7th May
Harry and I woke up the next morning... snuggling on the sofa. I found his arm around me as I lay my head on his chest. The weirdest thing about it was that we were both really comfy! Yet, it was so awkward. Luckily it was early enough that no one had seen us.
"Let's not speak of this..." Harry said.
"Ever." I agreed and we shook hands, giggling to ourselves at the absurdity of the moment.
At breakfast the two of us explained our findings to Ron who was disgusted, still, "You mean after all those trips to that bathroom and we never thought to ask...?"
25th May
It was difficult enough for us to find the spiders. But for the three of us trying to escape to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom as we travelled in groups, constantly attended by an adult was proving impossible.
What took our minds totally off the Chamber was Transfiguration this morning, where Professor McGonagall told us that our exams started a week today. ONE WEEK. ONE.
As the rest of the class started to panic, I sat there, looking at the empty seat beside me thinking how utterly devastated Hermione would be to:
a) Not have known the dates before now (she'd probably have been revising for weeks any way). I sat imagining how flustered she would be right now.
b) Miss the exams altogether this year, instead lying in the hospital wing, alone. When she would finally be brought around by the mandrake potion, she would probably be more concerned about the exams rather than how I haven't been coping without her.
I had to snap out of my depressing thoughts as there was a loud bang behind us as Neville's wand slipped and one of the legs of his table disappeared. McGonagall quickly restored the desk and gave Seamus a frown as he moaned, "Are we still getting exams?"
"Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible. That, I hardly need to point out, requires finding out how much you've learnt this year."
I took a hold of the rabbit I was supposed to be turning into a slipper and stroked it carefully as I turned around in my seat to find Ron looking like he'd just been given a detention in the forbidden forest as he complained, "Can you imagine me taking exams with this?" as his wand starting making a terrible high pitched squeak.
I twirled my wand above the rabbit and spoke the incantation 'lepus soccus' and my fluffy white rabbit transfigured into a fluffy white slipper.
"Oh, go away." Ron sneered.
28th May
During break time today, Professor McGonagall came into the Gryffindor Common Room and spotted me sitting in the corner by myself with my transfiguration textbook propped open on the table in front of me.
"Ah, Miss Pink, doing me proud!" she smiled down at me, making me jump out of my skin as she took the seat opposite.
"Oh, Professor, I'm just trying to get all my preparation done!" feeling embarrassed at how little of a dent I'd made on this year's work.
"Good! There was something I wanted to tell you before I announced it to the school. I've noticed how differently you've been acting with Hermione-" she pursed her lips and looked at me as though she was my mother, "I've gotten wonderful news from Professor Sprout this morning, the mandrakes are ready and the potion will be brewed this weekend! Hermione will be restored to her usual self within no time!"
Completely plagued with happiness, I jumped out of my seat and hugged McGonagall, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I repeated.
"It's good to see a smile back on your face! Professor Dumbledore will be returning as well, and hopefully Miss Granger, alongside all the other petrified victims will be able to shed some light on the attacker."
I positively beamed and started telling everyone the good news, starting off with Ron, Harry, Fred, George and Ginny.
"Can I talk to you?" Ginny asked as I was sitting back in the corner, this time with Harry and Ron nattering on the opposite sofa. She was very tense looking, like she was feeling very nervous about telling me, wringing her hands in her lap as she took a seat.
"What's up, hun?" I put my hand on hers in attempt to settle her.
"Spit it out!" Ron hurried his sister.
"RON!" I shouted at him, "Take your time, Gin!" I smiled at her.
Ginny whispered, "I have to tell you something..."
"What is it?" Harry asked, I shot him a look and he stopped as he was about to talk.
Ginny's eyes barely met mine, "I don't want you to get mad for not telling you sooner..."
"Is it about the Chamber of Secrets?"
She nodded. The other two gasped.
"It-"
We were rudely interrupted by Gilderoy Lockhart who had come to collect second years for their next lesson. "Come on you three, you can continue talking later; you don't want to miss any time with me, do you?"
"Very much so..." I whispered to Ginny and I was forced to leave her, feeling absolutely gutted, she definitely knew something...
It was after class that Harry spotted the perfect opportunity. Lockhart was walking us toward History of Magic, he was aggravated at how Hagrid had been caught and there was no reason for patrolling the castle and walking students to and from classes.
"I couldn't agree with you more, sir." Harry agreed.
"Thank you Harry!" Lockhart began, a new fire erupted in his eyes, "I mean, teachers have enough to be doing without all these security measures."
"That's right," Ron nodded, "We've only got one corridor left to go, sir, why don't you leave us here?"
"You know what Weasley, I think I will." Lockhart changed direction abruptly and left us to it.
The three of us let the rest of the Gryffindors pass by and we headed toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, I led the way.
"Pink? Potter? Weasley? Where do you think you're going?" the voice of Professor McGonagall sounded from behind us.
"We were- we were- we were going to see-" Ron kept stumbling, not sure what way he was going to spin this lie.
"Hermione." I said, digging my finger into a fresh bruise I had received the night before and my eyes started watering right on cue, "It's just we haven't seen her in so long, and something Professor Lockhart said in class really struck a chord..." I sniffled, trying my best to milk it.
