Man, this is the next to last chapter. And this is a long one. I'll do something different next chapter and not insert any author's notes.
Yes, I know it's been depressing, but it'll pick up. I think I'll keep it in third person, what do you think?
I dedicate this chapter (although it's very late) to the victims and their families of 9/11. God will bring you comfort.
I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!
Chapter Eleven: The Antidote
At supper that night, the girls told Harry, Ron, and Neville about what had transpired in the library. Lisa concluded when Professor Dumbledore stood up, his silver beard shining in the candlelight.
"I have good news!" he announced proudly to the students. "I have just been informed that in two weeks' time, the ones who have been Petrified will be cured! We have gained a donation from Lucius Malfoy of nearly full grown Mandrakes." There was a fair amount of cheering and applauding at this.
Harry narrowed his eyes at the news. He expected this was because of one Draco Malfoy. Malfoy had a crush on one Dani Potter. Harry had no idea why. He certainly didn't like it. Sure, Draco and Dani could be friends, but not dating. He was repulsed by the very idea. A Slytherin dating his sister? Okay, he thought. I need to calm down. We can all get along. Great, he was starting to sound like Dani.
Ron spoke, making Harry snap out of his thoughts. "Now we don't have to find the Chamber. They can tell us. We don't need to worry about being believed."
"You're right," Lisa agreed. She had brightened up considerably when discovering that two of her best friends would be back to normal in two short weeks. Already she was feeling excited.
"Yes, we do," Hermione countered. "Unless the Chamber is found, this will happen all over again."
"How do we start by finding it?" Neville asked.
Nobody answered him.
"Maybe Hagrid would know," Harry said. "Even if he didn't open the Chamber, he was here when it happened."
"Well," Abby stated, "there hasn't been an attack. Maybe they quit."
"I have a feeling that this isn't over," Luna said quite simply.
Again, there was silence.
Harry sat down that night, writing an essay for History of Magic. He was going to ask Hermione for help (as usual) when he heard a voice.
"Kill this time… let me rip… tear…"
"There's that voice again," Harry commented.
"Voice…" Hermione trailed off.
"It says it's going to kill."
"Oh! It's the basilisk! That's what you've been hearing…" She gasped. "There's something else! We need to go out."
"Now?" Ron asked. "But it's almost curfew."
"I may have an idea of how the basilisk's been getting around, but I have to prove my theory. It's got to be now, while the basilisk's out. Oh, wait!" She stood suddenly and ran up the stairs to her dorm. Two minutes later, she came barreling back down.
The brunette held out three mirrors. "These are for checking around corners, that way, we can't be killed."
"Sounds cheerful," Ron said. Hermione ignored him.
"Let's go!" she exclaimed.
As soon as they opened the portrait hole of that crabby old lady, however, Percy walked in. "Ron, you haven't seen Ginny, have you?" When the trio shook their heads, Percy continued. "I haven't seen her in half an hour. Are you going to go look for her?"
"Er – yes!" Ron lied. "Uh, we were just worried that we would get caught this close to curfew."
"You have my permission to go look for her."
"Thanks, Percy," Hermione said. "Come on, let's go look."
Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He followed Ron and Hermione out of the common room.
"Let's split up," Hermione suggested. "We'll meet back here in half an hour."
"Agreed," Harry and Ron said in unison. Harry ran down the seventh floor corridor while Ron explored the fifth. Hermione decided to check the second floor.
She illuminated her wand with a whispered spell. She walked carefully, her mirror held in front of her so as to look around corners. She could hear her heart beat violently in anticipation.
When she reached the next corner, she checked it nervously. She gasped. There were two Petrified Prefects around the corner, a boy and girl. They were both Hufflepuff. Hermione had met them once before. They were Matthew Johnson and Alex Gresham. They were facing a window. Hermione noticed that they just so happened to be near Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom.
Hermione was struck with an idea. This was the area that most were Petrified. So that could mean… She raced to the bathroom. When she entered, she saw the pearly white form of Moaning Myrtle herself floating by a window.
"Hello there, Myrtle," Hermione greeted.
"Oh, hello," the ghost responded as she descended to Hermione's level, right in front of the sinks. "What do you want?"
"Well, I was just wondering if you've seen anything odd tonight."
"I haven't noticed," Myrtle said. "I was just sitting up there all day. Actually, I wasn't sitting here because I'm dead."
"I'm sorry-" Hermione began, but was cut off when she heard stone sliding on stone, right behind Myrtle. The brunette peered through the ghost, trying to see through the darkness. She saw movement. There was a glint of yellow. Her body locked up, and everything turned black.
