Chapter Eighteen
They woke the next morning when Sally patted them kindly on the shoulder.
"I thought you might want to get sorted before people begin to wake." She suggested with a gentle smile.
They were more than grateful of the wake up call when the next person down to the main common room was Tracy Davis, dragging a rather tired looking Millicent behind her.
"Well someone's studying hard." Tracy sniffed.
They ignored her and stuck their noses back in their books. They were trying to read through them, exams were in less than a week but they just wanted to talk to Myrtle and couldn't concentrated on the text books.
It was after Charms, being lead down the corridor by Flitwick that they tried to slip away. Flitwick was distracted by Lockhart who was yet again bragging about how he had personally fixed the whole situation and all this nonsense, taking the students everywhere was a waste of teachers precious time.
Harry, Pansy and Draco made their way to the back of the crowd and quietly walked down the next corridor.
"It's a couple of corridors away the bathroom." Pansy whispered, "Not far but we'll have to be quick."
They were nearly there when McGonagall saw them.
"What on earth are you three doing down here? Second year Slytherins should be in History of Magic." She said briskly.
"We were going to try and see Daphne and Hermione." Draco said quickly.
Professor McGonagall's face softened, "I'm so sorry, of course. Tell Madam Pomfrey that I sent you and you are to be allowed into see your friends. It's easy to forget, that those who are friends with those poor souls who have been attacked, suffer the most." She took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.
Harry, Draco and Pansy looked gratefully at her and turned to walk towards the hospital wing. They did think about going back and trying to reach Myrtle again but they'd only get into trouble if they didn't report in to Madam Pomfrey and it would be wonderful to see Hermione and Daphne again.
They knocked on the door and waited. Madam Pomfrey stuck her head out the door, opening it as small as possible.
"You can't come in. I've told you this!" She said with a loud huff.
"Sorry, Professor McGonagall said we could come. We're really missing our friends." Pansy said as nicely as possible.
Madam Pomfrey looked over them and huffed loudly, "Well I suppose you'll have to come in then. Not that they even know you're here."
Harry, Pansy and Draco walked over to the pair of beds where Hermione and Daphne were lying, the book still between them. Madam Pomfrey been unable to get their hands apart and didn't want to hurt them, so it was best to leave them joined together.
Harry sat on one side, Draco and Pansy on the other. It was difficult. They wanted to make it all better but Daphne and Hermione might of well not have been in the room. They'd only been five minutes when they stood to leave.
"What's that?" Harry said pointing at their joined hands.
"What are you talking about Harry?" Draco asked, "You knew they were holding hands."
Harry rolled his eyes, "Not that. Keep a look out." He told them. Harry carefully climbed over Daphne and reached carefully between their clasped hands. With great difficulty he managed to prise out the bit of paper they had clutched between them.
Harry climbed back down, apologising for his knee landing on Hermione's chest.
"I saw the gold lettering catch the light." Harry told them.
"What is it?" Pansy asked, moving to stand next to him.
Harry looked over the slightly torn paper, "It's a page from a book, an old book a very old book. I can't imagine Hermione or Daphne ruining a book. Look Hermione's written on it. Pipes."
Harry showed them the page and read it out,
"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched under a toad. Its methods of killing are wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its 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."
"This all makes sense." Harry muttered, "Daphne or Hermione must have figured it out."
"Not all makes sense." Draco pointed out, "Firstly no one is dead."
Harry sat on the edge of the bed.
"Because no one has looked at it, not directly at least." Pansy said, more loudly than she had meant to, "Think about it, Colin had his camera you said, Justin saw it through Nearly headless Nick, yes Nick must have looked directly but he's already dead, so he can't die again. Hermione and Daphne must have been using the mirror to look round corners. That's why they had it and told the other girl. Mrs Norris… there was water on the floor that day. She only saw the reflection."
"So as long as everyone goes around wearing glasses we'll all just be petrified rather than killed." Harry said with an attempt at humour that failed.
"And they even told us how it's getting around. It's in the pipes." Pansy said shaking her head.
"Yes. And I can hear it because it's a snake and I'm a parslemouth. Spiders flee from it and someone killed all Hagrid's cockerels. It's certainly lived a while, it must be huge by now." Harry sighed.
"We have to tell someone. This could save people. Stop them from shutting down the school." Draco said, "We have an idea of where to find the chamber and what's in it."
Harry and Pansy nodded.
"Just one problem, who do we tell?" Pansy asked.
"Everyone." Harry shrugged, "Class ends in just over ten minutes so we'll just go to the staff-room and wait. Then we can tell everyone at once. Someone will listen surely."
They left the hospital wing, thanking Madam Pomfrey for letting them visit, getting a small smile and nod in return, and hurried to the staffroom. It was eerily empty with all the teachers either in class or patrolling the corridors. They were waiting for the bell to ring when McGonagall's voice magically filled the room.