"We really just wanted to tell Hermione the mandrakes were almost ready, to go and tell her the good news and not to worry..." Harry sighed.
McGonagall looked between the three of us, we were thinking she was about to explode. When she spoke, however, she had a strangely croaky voice, "Of course," she said, putting a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, I could swear there were tears in her eyes, "Of course, this has been tough on you... All of you closest friends have been hardest hit... You may go and visit Miss Granger, I shall inform Professor Binns. Tell Madam Pomfery I have given you my permission."
We thanked and walked as fast as we could without it being noticeable, wondering how on earth we didn't all receive detentions.
"That... Is the best story you've told yet!" Ron put his arms around Harry and me as we heard the distinctive sound of McGonagall blow her nose in the previous corridor.
Now we had to divert our plan somewhat as we went to the Hospital Wing to Madam Pomfery who reluctantly let us in, knowing how many times I'd tried getting in alone, previously.
"I've told you before, there's no point talking to a petrified person..." the Medi-witch told us, opening the curtain to Hermione's bed.
Even though it had been weeks from the attack, seeing Hermione's body again brought back all the painful memories, but I forced myself to think positively, "Hermione, our exams start in three days time, you can't say I didn't warn you as soon as I could!" I smiled over at the boys, "If that doesn't bring her back...!" I blinked back tears.
"I wonder if she saw her attacker's face?" Ron asked more seriously, "Because if it snuck up behind her, no one will ever know..."
I took a hold of Hermione's hand, just like Harry had done with me all those weeks ago. I didn't care if she'd seen her attackers face or not; all I cared about was Hermione being alright, un-petrified and everything going back to how it had been... I stroked her cold, firm skin and then I felt something in her hand. Her grip around the scrunched up piece of paper was tight and it took every gentle ounce in my body not to rip it. When Ron and Harry cottoned on to what I was doing, they positioned their chairs in such a way that Madam Pomfery couldn't see me. After several tense minutes of twisting and tugging, the paper came free.
It was torn from an old library book. Now, this may seem normal to us, but this is Hermione Granger we're talking about, the book worm, the girl who wouldn't talk to me for a few hours after I underlined notes in a borrowed book, Hermione Granger. She had ripped a page out of a book, this must be important!
Harry and Ron leaned in as I quietly read out what had been written on the page,
'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 a gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. It's 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 it's 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.'
Written below was the word 'pipes', handwritten by Hermione herself.
Harry gasped. "This is it. The Basilisk is the monster in the Chamber of Secrets- a giant Serpent! That's why only I've been hearing that voice all over the place, because I understood the Parseltongue!" There was one thing troubling Harry as he looked up at the beds surrounding Hermione's. "The Basilisk kills by looking at its victims." He began.
"But I found Hermione with her mirror, the reflection-!" I twigged on.
Harry spelt it out, "But no one looked directly at it- Colin through the camera, Justin through Nearly Headless Nick, and Nick got a full blast, but... he's already dead and-"
Ron's jaw dropped, "And Mrs Norris?"
I desperately thought of the scene that Hallowe'en night, cold, wet... WET, "WATER!" I said slightly too enthusiastically.
Harry grinned at me, "Moaning Myrtle had flooded the place; of course, I bet Mrs Norris only saw the reflection!" Then Harry had a look at the piece of paper, "Hagrid's roosters were killed!"
I raised an eyebrow.
"The night you left early, not feeling well, he was telling us... Spiders flee before it... It all fits!" Harry explained.
"But how can a giant Basilisk get around unseen?" Ron queried.
I looked down at the page and found my inspiration, pointing at the word 'pipes' kindly provided by Hermione.
Ron grabbed my arm, "What if the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in-"
"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom." said Harry, "This means I can't be the only Parselmouth in the School, the heir of Slytherin must be one, too... That's how they've been controlling the Basilisk."
"What shall we do?" Ron thought, "Tell McGonagall?"
The three of us got up, and ran.
"All students to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the staff room. Immediately, please." The voice of Professor McGonagall magnified though the corridors as we approached the staff room.
"Not another attack..." I prayed aloud.
Ron suggested going to the common room, but Harry held him back, "Kathryn... Make us all invisible, I want to know what this is all about..." he held out his hand and urged Ron to do the same, with all my might, we walked into the now bustling staff room, completely undetected.
The teachers were all silent as Professor McGonagall came into the staff room, ready to make her announcement, "It has happened." There were gasps, "A student has been taken by the monster, right into the Chamber itself."
I swore, both Ron and Harry's grips got tighter in my hands.
"How can you be sure?" Snape was the first to talk.
McGonagall, whose complexion was very pale explained, "The heir of Slytherin left another message, right underneath the first one... 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever'."
Professor Flitwick burst into tears, Professor Sprout dried her eyes with her soil-y tissue and Madam Hooch asked the question everyone dreaded the answer to..., "Which student?"
"Ginny Weasley."
I stood there in sheer disbelief as I felt my arm being tugged at; Ron had fallen to his knees. The news suddenly hit me as I grasped onto both Ron and Harry's hands, forcing myself to stand there and take it, to stay strong, keeping the three of us invisible. At that moment I felt this overwhelming sense of duty to keep my two remaining best friends safe. I couldn't lose anyone else, not now...