A/N: Here you go! It's still Wednesday in my time zone so I'm still on track although it's still quite short :( Next chapter will be inside the Chamber, and I think there's probably only a couple of chapters left to cover 2nd year.

A massive thanks to everyone who has taken the time to get this far through the story, and to all who have showed your support, it really does inspire me so thank you.

Hermione was caught up in the rush of students following the prefects towards the dorms. There was excited chattering and nervous looks as everyone pushed up the stairs. There had been another attack, but this time a student ad been taken. No-one knew who had been attacked, or how another attack had occurred while Hagrid was safely locked away, but everyone was panicking.

Everyone except the Slytherins it seemed. The two Houses passed each other, each heading to their own common rooms, and to her disgust Hermione noticed that some of the Slytherins looked almost happy.

Harry saw Hermione as his House rushed past the Gryffindors and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hermione! I'm so glad to see you! I was scared that you... that it might have been you who was taken."

Hermione quickly hugged Harry. "No, I'm alright thank Merlin" and then followed the rest of her House onwards.

Hermione saw Ron pushing his way down the stairs with Percy. Seeing her he stopped. She noticed his look of despair and the tears in his eyes.

"Mione! It's Ginny! They took Ginny!"

"Oh Ron I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

He brushed at his eyes and tried to smile. "We have to go to Dumbledore's office. Stay safe okay?"

"I'm sure she'll be okay Ron."

Percy pulled Ron away and Hermione stood in shock. Then she took off running. She ran away from her house. not following Ron, but trying to catch up with the Slytherins. As soon as Harry saw her distraught face he stopped. Hermione was reluctant to speak with him whilst Draco was right beside him, waiting for Harry, but this was a lot more important than their petty rivalry.

"Harry it's Ron's sister, Ginny, that was taken."

"I'm sorry Hermione. I know you two are friends."

"But I know what it is! It's a basilisk. I'm going to go after her and I thought... well I know it's a lot to ask... but you're the only person and after last year... I mean, will you help me?"

Harry could never turn down someone who needed help.

"Of course Hermione. But it will be dangerous..."

Draco cut into their conversation smoothly, appreciating that this was the perfect opportunity to take Harry to the Chamber.

"Especially for a mud- muggleborn like yourself. Harry and I will look for your friend, you should go back to your common room."

"No way! I don't trust you and there's no way I'm leaving Ginny by herself!"

This was so not supposed to happen. Draco did not want to drag her into this, he'd been trying to keep her as much out of the way as possible.

"Do you even know where the Chamber is?"

Hermione stared at him defiantly. "I'm looking for her and I don't care whether you come with me."

She didn't trust him, not one bit, and she was sure he had some kind of ulterior motive behind his offer to help her search for Ginny, but he was being nicer than usual, and had he really just restrained himself from calling her a mudblood?

"Fine." At least if she was with him he could keep her safe.

"Do you have any idea where the Chamber could be? And are you sure it's a basilisk?"

"all the evidence seems to agree with that idea. And I've got this, which is better than nothing." She took a small mirror out of her pocket. Harry, who clearly had no idea what a basilisk was looked confused, but realised that this was not the time to be asking questions about pointless things instead turned to Draco.

"Draco? Do you have any ideas?"

"Well... there is one thing I remember. My father said that last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened a girl died, and she has haunted the entrance to the Chamber ever since." He was trying to be vague, hoping that Hermione would catch on so it wasn't obvious that he knew all about the Chamber. "He said she had a reputation for complaining so everyone always stayed away from her ghost..."

"Oh! Could it be Moaning Myrtle?" Draco cheered inwardly. "She hangs around one of the girl's bathrooms- it's always flooded no-one ever uses them."

"Yeah! That might be it."

Hermione led the way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, keeping an eye out for teachers on the way.

Once they got to the bathroom, the boys entering a little reluctantly into the girl's bathroom they realised that they had no way of entering, or even making sure this was the right place. Draco wondered whether he should give them a little hint, as the ghost who usually occupied the toilet stalls was missing. He casually wandered over to the taps, stopping in fake surprise as he 'noticed' the snake carving on one of the taps.

"Take a look at this Harry. You know, it's lucky you speak parseltongue. I'm pretty sure father said only a true heir of Slytherin could open the Chamber, which surely means there must be a password or something in parseltongue." Draco decided not to let anyone know that he could also speak parsletongue, as surely then they would put two and two together.

"Really?"

"What have we got to lose? Just try speaking in parseltongue."

After a couple of attempts Harry finally slipped into the snake language, and Draco heard the scraping noise which meant the Chamber was opening. Casting the Lumos spell he stood at the edge of the hole in the wall that had just appeared, and the three of them stared into the darkness.