Chapter 17: The Chamber of Secrets
The first evening of the Christmas holidays Hermione Prince could be found in the Gryffindor common room, curled up with a book with an enchanted cover on the topic of magical beasts and where to find them. Her eyes were heavy with sleep as she listened to the sound of the crackling fire. Few students had stayed behind in the castle, not that she would be complaining. Riddle was sure to be in Hogwarts, brewing his plans for the opening of the chamber of secrets and Hermione was going to ensure not one single petrification would take place. Meanwhile her training would have to begin incorporating spellwork for duelling. These thoughts were constantly at the back of her mind. The book fell from her hands as she finally dozed off. Dreams of fighting the ancient creature, the basilisk, swirled behind shut eyes. She was wielding the sword of Gryffindor as the creature surrounded her, ready for the kill. The beast opened his mouth, baring its poisonous fangs as Hermione lifted the sword high above her head.. She felt fangs pierce her skin, blood gushing from her arms, poison invading her bloodstreams as she let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Hermione!" Gideon Prewitt shook her awake. Hermione awoke, her brow sweating, breath raggd with panting. "It was a nightmare, you're safe" comforted Prewitt, holding her head against his chest, circling her back with his hands. the soothing motions slowed down her breathing as she wept in front of a boy she barely knew. A boy who'd be killed in the first wizarding war. Fear turned into fury, her fingers curled into fists, her eyes narrowed as she would no longer wait for riddle to make the first move. She would venture down into the chamber and kill the basilisk before Riddle would discover how to unleash the beast from within.
Hermione fled from prewitt's arms leaving behind a bewildered boy and raced to the library. Casting a disillusionment charm she entered the Restricted Section searching for any material on serpents and how to kill them. She also looked up on parseltongue but found very little on how to speak the language. She'd need to know how to open the chamber and then summon the basilisk. All night she spent pouring over ancient books finally coming across the book she'd found in her second year.
To those who are unfamiliar with Hermione Granger's past I will recount briefly the adventures Hermione and her two friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, encountered in their second year in Hogwarts when the heir of Slytherin reopened the chamber of secrets. The chamber of secrets is famous in legend but very few believe in its actual existence. The chamber was created a thousand years ago by one of the founders of Hogwarts; Salazar Slytherin. Home to the king of serpents the basilisk would purge the school of blood impurity. Mudbloods would be murdered by one glance of the beast whose looks could kill. Since the death of Salazar only the heir of Slytherin had the skill to reopen the chamber. Only with parseltongue could the chamber be opened and only with parseltongue the beast controlled. When Ginny Weasley was finally taken to the chambers itself Harry and Ron discovered the entrance of the chamber in a girls bathroom. With the aid of a phoenix Harry Potter fought the basilisk with the sword of Godric Gryffindor and triumphed as he drove a basilisk fang into the heart of Tom Riddle's diary.
Hermione knew it was is Riddle's final year he would open the chamber but she was not prepared to wait for the first victim. One line from the book Most Macabre Monstrosities clutched in her pale hands echoed in her head; the basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it. Hermione left the library exhausted but with a determined glint in her eye. Now. She had a little visit to make the next day.
Hermione stood outside the Gaunt shack on the outer edge of Little Hangleton midst the woods. The building was half-hidden amongst the tangle of trunks. The trees blocked all light and the view of the valley below. The walls were mossy and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows which were tiny and thick with grime.
The House of Gaunt are the last surviving descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Tom Riddle's entire name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. His middle name taken after his grandfather Marvolo. As Hermione stood among the trees she had no idea what to expect. She knew Morfin Gaunt lived here alone, his sister and father no longer alive and he would soon be framed by Riddle for the death of Riddle Senior. But Morfin was a parselmouth and as hermione walked to the door she convinced herself she was killing two birds with one stone. How she had no idea. Raising her hand to knock on the door she flinched at the sight of a snake hammered to the door. Rotten and decayed she covered her mouth as she knocked thrice on the door. No one answered. She decided to try the window. Carefully she crept past the nettles and tiptoed to a dust covered window and knocked again. Hermione peered in but could see nothing due to the grime.
