Chapter 29: The Chamber of Secrets
The first order of business was to get Fred and George on board with the plan, which was undoubtedly the easiest part of the whole operation considering the twins agreed to everything before they even knew what Harry was going to ask of them. And before he knew it, Harry was standing in front of an eager crowd of Gryffindors, all itching to be able to do something to help.
"I really appreciate everyone's eagerness," Harry began. "I really do. We are going to need some people to stay behind and handle things here, we can't leave the younger students alone and I won't risk them. And bear in mind that, if you choose to help, there will be considerable personal risk involved."
"No shame in hanging back," Fred cut in.
"Yeah, Fred and I are manning the fort here in the common room and we'd love your company," said George.
Harry nodded. "Those of you who opt to venture out of the common room will be helping us find the Chamber of Secrets, a secret chamber that was built into the castle by Salazar Slytherin." Amazed murmurs broke out amongst the students.
"How are we supposed to do that?" Seamus asked.
"We believe that the entrance will be marked by a sink bearing some sort of snake carving," Hermione said.
"So… you want us to run around the castle checking every sink for a snake carving?"
"Got something better to do, do you, Seamus?" Ron asked.
"No," Seamus said. "Just making sure I understood the assignment. It's better than waiting around here."
"That's pretty much the way of it," said Harry. "For those of you who don't know, Umbridge has come here looking for a powerful wand called the Elder Wand. We believe that there's a weapon in the chamber that can destroy it so that she doesn't get her hands on it, so this is really important."
"What do we do when we find the chamber?" Ginny asked.
Harry smiled, nodding to her in thanks for keeping them on track. "Those of you who can cast a patronus, use it to send me a message directly. Those of you who can't, make your way back here and ask Fred and George to get in touch with me."
"We'll be spreading the word to the other common rooms as well," Fred said. They were pretty sure the other houses had similar two-way mirrors in their common rooms that they could use to contact each other.
"When the chamber is found, we will let you all know that you can head back here where it's safe," said George. "No point in risking your necks longer than necessary."
"Be very careful," Harry said, reiterating George's point. "Umbridge and her army haven't reached the castle yet, but it's only a matter of time. Remember what Dumbledore has been teaching you in class, and don't travel alone."
"Let's do this!" Neville said. Everyone cheered. And as nervous as Harry was about what the next several hours might bring, relief still washed over him to know there were so many people who were eager to help.
After deciding where everyone would begin their search to avoid too many instances of people checking the same sinks, everyone left the safety of the common room and headed out in search of the Chamber of Secrets. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stuck together, making their way to the fourth floor.
"What do you think the teachers are doing right now?" Ron asked.
"They could be doing any number of things," said Hermione. "I'll bet they're helping the Ministry's reinforcements to reach the castle, it's not very accessible with all of the extra defenses they put in place since Umbridge escaped from Azkaban, and it's probably even harder to get here now that they're preparing for imminent attack."
"How long do you think it will take for-" Harry started to say, but he was cut off by the sound of a hauntingly familiar voice echoing off the castle walls.
"Students and teachers of Hogwarts," said the voice of Delores Umbridge. It had been enchanted to project throughout the school. The sound of it gave Harry the chills, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "I will make this simple. I've come for the Elder Wand. Bring it to me, and I will assure you that no harm will come to you. But if I do not have it within the hour, magical blood will be spilled. Here's a helpful tip; Harry Potter knows its location. There's some extra Veritaserum in my old desk drawer if you have need. Think it over. You don't have long to make your decision." And with that, the castle went silent.
Harry met his friends' eyes. They only had an hour before Umbridge launched her attack. "We have to hurry," Harry said, and he, Ron, and Hermione broke out into a run.
"How many sinks have we looked at?" asked Ron.
"I lost count," Hermione replied dejectedly.
"How long has it been?"
