CHAPTER 60: MYRTLE'S GUIDANCE

When Harry Potter had shared his memories of his time in the Chamber of Secrets, he described how he had dropped right into the final chamber. He recounted walking to the giant statue, finding Ginny Weasley's unmoving form lying on the wet floor, and then encountering Tom Riddle. He spoke of his survival against the basilisk and his eventual victory over Riddle's shade by stabbing the basilisk fang into the diary. Daphne's imagination had filled in the rest, weaving tales of hidden vaults inside Hogwarts, sealed pathways that would open to the rightful heirs of the Four Founders, revealing magics and items both dangerous and extraordinary.

She had not expected… this.

"This is a girl's lavatory."

Harry nodded. "It's also the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

Daphne raised an eyebrow skeptically. "If you're messing with me..."

"I'm not," said Harry. "The Chamber was supposedly built in Slytherin's time, so that's a thousand years since then. It might have been a different room back then, and got converted into a girl's lavatory without anyone knowing any better. Makes as much sense as anything else in this crazy school."

"Maybe there are other entrances?" Daphne suggested, her voice trailing off as she looked around.

"Could be," Harry shrugged. "We weren't exactly treating it as an adventure back then. The monster had supposedly taken Ginny to the Chamber and our only clue was Myrtle—"

"Moaning Myrtle?"

"Eh… you might not want to say that aloud," Harry began. "She might be—"

The rest of his words were drowned out by a cacophony of rushing toilet water. A scowling, translucent face poked its head through one of the stall doors.

"Who's calling me Moaning Myrtle?" she wailed, glaring at them with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.

Harry sighed. "Myrtle, this is Daphne. Daphne, this is Myrtle."

Myrtle floated closer, her expression softening a bit. "Oh, another visitor. I don't get many of those. Most people just avoid me."

Daphne gave a polite nod. "Nice to meet you, Myrtle. Harry was just telling me about how this place is connected to the Chamber of Secrets."

Myrtle perked up at this. "Oh, the Chamber! Yes, I remember that. Such a dreadful, fascinating place. And Harry, here, was quite the hero."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit embarrassed. "It wasn't just me, Myrtle. A lot of people helped."

"But you're the one who went down there," Myrtle insisted, her eyes wide with admiration. "You faced the monster."

Daphne listened intently, her curiosity growing. "So, Myrtle, do you know if there are any other entrances to the Chamber? Any hidden passages or secret doors?"

Myrtle shook her head. "I only know about this one. But if there are others, they must be very well hidden. Salazar Slytherin was known for his cunning, after all."

Harry nodded in agreement. "It's possible there are more, but we don't have any clues about them."

Daphne glanced around the lavatory, her mind racing with possibilities. "I suppose the only way to find out is to keep exploring. There could be more secrets hidden in this school than we realize."

Harry smiled. "That's the spirit. Hogwarts is full of surprises, after all."

Daphne didn't want to sound judgmental, but the ghost really had the glummest face she had ever seen, half-hidden behind lank hair and thick, pearly spectacles.

"What are you doing in my bathroom?" Myrtle raged. "Come to pick on poor Myrtle, have you? It's not enough you call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!"

Harry winced. "—around, listening." He finished lamely.

"Err… I didn't want to upset you," Daphne tried, her voice gentle.

"OF COURSE NOT!" the ghost snapped. "No one wants to upset me! That's a good one! My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my— Oh, it's you. Harry."

Myrtle blushed silver. "Did you finally decide to come share my toilet, Harry? I thought you had forgotten me!"

A wave of irritation flashed through Daphne as she regarded Harry, waiting for an explanation.

"Er… Hi, Myrtle!" her fiancé tried. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Two years, three months, and fourteen days," Myrtle replied, blushing again. "Not that I'm counting or anything."

Daphne's left eye twitched.

Harry had raised both arms in surrender. Even though they were directed at Myrtle, Daphne knew he was raising them for more than that. The boy had marvelous instincts.

"Right, erm, Myrtle, I'd like your help with something," he said conversationally, as if he wasn't pulling the entire thing out of his arse. Not that Myrtle noticed, given the blazing look on her face.