"All students report immediately to their house dormitories at once, all teaches to the staffroom immediately. Thank you."
"What do you think has happened?" Draco asked, "Another attack?"
Harry nodded, "I think the question is do we go back to the dorm?"
"No." Pansy and Draco said together.
Harry smirked, "Yep glad I'm not the only one who thought that." He looked around, "Look in here."
They squashed themselves into a strange wardrobe that was filled with the teachers cloaks and spare robes.
"There really isn't room for all three of us in here." Draco hissed, trying not to stand on Pansy's foot.
Harry shushed him and they listened as the door of the staffroom opened and people began to come in, talking in low mumbles. At last Professor McGonagall arrived, looking worried and stressed.
"I'm glad you're all here. I'm afraid there has been another attack. And a child has been taken, into the chamber." She said solemnly.
Flitwick squealed and Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth.
"Can you be sure?" Sprout asked.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat awkwardly, "Yes. The heir has left another message, under the first one. Her bones will lie in the Chamber forever. And a student is missing."
"Who?" Flitwick croaked.
"Ginny Weasley." Professor McGonagall said, her voice cracking.
Madam Hooch slumped into a chair and clutched at her chest.
"This is the end of Hogwarts, even Dumbledore wont be able to save it. He always said we couldn't, we mustn't, put the students at risk. I'm going to contact the parents tonight and everyone is to inform their students that they will be going home first thing tomorrow morning." McGonagall sighed.
The door flew open and Lockhart walked in grinning, "So sorry, got caught up. Have I missed anything?"
"Why yes." Madam Hooch hissed, "Lockhart it's your moment to shine. Wasn't it just earlier today that you were saying you know exactly where the Chamber of Secrets is?"
"And that you knew what the monster is and how to stop it?" Flitwick joined in.
Lockhart went pale, "Did I say that? I don't remember." he gave out a forced chuckle.
"Yes you did." Professor McGonagall said strongly, "You said if you'd been given free reign none of this would have happened."
"Now maybe you miss understood me… I… I" Lockhart said now turning rather green.
"Not at all. Tonight you will have free reign as you so wanted. Save the girl, kill the monster and save the entire school. It shouldn't be an issue for a man with your… considerable talents." McGonagall said stiffly.
"Right...well...I'd...I'd best go...prepare...get ready." Lockhart said leaving the room in rather a hurry.
"Well that's got rid of him at least." McGonagall said, "Madam Hooch would you mind informing the Slytherins they need to pack and prepare to go home, and that they will not be returning."
Madam Hooch nodded, "Of course Minerva."
The staffroom quickly emptied as the teachers went about their business. Harry, Draco and Pansy waiting until they were sure everyone had gone before leaving the staffroom quickly and ducking into an empty classroom.
"What do we do?" Harry asked, "Ginny is sweet, she'd never hurt anyone."
"Maybe we could go to Lockhart and tell him what we know. He's a pain in the ass sure but according to his books he's done a lot of good. Maybe he really can save her." Pansy said shrugging her shoulders.
Draco nodded, "Honestly at this point I don't think we've got a choice."
"You three!"
They jumped, the Bloody Barron swept into the room through the door,
"I thought I heard voices. Get to the common room now." he ordered crossly.
The three students nodded and left the room, they didn't have a choice but to go to the common room with the Bloody Barron following them. Unfortunately someone else wasn't in their dorms.
"Potter!" a nearly hysterical voice shouted at them.
Harry turned around to see Ron charging up towards him. Ron slammed him into the wall.
"Get off him!" Draco shouted pulling at his arm, Pansy pulling on the other side but Ron was a lot stronger than he looked.
"Where's my sister?!" Ron yelled, tears running down his face.
Harry managed to get his hands free enough to shove Ron away, he fell to the floor and wiped his nose with the already coated back of his sleeve.
"Just let her go!" Ron spat, "She's never done anything to hurt you! She worshipped you!"
"What is all this?" Professor McGonagall said coming round the corner, looking disgusted with the scene before her, "Get to your common rooms at once! Ten points from each of you."
"I was trying to force him to give Ginny back! She's only eleven! And he took her! He's going to kill her!" Ron cried.
"I do not believe that Mr Potter had anything to do with what has happened to Miss Weasley, or any of the other students." McGonagall said choking back the tears, "Now please go back to where you are safe."
Harry, Draco and Pansy took the chance to leave while Ron couldn't attack them again, he was still arguing with Professor McGonagall. The common room was quiet, an air of fear and distrust covering them all.
"Did you hear?" Howard Nightshade asked, as they came into the room, "The school is being closed."
Harry nodded, "Yeah someone has been taken." he didn't want to say Ginny's name, as if people didn't suspect him enough already, it had to be the cute little first year Gryffindor that Harry had been seen talking to all year.