Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses. With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled.
To Draco, though, the missing Headmaster was a triumph of his father and as such was a triumph for him. He held his head up high, his chest out and had a pep in his step. He was proud to have such an influential father, to make a real change in the school, even if it seemed a little unnecessary.
Draco took a seat in potions, talking to his friends Crabbe and Goyle. "I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore. I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had." He looked down to see Ronald's angry face, "Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in…"
Snape swept past Harry, making no comment about Hermione's empty seat and cauldron.
"Sir," said Draco called out. "Sir, why don't you apply for the headmaster's job?"
"Now, now, Malfoy," said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough."
"Yeah, right," said Draco, smirking. "I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job— I'll tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir —"
Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron.
Draco looked down to Harry who was casting him a dark look, "I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now." This made Harry almost boil with anger, "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger —"
The bell rang at that moment, Draco smiled at Harry watching as Ron leapt off his stool.
"Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands —"
"Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," barked Snape over the class's heads, and off they marched, with Harry, Ron, and Dean bringing up the rear, Ron still trying to get loose. It was only safe to let go of him when Snape had seen them out of the castle and they were making their way across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses.
The Herbology class was very subdued; there were now two missing from their number, Justin and Hermione.
Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Draco tried to stay close by to Harry, and actually found a good opportunity to hid behind the compost heap. Harry went to tip an armful of withered stalks onto the heap and found himself face-to-face with Draco. "What are you doing?" He asked looking curiously at him.
"Shh. I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said the whole mudblood thing." Draco shrugged, making it look like he was busy in case Professor sprout came over.
Harry was surprised at how easily Draco could hide, and he knew that at this angle no one else could see him. "You apologize for that… but not for the whole Hermione bit?"
"Well… that two. All encompassing." He smiled, Harry couldn't help but grin back at him. Somehow Harry found his odd way of apologizing… almost cute. Suddenly he heard Ernie Macmillan right next to him ask, "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well —"
He held out a pudgy hand, and Harry shook it. Harry looked over to see that Draco had moved out of sight.
Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work at the same Shrivelfig as Harry and Ron. Draco now listened in as well as he could, anger rising in him as he over heard their conversation.
"That Draco Malfoy character," said Ernie, breaking off dead twigs, "he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think he might be Slytherin's heir."
"That's clever of you," said Ron, who didn't seem to have forgiven Ernie as readily as Harry.
"Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked.
"No," said Harry, so firmly that Ernie and Hannah stared. Draco smiled, happy to know that Harry was still on his side.
The next day Draco kept his distance from Harry, but he grew curious at dinner. Ginny Weasley looked like she was upset, and though he could not hear the conversation, he could see the look of concern on Harry's face. Draco sneered, not even listening to anything the teachers were announcing, he just watched them.
Draco stood up quickly, pushing his food away and leaving to the common room. Tests were coming up and studies were most important, and at this point he couldn't possibly lose to Hermione. After he spent a good three hours of his night reading and finishing his homework, he found he was due to a bit of unsupervised fun. His friends were already fast asleep, and Professor Snape seemed preoccupied in his office. With a quick dash he left the Slytherin house, and made his way towards his favorite place, the room of requirements. It had been a while since he'd been there, and it would be a safe enough place if there really was something going around Hogwarts.
As he walked the halls he came across the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle. Looking around he went into the Girls side, knowing that she would most likely be there. What he saw shocked him beyond words.
Snape raced down with Professor McGonagall, his black robes fluttering as they moved quickly down the halls. "It has happened," she told the other teachers. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."
Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape rushed beside her asking, "How can you be sure?"
"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, pointed at the hall wall, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' "
Professor Flitwick burst into tears.
"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"
"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.
"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"
The sound of footsteps approaching, got Snape's attention. It was Lockhart, and he was beaming. "So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?"
He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward his anger barely contained. "Just the man," he said. "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."
Lockhart blanched. He was still quite scared of Snape, and this new bit of news didn't quite sit well with him.
"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "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 —"sputtered Lockhart.
"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.
"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," said Snape, pushing his finger into Lockhart's chest. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"
Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues. "I — I really never — you may have misunderstood —"
"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "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 all by yourself. A free rein at last."
Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble. "V-very well," he said. "I'll — I'll be in my office, getting — getting ready."
Snape almost growled as the man ran back towards his office.
"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."
Draco couldn't believe what he was seeing, Ginny was opening up a passage way in the bathroom. Looking around he saw no sign of Myrtle, but even as he called out to the girl, she seemed completely oblivious. Draco followed her, staying out of sight, watching her as she made her way down the long hallway.
It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons.
Ginny stopped taking out the book once again, she pulled out a quill, and wrote inside it. "Tell me what to do next, Master."
Draco shook his head, 'Master? What had Ginny gotten herself into?'
As Draco followed the tunnel turned and turned again. And then, at last, as he crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.
Ginny stopped here, holding the book up to the door it seemed to whisper something to the snakes. The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Ginny walked inside. Draco followed quickly behind, but he almost had to run to make it through the opening in time. He skid, tripping at the girl's feet. This time she looked at him, her eyes glossy, she turned the pages of the book, her diary.
Draco heard something rumbling from another pipe, as she pointed at Draco. "Kill him."
Draco ran as fast as he could, but right in front of the dark opening he was about to run into, was a huge snake. It hissed and darted towards him. He dived out of the way, smacking his arm on the stone. He let out a cry of pain that made the snake turn towards him. It again struck this time the side of it's mouth grazed Draco.
Ginny was moving towards a sort of pedestal, seeming to ignore Draco and the snake. Draco went for almost an hour, avoiding the snake, jumping out it's way and getting another near death experience. He knew better then to look into it's face, he knew what it was. Every time it came near, he would close his eyes and hope to Merlin that he didn't run into a wall. After some time dodging the snake he found that the only way to get it to stop was to get rid of it's Master.
He went back to the main chamber, seeing the girl doing something odd with the book. It seemed like she was some how summoning a person out of the book, Draco hid as best he could on the second level, looking down on the scene. He watched as this boy seemed to take life, as he formed Ginny dropped her pen on top of the book and fell unceremoniously to the ground.
Draco turned as he heard something else enter the chamber, it was Harry Potter.
/AN: Well, on that note, why don't I go ahead and finish Book 2 today? Not much left, and I have some free time. Please once you've read the conclusion R&R, hopefully you will have positive reviews! Last chapter will go up later tonight!