Hermione screamed as she felt an arm snake around her waist and a knife at her throat. Not again she groaned.
"Hello prettyyyyy" Morfin whispered in her ear. Hermione could smell his putrid breath. Morfin took her wrists and dragged her into the house. Hermione did not dare struggle, allowing him to tie her up to a chair, her wand still in her holster. One flick of the wrist and she'd have Morfin on his knees but she played for time. There had to be a way to get him onside.
"Morfin, please." Hermione spoke softly. "I didn't mean to trespass".
Morfin laughed and opened a can of beer, watching her like a bird catching prey.
"You're a pretty little thing" Morfin almost sung. "What brings you to the lions den?"
"I believed I'd entered the snake's nest" Hermione replied lightly gesturing to the front door.
Morfin laughed wheezily, making screeching scratching sounds, his breath ragged and heavy.
"Clever little witch! Or is she a filthy muggle?" He pondered, his head angled to the side. The last sentence was unintelligible to Hermione. All she heard was hissing.
"How does she know my name?" Morfin wondered aloud bringing the knife's point to Hermione's lips and tracing it down to her throat.
Morfin was dressed in rags. His thick hair so matted with dirt the colour was indistinguishable. Missing several teeth, his eyes looked in opposite directions. He was the very image of a sociopath.
"You are the last descendent of Salazar Slytherin." Hermione gushed with awe hoping flattery would work. "I wanted to meet you because of the legend… the legend of the chamber of secrets."
Morfin pushed her jaw up with the knife and stared at her, eyes wide and mouth gawping.
"The chamber of secretss?" Morfin repeated stupidly.
Hermione nodded, her eyes widened and feverish.
"I'm a student at Hogwarts and I think the legend might be real… in fact I think I know where the entrance is." Hermione whispered seductively in Morfin's ear.
Morfin clapped his hands with joy.
"The beast inside will be set free on all the mudblood filth! He'll gobble them all up!" Morfin almost skipped with joy.
Hermione leaned forward so her lips almost touched his and whispered "But I need you Morfin"
Morfin breathed heavily watching Hermione's lips.
"I need you to teach me parseltongue" Hermione continued to murmur, her eyes heavy with desire.
Morfin licked his lips and replied "And what do I get in return?"
Hermione giggled.
"Whatever you desire" she breathed heavily.
Morfin reached behind her, his body pressed against hers as he released her bonds with his knife. Hermione stood and circled Morfin, pushing him back into the chair. Hermione slowly removed her cloak, letting it drop on the floor before unbuttoning her shirt, one by one, her gaze firmly set on Morfin as she did so. The silk blouse pooled to the floor revealing a black lacy bra. Her grey pleated skirt dropped to the floor. Only clad in her underwear Hermione prowled forward and straddled his lap. Behind her glazed expression Hermione's skin crawled, wondering how far she'd have to go along with this charade.
"Now Morfin. How do you say open?"
Morfin spitted out a hiss and a snarl. Hermione repeated after him and he nodded eagerly.
"Good girl." He purred tracing his finger around her lips.
"How do you say I summon the King of Serpents, the greatest of all four?"
Morfin translated once more, his eyes feverish from longing as he unclasped her bra and kissed her neck. Hermione groaned as his fingers brushed her nipples and his mouth demanded her attention. Not wanting to prolong the foreplay now she had what she needed she untangled her limbs from his waist, her hands in his filthy hair before standing back, flicking her wrist so her wand was grasped firmly in her hand.
"Witch wants to play?" growled Morfin.
Hermione screeched as he pounced, knife in hand. Hermione attempted to disapparate but Morfin had grabbed her wrist as she turned and disappeared.
In Hogsmeade she stood naked, exposed to the elements in the Scottish winter. Morfin wrenched her wand from her hands and wrestled her into the frosted grounds. They were some distance away from the village on a path sheltered with trees. Morfin pinned Hermione under him unzipping his trousers and he hungrily kissed her breasts.
From a distance Hermione could hear drunken jeering coming closer and closer. Morfin pulled her from the path and gagged her mouth so no sound could escape her lips.
