Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 13: Mysteries to be Solved

Early the next morning Harry called Tracey aside and told her of his theory. She seemed fascinated by his idea and admitted that it did make sense.

"Let's look into this tonight, after classes," Tracey said. "If you are right then we will need to get further help. We'll have to talk to Snape and see if we can get a meeting with Dumbledore."

While they were having breakfast an owl stopped in front of Tracey. It carried a note written in very tidy writing which Tracey read before handing to Harry.

The note read: 'Ron Weasley claims that you have something that belongs to his sister. Ginny is very upset about something and, in order to keep the peace, I have offered to act as a go-between to try and resolve this matter. Meet me in the library at lunchtime. Hermione.'

"What could Ginny possibly think we have that belongs to her?" Harry asked. Tracey was just as confused as he was but decided they should go. At least this way they could sort out the issue once and for all.

When they arrived in the library they found Hermione already there. They sat opposite her at the table.

"Hermione?" Tracey began. "Could you please tell us what we have that Ginny thinks is hers?"

"It's Ginny's diary. She saw you with it on Valentine's Day when that pesky dwarf came barging up and knocked Harry down," Hermione explained.

Harry opened his bag and pulled out the diary. "Is this what she is talking about?"

Hermione snatched it out of Harry's hand. "This is it. She described it as an old, tattered diary with nothing written in it, exactly like this one."

"Read the inside of the front cover," Harry said. Tracey looked on.

Hermione opened the book and saw the name T. M. Riddle written there. Her eyes widened in surprise. "So this diary actually belongs to someone else anyway?"

"Yes. And that's not all," Harry said. He took the diary back and wrote: 'Hello, Tom, it's Harry again.'

The words glowed briefly before disappearing. A moment later they were replaced. 'Welcome back Harry. Have you had time to think about what I showed you and Tracey?'

Hermione was in shock. "But, how is that possible?"

"This diary is a very dangerous magical artifact," Tracey explained. "We think it has the ability to possess people. We were going to speak to Moaning Myrtle this evening and, depending on what she told us, we were going to try and speak to the Headmaster."

Meanwhile Harry wrote in the diary, 'We are still considering the information you gave us. As yet we haven't decided how much it is worth. We will get back to you later.'

Hermione was still in shock. "How could something like that get into the school?"

"We're assuming Ginny brought it in at the start of the year," Tracey said. "You can now see why we cannot let Ginny, or any other student for that matter, take possession of this diary. You will need to tell Ron something, though. I'm sure you're smart enough to come up with some explanation."

"All right. Can I ask you why you want to talk to Myrtle?"

"It's just a suspicion we have about this diary and the Chamber of secrets. They may have nothing in common but we just want to make sure," Tracey said.

After class that evening Harry and Tracey left the Common Room saying they were going to the library. Theo wanted to come so, after they were safely away, they explained the other reason for their trip.

"We think we may have come across a clue to the Chamber of Secrets," Harry explained.

"Something we found recently has led us to believe that Myrtle may have been the student who died last time the Chamber was opened. We were going to talk to her and then decide what we should do next," Tracey continued.

Theo agreed to wait outside the bathroom and to alert them if anyone came along.

Inside the bathroom Tracey called, "Myrtle, are you here?"

"Hello, what do you want now?" Myrtle wailed.

"Myrtle, we would like to ask you a few questions, if you don t mind."

"I suppose so."

"Myrtle, we would like to ask you; how did you die?"

Instantly Myrtle's expression changed to a look of delight. "Oh! Well, in that case." Myrtle took a deep breath. "It was right here in this very cubicle. I had come in here because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. Anyway, here I was hiding away when someone came in here and started speaking some strange, made up sounding language, and it was a boy who was speaking so I opened my door to tell him to go away and use his own bathroom. And then: I died."

"Did you see anything?" Tracey asked.

"Just this pair of huge, yellow eyes staring at me from right in front of that sink." She pointed to a sink on the opposite side of the room. Harry approached it.

"This is the sink where I found that tap that wasn't working when Myrtle flooded the bathroom, it was the same day we found the diary," he explained.

"Myrtle," Tracey began. "The day someone threw that diary at you; did you see who did it?"

"No I didn't, Myrtle said, angrily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Tracey?" Harry said. "Look at this." Tracey and Myrtle moved to join him at sink. He then showed her what he had found. "Look at this symbol on the pipe. It looks exactly like a snake. I think this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

"So, we know where the Chamber is and that the monster has large, yellow eyes. We also know who was controlling it and how, although it's more likely the person, Ginny Weasley, was being possessed," Tracey summarised.

"The only thing left for us to do is identify the monster and determine how to stop it," Harry added. "Do we tell Snape now or complete our research first?"

"We must show this diary to someone, although I don't think Snape is the right person," Tracey said.

"Why not?"