"Almost 30 minutes," Harry said, no longer trying to hide the frustration in his voice. Almost half of their time was gone and there was still no word of anyone finding the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Though he tried not to, Harry was beginning to lose hope. What if they were wrong about their assumptions about the chamber's location in the first place? It was really only a guess, after all. "Surely someone should have found it by now?"
"What if it's in the Slytherin Common Room?" Ron asked. Slytherin was the only house where they didn't have any Dumbledore's Army allies. "That would make sense considering it's Slytherin's chamber."
"Surely Fred and George would be able to persuade at least one person from Slytherin to check their washrooms?" Hermione said. "What else do they have to do right now? They don't even have to leave their common room."
"Harry!" Ginny said suddenly. She and Luna ran up to them excitedly. "We were heading back to our common rooms to ask Fred and George to tell you, but since we've run into you. We found it!"
Harry felt so relieved that he could cry. "Oh, thank Merlin," he said, pulling Ginny into a hug without even realizing what he was doing, though she didn't seem to mind. "Where is it?"
Ginny was smiling when they pulled away, though her smile faded when Harry asked about the location. "Well… that part is slightly less good news."
Harry's heart skipped a beat. "Is there a problem?"
"Not… a problem exactly," Luna said cryptically. "It's only… it's in the second floor girls' lavatory."
Hermione groaned. "Of course it is," she muttered.
"What's wrong with that?" Ron asked. "Who cares if it's a girls' room? No one will be in there anyway, everyone's supposed to stay in their common rooms."
Hermione sighed and crossed her arms. "That's Myrtle's bathroom."
Evidently Myrtle, or, Moaning Myrtle, as she was commonly called, was the ghost of a girl who had died at Hogwarts back when she'd been a student. And ever since, she'd haunted the second floor girls' lavatory, bombarding anyone who dared enter with her uniquely loud negativity that inspired her nickname. As a result, students tended to steer clear of her even when the castle wasn't under siege.
With the location of the Chamber of Secrets finally revealed, Hermione and Ginny went to escort Luna back to the Ravenclaw Common Room while Harry and Ron went ahead to their own common room. They still needed to get the Elder Wand from the Room of Requirement and hurry down to the chamber, but there was something Harry had to do first.
"Harry," Fred said in surprise as they walked in. "We got your message, we let everyone know that the chamber has been found and they can come on back."
"We figured you both would have gone in by now," said George.
Harry nodded. "Thank you both for your help. We'll be heading back out in just a second, but I need to tell my uncle something first."
"Remind me again about why you need to tell him about this, but not about what we just snuck out of the common room to do?" Ron asked.
"Well, jumping into some long forgotten chamber to find some deadly weapon seems a bit more dangerous than looking at sinks," Harry said with a shrug. He knew his uncle wanted to be kept in the loop about what was going on with him, which was something he wasn't used to. Normally if he wanted to do something reckless and dangerous, he just grabbed Ron and Hermione and then did it. But even though the timing wasn't great and his uncle was likely busy doing something important, Harry knew he would be upset to find out about this after the fact. So, he walked up to the two-way mirror and said, "I want to talk to Severus Snape."
The image in the mirror went cloudy for a moment before Uncle Severus's face came into view. "Harry," he said, seeming concerned to see his nephew on the other side of the mirror. "Is everything alright? You didn't hear Umbridge's message, did you? You're not thinking of doing anything reckless?"
"Only a little reckless," Harry insisted.
"No, stay in your common room-"
"I'm not going after Umbridge. At least, not yet. We found the Chamber of Secrets."
"You what?"
"We found the-"
"I heard you." Uncle Severus seemed flustered. He nervously ran a hand through his hair. "Raising a Gryffindor is going to be the death of me, I swear it is."
"We think the weapon hidden there can destroy the Elder Wand," Harry continued. "Then we can put an end to all of this."
Uncle Severus exhaled through his nose. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered to himself. "Alright, then. I suppose Umbridge isn't likely to find you in a chamber that's been lost for hundreds of years, anyway. Let's go."