Harry and Ron stood in the corridor in front of the portrait that was replacing the Fat Lady. The bony, paranoid woman (who reminded Harry strongly of Aunt Petunia), named Glenda, was shaking in her portrait and looking around nervously.
"Where is she?" Ron asked. "It's nearly fifteen after."
Harry felt his stomach churn. "Well, I heard the basilisk again, not long after we split up."
"Oh no!" Ron shouted. "She could be Petrified… or worse!"
"Hey you!" a voice shouted. They spun around. It was a Prefect from Ravenclaw! "What are you doing out here after curfew?"
"Oh, er," Harry stammered. "We were waiting for someone."
"You shouldn't be out here, especially when there's been an attack," the Prefect said, worry in his voice.
"What?" the two Gryffindors shouted in unison.
"Who's been attacked?" Harry asked, dreading the answer.
"Two Hufflepuff Prefects and a Gryffindor second year."
"Hermione…" Ron trailed off.
The Prefect's eyes darted around nervously, as if the attacker would be just around the corner. "Go on, you two need to get in your common room. We've already told a teacher."
"Ah! There you are!" The voice startled the three students. It was Professor McGonagall. "You two should probably come with me."
"We just heard about Hermione," Ron said glumly.
McGonagall surprised Harry greatly. A tear streamed out of her eye. "Follow me." Swiftly, she led the two Gryffindors. It reminded Harry so much of the night. Dani and Mandy were attacked. He couldn't prepare himself to see Hermione laying as stiff as a board, so it came as a shock to see her laying as stiff as a board. What was strange, though, was the look of curiosity on her face.
The Transfiguration teacher spoke up. "She was found in a bathroom. The two Hufflepuffs were found near there. Now, you three were outside the common room. Would you mind telling me why that was?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other. "We were looking for Ginny," Harry lied. Well, half-lied.
McGonagall took a deep breath. "You should have known better. Five points from Gryffindor."
Harry felt he deserved it. We should never have done this, he thought sadly. They never found out where the Chamber was, and they lost Hermione. It was hard to believe that he had felt so hopeful just hours ago.
The next morning at breakfast, Professor McGonagall stood, a sheet of parchment in her hands.
"Can I have your attention please?" Draco looked up from his breakfast of eggs and bacon. What did that h- the teacher want now? "These new rules have been instated for your safety. All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no evening activities."
There was uproar from the students, Draco included. No Quidditch? How could they cancel Quidditch? There was a sneer on his face.
McGonagall held up her hand. The Great Hall silenced. "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward.
She sat back down. The Hall was covered by a blanket of silence. Nobody ate.
Nearly two weeks later, after they all had it arranged, Harry Ron, Neville, Lisa, Abby, and Luna met Hagrid in the Entrance Hall. Hagrid was jumpy. He looked around nervously while he led the students across the grounds to his hut.
"So," Hagrid said when they all sat down in the cabin, "what did yeh want ter see me for?"
"Hagrid," Harry said, just wanting to get the question out of the way, "do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?"
Hagrid's expression darkened. "It was opened in me third year here, the year I got… well – yeh know. Tom Riddle thought that I was the one attackin' the students and the one that killed that girl. Riddle-" he spat the name "- thought that I had a dangerous monster. He didn' understand that Aragog was completely 'armless."
"Who's Aragog?" Ron asked.
"He's an acromantula, lives in the forest."
Ron blanched and shuddered violently.
"What's an acromantula?" Harry asked.
"They're spiders, can grow about twenty feet long."
Harry shuddered involuntarily. He didn't want to meet one of those down a dark alley…
"Anyways, I released Aragog, an' now he's livin' in the forest."
"What about that girl who died?" Lisa asked, hope in her voice. "Who was she?"
"Now, I don't remember tha' but I do remember she was found in a bathroom. Hagrid looked over at the clock on the wall. It was nearly six o' clock. "Blimey, is that the time? I need ter get yeh back ter the castle. C'mon, now!"
Hagrid walked so quickly across the grounds that the students had to jog to keep up. Neville and Abby tripped on more than one occasion. On the way back and before he went to bed, Harry's mind was left whirring."
Riddle had caught the wrong person. Well, they had already guessed that since Hagrid had had an acromantula, not a basilisk. Harry still had no idea who the Heir of Slytherin was in the past or present. He hated to admit it, but they had finally reached a dead end. There was no one left to ask. He wondered if Dani already knew. He figured she did since she was from the future.
