Dear Mum and Dad,

I've had another great week. Lessons are hard and we're getting mountains of homework but I feel like I'm keeping up very well. I'm feeling very confident about my revision and I'm definitely going to be ready by the time the exams come. The weather's getting so much better here, I've woken up very early today but the sun feels so warm through the window in the common room where I'm writing this. Harry's last Quidditch match is today, if the team win then they'll win the cup overall. He's nervous but seems pretty confident that the team will do well. I'm excited to stop revision for a few hours to watch the match; it should be a nice break.

How are things at home? You said in your last letter you went to visit Granny and Grandpa – how are they? I can't wait to see you in June – only a couple of months now!

All my love,

Hermione x

Hermione put down her quill and sealed the letter in an envelope. It was very early on the Saturday morning of Harry's Quidditch match and the sun was indeed streaming into the window where she sat. Slowly Hermione walked up to the owlery. She selected a school bird and stood watching out the window for a long time after it disappeared, her thoughts on spell names and history dates. After a while Hermione thought it must be late enough that people would be in the Great Hall now and she wandered down, seating herself next to Ron and opposite Harry who seemed very nervous. His dormitory had been broken into last night and Riddle's diary had been stolen. Hermione had been trying to persuade Harry to report this to a teacher but Harry was refusing because of how it proved Hagrid had opened the Chamber of Secrets.

After Harry had managed as much of the huge breakfast Wood had put in front of him as he could the three of them left to go and collect his Quidditch things before heading down to the match. However just as all of them stepped onto the marble staircase Harry shouted out loudly. Hermione and Ron both jumped violently away from him, Hermione's heart beating fast.

"The voice!" he said loudly, turning to look at them both. "I just heard it again – didn't you?"

Realisation hit Hermione over the head like a bludger. She clapped a hand to her forehead, it all coming to her very fast.

"Harry – I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!"

Hermione pushed past the boys who were gaping at her and began to sprint the familiar path to the library, trying to get her feet to move as fast as her brain was. Only Harry could hear this voice that happened just before an attack and what else could Harry do that barely anyone else could – understand snakes! Harry wasn't hearing a disembodied voice in his head, he was hearing a snake! Hermione knew there was a legendary giant snake but she couldn't remember its name or anything else about it but she could almost see the passage from a very old library book she'd checked out last year in her head as she pounded along the last corridor and into the library, not slowing her pace until she'd reached the correct shelf.

She scanned all the books about Mythical creatures frantically, spotting the huge book that was cracked and peeling in age quickly. She pulled it down and hurriedly flicked through it, going past the page and having to turn back in her eagerness.

Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it.

Hermione's head pounded with ideas as she read. The snake could live for hundreds of years so would be the same one from when the Chamber was first opened and possibly even when it had been built. Its eyes could kill but no one had died … No one had seen it directly! Justin had seen it through Nick, Colin had seen it through his camera and Mrs Norris had seen the reflection in the water. It had to look directly at you to kill you and no one had! They had seen spiders running that evening before Christmas! This was it – this was the Slytherin's monster. Harry could hear it moving about because Harry could speak Parsletonge, she had been right! But how had it been moving about without anyone seeing it, Harry had seemed to hear it from … the walls! Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a quill, scrawling her idea before she could forget it Pipes. It had been using the ancient Hogwarts plumbing which must lead from the Chamber into the school itself - maybe into a bathroom into… Hermione almost yelped – Moaning Myrtle's bathroom! That's why she had died there. Hermione swayed on the spot with all her realisations.

After a few seconds Hermione came to and realised she had to go and find a teacher and tell them everything this second. She ripped the page from the book and scrunched it up into her fist. It was as Hermione jogged from the shelf to the entrance to the Library that fear cleaved her insides all at once. She had been so stupid! Harry had heard the Basilisk meaning it was somewhere inside the school right now and she, a Muggle-born was alone in the castle. Hermione's breathing quickened. She almost wanted to run and hide back in the library but there could still be other people in the school – and what about when everyone came back from the Quidditch game and Hermione hadn't warned a teacher in time. She needed something to reflect to check around corners as she went. Her stomach gave a summersault – her mother had given her a pocket mirror for Christmas and it was in her bag! Hermione pulled it out, sending a silent thank you to her Mother and left the library. She walked as fast as she dared out of the room, turning round and checking every corner before she walked down a new corridor, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She had only gone two corridors when she saw an older girl up ahead, just about to turn a corner.

"No wait!" Hermione shouted.

The girl stopped and looked at her and Hermione hurried over, relief washing over her as she was the prefect badge gleaming on the girl's chest.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her brow furrowing. "Why aren't you at the match?"

"I'm going now but I've just realised something, you need to trust me and walk with me to the match!" Hermione said, grabbing the girls arm imploringly.

"OK," She said slowly "But why, what's wrong?"

"Please, just trust me; we have to look round the corners with this mirror as we go!"

The girl looked utterly bewildered and tried to pull her arm away. "What? Why?"

"PLEASE!" Hermione shouted tightening her grip. She could hear she sounded crazy but she didn't care. The girl needed to understand

"Okay," The girl said slowly, a very concerned and bewildered look on her face.

Hermione turned round and the girl followed suit and together they looked into Hermione's little pocket mirror and took a step backwards, angling it so they could see behind them. There was no time to scream, no time to think, no time to do anything as Hermione looked into the reflection of an enormous pair of vivid yellow eyes immediately around the corner, and everything stopped.

AN: EEEEKK there we go - the petrification chapter! I know it's very short but I didn't want to just add more for the sake of the word count. I loved writing this and I honestly think Hermione is so brave! I know it was assumed in the book that the mirror was Penelope's but I don't see why it couldn't have been Hermione's and it makes sense this way :)

I really hope you enjoyed this and I did it justice - I know it's an important chapter. If you haven't reviewed this story yet I would really appreciate one here to see what you thought of this chapter. I love reading your reviews and it makes me want to write more! Okay enough with the begging. Hope you enjoyed and see you in a couple of days x