Harry blinked in surprise. "What?" It was his turn to be caught off guard. "Uncle, I wasn't asking you to do that, I just thought you'd want to know."
"You're not going in there without me," Uncle Severus insisted. "You hear me? I'm going with you."
Harry nodded. "Okay, understood."
"Shall I meet you outside your common room?"
"Actually, do you know where the Room of Requirement is?"
Uncle Severus nodded. "See you there." The mirror went cloudy again before returning to normal, reflecting the faces of several bewildered Gryffindors.
"Professor Snape has gotten so much cooler," said Ron.
"I started hiding the journal in here after Umbridge announced the room inspections," Harry explained as he let everyone into the Room of Requirement. Both Hermione and Uncle Severus had met up with them in the corridor, so all that was left to do was to grab the wand and head into the Chamber of Secrets. Ron and Hermione hovered by the door, watching as Harry showed the space to his uncle. Undoubtedly it was as strange to them to be filling his uncle in on their plans as it was for Harry.
"Clever," Uncle Severus said. "So, you hid the wand in here as well, then?"
"Right in here," Harry said as he reached into one of the desk drawers and carefully pulled out the most powerful wand in existence. He'd almost forgotten how strange it felt to hold it, the way its power settled around it like an aura. It needed to be destroyed. He gingerly slid it into a pocket.
"And the journal? It's still here?"
"For now." Harry thought it might be strange for his uncle to be so close to an item that would allow him to look into the past and see his beloved sister, happy and alive.
Uncle Severus nodded. "So, where is the chamber?"
Harry winced. "Are you familiar with the ghost they call Moaning Myrtle?"
Uncle Severus stiffened. "Yes…"
"Well, apparently the entrance is in her bathroom."
Uncle Severus sighed but said, "Very well. I suppose we'd better get going, we don't have time to lose."
All was quiet as they stepped into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. At first, Harry thought that perhaps they wouldn't encounter her after all. He began examining the sinks, searching for the one with the snake carving. He moved slowly, not wanting to miss anything, and was taking a close look at one of the sinks when a transparent head popped up out of the drain.
"Ah!" Harry cried out as he stumbled backward.
The ghostly head scowled. "Oh, sure, scream, that's what they all do!"
"Hello, Myrtle," Hermione said pleasantly. "Harry didn't mean to scream at you. I think he was just surprised, that's all.
Myrtle's head swivelled in Hermione's direction, her noncorporeal pigtails flailing with the movement. "Oh, please, everyone screams at me!" Myrtle let out a high pitched sob before flying upward, the rest of her body emerging from the drain. "Do you have any idea what it's like for people to find you so revolting that they scream at the sight of you?"
"Please, I'm sorry, I meant no offense," Harry stammered. "I don't think you're revolting." Myrtle's only response was to start wailing again.
"Good one, mate," Ron muttered.
"Miss Myrtle?" Uncle Severus cut in. Harry turned to look at his uncle, suddenly nervous that he was about to make things worse.
"Oh," Myrtle said, going from screaming to calm in barely a second. "A Professor? I didn't see you there." Harry raised his eyebrows.
"Did you hear the message from the woman outside the castle?"
Myrtle nodded. "It was dreadful, she seems awful. Oh! The girl with the big hair said that the boy with the glasses is named Harry, right? Is he the Harry that woman was talking about?" Hermione frowned and glanced at her reflection in one of the mirrors, trying to smooth her hair down with her hands.
"He is," Uncle Severus confirmed. "We could really use your help to save the castle."
Myrtle smiled. "You really need my help?"
"We do," Uncle Severus said with a nod. "You know this bathroom better than anyone. We understand that one of the sinks in here has a little image of a snake somewhere on it, could you tell us which one?"
"Oh! Yes, I know exactly which sink that is. Two girls were in here earlier looking at it. It's that one there." Myrtle pointed. Harry glanced in the direction of Myrtle's point and went to the sink she indicated. Sure enough, there was a small carving of a serpent etched into the side of the spigot.