Harry sat up in his bed suddenly. Hagrid had said that a girl had died in a bathroom fifty years ago. That must mean-
"Ron," he whispered through the darkness. "Ron-"
The red head awoke with a somewhat sleepy grunt. "What, Harry?"
"Ron – that girl who died. Hagrid said she was found in a bathroom. What if she never left the bathroom? What if she's still there?"
There was silence for a moment until Harry thought Ron had fallen asleep again.
"You don't think – not Moaning Myrtle?" Ron asked incredulously.
The next morning at breakfast, Harry and Ron told Neville, Luna, Abby, and Lisa what they had worked out.
"I figured as much," Luna stated as if she were talking about the weather.
"That's it," Lisa said uncharacteristically. "We need to tell a teacher."
"And you need to lighten up," Lisa said. "Don't you remember? Dani, Mandy, and Hermione are waking up today!"
Harry instantly brightened… until Lisa brought it crashing down again. "Yeah, but haven't you noticed? Where're Hagrid and Dumbledore?"
Harry looked at the head table. Lisa was right. Both chairs were vacant. At that moment, Professor McGonagall stood.
"Can I have your attention please?" The Hall immediately silenced. "Now, as you may have noticed, Professor Dumbledore is not here. He has been suspended by the school governors." Many students gave out cries of dismay. No more Dumbledore? McGonagall raised her hand. Silence. "He told me this before he left: 'I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.' On a lighter note, I have good news."
"You've caught the heir of Slytherin!" a girl from the Ravenclaw table shouted.
"Quidditch matches are back on!" Oliver Wood roared.
"We will be administering the potion to revive those people who have been Petrified later today. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hoping that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."
The Hall erupted into cheering. Draco was happy. Soon, he would be able to see Dani again. He looked down the Slytherin table and saw that Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle were just sitting there, not joining in the cheering. Quite frankly, he wasn't surprised.
"We'll still have to tell McGonagall, won't we?" Neville asked.
"We can tell her at break," Harry decided.
Later on, after Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lockhart was leading the tightly packed group of Gryffindor second years to History of Magic.
Lockhart, in every lesson, assured the students that the danger had passed after Hagrid was taken. "Mark my words. The first words out of those poor Petrified people's mouths will be 'It was Hagrid.' Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."
At that moment, Neville tripped over Ron's shoe. The two of them fell forward and on top of Harry, forming a large black and red pile. The contents of all of their school bags went flying.
The rest of the Gryffindors and Lockhart turned as the three boys stood up slowly.
"You go ahead," Harry said as he picked up a couple of rolls of parchment. "We'll be fine."
"If you're sure," Lockhart said. He turned and started walking away with the rest of the Gryffindors in tow. As the teacher's voice trailed away, Harry could hear him still talking about Hagrid.
"That was brilliant, Harry!" Neville exclaimed once all their belongings back in their respective bags.
"Thanks, now let's go to the staff room!"
The trio walked swiftly to the staff room. But when they reached it, no one was there.
"We'll just wait here for her when the bell rings," Neville suggested. Neither Harry nor Ron objected, so he sat down on a chair.
They waited for five minutes, ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty… The bell for break never came. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified, echoed down the corridors.
"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."
Neville groaned. "Oh no!"
"Not another attack?" Harry asked. "Not now?"
"What'll we do?" Ron asked, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?"
"No." Harry looked around, trying to find a place to hide. Yes! There was an ugly wardrobe in the corner. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."
Darkness. Never ending darkness. I was alone in it. Sometimes, I heard voices. I couldn't place them. I couldn't think.
"It has happened," Harry heard Professor McGonagall's voice say. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."
Harry heard all of the teachers react in several ways: Flitwick squealed and Professor Sprout clapped her hands to her mouth. Snape broke the silence. "How can you be sure?"
"The Heir of Slytherin left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'"
"Who is it?" Harry recognized Madam Hooch's voice. "Which student?"
"Ginny Weasley."
Harry felt Ron slide down the wall of the wardrobe.
"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," Professor McGonagall continued. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"
The staff room door burst open so suddenly that Neville jumped. Professor Lockhart strode in, his hair back to its normal curls. "So sorry – dozed off – what have I missed?"
"Just the man," Snape said icily. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."
There was silence for a moment. That is until Professor Sprout broke it. "That's right. Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"
"I – well, I-" Lockhart stammered.
"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" Flitwick put in.
"D-did I? I don't recall-"
"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," Snape interrupted. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bumbled, and that you should have been given free reign from the first?"
"I – I really never – you may have misunderstood-"
"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," McGonagall decided. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster yourself. A free reign at last."