Just what I needed, Daphne thought dourly, a dopey ghost fangirl.

"What help?" Myrtle asked, her interest piqued.

Harry nodded earnestly and then a conspiratorial look crossed his face. He made a point of taking out his wand and casting a silencing spell at the entrance door of the bathroom, and a repelling charm just to be safe. He even made an extravagant show of checking the other stalls, as if to make sure there was no one listening in, though it was quite obvious no one ever came here. Once he was satisfied, he turned back to Myrtle.

"We're looking for information on the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said in a low voice. "You were there when I opened it last time. Do you remember anything unusual about the entrance or any other potential access points?"

Myrtle floated closer, her eyes wide with interest. "Well, the entrance is just there," she said, pointing to the sink with the snake engraving. "But as for other entrances… I don't know. The Chamber was Slytherin's secret, and he was very good at keeping secrets."

Daphne stepped forward, her curiosity overcoming her irritation. "Myrtle, did you ever hear anything about other hidden places in Hogwarts? Other chambers or secret rooms?"

Myrtle's ghostly form shimmered as she thought. "I heard rumors, of course. Whispers in the hallways, stories passed down through generations. But nothing concrete. The founders were very secretive, especially Slytherin."

Harry glanced at Daphne, then back at Myrtle. "If we find any other entrances or hidden passages, would you help us explore them?"

Myrtle's eyes lit up. "Oh, I would love that! It gets so lonely here. No one ever wants to talk to me. Except you, Harry." She blushed again.

Daphne sighed inwardly but managed a polite smile. "Thank you, Myrtle. We appreciate your help."

Myrtle beamed, her gloomy demeanor lifting slightly. "Anytime. Just call for me, and I'll be there."

As they left the bathroom, Daphne couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. There were still many secrets hidden within the walls of Hogwarts, and she was determined to uncover them. Harry, for his part, looked relieved to be out of Myrtle's immediate vicinity.

"Well, that went better than expected," he said with a grin.

Daphne smirked. "You certainly have a way with ghosts, Harry."

He shrugged. "Just another day at Hogwarts. Now, let's see if we can find any more clues about the Chamber or any other hidden places."

"You know how Slytherin's monster came out from this sink?" Harry began, addressing Myrtle.

Myrtle bobbed up and down, looking intrigued.

"Well, I'm gonna go in—" Daphne poked him from behind, "I mean, we are gonna go in, and see if it's still completely safe. And also, check if there are any other monsters down there. And I— we were hoping you'd let us know if someone else comes to try to use it again. After all, this is your bathroom."

Daphne wondered why he was being so accommodating about the entire thing. Most girls avoided the second floor's lavatory on sheer principle, given how dirty it was. The sounds of the pitiful ghost flooding the floors didn't help either.

"Oh, you're so very brave, Harry!" Myrtle gushed, her ghostly cheeks flushing a dull silver.

Harry gave her a lopsided grin.

Daphne poked him again, harder this time. Harry turned towards her and gave her a pleading look. Deciding to humor him, she turned to Myrtle. "Hello, Myrtle. I'm Daphne. Daphne Greengrass. I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, but I see how wrong I was. Especially when you are so helpful to Harry."

She gave Harry a cold stare as she said that, making her point clear.

Myrtle preened under the attention, floating a bit higher.

"So I was wondering," said Daphne, "has anyone ever come to this bathroom since Harry saved Weasley and killed the monster?"

Myrtle shook her head. "No one."

"Are you sure?"

"It's my bathroom," Myrtle said challengingly. "I'd know if anyone came in or went down there. You've got to speak to snakes to do that." She turned to Harry eagerly. "Show her, Harry."

Annoyed, Daphne turned to Harry and clasped her palms over her chest with the air of an awestruck fangirl. "Yes! Show me, Harry," she mimicked.

Harry coughed loudly, looking flustered. He quickly turned around, searching for anything to change the topic. Then his eyes caught something around the taps, and he hissed—

Every single hair on Daphne's neck rose and stood on end, all the way down to her heels. Gooseflesh erupted over her entire body at once, and a primal, primaeval wave of utter terror flickered through her brain, dislodging every rational thought from her head.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded, trying to steady her breathing.