"That's it. Thank you, Myrtle," said Harry. Myrtle looked quite pleased with herself. "You may have just saved the school," he added, taking his uncle's lead by emphasizing the importance of the ghost's contribution.
"Well, I'm happy to help," Myrtle said, still smiling. "If you need anything else I'll be in my toilet." Without another word, Myrtle flew off to the third stall on the right, disappearing with a splashing sound.
Ron stared after her with a confused expression on his face. "Pleasant girl," he said sarcastically.
"Don't upset her again," Hermione warned.
"How did you do that?" Harry asked his uncle.
Uncle Severus chuckled. "When you've taught in this school as long as I have, you need to learn how to communicate with the castle's permanent residents." Harry grinned. His uncle could be quite good with persuasion when he wanted to be.
"Well go on, then. Let's see that chamber," said Ron.
Harry walked up to the sink Myrtle had pointed out, running a finger along the snake carving. "Open." He stepped back. "Was that in Parseltongue?" Before anyone could answer, the sink began to lower into the floor and then slid to the side, leaving a dark hole. He took out his wand, pointed it at the hole, and said, "Lumos." As his wand tip lit up, he saw that the hole was actually angled like a slide, but it curved part way down so he was unable to see just how far down it went. Hermione excitedly hugged Ron in his peripheral vision.
"You really did find it," Uncle Severus said incredulously. "The Chamber of Secrets." He moved closer and looked down the hole, seeming nervous. Harry couldn't blame him. He was nervous, too. They had no idea what they would find down there.
"Well, here goes nothing, then," Harry said as he moved forward, but his uncle held out an arm to stop him.
"I'll go first," Uncle Severus insisted. Harry nodded and moved aside.
"Be careful, Uncle."
Uncle Severus laughed. "I don't think I can afford to be careful and keep up with you three at the same time." He stepped up to the hole. "If anything happens to me, all of you get out of here and get to safety, understand? Don't go in after me." Harry nodded, though he didn't think that was a promise he could keep. After taking a deep breath, Uncle Severus jumped into the hole, his dark robes billowing out behind him like a parachute, and he slid out of sight.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione gathered around the chamber entrance, staring into the darkness and listening intently.
"How deep is that hole?" Hermione asked.
"It must go on for ages," said Ron.
"I hope my uncle's okay," said Harry.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, they heard Uncle Severus's voice calling to them from the depths of the chamber.
"What did he say?" asked Ron. He was so far away that it was difficult to make it out.
"I'm not sure, but he sounds like he made it down alright," said Harry. "I'm going in."
"We'll be right behind you," Hermione said.
"See you down there," said Ron.
Harry nodded, turned to the darkness, and jumped in.
As it turned out, it felt quite a lot like going down a slide. The longest, windiest slide in the world. Carved from smooth stone. That was wide enough for a giant to slide through. Harry gripped his wand tightly as he went, the tip still lighting his way, for it would be pitch black without it. Multiple times he felt like he was surely about to reach the end, only for the tunnel to bend in another direction and continue onward for ages. But it didn't go on forever, and he did eventually reach the bottom, shooting out into an open area where his uncle was waiting to catch him.
"Thanks," Harry said as he steadied himself. He took a step, and heard something crunch under his feet. "Is that…?"
"Bones," Uncle Severus confirmed. Harry lowered his wand to get a better look at the floor and found that it was, in fact, covered in what appeared to be the bones of hundreds of small animals.
"What…?"
"I don't know," Uncle Severus said, shaking his head.
Screaming could suddenly be heard from above them before Hermione shot out of the slide at an alarming speed. Harry and Uncle Severus managed to catch her, and she nodded her thanks.
"What's all this?" Hermione asked, glancing down at her feet.