"V-very well," Lockhart stammered after a silence. "I'll – I'll be in my office getting – getting ready."
And with that, he strode out again.
The darkness changed. I could see light. Soon it turned into stark white. I blinked my eyes. They watered. It was so bright. I could hear hurried footsteps. From next to me, I heard a slight groan.
I started to process things. The footsteps were from Madam Pomfrey. The groan was from Hermione. Wait, Hermione had been Petrified?
I sat up. I felt so stiff.
"How are you feeling, Miss Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked. I looked around. Several other students were already sitting up. I was the last one.
"Fine," I croaked. My voice was scratchy. I noticed that Madam Pomfrey looked grim. "Has something happened? Has anyone been killed?"
"The school is closing tomorrow. Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber of Secrets."
"What?" I exclaimed. I jumped out of the bed. I felt a little dizzy, but I steadied myself. I ignored the exclamations of my name and walked as quickly as I could to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry, Ron, and Neville raced through the slowly darkening corridors to Professor Lockhart's office.
"Harry, if Lockhart's going to the Chamber of Secrets, we can tell him what we know," Ron explained as he led the other two.
As they approached the office, they heard a lot of hurried movements from inside. Harry burst through the door and saw, to his utmost surprise, a complete mess inside. Robes were thrown everywhere. Pictures of the professor himself were stacked next to a suitcase. Wait, Harry thought. Is that a wig?
I knew it! a triumphant and familiar voice echoed in his head.
Harry jumped. And then his face broke into a large smile. Dani! You're okay!
A little tired, but yeah. I'm okay. Where are you?
Wait, no! Go back to your common room!
I can help! I'm coming with you!
Harry found the sound of his sister's "voice" comforting yet annoying. What was she doing running around just after waking up?
I heard that!
Harry concentrated on what was going on around him again. Ron had just asked about Ginny.
"Well, as to that – most unfortunate-" Lockhart spluttered out. "No one regrets more than I-"
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"
"Well – I must say – when I took the job – nothing in the job description – didn't expect-"
"You mean you're running away?" After all the stuff you did in you books-"
"Books can be misleading."
"You wrote them!"
"My dear boy," Lockhart said, frowning. "Do 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 American 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 harelip, I mean, come on-"
"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?"
"Harry, Harry, it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved." He then explained what he had done: tracking the heroes down, drill them on everything they did, and then wipe their memories with Memory Charms.
Lockhart drew his wand. "And now I'm going to have to do the same to you." He turned and nearly opened his mouth to say the words.
But Harry was too fast. He drew his wand, pointed it at the teacher (no, fraud) and shouted "Expelliarmus!" Lockhart's wand flew out of his hand and through the open window.
"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," Harry said furiously, his wand still pointed at Lockhart.
"What d'you want me to do?" Lockhart asked. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."
"You're in luck." Harry forced Lockhart to his feet. "We know someone who can tell us where it is. Let's go."
They were on their way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. When they reached it, they received a surprise. Dani Potter was standing there, her back to the door, talking to Moaning Myrtle.
"Dani!" Harry, Ron, and Neville shouted. She turned and smiled, her green eyes cheerful.
"Hey guys!" Dani said. "I was just talking to Myrtle. The Chamber of Secrets is here behind one of the sinks." She gestured to sink in front of Myrtle's usual toilet.
Harry walked over the sinks, searching for anything unusual. He finally found it: a snake scratched on one of the taps. He turned it. Nothing happened.
"Harry," Ron said. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."
Harry opened his mouth. "Open up."
Dani knew it didn't work because there wasn't any hissing.
"Um, that was English," Neville stated.
"Come on, Harry," Dani said encouragingly. "You can do it."
Harry concentrated. He stared at the snake, imagining it was real. "Open up."
Dani shuddered. What had come out of Harry's mouth was a hiss. She doubted she would ever get used to it. She heard a loud clunk. The sink with the mark sank out of sight, revealing a large pipe.
Harry looked up at everyone in the room. "I'm going down there."
Ron shoved Lockhart down the pipe after some protests from the latter. Ron rolled his eyes and jumped after him. Neville walked slowly over before tripping over his shoe again and falling into the pipe headfirst. Dani winced. It wasn't going to be pleasant for the brunette boy. Harry lowered himself into the pipe and let go. Dani took one last look around the bathroom before sitting in the pipe and started sliding. The darkness swallowed her up.
A/N: ^Sigh^ Finally finished. I apologize for the extremely long wait, but I brought you a nearly 4000-word chapter. The next chapter will probably be the last one. It's gonna be epic. :) And this chapter is probably the last time you see first person POV.