This will be the last one for a little while, while I wait for my beta to finish some more chapters, as soon as I have more I'll post it. Enjoy!!

Book 2

Chapter 18

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A serpent's tale

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Xander asked Gilderoy to escort him back to the Common Room as the last thing he wanted to do was get caught out in the open with Filch running around. His cat was going get a cold rush and he wanted to avoid the blame being even remotely placed on his shoulders. They made a grand entrance: Xander asked Gilderoy about his book - the man might be slow when it came to books, but he was quick off the mark when it counted.

Students gathered around as Gilderoy launched into one of his grand tales. Xander stood there in full view and listened as intently as some of the witches. Now he had over one hundred witnesses to testify his whereabouts when Filch discovered his cat's Petrification.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked as soon as Gilderoy left. Xander smiled.

"All in good time, my dear Watson," he replied.

Hermione smiled at the Sherlock Holmes reference.

Fortunately, nothing happened, but that didn't stop Gilderoy from performing his tasks. He grilled Binns about the Chamber and then wrote to the Daily Prophet for copies of cuttings he was missing. When asked what he was doing, he simply stated idle curiosity.

October arrived with the predicted heavy rain; Xander managed to convince Wood to let them stay inside when it pissed it down, citing that if they all got colds from the crappy weather they wouldn't be any good when the game came around. Besides which, they all knew what they were doing.

Xander suggested a way to keep up their reflexes and helped the twins develop a game that would soon be mass-marketed by Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes. The idea was, a small bouncy ball would be batted about the Common Room, and everyone had to work together to keep it in the air. Naturally, the ball floated and didn't behave normally. This tested everyone, even those who weren't playing Quidditch and was fun to play.

"Great idea, Harry!" Ron had said as he smacked the ball towards Wood.

"Magic's brilliant, innit?" he grinned back.

Xander dodged Filch and Nearly Headless Nick and, much to his fake dismay, missed the ghost's five hundredth death day. Oh well…

October started coming to a close with no problems, other than the odd firework bouncing around the Great Hall. Xander didn't know why Filch bothered. Surely he realised that the more he hollered, the more the twins would make a mess. He shivered at the thought.

After Dumbledore gave his speech, plates of food appeared and they all dug in, Xander filling his with whatever he could get his hands on, his stomach rumbling happily. Bats flittered everywhere; cobwebs filled the corners, with Ron watching them out of the corner of his eye. He smiled; it was a happy occasion, and sadly, it would soon be marred.

The doors to the great chamber burst open and Filch came limping into view. "Headmaster!"

Dumbledore looked up, surprised at the entrance of the rather breathless-looking caretaker. "Someone's done something to my cat!"

The Headmaster stood up; worry lines etched across his face. His eyes didn't twinkle nearly as much as usual. "Students, I would ask that you remain calm; the Heads of Houses will escort you to your Common Rooms where you will remain until further notice."

Percy stood up and made eye contact with Xander who helped rally the first years; as a local celebrity they were more willing to listen to him.

"Alright," Xander barked, and the kids all stood to attention. "Everyone follow Percy; anyone caught deviating I'll have yer hides!"

Hermione smiled and followed him as the students started moving outwards; unfortunately their path was blocked by a large puddle of water and the hanging petrified cat.

Hermione was once again stunned at how Harry had a way of always knowing things; he knew every tiny little detail about things that happened in the castle. It frustrated her no end. And even now, when they saw the cat hanging by the wall, he didn't look overly surprised. Xander was well aware of Hermione's curiosities; she was so much like Willow it was uncanny. He barked out orders to the kids to keep them moving along, and even Percy was starting to get the general idea. Soon they were all sitting safely in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"How about," Xander said, looking around at their terrified faces, "I sit with you guys for a while?"

They nodded eagerly.

"What we need right now is a story," he said, smiling. Hermione saw a hint of something in his green eyes, although she could not decipher precisely what. "It is said that even out there, in the vastness of space, mankind fights, even now, for its very survival."

There were a few blinks.

"No?" He shook his head. "Okay, how about a tale of a young girl."

Hermione looked at him and asked, "A young girl?"

"Yes, we all know vampires exist, right?" Everyone shook their heads. "Well what gives the vampires nightmares?"

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"It's happening again isn't it, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore stopped his pacing and looked up at the long haired Potions Master, worry lines etched across his face, and suddenly he felt old.

"Only the Heir of Slytherin can open the Chamber of Secrets," Snape said as he recited what was scrawled on the wall.

Albus remained silent.

"It's not Potter, is it?"

Albus shook his head.

"Then who?"

"I am not certain. Mr Riddle has most certainly not been in the castle, not since he was attached to Professor Quirrell."

Snape winced.

"No, I am quite certain that Tom has not been here, and yet, it feels like his handiwork."

Snape sighed, this was getting them nowhere. "You know the Minister will probably want to arrest Rebus again."

"Yes," Dumbledore said quietly, sitting down in his seat. "I am worried about Harry."

"Why?"

"All those preparations I made last year were apparently for nothing. In the end, the child did not pass any of the tests."

Snape smirked.

"And yet his marks all seem to be above average," Dumbledore finished.

"He competes with Miss Granger," Snape said with a nasty grimace as though her name left a foul taste in his mouth.

"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded.

"All we can do is wait," Snape said. "Who knows? Perhaps Professor Lockhart will find out what is going on."

Dumbledore's lips twitched upwards into the faintest hint of a smile.

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"I've found something," Gilderoy said the moment Xander closed the doors behind him; the boyish smile crossed the man's lips as he eagerly held up some old clippings.

"Go on…"

"I researched two areas, one was the year that this last happened." He placed the information on the table in front of Xander. "I asked Professor Binns as you said, and he gave me a long detailed version of what happened and what the Chambers are," Lockhart finished, barely stifling a large yawn.

Xander chuckled and nodded.

"Apparently, there was a death the last time, a Muggle-born known as Myrtle…"

"Moaning Myrtle?"

"Yes, the young girl who occupies the toilets," Gilderoy said, clearly pleased with himself. "She was Muggle-born, apparently, but the other interesting thing was that Hagrid was tried for her murder, sent to Azkaban and had his wand broken. When he came out of the prison he was hired by the Headmaster."

"Dumbledore."

"Yes. I interviewed the young girl and determined that it wasn't a spider that killed her - which, by the way is what Hagrid said he had at the time. In fact, when Filch's," he said with a nasty shiver, "cat was found Petrified, I looked up the creatures that could do that."

"And?"

"A Basilisk is the only one that I have discovered can kill with a look alone."

Xander groaned. He really didn't want to fight a two tonne snake… again!

"Okay, that's good, well done. Now I want you to write to the Ministry, and this is what you're going to say…"