"Bones," Harry confirmed. Hermione shuddered. Harry took the opportunity to shine his wand light around the rest of the room, but there wasn't much to look at. They were in a small chamber, all made of stone, with a tunnel leading away into the darkness. Wherever this weapon was, it had to be that way.
Soon enough, Ron came barreling out of the tunnel, and they were all officially deep down in the underbelly of the castle with no easy way to get back up. But that was a problem for later.
"Wait," said Ron as he got his bearings. "Is that…?"
"Bones, yes," said Hermione. Ron swore.
"Language, Mr. Weasley."
"Sorry, Professor Snape."
"Looks like this is the only way to go," Harry said, shining his wand light at the tunnel before them.
"Stay behind me," Uncle Severus said as he positioned himself to lead the way.
They walked on in silence for a while, with little to see except the smooth stone outline of the tunnel, and only the occasional spiderweb or a bit of water on the floor to break up the monotony. But eventually they were able to make out a strange object in the distance. It was too dark to see what it was, but it looked pretty big.
"Careful now," Uncle Severus said as they slowly approached. "Be ready to cast some spells and run if need be." They moved closer, and as the object came into view, a shiver went down Harry's spine. It was Uncle Severus's turn to swear.
"What the bloody hell is that?" Ron demanded.
"It appears to be a… snake skin," Hermione said in a horrified tone. "I think we just figured out who's been eating all those little creatures."
"You think this thing is eating a bunch of little rats or something and then spitting out the bones?" Ron asked.
"I've never heard of a snake that big," said Harry, for it was absolutely massive. It had to be over a hundred feet long and was as big around as the circular study tables in the library. If its shedded skin was this horrifying, Harry wasn't sure he was ready to see the real thing.
"Well, Slytherin was a Parselmouth," Hermione said. "Maybe he created giant snakes to guard his chamber or something. He'd be able to talk to them, after all."
"You think there could be more than one?" Ron asked, his voice approaching a higher pitch.
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"Why would he need giant snake guards? We needed a Parselmouth just to get in here."
"We won't know unless we keep moving," said Harry. He began to wonder how long it had been since Umbridge gave them a one hour warning. Surely time was up by now? They needed to hurry.
"Very well, let's get going," Uncle Severus said, seemingly trying to hide the reluctance in his voice.
And so they continued, seeing no more signs of giant snakes.
"It looks like the tunnel's blocked up there," Hermione said after a while. She lifted her wand a bit to try and let the light carry, and there did seem to be some sort of wall up ahead. But as they grew closer, Harry froze in his tracks. For what he saw was not a wall, but a door. It was a large metal door with big snake carvings reaching outward from the center.
Uncle Severus, Ron, and Hermione continued forward a few steps before realizing that Harry had stopped. "What's wrong, Harry?" asked Ron.
But Harry didn't answer. Mentally, he was suddenly back on a cliffside by the sea, barely able to move, as he looked up at a door that was identical to this one as a woman dressed in pink demanded he opened it.
"Harry?" Harry flinched as his uncle's hands rested on his shoulders, and his thoughts returned to the matter at hand.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, shaking his head to clear it. "I've seen a door like this before, blocking the entrance to the cave. I didn't want to open it but she… made me."
Uncle Severus understood at once and wrapped his arms comfortingly around his nephew. "I'm so sorry, Harry," he whispered. "You don't have to do this. We can leave right now, the wand will be safe back in the Room of Requirement."
Harry shook his head. "No, I can handle it," he insisted. "Just…" He grabbed his uncle's hand with his left, and reached his right out to where Ron and Hermione stood. Hermione grabbed his hand, while Ron placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"We're with you, Harry," Hermione said.
Harry nodded and faced the door. After taking a deep breath, he squeezed his loved ones hands and said, "Open." And just as they had on the cliffside by the sea, the snakes pulled away into the center and the door popped open. Last time he encountered one of these doors, he'd opened it against his will. But this time, he opened it on his terms, and as part of a plot to destroy the thing that Umbridge spent years looking for, had killed his parents for. And so, it was with confidence that Harry stepped through the door.