"Take me to the veil, I'll be cursed with her kisses, drowned in the sea for my missus. Oh what a witch was she!" A crowd of young men sang off-tune, off-key and off-sync.
Hermione bit hard on Morfin's hands as the voices passed, he whimpered and Hermione managed to scream "Hel-" before he gagged her with his fist. Tears fell from her eyes as Morfin whispered "Whatever I wish you said my pretty" brushing a lock of hair from her face.
Morfin positioned himself between her thighs and pushed himself into her. Without lubrication it was painful but he continued. Hermione closed her eyes and gave up the struggle as the humiliation washed over her. Silent tears fell as Morfin groaned and rocked her into the icy ground. From the pathway a dark shadow lurked unnoticed by the beast and his prey. Tom Riddle stood hidden in the darkness, hearing the whimpering of Hermione Granger and the grunting of Morfin Gaunt. Eventually Morfin ejaculated and with a groan he released Hermione who lay still, puppet like in his conquest. Riddle stepped towards Morfin who heard the leaves rustle and twitched his ears. Buckling his belt he ran into the woods leaving Hermione naked and unconscious in the blistering wind.
Riddle watched her pale naked figure, saint like against the leaves, her nipples erect and her lips bruised from kisses and he felt a shiver through his spine that was nothing to do with the cold. Riddle hesitated before unclasping his cloak and covering her body. Picking up her wand, he bundled her into his arms and made his way towards the castle.
Hermione woke up feeling sore in between her legs but otherwise warm and without pain. Her eyes fluttered open to emerald green covers and curtains and an unnervingly familiar scent of clean soap and musk. hermione gasped when memoried from the night before flooded her mind. Morfin taking her in the open air. She sat up and searched frantically for her wand and froze when she saw Tom Riddle fast asleep on an armchair by the bed. It slowly dawned on her that she was naked and her breathing quickened as she reached for her wand by the bedside table and made to leave the bed. The bed creaked and Riddle's eyes snapped open to see Hermione tiptoe away from his bed.
"Going somewhere?" Riddle drawled.
Hermione turned suddenly and grabbed the covers to cover her body. Blushing furiously Hermione just stared at Riddle. Riddle threw her a shirt which Hermione grabbed and wore no longer meeting his gaze.
"What happened?" Hermione croaked, her imagination running haywire.
"I found you in Hogsmeade last night and brought you back here, I thought you'd value your privacy so I didn't take you to the hospital wing."
"Thank you".
Riddle merely nodded as she scurried out of his quarters, conjuring a skirt as she ran from the dungeons her face glistening with tears. It wasn't the first time but it didn't hurt any less. The shame. The humiliation. The depraved pleasure. And this time, she'd played a dangerous game. Her body in exchange for vital information.
Hermione collapsed once she'd reached the common room and caught that scent of clean soap and musk again. Stroking Riddle's shirt she realized it was the second time he'd had come to her rescue. The darkest lord of all time seemed destined to be her saviour. Hermione didn't know what to think of Riddle anymore. With her dalliances with his father and his courteous dare she say noble and chivalrous behaviour Riddle was less Lord Voldemort, more… human.
After a deep slumber Hermione prepared her descent into the chamber. Wearing a leather vest, a heavy belt around her waist for her pouch, dagger and a scabbard holding a goblin-wrought bayonet. Her hair tamed into a french plait Hermione threw her invisibility cloak over her as she left her dormitory. No one passed her as she made her way to Ogg's chicken coop and captured a sleeping rooster. Cradled in her arms she walked back into the castle and up to the second floor. The bathroom was not out of order in this time as no ghost haunted these toilets. Ensuring she was alone and locking the bathroom she walked to the sinks to find the one engraved upon with a serpent. Finding the etching on the side of a copper tap she hissed as Morfin taught her and stepped back as the sinks rearranged themselves. Like a pentagon shaped rubix cube the sinks moved forward and sunk into the floor revealing a hole in the ground, a pipe that seemed to go on forever. Holding the rooster in her arms she closed her eyes and jumped. The pipe twisted and turned covered in slime and filth plunging her deeper into the castle and beyond the dungeons. Eventually the pipe leveled out and she shot out the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in.