Harry turned towards her, his face scrunched. "That? Oh, I just said 'Open' in Parseltongue."

Daphne stared at him, her mind racing. "That was Parseltongue? It sounded… it felt…"

"Yeah," Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not exactly pleasant for most people to hear. Sorry about that."

Myrtle, however, was ecstatic. "Oh, Harry, you really are amazing! I knew you could do it."

Daphne took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "Right, well, let's get this over with."

Harry nodded and placed his hand on the sink, which began to shift and move, revealing the dark entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

Daphne watched with surreal fascination as the sinks moved outward, revealing a large hole in the middle. She couldn't resist moving forward tentatively and peering downward, seeing nothing in the darkness. She waited for a long moment, but when nothing happened, she turned around and looked at Harry in appraisal.

"You— err— you don't expect me to go down through this, do you?"

Harry shrugged, looking confused. "This is how we went down in the first place."

Daphne crossed her arms. "Harry James Potter. This is Salazar Slytherin's fabled Chamber of Secrets. His hideout for the hundreds of mysteries he had performed in his lifetime. I refuse to believe that Salazar Slytherin would slide down a slimy hole like this every time he had to get in. Like a Muggle."

"Well, I definitely don't know of any other routes," said Harry, crossing his arms.

Daphne bit her lip. There was no point in irking him over something like this. "Fine," she said, "How good is your repelling charm?"

"I can manage," he said. "Want me to cast one on you?"

"If you would."

She had no qualms casting it on herself, but if he was going to make her slide through a greasy tunnel to Merlin-knew-where, he'd have to do the honors.

Harry shrugged and whipped his wand at her. Daphne marveled at how his wand held a rich, caramel hue, almost like liquid fire. It wasn't his original wand, which had supposedly died in the events of the Third Task, but it was nearly the same length, except thicker in girth with a slightly tapered tip.

"Impervius."

Daphne felt the same hair-raising sensation as earlier, but this time it wasn't because of Parseltongue, but because of the coldness that exuded out of the wand. She didn't want to call it nasty, but it was definitely not comforting. She was no stranger to the charm since it was part of every witch's necessary spell kit. A deviation of the standard Protego, the repelling charm required a lot less magic to maintain since it only needed to shrug off rain and dirt. She hoped it'd be enough to keep the slime off her robes.

So color her surprised when instead of the thin layer of magic surrounding her body, a thick layer of something formed around her from all sides. Daphne didn't know if it was magic or just pure repulsion, but she felt like she was being pressed from all sides. Again, nothing bad, but definitely not comforting. Also, cold.

"Well then, brave Gryffindor," she said after he was done casting it on himself, "lead the way."

Harry looked at the entrance, took a deep breath, and slid into the dark hole. Daphne hesitated for a moment, steeling herself, then followed suit.

The tunnel was just as slimy and unpleasant as she had imagined. The repelling charm did its job, but the cold, pressing sensation was unnerving. The descent seemed to take forever, and she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Finally, they landed in a damp, dimly lit chamber. Daphne stood up, brushing herself off as best as she could.

"Well, here we are," Harry said, looking around. "The Chamber of Secrets."

Daphne gazed around, taking in the ancient architecture and the eerie, serpentine designs that decorated the walls. It was both awe-inspiring and unsettling. "It's... quite something," she admitted.

Harry nodded. "Let's be careful. We don't know what might still be down here."

As they moved deeper into the chamber, Daphne couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. They were stepping into history, uncovering secrets that had been buried for centuries. She glanced at Harry, who seemed focused and determined, and felt a surge of admiration for him. Despite everything, he had a way of facing danger head-on, and she respected that.

They continued their exploration, searching for any clues or hidden passages that might reveal more about Slytherin's secrets. Daphne's curiosity grew with each step, and she couldn't help but wonder what other mysteries the ancient castle still held.