"We really did it," Harry said as he stepped into what might have been the largest room in all of Hogwarts. "We found the Chamber of Secrets." In stark contrast to the dark, plain, and gloomy tunnel that had led them there, the chamber was brightly lit and lavishly decorated with green marble floors and large snake statues lining a walkway that led to a small pond. The back wall, on the opposite side of the pond, was ornately carved into a massive image of a bearded man's face.
"This is your birthright, Harry," Hermione said. "Slytherin had this place built for himself and his descendants. For you." Harry smiled, taking a moment to contemplate his family legacy.
"That's Salazar Slytherin," Uncle Severus said as he stared in awe at the large stone face before them. If the carving looked anything like the actual person, Slytherin must have been a very intimidating man. He had no-nonsense eyes, and an angular face that likely struck fear in the hearts of many early Hogwarts students. Still, the fact that he'd been a Hogwarts founder said something about his character. Anyone who dedicated their life to the education of others was someone who cared about the betterment of society.
"Where's the weapon?" Ron asked. This was a good question. The weapon was what they'd come for, after all, and as fancifully designed as the Chamber of Secrets was, there didn't seem to be much of anything in it.
"Maybe you need to say something in Parseltongue, Harry," Hermione suggested. "He provided some pretty big snake statues for you."
Harry shrugged, figuring it was worth a try. So, he began to talk to one of the statues, saying, "I am the heir of Salazar Slytherin. I've come to claim my birthright."
Everyone was silent for a few seconds as they waited. And then Salazar Slytherin's mouth slowly slid open.
"Get behind me," Uncle Severus ordered as he moved forward and spread his arms out wide. Harry, Ron, and Hermione did as they were told, and seconds later, the largest snake Harry had ever seen came slithering out of the mouth of Salazar Slytherin. Seeing its shedded skin had not been enough to prepare him for what he was looking at. It was impossibly large, impossibly long, with shiny black scales as big as dinner plates.
"Don't look it in the eyes," Hermione whispered urgently. "That's not just a snake. That's a basilisk." The basilisk hit the water with a splash and began to swim across the surface of the pond.
"Do something, Harry!" said Ron.
Harry's heart was pounding wildly as he looked up at the basilisk and said, "I am the heir of Slytherin. Do not harm us."
The basilisk paused. "Yesss. I'm aware of who you are, massster. I will not harm you or your friendsss." He continued in his path, stopping just at the edge of the pond.
"Oh," said Harry. "Good. Thank you." He turned to the others. "He won't hurt us. I think he takes orders from me." Despite this news, Uncle Severus continued to stand between the monster and his students. "What exactly is a basilisk, Hermione?"
"It's an extremely rare but powerful creature," said Hermione, who had gone through a phase a couple years prior where she'd been reading about magical creatures in her spare time. "It can kill you just by making eye contact, it can turn organic matter into stone, and its fangs are highly venomous."
"What does something that big need with venom?" Ron asked. "I'll bet its fangs are big enough to impale a person. I think you found your weapon, Harry."
Harry nodded. He'd been promised a powerful weapon, and Slytherin delivered. "What's organic matter?" he asked.
"It's what living things are made of," Hermione said. "Like plants, or… animals."
"So this thing can kill me with its eyes, kill me by turning me to stone, or kill me with its giant fangs?" asked Ron. "Talk about overkill."
"Actually, I believe the petrification process can be reversed with the right potion," said Uncle Severus.
"What do you want to do, Harry?" asked Hermione. "I'll bet the basilisk's venom alone would be powerful enough to destroy the Elder Wand."
Harry thought for a moment, then stepped around his uncle, walking right up to the basilisk. Uncle Severus watched him nervously as he looked up at the creature and said, "We need your help."
"I am at your ssservice," said the basilisk as it respectfully bowed its head.
Harry smiled and turned back to the others. "Let's go give Umbridge exactly what she asked for."