"Lumos" she whispered. Bones littered the grounds, some resembled human skeletons and she felt like retching. Long shadows cast along the narrow tunnels as Hermione walked further down the twisting caves. Water dripped from the caves. Her footsteps echoed and the sound of her breathing seemed illuminated in the otherwise haunting silence. Hermione walked on for hours, her head feeling lighter as she followed the twisting and turning of the labyrinth to the chamber of secrets. On the last turning the tunnel ended and upon a solid wall two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.
Again she hissed as Morfin had instructed and the two serpents parted. The halves slid smoothly out of sight. Hermione stood at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber, breathing heavily. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place.
Hermione let the rooster down and drew her bayonet from its sheath, holding her wand in the other. Hermione walked down the chamber, head bowed, nose flared and eyes resembling slits. She looked a lioness prowling to kill. Her heart banged against her chest but her mind was clear as glass. At the end of the chamber a statue high as the chamber itself loomed into view. The giant face was ancient, with a long beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous feet stood on the smooth chamber floor.
Hermione continued her prowl as she hissed the second order. Slytherin's gigantic face was moving. His mouth opened, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. Stirring inside the statue's mouth, something was slithering up from its depths.
Hermione was hypnotized for a moment before tearing her eyes away from the serpent to avoid his deathly gaze. She sensed the serpent's head inches away from her, seeing its forked tongue as it hissed threateningly.
Taking a hesitant step forward she focused her wand and waved "Hypnosis". Squinting she looked and cast the spell again. The basilisk skin was resilient to magic. Only cast in the eye would the spell take effect. She commanded the serpent to sleep before lifting the bayonet above her head and forcing the blade into the head of the basilisk. The spell appeared not to have taken effect as it struggled to free itself, thrashing its tail, lifting its head and taking Hermione with her.
"Fuck."
Unable to look the beast in the eye she attempted to charm the beast once more but the basilisk thrashed so violently her wand fell from her gasp. Hermione groaned and drew her dagger and climbed the scaly beast by piercing the dagger into its skin. Eyes shut she finally found one target, the blade pierced one eye and gouged out the eye hating herself for such butchery. She dared to look down and drew in a sharp intake of breath. The floor was a fair way away. Feeling her way she striked again and the beast seemed to howl in pain and fell fast to the ground. Unsure she had plunged into his second eye she stabbed again and hearing a nasty squelch she gouged the second eye. The beast's jaws snapped shaking her hold on the bayonet. Placing all her body weight against the sword she flew to the ground taking the sword with her. Once grounded she squinted at the snake and saw both eyes a bloody hollow.
"Sorry" she said weakly, thankful she'd eaten nothing in the last 24 hours as the beast opened his jaws baring its poisonous fangs and she kneeled to the ground and thrust the sword upwards. As the beast's jaws clenched forward she moved further into the snake's mouth escaping its fangs by a millimeter. Pulling the sword out she moved further into the snake's jaw and beheaded the beast from within. The forked tongue eventually went limp and Hermione emerged from the mouth of the basilisk. Breathing heavily she collapsed and took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the beast. The beast was enormous. It must be fifty feet in length with bright, poisonous green skin and as thick as an oak trunk. She stroked its pierced head and shivered at a closer look at the bloody hollowed eyes. The world's most beautiful killing machine. The rooster stalked past, pecking at her wand.
"Fat lot of help you were" Hermione growled, taking her wand from the silent rooster. Using her cloak she pulled a few of the serpent's fangs. Sealing them into a glass jar she cast an imperturbable charm and put the jar into her pouch.
Feeling pleased with herself she got to her feet and gathered the rooster into her arms. Hermione pulled the dagger from the serpent's eye with a grimace and placed it back in its sheath. Feeling much lighter Hermione almost skipped her way back to the bathroom, conjuring a broom to get her back up the grimy pipe.
A.N. I'm aware it's been almost a year but I haven't given up! I've had a re-read and I'm going to do a major edit. Really unhappy with the characters in her year and the quick defeat of Grindelwald. So keep an eye out on earlier chapters. Hope you enjoyed this one. It's dark and isolated. The psychological impact will follow soon.