Daphne had been wrong. The tunnel wasn't just dirty; it was a giant bag of diseases just waiting to explode. She shrieked like a banshee at all the grime and pus and Merlin-knew-what that she slid through in that winding pipe. Luckily for her, Harry had the presence of mind to cast an impediment hex before she slid out of the tunnel into the mountain of bones below.

The adventure just kept on giving. At least her robes weren't torn, stained, or rumpled.

She picked herself up and cast a lightning charm. The entire place looked like a giant natural cavern if not for the overarching archway above them. A major portion of it had collapsed and lay crumbled upon the ground. There was no need to tell Harry that between the broken archway and the heap of bones, the setting reminded her of the manticore's lair in Harry Potter and Erkstag Manticore, one of her favorite books as a kid.

Or maybe she'd tell him. A little ego boost would definitely be good for her fiancé.

"Do you think there are any other monsters in this place?" she asked as the two of them navigated through the desolate terrain. "I mean, you never checked the Chamber properly."

Harry looked thoughtful, his wand lighting their path. "Honestly, I have no idea. The basilisk was the only thing I saw, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be more. Slytherin was known for his surprises."

Daphne shivered involuntarily. "Great. Just what we need—more surprises."

They continued through the cavern, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the damp walls. The air was heavy with an ancient, musty smell that made Daphne wrinkle her nose.

"Why did you decide to come back here, Harry?" Daphne asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "It's not exactly a place filled with happy memories."

Harry sighed, glancing around. "I guess it's unfinished business. I never really understood the Chamber or what Slytherin was trying to achieve. And with everything that's happened, I feel like I need to know more about the past to understand what we're dealing with now."

Daphne nodded, understanding his need for closure. "Do you think there's anything here that could help us? Something we might have missed?"

"Maybe," Harry replied, his voice echoing in the vast space. "Or maybe it's just about confronting the past and making sure it doesn't haunt us anymore."

They came to a halt in front of a large, ornate door, covered in intricate snake carvings. Harry took a deep breath and stepped forward, hissing in Parseltongue. The door creaked open slowly, revealing a dark chamber beyond.

Daphne felt a chill run down her spine. "Ready?" she asked, her voice steady despite the apprehension in her chest.

Harry nodded, his grip on his wand tightening. "Ready."

They stepped into the chamber, the light from their wands casting eerie shadows on the walls. The room was vast, with tall pillars and statues of serpents lining the walls. At the far end, a large stone face of Salazar Slytherin loomed over them, its eyes cold and unfeeling.

"Stay close," Harry whispered, moving forward cautiously.

Daphne followed, her senses on high alert. They explored the chamber, searching for any hidden passages or clues that might reveal more about Slytherin's secrets. As they moved deeper into the room, Daphne couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

"Harry, do you think—" she began but was cut off by a sudden noise.

They both froze, listening intently. The sound of something slithering echoed through the chamber, growing louder with each passing second.

Daphne's heart pounded in her chest as they approached the source of the noise. When they rounded a corner, they saw it: the massive, skeletal remains of the basilisk Harry had killed years ago. The snake's empty eye sockets seemed to follow them as they moved closer, its once fearsome fangs now lifeless and cracked.

"Merlin," Daphne whispered, staring at the colossal bones. "It's even bigger than I imagined."

"Yeah," Harry said quietly. "It was terrifying. But it's dead now."

Daphne looked at him, seeing the weight of those memories in his eyes. She reached out and squeezed his hand. "You did what you had to do. And you saved Ginny."

Harry gave her a small, grateful smile. "Thanks."

They continued their exploration, moving past the basilisk's remains and deeper into the chamber. Daphne's curiosity grew with each step, and she couldn't help but wonder what other mysteries the ancient castle still held.

As they reached the far end of the chamber, they found another door, smaller and less ornate than the first. Harry stepped forward and hissed in Parseltongue again. The door creaked open, revealing a smaller, dimly lit room.

Inside, they found shelves lined with ancient tomes and scrolls, along with various magical artifacts that seemed to pulse with a faint, eerie light.

"This must be Slytherin's study," Daphne said in awe, stepping inside. "Look at all this."

Harry nodded, his eyes scanning the room. "There might be something here that can help us. Let's take a closer look."

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