and stood, scanning the room for anything else they might need.

"I think you should put your robes on," Harry remarked. "It's plenty cold in the Chamber, and it'll be even colder in the presence of Dementors."

Malfoy was still only wearing his button-down shirt, the cuffs of which he had pulled up. Looking surprised that Harry had even mentioned it, Malfoy said nothing and pulled his black robes on, his Slytherin emblem winking at Harry as Malfoy adjusted his robes. As Harry watched Malfoy do this, he wanted to reach forward and embrace or kiss Malfoy again, in case something happened, in case one of them didn't live. But there was no time to lose if they wanted to save Ron. Harry just hoped that there would be time afterward.

After scanning the storage room once more, they strode out the door and down the hallway, heading toward Myrtle's bathroom. The thin tendrils of fog were still spreading out from beneath the door, but the effect had lessened since the first time they'd caught sight of the phenomenon. The only sound in the long corridor was their hurried footsteps upon the cobblestone floor.

They neared the door to Myrtle's bathroom and felt colder, as now the fog was embracing their ankles. Harry pushed the door open, half expecting a Dementor to leap on him.

But the bathroom was simply cold and empty. The only unusual thing about it was the wisps of fog that were coming from the middle of the bathroom, where the sinks were located. The fog was languidly escaping from the cracks between the sinks and the plumbing, stretching slowly throughout the room. Harry and Malfoy neared the middle of the bathroom, both raising their wands to ensure that nothing caught them unawares.

"Harry!" a voice screamed from above. "Draco!"

Harry almost jumped out of his skin. They craned their necks to stare upward and noticed none other than Moaning Myrtle, sitting upon the ledge of a window and staring at them with a wide smile on her face.

"I'd been wondering when you two might come along." She batted her eyes at them. "It's been quite lonesome without either of you."

Before Harry or Malfoy could respond, Myrtle flew down toward them, her spirit as transient and translucent as a pane of glass.

"I could understand Harry not visiting, since he's been out of Hogwarts for so long," Myrtle said sadly, "But I'm surprised at you, Draco! Haven't I treated you well the last time you were here?"

Malfoy looked as though he didn't know if he should take her seriously.

Myrtle examined them more closely. "And the last time I saw the two of you together in here, you were nearly murdering each other. Or, at least, Draco looked like he was getting murdered."

"Myrtle, this is really not the time," Harry said, frustrated. "We need to get into the Chamber of Secrets to find the Dementors. We think that they have Ron in there."

Myrtle's expression darkened. "Oh, yes. Those foul creatures have certainly been skulking around my bathroom. And I'm frankly tired of all this cold and fog. I've been waiting for someone to do something about them."

Harry had just realized something at hearing those statements. "Myrtle—you've been here all along, have you seen anyone get attacked by the Dementors?"

Myrtle looked at the two of them carefully and her expression became grimmer. "Yes. I've seen two girls—"

"Do you know what happened to them?" Malfoy interrupted, his expression seemingly pleading her to say they were alright and unharmed. "Do you know where they are now?"

Myrtle suddenly pointed straight forward, at the circle of sinks in the middle of the bathroom. "They were taken down there. I don't know what happened to them after that."

Malfoy's expression fell slightly, as though suddenly weighed down by truth he hadn't been able to accept.

Harry walked toward the circle of wash basins and examined them. The fog was still trailing out, but to an even lesser extent. Harry walked around the entire circle of sinks before he spotted the one he was looking for—the sink that had the image of a snake etched into it. He observed it carefully, as though expecting it to strike out at him, but it stayed put.

"How exactly do you get into the Chamber?" Malfoy asked, as he neared Harry and stood by the wash basins.

Harry had told Malfoy a few details about his excursion into the Chamber in the past several months, when they were brewing the potions. But he hadn't explained the technicalities.

"At the moment, I'm not sure," Harry responded.

Malfoy looked at him sharply. "What do you mean you're not sure? How the bloody hell did you get in last time?"

"I spoke Parseltongue to the snake in the side of this sink and told it to open."

Malfoy crossed his arms and gave him an expectant look. "So what's the problem? Do the same thing so we can get into that blasted Chamber already. Like you said, Weasley doesn't have all day."

Harry glared at Malfoy as he straightened up, having been examining the little snake etched into the sink. "The problem is that I no longer speak Parseltongue. After Voldemort died, some of the powers he'd transferred to me the night he tried to kill me went with him. So I'm no longer a Parselmouth."

Malfoy's crossed arms fell to the side at hearing this and his expression looked less impatient. "I suppose that is a problem. How are we going to get in now?"

Harry placed his hand on the little snake, tracing his fingers over its coiled body. He had an idea, but he wasn't sure how well it would work. In their seventh year, during the battle at Hogwarts, Ron and Hermione had taken several Horcruxes to the Chamber of Secrets to use the dead basilisk's venom to destroy the items. And Ron had told him that he'd gotten into the Chamber by simply copying the hissing noises Harry had made when he'd spoken to the snake in Parseltongue.

Heaving a great sigh, Harry looked at the snake carefully and imagined its slithering body. He recalled the way he'd formed his lips in second year, as he'd stood in the same spot, and hissed in the snake's language. Now he parted his lips and not caring if he sounded stupid, began hissing at the snake.

After a moment of silence, when nothing sounded but the quiet drip of a faucet, nothing astonishing happened, and the snake remained immobile.

Suddenly, Harry heard a sharp intake of breath behind him. Malfoy grabbed Harry by his robes and pulled him backward, just as the circle of sinks began rearranging and pushing outward in all directions. Harry heard the grate of cement upon pipes as the sinks began descending into the floor and an enormous hole opened up in the ground, where the stand of sinks had been. The fog flooded the room with greater strength, flowing out of the hole, and Harry was assured that they were on the right track.

Malfoy stared into the black chasm with a look of bewilderment. "And to think that I spent so much time here sixth year and didn't even know this existed."

Harry neared the hole and kneeled down by it. He looked into the chasm, but couldn't see a thing, blinded by the ceaseless fog. Malfoy crouched down beside him and gave Harry an apprehensive look.

"I suppose we haven't come all this way to stop now," Malfoy said. "Who shall go first?"

Harry put his wand into his robes pocket, in case he lost it on the way down the pipe. "I'll go. I've been there before, so it's only fitting."

Malfoy gave him another worried look, but nodded. "I suppose telling you to be careful is out of the question. But be careful anyway."

Harry smiled and without thinking about it for another moment, leapt into the hole.

Ah, sorry for all these cliffhangers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!