"The person we need to speak to is Dumbledore. With the evidence we have we should be able to get Hagrid is exonerated. He is as much a victim here as Myrtle. Myrtle's life was ended but Hagrid's was ruined. They both deserve justice," Tracey told him. Harry agreed.

They left the bathroom and told Theo what they had discovered. At his suggestion they headed to the library to look for more books on the Chamber, as well as doing their homework.

Tracey asked Madam Pince if they had any books on magical snakes, using the excuse they were researching antidotes to snake venom. Madam Pince peered at Tracey carefully before directing her to a book shelf that contained the desired information. Tracey brought back a pile of books and they began reading them.

It took nearly an hour but finally Harry found what they were looking for. "Theo, Tracey," he said quietly. "Look at this." Harry showed them an entry under the title of Basilisk.

'The Basilisk, also known as the King of Serpents, is an extremely dangerous creature. The earliest known example was bred by Herpo the Foul, a Greek dark wizard and parselmouth, who discovered that a chicken's egg hatched under a toad produced a gigantic serpent possessed of extraordinarily dangerous powers.

'Basilisks are generally green and can grow up to 50 feet long. They have been known to live for hundreds, even a thousand years. The Basilisk has extremely poisonous fangs but its most dangerous means of attack is the gaze of its yellow eyes. Anyone looking directly into these will suffer instant death.

'Spiders flee from the Basilisk and the most effective way to kill them is the crowing of a rooster.'

"So Slytherin's monster is a Basilisk?" Theo asked. Harry nodded.

"But how could a snake that big travel around the castle unnoticed?" Tracey asked.

"It hasn't been," Harry replied. "Myrtle was killed in the bathroom where the entrance to the chamber is and most of the other attacks occurred near there. The Basilisk stays in the pipes until it is summoned and then it comes out through that entrance. I have been hearing echoes of it around the castle coming from inside the pipes in the walls. A rooster's crowing will kill it, so now we know why Hagrid's roosters were killed."

"Hold on, Harry," Theo said. "This says Basilisks kill when people look into their eyes. Nobody's died yet but several people have been petrified."

"My best guess there is those people only saw the reflection, or were screened from it by something else. That Gryffindor 1st year was found with a camera so the film must have acted as a shield. Justin Finch-Fletchly saw it through Nearly Headless Nick. Nick was already dead so he was only turned into a shadow but his presence must have shielded Justin from the full force. We know there was water on the floor when Mrs. Norris was petrified. She must have seen the reflection and I would assume the same thing happened with that Ravenclaw boy."

Theo nodded. "That does make sense. Your explanation also accounts for the strange behaviour of spiders and the killing of Hagrid's roosters."

"Clearly we need to go to Snape, and through him Dumbledore, with this information," Tracey said. "We should go now. The sooner we tell someone the better." Everyone agreed so they set off for Snape's office.

Tracey knocked on the door. "Enter," came Snape's voice.

"Professor Snape, we think we may have some information about the Chamber of Secrets," Tracey said when they entered.

Snape's dark eyes bored into them. Harry got the impression Snape was trying to read their minds.

"Very well," Snape said. "What information do you think you have?"

"We think we've found the entrance to the Chamber, and we're certain we know what is inside," Tracey explained.

"The creature is a Basilisk," Harry said. "I've been hearing its voice from inside the walls, echoing along the pipes."

At the mention of a Basilisk Snape began paying close attention to what they were saying. When they finished their explanation Snape got up and walked to his fireplace. He took a pinch of a glittering powder (floo powder, Harry remembered) and threw it into the flames. "Headmaster, may I speak to you about an urgent matter," he said.

Moments later the flames flared larger and a tall figure appeared, spinning in the flames. Professor Dumbledore stepped out, brushing down his robes as he approached. "How may I help you, Severus?"

Snape indicated Harry, Tracey and Theo. "These three may have solved the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. I am quite certain they have more information than what they have told me so far, and I felt it appropriate that you be present to hear their full story."

Dumbledore turned to the students. "Please, continue with your explanation."

Theo and Tracey turned to Harry who took a deep breath. He explained how he had been hearing a voice coming seemingly from inside the walls that no-one else could hear. He explained how it had taken him several months to realise what it was but once he had done so many other things fell into place. He said they realised Slytherin's monster was probably a snake and had set about finding a snake that could petrify people.

They eventually realised it must be a Basilisk and that the reason nobody had died this time was because nobody had looked it directly in the eyes. Harry explained how they realised the Basilisk's victim last time must have been Myrtle and it was from her information that they located what they believe is the entrance to the Chamber in her bathroom.

Tracey then produced the diary and said they believed the diary had the ability to possess people and that was how the Basilisk was being controlled.

When they finished Dumbledore took the diary and performed some diagnostic magic on it. "It appears your students are correct Severus," Dumbledore said. "I must ask you; do you know who brought this diary into the school?"

Harry and Tracey looked at each other. "Tell them," Tracey said quietly.

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "We think it was Ginny Weasley, sir."